Community | February 16, 2009 | 22 comments

Pakistan is going the way of Iran - Islamic Sharia law becomes the law of the land

source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkiMxbHNH0BqgpWA2ZG6VD6wVTmAD96CLNGO1

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jubal
The government agreed to implement Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across a large swath of northwest Pakistan on Monday in concessions aimed at pacifying a spreading Taliban insurgency there.

The announcement came after talks with Islamist groups, including one closely linked to the Taliban.

The move will likely concern the United States, which has warned Pakistan that such peace agreements allow al-Qaida and Taliban militants operating near the Afghan border time to rearm and regroup.

Amir Haider Khan Hoti, the chief minister for the North West Frontier Province, said authorities would impose Islamic law in Malakand region, which includes the Swat Valley. Swat is a one-time tourist haven in the northwest where extremists have gained sway through brutal tactics including beheading residents, burning girls schools and attacking security forces.

He said the laws would only be implemented when the valley was peaceful.

The Swat Taliban said Sunday they would observe a 10-day cease-fire in support of the peace process. They welcomed Monday's announcement, which did not mention any need for the militants to give up arms.

"Our whole struggle is for the enforcement of Shariah (Islamic) law," Swat Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said. "If this really brings us the implementation of Shariah, we will fully cooperate with it."

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What do you think? What does this latest development mean to America? What would happen if Pakistan's nuclear weapons fall into the control of radical Islamic factions?
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22 comments // Pakistan is going the way of Iran - Islamic Sharia law becomes the law of the land

  • glabadabadoo
  • Sexirobot
  • middle_east
    • 0
      middle_east  

    • It's not that Talibans will be enforcing Taliban rule in northwest. There is an area in Pakistan called FATA where none of the Pakistani rule applies they have their own laws, rules and regulations. They only use Pakistani currency - that's all - otherwise its sort of a separate country. That area was always Taliban's hub. Now FATA people want to implement Shariah law in FATA ONLY. Since they use Pakistani currency they have to take consent from Pakistani President.

    • 3 years ago
  • jubal
    • 0
      jubal  

    • I don't think that you can compare the Taliban with Iran, I wasn't making the comparison in my post. I was comparing Pakistan to Iran in that Pakistan is adopting Sharia law, and Iran already has that in their country.

      One caveat though, at least in Iran women are not required to run around covered from head to toe.

    • 3 years ago
  • akamaial
  • JanforGore
  • DRudeBoy
    • 0
      DRudeBoy  

    • I think we should make sure to differentiate between the Iranian government and the Taliban, these are two very different entities. I'd much rather live in Iran than in Taliban controlled Afghanistan or Northern Pakistan.

    • 3 years ago
  • mik661
    • 0
      mik661  
    • DRudeBoy:

      The Iranian government is just a more finely tuned version of the Taliban with some pretty manners. Still sucks to be a women, homosexual or nonbeliever.

    • 3 years ago
  • akamaial
  • jahbini
    • 0
      jahbini  
    • DRudeBoy:

      Just to be honest, They have been a major concern for the USA since Thomas Jefferson (remember the 'shores of Tripoli' in the Marine Corps hymn?)

      The trouble is not recognizing a major concern, but what to do with it. --- The lessons of the Crusades show that sending out hordes of armies may not work. Spain, before the inquisition, had some success, but is that a model for our time?

    • 3 years ago
  • DRudeBoy
    • 0
      DRudeBoy  
    • DRudeBoy:

      Mik661, the Iranian government, while oppressive, is entirely different, and less oppressive, from the Taliban. The Iranian government arose out of a popular revolution which was hijacked by the clergy, the Taliban is just a bunch of warlords and fanatics forcing their own distorted brand of Islam on the rest of the people. The Iranians do not want to go back to the Golden Age of Islam like the Taliban claims to and recognize that it is impossible. Iranian women are fairly secular and empowered compared to the rest of the Middle East. Seriously, watch a video or two about politics in Iran and you will see that women do speak out. Oh yeah, the Iranians are Shi'a while the Taliban is Sunni and murders Shi'a Hazaras.

    • 3 years ago
  • mik661
    • 0
      mik661  
    • DRudeBoy:

      Unless your a homo. then they hang you. If you think the Iranian Government is so enlightened why dont you start criticizing it or Islamic belief and see how they tolerate you.

    • 3 years ago
  • DRudeBoy
    • 0
      DRudeBoy  
    • DRudeBoy:

      So enlightened? There are different degrees of oppression, I even said the Iranian government is oppressive in my earlier posts. It's stupid to try and compare the Iranian government to the Taliban, they're completely different. The only thing they have in common is the broad, broad range of beliefs that fall under Islam.

    • 3 years ago
  • mik661
    • 0
      mik661  
    • Image

    • Last June, Bakht Bilind Khan, who was living in the Bronx and working at a fast-food restaurant, returned to his village in the volatile Swat Valley of northern Pakistan to visit his wife and seven children for the first time in three years. But during a dinner celebration with his family, his homecoming suddenly turned dark: Several heavily armed Taliban fighters wearing masks appeared at the door of their house, accused Mr. Khan of being an American spy and kidnapped him.

      During two weeks of captivity in a nearby mountain range, Mr. Khan says that he was interrogated repeatedly about his wealth, property and “mission” in the United States. He was released in exchange for an $8,000 ransom. His family, threatened with death if they did not leave the region, is now hiding elsewhere in Pakistan.

      “Our Swat, our paradise, is burning now,” said Mr

    • 3 years ago
  • mik661
    • 0
      mik661  

    • Think about the pakistan military with control of the nukes. What happens when the Taliban threaten their control of the country? Will they join together or fight? What might India's reaction be? Almost as scary as the North Koreans.

    • 3 years ago
  • DRudeBoy
    • 0
      DRudeBoy  

    • We need to support Democratic movements in Pakistan and actually work WITH the people, something we haven't done in over fifty years.

    • 3 years ago
  • aDREWh
  • mqz4
  • csmonut
    • 0
      csmonut  

    • I think this bodes ill for the US and for Pakistan. The Taliban have been known to break deals about as fast as they make them.
      And what about the people? I suppose the ruling authorities could care less.
      Or...Pakistan could enter into a deal with the US to help rid them of the Taliban.
      Either way, the end will not be good.

    • 3 years ago
  • mjsmith11
  • middle_east
  • jahbini
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