Pakistan and the Growing Threat of a Sharia Mini-State

By Jeffrey Imm

The Pakistan Taliban (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan or TTP) is in the process of gaining territory and power within Pakistan, as a result of numerous "peace treaties" and agreements to empower the Taliban to enforce an anti-freedom theocracy based on Sharia law in Pakistan. This is a critical American national security issue that requires revisiting the very ideologies that provide the foundation for jihadist action itself, and answering difficult questions regarding the role of Sharia law and the reliability of Islamic republics in a global war against jihad.

1. Multi-Level Threat from Pakistan Requiring Strategic Planning

The American national security challenge in the nuclear-armed Islamic Republic of Pakistan includes the Taliban, but is not limited to Taliban efforts to create a Sharia mini-state. What these current efforts by the Taliban highlight is the larger, national challenges with a Sharia ideology supported by many of the Pakistani people and by members of the Pakistan government that affects their vision towards fighting Jihad and also that affects Pakistan international relations on peace and on freedom itself.

1.1. Ongoing Negotiations with Taliban towards Sharia Mini-State

Recently, there have been negotiations and agreements between the Pakistan Taliban (or tribal leaders including Taliban representatives) and Pakistan governments in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), both of which are in the northwestern area of Pakistan. Pakistan has seen 4,500 killed in terrorist attacks over the past year and a half, and the Pakistan NWFP and FATA governments view agreements with the Pakistan Taliban as the solution to end the violence and find peace in their areas.

One of the central agreements over the past month has been for Taliban-managed Sharia within the NWFP area of Swat. Most recently, on June 9, 2008, the Pakistan federal government expressed frustration with Taliban's continued jihadist activities and has threatened to nullify the Swat agreement. The Pakistan NWFP government that made this agreement with the Taliban is denouncing such comments by the Pakistan federal government, and ensuring the Taliban that their Swat agreement is still valid. Should the Pakistan federal government disregard the NWFP-Taliban agreement, the Pakistan Taliban has promised to "turn cities of settled areas into battlefields" and would "open new fronts against the government."

The issue remains unsettled within Pakistan, but this article will show the extent of the Taliban's current progress in creating Sharia courts and punishments within NWFP and FATA which may not quickly be undone, as well as the frequent nurturing and appeasement of the Taliban found within Pakistan government history that questions whether any near-term change in policy against the Taliban will have effective long-term results.

Pakistan NWFP and FATA negotiations with the Taliban have included plans for the Taliban to enforce Sharia law throughout various parts of Pakistan northwest. Should the Taliban ultimately succeed in its efforts to create a Sharia-based mini-state within Pakistan based on the NWFP and FATA northwestern regions, it would have a population equivalent to the state of Florida. It is likely that the Taliban would use such a base for further assimilation of Pakistan and for larger jihadist activity both within Pakistan and around the world. The Pakistan Taliban leader has sought the use of nuclear weapons to use against its enemies: "the Jews and the Christians." But such Taliban military activities are only one aspect of a multi-level threat from Pakistan.

1.2. The Strategic Issue of Sharia in Pakistan and America's National Security

Regardless of whether the Taliban is successful or not in its near-term efforts towards building a Sharia mini-state within Pakistan, the larger strategic issue that American political leadership must face is the massive support for "strict Sharia law" within Pakistan as an anti-freedom ideology. The Pakistan Taliban and their supporters are drawn from among the Pakistan people. While some may disavow the Taliban's terrorist tactics as "extreme," the Sharia ideology that the Taliban is fighting to enforce in Pakistan remains a shared value among the majority of Pakistanis. An assumption that such Sharia support is only from the "mad mullahs" of the Pakistan Taliban would be very mistaken.

In consistent national polls in August 2007 and January 2008, nearly 75% of the Pakistan population stated that they seek the government to implement "strict Sharia law." Pakistan has Sharia courts in its federal government, and it must never be forgotten that Pakistan is an Islamic republic - a nuclear-armed Islamic republic, with an estimated 60 nuclear weapons. While the current Pakistan law for "blasphemy" has resulted in the death penalty and torture of non-Muslims, this approach towards Islamic "blasphemy" is one that the Pakistan government has repeatedly sought to export to the international community, including the United Nations, calling for an international death penalty for Islamic "blasphemy".

This widespread support of "strict Sharia law" is even seen in Pakistan government ambassadors to other nations, with the Pakistan ambassador to Denmark stating, in effect, that the Danish embassy bombing is the fault of its people, and the Pakistan ambassador to Norway stating that cartoons represent "an act of terrorism." Moreover, the Pakistan government is demanding that the European Union restrict freedom of speech and press to prevent such future "blasphemy." Such an ideological position by Western-dressed, fluent, and globe trotting Pakistan government leaders and diplomats represents a deeper challenge within Pakistan than merely the Taliban. They represent an anti-freedom ideological challenge that American national leadership refuses to even acknowledge or define, let alone address from a national security perspective.

1.3. Planning, Not Patience, Needed in Fighting Growth of Pakistani Jihad and Sharia

American national leadership is calling for "patience" in the view of these developments, and ignoring the larger issue of widespread Pakistan national support for Sharia, as an ideological view of the Jihadist threat is not clearly understood. As the RAND Corporation is reporting on Pakistan intelligence providing support for Taliban operations in Afghanistan, various U.S. military and government leaders are urging "patience" with Pakistan in its dealings with the Taliban.

On June 9, 2008, AKI reported that U.S. Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff "stressed the need for strong relationships with coalition partners such as Pakistan." On June 6, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley "has urged patience with Pakistan, as the new government develops a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy." On June 6, 2008, Pakistan Dawn reported U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen stating that "Pakistan's army is 'fighting bravely' against terrorism." On May 31, 2008, Pakistan News reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Gates stating that "Pakistan and the US remain steadfast allies, and Pakistan's military is fighting bravely against terrorism."

While supporting the effort of the Pakistan military, Admiral Mullen was also reported in the June 11, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times as stating: "I believe fundamentally that if the US is going to get hit, it is going to come out of the planning of the leadership in FATA...That is a threat to us that must be dealt with." This will certainly require more than "patience," and will also require that American government leadership honestly assess the ideology of the enemy.

The challenge remains, however, that the reactive U.S. policy towards Pakistan and towards a global war against jihad in general lacks a strategic plan that defines the enemy, defines the enemy's ideology, and provides a comprehensive approach towards both a physical war and a war of ideas. The calls for patience should instead be calls for strategic planning, especially towards an Islamic republic like Pakistan where American taxpayers have been providing $1 billion a year. The repeated polls showing massive Pakistani public support for "strict Sharia law" are not even considered as a factor in American national security planning in Pakistan.

In addition to such government calls for "patience" with Pakistan by these U.S. government leaders, the May 29, 2008 Washington Times published an editorial "Hear out Pakistan" that references its May 29 interview with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, where he makes a series of apparently unrebutted points that: (1.) U.S. is to blame for Pakistani "extremists," (2.) Pakistan is only engaging tribal leaders, not the Taliban in peace talks, (3.) Pakistan has "zero tolerance" for terrorism, and (4.) U.S. should respect its "shared values" with Pakistan. The unfortunate fact is that none of these points are accurate, as I will detail in the following paragraphs.

The American public must face the larger challenges of a pro-Sharia, nuclear Pakistan, without illusions or denial, and make sound decisions based on the facts of Pakistan's past support for the enemy Taliban, current support for the Taliban in some parts of Pakistan, and widespread Pakistan public and government support for the ideology that is the objective of the Taliban's jihad.

2. The Fallacy that the U.S. is to Blame for Pakistani Jihad

In his May 29, 2008 Washington Times interview, Pakistani politican Asif Ali Zardari states: "In this young century, dictatorship has been sustained under the guise of a so-called war on terror. All that has been accomplished is to strengthen the extremists and turn the people of our nation away from the United States."

Certainly, it requires no logical strain to imagine that the definition of the word "extremist" would differ among people, especially between a member of a political party in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and a citizen in a pluralistic democracy such as the United States. But because most Americans want to believe that other people in the world think like they do, many readily assume that everyone agrees on what and who is an "extremist." As discussed in a previous article, Osama Bin Laden is also against "extremists"; this demonstrates the uselessness of a foreign policy based on fighting or containing "extremists." In fact, the use of the word "extremists" by Westerners is a massive dodge to address the issue of Jihad or Islamic ideologies. This state of denial is especially convenient for Pakistani politicians.

But when we honestly look at the issue of growth of Jihadists in Pakistan, this is not the blame of the American "war on terror," as Mr. Zardari asserts to the Washington Times. The blame lies clearly at the feet of the Pakistan government and its people, including his political party, the PPP.

