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There were two big news for Pakistan on Aug. 30, 2007. In London, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced that he will return to his country on Sep. 10. In Waziristan, nearly three hundred armed and fully equipped soldiers abducted by scores of the Taliban.

These two events were a severe blow on the face of the weakening military regime. The first has a political aspect and the latter indicates the growing militancy which is spreading to big Pakistani cities every passing day.

The military regime used all available means to save its skin but it did not work due to strong opposition of political parties, the newly independent judiciary and, the most important, the U.S. government. A call was made by Codoleezza Rice in this regard last month when Gen. Musharraf was about to implement emergency.

There was a power-sharing talk between the military regime and Pakistan Peoples Party. If the talks succeed, surely Musharraf will lose his own faction of Muslim League as well as MMA, a six-party religious alliance which, according to many, was formed by the help of intelligence agencies.

However, the crisis will not end. To eliminate militancy is the top priority of the world community and Pakistani military is failed to do this job. If we comprise the eight years of Musharraf government and six years of War on Terror, we will find a terrible fact that militancy and terrorism has got more strength and ground both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In the past two years, intellectual and liberal elements continuously raised their voice about the ongoing situation and the fact that intelligence agencies and madrassas were supporting the militants. Neither Pakistan nor America listened to them. The result: Only twenty Taliban abducted three hundred armed soldiers and took them as hostages.

Also I think that it is just another drama of Pakistani intelligence agencies. A remix of Kandahar in Waziristan. If you remember, a Pakistani covey was 'looted' by the newly emerged Taliban in Kandahar. In fact, that 'loot' drama was staged to provide arms, ammunitions and other equipment to the Taliban. May be the same is happening in Waziristan.

So, if it is a drama then it will bring more dire consequences because it will enable the Taliban and other terrorist organisations to get more strength, to kill more people, and, at last, to capture some big cities of Northern Western Frontier Province where the mullahs are in search of new issues to befool the people with and win the next election.

This situation reveals that the country is in a political crisis and the threat of militancy is getting bigger. The only cure is a true democratic government.

Learn more about this author, Abdulhadi Hairan.
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