Thursday, April 30, 2009
Pakistan: The Taliban are running a couple in front of the camera, by Francis Chartrand
Telegraph: The execution of a couple accused of adultery by the Taliban is filmed
They had a sordid death, riddled with bullets by the Taliban in a field near their home, their execution was filmed with a mobile phone.
In these images that the Pakistanis have watched with horror, the couple tried to escape after he realized what was about to happen. But a gunman slaughters nonchalantly man and woman in a burst of gunfire in the back, leaving them bloody in the dust.
Moments later, when individuals present at the execution shout they are still alive, the gunman returned and complete coldly by other bursts.
Their "crime" was an alleged liaison in their remote village in the mountains controlled by militants in a region that until recently was under government control. Such barbarism has increased across Pakistan with the rise of the Taliban.
But now that the men in black turbans are almost on the outskirts of Islamabad, the images showed few Pakistanis living in cities which could now expect.
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chief of the major arms of the United States, warned that Islamic extremists could take over the country.
In recent days, the images were circulated among the Pakistanis, who normally showed little interest in the brutal practices of the remote border regions.
They are now beginning to wake up to the fear that rebels in those regions that are linked to Al-Qaeda could take control of their nation.
The execution occurred in the district of Hangu, in the province of North West Frontier (PFNO), about two hours drive from Peshawar, the regional capital. The couple was executed by a local group of Pakistani Taliban, the Islamic militia that swept the PFNO in its march towards the capital Islamabad.
"The Taliban are strong and confident, the government is weak and hesitant," said Pervez Hoodbhoy, a professor at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad and one of the leading intellectuals of Pakistan.
"A victory for the Taliban reduce our women to slavery, destroy the rich historical and cultural heritage of Pakistan, will make education and science impossible, and the lives of citizens will be incredibly difficult. Some are already planning an exodus. "
Pakistan is now on the verge of the abyss and risk anarchy. The agreement signed with the desperate Taliban in Swat appears near collapse. The result will almost certainly be violence. Saturday morning, an army convoy en route to Swat was arrested by the Taliban and forced to turn in an open demonstration of their power.
The peace agreement appears to have only emboldened them. Many people think that a bloody military operation now seems inevitable.
Those living in the regions fell into the hands of the Taliban are terrified by the cruelty of their administration.
A text message sent SOS Friday terrified by a resident of a region called Swat Bahrain, said that the Taliban have established full control. Asking not to be named for fear of reprisals, he said they have set up checkpoints at the entrance to Bahrain where they kidnap who they want, including young women.
"They even warned the schools to close classes for girls, otherwise the consequences would be terrible. But the government says it has jurisdiction over Swat.
Another resident of Swat, said: "Every day I see armed Taliban movement. At the time of prayer, if they see someone in his shop or walking on the street, they strike with a stick."
The Pakistani Taliban, clones of the extremist movement in Afghanistan, has long controlled the tribal region along the Afghan border, a haven for militants, including al Qaeda. But it is progressing towards the center of the country which has shocked ordinary Pakistanis and the world. And the threat comes not only from the Taliban to the west. Islamic extremists, who are not part of the Taliban movement, are already firmly established in Islamabad and across the Punjab, the most populous province, apparently ready to show their time.
Islamabad's defenses were fortified emergency and paramilitary troops have been stationed on the Margalla hills overlooking the city from the west. In the capital, the radical Red Mosque has thousands of followers, and there are now open calls for Islamic revolution in Friday sermons.
"The Taliban will not stop in Swat. They will go to Islamabad," said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a military analyst based in Lahore. "If the army is taking action against them, it will be a bloody battle. And the civilian government will be aside."
"Extremist groups based in Islamabad will emerge from the inside and they (the Taliban) will increase the pressure from outside."
The video Pakistanis watching their shows what they can expect. A local journalist was invited to attend the execution, and he filmed with his mobile phone to the Pakistani channel Dawn News. The Sunday Telegraph shows the sequence to the West for the first time.
The two victims are not named.
"The use of media is part of their (the Taliban) psychological warfare," said Imtiaz Gul, president of the Center for Research and Security Studies, an independent think tank in Islamabad. "In this way, they spread fear in the minds of those who would oppose them, reducing the majority of people to silence."
After the couple was killed, families were told to remove the body for burial. The punishment was administered by a local group linked to Pakistani Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud.
Source: Taliban gunmen shooting dead for adultery couple caught on camera, Telegraph, 26 April 2009
Labels: Francis Chartrand, Islam, Pakistan, Religion and fanaticism, Sharia
# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 10:53 AM 
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