Front-Line Islamism
While Benazir Bhutto's son Bilawal bemoans Pakistan's potential for social and political disintegration in the wake of his mother's martyrdom, and the slight delay in elections, he blames for the worsening situation, the real issue of the moment appears to be beyond his ken. Hardly surprising, since although he is a child of Pakistan he can hardly be thought of as a citizen of Pakistan.He was raised an internationalist; domiciled abroad, educated as an elite child of an elite politician from an entitled aristocratic background who cannot even discourse fluently in the most common tongue spoken in Pakistan. In short, just like his mother who was, nonetheless elevated to the highest position in the land as a dynastic right. Power and privilege gain one further power and privilege.
His eventual ascension to the throne aside, Pakistan does indeed appear to be on the verge of imploding. So long accepting, as an accommodation to the complexities of its population, the presence of religious hard-liners within the largely secular political system, the alumni of all those Saudi-funded Wahhabist madrases are now nearer on the horizon to achieving the Islamicization of the country and the installation of Sharia law.
The current situation of political destabilization makes the country as vulnerable to insurgent activity as it has never before been. The Taliban now enjoy Pakistani converts to join the ranks of their Afghan colleagues in a collective effort, with the considerable support of al-Qaeda, to propel the country into an rigidly fundamentalist Islamist state.
Local tribal leaders, still loyal to the current government, while agitating against its anti-religious stance and attempting to stave off civil war by brokering a cease-fire with government security forces were executed by al-Qaeda militias, in South Waziristan. The country has lost any little control it once thought it enjoyed in the tribal mountainous regions bordering Afghanistan.
Islamist radicals have installed themselves in North and South Waziristan, launching one attack and counter-attack after another, against the thousands of government troops stationed a mere four-hour drive from Islamabad. Radical clerics lead and encourage the insurgents, fuelling their jihadist drive.
In fact, President Pervez Musharraf with his experience and chequered history as head of the Pakistan armed forces seems to represent the only hope for the near future, of containing the situation. In light of which possibility what earthly good at this time would the election proceedings be accomplishing?
The nascent vipers nest that a succession of Pakistan's leaders(including Mr. Musharraf) permitted to thrive on the fringes of society has birthed an impressively large host of fundamentalist and very determined Islamists.
Labels: Religion, Troublespots, World Crises
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, January 09, 2008
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