Mustafa Qadri

The Pakistan Army intensified its operation Tuesday against militants in the Lower Dir district in the country’s northwest. The operation, which began on Sunday, has already claimed the lives of 50 militants and 13 security forces. In response, the Pakistani Taliban have suspended their talks with the government.

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My latest piece for newmatilda.com is based on a recent visit to parts of the Kohat and Dera Adam Khel tribal areas in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province where the Taliban has a strong presence:

Is Al Qaeda About To Conquer Pakistan?

Counter-insurgency expert David Kilcullen believes that Pakistan could collapse “within months”. But Mustafa Qadri reports that in the tribal areas, it is actually the Taliban, not al Qaeda, that is gaining traction…

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My latest report from Pakistan, a reflection on the nation on the 69th anniversary of the Lahore Resolution of 1940, was published in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s ‘Unleashed’ website today:

Ordinary People Power

Mustafa Qadri

Monday was Republic Day in Pakistan, the 69th anniversary of the moment when, under the Lahore Resolution, the idea of Pakistan was formally adopted by the subcontinent’s Muslim leadership. Seven years later, on August 14, 1947, the idea would turn into the reality of an independent state.

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First, Sufi Muhammad, the TNSM leader who negotiated the deal on behalf of the Taliban, warned all lawyers and courts in Swat to pack up and leave as the shariat courts with qazis approved by the Taliban leadership will start functioning soon. Now, the Taliban have asked all NGOs in Swat to leave as well. [...]

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My latest piece on the situation in Pakistan for The Guardian was published today:

Rough Justice in Swat

The growing influence of the Taliban in the North-West Frontier Province is a direct threat to Pakistan’s fragile democracy…

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The Tehrik-e-Nifaaz Shariat Muhammadi, a militant group, ordered government judges not to show up for work “because we are establishing a true Islamic justice system,” said Amir Izzat Khan, a spokesman. The group is introducing Sharia law in the region as part of a government truce with Taliban fighters.

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Outlook India has done an interview with Sufi Mohammad which you can read here. Sufi Mohammad is the religious leader who signed a peace deal with the government in Pakistan’s Swat region basically to replace existing, secular laws with the Sharia.

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Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Sufi Mohammad warned that the TNSM would start setting up protest camps if the Islamic courts were not set up and prisoners not swapped by 15 March… The situation in Swat remains tense and the militants are yet to disarm or end their hold over areas they control.

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My latest article, on the peace deal between a pro-Taliban group and the Pakistan Government in the mountainous tribal area of Malakand was published in NewMatilda.com today: WHAT WILL THIS ‘PEACE’ COST? By Mustafa Qadri Pakistan has agreed to entrench Sharia law in its North-West Frontier Province in exchange for peace, but locals are still [...]

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Muslim Khan, the Taliban spokesman in Swat, said the group claimed responsibility for abducting the administrator. “He is our guest. We have to discuss some issues with him. We will serve him with tea and then free him,” he told Reuters.

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Pakistan’s constitution already contains provisions protecting against un-Islamic laws. Why then does the country need an agreement with violent extremists to ensure Islamic laws? And who will pronounce on these laws? The militants? And if the army is to remain in a “reactive” mode, as a government minister explained, will they stand by and watch [...]

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Many Muslims believe that ancient Khorasan – which covers parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – is the promised land from where they will secure the first victory in the end-of-time battle in which the final round, according to their beliefs, will be fought in Bilad-i-Sham (Palestine-Lebanon-Syria).

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The following piece, on the recent peace agreement between the Pakistan Government and Islamic leaders in the northern Malakand district, was posted on the Guardian Comment is Free website today:

Peace or appeasement in Pakistan?

The recent deal between religious leaders in tribal Pakistan and the government legitimates the Taliban insurgency…

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Pakistan government officials said they struck a deal on Monday to accept a legal system compatible with Shariah law in the violent Swat region in return for peace.

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The Pakistani government should act immediately to protect hundreds of thousands of people from insurgents in the Swat valley and elsewhere in the country, Amnesty International said today. See also Amnesty’s “Swat deal threatens human rights”.

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Maulana Fazlullah, chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat chapter, on Friday announced relaxation in the ban on girls’ education by allowing students to attend school up-to fourth grade.

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Every night around 8 o’clock, the terrified residents of Swat, a lush and picturesque valley a hundred miles from three of Pakistan’s most important cities, crowd around their radios. They know that failure to listen and learn might lead to a lashing — or a beheading.

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In a dark echo of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, violent religious extremists in Pakistan are moving to restrict girls’ education as they seek to impose a draconian version of Islamic law on a beleaguered population.

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“He said we must take our daughters out of all schools – private or public – by 15 January 2009 at the latest. Failing this, he said the schools will be bombed and violators would face death. He also said they will throw acid into the faces of our daughters if we don’t comply, like [...]

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The following article, based on my visit to parts of Pakistan’s tribal agencies, was posted on Reuters AlertNet today:

The Taliban’s war on women’s education

For well over a decade the Taliban have been known for their strong opposition to the participation of women in public life. Their rule over most of Afghanistan until 2001 was marked by a complete prohibition on women in the workforce or at educational facilities either as teachers or students….

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My dreams of becoming a doctor have been all but shattered…

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The following piece, based on my extensive investigations, interviews and visits to a number of tribal regions in the North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan was published on Reuters’ AlertNet website today: Civilians suffer as Pakistan army targets Taliban 01 Oct 2008 15:55:00 GMT Written by: Mustafa Qadri Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for [...]

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By destroying girls’ schools in Swat and Quetta.

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