Concessions to the Taliban
February 16, 2009 was a sad day. It was the day that the government of Pakistan made a deal with the original residents of Swat valley and accepted that the 1.3 million residents of the region be governed according to the Sharia as interpreted by the Taliban.
But this day was not sad for the politicians. From their perspective, the Taliban was doing everything to exploit the local movement in Swat that was striving to replace the region’s secular laws with religious ones. Through this “deal” with the Taliban, the Pakistani government intended to prevent this misuse of the movement by the Taliban. The Obama administration was aware of this issue and had informed the Pakistan officials that it understood their reasoning and strategy in this regard. What happened in Swat demonstrated how in the twenty first century the calls for the Sharia are turned into political instruments.
A Pakistani attorney was fuming over the issue and said, “This means they have let the hardliners loose.” Attar Minaleh, the leader of a Pakistani movement comprising of attorneys continued, “The government, which sees itself under attack by the Taliban, should have confronted the aggressors rather than making a deal with them. Now, instead, it has relegated its authority to them.”
The roots of this tragedy in Pakistan must be seen in last year’s elections in the country. The people of Swat who comprise about 1.3 million inhabitants, voted for the failure and rejection of the secular Awami party. It was after that event that the Taliban took on an offensive posture by engaging in suicide bombings, and constantly changing their goals. Thousands of secular forces challenged this situation. After voting to topple the secular Awami party, they demanded Sharia courts. Their reason: quick access to justice. The apparent problem was the corruption in the official judicial and court system which failed in its task and took too long to do its job.
A Pakistani official who said could not speak on this in public privately confided that the government’s decision to accept the Sharia courts was a wise tactic to slow down the rising push by the Taliban by taking advantage of the judicial problems. He added that the Taliban strove to take advantage of this genuine local movement to have a non-corrupt and Sharia judiciary, but the government stopped this manipulation through the “deal”. The Taliban was trying to get concessions from the government. So by making the deal, the government of Pakistan in fact removed their card and at the same time indicated its respect for the wishes of the local population.
A White House spokesperson on Monday said that Washington was in contact with the government of Pakistan regarding what was going on in Swat.
At the same time, many of the residents of Swat valley who have relatives in the United States have been intimidated and threatened to death. Hardline radicals continuously engage in kidnapping in Swat and demand money from the relatives of the victims living in the US. Reports indicate that the ransom these criminals are asking ranges from $20,000 to $200,000 per person. This situation has prompted some residents to leave the populated areas for the caves and the valleys outside. Pakistani immigrants living in the US live under difficult conditions where they must heed to any kind of work to meet the needs of their relatives in Pakistan. Those in Swat live in constant fear that they may be kidnapped, and so continuously change their homes. This is how these criminals in Swat make money.
Yes, Monday February 16, 2009 was a sad day. It turned into a fearful day when we learned that officials of great powers had understood the strategy. Take a look at what has happened in Swat. Has Islamic law not been turned into a political instrument, black-mail, ransom, kidnapping and murder? Are the Taliban killing people in hiding or under the guise of an interpretation of a religion which is taking the Muslims of the world to a black corner? Is this a strategy or a tactic? Whatever it is, giving concessions to the Taliban under any pretext is dangerous!