As Pakistanis reluctantly get used to the emergency imposed on their country by president Musharraf, there is no sign of any stability in the militancy-infested tribal North-west Frontier province. Furthermore, the situation is getting complicated with the continuous release of dreaded militants by the government in exchange of kidnapped Pakistani soldiers.
The news of 211 Pakistani soldiers being released by the tribal militants in return for 28 captured fundamentalists is certainly going to embolden the Al-Qaeda inspired militants in carrying out more daring attacks against the government.
President Musharraf is certainly facing a policy failure in the tribal regions. The public opinion in the region(in fact in the whole country) is highly critical of the military operations aimed at eradicating Islamic fundamentalists. Even some army units have made their intentions clear of not killing fellow Muslims in a conflict, many Pakistanis believe is a result of American persistence.
It is very surprising to hear from the Pakistani leadership that the sole reason for imposing emergency is abnormal increase in Islamic militancy, yet the government is carrying out the release of militants who were involved in some of the deadliest suicide bombings across the country. The basic problem lies within the army and the Inter Services Intelligence(ISI).
Many political analysts have criticized the army for not being tough enough with the tribal militants, partly because of the low morale due to continuous attacks on the soldiers and partly because of the fact that the army and the ISI feel that a complete eradication of hardliner-militants would lead to a complete failure of the Kashmir and Afghan causes.
Moreover, Pakistan cannot afford to see a growing Indian influence in its neighboring Afghanistan as a result of the decline in Taliban influence. It is not to be forgotten that this war in the North-west frontier is due to intense American pressure on president Musharraf to stop militants crossing over to Afghanistan to launch attacks against coalition forces.
The militants in the federally administered tribal areas have grown in power due to the strong Pashtun support resulting in the government looking for short-term ineffective peace deals to diffuse the situation. The government has failed to make a strong case to the Pakistani people about the need of an all out attack on the Taliban-style militants, mainly due to opposition from his own army and the ISI.
Image Link: BBC
Source: USATODAY