2.1. Pakistan's History of Support for the Taliban

Unclassified U.S. documents revealed over the past several years in the National Security Archives show:
-- "Pakistan's covert effort to supply Pashtun troops from its tribal regions to the Taliban cause in Afghanistan-effectively forging and reinforcing Pashtun bonds across the border and consolidating the Taliban's severe form of Islam throughout Pakistan's frontier region" - per Electronic Briefing Book No. 227
-- "[I]n the weeks following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 1996, Pakistan's intelligence agency was 'supplying the Taliban forces with munitions, fuel, and food.'" - per Electronic Briefing Book No. 227
-- In the 1990s, "Pakistan Provided Millions of Dollars, Arms, and 'Buses Full of Adolescent Mujahid' to the Taliban" - per Taliban File Part III
-- "For Pakistan, a Taliban-based government in Kabul would be as good as it can get in Afghanistan," a state department briefing paper, dated January 1997 -- per August 16, 2007 Guardian report
-- "The documents illustrate that throughout the 1990's the ISI [Pakistani intelligence] considered Islamic extremists to be foreign policy assets," Barbara Elias, a National Security Archive researcher -- per August 16, 2007 Guardian report
-- All of these actions pre-date Musharraf's assumption as president in 1999

This shows that Pakistan's support in establishing the Taliban that is the root of their current problems today, as the Taliban also believes that Pakistan itself is insufficiently "Islamic." Pakistan nurtured the Taliban Jihadists that it currently must appease. As has been reported for some time, the Taliban's initial goal in Pakistan is to implement and enforce Sharia law throughout all of Pakistan.

Mr. Zardari's claim that a U.S.-sponsored "dictatorship" in Pakistan is the source of "extremists" is also less than forthcoming regarding the administration of his wife, Benazir Bhutto, in the 1990s, and its role in supporting the Taliban. The leader of the Pakistan political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Maulana Fazl ur-Rehman, was a political ally of Benazir Bhutto and the PPP of which Mr. Zardari is co-chairman. According to Tahir Amin in his "Case Study on Pakistan's Recognition of Taliban", under the Benazir Bhutto administration: "The Deeni Madressahs led by the JUI (F) provided the manpower. Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, a close ally of the PPP who had been made the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs, also played a key role in garnering the support for the Taliban in the corridors of power. Various Pakistani governmental organisations like the PTCL, Railway, PIA and Ministry of Communications provided the infrastructural assistance to the Taliban. The ISI began to provide military supplies, logistical support, technical know how and the extensive knowledge of the Afghan situation."

This same political ally in the Bhutto administration, Maulana Fazl ur-Rehman, has been reported in January 2008 stating that he would continue to lead "efforts for the implementation of a true Islamic system" in Pakistan and cited his "achievements" in the NWFP, and promotion of Sharia. Per Global Security, Maulana Fazlur Rehman is a well-known "defender of the interests of the Taliban in the grand Deobandi alliance mostly spearheaded by the jihadi militia."

2.2. Pakistan's Recent History of Taliban Appeasement

During Pakistan President Musharraf's period in office, the position of the Pakistan government and its people regarding the Taliban has also been inconsistent, and such inconsistencies have certainly not been any part of a "war on terror" as Mr. Zardari tells the Washington Times. Examples of such inconsistencies include:
-- April 2004 peace agreement with Taliban commander Nek Muhammad Wazir
-- February 2005 peace agreement on South Waziristan with Wazir's successor, Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud
-- September 2006 North Waziristan Accord, as reported by BBC "Pakistan has signed a deal with pro-Taleban militants" - including a report by the September 15, 2006 Daily Telegraph that "Pakistani lawyers acting for the militants claim they have freed 2,500 foreigners who were originally held on suspicion of having links to al-Qa'eda or the Taliban over the past four years"
-- August 2007 Musharraf jirga to help "mainstream" the Taliban into a political party, with the Pakistan Daily Times summarizing his views as "Musharraf says not all Taliban terrorists"
-- February 2008 agreement with tribes in North Waziristan permitting Taliban and Al-Qaeda to remain
-- May 2008 agreement to implement Taliban-managed Sharia in 7 districts of North West Frontier Province (NWFP)
-- May 2008 NWFP government peace deal with Taliban for the NWFP Swat region
-- May 2008 peace deal with Taliban for Mohmand region in Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)
-- Ongoing negotiations for surrender to Taliban in FATA's South Waziristan and Darra Adam Khel
-- Ongoing discussions with Taliban to implement Taliban-managed Sharia in the Pakistan FATA
-- Pakistani soldiers deserting because they question if it is "Islamic" to fight against Taliban forces, and Pakistani soldiers surrendering to the Taliban stating they don't want to fight against Taliban's goals to implement Sharia
-- Reported instances of Taliban support among the Pakistani public, retired ISI
-- Increasing visibility of Taliban in public, in major Pakistani cities, with Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud holding a public news conference

In fact, the history of Pakistan's nurturing and frequent appeasement of the Taliban is troubling, at best. In between waves of fighting Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and other jihadists in Pakistan, a series of Pakistan government moves to accommodate and appease the Taliban have taken place. What is most worrisome is that this approach to appeasement of the Taliban is fast becoming the primary approach of the Pakistan government towards them, based on goals to reach "peace deals" with the Taliban in the northwestern areas of Pakistan.

From an American national security perspective, based on the U.S. September 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), the Taliban organization clearly should be viewed as an enemy of the United States. Under the AUMF, "the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."

The definition of the "Pakistan Taliban" as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) organization does not change the nature of their link to the same Taliban enemy organization, which would have fallen within the AUMF war guidelines as an enemy of the United States. The January 2008 Combating Terrorism Center report on the Pakistan Taliban references how "Pakistan's indigenous Taliban" are engaging NATO forces. If the Pakistan government effectively provides a "harbor" for the Taliban in its northwestern regions, the U.S. government has the authority (and the moral responsibility) to act on this, according to the AUMF.

In addition, another report states that Pakistan intelligence officials have been directly helping the Taliban in Afghanistan.

2.3. RAND Study: Pakistan Helped Taliban Insurgents

Consistent with pro-Taliban support within Pakistan, a recent study also states that the Pakistan ISI intelligence organization has also provided intelligence to Taliban in Afghanistan to thwart U.S. and NATO efforts. This June 9, 2008 study "Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan - RAND Counterinsurgency Study -- Volume 4" was written by Seth G. Jones of the RAND Corporation.

In this study, Mr. Jones states on page 56 (page 76 electronic copy) that:

"Some active and former Pakistan government officials from organizations such as the ISI and Frontier Corps provided logistical support to the Taliban and helped secure medical care for wounded insurgents in cities such as Quetta. They also helped train Taliban and other insurgents destined for Afghanistan and Kashmir in Quetta, Mansehra, Shamshattu, Parachinar, and other areas within Pakistan. To minimize its visibility, these individuals appeared to supply indirect assistance -- including financial assistance -- to Taliban training camps. NATO officials uncovered several instances in which ISI operatives provided intelligence to Taliban insurgents at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. This included tipping off Taliban forces about the location and movement of Afghan and coalition forces, which undermined several U.S. and NATO anti-Taliban military operations."

It has been frequently reported that Pakistan Taliban members are engaged in military operations in Afghanistan. What the RAND report states is that such Pakistan Taliban are also getting the Pakistan's government intelligence support.

As recently as June 7, 2008, the Pakistan News reported that 18 of Pakistan Taliban Commander Baitullah Mehsud's men were killed in a recent Afghanistan bombing.

2.4. Pakistan's Islamic Roots in Supporting Jihad

The challenge of Pakistani jihad also has roots within Islamic ideologies that Pakistanis and Muslims around the world must address. The excuse used by Mr. Zardari, of a U.S. supported Pakistani "dictatorship" as the reason for Pakistani jihad, also fails the scrutiny of what Jihadists actually seek in Pakistan and why. An Islamic republic like Pakistan cannot continue to ignore the basis of such calls for Jihad, when they are based on references to the Qur'an and references to Sharia law within Pakistan.

In an interview with a BBC Urdu-speaking reporter, Pakistan Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud stated that "Allah on 480 occasions in the Holy Qur'an extols Muslims to wage jihad. We only fulfill God's orders. Only jihad can bring peace to the world. We will continue our struggle until foreign troops are thrown out. Then we will attack them in the US and Britain until they either accept Islam or agree to pay jazia (a tax in Islam for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state)." Then Mehsud provided the BBC reporter with a copy of his Urdu language book "Why Jihad is a must."

