The departure of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has led the Pakistan administration to heave a sigh of relief because Ghani and his closest aides let the Afghan NDS cooperate with India’s RAW in organizing terrorist activities inside Pakistan. How the Taliban deal with the terrorist groups that launch attacks on Pakistan’s citizens and security personnel remains to be seen.
There is a worrisome move from certain circles to prettify the Taliban. Their peaceful entry into Kabul has reminded a well-known Mufti of Fath-e-Makkah. Nothing, he says, not even powerful countries with state-of-the-art weapons can stand against the power of Iman if people are willing to offer sacrifices. He calls upon Muslims, particularly Pakistanis, to learn from the Taliban. Religious parties losing hope to come to power through elections are getting vicarious pleasure from the Taliban’s victory. The Jamaat Islami chief believes that If the Taliban managed to form an ideal Islamic government in Kabul, they would set an example for others to follow. Bloggers looking for followers in the extremist fringe have over the last several weeks been spinning tales about the Taliban doing a great service to Pakistan. They are hailing the Taliban’s entry into Kabul as a historic victory of Islam against a superpower.
There is a danger that the outpouring of euphoria for the Taliban might lead some to forget the dystopian nightmare that the people of Afghanistan, particularly women and dissidents, went through during the Taliban’s first rule. The people of Pakistan too had to suffer due to sectarian terrorists who indulged in indiscriminate killings while Mullah Omar refused to hand over their leaders to Pakistan. During the last many years terrorist outfits like Al-Qaeda, the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Islamic State have launched deadly and indiscriminate attacks in Pakistan from Afghan safe havens where the Taliban have a presence. Tehrik Taliban Pakistan sent terrorists to the Peshawar Army Public School in 2014, killing more than 132 children. The explosion that last month killed nine Chinese workers and four others in Dasu was also the handiwork of these elements.
To be acceptable to the world the Taliban have to set up an inclusive government, allow girls to study and women to work, improve their human rights record and ensure that they neither harbour terrorists nor try to export their system to other countries.
