FATA Archive
Innocent Shias and Sunnis of Kurram agency thrown to the Taliban wolves – by Tayyab Ali Shah: Thrown to the wolves The Taliban accepted the Turi surrender with the condition that tribal elders would be loyal to the Taliban, would dismantle the current lashkar, would never raise another anti-Taliban lashkar in the area again and would
Peace, prosperity and progress for tribal people — by Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed: What is utterly disgraceful is the fact that women have been effectively and comprehensively denied their right to education by both commission and omission. Nowhere is this fact more glaringly manifest than in FATA My recent discussion of tribal
Mohmand IDPs: forced expulsion? — by Farhat Taj: The IDPs from Mohmand must not be forced to leave the camp. Let us not forget that the people of Mohmand Agency, like people from elsewhere in FATA, are paying the torturous price for the military establishment’s policy of
The case for Pakhtunkhwa – by Rahimullah Yusufzai: The debate on renaming the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is serious business because it concerns the identity of its people and their place in the federation of Pakistan. However, the direction it has taken is sometimes comical, and at
Parachinar: Pakistan’s Gaza Strip remains under siege by Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba: The following news item in Dawn today (27 March 2010) forced me to post this rather lengthy compilation of events. First the news item: Six kidnapped truckers found dead in Thal Dawn, 27 Mar, 2010 PESHAWAR: Police on Saturday
Pak-US dialogue: a Pakhtun perspective — by Farhat Taj: Basically, the jirga is saying that it does not trust the military establishment, which is leading the dialogue with the US. The military establishment will follow the policy of strategic depth in Afghanistan, which is the key cause of
Dialogue about Pakhtuns without Pakhtuns! — by Shahid Ilyas: Talking is not a bad thing, but when it is done without the participation of those who are the subject of such talks, it will most likely result in a disaster Pakistan’s political and military top brass will soon
Tribal warriors: a response to Farhat Taj – by Ishtiaq Ahmed: For me, ‘tribal’ is not synonymous with Pukhtun. All Pukhtuns are not tribals, even when most tribals are Pukhtuns. Within tribals, the awareness about badal or retaliation upon which Pukhtunwali is based keeps them under control in such situations,
For Pakistan’s Sikhs, a kidnapping – and a killing – reflect fears of nation’s minorities: In this photo made on March 19, 2010, Surjeet Singh, from Pakistan’s Sikh community, sits with family members after his release in Peshawar, Pakistan. Singh, who had been kidnapped for ransom by alleged militants, was freed after 42 days
Jirga: Army must destroy Taliban: Political situations in Pakistan in general and Pukhtunkhawa province in particular were worst to extent that life here had become like hell for our people. Extremism and terrorism activities had increased manifold and militants had made the people of
What Punjab CM should learn from Taliban? – by Ismail Khan: How does it feel caught in the eye of the storm? For nearly seven years, the people of the NWFP and the adjacent tribal regions and the security forces braved bombings and terrorist attacks, laying down their lives and
HE Hamid Karzai and FATA – by Zar Ali Musazai: People of FATA are grateful to His Excellency President Karzai for his statement against FCR in FATA President Hamid Karzai was right to say that Frontier Crimes Regulations commonly known as FCR is a terrible legacy of the British
Hypocrisy unlimited: FATA parliamentarians’ scanning at US airport: In the last few days, we have witnessed a pseudo-nationalist hype in Pakistani media, newspaper columns and TV talk-shows alike, in which a matter of ‘great national honour’ (ghairat) was highlighted. The matter pertained to the alleged insult of
Societal perspectives on terrorism — by Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi: At least one generation has been socialised into a favourable disposition towards Islamic conservatism and militancy. They have a natural sympathy towards the political discourse of the militants even if they do not support their violent methods The terrorist
Haroon Rasheed, the provincial deputy head of Jamaat-e-Islami NWFP, harbouring Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists: For the past one week, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and their pro-Taliban agents (Pakistani Taliban Union of Journalists – PTUJ) in media (e.g. Hamid Mir, Ansar Abbasi etc) have been propagating a one sided story of the “brutal killing” of the
Interpreting tribal leaders of FATA — by Farhat Taj: Anger against the Pakistan Army and the Taliban is intense and getting more intense with every passing day and so is disappointment with the government of Pakistan I am compiling a list of the tribal leaders of FATA who
Taliban kill Jaspal Singh and the mullahs keep mum — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: Photo Source: BBC Urdu A time to humanise Islam There is a screaming silence from the custodians of Islam — the ulema — on the execution of Jaspal Singh, probably because he was not a Muslim. The Muslim masses
Defeating militancy in Musharraf style? – by Talat Masood: Defeating militancy Gen Musharraf spoke ad nauseam on fighting extremism and terrorism. And the West and many of our fellow citizens, especially amongst the elite, mistakenly believed that he was the leader who could really steer the country from
Drone attacks and US reputation — by Farhat Taj: In terms of the drone attacks, the US must not make any distinction between al Qaeda and the Taliban. They both have internalised a global ideology that is anti-civilisation and anti-human There is news coming up in the media