As both BBC and NBC have reported, the Pakistan Taliban has repeatedly used their calls for jihad based on a goal of enforcing Sharia law throughout Pakistan. However, appeasing Taliban Jihadists by expanding the implementation of Sharia in Pakistan will not end such calls for Jihad. Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud was quoted on June 2, 2008 "Islam does not recognize boundaries," and NBC has reported that Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah uses his radio programs to call for the restoral of the Islamic caliphate. Osama Bin Laden has also stated this goal as "The greater state of Islam from the ocean to the ocean, Allah permitting."

In addition to the Taliban, other Pakistani Jihadist groups base their goals on furthering Islam, not frustration with U.S. supported "dictators", as Mr. Zardari claims. On April 23, 2008, MEMRI provided translations of Roznama Khabrain news on the Pakistani Lashkar-e-Islam group, whose goal is to "spread Islam throughout the world."

The report quotes the Lashkar-e-Islam leader as stating: "Allah revealed the Koran, which was not sent for any one particular region of the world. It was revealed for all of humanity. We are out to spread Islam throughout the world. Our objective is to impart the teachings of the Koran. There are 180,000 mujahideen in our organization.... If Islamic laws were followed in Pakistan, we would have to accept it. [But] if the laws of the Jews were followed, we would not accept it....Pakistan can progress only when the government and the people together work for the religion of Islam."

Clearly those trying to influence Pakistanis to take jihadist action also leverage Islam in Pakistan. In the September 20, 2007 Osama Bin Laden message to Pakistanis to "Come to Jihad," Bin Laden calls to Pakistani Muslims to adopt Jihad based on verses in the Islamic Qur'an. In Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri's July 11, 2007 message to Pakistanis, where he states "Muslims of Pakistan: your salvation is only through Jihad," Zawahiri calls to jihad the entire "Pakistani Ulema, and indeed, the Ulema in the rest of the Islamic world." Furthermore, a month before Pakistan President Musharraf called for the development of a "mainstream" Taliban political party, in his July 14, 2007 message, Osama Bin Laden calls for jihad based on quoting Muhammad based in Hadeeth Sunnah Sahih Bukhari, Book 52. Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihaad), specifically in Volume 4, Book 52, Number 54.

To pretend that Pakistan's Jihadist problem has nothing to do with Islam in Pakistan is to ignore documented facts and reports that proves that it does.

2.5. Claims that Pakistan's Jihad is America's Fault Make No Sense

Mr. Zadari's claim that Pakistan Jihadism is America's fault is shared among other Pakistanis who use this wild claim as propaganda to avoid the obvious problems among Pakistani Muslims. In August 2007, Dawn reported that the Pakistan Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan Niazi called Pakistan's effort to fight jihad as nothing more than "appeasement," and "said that events which followed the 9/11 incident proved that it was the brainchild of Jews. He said that according to holy Quran, Jews and Christians could never be friends of Muslims." Dawn also reported that Dr. Niazi was supported by comments for Pakistan to withdraw from the "war on terror" by Dr. Kausar Firdaus, Senator Shahid Bugti, and others.

On May 31, 2008, Pakistan's chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff committee Tariq Majeed told Reuters that, regarding the United States, "[w]e have common objectives, shared goals and common commitments, therefore I find no reason why we should not be close," but on May 28, 2008, the Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Jasarat reported that "Pakistan's Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid has said that Pakistan's cooperation with NATO forces deployed in Afghanistan and the military operation in the tribal districts of Pakistan has led to militancy in the country." Even Pakistan's military leaders, while claiming to be our allies, are publicly blaming NATO (which includes America) for its own jihadist problem.

That's our "ally" Pakistan - who is certain to blame jihadist growth in Pakistan on the U.S., NATO, or anyone else but itself. The first part of a coherent U.S. foreign policy with Pakistan would be to end this denial. As long as the U.S. government and the American media continue to enable this denial, the problem will only continue to grow.

3. The Fallacy that Pakistan is only engaging tribal leaders, not the Taliban in peace talks

In the May 29, 2008 Washington Times interview, Asif Ali Zardari states: "The government of Pakistan will never negotiate with terrorists, but we fully intend to engage tribal leaders who have been abandoned by the previous government and have been co-opted by extremists by intimation and coercion." This statement is clearly refuted by repeated reports on Pakistan negotiations with the Taliban, past and present.

Per MEMRI's report, on May 16, 2008, the Pakistani NWFP government, Pakistani Taliban, and the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammad finalized an agreement for the implementation of Sharia in the NWFP province's seven districts: Malakand, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Chitral, with "Taleban Ulema to Guide Police Stations, Shari'a Courts." On June 2, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that the "Taliban in Swat on Sunday set up their own court in the Piochar village of Matta tehsil."

On May 22, 2008, the Pakistan Daily News reported that "Govt, Swat Taliban sign peace deal." On May 25, 2008, Dawn reported that "Government officials and local Taliban held a meeting on Saturday to monitor post-agreement developments in Swat... [where the] Taliban side was led by Muslim Khan, the spokesman for Maulana Fazlullah." On May 25, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times continued its reporting on "a [Swat] peace agreement between the government and the local Taliban." On May 26, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that: "Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said on Sunday that they intend to sue President Pervez Musharraf in the Federal Shariah Court for being responsible for the deaths of people at Jamia Hafsa and in the Tribal Areas, if their peace accord with the government succeed." On May 28, 2008, the Associated Press reported that "the government has signed a peace deal with a small Taliban militant group" regarding the Mohmand tribal region.

Just what part of "[t]he government of Pakistan will never negotiate with terrorists" do these actions represent, Mr. Zardari? How could either he or his interviewer be that unaware of world-wide reports on such Pakistan negotiations with the Taliban? Such negotiations certainly did not just start in 2008, as shown in previous paragraphs.

In addition, perhaps Mr. Zardari could also explain why some Pakistanis are angry with the Pakistan government for negotiating with the Taliban terrorists. Per the May 30, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times report, the "Swat Peace accord signed between the NWFP government and the local Taliban led by Maulana Fazlullah is a compromise with those challenging the writ of the state and responsible for killings of innocent people, speakers at a conference focusing on peace in the country concluded on Thursday." The report continues: "Veteran politician and leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) from Swat district Afzal Khan said that locals were not consulted before the signing of the agreement with the Taliban. Khan was injured and two of his family members were killed in an attack by the militants a few months ago. He said, 'It is strange that the situation is same in Swat, while jirgas are being held in Peshawar.'" Is this Mr. Zardari's idea of making sure the tribal people are fully engaged in such negotiations?

Denying the reality of such Pakistan negotiations with terrorists is dangerous for both Pakistan and the United States. Per Daveed Gartenstein-Ross' May 31, 2008 article, "the current negotiations are likely to bolster the Taliban and al-Qaeda -- and create a more dangerous situation for Pakistan, for coalition forces in Afghanistan, and for U.S. citizens who will face an elevated risk of a catastrophic terrorist attack." Accepting Pakistan's denial on such negotiations only compounds the challenge in developing an American security strategy on this matter.

4. The Fallacy that Pakistan has "zero tolerance" for terrorism

In the May 29, 2008 Washington Times interview, Asif Ali Zardari states: "There will be zero tolerance for terrorism anywhere. We have tried confrontation; we have tried battling them; we have also tried ignoring them. It is now time to engage them." It is amazing that such a clear contradiction was not readily confronted by the Washington Times. How can Pakistan have "zero tolerance for terrorism" when it chooses "to engage" terrorists?

4.1. The Pakistan Taliban's Growing Influence in "Zero Tolerance" Pakistan

Earlier in this article, I have described the Pakistan government's and Pakistan people's "tolerance" and even support for the Taliban, both past and present. How does Mr. Zardari explain this as part of Pakistan's "zero tolerance"? How does such a history warrant calls for "patience" by the National Security Advisor Hadley, U.S Defense Secretary Gates, the Washington Times, and others?

As the New York Times reported on June 2, 2008 regarding Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, "the Pakistani government, which at times has considered Mehsud an ally and is now fearful of his power, appears reluctant to hunt him down. Days before his news conference, Pakistani forces pulled back from his realm in South Waziristan as part of the peace deals. Local Pakistani authorities say they are helpless to deal with Mehsud's group. In a measure of their despair, on Wednesday the authorities in the Mohmand district, where the conference and public execution were held, announced a truce with the Taliban." Does that sound like "zero tolerance for terrorism anywhere"?

As a reminder, this is the same Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, whose Taliban will be enforcing Sharia law in Pakistan NWFP districts (and likely in FATA as well), who calls for Jihad based on the Qur'an, who seeks to restore an Islamic caliphate, whose Taliban calls for Pakistanis to join them against the United States, who seeks jihad attacks on the United States. MEMRI has also translated a recent Al-Jazeera report which suggests that Mehsud seeks to use Pakistan's nuclear weapons against their enemies "the Jews and the Christians." Mehsud decries that the Pakistan "army does not adhere to its nuclear weapon," and that "Pakistan should use these weapons… to challenge the enemies… the Jews and the Christians are among our sworn enemies and Allah willing, we will fight them to the end." This Taliban leader, who holds public press conferences in Pakistan, represents the fallacy of Mr. Zardari's claim that Pakistan has "zero tolerance for terrorism."

