Frontline Pakistan : The Struggle With Militant Islam - Arz-e-Pak

1 0 Frontline Pakistan
effect in the border areas inhabited by the Pashtuns. With the Taliban
operating from both sides of the Durand Line, the war in Afghanistan
has already spread to Pakistan. Although Musharraf has renounced the
use of militancy as an instrument to fight Pakistan’s battle in Kashmir,
the lack of any headway in the conflict resolution may force the military
to go back to its old ways. While Musharraf has taken some positive
steps in easing tensions with India, the peace process remains tenuous
and prone to accidents. Any reversal could be disastrous for regional
security and infuse fresh life into militancy.
The war against militancy and Islamic extremism can be best fought
– and won – in a liberal democracy. Musharraf’s authoritarian rule
has blocked any hopes of a democratic process taking root. It is very
clear that the restoration of democracy in Pakistan is not a priority for
Washington, because a leader in military uniform can deliver far more
than a democratically elected one. An army general ruling Pakistan
does not trouble the West, so long as he happens to be an effective
ally in the war against terror. Washington’s backing may have given
Musharraf a huge boost, but that cannot change realities at home.
Anger at Musharraf’s close relationship with the US has long generated
support for Islamic radicals among many Pakistanis.
Despite the backing of the army and America, Musharraf is living
on borrowed time. He has spawned a system that is a hybrid of
military and civilian rule. It is certainly not a democracy. So far, the
military’s backing has given the system a semblance of stability, but
it is crumbling under the weight of its own contradiction. There is
no succession principle in his system, which will inevitably lead to a
takeover by another army general in the event that something happens
to him. There is always a danger of the vacuum being filled by radical
Islamists, both inside and outside the military.
Pakistan may not be facing any imminent threat of an Islamic
fundamentalist takeover, but there is a real danger of fragmentation
with radical Islamists controlling part of the country. The growing
influence of militant Islam, particularly in the strategically located
North West Frontier Province and the western province of Balochistan,
is ominous. The militants, who fashion themselves on the legacy of
Afghanistan’s ousted Taliban regime, have already established rigid
Islamic rule in the Waziristan tribal region. The situation is more
worrying as their influence spills over to other areas of the North
West Frontier Province. In many parts of the province, the militants
have forcibly closed down video and music shops, as well as Internet