Posted on 02/17/2009 10:50:34 AM PST by bergmeid
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Gul Bibi and her three children fled the Taliban's bloody interpretation of Islamic law in Pakistan's Swat Valley, hoping one day to return....
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The West does not even realize the seriousness of the situation in our backyards.
Apparently as long as we have “American Idol” and our electronic toys, the world can crumble around us. We’re in a huge amount of trouble.
In other news CGTGOC watches the ‘RATS take over the state he loves (Colorado)...
So many of us can pay attention to a meaningless show like Idol, but they cannot find the time to read the content of an article.
Our future generations will pay for our misplaced priorities and so many of us being purposely blind to the problems that our country faces.
“Our future generations will pay for our misplaced priorities and so many of us being purposely blind to the problems that our country faces.”
You are absolutely right, and those future generations will be rightly pi$$ed at this one, too.
I am more concerned with Pakistani NUKES that Pakistani towns.
Well, don’t bother moving here. It looks like we’ll have it here before long.
How insane of the Pakistani govt. to let the Taliban get a foothold like this! How can the govt. not protect Pakistani women, but leave them instead to the horrors of savages?
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09020099.htm
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Taliban have won!
By special correspondent to ANS
PAKISTAN (ANS) — A resident of Pakistan has told ANS that the Taliban already controls 2/3rds of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of the country, and the provincial capital, Peshawar, continues to get “squeezed” from all sides.
“If it falls, the rest of the province will too, and what’s to stop them from spreading to other parts of Pakistan? This is a worse-case scenario, but it’s already starting,” the contact told ANS.
He went on to say that today (Monday Feb 16), the Provincial Assembly of the NWFP bowed to pressure from the Taliban and stamped their approval on a peace deal between the Taliban of the Swat valley and the NWFP government, which was reached the day before.
“This new law, which applies to only one portion of the province, agrees to implement Sharia Law, a parallel system of justice, a key demand of the Taliban for the past two years,” he said. “Sharia law promises swift justice, something that the people from this valley have been wanting for a long time.
“Unfortunately, instead of responding to this need and fixing the current system of justice, the government has largely ignored this problem over the years. The Taliban have exploited this weakness.
“Between their brutal tactics and the vast collateral damage caused by the Pakistan military offensive these past few weeks, the people of Swat are now begging to have Sharia — not because they want it, but because it is the only way to stop the intense fighting that has been going on in the valley.
“The Taliban have killed and then publicly displayed the dead bodies of anyone opposed to them. On the other side, the Pakistan military has killed more civilians than Taliban insurgents, and destroyed more homes of innocent people than those used to support the Taliban. Large portions of entire villages have been leveled by Pakistan military operations.
“It’s impossible at this point to know how many have been killed because journalists cannot access the area, but some residents from the Swat valley (where some of the heaviest fighting is taking place) say that between 10 and 50 civilians are killed for every 1 Talib (singular form of Taliban). It’s no wonder that most in the valley see the Pakistan military as the bigger threat.”
He said that during the last week, large crowds of people have been marching in the streets of the major city there, demanding the government to implement Sharia law. They see this as the only way to stop the fighting.
“The government is too weak, or not committed to ending the growing militancy, and are willing to compromise with the Taliban in hopes that they will lay down their arms,” he went on to say.
“Ironically, two headlines in the Daily Times (Lahore, Saturday February 14) shows the confusion that exists at the highest levels of government — President Asif Ali Zardari claims that force is the only option to end militancy. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, on the other hand says that the military option is not he only option. They each made their respective public statements following a joint meeting with the head of Pakistan’s intelligence agency (ISI) who briefed them on the situation in FATA and Swat.
“The fact is, the people of Swat are convinced that the military and militancy are actually two sides of the same coin. Whether this is true or not, and only those within these two establishments can answer that question, neither the civilian government nor the people of Swat have the power to overcome and restore an everlasting peace. So it is not surprising that when people have to decide between continued war or peace, they will choose peace, regardless of the price.”
The ANS contact concluded by saying, “The sad reality is that people’s optimism will be short-lived. While the government is busy making itself look good, the Taliban, which has been emboldened by this victory, will regroup, grow even stronger and plan strategies for further expansion. Based on their progress thus far, it seems likely that by the end of this year, the government of Pakistan will retain only minimal control of the North West Frontier Province.”
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