4.2. Misleading Reports on Pakistani Impatience with Jihadist Violence

While AKI reports that in Pakistan "support for al-Qaeda is reportedly broadening, not only among the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani tribes that deny Bin Laden's presence in the area," other media suggest that Pakistani people are growing impatience with jihadist violence.

In its June 9, 2008 edition, Newsweek's religious news section reports that "[m]any states, even those like Pakistan or Saudi Arabia that have tolerated radicalism in the past, have come to see that their own stability depends on encouraging greater moderation," and "in Pakistan... support for Muslim radicals has plummeted." It is noteworthy that this is the same Newsweek, whose news division on October 29 reported its cover story on Pakistan as "Where the Jihad Lives Now," and that "Islamic militants have spread beyond their tribal bases, and have the run of an unstable, nuclear-armed nation." Not surprisingly, Newsweek's religious news writers in the June 9 issue make no mention of the growth of Sharia in Pakistan or the growing influence of the Taliban.

What might have influenced the June 9, 2008 Newsweek religious news report is an updated national poll of the Pakistani people by Terror Free Tomorrow in January 2008. A similar national poll was done in August 2007. The headline of the results of the January 2008 poll was that titled "Pakistani Support for Al Qaeda, Bin Laden Plunges." When looking at the detailed poll results, however, the conclusions are much less clear. The differences between "favorable" results alone on the Taliban and Al Qaeda are significant. In August 2007, the poll showed Pakistani favorable support of 37.7 percent for the Taliban (Q17b), and favorable support of 33.2 percent for Al Qaeda (Q17a). In January 2008, the poll showed Pakistani favorable support of 18.7 percent for the Taliban (Q13k), and favorable support of 18 percent for Al Qaeda (Q13a).

The surface conclusion is that such support dropped by half during this period. In fact, while some support definitely did decrease over this period, a significant increase was also made in the "Refused/Don't Know" categories of these polls. In August 2007, the poll showed Pakistani "Refused/Don't Know" answer to the question of support of 23.8 percent for the Taliban (Q17b), and 23.5 percent for Al Qaeda (Q17a). In January 2008, the poll showed Pakistani "Refused/Don't Know" answer to the question of support of 43.9 percent for the Taliban (Q13k), and 33 percent for Al Qaeda (Q13a). While the January 2008 poll's headline could have been "Pakistanis who won't respond to poll on Taliban doubles," the perception is only that Pakistanis are turning against the Taliban ideology, while at the very same time the Taliban continues to grow in strength and influence in Pakistan. The presumed 50 percent decrease in support for the Taliban is actually based on a response from barely over half of those polled in January 2008. Moreover, to provide context for the presumed minimum 18.7 percent of Pakistanis that the poll states support the Taliban, this would translate into between 31,659,100 and 33,660,000 individuals.

With 250 bombings in Pakistan already in 2008, it may indeed be "logical" that some Pakistanis may not wish violence to continue in their country, affecting their fellow countrymen. This could explain the perception of decreased support for the Taliban, due to their tactics. However, this does not necessarily mean the lack of support for the Taliban's ideology or lack of support for Jihad against non-Muslims elsewhere.

Western reporters on Islam and on Muslim views in Pakistan regarding "terrorism" fail to grasp that their Western views of subjective terms such as moderate, radical, extremist, terrorist -- may have a very different meaning (if any) and perception to citizens of an Islamic republic like Pakistan. MEMRI provides a translation of Roznama Jang's Urdu report on this very issue. The report quotes Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) Islamist leader Maulana Sufi Muhammad: "We are not progressives, democrats, moderates or extremists; but [we are] those Muslims who have been discussed in the Koran and Sunnat."

Another missed headline of the January 2008 Pakistan national poll remains that nearly 75% of its population polled consistently seeks the implementation of "strict Sharia law." This has remained a cornerstone of the Taliban's goals for Pakistan.

5. Do Pakistan and U.S. Have "Shared Values"?

In the May 29, 2008 Washington Times interview, Asif Ali Zardari states: "The U.S.-Pakistan relationship must be more than a military marriage of convenience. It must be based on shared values and mutual respect." But the starting point of Mr. Zardari's argument, that the United States and Pakistan truly have "shared values," remains an open question at best and is more likely the product of wishful thinking. The most critical national security issue for America on this subject is an honest assessment of the support for "strict Sharia law" within Pakistan, and what that means to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in dealing with groups like the Taliban.

5.1. Background on Sharia Principles

The Council on Foreign Relations' (CFR) March 2008 study "Islam: Governing Under Sharia" states that Sharia law is based on 4 primary sources: (1) the Islamic Qur'an; (2) "the hadith, or record of the actions and sayings of the Prophet Mohammed, whose life is to be emulated"; (3) "ijma, the consensus of Islamic scholars"; and (4) "qiyas, a kind of reasoning that uses analogies to apply precedents established by the holy texts to problems not covered by them."

Islamic scholar Robert Spencer further defines Sharia law as follows:
"The precepts of Sharia are derived from the commandments of the Quran and the Sunnah (the teachings and precedents of Muhammad as found in the reliable hadiths and the Sira). Together, the Quran and the Sunnah establish the dictates of Sharia, which is the blueprint for the good Islamic society. Because Sharia originates with the Quran and the Sunnah, it is not optional. Sharia is the legal code ordained by Allah for all mankind. To violate Sharia or not to accept its authority is to commit rebellion against Allah, which Allah's faithful are required to combat. There is no separation between the religious and the political in Islam; rather Islam and Sharia constitute a comprehensive means of ordering society at every level. While it is in theory possible for an Islamic society to have different outward forms -- an elective system of government, a hereditary monarchy, etc. -- whatever the outward structure of the government, Sharia is the prescribed content. It is this fact that puts Sharia into conflict with forms of government based on anything other than the Quran and the Sunnah."

The CFR's March 2008 study also states that:
"Sharia governs all aspects of life, from relations between men and women to ethics in business and banking. Some aspects of sharia have become part of modern legal codes and are enforced by national judicial systems, while others are a matter of personal conscience. Entirely secular law is not an option under a classical interpretation of Islam, experts say. 'In Islam, there is no separation between the secular and the sacred. The law is suffused with religion,' says David Powers, a professor of Islamic law and history at Cornell University."

National polls in Pakistan consistently show that the vast majority of the Pakistani people favor implementation of "strict Sharia law". Yet in today's Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Pakistan government currently has a division between secular law and Islamic law, including secular courts and Sharia courts. The Pakistan Taliban seeks to exploit this fault line in Pakistan's national identity to leverage terror as a tactic to first develop a Sharia mini-state in Pakistan, then to assimilate the rest of Pakistan into this Sharia-state, and finally to provide a reconstituted all-Sharia Pakistan as a base for further global jihad.

In Walid Phares' book "The War of Ideas," he states that [t]o the radical Islamists, it boils down to no laws other than the Sharia laws, and no Sharia laws except as interpreted by their ulemas and imams." In addition, Walid Phares states that "[t]he jihadist perception of the judicial branch is clear: it is an agency at the service of a higher authority, the caliphate, or whoever represents it until it is reestablished." (War of Ideas, Chapter 6, page 90.)

5.2. Shared Sharia Values of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan by Majority of Pakistanis

Polls consistently state that the vast majority of the people in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan seek to be governed by "strict Sharia law." This is a fundamental value difference with the United States. So while Mr. Zardari may insist that the United States and Pakistan should recognize their "shared values," the fact remains that our nations have widely divergent values that are not compatible. To start with, the United States is not an "Islamic republic."

Polls have shown that "strict Sharia law" truly represents the "shared values" among the majority of the Pakistani people. Polls in August 2007 and January 2008 have consistently shown that 75% of the Pakistani people seek the Pakistan government to implement strict Sharia throughout Pakistan.

In August 2007, Terror Free Tomorrow's Pakistan poll found that 76% of Pakistanis felt that "implementing strict Sharia law throughout Pakistan" was "important" for the Pakistan government (page 34, Question 16e). In January 2008, Terror Free Tomorrow's Pakistan poll found that 73.6% of Pakistanis felt that "implementing strict Sharia law throughout Pakistan" was "important" for the Pakistan government (page 31, Question 12g). Not surprisingly, there is no large percentage of "Refused/Don't Know" in this poll's category - only 6 to 10%. The views of the Pakistani people and the Pakistani government are quite clear on this.

