|
Resentment against Taliban growing in Pakistan: NYT
NEW YORK - The
prolonged Taliban insurgency in Pakistan may be turning the people,
especially those hit by
its brutality, against the Taliban militants, The New York Times
reported Friday.
Many Pakistanis who witness the Taliban’s suicide attacks and other
acts of cruelty on their televisions are
outraged more so than being frustrated by the military offensive
that has disrupted civilian lives, the newspaper
said in a dispatch from Islamabad.
“It’s the Taliban that’s responsible for our misery,” a Swat Valley
refugee, who welcomes the military’s offensive,
was quoted as saying.
The Times report said the change in public mood is deeper among the
millions directly affected by the Taliban’s
progress from tribal into more urban areas.
But politicians and analysts warn the new opportunity could be lost
if Taliban leaders are not killed or captured or
the estimated 3 million displaced persons don’t get more help.
US officials, the newspaper reported, know the refugee crisis, if
not handled properly, could lead to more
militancy.
While there is still much anti-US feeling among many Pakistanis, the
report said there is change among those
who have experienced Taliban rule first hand.
“It was not Shariah, it was something else,” said a cell phone shop
owner. “It was scoundrel behaviour.”
In distant Punjab province, which is seen rising suicide attacks,
Rasul Bakhsh Rais, political science professor
at Lahore University, said, “The tables are turned against the
Taliban now. They are marginalised.”
June 06, 2009 |
