Thesis: Ineffective law enforcement strategies are the leading causes of frequent attacks in Pakistan.
I. Introduction
A. Thesis: Ineffective law enforcement strategies are the leading causes of frequent attacks in Pakistan.
II. Alternative Hypothesis 1: Poverty in Pakistan causes frequent terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
A. Persons in Pakistan or neighboring countries join terrorist groups as a means of earning a living and making money. Consequently, the numbers of attacks have increased.
B. However, poor persons cannot acquire weapons and materials used to commit terrorism.
III. Alternative Hypothesis 2: Pakistan government participation in the war on terror causes frequent terrorist attacks.
A. Active participation of Pakistan government in the fight against terrorism creates enmity with other countries such as India. Also, terror groups retaliate against Pakistan government.
B. Opponents of this hypothesis argue that governments can efficiently unite to fight terrorism. Consistent government war against terrorism significantly reduces related attacks.
IV. Primary Hypothesis: Poor law enforcement in Pakistan causes frequent terrorist attacks
A. Inadequate or lack of law enforcement promotes operation of terrorist groups.
B. Civil courts in Pakistan are unwilling or incapacitated in the prosecution of criminals.
C. Lack of adequate laws to spar economic growth leads to poverty which in turn increase the number of persons joining terror groups in Pakistan hence increase attacks.
D. Lack of sufficient policies and laws governing Pakistani government involvement in the fight against terrorism results to a poor strategy that precipitates frequent terrorist attacks.
E. Criminal groups take advantage of lawlessness in some parts of Pakistan.
V. A case study on Pakistan.
A. Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by terrorism.
B. Weak law enforcement is the primary cause of frequent terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
i. Agencies concerned with law enforcement are incapacitated or lack the will.
ii. Most of the times, detention of most terrorists Expires without a full trial.
C. Terrorist attacks in Pakistan result to disruption in financial markets, deaths, and destruction of property.
D. Managing terrorism in Pakistan should involve reducing poverty levels and managing international relations. Other strategies include preventing radicalization in prisons, reducing corruption and freezing funding to terrorists. All the strategies require effective legislation and law enforcement.
VI. Conclusion
A. Ineffective law enforcement strategies are the leading causes of frequent attacks in Pakistan.
Abstract
The primary purpose of this paper is to explore the different factors contributing to frequent terrorist attacks in Pakistan. The paper starts by outlining the literature search strategy. Additionally, the paper identifies three possible reasons to why Pakistan experiences terrorism. The reasons are based on poverty factors, participation in the war on security and law enforcement. Analysis of various literature materials helps in the examination of the propositions on causes of terrorism. Therefore, the paper presents various arguments and counter-arguments from different researchers. To arrive at a reliable conclusion, various theories and statistics are analyzed. Additionally, there is an analysis of the consequences of the attacks and the management strategies. The paper concludes that ineffective law enforcement strategies are the main causes of frequent attacks in Pakistan.
Keywords: terrorism, Pakistan, and terrorists.
Causes of Terrorism in Pakistan
Introduction
Terrorism is the use of indiscriminate and intentional violence to create fear, achieve a political, ideological or religious aim (Rehman, 2017). It encompasses a wide range of criminal activities designed to instill fear and intimidate a person or populations. These acts started in the first century. The 21st century has experienced a heightened number of attacks. Some of the reasons for the worldwide surge in these attacks are politics and religion. Modern acts of insecurity emanate from the rise of nationalist revolution groups in old territorial empires of European powers (Roser, 2017). According to the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the countries that are most affected by this sinful act include Egypt, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, India, Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan (Instituted for Economic and Peace, 2017). In 2016, approximately 30,000 people died as a result of these dreadful attacks (Ahmed, 2015). Groups such as ISIS/Islamic State, Taliban, and Boko Haram were responsible for 75% of all the deaths that occurred during the attacks (Instituted for Economic and Peace, 2017).
