The black scenario of Pakistan

No control (yet) but the following is worse enough
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The capital of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Peshawar has become the front line city in the so-called "war on terror" in Pakistan. Bombings and suicide attacks coupled with kidnap for ransom have become commonplace. The city is surrounded by militants on three sides. Mardan and Charsadda to the north, Mohmand and Khyber agencies to the west and Darra Adamkhel to the south have all become battle grounds.

Disrupting Nato plans in Afghanistan has been the key Taleban target in Peshawar - at least 400 vehicles carrying supplies for Nato forces have been destroyed. The Taleban say they will keep on attacking trucks destined for Nato forces until the US stops drone attacks in the region.
 
So...the Taliban, perceiving NATO as a threat, is attacking the Pakistani allies allowing NATO to transport materiel through one of its cities?  I don't see how this calls for NATO or US intervention unless the Pakistanis ask for it.  Even though they are helping our mission in Afghanistan, they still get to look after their own house, y'know?
 
Well, Loosey, you should read the rest of that site. It does state that the Taleban have attacked NATO supply convoys. I still don't think that the Taleban are capable of actually capturing Peshawar or any other major city, let alone Islamabad.
 
That's what I was trying to say: NATO's convoys are under Pakistani protection, yes?  So Pakistan should be protecting them, or at least protecting the hard point in places like Peshawar.  Besides, from what I understand, more Pakistanis by far are being killed in the attacks by the Taliban than NATO forces.
 
I have just read an article from Pakistan's leading English language newspaper, the Karachi-based Dawn. I've been reading this paper occasionally for many years, and I have to say I have struggled to find another piece of journalism of this quality. And I believe it is healthy (and found it very refreshing) to read critical Pakistani insight on this matter.

The entire article can be found here: A war on two fronts

The entire article is very interesting and insightful. I am going to highlight two passages, though:

The fact is that large swathes of our country are today beyond the writ of the state and various insurgencies, representing legitimate and contrived grievances, dominate certain parts. Of these, the Taliban and the Baloch nationalists’ issues have acquired urgency. Although the latter has much greater political significance as an ‘existentialist threat’ for Pakistan, as well as being a secular struggle which could transform into an Intifada of sorts, the focus currently is on the former because of US involvement and the inducement of billions of aid being promised to fight that menace. To that extent, it is, at least partly, an American war, or at best an American-army war.
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Notabene, the paper is certainly not of Anti-American nature.

Currently, the second front of the battle against the Taliban — that for hearts and minds, rather than hearths and homes — is being fought in a score of refugee camps set up in the adjacent Pakhtunkhwa areas and in the countless temporary shelters all over the country and in the homes of friends and relatives. Up to two million people have been displaced and the arrangements in the refugee camps are inadequate and their management far from satisfactory — far below the standards, by no means spectacular, achieved during the 2005 earthquake. The private relief effort is stated to have exceeded the official effort by a margin of three to one.

If military action continues for much longer, citizens will get weary and the refugees will get restless and may even succumb to the lure of the Taliban’s agenda. There is, therefore, the need to upscale and remove imperfections in the public relief effort, along with increasing the intensity of military action while keeping collateral damage to a minimum. Otherwise, the Taliban will gain ground as modern-day Robin Hoods.

The management of the relief effort is far more haphazard and half-hearted than in the case of the 2005 earthquake, which unravelled without prior warning, unlike the present disaster. It is regrettable that the disaster relief lessons learnt and institutions created after the 2005 earthquake have not been invoked in the present situation.
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Essentially, Pakistan is digging it's own grave at the moment. We can't really expect a corrupt and incapable government to notice this, but we could expect our humanitarian western governments to help a people in need. Oh wait, we can't.


Here is some background on Pakistan's society.

...and a token of what this paper stands for, just for the record.
 
I have seen a TV-news item about the Robin Hood thing as well. People vow to help fugitives but don't always tell them they are Taliban.

People are scared to return to their homes, or to disobey the Taliban. If you get caught you risk decapitation.

Here an article about Pakistan expanding their nuclear sites.
 
I was in Pakistan some days ago -everyone was frightened for me, but the reality -at least in Karachi was rather normal
 
Do you know what the ISI is? It's the terror organization responsible for the Mumbai attacks. It has also been published that the ISI is pulling many strings inside and is responsible to operation of many moles inside Pakistani goverment. It was also said that the ISI has some ties with Al Qaeda. Do you reckon the ISI plays a part in the debated conflict?
 
Pakistan has awakened?

I just read that in the north of Pakistan hundreds of civilians have started to attack the Taliban warriors. Revenge for the suicide bombing in a mosk, last Friday. People in the region formed a 'lashkar' or tribal militia and launched a drive against Taliban fighters, including Afghan militants. Hundreds of members of the lashkar attacked six villages whose residents were harbouring the Taliban. The militia killed at least 13 extremists, including foreigners, and destroyed several militant hideouts in Upper Dir, Geo News channel reported.

While attacking the militants, members of the militia shouted slogans like "Jaag utha Pakistan" (Pakistan has awakened), media reports said.
 
Brilliant!  Perhaps Pakistanis are starting to feel less like members of a tribe and more like members of a country.  While normally I don't espouse vigilantism, it's this sort of popular movement that can defeat the Taliban - it takes more than guns and bombs to defeat an idea.
 
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