The controversial decision of the Pakistani government to agree to a “permanent ceasefire” with the Taleban insurgency in the Swat valley of north-western Pakistan at the end of February caused considerable concern throughout the international community, not least in neighbouring India.
However, media reports at the time indicated that the inhabitants of what was once one of Pakistan’s most popular holiday destinations tentatively welcomed an end to the 15-month conflict in return for Sharia law.
Yet the price of peace is already proving to be severe. The recent release of a video showing the public flogging of a teenage girl, held down by her brother, accused of illicit relations with a man, serves as a worrying paradigm of the new modus vivandi.
The mafia-style execution of a man accused of burglary at the end of March only reinforces the perception that under the Taleban, the rule of law is being replaced by corporal punishment in the absence of a fair, or indeed any trial.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza has condemned the latest incident as “shameful” and a court hearing into the incident has been called by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Though these words and actions are to be lauded, it is hard to see exactly what practical purpose they will serve, other than to reassure the wider Pakistani population and the international community that the Pakistani government does not condone this kind of behaviour.
Yet in agreeing to the Taleban’s demands for Sharia law in the first place, the Pakistani authorities have effectively brought this situation upon themselves. As Javed Iqbal, a retired judge, said at the time: ”It means that there is not one law in the country. It will disintegrate this way. If you concede to this, you will go on conceding.”
Yesterday, India’s South Asia Intelligence Review quoted Taliban insurgents as vowing to carry out two suicide attacks a week in Pakistan, in spite of the recent deal.
There is no denying the strength of the Taleban in the region, nor of the relative weakness of the Pakistani authorities and the United States across the border in Afghanistan. Yet in conceding to their demands, there is a real danger that the government will only embolden the insurgency. As the Taleban’s recent actions demonstrate, in choosing to dance with the devil, President Zadari is already getting more than he bargained for.