Asif Mahmood 
Maulana Fazlur Rehman is a seasoned politician. He knows the weight of words. That is why his recent remark from a public stage is more concerning. Talking about the temporary curfews in the tribal areas, he said something like : if there is curfew for two days, where do the terrorists go for the other five days? And why are only trucks allowed to pass during curfew? The crowd clapped. Such empty rhetoric unfortunately always get claps. But we need to understand what is behind this line. This curfew is not a political curfew. It is not there to punish the population. It is a movement curfew. For a few hours, on specific days, on a specific road. Why? Because a convoy has to pass. And what is in that convoy? Not some luxury items. These are trucks carrying food, fuel, medicines for soldiers sitting in far-flung posts. Posts where no ordinary truck can go. If you have seen those areas, you know what it takes to keep a post alive there. For twenty years, the favourite target of terrorists has been these very convoys. They plant IEDs. They ambush. If civilian traffic is allowed at the same time, two things happen – the convoy becomes an easy target in a crowd, and if an attack happens, civilians will die too. So the road is cleared. For a few hours. To save lives, both military and civilian. To say that terrorists go to caves for five days is factually wrong. Anyone who follows security developments knows that intelligence-based operations happen almost daily. There is no weekly holiday in this war. Our soldiers are picking up intelligence and acting on it, day and night. There is a genuine debate to be had. What is the situation in the tribal districts? Are the people getting their basic rights? Is development happening? A politician must raise these questions. But there is a difference between raising an issue and mocking a security procedure. If we want the army not to interfere in politics, then politicians should also not drag security matters into political jokes. This is a two-way street. You may get applause in a jalsa by making fun of a curfew. But that applause comes at a cost. It creates distrust. It tells the family of a soldier that his service is a joke. It tells the mother of a child using that road that her child’s safety is not important. Political popularity is temporary. The damage done to the narrative of national security stays for a long time. So the political leadership must be more responsible in formation of its narrative.