Assignment Topic:

Taliban
And
Their Manifesto


Contents




Introduction
1. Origin of Taliban
2. Pakistan and Taliban
a) Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP)
3. History of TTP
4. Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan
5. Ideology of Taliban

Manifesto of Taliban
6. Peace talks
7. Efforts of Pakistan Government
8. Analyses and Conclusion
a) Conclusion.

9. References
10. Bibliography




INTRODUCTION:

Taliban is a term used generally for the extremist Muslim terrorists in the world.
This term coins back to the late 20
th
century, however; it became a more known
phenomenon after the deadly incident of 9/11 in the USA. From that day onwards,
many terrorist attacks have been planted and usually the responsibility is held
with the Taliban.

Taliban over the time have emerged as the strongest terrorist organization in the
world, whereas majority of public dont even know any other organizations name.
Taliban attacks have not been confined till Non-Muslims; even many Muslim
countries have suffered a lot the hands of Taliban. Of all the Muslim Nations,
Pakistan tops the list, which have suffered badly at the hands of the Taliban. From
September 11,2001 till May 2011, nearly 35,000 Pakistanis lost their lives to Taliban
insurgencies and attacks.

In the Muslim world, there reside two opinions about Talibans, where one
supports their ideology and the other rejects it completely calling it highly non-
Islamic. Pakistani scholar Dr.Tahir-ul-Qadri, issued a 900 paged Fatwa against
terrorism and Taliban, which ruled that Taliban and their actions are totally against
Islam and Humanity.

There are many theories and many groups of Taliban, but here I will focus on the
Taliban that are related to Pakistan solely.


ORIGIN of TALIBAN:

Word Taliban has been taken from Arabic and a blend of Persian added
to it. Talib in Arabic means student and adding an makes it students.
The Taliban were actually students who read Islamic laws and
carefully observed their regulations, but now they are a world known
terrorist organization.

Of the strongest organizations, Al-Qaeda stands out as the victorious
one. As to its origin, there are various versions, but the one I am about
to quote has been taken from the notes of a renowned columnist of
Pakistan; Javed Chaudhry. According to him the formulation of this
organization was done in late 1940s in Egypt when one of the scholars
visited the West and found that a wave of secularism is being spread
and promoted, he feared this would lead to evacuation of Muslim
ideology and hence to protect it this organization was formed. But this
theory is widely rejected. However the Taliban that invaded
Afghanistan and are now a major threat to Pakistan were allegedly
founded by the intelligence agencies of Pakistan itself in 1990s.

The Taliban movement traces its origin to the Pakistan-trained
Mujahedeen in northern Pakistan, during Soviet War in Afghanistan.
When General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, became the President of Pakistan
he feared that the Soviets were planning to invade Balochistan,
Pakistan so he sent Akhter Abdur Rehman to Saudia Arabia to garner

4
The USA and the entire international community for providing Taliban
with support, a claim that Pakistan from day one has denied, have
alleged Pakistan. Rather where as international community is blunt in
accusing Pakistan of helping the Taliban, Pakistan has suffered more
damage than the entire world on the hands of Taliban. The 2001 attack
in New York more commonly known as 9/11 was just one attack which
USA had to go through, whereas Pakistan has been facing deadly
bombings and terrorist attacks after 9/11 till date.

PAKISTAN AND TALIBAN:

Ever since 9/11 occurred Muslims, all over the world faced a new
problem, they were looked upon with suspicious eyes. Where as some
people, adjusted to such hideous looks, while some reacted in an
unlikely manner. Those who were irked by the terrible tantrums of the
west, took refuge in the extremist groups of Muslims and hence, the
force of extremists grew stronger and network became wider and
wider. Of many terrorist organizations the most notable that came into
limelight was Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan:

Tehreek-i-Taliban was operational since 2002, however; it came into
official notice after 2007 when 13 other militant groups joined under
the leadership of Baitullah Mahsood. The Afghan Taliban movement led
by Mullah Omer does not directly affiliate the TTP. With both groups,
differing greatly in their histories, strategic goals and interests
although they are both predominantly Pashtun
(2)
. The Afghan Taliban,
with the alleged support of Pakistani Taliban, operate against
international coalition and Afghan security forces in Afghanistan but are strictly opposed to
targeting the Pakistan State. The TTP in contrast has almost exclusively targeted elements of
the Pakistani state although it took credit for 2009 Camp Chapman Attack and the 2010 Times
Square car bombing attempt
(3)
.

