‘’TALIBAN & PAKISTAN’S DISILLUSIONED ELITE!!!’’

M WAQAR
For more than 60 years after independence, from almost two centuries of British rule, large scale poverty and illiteracy remains the most shameful blot on the face of  Pakistan.By the age of 62, a COUNTRY - like a man - should have achieved a certain maturity. After decades of existence we know, for good and for bad, who we are, what we have done and how we appear to others. But unfortunately, Pakistan remains curiously immature, a Country with less then 50% rate of literacy can’t bring political wisdom that usually accompanies age. But today the country's national narrative of macho victim hood appears to the rest of the world as simply bizarre. Pakistan's rich, bourgeois, feudal minded leaders have failed their country by failing to protect the poor and failing to give them basic educations and security, the people of swat and buner were betrayed by their own elected ANP government. In last election, religious parties were crushed by voters and ANP was elected but unfortunately followers of BACHA KHAN are pussy cat now and like to hide in presidency , Norway or Turkey, instead of facing storm and helping those who are in refugees camps on their own soil. It is shameful that Pakistani elite is living in total denial, they are aware of miseries people facing in SWAT, they don’t care about the reports of people who are beheaded by barbarian Taliban, they don’t hear screams of a girl flogged by ignorant monsters, they don’t care about the dead bodies hanging to trees and poles. This Pakistani elite ruled this nation on ‘’sub acha’’(everything ok) reports from their mansions, these bourgeois never cared about people committing suicide because of poverty or selling kids and kidneys . Today when Jinnah’s Pakistan is at total collapse, these corrupt politicians are still fighting among themselves for political power. They are blaming U.S. drone attacks responsible for Taliban actions but they ignore that Taliban were present before these drone attacks, burning girls schools, destroying internet cafes, music centers or barber shops has nothing to do with drone attacks. I always criticized ALTAF HUSSAIN of MQM but he has emerged as the conscience of the nation  and I don’t blame him by telling ANP leadership to   wear bangles and sit back in their houses . I agree with him as he said that ’’ by entering into Nizam-e-Adl agreement with Taliban, ANP leaders have left the Pakhtoon people of Swat, Buner and Dir as well as the oppressed people of the entire province on the mercy of the barbaric Taliban and they on their own enjoying life living in their palatial houses with their families. ‘’The so called champions of Pukhtuns rights are flying around the Globe while the dead bodies are lying in the bazaars and streets of Swat. Pukhtun kids from Swat and FATA are not going to schools but living in refugees camps. Caught in the crossfire between militants and security forces, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced to leave their homes in Bajaur, Darra Adamkhel, Kurram, Mohmand, Orakzai, Swat and Waziristan. This human tragedy, which was years in the making, has now reached critical proportions. It is open to question whether the government foresaw such developments and introduced Nizam-i-Adl to unmask the Taliban as people who will accept nothing short of absolute power. Swat citizens and majority of Pakistanis are convinced that the militants cannot be trusted to keep their word but selfish Pakistani politicians and champions of Pukhtuns rights ignored this and living in denial. Children growing up today in squalid refugee camps may well be the militants of tomorrow but Pakistani elite don’t care about this because they have their palaces in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and London. The basic purpose of the state and its apparatus is to ensure the safety and personal freedoms of the citizens but unfortunately state has been failed to impose its writ .
