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

Volte-Face
US-led war on terror, but also because of its growing involvement in
domestic politics. General Haq kept the Americans happy by capturing
hundreds of al-Qaeda fugitives, but there was also huge scepticism
over his efforts to curb home-grown Islamic militants, who continued
to operate unabatedly, despite the apparent ban on their activities.
Though the changes in the military hierarchy had placed General
Musharraf firmly in the driving seat, his position still appeared quite
tenuous as he faced a strong challenge from the country’s powerful
Islamic groups who were out on the streets violently protesting
against his pro-US policy. This was problematic for Musharraf, as these
groups had significant influence among the rank and file of the army.
Musharraf hoped for a quick end to the war, but his standing became
more precarious when civilian casualties from the American air raids
rose. The reaction from the extremist religious parties was swift and
deadly. Thousands of people took to the streets in the western city of
Quetta, close to the Afghan border, destroying and looting banks and
torching UNICEF offices. The army was called out in Islamabad, the
capital, and other cities to control violent demonstrations.
Armed with anything from locally made rifles to machine guns, thousands
of Pakistani tribesmen streamed into Afghanistan in response
to the Taliban’s call for jihad. In the last week of October 2001, Sufi
Mohammed, a radical Islamic cleric, crossed the border with 10,000
volunteers, including madrasa students, to fight against US-led coalition
forces. Pakistani forces turned a blind eye to the hordes of volunteers
crossing the border. ‘They should go to Afghanistan rather than
disrupting civil life here,’ declared an Interior Ministry spokesman. 29
More than 5,000 Pakistani jihadists died fighting for the Taliban. Thousands
of others were taken prisoner by various Afghan warlords.
What worried the military government was the danger of a spillover
effect of the Afghan war into Pakistan. Islamic zealots seeking
revenge for the American bombings in Afghanistan massacred 18
innocent Christian worshippers in a Bahawalpur church. This barbaric
action was apparently inspired by the rhetoric of war between ‘Islam
and Christianity’ emanating from the radical Islamists. The carnage
gave a violent turn to the anti-American agitation and brought the war
into Pakistani territory. The situation became even more explosive as
hundreds of thousands of Afghans fleeing the American bombings
poured into Pakistan. Strong support from the moderate and pro-West
liberal political parties like former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s
Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement helped