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Pakistan and Another "Wake-Up Call"

By Jeffrey Imm

August 4, 2008

In the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan today, the widely read newspaper The Nation contained an article entitled "A wake-up call," by Tarik Jan, which should be required reading for American government policy makers to get an insight into the thinking of many Pakistanis today. While the continuing revelations about Pakistan government members' support for Jihad should be a sufficient wake-up call to American policy makers, the August 4 article in The Nation further demonstrates the pro-Sharia, pro-Taliban position held by many Pakistanis.  

In the August 4 article "A wake-up call," Tarik Jan clearly calls for Pakistan government support of the Taliban and calls for Sharia law as a basis for governing the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
 

"The pro-shariah local Taliban are sons of the soil. They are not separatists and are the upholders of the integrity of Pakistan. They may be ultra conservatives but when they call for the shariah implementation, they are in line with the nation's constitution, which visualises an Islamic Pakistan.  Some people like Rehman Malik and others who share the former's perception are raising hell that they would not let the shariah call prevail, for in their perception it will be against the government writ. A state, as they frantically argue, cannot afford to have two kinds of law and administration."

"Right now in FATA, the federation has lost friends. Those who side with the federation are killed by dubious elements. Thus, it will be good politics if pro-state Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan is embraced by the Gilani administration for seven obvious reasons:"

"One, it will be a step towards restoring the government writ. Two, it will bring much-needed peace. Three, it will bring order to a chaotic situation where the colonial set-up has already collapsed for its sadistic approach to people and their problems, inefficiency and insensitivity. Four, once the local Taliban are recognised as the rightful representatives of their people in their region of influence, they will be able to chase out miscreants from their jurisdiction. Five, they can also go after the blood of the agents' provocateurs, and Indian recruits engaged in sabotage and fomenting scare in society. Six, the Taliban can also negotiate neutralisation of the presence of foreign elements if due inquiry proves their presence. Seven, it will strengthen Pakistan as a nation and a state."

"From all counts, the FATA situation is manageable; it offers challenge as well as hope. Islam can heal wounds, give courage, and help build a nation that yearns for Islam's remedial power. The call for the shariah is not a laughable joke. If the PPP administration, and the establishment that supports it, did not read the situation correctly, it may devastate our nation. Today, it is the call for the shariah in FATA, tomorrow its sympathy wave can embrace the whole nation. The colonial world and its manifestations in Pakistan are in the death throes. The nation cannot continue with its stink for long. The FATA call is a wake-up call."