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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
As Peshawar picks itself up from daily bombing attacks, the toll of civilians rises. Although terrorists have attacked military and intelligence establishments and killed or injured numerous personnel in both, by far the greatest toll in the current wave has been civilian. Where we hear anything coherent from the bombers as to why it is that they are doing what it is that they do, it is invariably along the lines of…'We are fighting America. We want the Americans out of Pakistan.' We would not wish to inflame the bombers into yet further atrocity, against American or other foreign interests, why is it that the terrorists seem intent on harvesting the souls of their fellow Muslims, women and children, schools and mosques?
The answer lies in the dual identity of the war that is being fought – part of the Taliban's war is fought against the Americans but another and perhaps larger part of their war is fought against the state of Pakistan. One of the few identifiable goals that the Pakistani Taliban have is that they are seeking to establish a caliphate similar to that which was established in Afghanistan in the mid-90s. They wish to see their own interpretation of Sharia enforced nationwide and the disestablishment of democratic process. They are, in short, seeking to overthrow the state. One way of overthrowing any state is to destabilize government and reduce the reliance and sense of faith in it that resides in the population. For the moment, the populace appears to be behind the government. If the government can sustain the fight against those who seek to overthrow it on both the domestic and military fronts, then confidence may hold up even in the face of appalling civilian losses. Currently, the Taliban bombing campaign is acting as a negative reinforcer and public opinion is against them. Keeping it that way may just turn the tide in favour of modernity, the rule of law and our fledgling democracy.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
