A Ranger stands guard at the site of a bomb explosion targetting a paramilitary truck (background) in Karachi on April 3, 2013. PHOTO: REUTERS
The political parties in the city, meanwhile, seem too busy making scapegoats of one another to unite against the Taliban threat. The MQM accuses the ANP of sheltering militants while the ANP retorts by claiming the MQM is profiling all Pakhtuns as militants. This battle is fought with both words and guns, allowing the Taliban space to thrive. Karachi has become so awash in arms and the political parties are so used to fighting violent turf battles that they have overlooked this new emergent threat which doesn’t distinguish between the MQM and the ANP or Muhajir and Pakhtun.
An added worry is the strategic thinking behind recent Taliban attacks. The TTP has been trying to destabilise the state by going after security forces. In Peshawar, the target was an FC commander, in Karachi it is the Rangers. However, this must not be interpreted to mean that they are sparing civilians. The Taliban have shown no hesitancy in killing civilians in the past and even these attacks, carried out in the heart of urban areas, cause civilian casualties and terrorise the entire population. We have long known that the only solution to this problem is a comprehensive military defeat of the TTP. All that is lacking is the will.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2013.
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@Insaan: I agree that the TTP is attacking state security to destablize the nation at the behest of foreign masters. Definitely, Afghanistan is a base for India to carry out acts of aggression against Pakistan as pointed out by the UD Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. The point is that the Taleban are now mostly Indian agents or on the Indian payroll since they are attacking Pakistani military targets and civilians. Unfortunately, the West is leaving Afghanistan in 2014 and that country is bound to descend into anarchy again. Some of this may spill over to India too so they should be careful about supporting criminal groups in Afghanistan.
We have long known that the only solution to this problem is a comprehensive military defeat of the TTP. All that is lacking is the will . Pakistan is in the middle of it's biggest/important election and not one candidate has made eliminating militants/extremist a priority - says everything about the situation your in - says everything about the likelihood of your resolving the problem. I might add that once the political "will" is found you may find that your military leaders aren't interested in defeating the extremist. I suggest it's time to do some house cleaning and find military leaders who have both the will and skill to defeat the Taliban.
Spot on. Our security forces have lost their ghairat...after repeated humiliation by ttp and the US. They have had their heads buried in the sand for far too long.....Bin Laden lived within a few km of their elite military academy!
Pakistan created talibans to make Afghanistan Islamic, in the process destroyed Afghanistan. Now Pakistan is tasting its own medicine. Afghanistan may create non-State actors to pay back.