ISLAMABAD: A drone is a semi-autonomous,
self-propelled system controlled by an external
intelligence. Suitably equipped handlers guide it
towards an assigned target. The MQ-1B General
Dynamics Predator, connected to high-flying US
military surveillance satellites, differs from
the low-tech mullah-trained human drone produced
in Pakistani madrassas. But they share a common
characteristic. Neither asks why they must kill.
Drones, machine and human, have drenched Pakistan
with the blood of innocents. In 2006, a bevy of
MQ-1Bs hovering over Damadola launched a barrage
of 10 Hellfire missiles, costing $60,000 apiece,
at the village below. They blew up 18 local
people, including five women and five children.
The blame was put on faulty local intelligence.
The same year, a Hellfire missile hit a madrassa
in Bajaur killing between 80 and 85 people,
mostly students. Pervez Musharraf’s credibility
stood so low that few believed his claim that
those killed were training to become Al-Qaida
militants. Indeed, while these space-age weapons
have occasionally eliminated a few Al-Qaida men,
such as Abu Laith al-Libi in January 2008, the
more usual outcome has been flattened houses,
dead and maimed children, and a growing tribal
population that seeks revenge against Pakistan
and the US.
The indigenous human drone, equipped with an
explosive vest surrounded with ball bearings and
nails, has left a far bloodier trail. Six suicide
attacks in 2006 turned into 62 in 2007. According
to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, at least
1,523 civilians were killed in terror-related
violence last year. Those praying in mosques or
at funerals have been no safer than others at
political rallies. Beards, and prayer marks on
foreheads, are no protection either.
This drone does not need to know why and who he
must kill. Only how. A spine-chilling suicide
bomber training video illustrates this. It is one
of the several videos that freely circulate in
Pakistan’s tribal areas, watched by a population
hostile to Pakistan’s armed forces. About 30
masked fighters are filmed in this video,
training in some barren, mountainous area. One
fighter, randomly selected by their leader,
proceeds to climb a huge rock, perhaps 100 feet
high. He reaches the highest point, and then
stands motionless. His arms are outstretched as
though on a diving board, awaiting the signal
from below. Subsequently, without hesitation, and
without closing his eyes, he launches himself
onto the ground below.
The camera cuts to the still body lying on the
blood-soaked ground. It then slowly pans over the
faces of the other masked fighters. Their eyes
betray no emotion. A second signal from the
leader, and they trot military-style to the body,
dig a shallow grave, toss their dead comrade into
it, and cover it up. They then march over the
grave several times, chanting Quranic verses. Why
sacrifice a human life for a few minutes of
footage? English subtitles make obvious that this
is for propaganda. The message: this group’s
fighters have overcome the fear of death, and
have willingly surrendered to the group leader
their individual powers to reason and decide.
While the murder of innocents by the MQ-1B has
led to much condemnation in Pakistan, the far
greater carnage left by suicide bombers has
provoked only mild criticism. A few editorials,
mostly in English language newspapers, have been
forthright but there have been no street protests.
On the other hand, implicit justifications
abound. In January 2008, 30 leading Deobandi
religious scholars, while declaring suicide
attacks “haram”, rationalised these as a mere
reaction to the government’s wrong policies in
the tribal areas. They concluded: "A peaceful
demand for implementing Shariah was not only
rejected but the government was also not willing
to give ear to any reasoning based on Qur’an and
Sunna in support of the sharia demand.
Apparently, these circumstances led some minds to
the frustration that manifested itself in suicide
attacks".
What message are these ulema sending?
That Pakistanis should surrender to Islamic
extremists and adopt the sharia to avoid being
attacked? This amounts to encouragement and
incitement. Why do Pakistanis suddenly lose their
voice when it comes to suicide bombings? First,
the bomber - even if he kills pious Muslims or
even those in the act of prayer - kills in the
name of Islam. Therefore, people mute their
criticism lest they be regarded as irreligious or
even blasphemous.
Second, many believe that suicide attacks will
disappear if Pakistan withdraws from a war
against terror that is not Pakistan’s but
America’s. But most of the dead and wounded are
perfectly ordinary people. They had nothing to do
with American or Pakistani forces. Even if
America retreats - which is unlikely - Pakistan
is now unable to escape the terrible consequences
of a weapon developed to bleed India and to
secure Afghanistan for “strategic depth”.
Unfortunately, few Pakistanis accept that more
and more crazed mullahs have created cults around
themselves and seized control over the minds of
worshippers. An enabling environment of poverty,
deprivation, lack of justice and extreme
differences of wealth is perfect for demagogues.
As the mullah’s indoctrination gains strength,
the power to reason weakens. The world of the
follower becomes increasingly divided into
absolute good and absolute evil. Doubt is
replaced by certainty, moral sensibilities are
blunted, the sensation of pain to oneself and
others disappears, and the metamorphosis from
human to drone becomes complete. The writer
teaches at Quaid-e-Azam University.