If these poll numbers of individuals supporting "strict Sharia law" in Pakistan represented the actual Pakistan population count, this would be between 132,480,000 and 136,800,000 (based on the projected mid-2008 population of Pakistan of 180,000,000) -- equivalent to nearly half the population of the United States, and nearly double the entire population of Iran.

5.3. Sharia Already a Fundamental Part of Pakistan Governance

As an Islamic republic, Pakistan's constitution views its principles of freedom, equality, and justice to be "enunciated by Islam," so that "Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and Sunnah." Therefore, it is hardly surprising that Islamic law and Sharia are already part of Pakistan's governance as an Islamic republic; according to the Pakistan constitution "Islam shall be the State religion of Pakistan."

The Pakistan Constitution, Part VII, Chapter 3A requires a Federal Shariat Court in Pakistan. The role of this Pakistan federal court is to "examine and decide the question whether or not any law or provision of law is repugnant to the injunctions of Islam, as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet, hereinafter referred to as the Injunctions of Islam." In addition, Pakistan has a Sharia Appellate Bench within the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Yet in addition to such Sharia courts, Pakistan also has "secular" courts and laws, which currently represent the majority of the Pakistani legal system. As reported by the Voice of America, the Pakistan Federal Shariat Court has unsuccessfully challenged Pakistan secular law in the past, arguing that it should have sole jurisdiction under some cases which it felt should be tried under Sharia law. As an Islamic republic, Pakistan's current division between Islamic and secular law is representative of the larger challenges in determining Pakistan's national identity and its role within the international community.

5.4. Pakistan Sharia and Blasphemy

Another example of a key "value" difference between Pakistan and the United States is Pakistan's Sharia-based blasphemy law, which also provides an insight into the different world-views between the Pakistan and American people. Sharia-based laws within Pakistan include penalties for "blasphemy." The Pakistan Federal Shariat Court has ruled on issues of "blasphemy". Such laws have been used to oppress religious minorities in Pakistan and have resulted in their torture and sentencing to death.

On May 16, 2008, Dr. Robin Sardar was arrested for blasphemy after a mob attacked his home in Pakistan's Punjab province. Sardar's wife reported that the mob chanted "The punishment of the blasphemer is death." Section XV, Article 295-C of Pakistan's penal code states: "Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine."

On April 8, 2008, AP reported that Pakistani Muslim workers beat a Hindu man to death in Karachi for alleged blasphemy. Then less than a week later, the Times of India reported that his Hindu co-workers were prevented from going back to work at the Karachi factory.

Nor are these isolated incidents - many other reports attest to abuses under Pakistan's blasphemy law, and more importantly, the ideological world-view behind it, such as: "Mob and police torture Catholic man accused of blasphemy", "Seven Christians arrested in false blasphemy cases and men tortured to extract false confessions", "Muslims torture for hours Christian "blasphemer" now in jail", "Christian sentenced to death, lawyer threatened", "Pakistan's Christian Community Terrified Amid Calls for Execution".

On April 14, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times interviewed Pakistan Sunni scholar Mufti Sarfaraz Naeemi who stated that regarding the Pakistani blasphemy law: "We want such laws to exist at the international level so that anyone who commits blasphemy can be given the harshest punishment."

5.5. The Pakistan "Blasphemy" Mentality and International Relations

On April 29, 2008, the Urdu Roznama Express reported that the "Emir of Pakistan-based Islamist group Jamatud Dawa Professor Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has said that there is a need to wage jihad against the Western countries guilty of blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad." It quoted him as stating: "Hindus, Jews and crusaders have risen against the Muslims by publishing cartoons and films blasphemous of Islam's Prophet" at a conference attended by members of Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and organized by Jamatud Dawa, which is the new name for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group. (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) leader Maulana Fazl ur-Rehman was a member of the Benazir Bhutto administration, as mentioned in previous paragraphs.)

On June 2, 2008, Jihadists bombed the Danish Embassy in Pakistan. The Pakistan Daily Times reported that Pakistan government officials linked the embassy bombing with Danish press' publication of "blasphemous" cartoons of Muhammad: "This attack was not linked to any event in the country or the region, rather it was part of widespread outrage throughout the Islamic world against publishing blasphemous caricatures." Such officials also told the press that this attack was done by local Taliban "and would not impact the new government's talks with local Taliban." (On June 5, 2008, NEFA reported that Al-Qaeda's Abu al-Yazid released a communique claiming responsibility for the embassy attack, and threatened more such attacks.) Regardless of who was actually responsible for the bombing, the point here is that Pakistan government officials interviewed by the Pakistan Daily Times suggest that this Jihadist attack was self-inflicted by the Danish people.

The June 4, 2008 Copenhagen Post reports that the Pakistan ambassador to Denmark told them: "'It isn't just the people of Pakistan that feel they have been harassed by what your newspaper has begun,' she said. 'I'd like to know if your newspaper is satisfied with what it has done and what it has unleashed?'" In the world-view of the Pakistan ambassador, the embassy attack is the Danish press' blame, not the Jihadists' blame. Nor is the Pakistan ambassador to Denmark the only one using Pakistan's Islamic rules for "blasphemy" as the basis for international relations.

On June 7, 2008, the Islam in Europe blog summarized several June 6 Norwegian press reports on Pakistan's ambassador to Norway, Rab Nawaz Khan states that cartoons regarding Muhammad are "terrorism." Norwegian television channel 2 provided an online video of this Pakistan ambassador to Norway. In the June 6, 2008 TV 2 video report, the Pakistan ambassador to Norway states (in English) that regarding such cartoons "in a way I think it is an act of terrorism... [and that] it puts the life of Norwegian citizens in danger around the world."

One of the values of the TV 2 video is that it shows a clearly refined, western-tailored, well-spoken Pakistani who makes the argument (in English) that such "blasphemy" (in the form of a cartoon) is equivalent to "terrorism." Such comments by members of the Pakistan government, including globe-trotting diplomats, should be a wake-up call to American political leadership on Pakistan's values. Such comments are not just those of "mad mullahs" in the Pakistani streets. These are on-the-record comments to the press by representatives of the Pakistani government, described as America's "ally."

Such "anti-blasphemy" mentality is not only part of Pakistan law, it is also part of the view of international relations by members of the Pakistan government. On April 16, 2008, Dawn reported that the Pakistan National Assembly called for diplomatic and trade sanctions against the Netherlands for the online video "Fitna" by a Netherlands legislator, including demands for action by the United Nations. As one Pakistani legislator was quoted: the "West was intent on instigating the Ummah through blasphemous moves." In addition, the Pakistan National Assembly also sought to obtain United Nations action on Danish cartoons. As reported by the Pakistan Daily Times, the Pakistan National Assembly unanimously passed a government "resolution [that] condemned the reprinting of the controversial cartoons in Danish newspapers and demanded that the UN make a law suggesting capital punishment for blasphemy."

On June 8, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times also reported that "Pakistan will ask the European Union countries to amend laws regarding freedom of expression in order to prevent offensive incidents such as the printing of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad." The Pakistan government's approach to international relations is to bully Western nations into abandoning their freedoms. This shows once again the pervasive influence of Sharia throughout all of Pakistan, not only among the Taliban and the territories they seek to conquer.

Pakistan has long been a leading member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) seeking to influence the United Nations to pass a resolution against "Islamophobia" and "defamation of Islam." As I addressed in February 2008, the OIC further attempted to shape a U.N. resolution on "Islamophobia" to resolve that individuals did not have the right to change their religion, and when this effort failed, the OIC nations abstained from this December U.N. resolution, as accepting such freedom of religious rights were against Sharia law.

6. Taliban Goals to Enforce Sharia throughout Pakistan

The Taliban has longed stated its objective within Pakistan to remove what remains of secular law in Pakistan and enforce Sharia through Pakistan. With Pakistan as an Islamic republic, and with polls consistently showing that nearly 75% of Pakistan people are in favor of "strict Sharia law," this does not seem like an improbable objective. While the Western press reports on Pakistan government negotiation with Taliban for peace treaties in specific regions of Pakistan, few have focused on the Sharia aspects of these negotiations.

In fact, in the January 2008 Combating Terrorism Center report on the goals of the Pakistan Taliban, "enforce shari'a" is first on the list. In October 2007, BBC reported that "Pro-Taleban militants in Pakistan's troubled northern district of Swat have told the BBC they will continue fighting until Islamic law is enforced." In May 2008, the Taliban won the surrender of Swat, and seeks to enforce Sharia throughout all of Pakistan.

