Is Pakistan heading for Balkanisation?
I was in two minds whether to write this post or not, the reason being that this subject has been the topic of discussion in various fora. But the situation in Pakistan in the last couple of weeks has become so fluid that I thought it would be better to voice my thoughts! With persistent drone attacks in the NWFP by the US, it was not going to be long before the Taliban asserted itself in Pakistan. This they have done in the SWAT valley, the Switzerland of Pakistan, a scenic and beautiful part of the country – a tourists delight! Just over a third of the Pakistani land mass, if I am not mistaken. SWAT has been handed over to the “good” Taliban – as if there is a ‘good’ and a ‘bad’ Taliban! Ultimately the true colors will start emanating from these leaders and they will start asserting ‘their’ law. In fact the Pakistan Parliament was forced to have a separate law for the SWAT region and the Sharia law has now been enforced. The Pakistani Parliament was arm twisted into accepting the con...