A Raging Plague

Indifference to symptoms of disease can lead to a dire collapse of normal defence mechanisms through stealthy infiltration, neutralizing the immune system's defences.

In Pakistan's case the world is presented with a case study, where the pathology of extreme Islamism has become so pervasively rampant it has marginalized the nation's ability to rescue itself from collapse into fundamentalist anarchy. The country's prevailing paranoia, its suspicion and hatred of its neighbours, and its determination to wreak havoc on them, as a way to protect itself has come back to haunt it.

The ideological, political, social malevolence that Pakistan heaps on India, and their most visible irritant, Kashmir, led Pakistan to nurture violent Islamist paramilitaries to helpfully launch continuous attacks on India's interests in Kashmir. Pakistan's imperialist views of extending its territory into Afghanistan which it suspects sides with India, had it arming and encouraging terror on Afghanistan, through the Afghan Taliban, and their al-Qaeda allies.

The Taliban posed no threat to Pakistan, until suddenly, as it were, the hill tribes of Waziristan created their own Taliban. Pakistan, a much ballyhooed supporter of the United States and its allies in the war against international terrorism, remained indifferent to the presence of the Afghan Taliban and their incendiary allies on their mountainous border. But the administration and the executive and the secret service and the armed forces of Pakistan were livid with rage when their American allies launched raids into Pakistan, against the Taliban.

Sovereignty intolerably breached with impunity cannot be tolerated! Finally, the impetus for Pakistan to begin to act reared its ugly head with continued attacks by the very Islamists they nurtured savagely biting off the hands that nurtured them. And it was time for the government of Pakistan to turn the tide, to begin acting in its own defence. Except that it was a little late in the game.

For time and the tides of excitable extremists wait for no government encouragement to turn against former supporters. And the extremist infiltration is so broad and so all-encompassing that there is nowhere, anywhere in Pakistan, safe from encroachment by the collective strength of the Tehrik-e-Taliban, al-Qaeda, and other jihadi groups, like Jaish-e-Muhammad and Laskar-e-Jhangvi. Attacking India now takes second-place to securing their right to supremacy in Pakistan.

While it has become common knowledge that massive troop movement heralds an all-out attack by government forces on South Waziristan to clean house there, a combined logistical plan has been launched whereby attacks elsewhere in the country, in the Punjab, in Lahore, in Peshawar, North West Frontier Province, will dilute government troop strength and render them far less effective.

Very neat strategizing. Attack the police stations and their recruits here, there and virtually everywhere. When police die, army officers, civilians in a thriving marketplace, so does a broader sense of fearful vulnerability arise.