6.1. Sharia Expansion through Agreements with Taliban and TNSM

On April 22, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that the Swat government released Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) leader Maulana Sufi Muhammad. He was arrested in 2001 while leading "thousands of Muslim volunteers" in the Taliban fight against the U.S. in Afghanistan, in operations after the 9/11 attacks. Under the April 2008 agreement with the Pakistan Swat government, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that the "TNSM will continue to pursue a peaceful struggle for the enforcement of Shariah", noting that the Swat surrender was forced by Taliban suicide bombings and attacks in the region.

Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah has helped lead Taliban and TNSM efforts in the area while Maulana Sufi Muhammad was imprisoned, and is Maulana Sufi Muhammad's son-in-law. The April 23, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times commented that the "TNSM as a movement has not died down after being banned and has been carried forward with more strength by [Swat Taliban leader] Maulana Fazlullah who is still around and has been granted a kind of amnesty by the agreement. The linkage of Maulana Fazlullah with the Taliban and Al Qaeda is known to everyone and the NWFP government is not oblivious of it. Peshawar knows very well that the Lal Masjid cause was taken up by Al Qaeda through its leader Aiman Al Zawahiri after which the Taliban and their foreign warriors were seen in Swat beheading innocent people to intimidate the population into obedience."

MEMRI reported on May 16, 2008 that the: "the Pashtun nationalist government in the NWFP, which came to power last month, had vowed to talk to the Taliban in order to establish peace in the region. The talks were held between the government, Pakistani Taliban and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e- Shariat-e-Muhammadi (Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Shari'a). The Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi [TNSM], led by Maulana Sufi Muhammad, the Islamist leader recently released from prison under a deal with the government, is the dominant Taliban group in the NWFP. It is also a constituent of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which is led by Baitullah Mehsud. Under the deal between the NWFP government and the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi, which is controlled by Sufi Muhammad's son-in-law Maulana Fazlullah, a shari'a system of administration and justice will be implemented."

6.2. Goal for Nationwide Enforcement of Sharia in Pakistan

MEMRI also reported on May 16, 2008 that "Pakistan's top Islamist leader Maulana Sufi Muhammad, who was released from prison by the Pakistani government under a Shari'a-for-peace deal, has vowed to work for the implementation of Shari'a across the country." Per the TNSM, "Our struggle is purely for the implementation of Shariah in the country."

This report also stated: "The Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Mashriq quoted Sufi Muhammad as saying that after the implementation of Shari'a in the Malakand-Swat region of the North West Frontier Province as agreed under the deal, he will start the Shari'a movement in different parts of Pakistan."

As BBC has reported, a key part of the Taliban's objectives for Pakistan is its campaign for Sharia throughout Pakistan. In October 2007, BBC interviewed the Pakistan Taliban stating that "they will continue fighting until Islamic law is enforced." For the Taliban, this includes all of Sharia and all of law based on the Islamic Qur'an, Hadeeths, etc.

This Taliban goal for enforcement of Sharia throughout Pakistan has been a negotiating point in each of the areas in efforts to assimilate northwestern Pakistan into a Sharia mini-state within Pakistan. As reported in the May 23, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times: "'We have accepted to give up the armed struggle because the government has agreed to the complete enforcement of Shariah law,' Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan told AFP."

7. Taliban Campaign for Sharia in Pakistan's NWFP and FATA

The Taliban has been aggressively pursuing a campaign for Sharia enforcement throughout the Pakistan North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). This has included: negotiations on Sharia enforcement through NWFP, plans to expand Sharia enforcement in FATA, negotiations on NWFP Malakland region, surrender agreement on NWFP Swat (and most recently dispute between the NWFP and federal governments on this agreement), campaigns in FATA Mohmand, Bajaur, and Darra Adam Khel areas, in FATA North Waziristan, and in FATA South Waziristan.

A map shows the proximity of the NWFP and FATA areas to each other, which makes them a desirable area for the Taliban to exploit to create a Sharia base of operations. The Long War Journal provides an online map which highlights the progress of the Taliban's campaign for control. In this Long War Journal map, the color code is described as follows: "red agencies/ districts controlled by the Taliban; purple is de facto control; yellow is under threat."

This translates into the following conclusions:

- NWFP Taliban Campaign:
-- Under Taliban Control: Swat, Shangla
-- De-Facto Taliban Control: Bannu, Tank
-- Under Taliban Threat: Chitral, Dir, Kohistan, Battagram, Malakand Agency, Charsadda, Mardan, Buner, Peshawar, Hangu, Khoat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan

- FATA Taliban Campaign:
-- Under Taliban Control: Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency, North Waziristan, South Waziristan
-- Under Taliban Threat: Khyber Agency, Orakzai Agency, Kurram Agency,

In fact, almost all of the NWFP and all of the FATA is either under threat of the Taliban or currently under its control. This Taliban campaign is a critical national security issue for the United States.

7.1. Taliban Sharia Negotiations on NWFP and Goals for FATA

MEMRI reported on May 16, 2008 that on "May 11, 2008, the secular government in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) finalized a deal with the Taliban groups for the implementation of shari'a in the province's seven districts" -- Malakand, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Chitral. This initial effort to create a Taliban mini-state within Pakistan will have Taliban individuals guiding NWFP police stations and Sharia courts. As the MEMRI report concludes: "While the seven districts in which shari'a is to be implemented represent roughly 45% of the NWFP, if the Pakistani government also succeeds in its efforts to reach a similar deal with [Taliban commander] Baitullah Mehsud in the FATAs, the shari'a administration's contiguous geographical area will expand by approximately 120 percent."

7.2. Taliban's March for Sharia Comes to Malakand

The Taliban's Sharia march began in the Pakistan's Malakland region (which includes Chitral, Dir, Swat, Buner, Shangla and Agencies like Malakand Agency, Muhmand Agency.) This was reported on May 1, 2008 by the Pakistan Daily Times that stated that "Taliban have demanded the imposition of Shariah law in Malakand division, an end of all cases against the Taliban and amnesty for the local Taliban of the region." By May 14, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that the "NWFP government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Swat agreed on Tuesday to the implementation of Shari Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 1999 in Malakand division within one month."

On May 28, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that the NWFP sought a total of three months to implement Sharia in Malakand division. In this report, it stated that "Rahimdad Khan, who was a member of the government committee that engaged the Taliban in peace talks, also said the government had agreed to implement Shariah in Malakand not only because the Taliban had demanded it, but also because it represented a demand from the people of the area." On June 5, 2008, the Pakistan Daily times reported that 75 Taliban would be released from a Malakand jail, stating that "[t]he release of all Taliban prisoners was agreed to in the pact signed on May 21 in Peshawar between the NWFP government and Swat-based Taliban."

The Malakand division has been ground zero for efforts to build a Sharia mini-state within Pakistan for over a decade. As Arif Jamal reports: "TNSM has been waging an unrelenting struggle for the imposition of sharia in the Malakand division. In 1990, they announced that they had imposed the Islamic law and forbade the people from going to courts of law. As TNSM grew in numbers and influence, they started using violence for the acceptance of their demand. In one instance, tens of thousands of its followers blocked the highway for nearly one week." In 1994, the local government entered into an agreement to impose Sharia throughout Malakand, but when it failed to be implemented, violence, kidnapping, and murders were the result. While the government temporarily quelled this 1990s' effort at enforcing Sharia, the Taliban have no intent of letting this happen again.

7.3. Taliban's Sharia Campaign Begins with the Submission of Swat

Since then, the Pakistan NWFP government reached a peace deal with the Taliban in Swat. As reported by the May 23, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times regarding the surrender of Swat, the Taliban stated "[w]e have accepted to give up the armed struggle [in those areas] because the government has agreed to the complete enforcement of Shariah law."

The May 22, 2008 Pakistan Daily News reported on the government's peace deal with the Taliban in Swat. The report stated that: the "NWFP government inked a 15-point peace accord with Swat-based militants on Wednesday. Under the agreement, the government will release Taliban prisoners in the coming two weeks while the Taliban will relinquish control of Imam Dheri, headquarters of Mullah Fazlullah, where an Islamic university will be set up." The May 22, 2008 Dawn reported this story as the "NWFP government and militants led by Maulana Fazlullah signed an agreement on Wednesday to restore peace in Swat. 'Taliban have accepted government's writ in the region and will help the local administration in maintaining law and order in the district,' NWFP's Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour told newsmen." The Dawn report added that the "Taliban will help the action taken by local authorities against kidnappers, robbers and other criminals", that "militants were represented by Maulana Fazlullah's aide Muslim Khan, Maulana Mohammad Amin and Ali Bakht", and that Swat Taliban leader "Maulana Fazlullah has been allowed to run his controversial FM radio station with the permission of the authorities concerned."

