by Steve Lussing

Created on: March 06, 2008

The Pakistani Government like any other is an avowed opponent of civil unrest and social instability and accordingly has taken a declared position against terrorism. That being said, there are mitigating factors within Pakistan which compound the problems of international terrorism over which the government either has very little control or over which she is not taking an active enough role. This begs the question, "Is the Pakistani government doing enough to fight terrorism?".

Since the events of 9/11 there have been a steady increase in terrorist attacks in Pakistan growing dramatically over the last few years. In 2006, an estimated 907 people were killed and 1,543 people were injured in terrorist bombings. According to a Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) security report 3,448 casualties from 1,503 attacks and clashes occurred in 2007. Thus far this year to March 4, 2008, well over 250 people have been killed in attacks and many more injured.

When reviewing some basic statistics one is tempted to suggest that the Pakistani government is not doing enough overall to improve the lives of its large population of almost 165 million people, 97 percent of them Islamic. Almost one quarter of the total land area is arable. This represents almost 195,000 square kilometers. This agricultural potential and the extensive natural gas reserves and natural resources including coal, copper and limestone could contribute to the establishment of a much wealthier nation if the people were only better served. Currently, a majority of the population does not have access to potable water. The per capita gross domestic product is a relatively poor $2,600. To complicate matters, Pakistan has become a haven of sorts for Afghani refugees, harboring an estimated 1,084,208 displaced persons running from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and from the war in their front yards.

Naturally it is ludicrous to assume that the government of Pakistan is hindering the fight against terrorism much less facilitating the terrorist cause but it is not untoward to suggest that the government is simply too incompetent to wage an effective war against terrorism. By way of example, an effort to crack down on Islamic extremism and religious schools led to a July 19, 2005 raid on an all girls maddrassa which turned into a hopeless fiasco with the commandos being driven out by hysterical girls using whatever objects they could lay their hands on when they were caught without their veils. Police tear gas drove

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