Pakistan may find itself lost in a minefield, about to step on a mine

Despite this, very little can be said in support of the military, as it has a recent history of bungled operations and cowardice when confronting militants who now openly proclaim their aims towards toppling the government and instituting Shariah law.

Its purported 'success' in liberating Bajaur, another territory formerly held by Taliban elements, resulted in the near-total destruction of that agency's population centers. In the process, over 300,000 people were displaced, making up more than fifty-percent of that region's population. The army's decision to rely on helicopter gunships, artillery, and air-strikes to kill individual fighters armed with AK-47s and RPGs will only hurt it in the long run. If anything, the hard handed tactics will only result in increased popular resentment and greater Talibanization.

Since its inception in 1947, Pakistan has for the most part been in a state of continuous upheaval; the majority of which can be considered a result of petty, brutal and corrupt administrations. Starting three wars with its neighbor India, the leadership whether civilian or military has continually used hostility on its southern border as an excuse to maintain an absurd level of militarization in face of a collapsing economy, huge discrepancies in wealth and religious extremism.

Corruption in leadership at the top has impeded genuine leadership on the ground. Today, the state controls an ever decreasing amount of land and appears unwilling or even paralyzed to start any widespread campaign against religious militarism. So much so that according to a recent BBC news documentary, segments of the wealthy elite are either in the midst of quietly fleeing the country or are preparing to do so en masse, all the while, this has left underfunded local authorities in the impossible position of having to deal with a well-funded web of religious militants.

The attacks on Sri Lanka's cricket team and the brazen assault on the Manawan Police Training School in Lahore over the course of March epitomize the Taliban's keen ability to infiltrate Pakistani cities and overwhelm basic functions of the state. Open attacks let alone suicide bombings have put the country in such a position where it faces the very real possibility of collapse.

Unfortunately, the only mechanism with which Western and Pakistani policymakers can hope to hold it together is the same institution that has leached off the country since its foundation, the military.

Pakistan is not a nation, but in fact an amalgamation of Punjabis (45%), Pashtuns (15%), Sindhis (14%) and various other small ethnic groups. Despite having a common religion, all of these groups have their own separate and at times conflicting interests. Because of this, it is virtually impossible to find a national secular institution outside of the military that has the influence and power to rally support.

1|2|Next Page>>

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos Respond to this email