After the May 21, 2008 surrender agreement of Swat, the Pakistan Taliban became the law and the government-approved voice of Jihad on the airwaves. Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah's radio station, nicknamed "Mullah Radio" and "FM Maulana" broadcasts calls for Jihad against America, demands for enforcing Sharia, and calls for restoral of the Islamic caliphate. As the Times of India reports: "Groups of villagers often gather around small portable radios to hear the broadcasts by the clerics, which usually comprise readings from the Koran and fiery sermons." NBC News has reported: "Fazlullah has had an eager audience. America was bombing them, he screamed from astride his white horse and on the airwaves of portable FM radio transponders. America was killing innocent women and children. The locals listened. The entire valley, he said, would now be governed by Islamic laws known as Shariah. And what's more, taking his cue from Osama bin Laden, he wanted to restore the caliphate, the Muslim dynasties that ruled the known world for centuries after the death of the Prophet Mohammed in 632 AD." Nor is Swat Taliban leader Fazlullah's radio station alone - in 2007, the Times of India reported that "there could be over 100 illegal FM stations in the tribal areas, strategically located between the NWFP and the Pakistan-Afghanistan border." The difference now in 2008 is that the Taliban's jihad radio station in Swat is government sanctioned -- led by a Taliban leader who regularly beheads civilians and who teaches children to become suicide bombers.

Regarding the Swat peace treaty with the Taliban, the June 5, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times reports that NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain "said the release of Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi [TNSM] leader Sufi Muhammad on April 21 and the signing of a peace deal with militant cleric Maulana Fazlullah on May 9 would 'pay dividends' to bring about peace in the region."

On June 2, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that the Taliban "set up their own court in the Piochar village of Matta tehsil."

Based on the May 21 NWFP government - Swat Taliban agreement, on June 6, 2008, Dawn reported that there were "64 Swat 'militants' freed in Timergara... [including] key figures of Taliban." The June 6, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times reported that Taliban prisoners would be released in three phases, the 64 released on June 5 were just the "first phase," and "[a]ll prisoners would be released within two weeks." This report followed the June 5, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times report that 75 prisoners were being released. The June 8, 2008 Dawn reported that an additional 6 prisoners were released, and the June 10, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times reported that "more Taliban prisoners from Taimargara Jail" that day.

7.4. Pakistan/NWFP Governments Diverge on Swat Surrender Agreement

On June 10, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that due to ongoing violence, Prime Minister's Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik stated that the "Swat agreement is scrapped as the militants have [continued] their attacks on security forces." As the basis for this pronouncement, "Malik said law-enforcement agencies had averted a 'big tragedy' after arresting three 'students' who were allegedly on a suicide mission in Islamabad on Sunday. He said the alleged suicide bombers were ready to strike within an hour, but did not disclose their identities and intended targets."

In addition, Malik may have been influenced by a reported attack in the Peshawar area on June 9, 2008, allegedly by the Taliban, that resulted in the death of 4 Peshawar policemen, although the June 10, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times states that the local investigator blamed this on local criminals.

The Pakistan NWFP government had a very different view on the Swat surrender agreement, stating that it was still in force, and that they had no intention of following Adviser Malik's comments.

The June 10, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times reported that:
"The peace deal between the NWFP government and the Swat Taliban is still intact, ANP [Awami National Party] Information Secretary Zahid Khan and Senior Minister Bashir Bilour told Daily Times on Monday. They said the federal government, Asif Zardari and the COAS had been consulted before the agreement was signed, and that the federal government should talk to the NWFP government about problems related to truce instead of making 'irresponsible' statements." The ANP administers the NWFP province.

Per the June 9, 2008 Long War Journal, Bill Roggio reports that:
"Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said that since the agreement was signed with the provincial government, and 'not with Rehman Malik,' the central government could not negate the agreement."

In addition, the Taliban responded to Malik's comments with threats of their own.

The June 10, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times reported:
"Taliban will turn cities of settled areas into battlefields if the government scraps its truce with them, ARY TV reported Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar as saying on Monday. Talking to the channel, he said the Taliban had signed the truce with the NWFP government after 'careful consideration' and that they would adopt a 'new course of action' after Rehman Malik's statement that the truce had been scrapped."

On June 9, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times also reported that Taliban planned to take action in "new fronts" should the government agreement be invalidated:
"The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Sunday issued pamphlets to local journalists that cautioned the government to stick to their peace agreement. The pamphlet, singed by Commander Nazir of the TTP, was sent to local journalists and stated that if the government violated the treaty, the Taliban could open new fronts against the government. It said that the government should not consider them weak, as the TTP was an organised power that could not be thwarted easily. The pamphlet warned the government against fighting America's war on terror in Pakistan, as its ramifications could be dangerous."

7.5. NWFP's Peshawar: City Under Siege

The June 9, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times reports on Peshawar as "turning into [a] walled city....[with] most roads blocked as part of increased security and anti-terrorism measures."

The June 4, 2008 Roznama Jasarat reported, per MEMRI translation, that Peshawar was a city under siege likely to fall to the Taliban soon: "The police chief in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has said that if the government failed to take action against the local Taliban, the provincial capital of Peshawar will soon be in their control. The Pakistani Taliban are also described as local Taliban." The report also stated that: "NWFP's Inspector General of Police Malik Naved Khan [stated] that Peshawar faces threats from the local Taliban's activities in its vicinity."

On June 9, 2008, four policemen were killed in Peshawar, as previously mentioned, this is believed to have prompted the Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik to threaten to scrap the Swat surrender deal, due to the belief that the Taliban was behind this Peshawar attack on the police. The June 10, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times reported it differently, however, stating that the "[i]nvestigator claims local criminals, not Taliban, responsible for ambush... [police officer] Mulk said that local criminals were behind the attack, adding that they had disguised themselves as local Taliban."

7.6. Taliban Sharia Campaign in FATA Mohmand, Darra Adam Khel, and Bajaur Areas

Taliban in FATA Mohmand

On May 28, 2008, the Associated Press reported that "the government has signed a peace deal with a small Taliban militant group" regarding the FATA Mohmand tribal agency. On May 28, 2008, BBC reported that these "latest talks - in the Mohmand tribal agency - are part of ongoing negotiations between local administrations of tribal districts and the militants."

On June 4, 2008, MEMRI translated the Urdu-language news Roznama Mashriq report that the Taliban has set up Sharia-based courts and jails in the Mohmand tribal agency. Per this report, Mohmand Taliban leader Qari Shakeel Khan states that "about 25,000 fighters work for him." The report states that the Taliban's "Qari Shakeel Khan said that jails have also been established where criminals are given Islamic punishments such as lashing with a whip."

Taliban in FATA Darra Adam Khel

In its May 28, 2008 report, BBC also stated that: "[s]imilar talks between militants and local officials are reported to have taken place in the [FATA] Darra Adamkhel tribal agency. A local tribal elder, Fazal Manan Kodakhel, told the AP news agency that Mohmand deal enjoyed the backing of Baitullah Mehsud, the head of the umbrella Taleban movement in Pakistan."

A day later, on May 29, 2008, Dawn reported that the Taliban announced a truce in FATA's Darra Adam Khel, and Pakistani military would "stop operations" there. A week later, on June 6, 2008, the Taliban announced their 12 point demands for FATA's Darra Adam Khel's submission. Dawn reported the Taliban demands included: "withdrawal of security forces from Darra Adam Khel, payment of compensation for damage caused to houses of militants, release of their men, health and education facilities, special quota for Darra tribesmen in engineering and medical colleges, payment of royalty for the Kohat Tunnel, exemption from toll tax, reduction in CNIC and passport fees, establishment of a medical college in Darra Adam Khel, construction of small dams, afforestation of the area and unhindered supply of electricity." The Taliban seek to make Darr Adam Khel into another self-sufficient Taliban-ruled area.

The June 7, 2008 Dawn report stated that "the local [Darra Adam Khel] administration had directed officials not to wear uniform or perform their duty following threats by the Taliban two months ago."  This same Dawn report stated that "[s]even officials of the local political administration were kidnapped at gunpoint from their houses."

Taliban in FATA Bajaur Agency

In Bajaur Agency, the local member of the Pakistan National Assembly welcomed the Swat peace agreement with the Taliban. As reported in the May 25, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times: "Shaukatullah Khan on Saturday welcomed the Swat peace accord signed between the government and the local Taliban...He expressed the hope that the agreement would help in restoring peace in the province, the press release said, adding that the peace agreement was a positive step towards the restoration of complete peace not only in the Swat region but also in the province." 

Furthermore, the Daily Times also reported that Khan said "if the government tried to use force in any tribal area, including the Bajaur Agency, he would strongly oppose and resist it."

In the June 9, 2008 update of Long War Journal's map of Taliban-controlled areas, Bill Roggio has included Bajaur Agency.

