ISLAMABAD: Pakistan repeatedly urged Afghanistan and US-led forces there to go after notorious Taliban cleric Maulvi Fazlullah, whose fighters took part in cross-border raids that killed about 100 members of Pakistan's security forces in recent months, but no action was taken, an army spokesman said Monday.
"The problem refuses to go away," the Pakistani spokesman, Major-General Athar Abbas, told Reuters.
The complaint could deepen tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan over cross-border attacks by militants on targets in both countries.
Militants from across the border have consistently attacked check-posts and raided villages in Dir, Bajaur and Mohmand from April to August this year.
Last year, an Afghan official claimed that Maulvi Fazlullah, runaway chief of Swat Taliban, had been killed in a clash between security forces and militants in the Barg Mittal area of Nuristan.
The Pakistani government has eyed the Afghan border with much suspicion and blames the Afghan government of not taking action against militants in the border areas.
Who is Fazlullah?
Fazlullah, who was also known as FM Mullah or Radio Mullah for his fiery radio broadcasts, managed to regroup in Afghanistan and establish strongholds and local support, and poses a threat to Pakistan once again, said Abbas.
The cleric is the last thing Pakistan needs. It is battling a Taliban insurgency, and has been facing stepped up US pressure to attack Afghan militant groups who cross the border to attack Western forces in Afghanistan since American special forces in May killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani town, where he had apparently been living for years. "
Now Fazlullah and his group are trying to re-enter Swat through Dir," said Abbas, referring to a border region in northwest Pakistan which was relatively stable before the cleric's men recently staged attacks there on security forces.
COMMENTS (49)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Why are we still lamenting the escape of Fazlullah? What about Muslim Khan ? Will he and his accomplices be released as before???? If the govt had to do all this , why were so many people sacrificed ?
@R S JOHAR:
Yeah. Mass graves are a huge tourist attraction.
@Rafi ka Deewana, faraz You missed the point I made. Well buddy kashmir is a disputed territory, the world has never recognized kashmir as a part of Pakistan. The problem at hand is the control of Swat, "a legal territory" of Pakistan. I think it is our prior duty to safeguard our known international boundaries and Faraz is right that it is not a plan, its "capitulation", the part which I oppose... ps. I have never mentioned kashmir in my previous messsage
@ayesha: A logical and correct analysis. The present situation in Kashmir is near normal as record number of tourists visited the valley during this summer since support to the militants is on the decline. The railway's longest tunnel about 11 km long will be ready by next year and raliway network shall also be completed as well, which would further boost the economy of the state. Those who keep on harping of genocide and supression in Kashmir must visit this place and see the situation for themselves and also ask the locals whether they would like to join Pakistan and I am sure they would be shell shocked with their replies.
@ayesha: Perfect reply, Ayesha.
@waqas: "Do you think after handing him over Swat, would he just stop there??? He will struggle for more. that is the human nature, we can’t just lay arms, We have to tell them that we are not weak"
Do you think after handing him over Kashmir, would he just stop there??? He will struggle for more. that is the human nature, we can’t just lay arms, We have to tell them that we are not weak.
This scenario is manufactured by NATO, intentionally.
Let me break this down. US has been asking Pakistan to take complete control of its own areas in North Waziristan where militants are launching attacks into Afghanistan. Reasonable demand. Pakistan refuses to do so.
US says,"Well, two can play that game" and withdraws its troops from areas neighbouring Pakistan, where elements of TTP have fled to and are now doing the same to Pakistan, what the Haqqanis are doing to NATO. This is another kind of poetic justice, as someone talked of it above.
Another poetic justice is the one related to Pakistan supporting militias in India. Same is happening to Pakistan now.
@Ghaznavi: "What is happening to India in Kashmir since 1989 is poetic justice of what India did in 1970-71 and it will be until Kashmir is freed from the clutches of Brahman India.."
Brahmins are just 2% of Indian population. SO your notion of Brahmin India is simply not accurate The 'strategic assets created for Afghan jihad were pushed into India from 1989 onwards by Pakistan. This is what you are referring to. The intention may have been to extract revenge for 1971 and for a whole dcade India did bleed with thousands of J&K residents (both Hindus andMuslims) being killed by these jihadists. But once India figured out what was happening, it has learnt to defend itself and the number of deaths in the valley has dramatically shrunk.. The poetic justice that Bambbayyaa was referring to is that the whole terror infrastructure that was created has polarised Pakistan and created TTP which is actually attacking its own creators like Frankenstein. Also before 9/11, India's complaints that Pakistan was pushing terrorists into India were not heeded by rest of the world. Now that NATO has witnessed this first hand with regards to Afgha Taliban, the tolerance for these strategic assets has evaporated around the world. So while you maybe able to kill a 100-200 Indians every couple of years, the days when you could kill thousands have gone for good.@Ghaznavi:
dream on !!!!!!
where is the mullah-brigade;one of their own is being asked to be killed.rise up,raise hell in pakistan!!!
