On Thursday, the government announced that eight platoons of paramilitary troops have been sent to Pakistan’s Buner district, which has been infiltrated by the Taliban. Frontier Constabulary platoons have been dispatched to protect government buildings and bridges in Buner. In recent days, Taliban militants have been patrolling the area, snatching and searching vehicles, and ransacking government offices.
After the passage of the Nizam-i-Adl resolution, how will government forces ensure security in Buner and other parts of Malakand? Should Taliban activities in Buner and Shangla be viewed as a violation of the regulation? Are we in for a Swat part deux?
Murad from South Africa – Since you seems to be follower of real Islam, can you quote the Ayah from Quran or Ahdis which support the killing of innocent human being in the name of religion by these sick talbans.
SUMMARY TO COMMENTS ON THIS FORUM:
People who oppose Islamic Sharia in Pakistan are people who have very little knowledge of their religion. They have not read the Quran with understanding and for them life is sucking fun. If they dislike Islam and the Islamic Sharia they should migrate to India or some other non-muslim country where they can get all the secular values.
Even though it is a small minority in Pakistan these true muslims at the grass-root level have opted for Sharia. When the majority of people in Swat or FATA want to live by Sharia, what is causing the fever for the city dwellers in Karachi, Lahore etc? What seems to be their problem? Isn’t majority vote considered as part of so called secular democracy which most secular Pakistanis want?
If the implementation of Sharia by Taliban seems too harsh than the solution to this problem is not fighting and killing the fellow citizens and their brethren.
The solution is to implement a less-harsh version of Sharia following Quran and Sunnah as the guiding source.
Any confrontation with warrior Pakthun nation will only destablize the country and maybe will have destruction visit your very neighborhood. Less you forgot: The Pakhtuns or Taliban will always implement Qisas or retaliation for their bloodshed. British have learned their lessons in the history and so are Americans learning it now.
Calling Taliban as illiterates who have no understanding of what is right or wrong is the indication of writers own shortcoming.
People may not necessary need education to have wisdom. Do you know that Einstein never went to college, Newton was a college drop out, so were many western scientist but they had mental understanding of the subject without formal education. A person can get wisdom by other means such as through religious education also.
If these Pakis can tell us what is the education level of their president Zardari? Does he have a University degree to show?
This refutes all the claims by ignorant by-name muslims in this forum when they call Taliban as ignorant bunch of people.
Anyways, God never promised Paradise to those holding a PhD degrees or to those who are wealthiest in social status.
These double facts slam on the face of all those who write against Islamic Sharia and Taliban.
If they do not desist from opposing divine Islamic law they wait for the punishment from their God. They will see the Western influence further erode moral values over short period of time. They will see same-sex marriages will be next on the agenda of implementation in Pakistan by their Kaffir allies.
How will you feel when in your house-hold people of same-sex wanting to get married? Then you will beg for Sharia and there will be Sharia no more….
God will fold up their accounts and their time would be up.
Keep state seperate from relegion and Pakistan will be back on track.
Founder of Pakistan dreamed secular Pakistan not controlled by power hungry and greedy Mullahs and Politicians.
I weep to see Pakistan wounded and we in west realtivley with good and peaceful lives can’t do much physically but to only pray.
AAh Swat our God Gifted Paradise now burning with fire of bullet and cold heart. How can we justify our role as a Pakistani, when we see all injustice with our dear land and we do nothing not even a peaceful protest. Why always political parties take action Why not we the common people of Pakistan stand up for our rights. It is all because we are bond with our own media.
On Sunday I was watching Geo’s programme Alim Online, Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman was addressing with the viewers and you know what slide is flashing on screen? ” Unforgettable journey” of Bachan’s Family related to india. How can be a common person be serious over the situation of Pakistan When he thinks about the HOT and COOL Celebrities of our Neighbours.
Why media present themselves as the covered enemy of Pakistanis
“Frontier Constabulary platoons have been dispatched to protect government buildings and bridges in Buner”.
WOW………..This says it all. The government is sending glorified policemen against the Taleban??? No wonder the Taleban are laughing and expanding beyond Swat.
Where is the regular army? If I were the Army high command, I would be moving troops from the border with India and moving them against the Taleban. The threat Pakistan faces is not from India (after all, why have all these nuclear weapons?) but from the Taleban. But no, here we have the Pakistan Army defending the front door while the barbarians pouring in through the back door. How tragic!!!
