Taliban Threaten Islamabad – Pakistan Nearing Collapse
When the Pakistani government decided to give the Taliban something it wanted – implementation of Sharia law in the Swat Valley (or tribal region) – it hoped the extremist organization’s thirst would be satisfied. As one could expect, however, this was most definitely not the case:
The Taliban are pushing past the districts of Swat and Buner and are threatening Islamabad, a senior Islamist member of parliament said at a briefing.
The Taliban have consolidated control over the district of Buner and are moving on Mansehra and Haripur. These two regions, which are just on the outskirts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, have been relatively spared from the violent Taliban insurgency that has plagued the Northwest.
The Taliban have entered the district of Mansehra and are threatening to take control of the Tarbela Dam in neighboring Haripur district, said Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl, an Islamist political party, during a debate in parliament.
“If the Taliban continue to move at this pace, they will soon be knocking at the doors of Islamabad as the Margala Hills seem to be the only hurdle in their march towards the federal capital,” Fazl said, according to a report in The News. “After occupying Buner, they have reached Kala Dhaka and may also be taking over the water reservoir of the Tarbela Dam.”
Pakistan reportedly sent paramilitary forces into Buner today. These forces were attacked by the Taliban stationed there, however. One policeman was killed.
Although the Pakistani military says the Taliban only control 25% of Buner, the organization’s fighters ave been reported in all of the major regions in the district.
Long War Journal points out that ‘the Taliban advance on Mansehra and Haripur takes place at the same time they are moving on the districts of Swabi, Mardan, and Malakand. The takeover of these five districts would essentially cement the Taliban’s control of the province.’
Now, what makes this matter even more problematic is the fact they are not only closing in on Islamabad but also on two nuclear facilities.
As James Joyner opines for The New Atlaticist, Pakistan is on the verge of collapse. If the government in Islamabad falls – and we should all pray it does not – we can only hope that the Taliban and other extremists will not take over the entire country. Even if they do not, however, it seems likely that they will take over certain regions (perhaps even provinces) and turn them into safe havens for extremists. If you thought pre-2002 Afghanistan was bad, wait until the Taliban control large chunks of Pakistan – a major regional and nuclear power.
Joyner concludes:
Robert Oakley, who served as U.S. ambassador to Pakistan during the first Bush administration, recently told me that Pakistan’s president is “incompetent and corrupt.” The former, at least, appears evident. Given the country’s history, one expects the military to take over governing any time now. But it’s not precisely clear what will be left to govern.
Asif Ali Zardari has been a major embarrassment. His administration is too incompetent for words. The situation was bad when he came to power, but it became much worse once Pervez Musharraf stepped down and Zardari became his country’s political leader.
The military cannot and will not – I believe – let Zardari and the Taliban destroy Pakistan completely. Sooner or later, it will act.
As things are going right now, sooner is probably best. Zardari is extremely incompetent, and the Taliban are making too much progress. Someone has to stop them – if elected politicians cannot do it, the military may logically conclude it has to.
Please read this excellent interview with Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US on CNN
HAQQANI: The fact of the matter is that Swat is an isolated valley surrounded by mountains. Yes, the Taliban have made an advance there in the sense that the Pakistani government cut a deal with a movement that supports the Taliban, but is not the Taliban itself. The idea was that the Taliban would lay down their arms as a result. It’s sometimes important to have dialogue to prove the point that the government is moving…
HAQQANI: Afghanistan, at that time, was in the middle of a civil war. It did not have a central government. If you remember, various warlords controlled various parts of Afghanistan and the Taliban took advantage thereof. In the case of Pakistan, Pakistan has a legitimate elected government. Pakistan has a military and a police force. Yes, we have capacity issues. Our military needs equipment and training to be able to do — pursue counterinsurgency operations. But the United States and Pakistan are partners. And in that partnership, I think, together, we can deal with the Taliban.
Pakistan will fight terrorism. We intend to fight terrorism. We will fight al Qaeda and the Taliban. As far as the question of aid and assistance is concerned, Pakistan was given assistance, as well as reimbursement for expenses undertaken in the war against terror since 9/11. And Pakistan has also borne the brunt of the fighting. More Pakistanis have lost their lives fighting terrorism than any other single nation.
India has already told the West that Pakistan was the main terrorist hub, but the Indian politicians have been too timid to address this themselves – maybe the Indians have long memories of US coming to the aid of Pakistan each time in the past. Being an American resident now, I am ashamed to admit that US has caused Islamic fundamentalism having using Pakistan TILL DATE as a proxy for war against the Russsians and to a large extent to thwart Russian influence on India in the past. We reap what we sow, the Talibans, a product of CIA, come back to haunt us.
Speaking to a neighbor, an ex-high ranking offical(ex-Director General) under earlier Bhutto admin, I gather that there is a strong Pasktun connection to the army besides internal politics coming in the way of tackling Taliban. ISI/Army has largely managed to convince ordinary Pakis that India is the problem and not terrorists/Taliban. But what shocks me is that even “educated” Pakis support islam over their economy or growth of their country. To that extent every pakistani is responsible for what is happening as they seem to choose Islam over a secular financially sound economy that should be Pakistan. If such a voice exists, we do not hear that. I see more blogs on the internet from indians expressing concern on behalf of ordinary Pakistanis! If the average Paki does not come out into the open, s/he needs to remember that on the day of retribution, they will not count – the world will, in an anxiety to keep nuclear arms out of terrorists’ reach, do all things drastic that might endanger every one in Pakistan. It is shameful how India and Pakistan came out of the same genes, but Pakistan has become the world’s nightmare and basketcase all in one.