Pakistan has long blamed the US support of muhajideen forces in the Soviet/Afghan wars as the root of all its problems. But the issue is that most of the attacks now waged by the successors of the 80s mujahideen groups, the Taliban and affiliated groups, are nothing more than entrenched, radicalized offshoots of Pakistanis from the frontier region who have come to Pakistan to do what they had wanted to do to Afghanistan in the 90s, and that is to bring the entire zone back to the dark ages, to a brand of Sunni Islam that is the new 'heart of darkness'.
The problem in Pakistan then, among many others, and the complications of overlapping points of power in its government and military structures, is sectarian violence. It is what is driving the attacks first and foremost. And the Shi'a sect members in Pakistan are left without a saviour or a voice. And that is because the terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in Pakistan are aided by the ISI and the military, while no one is protecting the Shi'a minority from being targeted.
Things seem to have gotten worse since the election of Nawaz Sharif only a month ago. Heralded as a turning point in the political fortunes of Pakistan, Sharif's tenure has instead turned very dangerous for the Shi'a in Pakistan. And that is because without a military strongman in the government, the democratically elected president has little power to curb the terrorists, who have instead support from the ISI and the army.
Attacks since Sharif took office, have become worse. 247 people were killed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the tribal areas with Afghanistan. And that's just one province.
Some Shi'a fear that now, the violence of the militant Islamists is out of the control of the government altogether.
Although Pakistan places blame elsewhere and tries to minimize the problems it faces internally, a memo that was leaked recently showed that the current Islamist threat is the most serious challenge the nation faces since the crisis of partition. The same report also blamed the incompetence and lack of planning from the sitting government to stop the violence, and its sanguine attitude towards the intelligence community.
There are reports also, that the Taliban has established networks in all major Pakistani cities, wherefrom they are free and able to carry out attacks at will.
The government, under criticism of inaction or ineptitude in regards to the terrorist threat, has asserted that the only way to solve the problem is to engage the extremists groups and to render them part of the government structure in some form. But that does not take into account how they can prevent these terrorist groups from going after the Shi'a minorities. Most if not all the attacks are carried out by Sunni extremists.
Businesses in Peshawar are greatly suffering from the violence. People are afraid of venturing in the streets. The terrorists groups are so entrenched that business owners fear that there is no way for the government to bring them under control in the future.
Op-Ed
Partial Source : 11.11.13
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