ISLAMABAD: A surge of violence in northwest Pakistan culminating in the assassination of a senior provincial minister has raised fears of a renewed Taliban campaign that could threaten national elections, analysts say.
The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the adjacent Federally-Administered Tribal Areas, which border Afghanistan, are on the frontline of the country's battle against Islamist militancy and are no strangers to violence.
But the past week has seen a noticeable rise in bloodshed, with more than 40 people killed in near-daily attacks. These culminated in Saturday's suicide bombing at a meeting of the Awami National Party (ANP) in Peshawar, the province's main city.
The blast, which killed nine including provincial number two Bashir Bilour, was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, who said the minister was targeted in revenge for the death of one of the movement's "elders".
The surge of violence began on December 15 with a spectacular commando-style Taliban attack on Peshawar airport and also featured a car bomb near a local government office in Khyber tribal district that killed 21 people.
"The spate of attacks in recent days indicates the Taliban are on a major onslaught to destabilise the country and create chaos to shake people's faith in the state apparatus," political analyst and author Hasan Askari told AFP.
"It's part of their broader agenda to undermine the credibility of government and prove that the state apparatus is crumbling."
For the Taliban, killing a high-profile and outspoken critic such as Bilour has a double effect, Askari said: silencing an experienced and fearless adversary and striking fear into those who might think of following in his footsteps.
The coalition government led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) -- which also includes the ANP -- will complete its five-year term in March and insists elections will be held on time.
But no date has yet been announced for polls and there are rumours the ballot could be postponed if the security situation is deemed too precarious.
Retired Lieutenant General Talat Masood, a security and political analyst, said the Taliban were stepping up their assaults on political and military targets precisely to create this kind of anarchy.
"They will try to disrupt elections because they can flourish when the state is weak -- there is a political vacuum and then people lose confidence in the government," he told AFP.
If elections go ahead successfully it will be the first time in Pakistan's turbulent history that an elected civilian government has completed a five-year term. Both Askari and Masood said the government would find it difficult to delay the vote, paving the way for a bloody campaign period.
Thursday is the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, killed in a gun and suicide attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi after addressing an election rally.
Brigadier Saad Khan, a former officer with the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency, warned the Taliban may continue their campaign with an attack on events marking the anniversary. These include a major speech by her son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the PPP chairman.
Khan described the security situation as grave, saying the militants were "waging a war for Peshawar". He compared it to the state of affairs before a major military offensive against militant hideouts and training camps in South Waziristan in 2009.
"The militants are moving with a plan (of) how and where to attack. They put pressure at one place and move to another," he said.
"It is a dynamic enemy and we are static. We are reactive they are proactive."
He criticised the current strategy for dealing with the militants as "half-hearted" and urged a more concerted effort to defeat them.
COMMENTS (17)
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Snakes of different colours and nationalities are out of their holes to postpone elections. First time in history of Pakistan, governments would change with vote and these snakes don't let it happen. If power shifts to common people to punish bad rulers and bring new ones, what would happen to these snakes who conspire against governments while playing golf and seek advice on phones from foreign masters. There will be no Pakistan if elections are not held on time.
@Hammad:
You are talking the language of US...NMW is a base from where only Afghanistan is disturbed ( for our benefit ), that is why only operation was done in SWW...the attack on us comes from those elements who fled SWW operation & given sheltered inside Afghanistan bordering Kunar & Nuristan under the influence of Fazlullah ( Maulana Radio ).Even US general & Governor of Nuristan / Kunar have conceeded that Fazlullal is very much there but since he & his men are not bringing harm on them, so they are not their priority....same argument is for us too in NWW area...this area is under Haqqani group who are under our control & does not harm us....but attacks are from those elements who have been driven back from SWW area...please try to understand before passing such comments....US & their vested interest has successfully managed to brain wash our literate fellows like you....bravo ! you & many like you took the bait....US wants us to open new front knowing too well that our Army is very thinly spread & it make it more easy to create more havoc than what it is today....US knows & realize that it is only our Army who are acting as a rock against their nefarious design...this has been briefed to the political heads too by our Army boss..that is why they are not able to take a political decision to take action in NWW....
People's faith in state are more severely shaken by the rampant corruption, dwindling economy and the behavior of venal political mafia ruling the country. The country has no future until the very governance is improved or streamlined somehow, an impossible task under the present political leadership. Militancy is just one facet of the misgovernance spawned by illiteracy and inept state institutions, both evils are direct result of diversion of state funds to the private coffers of the ruling elite.
Yugoslavia 2.0?
not a single Taliban terrorists hanged till date Bravo Judiciary Bravo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All efforts to make peace with the Taliban have failed, who have exposed themselves as hypocrites by breaking their promises and returning to violence. There is no option now but millitary action to destroy them.
But alongsise millitary action needs to begin education in schools which teaches how the Talibans ideology is wrong. There needs to be policies to transform the country into a peaceful and progressive society. This is the only way to eliminate the Taliban in the long term.
"The surge of violence began on December 15 with a spectacular commando-style Taliban attack on Peshawar airport"
seriously ET , is this a right way to decsribe such an unfotrunate incident , or is this way " a responsible media" of the beleeding nation should report these horrible incidents. just for a look go and read any indian newspaper reporting over the delhi gang rape incident. Each and every word written is reflecting the pain and anger of the victim and nation.
Please act as a representative of the suffering nation...and write appropriately rather then using fancy words.
The army is criminally silent and blames the politicians for not supporting an operation. They have provided TTP a base in North Waziristan as a deliberate policy and this base is used as a launching pad for increasingly daring attacks on us. This army has failed us. ALWAYS.
Media, Tahir-ul-Qadri, government and foriegn powers don't want elections in Pakistan. They are all happy with the current setup. Look at the events and you will know from whom they are taking orders.
Taliban = Scum of earth Get rid of them as soon as possible
dear fellow pakistani readers. this spate of terrorism appears to be a pre-planned and coordinated effort to destabilize the country . and as far as instability is concerned , credit goes to the govt which is about to complete its tenure . its pitty that we are losing our parliamentarians in such attack , what to talk of security of an ordinary citizen . everybody knows that weakness lies in our systematic failure . i want to bring the attention of readers to an important factor and unfortunately it appears to emanate from our neighbors . one should remember what happened to Cambodia , syria , iraq and all those neighboring countries from where US or international forces left the occupied countries . and as the time for US to leave Afghanistan nears , We should expect more of this to happen as this is part of history .
please don't relate this to elections - for some reason it'll rise prior to election if such hypes/ fears are further created..
Elections are badly needed in this country..a policy shift is definitely required..
Both stake holders,civil and military high-ups, kept silence to a crimminal level over terrorists.Who sufferd in this battle of elephants the people of Pakistan.If there was secret struggle for power from both sides,then now is the time for cat to come out of bag.There are now some indicaters showing that cat is preparing to come out of bag.Now or never seems to be the understanding developing in establishment circles.This is a crucial time for Pakistan.Is there going to be a smooth transition of power to next civilion govt,prospects are not bright.
I think it is more than 400. How many killings go unreported ? I am sue only suicide blasts or killings of the many get reported. The deaths of the unimportant in remote areas rarely get reported.
“The spate of attacks in recent days indicates the Taliban are on a major onslaught to destabilise the country and create chaos to shake people’s faith in the state apparatus” And the state is making it easy for them to.
we want operation in N.waziristan. Crush these beasts or they will over-run us.