Action delayed, Pak in line for Trump whip

With one stroke of the pen Donald Trump slammed the doors on people from seven predominantly Muslim countries throwing the United States and the world into unprecedented chaos. Extreme vetting of travellers from Pakistan and Afghanistan has already been ordered and a complete ban on them is not being ruled out.

The registration of the Muslim population in the US is also reportedly under consideration setting a cruel precedent somewhat reminiscent of Nazi rule. Notwithstanding the massive protests across the US and in Western capitals, Trumpism seems unstoppable, making the world more dangerous and insecure.

Understandably, Trump’s radical steps are cause for serious concern to Pakistan too. Notwithstanding the friendly phone conversation between the Pakistani prime minister and Trump soon after the latter’s election in November, the signals from Washington have not been encouraging. It was clear from the outset that the new administration would exert increasing pressure on Islamabad to crack down on Pakistani militant groups such as the Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

True to character, the Sharif government waited passively for things to pass. But now there is sign of panic with Trump moving fast on his election promises and the impending threat of extending the travel ban to Pakistanis. The dramatic crackdown on the JuD and the decision to place Hafiz Saeed under house arrest highlights panic. Interestingly, the crackdown came hours after the publication of a report in a national daily claiming that Pakistan was threatened with sanctions if it did not act swiftly against the group. For many years Islamabad had resisted pressure from Washington and other countries to clamp down on the groups that were still being protected under various pretexts. It was apparent that the JuD was the new banner for Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the most lethal of Pakistani militant outfits that was banned in 2002 because of outside pressure.

Pakistan was forced to close down JuD offices after the outfit was put on the list of terrorist organisations by the United Nations. But the action was short-lived as a Lahore high court bench found no grounds for banning the group, providing Islamabad with a convenient excuse to defy international pressure. Hafiz Saeed roamed around freely addressing rallies and appearing on primetime TV, reinforcing international scepticism regarding Islamabad’s double standard in dealing with the scourge of militancy and extremism.

The 2008 Mumbai terror attacks involving members of the banned outfit intensified the call by the international community for action against the JuD. The anger grew further after Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the carnage, was freed by the court. But now, the belated and somewhat half-hearted action against the JuD and confinement of its leaders may not satisfy the international community. The pressure will intensify to crack down on the banned militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad and its leader Maulana Masood Azhar.

Maulana Azhar came into focus again late last year after JeM was accused of masterminding the attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot. But Azhar has remained free. Pakistan has been able to block the move in the UN Security Council to declare him a terrorist with the help of China. But this can’t be sustained for long. Islamabad. Yet another pressure point for Pakistan is the detention on treason charges of Dr Shakeel Afridi who helped CIA in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Trump had vowed to get him released and bring him to the US within days of his taking over. This presents a very tricky situation for the Pakistani government. There is no doubt that Pakistan should have acted against the groups in its own national interests long ago. It will certainly bring more humiliation if we wait for the Trump whip. Have we not already been trumped?