"This is in response to two letters in this Newspaper dated 29, September 2009 in response to my article dated 27 September 2009.
As I mentioned in the article, the information was given to me by some leaders of the Salarzai lashkar who wish not to be named due to their security. I have to respect their wish. I also made it clear in the article that I do not have any intentions whatsoever to defame the security forces of Pakistan, who I greatly respect, including the FC.
The reason I wrote this article was to highlight some of the most disturbing facts and perceptions I observed all over FATA and NWFP. One of the facts is that hundreds of anti-Taliban tribal leaders have been target killed. There has never been independent investigation of the target killing during the Musharaf government when they started and in the present government in which they continue to happen. The perception of most of the Pakhtun that I have been interacting with all over FATA and NWFP, especially families of the target killed people is that officers in the security force did the target killing. They clearly name the individual officers of the armed forces along with their military ranks. Taliban , they said, were used as a smoke screen for the purpose to hide the killers among the security forces. The families are afraid to say it publicly but anyone who wins over their confidence, they open up their heart to them.
**As per the perception, the aim of the targeted killing is create a full leadership space for the religious extremists in the Pakhtun society. The anti-Talian lashkars are traps. A lashkar would clearly identify those who would have the heart to stand up to the Taliban. Thus the lashkar leaders would continued to be target killed by the intelligence agencies until there is no one left among the Pakhtuns who can take up arms against the Taliban. Because the intelligence agencies cannot create chaos in the Pakhtun areas in Afghanistan due to the presence of the US and NATO forces there, they need the Pakhtun areas in Pakistan to be dominated by religious extremists. The intelligence agencies are engaged in deceiving the world and fellow Pakistanis. There is an understanding between the Taliban and the army: the Taliban will not attack any one above the rank of colonel in the army and the army will not attack the Taliban leaders. This means that Allah Ditha (a reference to Punjabi soldiers and Taliban foot soldiers) and Thothi Gul (a reference to Pakhtun soldiers and Taliban foot soldiers) can die and the leadership on both sides would enjoy the deadly game and the US and the Petro-Dollars it attracts for the military and militants. Meanwhile, the welfare of the Pakhtun citizens of Pakistan can also go to hell. **
I never said these perceptions are correct. But they are there lurking in silence due to fear of the intelligence agencies. As I write these lines there is a news coming from Bannu about the target killing of an anti-Taliban leader.
The war on terror is the war for hearts and minds. How can the security forces of Pakistan win this war in presence of such perceptions in the one of the most important battlegrounds of the war on terror?
We in Pakistan need an open public debate on the issues to counter the perceptions. Moreover, the state must initiate independent judicial investigation on who killed hundreds of anti-Taliban tribal elders and leaders all over FATA and NWFP and to make sure that no other anti-Taliban leaders are target killed from now onwards.
Now coming to the letter of Malik Munasib Khan. As can bee seen in my article, the information about him was communicated to me via phone by the Salarzai leaders. I was also given two other names who they said were killed along with Mulik Munasib. I clearly remember all these names. I did not mention their names in my article because I was told they were not leaders of the lashkar. The problem is that I am now back in Norway and cannot go to the Salarzai leaders to see whether this news was a misunderstanding or mistake. The Salarzai leaders complain that their phones are being taped by the ISI and they cannot talk anything about the article on phone. So I have no option to wait until the leaders are confident enough talk on phone.
Meanwhile, I am very sorry for any mental distress that my article might have caused to Malik Munasib Khan, his family and friends. I happy to hear that he is alive. I hope the information about the other two people would also prove wrong.
Farhat Taj"