Is Taliban takeover of Pakistan Imminent?

The arrogant imposition of sharia in the swat valley and the alarming rapidity of talibanization of mainland Pakistan are raising serious concerns about the safety and stability of the region. The Taliban takeover of Pakistan is no more a babbling gossip, it rather is a testimony of the baffled sagacity of a weak government which showed beggarly flimsiness in handing over the reins to the besotted fanatics, hoping to calm them.

It is a known fact that this government in Pakistan does not enjoy the support of its top military brass. It also alienated itself from the civil society by refusing to reinstate the chief justice, ousted by the erstwhile military ruler, Invoking angry protestations by lawyers. By observing a banished silence over the human rights atrocities committed by Taliban, the Zardari government once again failed to assure the international community that his government is capable of taking on the tainted Islamic militia.

When the world economy is reeling under the worst financial crisis and with no signs of an early recovery, the US and its allies won’t be very keen to engage in an acrimonious war with Taliban in the immediate future. Moreover they may have some idea as to how barbarous the art of statecraft could be in a state like Pakistan.

A ruined economy, a crumbling political structure and a weak government together make Pakistan the perfect breeding ground for fundamentalists. With tacit support from various Islamic terror outfits, fundamental elements within the government and the ISI it won’t be difficult for the Taliban to literally control or take over the reins of Pakistan.

These recent developments, if ignored, could be fatal to global and regional safety. As a growing regional power India cannot afford to leave its estranged neighbor to the abhorred thralldom of a Taliban regime. If the recent IB intercepts are to be trusted, 28 out of 35 terrorists infiltrated into Indian Territory are Taliban fighters. The gravity of the situation calls for action but the mind staggering enormity of the task at hand deters us from taking any unilateral action. The way forward for us is to cooperate with the US and international community to diffuse tension in the region and prevent Taliban from taking over the reins of a nuclear state.