Posts Tagged ‘Swat peace deal’
Pakistan Beyond ‘AFPAK’
The Obama Administration before taking office was well aware that Pakistan would be the most compelling threat for the U.S, foreign policy in the coming days. President Obama’s AFPAK strategy was presented as an attempt to restructure America’s approach in dealing with the Al-qaeda- Taliban challenge. In terms of strategy and approach President Obama’s Pakistan policy appears sound, but it needs to be realized that the nature and degree of crisis confronting Pakistan is yet to be fully grasped. The greatest test for the Obama Presidency will not be to deal with the Taliban threat but to fully comprehend the Pakistan challenge. Click to continue…
Ambassador Husain Haqqani on “How Pakistan is Countering the Taliban”
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Unites States Mr. Husain Haqqani has defended Pakistan’s Taliban strategy in the WSJ today.
Mr. Haqqani has excelled in the performance of his duties as Pakistan’s top diplomat in the U.S.; he has presented elaborate arguments rationalizing the recent policy decisions of Pakistani government vis-à-vis the Taliban. Even though I appreciate Mr. Haqqani’s diplomatic skills I strongly disagree with him. Certain claims made by Mr. Haqqani in his submission are faulty and biased:
According to Mr. Haqqani the panicked reactions of the type witnessed in the U.S. media over the last few weeks — after the Taliban drove into Buner, a town 60 miles north of the capital Islamabad — are not conducive to strengthening Pakistani democracy or to developing an effective counterterrorism policy for Pakistan. The panicked media reactions were not confined to the U.S. alone. The Pakistani media was equally rather more apprehensive of the Taliban’s entry into Buner. The scenes of a little boy selling newspapers on the streets of Lahore while shouting out the headlines as ‘Taliban have entered Islamabad’ reflected the anxiety and fear in the Pakistani media. Moreover, Mr. Haqanni needs to realize that counter-terrorism policy is based on empirical data and critical evaluations rather than merely media reports. Click to continue…
Why was Pakistan forced to launch an offensive while Sri Lanka was being asked to abandon it?
International news in the past week has been dominated by two important developments in South Asia: Sri Lankan Government’s action against the LTTE and Pakistan’s compliance of the Taliban’s expansion. Political and popular opinion across the globe condemned both developments and early this week Pakistan and Sri Lanka showed signs of reversing/halting the official policy. Following the developments in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, I have been pondering over the ironic situation the national governments are facing vis-à-vis the forces of violent socio-political opposition. The Pakistani Government is being criticized for not acting against the Taliban while the Sri Lankan Government is being criticized for launching an all out offensive against the LTTE. In dealing with the forces of extremism, the national governments are dammed if they do and dammed if they don’t.
Popular Protests Planned in Pakistan aganist the Government’s Taliban Policy
In my recent blog post “The Pakistan Mystery Continues” I raised a few questions about the popular and official response to the Taliban’s expanding presence in the region. One of my important concerns was why are the people of Pakistan not opposing the official policy towards the Taliban? I had mentioned that the protest march in support of CJ Choudhry had demonstrated the strength of Pakistan’s civil society; similar protests against the Taliban’s growing influence could force the Government to alter the appeasement strategy.
[Photo Courtesy: CNN, December 20, 2008]
I was pleasantly surprised to realize that a peaceful protest against the official policy has been planned for April 28 at the General Post Office on Mall Street of Lahore. The citizens have planned to post letters in large numbers to the President, P.M. CJ and COAS calling for military action against the Taliban. The text of the letter is been made publicly available through various avenues including Facebook. The people are expected gather at the G.P.O. with copies of the letter meant to be posted to the various political functions as a means of voicing popular protest.
The text of the letter is as follows:
We the citizens of Pakistan are angry and dismayed at the abject capitulation of the state of Pakistan before the Taliban insurgents in Swat. With one stroke of the pen, you and the Parliament have signed away any real prospects of a stable, tolerant and progressive Pakistan as envisioned by its founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Leaving aside the merits or demerits of the so-called Nizam a Adal Regulation, we believe that any agreement signed at the point of a gun and under threats from violent extremists can never lead to a lasting and just peace. It has now become clear how naïve the government has been in thinking that the Taliban could be contained in Swat.
