Editorial
Taliban spectre in Swat
Pakistan should be able to contain it
CONDITIONS in Pakistan's Swat valley continue to be volatile, with residents fleeing their homes as the country's army battles the Taliban. Despite all the efforts the military has been making to contain the situation, it appears that full control of the area is still some way off .
Apparently, it is a matter of Pakistan losing ground as a state to the militants in a part of the country. The number of people fleeing Swat has been as high as 40,000, which is again a sign of the sheer helplessness common people have been put into by the fighting. That is again a hint of the challenge the Taliban are posing to the authority of the government. It seems like the Taliban are an entrenched force in Swat. From one point of view, the recent willingness on the part of the Pakistani authorities to give the militants what they have been demanding has certainly boosted the stubbornness of the Taliban.
However, a strong military campaign has been launched against the Taliban. Pakistan's civil society has now come forth to demand that the military restore the situation to a state of normalcy. The political process hasn't so far proved equal to the task and it is now the military that is being depended on to help salvage everything that has so far been lost to the militants.
The dangers that Pakistan faces today are those that not only afflict its political future but also those that point to risks for the entire neighbourhood.
We as part of the international community would like to pin hope on the fact that Pakistan has an elected government and a democratic polity where, if all the political parties try and pull their full weight behind the task of combating armed extremism that seeks to capture state power, any challenge to the authority of the state can be effectively tackled.
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