Pakistan's Scary 'Talibanist' Threat, Threatens its Future

Pakistan, one of the US key allies on the war on terror, is being threatened by Islamist terrorism, at a level that is too close to comfort for the Musharraf regime. A chief cleric of the radical Lal Masjid mosque in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, plans to introduce an Islamic court system and warned that if the government tries to suppress them, it would face the wrath of suicide bombers. The Pakistani government announced that they will not allow them to threaten the government, but at the same time were no where to be seen in front of the mosque where extremist jihadi propaganda was handed out.

The cleric, Maulana Abdul Aziz , has given the government a deadline of one month to close down all video, music shops, brothels and bordellos, or they will do it themselves.- Khaleej Times It is not the first time the Pakistani government had problems with clerics of Lal Masjid. They have called for Musharraf's assassination. After the 7/7 bombings in London, the Pakistani military attempted to raid the mosque but was beaten back by its female students. The government announced plans to dismantle the mosque but was confronted by its students who took over Islamabad's only children's library.- The Times

The events happening in Islamabad should not be suprising. Pakistan has been known to be quietly supporting the Taliban against the Karzai government of Afghanistan (mainly because they believe it would be under its sphere of influence and that Karzai is pro-India). It is believe by many intelligence services that most of the Taliban's leaders are living in the Pakistani regional capital of Quetta, not far from the Afghan border. The tribal provinces along its border with Afghanistan are known for its very conservative, pro-Taliban, and anti-American views. It would be naive for the Pakistani government not to realize that Islamic radicalism spreads like an airborne cancer, through firebrand clerics and pamphlets, as well as by the madrassas, that the government have not closed down. Another issue is the up and coming parliamentary and presidential elections, which Musharraf is leaning on the Islamists for support.- The Times

The US must have plans ready in case nuclear power, Pakistan, falls to the Islamists, otherwise the war on terror will in jeopardy.