ISLAMABAD – COAS Gen. Qamar Javaid Bajwa, while addressing participants ofNational Security Workshop, states that for past two decades Pakistan hasbeen facing religious and ethnic versions of ‘hybrid war’, a term oftencoined for fifth generation warfare. He further accentuated thecomprehensive national response to ward off hybrid war where focus isshifting to subversion on religious, sectarian, ethnic and social issues.Youth, COAS said, must be mindful and steadfast against propagandaonslaught launched through hybrid offensive to grasp the opportunityachieved after countless sacrifices in the wake of war on terror.
Now first of all the main potent question is: what the hybrid war means tobe? Broadly speaking, in sync with one of NDU theses, it’s thenon-conventional onslaught that includes externally provoked identityconflicts exploiting historical, ethnic, religious, socio-economic andgeographic differences within a country through the phased transition fromColor revolutions to unconventional wars in order to disrupt, control,influence multipolar transnational connective infrastructure projects bymeans of Regime Tweaking, Regime Change and/or Regime Reboot. In nuclearera, it’s not easy to nuke nemesis in face of mutually assured destruction(MAD). Hence atypical stratagem of ‘Death by a thousand cuts’ is beingemployed in shape of political blitz that blends conventional warfare,irregular warfare, and cyber warfare with other influencing methods, suchas yellow journalism, installment of EHMs (Economic Hitman) networks,anti-state lobbying, law fare and foreign electoral intervention.
Let’s us deconstruct the entire long above definition to sift its each andevery part for understanding the mayhem gnawing the country. First of all,this unconventional warfare breeds upon externally provoked identityconflicts in which religious and ethnic fault lines are exploited. Numerousevents are influenced by external factors out of which two are crucial—NGOsand Info wars. On Oct.8, 2005, the horrific earthquake rattled the wholePakistan leaving the scenes of misery and agony everywhere.
In the name of foreign assistance and monetary funding to aid destitutelot, the multitude of NGOs landed to Pakistan after which multiple mediaoutlets mushroomed. In the chaotic year of 2007, the bloopers committed byMusharraf, like deposition of then CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry, Red Mosquebloodshed and Nov.3 emergency along with countless suicidal attacks, gaverise to immense tumult and mayhem. One should be surprised how longunobstructed media coverage upon Red mosque and judicial movement was whichgeared for the regime change. In other words, the prelude for enticinggimmicks of democracy after the dark despotic reign of Musharraf gave riseto such demagogues which destroyed almost every institution.
The then USA Sec of State Condoleezza Rice’s artifact NRO to pave the wayfor fraudulent Zardari-Nawaz democracy to oust Musharraf legitimized allthe black money in the name of reconciliation. Benazir Bhutto’s murder wassuch a black swan event that was to exploit the Punjabi-Sindhi ethnic faultlines. In the veneer of democracy externally provoked chaos wasmanufactured in the way out of which we find our economy in the ICU today.What was that? Color revolution in the garb judicial movement with immensetumult was launched with unconventional warfare in terms of foreign-backedmalicious TTP subversive activities. Info wars in shape of pessimism andsensationalism were rife on media outlets.
Venom was continuously spewed against security institutions. Even one mediaoutlet disclosed Ajmal Kassab’s wreaking havoc in Mumbai qua Pakistanicitizen, who now discovered to be an Indian national. These events areclassic illustration of hybrid warfare which was an organized viciousattempt to make deep cleavage between masses and security institutionswhich costed myriad lives and economic meltdown.
After a long gloomy decade, now some silver lining is on the horizon. Firsttime, what we observe is made in Pakistan government. Some semblance ofnormalcy is beckoned. But war against terror is not concluded. It in-factis being fought with the lethal weapon of propaganda. The issue of ManzoorPashteen and PTM is not as big as it’s being propagated on social media.The extremist proclivity of TLP in terms of infidelity decrees against CJand COAS is another dimension of hybrid war to incite mutiny. Yes, nodoubt, there are many issues on interior front. The field of governance ismuch weaker for nascent government to preempt hybrid offensive. But atleast with cooperation of security institutions, government is strivinghard.
The recent example of multipolar infrastructure project is CPEC. To thwartCPEC, hybrid war is taking new dimension. Arrest of Kulboshan Jadev, anIndian spy, corroborates the stance of Pakistani military establishmentthat India goes vivacious not only in Balochistan but also in FATA andKarachi through malicious activities. Ironically the USA is also pepperingthe Indian Consulates’ clandestine activities, operating in Afghanistan,against Baluchistan.
Why Baluchistan? Isn’t it the echoes of Robert Kaplan’s “US Elegant Decline& Maritime Great Game”—in which the US is to be quietly leveraged the seapower of its ally India in Indian Ocean to set limits on Chinese expansionas US’ hegemony will not last infinitely and it must seek to replace itwith a subtle balance-of-power arrangement—India as a balancer vis-à-visChina. One thing is evident that Pakistan will never allow its territory tobe used as a new theatre of any Great Game at the cost of CPEC. Adroitdiplomacy to unveil the iniquitous Indian designs on every world forum isthe need of the hour.
In a nut-shell, hybrid warfare is the latest intimidation whose maliciousaim is to target CPEC. Government must establish its writ in every nook andcorner of the country. The weapon of propaganda is the most perniciousweapon of hybrid war. To counter this, effective governmental control onelectronic and social media is the need of the hour. There should belimitation on free speech so that it can’t morph into hate and anti-statespeech. Government should imbue general public with the scent of educationand optimism. Any anti-state reporting and propaganda must be dealt withiron hands. Hybrid offensive is not a myth. It’s that darkened reality withwhich we have to fight. The vanguard is veritably our youth.
BY: Ali Abbas