Monday, February 10, 2014

Afghanistan: Anti-Taliban sentiments at its apex

Anger against the Taliban among Afghans has reached its boiling point. From Ghazni’s Andar district to Kunar, from there to Kandahar’s Panjwai and Logar, there is searing fury against the barbarism of the Taliban. Residents of the Baraki Barak district of Logar province are in high dudgeon and started resistance against the Taliban. Their life has become agonic at the hands of the Taliban. They are furious and say if anyone prevents their children from going to school or blocks people’s participation in the coming elections will face the dire consequences. Toward the end of the year 2013, residents in Paktia also said none should support Haqqani network and if anyone was found abetting terrorists, his house will be burnt and his family ostracized.
The shameless Taliban still claim to be the representatives of the people of Afghanistan, fighting against own government to liberate their people. This seems to be not only shameless but nonsense as well. Being highly perturbed by Taliban’s insurgency, as many as 1,000 residents of Baraki Barak took up arms to drive the insurgents out from their villages. Because of insurgents’ infestation, the area had become highly insecure where people’s lives had come to a still.
The move is not only worth appreciation but needs to be supported by the government, the National Directorate of Security as the spy chief said the other day that insurgent groups were busy to sabotage elections. Anger against militants is at its apex across the country, but citizens are hapless in front of them. They shouldn’t be left prone to their atrocities rather the government and its security organs should enlist peoples’ support in fight against militancy.
The province that started this noble job to start uprising against the Taliban uprising is Ghazni. Andar district of the province will be remembered in Afghan history. Paktia and Khost were two other provinces that followed the suit. But this time it is Baraki Barak in Logar province that is standing against the Taliban.
If the government supports those who have taken up guns against the Taliban, they day is not so far that they will be completely weeded out. Now that Residents say they have taken up guns against the anti-government fighters after long suffering at their hands, it should make a difference. Though, the government’s efforts for peace should continue, but unfortunately despite the desperate attempts, the nation is still in limbo. When the government finds an opportunity like the one in Baraki Barak it should exploit it to consolidate its writ and power against militants.
The peace road goes nowhere but it has become a cul-de-sac and all the stakeholders are faced with a dead end. Nevertheless, this is good that Afghan masses are taking up arms against the Taliban. The Taliban are there, their financiers are there and their supporters as well, but they should know that eventually when the world will pull out, followed by America and the Taliban don’t come to the table of negotiations and their atrocities increase with each passing day the people of Afghanistan will get tired of terrorism, then they will rise up and it will be the worst defeat of the Taliban and worst instance of Muslims on Muslims violence. So, before it happens the Taliban should think over what did they get of the 13-year war, which is still going on with no end in sight and for how long they will hold out for?

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