Meena’s life among the Taliban: Bombs and beatings: Life among the Taliban In Pakistan an account of life with the Taliban has emerged from a 13-year-old girl called Meena, who says her own family tried to turn her into a suicide bomber. Meena told
Pakistan Army facing ‘friendly fire’ by the Taliban – by Farhat Taj: Dangerous abyss of perception The Pakistan Army is engaged in ‘friendly fire’ with the jihadi gangs in which the civilians, poor soldiers of the security forces, especially FC soldiers, policemen and foot soldiers of the Taliban are killed. This,
Pakhtun diaspora: irresponsible and insensitive — by Farhat Taj: Rich Arabs in the Middle East are ‘earning’ a place in paradise in the life hereafter through never ending generous donations to the Taliban and the madrassas producing foot soldiers and a jihadi mindset on the Pakhtun land. They
Slaughter on the volleyball field as Taliban wreak revenge on villagers: Police said the attack was possibly retaliation against residents who had set up a militia to expel Taliban fighters from the area Photo: BBC Here comes Taliban’s new year gift to the nation. Friends of Taliban (Ansar Abbasi, Shahid
Waziristan operation: "Name the names"; and the "mullah military alliance": Two great articles on the situation in Waziristan. The first article by Farhat Taj requests the educated people of Waziristan to give a strong rebuttal to disinformed writers in the west and in Pakistan. The second article (in Urdu)
Understanding the nature of Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan – By Ayesha Siddiqa: The nature of the beast By Ayesha Siddiqa The series of recent terrorist attacks call for a close analysis of the militant threat and the formulation of a strategy to ward off such tragedies. At the moment, we seem
Govt-run FM radios in FATA may go off air: Fata’s FM stations Dawn Editorial Thursday, 15 Oct, 2009 (Dawn) Given that the army is poised to take its operation against the militants into Fata, the value of such
The legal challenge facing Pakistan Army in its war against Taliban and Al Qaeda: The legal challenge By Ahmer Bilal Soofi Saturday, 03 Oct, 2009 LET’S reflect on a likely situation during military operations. Take the Rah-i-Rast operation in the north-west as a case in point — military personnel advance to gain
Tahir Yuldashev: end of a regional terrorist: Yuldashev: end of a regional terrorist The death in South Waziristan of Qari Tahir Yuldashev by an American drone closes the career of a
Editorial: Taliban hit back in NWFP: Editorial: Taliban hit back in NWFP Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the two car-bombings in the territory of the NWFP — as distinct from the tribal
Taliban cannot be defeated unless their Wahhabi funders from Kuwait, Saudia Arabia and the UAE are arrested!: Taliban funding may be ‘impossible’ to dry up: officials * US officials say foreign donations largest source of cash for Taliban * Military estimates Taliban collect $70 million from drug traffickers every year Daily Times Monitor WASHINGTON: The Taliban-led
US threatens airstrikes in Pakistan: From The Sunday Times September 27, 2009 Christina Lamb in Washington The United States is threatening to launch airstrikes on Mullah Omar and the Taliban leadership in the Pakistani city of Quetta as frustration mounts about the ease with
SOS: Who will save the anti-Taliban Salarzai tribes from the Taliban? – Farhat Taj: The Mullah-Military Alliance seems to be very much alive and thriving in Pakistan. The Taliban and Salarzais Sunday, September 27, 2009 (The News) Farhat TajI was in Pakistan in August and had the opportunity to meet the leaders of
Pakistan’s Top 10 Militant Commanders: By Amir Mir In a recent article, prominent Pakistani journalist Amir Mir warned that the killing of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud was “unlikely to give Pakistan a reprieve” in its fight against the Islamic
Post-Baitullah Mehsud Pakistani Taliban – Analysis by Saleem Safi: Post-Baitullah TTP Wednesday, September 09, 2009 (The News)Saleem Safi It would be too optimistic to believe that the killing of Baitullah Mehsud has smashed the TTP network. It is a fact that the TTP has been weakened in the
Taliban kill four Shia school children in Orakzai: Militants attack schoolchildren in Orakzai, four dead Tuesday, 08 Sep, 2009 (Dawn) Taliban militants are from the majority Sunni community (Deobandi sect) and attack Shias as part of their strategy
What lesson can Pakistan learn from the way Sri Lanka has dealt with the terrorism of LTTE: General Beg’s mess Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has stated that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, during a recent meeting in Libya, told him that “elements in Sri Lanka could be linked to incidents of terrorism in Pakistan, including
Taliban losing some ground in Pakistan: All this has been achieved because of clarity of thinking in Pakistan, the government and the people both.: NWFP’s security is Pakistan’s security The Chief of the Army Staff, General Ashfaq Kayani, inaugurating a rehabilitation centre for captive children trained as suicide-bombers by the Taliban, has said that the
Terrorist pro-Taliban ex-MP Shah Abdul Aziz freed by judiciary. Shame!: Shah Aziz released on bail By Khalid Iqbal Source RAWALPINDI: The former MNA Shah Abdul Aziz, allegedly involved in the kidnapping-cum-murder case of a Polish engineer, was released from Adiala Jail on Wednesday. The surety bonds of Rs1,000,000 by
Compared to what awaits the Pakistan Army in Waziristan, the Swat operation was a skirmish.: What lies in Waziristan Monday, August 31, 2009Zafar Hilaly Compared to what awaits the Pakistan Army in Waziristan, the Swat operation was a skirmish. There 30,000 Taliban wait to give battle. As fighters, they are matchless and have few