Taliban rule in Swat: Will Pakistan learn any lessons?
By Nirupama Subramanian
The Taliban’s parallel government in the district includes collection of ushr, the Islamic tax of one-tenth of agricultural produce; its courts dispense speedy justice, from fines to lashes and beheadings. Fearing for their lives, Swat’s elected representatives — two members of the National Assembly and seven of the Provincial Assembly — have not visited their constituencies in months. According to a provincial legislator who has lived in Peshawar for the past five months, the Taliban has offered rewards of Rs.1.5 crore for killing an MPA, and Rs.2 crore for an MNA. An estimated 3,00,000 people have already fled Swat to Peshawar, Karachi and Islamabad.
No comments:
Post a Comment