Sharif’s 26/11 remark sets the stage for a debate on Pak’s role in cross-border terrorism

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has set the cat among the pigeons with his remarks questioning the policy of using Pakistan-based terrorists for the 26/11 attack on Mumbai and other assaults. The comments have alarmed or upset people in different quarters, ranging from Mr Sharif’s own PML-N party to the powerful military establishment. The army took the rather unusual step of nudging Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to convene a meeting of the National Security Committee, which concluded that Mr Sharif’s remarks were “incorrect and misleading”. However, none of what Sharif said in his interview with Dawn, Pakistan’s newspaper of record, was unknown or even new.

Pressure has been growing on Pakistan, especially from the US, its erstwhile ally in the war on terrorism, for allowing terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Haqqani Network to operate from its soil. The country is also set to be included in the Financial Action Task Force’s watch list in June for failing to do enough to crack down on terror financing. Even Pakistan’s staunch allies such as China and Saudi Arabia did not oppose the move to put it on FATF’s grey list. The military establishment, which is perceived to be behind moves to sideline Sharif before the crucial general election expected in a few months, has reacted swiftly because the remarks hit close to home.

Over the past few years, the military has gone after terror groups that were targeting Pakistan, but left virtually intact the widespread infrastructure of other groups that hit India or Western interests in Afghanistan. Mr Sharif’s remarks go against the deep state’s narrative and hamper efforts to salvage the relationship with the US.

There is disquiet within the PML-N, with Mr Sharif’s younger brother Shehbaz Sharif even saying the former premier’s remarks do not reflect party policy, because the party feels the row could affect its fortunes in the election. Sharif appears determined to take on the army despite the mounting odds against him, and has stuck to his guns and defended his remarks.

During the ongoing debate on Mr Sharif’s comments, some intellectuals and opposition politicians have disingenuously suggested that he has gone against the country’s interests by indicating that the state sanctioned the Mumbai attacks. The bottomline is that all Pakistani political parties, including the PML-N, and the military, are complicit in the failure to counter terrorist groups. The PML-N even more so, because some of the strongest anti-India groups function from its stronghold in the Punjab. Perhaps Mr Sharif has helped set the stage for a comprehensive debate on what really needs to be done to set its house in order.