Pakistan is one the countries most affected by terrorism. Since the beginning of the 21st century, more than 63,000 citizens of Pakistan lost their lives (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). The government has spent more than $100 billion to come up with practical strategies for reducing the attacks and their effects (Rehman, 2017). It is essential to identify the main reasons why Pakistan is highly prone to such occurrences. Acts of insecurity linked to the attacks generate different social, economic, psychological and social damages. When a country becomes a victim of such dreadful acts, there is need to find out the leading cause of such incidents. This paper will focus on the influence of weak law enforcement as the leading cause of terrorist activities in Pakistan.
Methodology
This research interactively reviewed the information from journals, peer-reviewed resources, government websites, and the studies focusing on terrorism in Pakistan. As such, it analyzed both qualitative and quantitative data. Keywords such as terrorism, Pakistan and insecurity guided the process. Furthermore, the paper reviewed news and mainstream media reports. To ensure that the outcomes were reliable and relevant, pieces of information meeting the following inclusion criteria formed part of the study; those sources published within the last ten years at the time of the study, and those focusing on causes of terrorism in Pakistan. However, other relevant data published more than ten years at the time of this particular study were reviewed selectively. Other materials used include Interpol databases, Institute for Economic Development websites, Global terrorism database, and Peace websites.
Literature Review
Alternative Hypothesis 1: Poverty Causes Frequent Terrorist Attacks
According to Abadie (2004), economic constraint is one of the leading causes of civil wars and political coups. For this reason, conflating terrorist attacks with economic conditions seems logical (Krist, 2018). The economic situation in Pakistan gives explanations to why many people are participating in violent activities. The recruitment of children in these groups in Pakistan increases on a daily basis because of poverty. Many families are poor, and for these reasons, children opt to engage in such acts to earn a living (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). Peloquin (2016) suggests that governments should create more opportunities for such communities to help in poverty eradication. In Pakistan, 29.5% of the total populations live under poverty lines. (Khawaja, 2016). The GDP per capita is equivalent to 9% of the world’s average GDP (Instituted for Economic and Peace, 2017). Furthermore, the citizens of Pakistan cannot engage in farming activities because of the viability of the land. Hence, the economic crisis in Pakistan contributes to the growth of terrorism (Khawaja, 2016). However, there is a need for additional research focusing on the association between poverty and terrorism. Most studies on this topic significantly rely on terrorist incidences and measures used in combating casualties linked to the attacks (Abadie, 2004).
Criticism of Poverty as the Leading Cause of Frequent Terrorist Attacks
The research by Lozada (2018) suggests that people associated with the acts of terror are in most cases educated and above the poverty line. Lozada further states that socio-economic changes do not qualify in explaining the fluctuations when it comes to the violence observed in different countries of the world (Lozada, 2018). According to Mercy Corps (2016), creating economic opportunities does not directly translate to a reduction in terrorism. People with little or no capital to fund these cowardly acts and campaigns in most cases fail to become terrorists thus ruling out the idea that poverty acts as the main cause of frequent attacks in Pakistan. However, in some countries such as Somalia, economic problems contribute to the acts of terror (Krist, 2018).
Alternative Hypothesis 2: Participation in War on Terror Causes Frequent Terrorist Attacks
Government’s direct participation in eliminating terrorism is one of the strategies used to reduce death and destruction from extremist groups. The researchers such as Abadie (2004), Asal (2011), and Brenner (2017) agree that countries should actively contribute in the fight against insecurity. However, Pakistan’s participation in international terrorist attacks has provided mixed results. Initially, Pakistan had joined forces with the USA to rehabilitate terrorists, block terrorism financing and to establish security legislation focusing on terrorism (Ahmed, 2015). Consequently, India and Pakistan became rivals. The whole concept promoted violence and created enemies for Pakistan rather than mitigating or combating the different acts of terror (Brenner, 2017). Pakistan created more enemies than allies in this fight (Krist, 2018). The campaign made the government of Pakistan to repress people who oppose it and also disregards civil liberties, human rights, and international law. Brooks (2016) argues that the anti-terror campaign dramatically promoted more attacks as criminal groups retaliated or shifted alliances to groups such as ISIS and Alkaida. Since Pakistan border is highly permeable, it may prove challenging to push away attackers. In several occasions, Pakistan war against extremist has resulted in collateral damage and loss of lives of many Pakistanis. Henceforth, using retaliatory attacks and confrontation with terror groups may not be the best approach.
