Talibanistan

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

If the government of Pakistan is still all-powerful in Swat, then why hasn't a single murderer been punished even though Muslim Khan gloatingly accepted responsibility for slaughtering Pakistani soldiers and policemen on TV and even said the Taliban recited the Kalima over them while slaughtering them? Instead, in a one-sided keeping with a peace deal broken blatantly by the Taliban time and again, our government has released the few Taliban who were arrested. If the sovereignty of Pakistan still prevails in Swat, then how can the militants restrict army movement or demand their removal? The Pakistan army is not camped in India, surely they have every right to be sent and go anywhere in Pakistan. Then why has a border been drawn in Swat and no-go areas established for the army by the Taliban? Recently four soldiers were captured in Khwazakhela on suspicion of spying for the government. Who gave them that authority and what is being done about it?
According to the Taliban, the property of most of the landlords in Swat is 'privatised and now belongs to the government of Swat'. Since the government of Pakistan maintains there is no parallel government in Swat, is it the federal or the provincial government that our property now belongs to? You might say the people of Swat wanted the NAR. It is not easy to remain seated in your shop when armed murderers tell you to go to a rally. You are not given a choice when you are ordered to stage a protest, because your home is not the sanctuary it used to be and you know the army, the police and the government won't step in to protect you when the people of Pakistan are being plunged into further denial by their own government.

Peace deals are an annual event in Swat. Every winter when leaves are shed, cover is poor and the Taliban scattered or diminished in numbers, they become amenable to peace. Come summer they are replenished with men freshly recruited during the winter, more sons from more families in Swat, resulting in greater support and more places of sanctuary. Their fighters are released by the government; the army is withdrawn and consequently must fight all over again for areas they controlled last season. This time, the 'peace deal' has allowed the Taliban to advance to Buner, Shangla, and Dir lower and upper, with stirrings in Nowshera and Mardan. They are also recruiting men from those districts, locals who cannot be sent back to Swat.

We are Muslims but we do not want the Taliban's version of Sharia, the one that allows the murder of Muslims and innocent human beings, theft of their property and oppression of the worst kind. During the crusades, Muslims wore crosses around their necks in order to escape persecution at the hands of Christians. Now, Muslims wear beards in order to escape persecution at the hands of creatures who call themselves Muslim. This is happening in a state within a state; it used to be called Swat. Now, its whispered name is Talibanistan, and its new ruler is an illiterate cart-driver who has brought the Pakistan government to heel and cowed our mighty army.

Noor Khan
From Swat (and currently in Islamabad)

*****

I am totally unable to understand two things out of this whole situation of Talibanisation. One, when will the army play its role? The army chief has made a bold and blunt statement but when will this be backed up with equally bold and blunt action against the Taliban? Second, a leader in Swat, who seems to have a large local following said in public that he does not accept the constitution or the judiciary or even parliament. This is another way of saying that he does not even accept the existence of Pakistan. Why does not the Chief Justice of Pakistan ask him to appear in court? What are we waiting for?

Uzair Alvi
Islamabad

*****

Every second Pakistani I meet in Malaysia is from Buner. Most of them sell carpets, dresses, home decorations and electronic appliances. Their job is not easy — because they have to sell door-to-door. It seems many families in Buner have at least one member working in Malaysia. All of them are fearful of the Taliban's takeover of their district — and most, if not all, also say that they don't understand why the army is not there to fight the Taliban. The sad and unfortunate thing is that we are not even fighting the Taliban.

An ashamed Punjabi
Kedah, Malaysia

*****

General Musharraf was doing the right thing by starting a military operation in FATA and Swat two years back. He had succeeded in dismantling their infrastructure and forced them out of Swat but unfortunately all political parties along with the media made such a hue and cry that everything had to be stopped. The army had succeeded in driving out the militants from most of Swat, until the ANP government agreed to a dialogue. During this time, they re-entered Swat and consolidated themselves and killed all those who had supported the army. The consequence of that was that the indigenous population became thoroughly afraid and the situation became much like that of a few men keeping a much larger group of people hostage — with the government giving in, perhaps out of the safety of the people of Swat.
Now the Taliban stand exposed to people of Pakistan — I have not met a single person who supports these monsters. Everyone in the country wants swift, speedy and transparent judiciary but they don't want the Taliban to be given a district under this pretext. They also want the government and the military to take decisive action against the Taliban.

Ijaz Ahmad
Karachi

*****

I feel no shame in admitting that I was among the ignorant who actually thought that 'Nizam-e-Adl' would bring hope to the Swatis. To me, a student safely residing in Lahore, the 'truce' between the government and the Taliban put an end to the ongoing civil war. It halted the wastage of our own resources against our own people, the destruction of one of the best tourist destinations of the world. I saw no harm in the establishment of a 'legislative system' that mirrored the consent of the people abiding there. For me, Nizam-e-Adl was a cloud named peace and amnesty with a silver lining. It signalled the rebuilding of the ruins. It meant the saving of innocent lives that were caught up in between the two forces, the saving of defence inventory, the revival of tourism. It signalled hope for all.
Little had I known that what I had thought to be a solution would take shape of Talibanisation, which reminds me of Afghanistan. It is now that I give a second thought to the reports of a girl's flogging which was not a media hoax after all. I think of the eradication of girls' schools, women health centres. The Taliban are an ominous force vowing to put an end to the women education and development and forcibly drive us back to the medieval times. I am insecure in my own city. There is a dread, a terror of someone shutting down my institution, or worse blowing it up. Every little news of the success of the Taliban mounts this trepidation. What would our fate be? Will Pakistan become another Afghanistan?

Nadia Rauf
Kinnaird College,
Lahore

*****

I am crying while I am writing this. What is going to happen to Pakistan? These Taliban are not Muslims. They are not even Pakistanis. They are animals because humans don't behave the way they do. Why are our government and army not fighting them? Why are they letting them advance and take over country's territory everyday?

Nabiha Khattak
Islamabad

*****

We do not need American threats to take us back to the Stone Age as we are doing this ourselves by legalising Nizam-e-Adl and will soon see the result on women's rights and women's education. Men will also have to fall in line with the non-appealable decisions given by the Qazi courts.

Khurram Muzaffar
Rawalpindi

*****

When parts of Pakistan are falling to the 'hirsute brigade', the leadership from Punjab remains silent. They must remember that historically the storm that gathers at Hindukush reaches the gates of Delhi!

Pir M Shah