Re: Extremism needs a political solution split: Imran Khan escapes from house arres
You're ignoring the fact that extremism is a global phenomenon, at the moment. Countries with stable monarchies, stable republic governments, and stable democratic governments are dealing with the menace. This really isn't entirely due to any type of dictatorship. Musharraf has been at the head of the game, but he's really been overseeing a lot of things, rather than coming out with totalitarian dictates every Friday afternoon. I have been to Karachi so many times, and the most free and least dangerous times I have been there have been when Musharraf has been in power.
Your Elahi, Aziz, Haq, Shujaat and these guys really have been running the government. So its not like Musharraf was doing it all on his own - I detest it when I hear people parrot others and say he's some dictator. He's not - he's just head of state, like any other president or king or head of state.
The reason why extremism has been flourishing are the following:
Civilian support. We've seen this with Lal Masjid. On this very forum, we were divided on Lal Masjid and how many people supported the Ghazi brothers and defended them? Keep in mind that most of the people on this website are well educated! WHY are you suprprised that there is mass civilian support for religious extremists? Coupled with the hatred Pakistanis en masse have for Americans and the American military, they'd support anything where it involves an American soldier getting hurt, and if that means supporting terrorism recruitment and training in NWFP and Balochistan, so some people can get killed in Afghanistan, then Pakistanis are open to it. Not everyone. But a lot of people are.
External support. These extremists are fully armed and loaded - no way that villagers with brooms and mops would have taken ahold of 100+ military soldiers to hold them hostage. They're armed. Again, great example is Lal Masjid. The arms aren't from the Pakistani government or people - there is smuggling of weapons going on at the borders. Funded by other governments and/or outside agencies. I don't know who, but that's my guess.
Emotions. Extremists have played with the emotions of people - tell a Pathan villager in a remote Pakistani village that the Americans are killing his brothers and raping his sisters in a nearby Afghan village across the border, and what would you think he's going to do?
Opposition. The opposition in Pakistan has been so strong against Musharraf that even when he does try to crack down on these problems, he's accused of killing civilians in NWFP. I dont know if he has or not, and neither does anyone else here. Unless you were there in Wazirstan with bombs going off around you, which no one here was. But people are quick to blame the President for everything and assume things. That's why his approach on these terrorists has been tepid. He doesn't want more reason for people to take up arms against his government.
Pakistani people have to make up their mind. Do they want to allow extremists to exist in their society or not? And that means you need to start questioning every rabid mullah who comes along and starts preaching hatred against the West, discourages women from being active in society, and throws tantrums over music. Because that's where this all starts. Its a system that they want people in the region to conform to. Hence all this Jihaadi business. This goes much deeper than anyone thinks. This is a clash of civilizations, and whether Mush's government has its act together or not doesn't make a difference. Its a flood that has begun and is gaining momentum every single day.