Criticisms of War on Terror as the Primary Cause of Frequent Terrorist Attacks
The authors such as Brenner (2007) argue that active government involvement helps in reducing terrorism. The government sanctions explain why there was a significant decrease in the attacks because Pakistan and the other countries that participate in the war on terror stay united and help each other to combat or eliminate any threat associated with the acts (Khawaja, 2016). The campaign makes the violent acts to subside since there is a threat to combat the violent operations. The war also helps Pakistan to develop universal principles and standards of human governance (Ahmed, 2015). Although participating in the war on terror may make Pakistan fall victim of the attacks, it cannot be the primary cause of frequent acts of terrorism especially when Pakistan shares a common border or proximity with another country (Krist, 2018).
Primary Hypothesis: Poor Law Enforcement Causes Frequent Terrorist Attack
Weak law enforcement is the primary cause of frequent terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Inadequate or lack of law enforcement in Pakistan promotes the operations of terrorist groups (United States Bureau of Counterterrorism, 2017). The failure of the police to implement law and order in Pakistan has led to a rise in the crime rates (Roser et al., 2017). The terrorists feel motivated to carry out their operations since accountability, in most cases, is less likely to occur. The anti-terrorism acts in Pakistan are not well implemented by the people in authority (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). Moreover, the civil courts in Pakistan are unwilling or unable to persecute some of the arrested terrorists (Bassiouni, 1981). When effective and efficient law enforcement is absent, terrorist groups and foreign extremists take advantage to commit crimes. Hence, it is imperative for a country like Pakistan to adopt effective legislation and law enforcement strategies (Syed, 2015).
Case Study
Pakistan is one of the countries that are notorious for terrorist attacks. There are many reports of terrorist attacks that result from different causes (Lozada, 2018). Some of the significant drivers of terrorism include corruption, weak law enforcement, poverty, unemployment, separatism, participation in the war against terrorism, ethnic strife, and foreign involvement (Abadia, 2004).
Statistics on Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan
The number of terrorist attacks witnessed in Pakistan in the year 2015 increased by about 127% between February and May (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). The statistics collected in Pakistan on crime indicate that terrorist attack in Pakistan became substantially lethal in the year 2015 where there were many deaths per attack as compared to the previous years. In 2015, there was a noticeable improvement in hostage-taking and kidnapping cases which decreased from 879 recorded in 2014 to 269 recorded in 2015 (United States Bureau of Counterterrorism, 2017).
Reports show that terrorist incidents continue to double every year and the Pakistani Taliban are the critical perpetrators for the recorded incidents of terrorism (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). The terrorist attacks are very violent, with civilians and police acting as the primary targets. The primary weapons used in the attacks include firearms and explosives (Khawaja, 2016).
Poor Law Enforcement as the Main Cause of Frequent Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan
In Pakistan, weak law enforcement is the leading cause of the terrorist attack. It is important to note that law enforcement plays a significant role when it comes to eliminating different acts of terrorist attacks since it acts as a tool that helps in countering terrorism. The law enforcement situation in Pakistan is discouraging since most Pakistan agencies concerned with the administration have inadequate powers when it comes to enforcing regulations (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). According to the statistics collected on Rule of Law indices in the year 2014, Pakistan appears at number 95 out of the 99 countries in regulatory enforcement (Instituted for Economic and Peace, 2017). Pakistan also ranks last when it comes to security and order (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). The judicial system in this country is ineffective and very slow thus making law violation common. Hence, ineffectual and inadequate law enforcement in Pakistan levels the playing field for terrorist attacks.
