Conflict in Pakistan
Despite the Taliban being pushed out of power in Afghanistan in late 2001, units of the hard-line Islamist militant group remain entrenched along the frontiers of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Instability in the Pakistani government diverted attention from the developing battle for control of the region. This Guide looks at the modern history of Pakistan, and provides resources for understanding the conflict.
Expand All Guide SectionsOrigins of the Conflict in Pakistan
The Indian subcontinent was partitioned in 1947 after the British pulled out with the intention of ... read more »
The Pakistan Conflict Today
In October 1999, General Pervez Musharraf took over the Pakistani government in a military coup, deposing President Nawaz Sharif, who succeeded Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the head of the center-left Pakistan People’s Party. Originally Musharraf’s coalition supported Afghanistan under the Taliban; however this changed following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Still, Musharraf’s term was marred by growing polarization between secularists and Islamist conservatives.
Top Sites for the Pakistan Conflict Today
FindingDulcinea
explains the situation surrounding the death of Benazir Bhutto, the two-time prime minister of Pakistan. Ousted twice, she was imprisoned five years and left Pakistan in 1999 on counts of alleged corruption. The charges were dropped as part of a U.S.-brokered deal between Bhutto and the Pakistani government under Musharraf, paving the way to Bhutto’s October 2007 return. Yet in the time between her return and Musharraf’s declaration of a state of emergency a month later, Bhutto’s relationship with the president had deteriorated. Bhutto was assassinated Dec. 27, 2007, while campaigning in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi.
FindingDulcinea
wrote in October 2008 about Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party prevailing in the country’s 2008 elections, with Yusuf Raza Gillani becoming Pakistan’s prime minister and Bhutto’s widower, Ali Asif Zardari, taking up the presidency. Early on in Zardari’s term, his efficacy in controlling the country’s security situation had come into question, however.
At the same time, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been a frequent target of Western criticism because of its alleged support of the Taliban, and is largely believed to be out of Zardari’s control. The Economist wrote in October 2008 that although the ISI has gained international plaudits for finding Islamist insurgents after Sept. 11, 2001, it still has maintained the use of the Taliban to push for control in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Two months earlier, the ISI was dogged by accusations that it helped to orchestrate the July 7, 2008, bombings of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, findingDulcinea reported.
A mutual challenge for both Zardari and Perez Musharraf is the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), tribal lands lining the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have proven to be a conundrum for conducting military operations in the Pakistani government due to the ambiguity in who controls the area. Recently, reports of tribal leaders joining the fight against Taliban forces have aided Zardari’s efforts in the region.
A mutual challenge for both Zardari and Perez Musharraf is the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), tribal lands lining the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have proven to be a conundrum for conducting military operations in the Pakistani government due to the ambiguity in who controls the area. Recently, reports of tribal leaders joining the fight against Taliban forces have aided Zardari’s efforts in the region.
The Impact of the Current Crisis in Pakistan
In mid-February 2009, in a bid to quell violence between the government and the Taliban, Pakistan ... read more »
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
