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
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How can religion be dumb in state affairs?? Who will see to it that the parliament doesn’t pass stupid laws as it had done in the past (the doctrine of necessity and unfair amendments in the Constitution, etc) ?? There are chances of being passed more stupider laws by the state (such as, for example, gay marriages and laws repugnant to Quranic injunctions, etc ) unless checked by religion.
Hazrat Ameer Muaviya tried to separate religion from state and you can see how he suffers till this day!!
Blame Allama Iqbal too for his ”dream of Pakistan’ for condemning the idea forwarded by the so-called liberals.
Jinnah did found Pakistan on the basis of a separate home land for Muslims where they could live peacefully in an Islamic culture of their own. He greatly erred in declaring Urdu as the national language of the East and West Pakistan . His speeches are contradictory,,,analogous to his giving up coat patloons for shervani and Qaraquli topee!! But he was a Muslim, of Muslims ,for Muslims!!
Pakistan can never be a secular state against its ideology upon which it was created and to which majority of the population has been taught in schools and to which it strongly sticks to.
We are not yet as a ‘grown up’ economic, scientific and welfare society to mimic the opposing Western culture!
Rizwan Khan: I say this with much respect to your point of view. Combine poverty, illiteracy, hopelessness and lack of social justice with exploitation and you get Talebanisation. The foot soldiers of Taleban Movement, the ones that ride around in the back of a pickup truck in the bazaars of Wana, Mingora and Bunner have nothing to do with religion. They are the illiterate and unemployed young men who know nothing about religion. These are the boys from poor families forgotten by the greedy and selfish society and exploited by the clerics. Clerics give them a false hope that somehow if they become Taleban there will a bright future for them in this world and cool breeze of heaven if they die in the process. To say that “Talibanism is mainly about religious fanaticism” would not release the society from its responsibility. If Talebanisation is growing among us then we are the ones to be blamed. We have pushed these unfortunate young men into the exploiting hands of the clerics. The blame lies with us.
This article made me think. How little I actually know about the subject. I have only two real data points, one from swat and one from near Quetta Baluchistan on which my opinion is based.
Swat. One of residents used to work with us told us the following : In our village two taliban came to the mosque, made speeches and asked to collect donations and then left. The village people got together and told the Maulvi saab to stay out of it as they will deal with these intruders themselves. The taliban fund raising pair appeared again in the village. There is no information on what happened to them but since then neither they nor any other taliban has ever entered his village.
Baluchistan : This is from a Pakistani academic doing research near quetta. In a meeting of the locals, the mullah came and started making random statements about how this is allowed and that is not allowed. One of the locals said to the mullah, you are the reason why there is no development in our area. You are in cohoots with the sardars, you are our enemy. Much absuing of the mullah followed from that point onwards by some others present as well.
The “AWAM” of Pakistan are against Talibanization of Pakistan.They are butchers, murderers and they have started a rebellion against Pakistan. Soofi, Izzat ,Muslim and FazalUllah they all should be tracked and silenced forever by our armed forces.
Rise of Taleban will take Pakistan back to the medieval times
Again you are being a Western mouthpiece. Today Pakistan did not progress is not due to Mullahs. Pakistan was highly ruled by dictators and feudals who have no connection with Islam or Mullah-ism. No Molvi gave fatwa to not progress in the field of science and technology. Even if they ever issued any fatwa then why pro-Modernism and Anti-Shariah guys could not do anything better for Pakistan? What stopped them to make Pakistan like China or Singapore? If blame game is helpful then let’s all blame each other and cover up our ignorance and arrogance.