A growing monster

Pakistan will be renamed ‘Talibistan’ unless there is immediate awakening and necessary change is put in place.

Speaking out in the name of ‘peace’ is increasingly rewarded, not with accolade, but with death in areas that the so-called Taliban claim as their own, with the reprehensible murders of two anti-Taliban leaders, one in Buner and one in Lower Dir, having occurred in recent days. The attempted assassination of the schoolgirl from Swat, Malala Yousufzai, made headlines around the world but these latest killings are unlikely to make even a ripple right here in Pakistan, let alone elsewhere in the world. However, what they should seriously be viewed as, is a warning, that a civil war is escalating and it will not, in the long term — and contrary to ignorant expectation — be limited to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata alone.

Taliban activities may have originally begun in these areas but they have, long since, spread their vicious tentacles throughout the country with southern Punjab often being pointed to as a Taliban stronghold, even though there is much controversy about the accuracy of those supporting this school of thought. And now, long after having established themselves in Karachi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has finally acknowledged Taliban presence there and claims that something will be done about them which, coming from this gentleman is, as always, best taken with a pinch of the proverbial salt.

The fact of the matter is that either pure Taliban or a growing number of people exhibiting dyed-in-the-wool ‘Taliban tendencies’, are now to be found in almost every nook and cranny of the country. If, those of other persuasions — and one sincerely hopes that this is the majority — would take off their blinkers, open their eyes and accept the truth before it raises itself up and violently hits them in the face, would be far better off lest they get blown to kingdom come.

Signs of what can, quite literally, be considered ‘Talibanisation’ have been evident for some years now and are not only spreading but are fast becoming firmly entrenched in the largely uneducated mindset that prevails. As sickening as it is to admit, this is actively encouraged by a government, which does absolutely zilch to promote equal education for all and under its rule, the Taliban have destroyed, literally, hundreds of schools over recent years and educational standards have suffered a massive downfall.

Much of the media, too, is guilty of ‘under-reacting’ to the spread of the Taliban, and ‘Talibanisation’ in general, as few journalists have taken the trouble to analyse the growing menace from a seriously sensible point of view. Instead, in some misguided cases, they have opted to promote rather than decry those responsible for carrying out atrocities under the Taliban banner. The media segment, which has stood up and spoken out against the Taliban, particularly in condemning the attack on 15-year-old Malala, is now under threat itself with those located in Peshawar — now a no-go city for many — bearing the brunt and having to relocate to high security areas which, as history has proven time and time again, are never as secure as they are considered to be.

With targeted assassinations of anti-Taliban peace workers becoming more commonplace by the day, a general population that blindly refuses to see the writing on the wall, a failed educational system and a media under threat, Pakistan will soon be renamed ‘Talibistan’ unless there is an immediate awakening and necessary change is put in place.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2012.