Adil Najam
The Taliban onslaught against Pakistan continues relentlessly. The feeling of a polity unraveling before our eyes deepens.
Analyses boggle the mind because just keeping up with the news is hard enough. So, here are excerpts from just a few of recent news reports that are worth a read.
Buner falls into the hands of Swat Taliban
(Dawn, April 23, 2009)Taliban militants from Swat took control of Buner on Tuesday and started patrolling bazaars, villages and towns in the district. The militants, who had sneaked into Gokand valley of Buner on April 4, were reported to have been on a looting spree for the past five days. They have robbed government and NGO offices of vehicles, computers, printers, generators, edible oil containers, and food and nutrition packets.
The Taliban have extended their control to almost all tehsils of the district and law-enforcement personnel remained confined to police stations and camps. The Taliban, equipped with advanced weapons, were reported to be advancing towards border areas of Swabi, Malakand and Mardan, the hometown of NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti.
The militants have started digging trenches and setting up bunkers on heights in strategic towns of Gadezi, Salarzai, Osherai and other tehsils. After occupying the Buner district and setting up their headquarters in the bungalow of businessman Syed Ahmed Khan (alias Fateh Khan) in Sultanwas, the militants started patrolling the streets and roads with no signs of law-enforcement personnel. Led by Fateh Mohammad, the militants were asking local people, particularly youngsters, to join them in their campaign to enforce Sharia. They have established checkposts on roads and are searching all passing vehicles. They have virtually established their writ in Buner region, once a stronghold of the Awami National Party.
A Taliban commander said they would set up strict Islamic sharia courts in Buner as they have already done in Swat, but would not interfere with police work. ‘The Taliban who have arrived from Swat have increased patrolling, banned music in public transport and rampaged (through the) offices of NGOs and taken their vehicles,’ local government official Rashid Khan said. ‘We will soon establish our radio station. Our Qazis (Islamic judges) will also start holding courts in Buner soon,’ Taliban commander Mohammad Khalil told AFP. ‘People in their dozens have come to invite us’ to extend sharia. ‘The Taliban will leave Buner after enforcement of Islamic justice system,’ he said.
However, several residents said they felt ‘scared’ and planned to leave the Buner area, fearing similar violence to that in Swat. On Tuesday, armed groups entered the Rural Health Centre at Jure in Salarzai area and took away a Land-Cruiser being used by the Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI), Buner. On April 17, they raided a basic health unit in tehsil Chamla and looted 480 cans of edible oil. They took away from the house of a lady health visitor a large number of food and nutrition packets supplied by USAID and sewing machines from an Action Aid-sponsored vocational centre in the Korea village of tehsil Chamla. On April 18, they looted a huge quantity of medicine from a health facility at the Afghan refugee camp in Koga in the same tehsil and 640 cans of edible oil from a godown of the World Food Programme in Nawagai.
Buner judges stop presiding over courts
(The News, April 23, 2009)
Providing credence to the apprehensions of some political parties and civil society organisations, the Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) on Wednesday said that Ulema would be the Qazis (judges) of the Darul Qaza and only they would have administrative control over the Malakand judiciary. Meanwhile, Sufi Muhammad told a delegation that those who called the Supreme Court and high courts “Sharai†were rebels against Islam. The organisation categorically said they would not accept superior courts’ judges as Qazis of the Darul Qaza. Interestingly, the TNSM has recommended the names of three Ulema to the government for Qazis of the Darul Qaza…The TNSM spokesman, while claiming not to have gone through the copy of The Nizam-e-Adl Regulation (NAR) yet, said they would not accept the Darul-Darul Qaza, but the Darul Qaza would be the final court… Amir Izzat said that all candidates for the posts of Qazis would be interviewed, appointed or rejected by Maulana Sufi Muhammad. “Sufi Muhammad will determine their Sharai knowledge and if he finds any candidate below the standard, he will not be appointed,†he said. Regarding the transfer of Qazis, he said once a Qazi was appointed in Malakand division, he could not be transferred outside the division. He added that transfer of judge from the rest of Pakistan to the Malakand division would also not be accepted.
It was learnt that judges in the Taliban-controlled Buner district stopped working and shifted the official record. Apparently, the decision was taken after growing control and strength of Taliban in the district. The judges were asked by PHC, it was learnt, not to attend the courts till May 2.