Smart Muslim said (April 23rd, 2009 at 4:18 pm): Taliban are not here in Pakistan to cause trouble or cause disorder, most of them are so simple and naive and do not carry any weapons.
EXCUSE ME??? On which planet are you living on sir? Obviously, the “Smart” in your name is an attempt at a bad joke. Are we talking about the same brutes who are carrying out suicide bombings and killing hundreds of women and children? Yes, lets get Shariah as the Taliban interpret it. Yes, if I recall, Afghanistan under the Taliban was heaven on earth and everyone was just longing to move there.
I also want to know why has Sufi Mohammad not in jail being tried for treason against the state. Didn’t he say that courts, democracy, etc are “anti-Islamic”. He openly sides with these brutes. He should be tried and punished as an example to others like him. Now is the time we need someone like Ataturk who can teach these brutes in religious guise a lesson not to be forgotten in several generations.
Well a short comment Pakistan came into being for the minorities of subcontinent and that minority included MUSLIMS. If we understand that fact i guess our problems would be solved.
Plus for nazam-e-adal and for swat issue I think i have one point solution.
It is rather more serious constitutional issue than chief justice one, So why not our lawyer brothers come on roads now and our beloved chief justice takes notice of this. Plus why not those politicians who claim road politics is the solution for democracy and showing the strength on roads is the solution. Come out roads to show that they are really against these talibans. Rather than making statements against them when they are at southhall england.
I guess shariah law would only complicate law and judiciary. Once a wrong precendant set would never be repealed BECAUSE It was decided according to shariah and HADOOD ORDINANCE was a great example.
Pakistani’s army action in Buner and Dir seem to be very “token” gestures …. perhaps they hope that by sending in a few minuscule battalions, they will assuage the people that they are indeed fighting the Taliban. Just another delay tactic? For what cause?
Dear Tariq Mian, I had a lot of respect for the Army in the earlier days, but their performance has been dismal in the years they have been in power. Don’t take my word for it, you just have to read the views of our leading columnists many of whom are ex-officers.
Here are some answers to the Farooqui’s questions.
1. Pakistani muslim charity organizations in the world played very good role. The charities collected donations for good cause
And send it to the home land. These money has no proper accounting. There no one is able to trace what’s happening with this money. These money suppose to use educational or health causes. But this money used on madarsas to expand the religious Extremism and transferred the money to terrorist organizations for terrorist activities.
2. I think these people loot the police stations, army personnel and authorities, who have modern weaponry.
3. They are Bandits, they rob the rich people (rich people, who earns money illegally), they don’t even complain, since, they cannot show account publically.
4. These barbarians kidnap the rich and influenced people and get the money and modern equipment in return. I knew one incident, where they threatened to kidnap the family members, if they did not provide modern communication devices (exported) to them. So who knows what else they demand by threatening the people.
5. These militants/Talibans, make deal with smugglers, who smuggles the drugs such as opium, heroine and hashish and get modern, expensive sophisticated weapons in return. These smugglers do the billions Dollars of the business by cropping these drugs in rural areas. They do look safe routes to export these drugs into the world. The way they are smuggling out the drugs, the same way they smuggle back the weapons. Smugglers, Gangsters in cities and Militants in country side, some politicians and government officials have strong and strong relations.
6. Still some categories of Army and Intelligence , supports these guys and provides what they need and shares the intelligence with them. Whenever US or Pak want to attack on hideouts of al quaida and Taliban, the intelligence institutions leaked and alerted them. These cowered army and intelligence personnel are dangerous to the country then Taliban and other militants.
This will be protracted engagement from Government and the patience with sustained support is required to eliminate counterinsurgencies in Pakistan as shown by British over nearly 38 years in Northern Ireland. In contrast, says Colonel Nagl in his book “Learning to Eat Soup with a knife”, the Americans in Vietnam remained wedded to “unrestrained and uncontrolled firepower”.
In past six decades, Conventional Warfare tactics often found it hard to fight insurgents in locality where there are political or economic justification for a section population to support the objectives of insurgency. British have been driven out of Palestine, the French from Algeria, Russians from Afghanistan, and Americans from Vietnam, Lebanon, & Somalia. The greater the accuracy of modern weapons, the louder the outcry when even One civilians killed because of the stronger concern of innocent human life and rapid dispersal of news. An operation that kills five insurgent is counter productive if collateral damage leads to the recruitment of fifty more insurgents.
My request to liberal commenter and Military planners who are promoting the Clausewitzian principles of destroying enemy at all cost are ignoring one absolute principle of Clausewitze-that war must always be sub-ordinate to political goal for which it is fought.
