Adil Najam
Taliban murderers are at it again. An increased rampage of suicide bombings and blasts in Peshawar, in Lahore, in Nowshera, in Hangu, and all over Pakistan. As the operation against them intensifies in the Swat region, they are bringing more terror to the rest of Pakistan. From their statements, they take responsibility for and seem quite proud about killing Pakistanis, murdering Muslims, targeting Mosques, spreading mayhem.
Does this signify an act of desperation on the part of the Taliban, or an act of expansion?
Yesterday it was a blast at a five-star hotel in Peshawar. Today it was the targetted murder of a major anti-Taliban religious leader in Lahore and the destruction of a mosque in Nowshera. But these are just two data points in a continuum of killing Pakistanis, destroying mosques, and massacaring Muslims who disagree with their doctrine of hate that has accelerated recently and is likely to increase even more.
There is little pioint in repeating the gory details of these bouts of murder by the Taliban. We know the details already. And what we know will change soon enough. And more bombs will be added.
It is clear that the Taliban know exactly what they are doing. They are spreading mayhem. They are breeding fear. They are terrorizing Pakistanis. They are doing all this for a reason. The real battle is for the hearts and minds of Pakistanis.
They made the religious argument and that seems to be working less and less for them today. Now they are threatening our daily existence in the attempt to break the will of the public.
The question is: Will they succeed? Will we give in to their terror? Will they be able to scare us – the people of Pakistan – into retreat? Will we bow to their venom and murder?
These are not easy choices for those who actually live where the bombs are blowing up, where limbs are flying, where children are dying. This was always a war on Pakistan that Pakistanis themselves would have to fight. the Taliban are making it ever more personal for ordinary Pakistanis, every day.
The Taliban are hoping we will make the wrong decision. That we will side with our personal safety rather than our national security. Will we?
the present situation in pakistan is similer the situation indian punjab in the eightees.Despite training and support from pakistan Indian army, with determined effort was able to finish the sikh militants. I am sure determination of pak army, government and support of people will exterminate them. there will definitely be a lot of more blasts but they have no chance against pak army and peoples will. pakistan should take cue from sri lanka where LTTE was decimated with army’s determined effort. Pak army should destroy taliban ruthlessly once and for all.
I am not sure but I dont think RAW or Indian govt. should be helping Taliban. A strong and stable pakistan is in India’s interest.
No, we won’t.
Today in “the News”, there is an open letter by the Taliban to the shia community declaring them “kaafir” and ordering them to accept their brand of Islam or face extinction. It threatens them that if they don’t do as they are told, their women will be raped, their children will be forced in to child labor and their mosques will be blown up. So, are the Shia Muslims going to get scared and side with Yazid instead of Imam Hussain. I don’t think so.
Qatl-e-Hussain asl mein marg-e-yazid hai
Islam zinda hota hai her Karbala ke baad
And as followers of Hussain, we are going to brave all the Karbalas that come our way.
It is time for self reflection, and soul searching.
We made N-bomb but were able to give our people basic understanding of world.
Reality is either people in Lahore or Taliban in Swat; they are Pakistanis. Why we ever give roots to Taliban.
Why ou society was not able to differentiate between a millatant and an othodox muslim. There are 55 muslim countries why US.
Does Al-Quaida thinks us as Somalia?
To all the conspiracy nutjobs here blaming Israel and America (yes I am talking to you mustafa kamaal), are these Pakistanis who are supporting the Taliban here in reality RAW agents?
http://tinyurl.com/ldmzua
Is there any wonder why Pakistanis continue to be seen as terrorist apologists when there are Pakistani men on Islamic message boards cheering for these miscreants?
And for the record, I am also Pakistani.
This is BOTH desperation AND expansion.
They are getting desperate but they are also expanding and this is the move by the Taliban to terrorise all Pakistanis and spread they venom to the whole country.
I am afraid that they might succeed because there are too many sympathizers who make excuses for them by looking for outsiders to blame instead of accepting what is so obvious to see.