Sufi might have been a little ‘Kafir’ too: Munawar
(The News, April 23, 2009)
Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hassan has said that Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad had once contested elections of local councillor and won it and therefore might have been a little ‘Kafir’ (infidel) too. Talking to newsmen in Lahore after meeting a delegation of Khaksar Tehrik led by Hameeduddin Al-Mashriqi, he said that the 1973 Constitution was a consensus document having the support of all ulema of the country. Therefore, Sufi Muhammad should consult the ulema and elders before passing edicts.Swat Taliban promote ‘love marriages’
(The News, April 19, 2009)
The Taliban of Swat have set up a bureau named ‘Shuba-e-Aroosat’ for arranging love marriages of couples who are denied the marriage of choice by their families for one reason or the other, reports BBC Urdu Service. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said the marriage bureau headed by Taliban Commander Abu Ammad arranged 11 ‘love marriages’ in the last nine days while 300 girls and boys are waiting for their turn. “The love marriage aspirants contact the bureau on a fixed telephone number. The Taliban collect their particulars and then contact their familites to arrange these choice marriages,†he said, adding that Islam allows every adult to get marry according to his/her own choice. He said, “Most of the girls, or their families, who contacted us wish to marry ‘militant’ Taliban.†Analysts say the Taliban are paving the way for themselves to marry the girls of their choice. It is really strange that they flog the couples on one hand for moving together while on the other hand allow young couples to marry according to their choice. Also the question arises how is it possible for a boy or girl to propose while they have not seen each other, reports BBC Urdu Service.
“Although it is true that these animals were not created by RAW or KhAD. But there is no doubt in my mind that they are being provided material and financial support by them jointly and in close coordination. If India had been faced with such a situation, the ISI would have done the same, and has done the same in the past and vice verse. It is quite understandable. Pakistanis might be silent and uneducated but we certainly are not fools.”
A clear example of some of the loopy conspiracy theories that pervade Pakistan. The fact that anyone would believe that India would be deranged enough support these psychopathic islamic fundamentalists, many who participated in “jihad” by killing Indians in Kashmir and actively call for killing the infidel, is laughable. Please step back into reality and take responsibility for your actions instead of blaming everyone else (e.g. Afghanistan/India/U.S. and god knows who else). Who is next on the list, Aliens? No wonder Pakistan is know worldwide as the land of conspiracy theories.
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/blog/2005/08/pak istan_in_the.html
morbid fascination;
Pak Army is very profesional but it is trained and motivated to fight India or external enemies. It is trained on slogan of “Jihad against infidel” and it is very ill equipped to fight Taliban.
Let create a “national guards” from urban centers. Choose people who hate Wahabis. Then use this “national gurads” to sfaeguard our major cities. We can also use this force to attack Taliban in their homeland as well.
morbid fascination;
Majority of Pakistanis including (Punjab + Sind) don’t want Taliban in their backyard. The problem is that we have trained our Army as army of Islam or Allah not Pakistan.
They are not motivated enough to sacrifice their lives while killing their fellow muslims. So we need to find out people who can do that. There are many groups in Pakistan who want to wipe out these Wahabis.
So we do need a small motivated army which at least gurantee saftey of our major cities. I dont trust lower ranks of Pakistan Army in case if Taliban attack our major cities. They(PA) can betray us.
There is so much proverty and unjustice in all around world but that is no ascuse of Talinization.
@Mike
Although it is true that these animals were not created by RAW or KhAD. But there is no doubt in my mind that they are being provided material and financial support by them jointly and in close coordination. If India had been faced with such a situation, the ISI would have done the same, and has done the same in the past and vice verse. It is quite understandable. Pakistanis might be silent and uneducated but we certainly are not fools.
However, the question now is if the US is really serious in curtailing this situation and does not want this menace to spread, it must tug on India’s leash and ask it to close the more than 20 “Consulates” along the AfPak (to borrow a term from the US state department) border. The supposed intelligence and strategic value they promise to provide to NATO/US is not worth the trouble.
As for the Pakistan Army not being capable of or not willing to take care of this, yes, the common soldier of Pakistan Army is facing a perceived moral dilemma. There are ways to counter this problem as well.
But first things first. Stop the covert financial support from India and this problem will be taken care of by not just the Army but also the local Pashtuns as well, who will not and do not accept the alien way of living being thrust upon them by these animals.
Why is it so difficult for Pakistanis to understand that they have to change their collective mindset to overcome this menace?
I see some blaming the Army and others blaming the politicians for this problem. Have the courage to blame yourselves! Majority of Pakistanis sympathize with Talibans or at least find it difficult to openly speak against them. An army soldier comes from the same society. Why would you expect him to have any different feelings than the masses?
Blame those who support these people. Blame those who choose to sit quiet.
Raising a new army is the funniest thing I have heard on this board in a long time. Urban youth? I don’t know which urban youth you are talking about but I can tell you from personal experience that your average graduate of well known Pakistani schools have joined the “inshallah masha allah” crowd. If they don’t openly support the Taliban, they go out of their ways to find hidden conspiracies to justify the current situation.
You want to raise a new army when the war is close to being over? How do you suggest training your so called “urban youth” to fight against well trained, war hardened guerrillas that are growing faster than you can say “shoot”.