What is happening to India in Kashmir since 1989 is poetic justice of what India did in 1970-71 and it will be until Kashmir is freed from the clutches of Brahman India..
@starboy: "separate the innocent people from real terrorists"
BUT HOW.....????
Pakistan army is competent to handle and defeat TTP but lacks will to do it and want US to do this job for them, which is unlikely since no operations is being planned against Haqqanis. Initially, the army had conducted faulty operations in SWAT and SW and allowed TTP to melt away to Afghanistan and NWA. With their infrastructure still intact, this outfit has struck back with a vengeance against the security forces but if full might of the military is tactically deployed, this outfit can be defeated within a span of three to six months.
@starboy
Didnt Imran say that Fazlullah has brought quick justice? And didnt the dialogue fail? Imran was wrong on both accounts.
Pakistan even cannot jam the signals of this terrorist radio, leave alone fighting terrorists. Only hope is drone strikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Let us welcome them.
Pakistan wouldn't get any help from Afghanistan to go after the cleric Maulvi Fazlullah, who together with the Taliban had the Swat Valley under their control in 2009. The other way round, the Afghans expect as less help from Pakistan to tackle the Haqqani network, which are blamed to be behind many attacks in Afghanistan lately. The Pakistani Taliban poses so little threat to Afghanistan as the Haqqani network to Pakistan. While the two countries point fingers at each other, the Taliban feel emboldened and the Western forces live with constant fear.
Ignorant people saying things against PTI.
We are very much here and we support peace not war. The militancy issue has to be tackled politically and not militarily. What has happened to Swat now, military has cleared the area of militants; but do we expect the military to stay there indefinitely? There is a need to engage locals and bring them onboard. We need to talk to reconcilable elements thus isolate the hardliners. Otherwise we will keep fighting this war for centuries. The war has brought misfortune for our nation; the more military actions will make more people turn to militancy and not less. We need peace!! Even US is now talking peace with Taliban; India is talking peace with Kashmiris, Maoists. Why cant we talk peace??
The World has zero sympathy for Pakistan on this issue -- and you know exactly why.
Why should not the pakistanis hate the US for its double standards. They want every kind of security from Pakistan but provides shelter to terrorists in their own controlled areas.
PTI has got nothing to do with it. PTI stance is very clear, Separate the innocent people from real terrorists, win the innocent people of the area to ur side. Then take stern actions against these terrorists. This is the only way u can bring peace. PTI is against all forms of terrorism.
Why r u bringing PTI in this matter. PTI has got nothing to do with it. PTI is against every terrorist. PTI stance is very clear, separate the innocent people from real terrorists.Win the innocent people to your side & then kill the real terrorists.This is the only way we can win the war against terror.
Pakistan should make an alliance with the US and NATO and finish Taliban whereever they are as this is the cancer of our society, I think the people of Pakistan deserve better.
@Numbersnumbers, waqas
Actually i wanted to highlight the bankruptcy of this so called plan. This is not a plan, but capitulation.
@Numbersnumbers: Very true...handover part of India to Moists, Naga Liberaion army, ULFA, Kashmir to Kashmiris and there will be peace in India also
@Khalid: Then US should also not cry WOLF. It was also a co-producer.
mullah radio is our own production and now our state is under its own fire .but how poor we are where is our strategy that today our 6 million army is standing helpless in front of few hundreds militants but let me say we are still in fool's paradise in the name of strategic depth .
If the Americans can send Drones across the border and the Afghanistan Taliban can attack Pakistan, Conduct a raid deep inside Pakistan. Whats stopping you Pakistan!!! Do what you have to do. The world will back you up after all he is a Terrorist
We all know what the Afghans will say, don't we? "Non-state actors". The Pakistani establishment is getting a taste of its own medicine apparently.
When for years he was broadcasting from Pakistan, we could not nab him. Now he is doing the same from Afghanistan, and we suddenly don't like it anymore ?
After we signed the accord with Afg, some people seem to have become very responsible! Good ! Keep it up!!
@faraz: Why stop there, why now hand over all of Pakistan to Fazlullah "and the attacks will stop"?
Talk to the hand :-).
I thought we were negotiating which such people?
@faraz: Do you think after handing him over Swat, would he just stop there??? He will struggle for more. that is the human nature, we can't just lay arms, We have to tell them that we are not weak
i think we should let the US attack North waziristan and we should be able to attack Afghanistan
We created him like so many others, why cry wolf, wolf now....
@faraz: 20 days??? WISHFUL THINKING!!!!
good. get a taste of your own medicine.
what if molvi fazlullah is also caught and captured in Noshera and then again pakistan has to explain how, why, when, where, who???
We should implement Imran's plan that will achieve peace in just 20 days i.e. hand over Swat to Fazlullah and the attacks will stop
If America can missile Pakistan border then why not Pakistan use the same excuse to protect its citizens.