Therefore, the solution for Tailaban insurgencies in Pakistan lies, not in pouring more troops and drone-led bombs into valleys and plains, but in winning the hearts and mind through concerted formal socio-political development program in direction of the will of the People. The program should deliver removing differences among the economics classes, a political process that offers participation to all communities & law equally valid for privileged class. In short, more Islamisation of Justice & political systems.
Salam-walle-kom
1) First I am not replying back to outsiders who do not understand islam.
2) If army fights, it is war, if americans fight it is war, if army uses it to fight proxy war in afghanistan it is still a war and when Taliban raise their voice against injustice why should it be called terrorism.
3) Yes I am educated in a small mosque in Karachi and we had all modern education to stand up including english and I also know to operate computers. Islam itself is modern and few thugs can’t spoil its name by branding it as backward. Many countries have laws prohibiting use of internet including china and saudi arabia so whats wrong if government also implemented the same restriction in this country, do you want your brothers and sisters to watch pornography and nude pictures on internet, why promote foreign media and western culture on our land, they know its bad why dont we know as well.
4) There are thousands of mosques in all swat and neighbouring region and there is no scope of any edcuation except for mosques and what has government done with the money and with nizam-el-adle, have they made a single school? no, then why question the holy mosques.
5) By the way in these mosques they don’t teach you how to operate kalashnikov, instead they teach you to love prophet and allah, and on the question asked by “hn”, thousands of those malluvis cannot be wrong, so it means the sharia law they religiously teach is directly from god and cannot be wrong.
6) Talibans are not bandits, they are fighting for a just cause for the religious rights and purity, they have been branded as enemies by foreign media and people who do not understand religion and god. For a good reason taliban are imposing the correct religion and banign TV and internet.
7) Talib and the tribal elders are pious and simple worshippers. They never hurt people or flogged any girl, it was known fact that the girl was only acting and many of such things are mischiefs played by foreign media to tarnish Taliban image. True talib can never do this. Of course some volunteers have to carry guns because they fighting for god’s verdict and against western agenda.
8.) I am yet to hear and understand that in this country when we can have nizam-el-adle then why not have the pure sharia, aren’t we islam loving nation. You have already seen the results of absence of sharia, corrput politians and military are outcome of this, then why not try something that is ours.
9) Why is army fighting taliban we are brothers, talib have the path and know the destination, unite hands for glory, we have common enemy the uncultured west.
Salam-walle-kom
1) If army fights it is war, if americans fight it is war, if army uses it to fight proxy war in afghanistan it is still a war and when Taliban raise their voise against injustice why should it be called terrorism.
2) Yes I am educated in a small mosque in Karachi and we had all modern education to stand up including english and I also know to operate computers. Islam itself is modern. Many countries have laws prohibiting use of internet inclugin china and saudi arabi so whats wrong if government also inplemend the same restriction in this country.
3) There are thousands of mosques in all swat and neighbouring region and there is no scope of any edcuation except for mosques and what has government done with the money and with nizam-el-adle, have they made a single school, no then why question the holy mosques.
4) By the way in these mosques they dont teach you how to operate kalashnikov, instead they teach you to love prophet and allah.
5) Talibans are not bandits, they are fighting for a just cause for the religious rights and purity, they have been branded as enemies by foreign media and people who do not understand.
7) Talib and the tribal elders are pious and simple worshippers. They never hurt people or flogged any girl, many of such things are mischiefs played by foreign media to tarnish Taliban image. True talib can never do this. Ofcourse they carry guns because they fighting for gods verdict.
8) I am yet to hear and understand that in this country when we can have nizam-el-adle then why not have the pure sharia. You have already seen the results of absence of sharia, corrput politians and military are outcome of this, then why not try something that is ours.
9) Why is army fighting taliban we are brothers, talib have the path and know the destination, unite hands for glory.
Every one has an opinion, but look at the Root Cause for present situation.
Religion is being used to recruit young males. while agenda is different.
Who is presently training to Taliban?
Who is providing sophisticated arms?
Who is constantly providing ammunition.
Who is providing Motorola hand held radios?
Who is providing funds?
Choke the supply and problem is over.
Expose the supplier even if it is a big group or a big power.
