Taliban terror
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
In our cities, where there is more and more trepidation over the rapid Talibanization of the country, some comfort is still sought in the fact that the larger urban centres may well be able to ward off a similar threat. But can they? We have evidence in many places of the growing Taliban influence. In the Manga Mandi area of Lahore, local police thrashed in public three couples who they stated had been engaged in 'objectionable' behaviour. Rather than rejoice over this attempt to save them from immorality, local people expressed anger over the beating of women in the streets.
There are other incidents too. From Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad accounts come in of women being stopped in the streets and asked to cover their heads or 'dress decently'. The most dire accounts speak of threats to hurl acid. Co-educational schools, ironically enough even those imparting a religious education whose tiny pupils arrive in veils and caps, have been threatened. Some women drivers have reported harassment from youths on motorcycles. It is quite possible, indeed probable, that not all these incidents are true. But what such rumours do is create an environment of fear. This after all is what the terrorists want above all else. It is time that, as citizens, we fought back for our rights; for our space and for our right to live without constant fear. So far this struggle has not been taken up in earnest. It is time to push back the tide and rescue our nation from a fate that will jeopardize the future of all its citizens.
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End of the short 'peace'?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The chief of the TNSM has said that following the start of a big military operation in Dir, talks with the government are being suspended. The end of the 'reconciliation' attempt seems closer than ever. Perhaps this will be for the good. So far the militants have continued to steadily march on. There is an urgent need to stop them. Though a big military offensive has been launched against them in Lower Dir, the militants have yet to fully vacate Buner. The Taliban who poured in to that district from neighbouring Swat have returned – but they have left behind the 'local' Taliban who continue to harass and torment, springing on people who dare listen to music or on women stepping out of homes. Also, their edicts and their dismantling of Buner's civilian infrastructure have not been reversed by even the slightest bit.
In this context the comment by the DG ISPR that there are only about 50 Taliban left in Buner means little. No matter how small their number these forces seem to be quite capable of creating havoc by hampering people from pursuing routine activity. The more local groups, including religious parties and the ANP who seem to have formed an odd alliance, have urged the government not to deploy troops in Buner. This means that they in fact wish the ground to be left open to the Taliban, enabling them to return as and when they please. We can only hope the government chooses not to follow what is a recipe for disaster. To make matters worse, the Taliban have also stopped troops moving into Mingora, intercepting a convoy as it attempted to reach the principal city of Swat. And they have occupied the house of a PML-N leader in Bahrain, making it quite clear they have no intention at all of abiding by the rule of law. Militants are reported also to be taking up positions in Kalam, indicating their intent to take control of the entire Swat area. In this situation, we must ask quite what the authorities plan. There have been claims that 26 militants, alongside two security men, have been killed in Lower Dir. But at the same time the interior secretary has insisted there is no link between the military actions in Dir and the peace deal in Swat, and that the government will abide by its terms. Such a 'piece meal' approach to the problem seems unsustainable. We cannot hope to get away by killing militants in one place and striking accords with them in another. There needs to be a more holistic plan in place to combat the militant threat. A failure to do so will be disastrous, with the US already issuing warnings that it will step in if Pakistan fails. Also, as far as tactics are concerned the practice of sending in paramilitary units to fight the Taliban is being questioned by some experts, on the grounds that in many cases the Taliban have been able to easily defeat the paramilitary troops simply because the troops are outgunned and not as well-trained or backed with armour and airpower as the regular infantry.
Such an eventuality is one we must at all costs guard against. The COAS has sworn Pakistan will be protected. Now is the time to set up a strategy to do so, before things simmer further out of control. The statement from the Taliban that they have no plans to lay down arms till all Americans leave Pakistan is just one indication of the growing tensions between the government and the TNSM. It is also becoming clear that the aged Sufi Muhammad Khan cannot deliver much, if anything at all, of what he has promised. There are in fact no options. An all-out operation against the militants must begin immediately – otherwise the perils faced by Pakistan will only continue to grow ever-more threatening by the day.
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Change in Punjab?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
There are growing indications that Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer may have reached the end of his run at the Governor's House. His exit, at one point or another, had seemed inevitable since the success of the lawyers' long march – despite all attempts to thwart it. Many had thought at the time that Taseer would do the honourable thing and quit. He has chosen not to do so, keeping up the tradition of clinging to power at all costs. It is, however, obvious that Taseer remains unacceptable as far as the Punjab chief minister is concerned. All those familiar with the administration style of Shahbaz Sharif can be in no doubt that he will want an unhindered run as provincial chief executive. Taseer has sensibly adopted a slightly lower profile since the restoration of Shahbaz, but beneath a calm surface the old hostilities persist. They are bound to surface again in one way or the other.
For these reasons the change in the Governor's House, if it comes about, could prove to be good news for the province. It is crucial at this point that it's administration function as smoothly and as cohesively as possible. The security situation is just one reason for this. Changes in the administrative mechanisms provided the backdrop for the attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers and the audacious siege a few weeks later of the police academy at Manawan. More such incidents must be avoided. The government must be able to function unimpeded and an end must be put to the ugly friction that has so far had a negative impact on the running of Punjab.