Pakistan’s Bhutto under house arrest; Swat falling to the Taliban

President Pervez Musharraf continues to consolidate his power in Pakistan as the Taliban consolidates its power in the Northwest Frontier Province.

The government is cracking down on the political opposition after overturning the constitution last weekend. In the latest move against opposing political parties, Pakistani police surrounded Benazir Bhutto’s home. Bhutto has placed under house arrest. Meanwhile, Musharraf has promised to conduct elections by February 15.

Musharraf also stated he would step down as chief of staff of the armed forces after his ascendancy to president is secured. “Whenever the court would allow for the notification of results that would be the time when I could take oath as president and remove the uniform,” Musharraf told the Pakistani media. Musharraf overturned the constitution after the previous court was preparing to rule against his recent election as president while serving as the top military officer.

In Swat in the Northwest, the Taliban have taken more territory as soldiers are abandoning their posts or surrendering. Sixty Frontier Constabulary paramilitary soldiers surrendered to the Taliban after a police station was overrun in the town of Matta. In Kabal, two police were killed and five were wounded in an IED attack.

The Taliban overran a police outpost in the Shangla hills and took over the Pakistan-Austria Training Institute for Hotel Management in Charbagh. The Taliban torched a police station in Khwazakhel and “announced a punishment of 15 lashes for anyone not offering prayers in Matta tehsil.”

The Taliban have overrun much of Swat. “Out of the eight tehsils [an equivalent to a township] in Swat district, the militants are now in control of six – Kabal, Matta, Khawazakhela, Charbagh, Maydan and Kalam,” the Daily Times reported. “According to Online, the militants have appointed officials in the towns they control and seized government and NGO vehicles.”

The Taliban have also destroyed the statue of Buddha in the Jihan Abad region. “This is second attack on the seventh century statue of Buddha. The fresh attack caused irreparable loss to its head and also damaged its shoulders,” said the Deputy Curator of the Swat Museum.

In Peshawar, the provincial capital of the Northwest Frontier Province, a suicide bomber killed four police in an attack on the home of Amir Muqam, the federal minister for political affairs.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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3 Comments

  • RP says:

    Seems like a classic struggle is being waged in our beloved Pakistan: Body, Mind, and Soul.
    Does the Greek notion of “Sophrosene” come into play here?

  • Rhyno327/lrsd says:

    Lisa is right. That dog Musharraff has ceded the NWFP to the t-ban/AQ and is no longer governed by p-stan. Its run by our mortal enemies. Legally, we may be in the right if we struck the camps, houses etc. in a massive air strike, followed up by air-assault or para drops to clean up. Then we get back on our choppers and leave. We won’t coz it will inflame the p-stani populace-for now. If Bhutto gets her way, the party’s on. There will be no stable A-stan if the status quo continues. Eventually, we will HAVE to do it.

  • A question:

    If a US-hostile government takes power in Pakistan, what happens to the US/NATO logistical tail for Afghanistan? I assume that the vast bulk of supplies for Afghanistan comes by sea through Karachi, and that even the airlift capability relies on overflight rights through Pakistani airspace. Is there a supply line that can be spun up through the Central Asian republics that will work?

Iraq

Islamic state

Syria

Aqap

Al shabaab

Boko Haram

Isis