Pakistan united in taking on the Taliban

War on Terror

16 May 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com

Pakistan united in taking on the Taliban

ALL THE components of the state seem to have finally come out of the state of confusion and ambiguity. They seem to have all determined that the Tehreek- e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is the gravest danger to the Pakistani society. The government has called on the military to take action against the rapidly advancing Taliban, in spite of the much touted deal between the provincial and federal governments and Sufi Mohammad's Tehreek Nifaz- e- Shariah Muhammadi in Malakand Division.   The deal stipulated that in return for enforcing the Sharai Nizam- e- Adl ( Islamic system of justice), the dreaded Taliban would not only cease their activities in the division, but would lay down their arms. Instead, of disarming themselves, the Taliban pushed into the nearby districts of Buner and Shangla. There they did exactly what they had done in other places. They extorted money from the locals, closed down schools, barber shops, CD and video shops, and eliminated anyone who tried to resist them. -- A. H. Nayyar, Pakistani scholar URL of this page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1407 -------------------------------   At last some sign of change in Pakistan By A. H. Nayyar 16 May 2009   The different power centres are working together to take on the Taliban, but much more must be done to defeat its fundamental threat   ALL THE components of the state seem to have finally come out of the state of confusion and ambiguity.   They seem to have all determined that the Tehreek- e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is the gravest danger to the Pakistani society.   The government has called on the military to take action against the rapidly advancing Taliban, in spite of the much touted deal between the provincial and federal governments and Sufi Mohammad's Tehreek Nifaz- e- Shariah Muhammadi in Malakand Division.   The deal stipulated that in return for enforcing the Sharai Nizam- e- Adl ( Islamic system of justice), the dreaded Taliban would not only cease their activities in the division, but would lay down their arms. Instead, of disarming themselves, the Taliban pushed into the nearby districts of Buner and Shangla. There they did exactly what they had done in other places. They extorted money from the locals, closed down schools, barber shops, CD and video shops, and eliminated anyone who tried to resist them.   It is true that the Central government was initially quite reluctant to approve the Malakand deal, but then it finally gave assent to it after coming under immense pressure from the coalition partner Awami National Party, and staging a hurried passage through the parliament.   Reality   The approval seemed to have brought a pall of utter gloom over the nation. That was until Sufi Mohammad spoke. Speaking at a huge gathering of triumphant followers, he let out his views candidly. He termed the democratic system of government, elections, the courts, including the Supreme Court as contrary to Islamic injunction, and worthy of contempt. That brought everyone in the country to their senses. In the face of the violation of the deal by the Taliban incursions in Buner and Shangla, and the obvious lack of Sufi's control over the Taliban, the deal collapsed.   The Awami National Party also came out of its state of confusion, and quickly joined the decision to launch a strike against the Taliban. Nearly all now support the military action.   Afzal Khan Lala is a brave soul. He is among the few leaders of the Awami National Party, the flag bearer of Bacha (Khan Abdul Gaffar) Khan's legacy, who opposed the Nizam-e-Adl, and who doggedly faced the Taliban onslaught in his village when most of the top ANP leaders had either left the country or at least hid themselves in Islamabad. He has now come out in the open. He rightly pointed out that the Taliban could not possibly lay down their arms because then their victims would take revenge against those who perpetrated so much carnage in the area during the last year.   There is a very wide support for the military action in the country now. People are very happy that the ambiguity around the role of the military, and especially about the relationship between the insurgents and the military appears to be over.   People had a deep suspicion that the military would continue to regard the Taliban as an asset against an unfriendly government in Kabul and an increasing Indian influence in Afghanistan. Many also thought that the Taliban were proving to be the proverbial goose with golden eggs for Pakistan when it came to assistance from the west, especially the USA. All such suspicions have, for the moment, been laid to rest. A majority of Pakistanis are enthusiastically looking to a successful and rapid elimination of the scourge of Taliban from the Frontier province.   Many Pakistanis are also happy that the focus of security concerns has shifted from India to the brutal Islamist militancy. The military has therefore moved a number of troops from the eastern border to the North.   Sleepers   This could never be an easy transformation given the long history of animosity between India and Pakistan.   Even President Zardari found courage to say most clearly that Pakistan does not face any threat from India. Pakistanis are therefore looking to a reciprocal gesture from India, at least in the form of some reassuring statement supporting Pakistan's campaign against the Taliban. After all, a Taliban ruled Pakistan could never be a comfortable situation for India.   However, the hope of Pakistanis to see a rapid elimination of Taliban may not be a realistic wish.   The Taliban movement has been like other insurgencies in the region. Sri   Lanka has not yet come out of the decades long bloody LTTE insurgency. India has failed to completely suppress insurgencies in Assam and Kashmir, or for that matter the one of the Maoists in central India.   Insurgencies tend to have a long life in most parts of the world, and there is no reason why the Taliban insurgency should be any shorter. Besides, the Pakistani society has undergone an enormous change in recent years. The 2007 Red Mosque episode in Islamabad— when the keepers of the mosque amassed weapons and fighters within the mosque and challenged the writ of the state right in the middle of the capital— may not be an isolated phenomenon.   Who knows how many more mosques are stuffed with weapons and fighters, waiting for the right signal to launch a Taliban style takeover bid? If the military is serious in eliminating this civilisational threat to Pakistan, it must launch a cleanup action against all the mosques and madrasas in the country.   Collateral   It should also end its relations with the groups like Lashkar- e- Tayyaba, Jaishe- Muhammad and the intensely sectarian Lashkar- e- Jhangvi. There is no sign yet that the military has any intention of doing that. The Imam of the Red Mosque was recently released on bail after two years because the prosecution failed to put up a case against him.   There are things that can be said about the current campaign also. The military in the past fought against the Taliban insurgents by long- distance artillery fire.   The obvious consequence was high collateral damage, with little damage to the actual targets. That has been hugely counterproductive.   If the military wants to take out the Taliban, it will have to take them on through close encounter.   The result of long distance artillery use has been a massive exodus of population from their homes.   What has baffled citizens for quite some time is the failure of the military in striking at the communication system and supply links of the insurgents. The Islamic militants have very successfully used FM radios in their campaigns of threats, coercion and recruitment. Why the radio transmitters were not taken out, or at least jammed, has been a specially troubling question. That is when everyone suspected that the military did not want to hurt Taliban.   People now hope that under the changed situation, the military would move wisely and not let the mullahs use technology to their benefit.   The writer is senior research fellow at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad Courtesy: Mailtoday.in URL of this page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1407