Posts Tagged ‘Taliban’
Sympathize, Empathize or Rationalize: Obama Administration’s Policy Choices in Pakistan
As the AFPAK strategy session concluded in Washington arguments for and against providing aid to Pakistan dominated the op-ed columns and the blogosphere. The U.S. cannot deprive Pakistan of essential aid because there are fears that the Country might collapse. At the same time U.S. aid will not solve most of Pakistan’s problems. So what should the Obama Administration do? Can the U.S. merely feel sorry for the state of affairs in Pakistan or should the challenges facing the Pakistan be recognized and a cooperative counter-Taliban effort be continued? Or should the U.S. rationalize in terms of delineating the respective responsibilities of the Pakistani Government and the international community? Click to continue…
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…
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…
The Children of Taliban
The Frontline/World aired on April 14, 2009 a documentary Children of Taliban. In the Documentary, Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy attempts to explore the impact of the Taliban terror on the children of Pakistan. The documentary takes the audience beyond the political and strategic noises of Taliban’s impact on regional and global security. Without taking sides Sharmeen brings before the world the myriad faces of Taliban terror among the young hearts of Pakistan.
[Photo Courtesy: Sharmeen Obaid Films]
It’s now called “AFPAK”
There is a recent and overwhelming influx of the term “AFPAK” in jargon of international relations. The term owes it origin to the new policy approach adopted by the Obama Administration. The intragency review of the international strategy in Afghanistan headed by Bruce Riedel concluded that the counter-terrorism efforts need to focus on the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. So now we have the AfPak war. Though President Obama’s intentions can barely be doubted there are some serious concerns that the U.S. will have to contend with in dealing with “AFPAK”.
[Photo Courtesy: Reuters/Jason Reed] Click to continue…
Is The Afghanistan Crisis Helping Global Reconciliation?
Reformulation of the international approach to manage the Afghanistan crisis is currently dominating political dialogue in most Capitals and strategic headquarters. A host of international conferences scheduled for the next fortnight are expected to explore the best possible alternatives for dealing with the multifaceted challenges in Afghanistan. The Obama Administration has undertaken a comprehensive review of the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan. Suggestions and proposals on the issue are pouring from all quarters and it appears that Afghanistan is poised for a grand moment in history. Will the Afghanistan challenge emerge as the Noah’s Ark – a common platform for global cooperation sheltered from the vagaries of divergent ideologies, political ambitions and nationalistic aspirations? In an atmosphere where power politics of the Realist School is dominating international relations, can Afghanistan serve as a common cause for which ideological differences will be shed and new forms of global engagement will emerge? 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…