Understanding categories of terrorists

Pakistan OBSERVER, Tue, Feb,05, 2008.

Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema
 

Terrorists neither recognize geographical boundaries nor the value systems of religions or humanitarianism. They tend to exploit all that is available with a view to advance their own objectives. In their quest to attain the objectives, the loss of innocent civilians’ lives does not invoke any remorse among them. However one needs to distinguish between various categories of terrorists as the motivations for each category may differ from the other.

Terrorism is not an ideology but a strategy which may be used by individuals, groups or states for different purposes. While the states, sub national groups and individuals use violent means as part of their well calculated strategy, the state authorities also use terrorism to brutalize the target audience in order to suppress the freedom struggle. While the use of force by the state would be viewed as legitimate, the employment of violence for intimidation purposes by sub national group or individual often invoke strong reactions.

An individual could be motivated by many factors. A continuous experience of blatant injustice could easily influence the behavior pattern of an aggrieved individual. He could be driven to undertake such extreme measures by the unjust deprivation. Failure to impart justice is known to have influenced many individuals and caused acts of terrorism. While in some cases the individual may demonstrate irrational behavior instantly, a calculated move can only be attributed to organized sub national groups and states.

An individual terrorist is likely to commit acts that can attract much publicity. He could be motivated to undermine the authority. An individual could also indulge in terrorist activities merely to free his colleagues. Extreme state of frustration could also motivate the individuals to undertake extreme measures. Taking a hostage or exploding a bomb in front of a public building or a store, high jacking a bus or other modes of public transportation are some of method frequently employed by individual terrorists. An individual terrorist often refrains from lobbying a bomb in a crowded place. However a distinction needs to be made between an estranged individual and an individual who has been trained and sent to target country for disruption, chaos and destabilization.

Sub national groups form the second major category of terrorists. These groups consist of people belonging to a particular school of thought. Not only the acts that are undertaken by this category are invariably calculated and planned, the objectives are also well known to the targets. The members of the group are mostly committed people who believe that the violent means are just one of the effective means to have goals their publicized. Sometimes the media in third world countries is inadvertently trapped in providing the requisite publicity these groups are seeking.

Not only the terrorist groups carefully plan to execute an act of terrorism but also meticulously assess the impact of their action well in advance. Unlikely an individual terrorist who may indulge in terrorist action instantly, these groups always carefully study the target and employ the appropriate weapons to attain their objective which send instructions to field agents with modern means of communication?

Factors motivating these groups are many and varied. Among these factors the projection of certain cause which may include influencing the government to concede to their demands, a response to repression, to create disorder in the society, to redress the injustice, to undermine authority, to free jailed colleagues and friends etc. Sometimes financial gains motivate them to commit acts of terrorism.

Among the known categories of terrorism perhaps the most important and hotly debated category of terrorism is called State terrorism. State sponsored terrorism is one of the oldest forms of terrorism. In ancient times it was an established practice in almost all empires. However the modern history is also filled with innumerable examples of state terrorism. For instance, Britain used it against the French in the Indian wars in America and vice versa. A state not only carefully plans to undertake a systematic extermination and persecution of the target individuals or groups but also tends to project such action as routine response. Since the state has the legitimate authority to employ force in order to impose its decision, its brutal acts are just projected as incidental excesses.

It is obvious when the state acts against any particular group; it feels justified to undertake such an action in the greater national interest of the country. However when a state commits excesses repeatedly, it becomes a subject of controversy. It needs to be mentioned here that both the state government and the Central government are known to have indulged in such nefarious activities. Admittedly very few governments of particular bend indulge in state terrorism and very often governments that may reverse the policy and opt for more peaceful means succeed such governments.

A systematic extermination of important individuals who are spearheading a movement against the established authority is often interpreted as state's efforts to eliminate them and weaken the movement. However it needs to be highlighted that in some cases the movement is a genuine freedom struggle and state's attempt to crush the movement is not viewed sympathetically. But on the other hand the states that are opposed to such freedom struggles and are involved in the processes of crushing the movements, they always tend to project them as terrorist movements. Both Indian policy in Kashmir and Israel’s pursuits with regard to Palestinians are two appropriate examples in the recent times.

Pakistan is confronted with terrorism sponsored by particular groups and states. Not only the alienated groups, for one reasons or the other, within our society have challenged the writ of the state authorities but they also appear to enjoy the support of interested outsiders as well. While we may call them as tools of outsiders, the terrorists themselves may look differently primarily either because of their extremely narrow vision or being overwhelmed by revenge feelings.

To curb the rising tide of terrorism within our country it is imperative that all segments of society initially recognize it as a menace that can radically affect the fabric of our society and then join hands to undertake collective remedial measures. In this connection one should enlists the support of political leaders, religious leaders, human right activists, NGOs, civil society, media and even the man in the street.

In fact it is the duty of all us to work towards this end. It is my understanding that all segments of society would be forthcoming to battle any danger that can hurt the society and the country. Already realization regarding the adverse impact of this menace exists and time has now come to work collectively to rid the nation of this growing menace. If we undertake a united stand, no outsider would be able to successfully accomplish its nefarious designs.

The writer works for Islamabad Policy research Institute.