In past six decades, Conventional Warfare tactics often found it hard to fight insurgents in locality where there are political or economic justification for a section population to support the objectives of insurgency. British have been driven out of Palestine, the French from Algeria, Russians from Afghanistan, and Americans from Vietnam, Lebanon, & Somalia. The greater the accuracy of modern weapons, the louder the outcry when even One civilians killed because of the stronger concern of innocent human life and rapid dispersal of news. An operation that kills five insurgent is counter productive if collateral damage leads to the recruitment of fifty more insurgents. According to T.E. Lawerence, a British Colonel helped Arab revolt against Turkish rule during the First World War, described regular armies as plants,“immoveable, firmly rooted, and nourished through long stems of the head”. Conventional solder, he said, is helpless without the target, controlling only what he sat on, and subjugating only what, by order, he could poke his rifle at’’. On the otherhand, according to Mao Tse-Tung well known dictum, who led Chinese revolution of 1920s, Guerilla must be like fish swimming in the water of general population. Insurgents main weapons are agility, surprise, time, and, above all, a Slogan that touches heart of people & address their long suppressed demand of basic human rights and social development.
As this will be protracted engagement from Government, the patience & sustained support are required to eliminate counterinsurgencies as shown by British over nearly 38 years in Northern Ireland. In contrast, says Colonel Nagl in his book “Learning to Eat Soup with a knife”, the Americans in Vietnam remained wedded to “unrestrained and uncontrolled firepower”. Therefore, my request to media liberal commenter and Military planners who promoting the Clausewitzian principles of destroying enemy at all cost are ignoring one absolute principle of Clausewitze-that war must always be sub-ordinate to political goal for which it is fought.
Therefore, the solution for insurgencies in Pakistan lies, not in pouring more troops and drone-led bombs into valleys and plains, but in winning the hearts and mind through concerted formal socio-political program in direction of the will of the People i.e. more Islamisation.
Tahir writes: “Learn from great civilization like America where you can agree to disagree.”
– – – – –
As a native-born American (apologies to the First Nations), I find it impossible not to appreciate the personal security and material abundance I have enjoyed by accident of birth — not only right place and right time, but also right parents.
Nevertheless, I think the term “great civilization” is unwarranted hyperbole. The “American dream” has not been shared by everyone born in the U.S. And although I don’t go hungry, I am not part of the ruling two-party plutocracy.
Among other things, we might reflect on the failure of the universal-education ideal in America: what good is a high-school diploma when the graduate can neither write a grammatical paragraph nor find Pakistan on a world map? (And what good is a university degree to a jobless person?)
As for “culture”, ours is a mixture of largely immiscible subcultures, ranging from wonderful to horrid, all under a wide umbrella of “pop culture”, instituted and maintained by that capitalist sine quo non, mass-consumerism: we tend to conform to the language, beliefs, and lifestyles portrayed in TV adverts and movies.
As for agreeing to disagree, see what criticism of Israel gets you in the U.S. In the first place, good luck getting your views publicized. Only a few years back, the U.S. Senate voted 98-2 in favor of a resolution giving absolutely unqualified, blanket support to Israel. Where are the two today, we may ask?
As a young boy I got a wall map of the world. I remember being fascinated by it, and I took it upon myself to learn all the capital cities (e.g., Karachi). I was quite perplexed by the area labeled Jammu and Kashmir, portrayed in diagonal stripes of two different colors, signifying the conflicting claims; in my childish naivete I wondered, “Why don’t they make up their minds?” (Plebescite, anyone?)
And I recall my subsequent first experience with an historical atlas — of Europe, as it happened: I was shocked to see what little resemblance the old maps bore to the Europe of my modern wall map.
As much as people clamor for change, we are for the most part averse to it, expecting (and subconsciously hoping) that the next day will be like the last. Our fear of the unknown by and large exceeds our fear of the known. We delude ourselves with a supposition of permanence. But history demonstrates the transience not only of political boundaries, but also of nations themselves. And this we must attribute to things that have not changed through the ages: the fatal flaws of human nature. Boundaries are changed by wars — homicide on a large scale. No religion, we may observe, succeeds in ridding us of our fatal flaws.
Sir, I do not believe that the military of Pakistan can win any battle the Northern areas.
Our state need to take strongest stance against the terrorists other wise future seems gloomy for all peace loving people of our country. The appeasement of terrorists would lead to our destruction.
Parvez Khan asks a lot of questions about India’s intentions and our inaction during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. I do not know the answer, do not know how India could have done anything and first of all how it is relevent now. In the world wars, the European neighbours fought bloody wars, killed millions of each other, understood the futility of all that and are now living as a Union and prospering. We in India dream of such a day when we can save the money spent on armed forces and use it to improve our living conditions.
