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Pakistan gives in to terror
When Pakistan's current government took office following February's elections, it promised to put an end to homegrown violence and terror. It has done nothing of the sort. Instead, it has botched its negotiations with militants. It has utterly failed at freeing its people from the extremists' influence. Instead of protecting its citizens, the current government has sold them out.This government, a coalition between the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, has proved to be worse at fighting extremism than the one led by discredited President Pervez Musharraf. All of this was sadly demonstrated this past Monday when a car bomb exploded outside the Danish embassy in Islamabad. The blast killed at least six people and injured dozens. Al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the explosion. And they said they received help from Pakistani militants. When the new government took office, the only course for the U.S. seemed to be to step back. The U.S. was closely allied with Musharraf, which had created resentment in the political opposition. The new leaders were going to have to be given a chance to take ownership of Pakistan's fight against terror. The new leaders were not going to cooperate if it looked like they were fighting a proxy war on behalf of the United States. Now it looks like they won't cooperate in fighting a war on behalf of their own people. The inept Pakistani government is capitulating to indigenous militants. This can be seen in the Swat Valley, a picturesque landscape of lush valleys, rivers and mountains that once was a prime destination for Pakistani newlyweds. Last year, extremists led by pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah invaded the Swat Valley. Music was banned. Girls' schools were closed. Traditional dancers and singers, popular entertainers locally, were told their homes would be blown up if they kept working. Shops selling CDs and videos or DVDs were blown up. Hundreds of people died in bombings and attacks by insurgents. Residents of the valley, as the Tribune's Noreen Ahmed-Ullah reported earlier this year, wanted nothing more than a restoration of law and order. They yearned for security, and a return to their old lives. They got nothing of the sort. A little over two weeks ago, Pakistan's government signed a peace agreement with Fazlullah's militants that legitimized the introduction of Shariah law to the region. The government agreed to free hundreds of militant prisoners. The militants promised to allow girls to return to school and said they would stop attacking government forces. But they retain de facto control of the Swat Valley—and its highly developed infrastructure, which includes roads and hotels. The government may claim it has negotiated peace. But it has, instead, given the militants both the time and the access to resources that will allow them to get stronger. Pakistan's new leaders are caving to extremism. For all the success against terrorism around the world, what's happening here chills the blood. Posted by: john frum 2008-06-08 |
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