Five thousand square kilometres of Swat are now under Taliban control. Chitral (14,850 sq km), Dir (5,280 sq km), Shangla (1,586 sq km), Hangu (1,097 sq km), Lakki Marwat (3,164 sq km), Bannu (1,227 sq km), Tank (1,679 sq km), Khyber, Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand, Orkzai, North Waziristan and South Waziristan are all under Taliban control -- de facto. That's a total of 56,103 square kilometres of Pakistan under Taliban control -- de facto. Six thousand square kilometers of Dera Ismail Khan are being contested. Also under 'contested control' are Karak (3,372 sq km), Kohat (2,545 sq km), Peshawar (2,257 sq km), Charsada (996 sq km) and Mardan (1,632 sq km). That's a total of 16,802 square kilometres of Pakistan under 'contested control' -- de facto. Seven thousand five hundred square kilometres of Kohistan are under 'Taliban influence'. Additionally, Mansehra (4,579 sq km), Battagram (1,301 sq km), Swabi (1,543 sq km) and Nowshera (1,748 sq km) are all under 'Taliban influence'. That's a total of 16,663 square kilometers of Pakistan under 'Taliban influence' -- de facto. All put together, 89,568 square kilometers of Pakistani territory is either under complete 'Taliban control', 'contested control' or 'Taliban influenced'; that's 11 per cent of Pakistan's landmass. Where was Pakistan’s army? ,when thugs, criminals, fanatics were taking control of those areas??? 18,000 troops deployed in Swat for a year and a half deliberately avoided targeting the thugs. All the army did was base itself in pastures and forests populated only by wild animals and livestock. In a small ravine like that of Peuchar in Swat, the mega-thug could hide from our well-fed army. How is that an army of 18,000 - fully equipped and trained - could not fight only about 1,000 ???Many Americans think that certain elements of the Pakistan military would rather have a Taliban/military government than the present one. Many here think the Pakistan is worrying about India while the insects are devouring their house piece by piece. Many Americans are amazed that secular Pakistanis and politicians don't seem to care if the present course could mean them being forced into exile . This is a really disturbing period in the history of Pakistan. It is on the verge of total capitulation. What strikes me as strange is why the people of Pakistan don't stand up? They marched nationally for a judge, but can't rise to oust the Taleban? Where is long march of IMRAN KHAN,NAWAZ,QAZI HUSSAIN against those who are killing innocent people, disturbing lives of thousands and imposing their ignorant views on majority of people who wants to live in peace? Pakistan is on course of self-destruction. Due to decades of corruption, divisive policies and injustice from the leadership; the people of Pakistan lack the pride and loyalty to fight for their homeland. As a Pakistani I find this very shameful.


Now the Taliban are coming south and everyone is wondering why no one did anything. Perhaps these politicians should begin by examining their own behavior. They kept denying the threat despite its gravity to score political points. It was the Nawaz Sharifs and the Fazlur Rehmans of this country that refused to blame the Taliban for the trouble in Pakistan. Why did members of the national assembly stand up and oppose the Nizam-e Adl when it was supposedly under debate in the house? Why did no one criticized the halting of military operations when the army was producing results against the barbarians? That’s the hypocrisy of Pakistani elite, they only worry when their lives are in danger, they only cry blues when they see they are loosing power. Every one of these politicians is responsible for letting the country down. This group should have built the national consensus and will to fight the terrorists and they didn’t. One hopes it is not too late for them to have recognized the threat. Nawaz Sharif’s recent statements, where he has expressed dissatisfaction with the peace deal in Swat. He has also expressed concern that the Taliban are trying to export their version of sharia to other parts of Pakistan. Mr Sharif’s ‘discomfort’ with the situation is welcome, but he has a lot to answer for. What does he have to say about his repeated opposition to the war on terror when these very Taliban were brutally murdering troops and civilians? Why did his party, the second largest in the national assembly, not register its protest and vote against the Nizam-e Adl in parliament when it was sent there by the presidency? . Nawaz Sharif knew the risks of cutting deals with the Taliban, and should have voiced his opposition when the political leadership of this country could have done something about it but he did not because he is pro-Taliban too .
