Rawalpindi incident is an eye opener for Pakistan.It proves one simple fact;Taliban is not yet finished despite the army operations in Swat and other areas.The way terrorists entered the high security zone and held many as hostage ,leaves lot ,yet to be done.The high quality grenades used in the attack and their mastery in guerrila warfare demands change in strategy as far as Pakistan is concerned.Some how or the other,the action against Taliban has not been as serious as it would have been and it can be due to the fact that lot of factions in Pakistan ,military and administrative,have a soft corner,due to historical legacy.
There must be change in strategy as far as Pakistan is concerned and it should be at three levels ;Political,Economic and Psychological
At the Political level,Pakistan must take its own decision as a sovereign nation and must not be influenced by USA.One thing is for Sure;What Pakistan feels for the people ,the same can't be felt by US.For example,Taliban may be treated by US as a terrorist but when it comes to Pakistan ,they are citizens who have taken the wrong path and so there is scope for reformation.In this ,the NGOs and International organisations have an important role to play.This covers the Pschological aspect as this may influence sizeable population who may be attracted to philosophy of Taliban
At the economic front,Pakistan being a developing state,must channel more funds for the development of the backward areas which is the breeding ground of militants .Economic development will go a long way in doing away with the Philosophy of Taliban.Remember one thing Taliban is a philosophy now and is not limited to a group of few thousands.
Bishwajeet,
Senior Producer,
Aajtak,New Delhi
