Adil Najam
To view such a video and assume that all of Pakistan is against the Taliban would be as delusional as the proposition that all of Pakistan is for them is deceptive.
The point of this video is not that all Pakistanis are opposed to Talibanization. It is that not all Pakistanis are for them.
The distinction between the two is subtle, but vital. The video puts to a lie the notion that anti-Taliban sentiment are to be found only in the so-called “liberal” and “elite” classes. Indeed, the empirical fact is that the people who the Taliban and other religious extremist forces have been killing in Pakistan are (a) nearly all Pakistanis, (b) nearly all Muslims, and (c) none of them are either very “liberal” or very “elite.”
It should not be a surprise, then, that at least some, probably many, and possibly most, “non-liberal,” “non-elite,” Pakistani Muslims would be against the Taliban and the war they are waging on Pakistan, Pakistanis and on Pakistani Muslims. The tragedy is that too many Pakistanis remain agnostic on the Talibanization threat and even more who are afraid of or reluctant to raise their voices against them.
There is clearly a need to counter the propaganda of those who would have us believe that the Taliban are opposed only by a few “liberal elites.” But equally important – even more important – is the need to acknowledge and somehow deal with the deep fissures and divisions within Pakistani society. Indeed, if there is any one unambiguous truth about Pakistan today it is that we are a deeply divided society. Deeply divided on many of the most existential questions about the country’s past, present and future: Including on questions of what the Taliban represent and how they should be dealt with. It is this division that the Taliban are exploiting. Until these societal fissures are somehow addressed neither military action, nor political strategy, nor international intervention will make any difference whatsoever.
@Rizwan Khan
We have no sense of humour. :)
@Ibrahim…
long winded….rehashed Mullah arguments…nothing new or eye opening there…its only Rizwan Khan and Zecchetti ..the usual suspects and supporters of butchers of Muslims…
anyhow…you say that these people want to live under Sharia and therefore have no theological or ideological differences with the Takfeeri Taliban….so what you say is that what the Taliban represent is in fact Sharia….
which sums you up your understanding of Muslim law and jurisprudence nicely….
no sane Muslim on this planet thinks that what the Taliban speak off is Sharia…that is an established fact now….Heck, i’ll even let you check our Mufti Muneeb’s comments against these people…
when you say that Pakistani’s would like to live under the ‘Sharia’ offered by the Taliban….you say that they would want their daughters not to be able to go to school…not to to be able to get Polio drops……..and their women not to be able to go out of their houses unless for Hajj (since most of the population could not afford Hajj….most women would never leave the house)…..
you say Pakistanis would like to live under a system in which they will be beheaded for Shalwar length and hung up in the town Square….
and then what you go onto say is that Taliban mostly have a PR problem and if only they would stop beheading people…..their message would be popular…
that is Exactly like saying that if Nerendra Modi hadnt butchered 2000 Muslims in Gujrat…Indian Muslims would love him and would vote for him…
That is exactly like saying that if only the Ku Klux Klan would have stopped lynching african americans in the south…they would have been the best of friends…
How in the world does that make any sense!!!??? How does it???
Rizwan Khan, the conclusion is that this is a propaganda video worth for nothing. And, that people in Pakistan might dislike some of the actions of their actions but not necessarily mind their theology. And, that secularism is not for Muslim countries.
And, Islam/shariah is NOT the problem. How did you end up with this retarded idea after reading my comments?
Jock,I agree with you that people simply want to live a decent life.That is why Founder of Pakistan wanted a separate home land for Muslims where they could live as equal citizens of one State.
Our leadership (dictators as well as political leaders) has miserably failed in implementing policies that could bring about economic development and social justice.
No wonder most of us would like to migrate to other countries.
The funny thing is people most supportive of Sharia prefer to live in the West rather than Saudi Arabia.
@ Ibrahim,
That’s a superbly thought out comment. And I agree with you totally. Pakistan, despite the problems and vices within it, is a Muslim country and a religious one at that. Most people have imaan, and they have an affinity with Islam and all that it contains. If the Taleban were a bit more moderate in their approach, more merciful, then they wouldn’t have a problem at all establishing an Islamic state in Pakistan.