The Pakistani Taliban typology is varied, because there is a massive amount of factions and groups , each with their own histories, views on religion and localized priorities (Rassler 2012). They view their fighting as different from the Afghan Taliban, which primarily views its fighting as a “holy war” against “infidels” who are occupying Muslim holy land (Rassler). The Pakistani Taliban, while sharing that view, also has more varied reasons. (Rassler). They are seen as divided into two groups: pragmatic and dogmatic (Rassler). The pragmatic groups use a more defensive stance against actions by the Pakistani government and allies, and resist state control of their territory (Rassler). They are more conciliatory towards the government, and support the Afghans. The dogmatic group views the Pakistani government as the enemy, take more offensives, and are driven more by ideology (Rassler).
They have two primary motivations which they feel justifies their engagement in terrorism: An Islamic Revolution and the freeing of Pakistan from Western Influence (Valentine 2009). They regard Western culture as ignorant and corrupt, particularly in the United States (Valentine). Because they see the Pakistani government as allies of the United States, they are also their enemies (Valentine).
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Baitullah Mehsud (one of the Pakistani Taliban’s leaders) argued that Pakistanis who cooperate with westerners are not true Muslims, they are collaborators of infidels, and deserve to be killed. Similarly, the Pakistani army, is not regarded as a Muslim army, but “a mercenary army on the payroll of the US”. (Valentine)
The Pakistani Taliban who wish to overthrow the government seek to impose “Sharia Law”, which refers to the Islamic system of law and the totality of the Islamic way of life (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance). They derive it upon two principles: The teaching of the Qur’an, which is the Muslim holy book, similar to the Bible for Christianity or the Torah for THE Judiasm, and from Sunna, which is “Custom or practice; particularly that associated with the exemplary life of the Prophet Muhammad, comprising his deeds and utterances as recorded in the hadith (report or narrative).” (Ontario Consultants). This is for the Sunni Islamic tradition, which is about 85 percent of Muslims in the world. In Pakistan, 96.3 percent of the population are Muslims, of whom approximately 95 percent are Sunnis and 5 percent Shiites (Library of Congress 2005). Some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have strict interpretations of Sharia, while others such as Malaysia are more liberal (Ontario Consultants). Sharia is a code of laws, some of which, if broken, carry severe punishments. Among the strict laws are regulations against, pre-marital sexual intercourse, sex by divorced persons, post-marital sex, adultery, false accusation of unlawful intercourse, drinking alcohol, and theft (Ontario Consultants). Some sentences can include stoning to death (Ontario Consultants).
In my opinion, the Pakistani Taliban does not have a legitimate complaint or demand. While it is understandable that they have their belief system, and they feel that their territory is being invaded by foreign elements, it is their belief system and harshness that do not make them sympathetic. Some of their beliefs, such as the strict sentences for the sex regulations listed above, are totally out of proportion to the offense, especially by Western standards. They do not believe people should be free to choose their own lifestyle, or how they practice their religion. They also target children in their attacks, such as Malala Yousufzai, who merely talked about peace, and want to subjugate women to be second-class citizens. Under the Taliban’s rule, women would not be allowed to have an education, are frequently not permitted to vote, and were forced to wear burqas to cover their bodies (Irin). They have even thrown acid onto young
girls for the mere “crime” of going to school (Shaad Khan 2012). An acid attack may disfigure the girls which creates shame in their culture and would affect their ability to have a husband and a family (Khan).
“We will never allow the girls of this area to go and get a Western education,” said Qari Muhavia, the local Pakistani Taliban leader, when contacted by CNN by telephone.”If and when we find any girl from Parachinar going to university for an education we will target her (in) the same way, so that she might not be able to unveil her face before others,” Muhavia said. (Shaad Khan).
In my opinion, the Taliban are bullies to the extreme. If their ideas are so right, then people should want to join them voluntarily, rather than be frightened into adopting their beliefs.
The Pakistani Taliban remains a viable group because of the sheer number of members, their different groups and their ability to blend in with the population. One issue that hurts them is that they have varying goals and are often loosely affiliated with each other. Terrorism specialists do feel that, although they have promised to conduct terror attacks in the United States and Europe, that they lack the capacity to do so (Rhaza Khan 2010). However, the group’s close links with homegrown terrorists and Al-Qaeda may blur the boundaries between the groups and allow them to extend their reach (Rhaza Khan). One factor that has helped the United States is its unmanned drone attacks on the Taliban (Rhaza Khan). These drone attacks have, the analysts say, targeted the Pakistani Taliban’s leadership, which has created disorganization and chaos among the group (Rhaza Kahn). Yet, of course, the fear remains, as the group continues to stage attacks in Pakistan.
