Swat: Talat Hussain asks some important questions
In his op-ed in daily Express, Talat Hussain asks several valid questions exposing the unholy nexus between the (rogue elements in?) Pakistan Army and the Taliban.
Talat asks:
1. Why did not Pakistan Army eliminate/defeat terrorists/militants in its military operation in Swat in December 2007? Why was that task left unaccomplished?
2. Why did the security forces loosen their grip on the Taliban hideout in Peochar. Why were the surrounded militants allowed to freely creep into the streets, villages and towns of Swat?
3. Why despite the military operation, Taliban have been able to maintain and expand their stronghold in Swat? Taliban regularly conduct Shariat courts, lash and behead people; they have maintained check posts on roads and streets? What are our security forces doing?
4. To make the situation less than transparent and worse, certain elements are trying to confound the situation by avoiding to identify the real culprits.
5. Why has the entire force of the State (e.g., army, police) failed to rescue the valley of Swat and its citizens from the ugly clasps of a few dozen or (a few hundred) militants?
6. Why does the Pakistan Army attack and kill ordinary citizens while successfully avoiding the Taliban militants and their hideouts?