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| Is Pakistan sincere in anti-Taliban drive ? | | | Pakistan has claimed that till date over 1,000 Talibans have been killed in operations launched by the Army in Swat valley and its adjoining areas.However,there are critics who question the claim made by Pakistan's interior Minister,Rehman Malik,that in the operations over 1,000 Talibans had been killed.Those who are sceptical about the Government claim argue that except for the troops and the Talibans no other journalist or civilian can roam freely and confirm the Government's claim because of fierce fighting.Those who are sceptical about Pakistan Government's claim say that still the troops have not been able to establish Islamabad's control in major areas of the Swat Valley.However,Rehman Malik said that it is just two per cent of the area where the Talibans continue to be well entrenched.Well the anti-Taliban operations hold two major lessons for the establishment in Islamabad.One,that for two decades it had been aiding abeting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir which resulted not only in death and destruction of the state but in displacement of several lakhs of civilians also.Despite appeals from various countries in the world Pakistan took no step to check infiltration of militants into Jammu and Kashmir.It took no st ep in dismantling the camps which had turned into a breeding ground for militants.Pakistan Government drew saddistic pleasure from the violence in Jammu and Kashmir.What Pakistan had sowed for India was now reaping for itself. Second lesson for Islamabad is that the continued support and patronage to the Talibans by the Army and the ISI had allowed the rebels to fortify themselves in Swat and other tribal belts.The result was that the troops continued to face tough challenge from the Talibans who have inflicted havy loses to the forces.Pakistan President,Asif Ali Zardari,has announced that the operations will continue till the last Taliban was accounted for and in this context he has hinted that the operations will be extended to areas in Waziristan. A week ago he had stated that there were 3,000 Talibans in the area but his latest statement reveals that there are over 4,000 of them in the entire north-west belt of the country.Till date one million refugees have fled the Swat valley and its adjoining areas.Government agencies and voluntary organisations have stepped up aid providing mechanism for these refugees.And during the last 20 years Islamabad had not bothered to take cognisance of the plan that had been part of the operation Topac under which Pakistan trained militants and their overground supporters in Kashmir carried out ethnic cleansing of the valley.This is the time for Islamabad to show sincerity in its drive against the Talibans.Any attempt at misleading the American Government could place Pakistan in a bigger trouble. In fact the survival of Pakistan depends on the rate of elimination of the Talibans.
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