I understand that spread of Taliban is a grave danger to Pakistan’s democratic fabric. A talibanized Pakistan will push the sub-continent into the abyss of dark ages. We will keep fighting and killing each other for years to come. Wars will feed poverty, poverty will feed illiteracy and illiteracy will feed misunderstanding and misunderstading will feed more wars. And all along the rest of the orld will sell arms to us keep us from getting out of the vicious circle. Is this what we want for our next generation?
The whole taliban drama appears to be performed by the Pakistani govt most probably to get in more aid from donor countries. This is also a good diversionary tactic for ordinary people facing real issues like poverty and corruption.
The aid that Pakistan is likely to get will sadly again land up in the hands of the army and corrupt politicians
What are the social welfare, economic, financial, fiscal, foreign, defence, domestic and regional policies of Taliban? They never talk about these things but only of imposing Sharia Law without specifying its total implementation.
So far, they are carrying their weapons openly; killing innocent Muslims men, women and children; spreading terrorism and violence and committing suicide bombing against innocent people; wearing dirty shalawars, kameezes, turbans and growing long beards and behaving like intimidating thugs bullying people of Pakistan and defying law of the land.
That is the not the true message of Islam: using terrorism, violence, killing of the innocent and suicide bombing; destroying girls schools, stopping girls and women from educating themselves; denying women rights provided to them by Islam; whipping women for not wearing burqas and distorting Islam to achieve their political aims.
Islam adapts itself to changing time but the original spirit of Islamic injunctions remain unaffected. Islam preaches love, peace, harmony, equality, justice, righteousness, humility, intellectual development, creative thinking and not militancy as I have always said and will always say so. Prophet Mohammed (pubh) despite being persecuted abused and insulted never resorted to violence against his persecutors in Mecca and always said, “ I have been commanded only to perform’ dawah’ and permitted to do battle. He exhorted his followers to exercise patience against grievous injustice inflicted upon them. As we know that the Quran was revealed to Prophet (SAW) in instalments in twenty three years on different occasions and circumstances according to circumstances. Prophet Mohammed (SAW) used to tell the adherents to make your ’deen Islam’ easy to follow and practice and do no make it a burden to carry. It is the only way that the message of Islam can reach every corner of the globe and not by violence or through rigidity.
Mr.Gulam Rajani!
I do agree with your analysis except where you are accusing the Pakistan Army.
This institution has been made dependant on the orders from the present democratically elected government leaders.
Please never blame our army again. They are waiting to take action.
I was shocked by the view expressed by Smart Muslim. As the comment was earliest, I thought most pakistanis view so. I am not from Pakistan.
But after reading the views of others, I think radical views as expressed by Smart Muslim is in minority.
As commented by many, Taliban’s are people who have been brainwashed to think in a particular pattern. Their interpretation of Kuran is out of context and twisted to meet their requirement. It is the same Taliban which talks about Islamic law that encourages poppy cultivation in Afganistan. Taliban is like a weed. Unless Pakistan government and the army takes appropriate steps to not only weed out the current Taliban, but also to destroy the fertile grounds in Madarsas, the future of Pakistan in dark, bleak and dangerous.
Just think about what happened in Afganistan. The same will happen to Pakistan. No schools for girls, No women can work, No women can go out alone, All other religions will be destroyed, poppy cultivation will florish, 1 by 3rd of the population will be drug adicts, and for doing all this Taliban will have the unquestionable power.
Look in the mirror.
For the 90% of Pakistanis who are already living a difficult life with lack of food or basic healthcare, and are further exploited by corrupt police, corrupt zamindars, and facing economic difficulties, hopelessness etc…. then how much worse can things get under the Taliban?
Those who are worried about the Taliban are worried because their lives might change and become like the lives of the other 90% of Pakistanis.
Since you are reading an English newspaper, you must be among the top 10% privileged Pakistanis.
Why don’t we keep our focus on blaming India and other countries, or simply focus on the bickering between Nawaz, Zardari, Musharraf, Altaf etc. Let’s keep focusing on our differences and hold each other back. We have been hot tempered for 60 years, no need to think of the national interest now.
By the way, isn’t Kashmir an issue anymore? I wonder what is the topic in all those intelligent debates in elite Defence Society drawing rooms? Who are they blaming for their upcoming difficulties?
Won’t the Taliban do a better job of defending Pakistani territory than the army?
Let’s look in the mirror.
What can be learned from India, United States and other countries that have functioning democracies?