7.7. Pakistan Agreement in FATA North Waziristan

On February 18, 2008 Dawn reported that:
"Authorities and tribal elders in the volatile North Waziristan have reached an agreement to revive a controversial peace deal which had brought the government under severe criticism for capitulating to the militants... Critics of the agreement said the government had capitulated to the militants by granting them major concessions without getting anything in return, particularly on key demands relating to the expulsion of foreign militants, an end to cross-border infiltration into Afghanistan and a pledge not to form a parallel government."

In February 20, 2008, Bill Roggio reported on his Long War Journal that:
"There was no mention of the Taliban or al Qaeda sheltering in the region, no mention of training camps, and no mention of the obligations of the tribes to oppose the presence of the Taliban and al Qaeda or a punishment for doing so. While the government has touted the new deal is between the local administration and over more than 280 local tribal representatives and not the Taliban, the Taliban was indeed represented at the meeting. Agents of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, a Taliban commander based out of Miramshah, were present at the signing of the agreement, Dawn reported. Bahadar, the deputy commander of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the newly created unified Taliban command in Pakistan, has backed the new agreement."

On June 8, 2008, additional reported details of the North Waziristan agreement became available and were published by the Pakistan Daily Times and the Long War Journal, including:
-- "Taliban 'agreed to jointly struggle against extremism and terrorism throughout the agency.'"
-- "Taliban may not establish a parallel government."
-- "Al Qaeda operatives can live in North Waziristan 'as long as they pledge to remain peaceful.'"

The Taliban is also in negotiations with the government for further implementation of Sharia throughout FATA. As mentioned earlier, the Pakistan government has previously signed peace agreements with the Taliban in FATA's North Waziristan (September 2006).

7.8. Taliban Obtaining Pakistan Army Withdrawal in FATA's South Waziristan

The May 28, 2008 BBC report also stated that "[t]he government is also seeking a comprehensive peace deal with Mr. Mehsud, who is based mainly in the South Waziristan tribal area."

On June 6, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported on a draft "truce agreement" between the Pakistan government and the Taliban regarding FATA's South Waziristan. This is stronghold of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. According to the report, the Pakistan "military will 'withdraw completely' from the Mehsud areas of South Waziristan after Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud frees the remaining captured army and paramilitary soldiers, and the government and Mehsud tribes sign a peace deal."

The South Waziristan governor claims that this "truce" will be between the "Mehsud tribes" and the government, not the Taliban, but it is Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud who clearly has brought this Pakistani surrender to pass through successful military operations against the Pakistani military, terror attacks, and kidnapping of Pakistani soldiers. The jihadist tactic of terror is gaining the Taliban a victory in South Waziristan, where Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud has held a public press conferences reported by the June 2, 2008 New York Times and by the BBC on May 27, 2008.

The Pakistan Daily Times reports on a key aspect in the draft surrender agreement in South Waziristan - that the "draft agreement does not include the condition of a commitment by the Mehsud tribes that they would not allow militants to continue cross-border movement for attacks on the United States and NATO forces inside Afghanistan." The Pakistan Daily Times reported in 2007 that a "UN report says 80 percent of suicide bombers in Afghanistan came from the Waziristan agencies."

As reported by the June 2, 2008 New York Times, "In South Waziristan, they run training camps for suicide bombers, some of them children, according to the former Taliban member. Their realm is so secure that in April Mehsud's umbrella group, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, held a conference of thousands of fighters that culminated in a public execution, according to a local resident."

In the BBC report, Mehsud makes it clear that the Taliban campaign for Sharia and takeover of northwest areas of Pakistan has the goal of seeking to get Pakistan to disassociate with United States. He is quoted as stating: "[t]he onus is now on the government - whether they hold to their word, or remain in the alliance with the US." This is a consistent strategy shown by the Taliban; the Pakistan Daily Times reported on May 14, 2008 that "[m]embers of the Taliban delegation holding talks with the NWFP government on Tuesday distributed pamphlets asking the government, military and people of Pakistan to join hands with the Taliban against the United States."

The Daily Times report states that this South Waziristan "peace deal" is likely to be reached "in weeks."

On June 10, 2008, the Pakistan Daily Times reported that Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud would provide protection for local officials:
"The local Taliban will provide full protection to government officials in South Waziristan, Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud announced on Monday. According to Aaj TV, Mehsud made the announcement through leaflets distributed in S Waziristan. The leaflets asked Mehsud tribesmen to provide protection to all government officials and also warned them against committing 'immoral acts,' threatening them with 'exemplary' punishment if they did not comply."

The Taliban is also in negotiations with the government for further implementation of Sharia throughout FATA. As mentioned earlier, the Pakistan government has previously signed peace agreements with the Taliban in FATA's South Waziristan (February 2005).

7.9. Taliban and Other Jihadist Terror Tactics in the March for Sharia in Pakistan

The Taliban surrender negotiations for Pakistan's Mohmand were true-to-form; as reported by the New York Times, the Mohmand authorities announced a "truce" on May 28, 2008, where the Taliban held a conference of thousands of Jihadists and a "public execution" in April.

The Taliban's campaign for Sharia has a very clear message: submit or die.

This message and the Taliban's tactics of terror have been effective in defeating areas of northwestern Pakistan as it works to create its Sharia mini-state from conquered territories, such as NWFP's Swat, FATA's Mohmand, and soon-to-be FATA's Derra Adam Khel.

In the now Taliban-ruled area of NWFP Swat, four months ago, the February 3, 2008 Pakistan Daily Times reported that the Pakistani "Interior Ministry report says 104 suicide, bomb and rocket attacks took place in valley since January 1, 2007. The report said that 292 people - 195 officials from the army, the Frontier Constabulary, and police and 97 civilians - had been killed in the same period." The story also states that "militants have established four 'major' and 14 'small hideouts' in four Swat areas."

Prior to surrender to the Taliban, the people of NWFP Swat suffered such terror attacks on a frequent basis:
- April 1, 2008 - Three policemen injured in Swat roadside blast
- March 18, 2008 - Two police among four killed in Swat blasts
- February 29, 2008 - 38 die in Mingora suicide attack in Swat District
- February 22, 2008 - Bomb hits Pakistan wedding party in Swat valley
- December 28, 2007 - Bombing in Pakistan's Swat Valley Kills Several People
- December 10, 2007 - 10 killed in Swat suicide attack
- October 26, 2007 - 18 troops dead in Swat blast
- October 25, 2007 - Taliban suicide bomber targets police in Swat; kills 30
- July 12, 2007 - 7 including 3 police killed in NWFP attacks, blasts
- July 5, 2007 - Five killed in Swat blast
- September 28, 2006 - Swat blast kills three of a family

As early as October 2007, the now defeated FATA Mohmand agency was at the whim of the Taliban. The October 13, 2007 Pakistan Daily Times reports on "Mohmand Taliban behead[ing] 6 'criminals'", stating that "[t]he militants on Friday publicly beheaded all six of them". The report continued "pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah's private Sharia court punished three alleged criminals by lashing them in public, eyewitnesses said. 'After the government's indifference, we have set up our own private Islamic court to dispense justice to the people and today is the beginning of the struggle for a cherished goal (enforcement of Sharia)."

Jihadist terror attacks on FATA Mohmand agency included a bombing of a market bazaar on June 1, 2008, and 10 other terrorist bombings in Mohmand in 2008 (per South Asia Terrorism Portal).

Jihadist terror attacks on FATA Darra Adam Khel have included a March 2, 2008 suicide bomb attack on tribal peace jirga of 1000 members. The suicide bombing attack killed 42, and injured 58 per Dawn report. It provides an illustration as to the type of "peace" that the jihadists are seeking in Pakistan. Three months after this attack, Dawn reported on May 29, 2008 that the Taliban announced a truce in FATA's Darra Adam Khel, and on June 6, 2008, Dawn reported the Taliban's announced 12 point demands for FATA's Darra Adam Khel's submission.

Other references sources available on the South Asia Terrorism Portal provide a summary of impact of such attacks to Taliban-conquered or Taliban sought areas in the NWFP and FATA:
- Suicide Attacks in North West Frontier Province
- Bomb blasts in the North West Frontier Province - 2008
- Bomb blasts in the North West Frontier Province - 2007
- Suicide Attacks in FATA
- Bomb Blasts in FATA, 2008
- Bomb Blasts in FATA, 2007

As the Pakistan Taliban continues to gain safe havens in northwestern Pakistan, other parts of NWFP and FATA can expect to be terrorized into submission as well.

7.10. Pakistan Jihadists' Terror Attacks and Concentration on Destroying the Pakistan Government

With most of the American media's monofocus on Iraq, the many thousands killed in nuclear-armed Pakistan as a result of Jihadist terror is largely unrecognized by many Americans. The Taliban has played a significant leadership role in such terrorism in Pakistan. T