Fear stalks Pakistan's
anniversary By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - Pakistan celebrates its 57th
anniversary on Saturday in an unprecedented atmosphere:
what should be a joyous occasion to mark independence
from British India will be overshadowed by the threat of
terror attacks across the country.
Security
agencies fear retaliation for the recent arrests of two
top jihadi leaders Maulana Fazalur Rehman Khalil and
Qari Saifullah Akhtar and the possible apprehension of
other key jihadi leaders in coming days under US
pressure.
Elements within militant organizations
associated with the Jaish-i-Mohammed, the Harkatul
Mujahideen, the Lashkar-i-Taiba and others are believed
to be planning the attacks. The possibility of attacks
has been confirmed to this correspondent by sources
close to jihadi circles. They say that top Pakistani
officials as well as key strategic installations and
institutes will be targeted in suicide attacks.
The director general of the
army's Inter-Services Public Relations, Major-General Shaukat
Sultan, has also warned of retaliation for the arrests
in coming days.
In an effort to take some of the heat
out of the situation, President General Pervez Musharraf
has officially announced that plans for military
operations in troubled Balochistan have been shelved
and that his special representative has been sent
to the province to speak to nationalist Baloch leaders
in an attempt to get them to end their insurgency.
This was predicted by Asia Times Online ( Pakistan backs off Balochistan
) on August 7.
Musharraf has also sent
exclusive messages to members of the United Jihad
Council for Kashmir in which he assured them of his
support for the armed struggle against the Indian army.
However, the moves might not be enough. The
Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONM) has already
announced that it will celebrate August 14 as a "Black
Day" because of the situation in Balochistan, where
nationalist insurgents are conducting an ongoing
campaign for more control over the region's vast
natural-gas and mineral resources, as well as for
increased political and economic rights.
Pamphlets have also been distributed all over
South Waziristan in which schools, colleges and
government institutes are urged not to celebrate
Pakistan's national day as a protest against the
on-going military operations in tribal areas and
economic sanctions imposed in the region. The Pakistani
army has inflamed feelings in the tribal areas by
attempting to hunt down foreign fighters and Afghan
resistance figures.
According to a press
statement issued by Hizbu Tehrir's London office to Asia
Times Online, "Hundreds of Muslims from all over the
United Kingdom will be attending demonstrations on
Saturday August 14 at Pakistani diplomatic missions
across the country." The demonstrations are set to take
place at the Pakistan High Commission in London, the
vice consular office in Birmingham and the consular
office in Bradford.
The demonstrations
"represent the united voice of the Muslim community in
Britain in support of those working sincerely for
political change in the Muslim world, particularly in
Pakistan", the statement said. The demonstrators "will
seek to highlight the true face of Pervez Musharraf's
'enlightened moderation' as well as the devastation and
true cost to Pakistan of the war on terror'".
Tribal troubles In the tribal areas
near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the Kabul
government has been working on different options for the
past two years to turn Pakistani tribes against
Islamabad and to induce them to ally themselves with
their original roots - Afghanistan. Recent signals
suggest that remarkable progress is being made in this
mission.
Tribal chiefs of South and North
Waziristan attended a loya jirga (tribal council)
in Afghanistan at the invitation of President Hamid
Karzai in which Karzai restored their titles and
honorary positions in the Afghan army that they enjoyed
a few decades ago for not declaring their loyalty to
Pakistan. Chiefs also came from Mahmond Agency, Bajur
and Orakzai agencies.
And in a strange
development, a few weeks ago residents near Mahmond
agency announced their "annexation" with Afghanistan.
The same announcement was made last year in a village in
Mahmond agency, after which skirmishes started between
the Pakistan army and Northern Alliance forces in
Afghanistan. The skirmishes continue.
Syed
Saleem Shahzad is Bureau Chief Pakistan, Asia Times
Online. He can be reached atsaleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
.
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