BUNER AREA AT THE MERCY OF ARMED TALIBAN

Various sources have confirmed the armed movement of Taliban across buner (about 100 km distance from Islamabad) and soon they are about to capture the whole area. Numerous video footages have been circulating in Pakistani media about taliban movement and some people are raising strong concerns over this issue. According to some reports, the government employees and police have either fled or have been restricted to their quarters.

For the very first time, some big political parties and their leaders in Pakistan have openly expressed their concerns over militants challenging the state. The prime concern raised earlier by a political party and some NGO's about "Nizam-e-Adl" regulation was that it will not confine taliban to SWAT area and they will not restrict themselves to take over further land.

Since the statement issued by TNSM chief cleric Sufi Muhammad, declaring democracy, constitution and the courts illegal, the majority of moderate and progressive Pakistanis are raising their serious concerns over it despite the fact that NWFP goverment has tried to clarify the position of Sufi Muhammad. "It is a casual statement and his own view" clarfied a government official on behalf of Sufi Muhammad.

Some political leaders and media analysts are of the opinion that the time has come that all of the political leadership, the civil society and security forces of Pakistan should stand united to fight this menace of rapidly spreading extremism, otherwise it will be too late.

The greater responsibility lies with the NWFP government who is literally caught between the devil and the deep sea and has no option except to devise a way out to bring peace and harmony in the region and importantly to stop militant spread to other parts of Pakistan.