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