Dawn summarizes the situation in Pakistan very well. It’s the part about ethnic violence in Karachi that is most disturbing.
Time for new priorities](http://www.dawn.com/2007/09/15/ed.htm#1)
FOCUSING on all that is positive is easier said in these days of blood and gore. If media coverage is to reflect the state of the nation it must, despite exhortations to the contrary by government officials, highlight ground realities no matter how unsavoury they may be. A quick look at the front pages of Friday’s papers ought to convince even the most optimistic that the country is in complete disarray. Pitched battles are raging in Waziristan, Karachi is bracing for a new round of political violence and security forces are coming under attack wherever they are deemed vulnerable. Thursday’s deadly suicide attack on the Special Operation Task Force, a unit of the army’s Special Services Group, shows just how precarious the situation has become. If an assailant can breach security at an elite commando base, the whole country is a sitting target. No solace can be found in the dominant theory that it may have been an inside job — if true, it should be even greater cause for concern. The Sept 4 blasts in Rawalpindi, one of which targeted an unmarked ISI staff bus, had already made it clear that the militants who now see the security forces as their enemy are not wanting in precise and ready intelligence. The attack in Tarbela seems to confirm this view.
What impact such incidents are having on the morale of the armed forces can only be surmised. The fact remains, however, that over 200 security personnel recently surrendered — apparently without firing a shot — to tribal militants in South Waziristan. Could it be that soldiers motivated in their training by the motto of jihad are finding it difficult on moral grounds to wage war against militants operating under the very same banner? Drilled both mentally and physically to fight a foreign enemy, how easily can the foot soldier reconcile himself to killing his countrymen? There are no easy answers to these questions.
On one point at least there is little doubt: both the civilian and military administrations have failed miserably in tackling, let alone solving, the growing problem of Islamist militancy. Good intelligence appears to be in short supply on the official side, but that is hardly surprising when the heads of covert agencies are busier negotiating political deals for the president. The government, meanwhile, seems concerned only with self-preservation at a time when opposition politicians ought to be the least of its worries. The incumbents now need to look beyond self and to readjust their priorities according to the need of the country. A government that lacks credibility and broad-based support cannot even begin to stem the tide of Talibanisation. **When the coterie in power is not taken seriously by law-abiding citizens, how can it hope to quell armed revolt? The charade must end sooner than later. While there is no guarantee of success, participatory democracy remains the best hope for repairing the damage inflicted on the country over the last eight years. It is time for free and fair elections so that a broad-based government representing all sectors of the population can emerge. **Such a government alone can tackle the problem of militancy that Pakistan faces today.