Sufi Muhammad, Fazlullah and Muslim Khan have been slowly but surely revealing their agenda, much as feared by the rest of the world. The invitation to Osama bin Laden and the offer of protection to him are not only a flagrant violation of Pakistani laws but also various United Nations Security Council resolutions. How can the state tolerate such elements and even attempt to deal with them under the guise of establishing peace and conceding the long time demands of the Swatis? Pakistan does not need the services of non-state actors like the Taliban . Many had warned of the dangers of negotiating with this band of terrorists given that the government was negotiating from a position of weakness, and past experience of cutting deals with the terrorists was entirely negative. Instead of surrendering to these terrorists, the state should have intensified the fight and liberated our territory from them. With this capitulation, instead of bringing these areas back under the state’s writ, we have simply given the terrorists greater confidence to extend their nefarious activities to the rest of Pakistan. Despite the many voices in the media confusing the people on this issue, the lines are now absolutely clear. The terrorists are against the people of Pakistan, the state of Pakistan, our judiciary, our democracy and our values. They have vowed to destroy all this. We must vow to protect it, united in the fight to save Pakistan. The government must focus on one point : the Malakand Taliban have to disarm as promised at the earliest. If that doesn’t happen, there ought to be no further discussion of any sort with the militants or their representatives. The government and its security apparatus must not be tricked into halting a military operation that is clearly the need of the hour. Selfish Pakistani politicians should be standing and supporting the Govt instead of opposing action against Taliban, nation expect from these politicians to condemn militants. Lets face reality, these Talibans have ruined the reputation of Islam . These ignorant barbarian Taliban have no moral values, education or respect for Islam and Pakistan’s constitution,  the Talibans are blowing up schools, destroying hospitals and usurping the fundamental rights of the people even right to life but Pakistani elite ignored this for a long time, which is shameful and if anything happens to Pakistan, these politicians and elite will be responsible for that. For a long time Pakistani elite, politicians and their supporters claimed that war on terror is America’s war,  this war on terror is very much Pakistan's own war now, as Taliban are killing innocent pukhtuns, destroying their schools, hospitals ,businesses etc. It used to be America's war when the jihadis were funded by the US to fight the Red Army in Afghanistan.  The Pakistani and international jihadis have now made it Pakistan's war. 
Imran Khan the commander-in-chief of Taliban, supports and advocate Taliban justice so proudly. Is there any difference between Imran Khan and the illutrate man who supports Taliban. He is behaving like the street person who has no knowledge of politics. Can such a man lead a party or a country?
Lets admit that Musharraf government played a double role: on one hand it allowed the jihadis to take control of the tribal area and on the other hand showed the US that the Pakistan army was fighting the terrorists. It was during his regime that the army entered into agreements with the Taliban in FATA – and all of these failed . The Pakhtun are experiencing a genocide-like situation at the hands of Taliban and Al Qaida terrorists and now monster is moving towards Punjab and sindh.
Unfortunately Pakistani elite is not reading the writing on the wall and still living in denial, failed politician like Imran Khan often compares the Taliban militancy with the tribal resistance to the British colonial. This is an insult to the Pakhtun history. Unlike the Taliban no tribal resistance leader ever killed fellow Pakhtun in the name of Islam of fight against the British. Anyone who has lived in Swat would have experienced that people of Swat are the most liberal people among the Pakhtuns due to their dependence on a tourism-driven economy. The Sufi Mohammad-style sharia has never been their choice. They would never want their primary industry ’’ tourism’’ to be destroyed by those who rule over them. The argument of JI amir Munawwar Hasan that people of Swat elected the ANP and the PPP because his party boycotted the February 2008 elections is wrong. If religious right-wingers were so darling to the Swatis, they would have elected the JUI-F which was in the field. How come so many tribal leaders were killed all over FATA and no one has ever been arrested for it? How come officials of the state and its institutions socially meet members of the Taliban? People who say that the Taliban militancy has been engineered to send a message to the US and to extract more and more aid. More ominously, these Pakhtuns feel abandoned by the state. If as obvious, Taliban take control of Islamabad and Lahore or Karachi, what will be the reaction of Pakistani elite ? Seems like they will hide their head in sand or fly to LONDON.NEW YORK,SAUDI ARABIA OR DUBAI and leave poor of the country to face cruel rules of Taliban and I am sure that’s what this elite will do. Pakistan has to do the needful , something that it hasn't done so far. This means giving up the idea once and for all that the jihadis are strategic assets to fight proxy wars in Afghanistan and India. The next step would be to conduct targeted operations based on intelligence to destroy jihadi infrastructures all over Pakistan, eliminate their leadership and retake the territory ceded to the jihadis. Third, all those Pakhtuns who have stood up to the Taliban need to be protected. Disturbing as it may sound, the jihadis could well take over all of Pakistan, just like they have taken over Swat and FATA, unless of course the state chooses to crush them with an iron hand.  