Violence Escalates in Pakistan
Violence escalates in Pakistan ahead of next months elections.
At least 38 people have been killed in a suicide attack on a mosque in north-western Pakistan near the city of Peshawar, as about 1,000 people offered prayers for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. The toll is expected to increase as police locate other victims bodies at the scene.
Pakistan seems to be on the path to more chaos as the Taliban tighten their grip in the North West Frontier Province. A surge of violence has taken place in north-western Pakistan since troops ousted armed militants from the radical Red Mosque in Islamabad in July.
Fighting in the restive Swat region in North West Frontier Province is the first serious insurgent threat in an area of Pakistan that until recently was thought to be secure. Pakistani troops have driven the militants from a series of small towns and villages where they had tried to implement strict Islamic law but seem to be unable to contain the treat to the region.
With general elections set for January, 2008 the next few weeks in Pakistan will probably be especially dangerous and volatile. Pakistan’s two top opposition leaders, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, have decided to take united action against the government of President Pervez Musharraf to pressure it to ensure free and fair elections.
Bhutto and Sharif reportedly are trying to decide if they will lead a boycott of the elections, thereby further weakening President Musharraf. The coming weeks will be important to the future of Pakistan and likely stressful to the Pakistani - United States relationship.
With American policy in Iraq and Afghanistan in a state of confusion and turmoil the US will be hard pressed to deal with the Taliban and fundamentalist Islamic groups extending their influence in Pakistan.
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Lately I’ve been reading a lot about the Taliban ruling large area of Pakistan. It’ll be interesting to how the growth of the Taliban could effect the political alignment of the citizens. They had a big following in Afghanistan maybe they could do the same in Pakistan.
Hello Patrick,
Thanks for your visit and comment.
Yes, it looks like the Taliban are extending their influence in Pakistan. They may not always be liked but they are so brutal that a lot of folks are afraid to oppose them.
The Taliban are back in a big way in Afganistan and becoming much more aggressive in Pakistan by moving into areas where government control is slipping away.