Editorial

Pakistani Taliban has threatened to launch suicide attacks across the country if an ongoing operation against Taliban in the restive northwestern valley of Swat is not halted at once. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 in Anayat Kalley, some eight kilometers from the agency headquarters of the Bajaur Agency, the Tehrik’s deputy chief Maulana Faqir Mohammad and spokesman Maulvi Omar said that a ‘Fidayeen Squad’, comprising 10- to 20-year-old boys and girls, was ready to carry out the attacks if the government did not immediately stop the operation in Swat and did not reverse its decision to launch military operation in other tribal areas. The militants have accused the present government of pursuing the policies of Pervez Musharraf and trying to complete the unfinished American agenda. The Taliban militants and terrorist groups have made the most of tense relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Lack of cooperation, concerted effort between Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight the root causes of terrorism in their respective country has provided propitious context for the Taliban militants to regroup and launch their terrorist activities both inside Afghanistan and Pakistan. The blame rhetoric game between the authorities of the two countries has become very explicit recently. While acknowledging that Pakistan is debilitated and hit by terrorism, President Hamid Karzai, in an interview with the Indian Times, renewed his call for determined action to destroy terrorist sanctuaries, eliminate financial sources of militants and shut their training centers outside the country, referring to the neighboring country of Pakistan. "In Swat alone, there are 80,000 girls deprived of schools.
"And in the rest of Pakistan - look at what happened to Benazir Bhutto; look at the bombs in Islamabad. Pakistan is suffering itself. The question is why we should be allowing anyone in Pakistan or in Afghanistan or India or anywhere in the world to kill us. That has to be stopped." Both Afghanistan and Pakistan have been badly affected by terrorism. Al Qaeda, Taliban and extremist groups have been able to wage local campaigns in areas along the border between the two countries and have regenerated more recruits in the tribal areas.
Afghanistan continues to face serious problems in terms of narcotics, human capacity, corrupt and inefficient administration. In fact, the government has been involved in fending off external threats more than addressing its weaknesses. On the other hand, while Pakistan conducts operational counter terrorism to reduce the immediate threat, it is necessary for the government to develop strategic projects to engage the tribal communities. Without building bridges to the local communities, it will be difficult to contain and counter the spread of the deadly terrorism both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The active emergence of Taliban in Afghanistan’s present and future politics is the most disappointing and horrifying phenomenon, darkening the country’s democratic and state-building perspectives. Essentially, Afghanistan was reborn after the fall of Taliban and the decision was to bury the country’s tragic plights of traditional governments and inhuman atrocities.
Afghanistan’s history is full of catastrophic political disaster, but Afghans wanted to put behind the mediaeval thoughts to practice politics and live together. Taliban and the way they ruled the country since coming to power was the greatest menace as Talibanization of Afghanistan never serves the interests of all its residents. However, years have elapsed since the fall of religiously-motivated Taliban. After ignominious defeat and disappearing to different places, they have gained impetus to rethink of their lost power in Afghanistan.
For the last two years, the west-backed President Karzai’s government has been grappling with the militants fighters which have left hundreds and thousands of casualties in the country. Though operations against Taliban have made some progress, militants continue to keep full control on some parts of the country. Recently, officials in Ghazni province say the fate of Ajristan district, which fell to Taliban last month, hanged in balance. The district is controlled neither by the government nor by the militants.
Officials on Tuesday said that the bad security situation - particularly on the outskirts of Ajristan - kept government forces from entering the district centre. About 120 kilometers southwest of Ghazni City, the district was captured by the Taliban fighters a fortnight back and stayed under their control for three days before Afghan and foreign forces, backed by helicopter gunship, forced them to retreat. Dozens of Taliban and six policemen were killed in the battle for the district's control. This is just an example of areas controlled by Taliban. The main concern in Afghanistan is not Taliban’s strong military capability which should not be compared by that of Afghan National Army and coalition forces. The apprehension is high that the Talibanization theory is supported in higher level by some influential Afghan politicians which, if true, should be regrettable.
Taliban on its own and as a militant group, can not control Afghanistan nor can they rule, but if they are considered as justified organization for specific political process, then the west and Afghan forces have to rethink their whole strategic plans and projects. The important point is that Afghans, irrespective of their locations and ethnicity, should never think of Taliban as forces who can emancipate Afghanistan and benefit them. Only a democratic, economically sustainable and politically stable Afghanistan guarantees prosperity and happiness to all. This is something that Taliban can not provide. So, any effort by anyone to help the group is tantamount to leading Afghanistan towards disintegration and retrogression.

After the overthrow of the Taliban regime, Afghanistan after seven years of broad assistance and support remained at a very critical position. There have been major success retrieved during past year in economy, financial, social and political arenas, however current escalation of intensive violence and indiscriminate attacks, which include summary executions, suicide bombs, roadside attacks and the use of civilian locations from which to launch attacks, threatening the developmental process. Insurgency and human toll has reportedly increased highly during last couple of years. Armed opposition groups adopting new techniques to impose there demands, in which abduction or kidnapping of foreigners or NGO employees are accurately turning effective.
A majority of Afghan population welcomed and remained and is still hopeful of a prosperous, stable and peaceful Afghanistan and openly favored United States led NATO operation in Afghanistan but growing resistance of opposition groups are increasing disappointments among people of all sector. The recent deterioration in security, particularly in the south region, is evidence that ‘top-down’ approaches are by themselves inadequate without parallel nationwide peace work at ground level. Moreover, insecurity in Afghanistan often has local causes.
Decades of war have not only undermined social cohesion at local level, they have also exacerbated poverty, which is itself an underlying cause of insecurity. Disputes on all levels have a significant cumulative impact on peace, development and the wider conflict. There should be a national strategy for community peace-building, which strengthens social cohesion and enhances community capacities to resolve conflict; it should be led by community leaders and civil-society, and fully-supported by donors. The nature causes, and effects of insecurity in Afghanistan vary widely and there is a corresponding variation in the most effective means by which insecurity can be addressed. Often a range of steps are required in different degrees, such as to strengthen the rule of law, build professional security forces, reduce poverty, or improve governance. Peace-building is one important means of addressing insecurity, yet most of the peace-building work in Afghanistan has been at a political level, where there are links to warlordism, corruption or criminality, or it has been target-limited, such as the disarmament programs.
Afghanistan is not lost but the signs are not good. Its growing insurgency reflects a collective failure to tackle the root causes of violence. Seven years after the AOG’s ouster, the international community lacks a common diagnosis of what is needed to stabilize the country as well as a common set of objectives. Long-term improvement of institutions is vital for both state building and counterinsurgency, but without a more strategic approach, the increased attention and resources now directed at quelling the conflict could even prove counterproductive by furthering a tendency to seek quick fixes.