This is Pakistan’s war, its survival war, lets stop blaming others for our failures and short comings, lets stop looking for foreign powers to help us , Whether the US offers financial help to Pakistan or not Pakistan has to fight this war to survive as a democratic state in the modern world. The 19 months long military operation did not succeed in capturing or killing Fazlullah, Muslim Khan and other culprits who killed thousands of innocent people. The armed forces only claimed that Taliban were being forced to withdraw and we observed that this policy resulted in spreading the writ of Taliban in surrounding areas. Now it is high time that the security forces should immediately arrest Fazlullah, Muslim Khan and all other killers of innocent people, seize the FM Radio channels and give a message to all. This is the ultimate answer and this should be the first step in the ongoing operation. If it is not done, we shall believe that there is something wrong at the bottom , withdrawal of Taliban from a place means, spreading the evil in more places, kill them No mercy should be shown to Taliban and their leaders. They are a scum of the earth .  It is the rope around their necks or a bullet in their heads or stoning to death that has to be their end, inexcusably and mercilessly. Pakistani elite needs to wake up now, living in denial will destroy everything and that will be too late . The shameless betrayal of the Swat peace deal by the Taliban, invasion of other areas and irresponsible and hateful statements by both Taliban and TNSM spokespeople, the nation has now seen the real face of the Taliban. Sufi Muhammad was simply a front with which they fooled the government and most people of Pakistan. Now that the truth is out there, we must wake up and fight the Taliban. The majority of Pakistanis don’t want to live under Taliban tyranny . Pakistani military is powerful to crush Taliban but  there are a number of extremists within the ranks, its military’s leadership job to arrest those who are helping Taliban .These extremists are bigger threat then India today. If Pakistanis are capable of making the nukes then they are very much in the position to protect themselves as well.  We must win this war against Taliban before they take over and foreign troops marching on Pakistani streets .What happened in Swat was a huge wake up call but unfortunately Pakistani Elite ignored that and decided to live in denial . This is also a wake up call for the 6th largest Army in the world, the army must face up to Taliban ! 3 districts and FATA ! How much will they concede to the Taliban ? ?? Sufi Muhammad was supposed to declare war against the Taliban if they did not abide by the NAR, but he has instead condemned the Constitution of Pakistan as an infidel institution. A kind of jihadi nepotism has overcome him as he refuses to see what his son-in-law Fazlullah is doing in Dir and Buner in violation of the accord. Indeed, the Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan has denounced those who criticize the Sufi’s “verdict” against democracy and insists that his brand of shariat will be applied throughout Pakistan, with jiziya (protection tax) imposed on non-Muslims. The message is clear: the Taliban are linked to Al Qaeda and they are counting on such elements in Punjab to help them take their war down to other parts of Pakistan. When the Swat deal was being sewed up, only the MQM objected, but it was soon isolated in parliament when the National Assembly voted in favor of the NAR. The media-mujahideen acted in the same irresponsible manner in which they had acted during the Lal Masjid affair by siding with the Taliban over the videoed whipping of a 17-year-old girl. The Supreme Court added its bit by releasing the Lal Masjid cleric who immediately announced his resolve to spread the Taliban shariat in Pakistan ,it is the army that has to step forward and face the Taliban. It has baulked so far because of adverse public opinion and an equally lethal media tilt. But now that the politicians are waking up to the danger and the media is increasingly disabused, the army must end its India-driven strategy and try to save Pakistan from becoming the caliphate of Al Qaeda. In fact, Islamabad has to reach an understanding with New Delhi over the matter in order to get the army to mobilize in the numbers required. However, if this is not done, the people will have to fight the war on their own. The MQM is asking the right question: what if the Taliban come and the army is not there to protect us?
Swat is the challenge staring us in the face. If we don’t accept it and fight the Taliban, then the world will have to come and fight it the way it thinks fit.