The antiterrorism legislation in Pakistan comprises of many weaknesses. The detention of most terrorists in Pakistan expires without going through trial and for this reason; they are set free without due process (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). Another shortcoming of the law enforcement in Pakistan is that people lack proper mechanisms to preserve and collect evidence that they can present in court (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). Other weaknesses include poor police system, lack or inadequate security services for judges, and the absence of prisons for the terrorist suspects (Khalid, 2017).
Effects of Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan
Terrorist attacks in Pakistan cause disruptions in Pakistan’s financial markets, fall in production and disruptions in transport (Ahmed, 2015). Therefore, there is a need for heightened security activities and measures. The government of Pakistan has taken the initiative to organize the military to help in curbing the situation (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). The main causes of terrorism in Pakistan include corruption, foreign involvement, and inadequate law enforcement. Others include ethnic strife, illiteracy, poverty, separatism and economic deprivation (Romaniuk, 2015).
How to Manage Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan
Pakistan can manage terrorist attacks by developing various terrorism risk programmes. The process associated with managing the various risks of terrorist attacks may appear as a daunting task (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). However, terrorism risk programs help in providing systematic and logical frameworks used in the identification of potential acts of terrorism. The plan used must include the detailed and initial assessments and various risk management techniques (Brenner, 2017).
The ways of preventing future terrorist attacks in Pakistan include removing corrupt elites in power, targeting the families of the terrorists, controlling the terrorists’ media, cutting their funding, creating strong native men, reforming laws, preventing radicalization in the prisons, and making the media accountable (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). If there is a problem with the leadership of the country, citizens should replace them with the competent leaders who will work towards managing the security situation. Furthermore, the government of Pakistan should take a legal decision against those firms like Twitter which relay messages of terrorists.
One of the best ways of deterring terrorist attacks is by cutting the funding of the terrorists. The Pakistan government should eliminate the benefits that terrorists receive through effective financial legislation. The government can take an initiative of freezing the funds sent to the families of the terrorists. The men in Pakistan need to be strong and not weak so that they also inspire fear in the hearts of the terrorists (Syed, Saeed, " Martin, 2015). The citizens of Pakistan need to develop resilience and strength, in mind and body. It may be challenging to intimidate resourceful, armed and well-organized people since they can act under pressure and manage fear. Reforming the law helps in condemning people who intend to join terrorist groups or factions overseas. Since the media should be accountable for the content that they air. The government should establish laws that govern information transfer (Ostrovsky, 2014). Most of these methods of managing terrorist attacks will only be effective if implemented in the correct and right manner. The government needs to play a significant role in managing the different acts of terrorism and protect its citizen. The citizens should also help the government by providing critical information on any acts or plans of the terrorist groups.
Conclusion
To reduce the cases of terrorist attacks and their effects, Pakistan should intensify counterterrorism efforts that focus on the causes such as poor law enforcement. Pakistan government should not only establish pragmatic counterterrorism laws but also ensure effective enforcement of the laws. Since fighting terrorism requires collaboration, management of political tension between Pakistan and India will contribute significantly in reduction in terrorist attacks. Pakistan also needs to address the critical causes of instability and terror, which include corruption, poor governance, poverty, and problems associated with the rule of law in Pakistan. Another area that Pakistan as a country should address is the twisted ideological and religious differences by including the real values of Islam and moderation. It is important to note that effective law enforcement is an excellent contributor to terrorism reduction. Proper laws will ensure reduction of poverty and efficient participation in the war on terror both nationally and internationally. If Pakistan develops and enforces effective legislation on terrorism, the level or rate of terrorism from attacks will significantly reduce.
References
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