Taliban Ahoy!

Pakistan has touched one more landmark in its endeavor to establish itself as a failed state. In a remarkable agreement, the militant Taliban and the central government have agreed to cease hostilities in the troubled NWFP. And how has Pax Pakistana come about? By the transfer of more territories into the hands of the extremists. In a grand gesture, the Pakistani establishment has decided to hand over the Malakand Agency to the Pakistani Taliban. The renegades, led by one Maulana Fazlullah were only too happy to formally receive the territory, which has been under their control for almost 2 years now. And who was the government representative who brought about this giant step towards peace? , It was none other than the estranged father in law of Fazlullah,who himself had been behind bars for years for abetting hostilities in the neighbouring Afghanistan against the international coalition. The picturesque Swat valley, often described as Pakistan's Switzerland, and which has for the past several years been a mute spectator to bloodletting and violence is at the heart of this transfer. As per the pact, the writ of the state of Pakistan will no longer run in these areas and the Sharia will be strictly implemented. So, what does this decision mean for Pakistan, India and the rest of the world?

For Pakistan-

For Pakistan, it is one step closer to certain disaster. Clearly, the civilian adminsitration is unable to handle the pressures imposed on it by the existing internal and external circumstances. And in its haste to sustain iotself, it is taking measures which can not even be described as short term. Malakand is only one more area to fall out of the grasp of the state. As far as the Pakistani extremists are concerned, they'd know now to twist the arms of the government and get away with everything they want. As they say, Swat today, Islamabad tomorrow. Incidentally, Swat is not one of those remote areas of Pakistan, it is situated at a mere 160 Kms from Islamabad, in the heart of Pakistan. This victory for the extremists has been met with disapproval by the liberal educated middle class, who view the development as a threat to the existence of the state as they know it.

For India-

This is the closest that the Taliban have ever gotten to Indian border. Merely 430 Kms from Wagah, The Taliban are perhaps as far from India, as Delhi is from Jabalpur. This is ione reason that the news from across the border has been met with sharp reactions from the MEA. India has pinned all its hopes for a curtailment of terrorist activities as well as the resolution of the Kashmir dispute on a functioning civil administration in Pkaistan. If the experiment in democracy fails yet again, India would face an extremely hostile enemy in the form of an alliance between the rabidly anti-India army establishment and the Jehadis. For now, there is little that India can do directly except perhaps put international pressure on Pakistan to flush the Jehadis out of NWFP.

For the rest of the world-

Victory of the extremists in Pakistan in any ways would imply a severe blow to the on going anti-Taliban operations in Afghanistan. The resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan would receive a big boost in the form of an extremist regime across the Durand Line. And failure in Afghanistan would be too costly a proposition for the West as well. Were Taliban to be allowed to re-take Kabul, it would directly contribute to the proliferation of a world-wide terror network, the sieges and the battles of which would not be fought in the inhospitable terrains of central asia but in the heart of the civilized world.

In short, the international community should do all that it takes to prevent Pakistan from committing Harakiri and control the meanace of the extremists operating from its own territories. The proposition of a failed Pakistan would be too expensive a cost for India and the rest of the world!