By Major Waseem Mahmood Butt (Retd.)
President, PESAF – PAKISTAN Ex-Servicemen of the Armed Forces Veterans, Great PAKISTAN.
Defense Analyst, Columnist
PAKISTAN has been confronting terrorism in KP for over three decades, beginning with the TNSM uprising in Malakand in 1994. History offers an interesting perspective: despite repeated tribal uprisings, the British managed at considerable cost-to preserve the Writ of the State across much of the Frontier for Prolonged periods.
Recent Shameful Terrorist attack in Koat police lines on our brave Policemen has confirmed the Involvement of Afghanies & their facilitators
(this clearly Confirms and Rejects the so-called scholars, intellectuals who waged a campaign when govt decided to expel Afghani Doctors; what reply can they give to the families of those brave police men of Kohat & their families. Those a few “Politicians like Mr Fazlu r Rehman of JUI, who has had been Spitting Venom in these a few days against our Beloved PAK Armed Forces, Police, FC, saying they are at daggers drawn; Must feel some Shame now, and be Loyal to Great PAKISTAN at least..!
Colonel Sir Robert Warburton, the celebrated Political Officer of the Khyber, distilled his frontier experience into principles that remain remarkably relevant to counter-insurgency thinking today:
10 CARDINAL PRINCIPLES:
1.Know the people before attempting to govern them.
2.Understand every tribe, sub-tribe and clan separately—not as one homogeneous adversary.
3.Engage genuine local leadership directly; avoid self-serving intermediaries.
4.Give communities a stake in peace—and make them partners in maintaining security.
5.Reward peace before resorting to the costly cycle of punitive action and war.
6.A commander’s integrity, credibility and personal reputation can be stronger than threats.
7.Use force only when necessary—but when committed, make it swift, decisive and unmistakable.
8.Understand local honour, customs, traditions and grievances before taking action.
9.Build relationships in peacetime; trust cannot be manufactured during a crisis.
10.Lasting stability comes from aligning the interests of the people with the State—not from military strength alone.
THE CENTRAL MESSAGE
Military power can suppress terrorism/insurgency; Only legitimacy, local trust and aligned interests can end it. Let us Honour our Martyrs not merely with Ceremonies and Slogans, but by building the Secure, Just, Prosperous and Dignified PAKISTAN for which they gave their Precious Lives.
PAKISTAN has confronted enormous challenges before—and Survived them;
With National Unity, Institutional Strength, Responsible Leadership and an Unshakeable National Will. PAKISTAN can Defeat Terrorism and emerge Stronger than before, Under the Determined, Fore Sighted and Chivalrous Leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
The purpose of revisiting Warburton’s experience is not to teach anyone how to govern the Frontier. It is simply to revisit history-because sometimes, the past does not provide answers, but it does Provide questions worth asking; *For Posterity. For Reflection. For Great’ PAKISTAN.
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