Finally, Pakistan army is reporting success against the vicious and brutal Talibans in Swat. Thank God!
The fact is, these nut jobs were destined to lose because they are only good for intimidating unarmed civilians. These so-called fighters lack every trait necessary for success on the battlefield.
But, I am not ready to celebrate, at least not yet. There is a long, and a very difficult fight ahead for Pakistan with the very same religious nuts, because as reported in Dawn, Taliban are being allowed to escape and leave.
This is insane.
How can anyone either from the civilian side or from the army let these crazy psychopaths go? Taliban history tells us that they can’t be reasoned with and if allowed to leave, they would come back more prepared, more armed and much more committed to create mayhem. Therefore, it is really perplexing to read these stories of Taliban leaving, instead of being defeated and captured for good.
Here, it is also important to note the brilliant work done by Pakistan Army. Once committed, they showed professionalism and they did a fantastic job of cleaning the areas considered no-go areas for a very long time. Fortunately, army’s casualty rate has remained relatively low and this too is an evidence of army’s professional approach towards fighting.
Going forward, the question is not whether Swat is clear of nuts or not, but can the country come together to root out the ideology of division, hatred and fear championed by the Taliban, using religion as a smoke screen. And judging from the public support for the offensive, it seems obvious that people across the country are solidly behind Pakistani soldiers. Yes, there is a lot opposition to the operation as well, most notably from some T.V. anchors and right wing parties, but overall, the nation has realized that the Taliban were a threat and it had become necessary to defeat them instead of signing peace deals with them.
The credit should also go to Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, leader of Pakistan Muslim League (N), Altaf Hussain, founder and leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and other leaders who openly and decisively supported the efforts to root out the Taliban. The operation would not have been possible if these leaders had not agreed to support the military. Hopefully, this spirit of cooperation would continue for the benefit of the country.