Since you signed the Regulation, the Taliban have stated that that they don’t intend to lay down their arms, have called into question the legitimacy of the Parliament and Supreme Court, and declared the intent to impose their own brand of violent and brutal Sharia law not only in the rest of Pakistan but across the world! This is proof positive that the real aim of the Taliban is to seize power through brutal force and intimidation. Click to continue…
Knockout Punches This Week!
The Himalayan Cricket Frenzy: While most cricket fans were buszy watching the IPL, a group of fifty crazy fans trekked up Mt. Everest for a Twenty20 spell
Eye in the Sky, loss of vision on ground: After India launched an Israeli built spy satellite to track terrorist activities, 250 Naxalites hijack a train in Jharkhand.
Juvenile Terror: Lawyers of Ajmal Kasab, who has been charges with waging war aganist India in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes claims that Kasab is a juvenile.
Chang, China and Democracy: According to Hong Kong martial arts Star Jackie Chang the Chinese need to be controlled and thus are not suited for democracy.
Operation Pause: A military operation where the Governemnt of Pakistan abstains from a military aganist the Taliban as militants arrive within sixty miles from Islamabad.
The Pakistan Mystery Continues…..
Recent developments in Pakistan have left the international community baffled.
The Swat Peace Deal was viewed across the globe as appeasement of the Taliban militants. President Zardari assured that he would approve the Accord only after peace was restored in the region. Pakistan was given the benefit of doubt and President Zardari’s line of defense was accepted. After Sufi Muhammad threatened to withdraw from the agreement, President Zardari abandoned his internationally publicized pre-condition and approved the Accord. The act was defended as ‘conditional pragmatism’ and stated to be in accordance with Pakistan’s Constitution. The emboldened Taliban have now moved into Buner district and claim to implement the Sharia across Pakistan. Pakistani government has responded by sending armed reinforcements to the region in an attempt to protect the Government establishments.
The unfolding drama brings several questions to my mind: Click to continue…
Emergence of ‘New Bargainers’ in South Asia - IV
Taliban as ‘new bargainers’ in Pakistan.
The Taliban in Pakistan have emerged as strategic bargainers since the democratic government has assumed office in the country. The democratic government’s compelling desire for stability as hallmark of its success has been exploited by the Taliban to the fullest. For now, the Taliban in Pakistan have bargained to exist and flourish in peace while the Government has bargained for a formal recognition of its scarcely acknowledged authority. The Taliban phenomenon is not new for Pakistan, what’s new is their ability and strategy to bargain with the Government authorities. Click to continue…
Pakistan celebrates while the judicial system in Swat crumbles
As Pakistan celebrated the restoration of deposed judges on March 17, another ominous development escaped popular attention. While the political independence of the judiciary was lauded across the country, the courts in Swat Valley of Pakistan have stopped functioning. Seven Qazis (religious leaders) appointed by Maulana Sufi Mohammad have taken over the task of rendering justice to the local population. Courts functioning under English law have no place under the recently coronated Sharia laws in the Swat Valley. The provincial government of NWFP had introduced the Sharia law in a recent peace deal with the Taliban militants. Not only the 362 members of the Swat Bar Association are faced with prospects of unemployment, the very edifice of Pakistan’s judicial paraphernalia is under threat. Sufi Mohammad proposes to establish Dar ul-Qaza or Islamic Supreme Court to appeal against the decisions of the Qazis. The great Sufi Mohammad’s ambitions have implication beyond the Swat Valley as he aspires to establish Islamic rule across the globe. Having won the political battle, Pakistan’s judiciary will now have to compete with a parallel system of religious justice. Will Pakistan ever manage to resolutely deal with its challenges?
Pakistan - The Matryoshka Doll of Terrorism
Matryoshka Doll commonly referred to as Russian nested doll is a set of dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other. Matryoshka is derived from the Latin root ‘mater’ meaning mother. As a breeding ground for terrorists and exhibiting different forms of terrorism, Pakistan can undoubtedly be likened to a matryoshka doll of terrorism.