HISTORY OF TTP:








A 2004 article by the BBC explains:
The military offensive had been part of the overall war against al-
Qaeda. ... Since the start of the operation, the [Pakistani] military
authorities have firmly established that a large number of Uzbek,
Chechen and Arab militants were in the area. ... It was in July 2002
that Pakistani troops, for the first time in 55 years, entered the Tirah
Valley in Khyber tribal agency. Soon they were in Shawal valley of
North Waziristan, and later in South Waziristan. ... This was made
possible after long negotiations with various tribes, who reluctantly
agreed to allow the military's presence on the assurance that it would
bring in funds and development work. But once the military action
started in South Waziristan a number of Waziri sub-tribes took it as an
attempt to subjugate them. Attempts to persuade them into handing
over the foreign militants failed, and with an apparently mishandling by
the authorities, the security campaign against suspected al-Qaeda
militants turned into an undeclared war between the Pakistani military
and the rebel tribesmen
(4)
.

The formulation of TTP is seen a reaction to the military operations of
Pakistan Army and the stance of Pakistan on war on terror. The very

5
In 2004 many of the tribal groups in the northern Pakistan, joined the
Taliban and created TTP, which consolidated their power in FATA and
started negotiations with Islamabad. In year 2007, TTP was officially
announced, however; in 2008, the government of Pakistan banned it
and all their assets and bank accounts were frozen. Since then TTP has
been playing as an active enemy to Pakistan. They have targeted the
important institutions of Pakistan and places of immense importance.

TERRORIST ATTACKS IN PAKISTAN:

Of the few very famous attacks that Pakistan bore were
Attack on the shrines of saints
Attack on the international hotels
Attack on military check posts
Attack on important personalities.

The most notable attacks are as follows:
October 2009 attack on Army GHQ
December 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto
May 2010 attacks on two minority mosques Lahore
22
nd
May 2011, attack on Naval station Karachi
16
th
August 2012 attack on Minhas Airbase, Karma
9
th
October 2012 attack on Malala Yousaf Zai

Many more attacks have been carried out till date. However; the
ideology of Taliban is very antagonistic to the basic principles of Islam.

IDEOLOGY OF TALIBAN:

The Talibans ideological foundation focuses on the strict
interpretations of Sharia Law. In a 1996 interview with Ahmed Rashid,
Taliban spokesman Mullah Wakil explained the intentions of Taliban in
regards to Sharia.

The Sharia does not allows politics or political parties. That is why we
give no salaries to officials or soldiers, just food, clothes, shoes and
weapons. We want to live a life like the Prophet lived 1400 years ago,
and jihad is our right. We want to recreate the time of the Prophet, and
we are only carrying out what the Afghan people have wanted for the
past 14 years.

The decision-making processes are emulated after early tribal councils,
believed to be consistent with the tribal ways of Arabs centuries
before.

The ideology of Taliban is considered a shift from traditional Islamist
views held by anti-Soviet mujahedeen fighters in the 1980s and early

6

MANIFESTO OF TALIBAN:
The demands of Taliban and the road map towards peace process.


PEACE TALKS:

Pakistan since 2008 has tried to bring the Talibans to the Table for
negotiations but each time failure was met. However; after the
successful handover of the first democratic term of Pakistan, Talibans
have considered Peace Talks. Nawaz Sharif led government is trying
there best to solve the dispute through negotiations, since war on
terror has cost Pakistan many lives and a huge financial crisis.

Peace talks are being held but the inflexible nature of the Taliban is
making it difficult for the Government of Pakistan to reach any further
with the negotiations.

The fifteen demands put forward by TTP are

I. Introduce Sharia Law in courts
II. Introduce Islamic Education system in both private and public
schools
III. Stop drone attacks
IV. Free Pakistani and foreign Taliban captured in jails
V. Restoration and remuneration for damage to property during
drone attacks
VI. Handover control of tribal areas to local forces
VII. Withdrawal of army from tribal areas and close down check posts
VIII. All criminal allegations held against the Taliban be dropped
IX. Prisoners from both sides be released
X. Equal rights for both rich and poor
XI. Families of victims of drone attacks be offered jobs
XII. End interest based banking system
XIII. Stop supporting the USA on war on terror
XIV. Replace the democratic system of governance with Islamic
system
XV. Break all relations with USA.
(6)



The problem in the Peace talks is the inflexible nature of Taliban and
their continuous attacks. Despite sitting on the table, they are planning
terrorist attacks, hunting the army officials of Pakistan and some
NGOs that are working in the country especially in KPK.


EFFORTS OF PAKISTAN GOVERNMENT:

7
Pakistan Army all ready on the hand of war on terror has bared heavy
losses. The efforts of Pakistan are still unacknowledged by the
international community.

Pakistan supported all UN resolutions aimed at preventing terrorism.
Pakistan was a signatory to ten out of twelve UN anti-terrorism
conventions on the suppression of terrorism bombings, and it signed
the OIC convention on combating the international terrorism. The
government of Pakistan took significant steps after 9/11 in combating
terrorism.

1. Cooperation with the international coalition to curb terrorism.
2. Immigration control measures to keep a check on the movement of
potential extremists
3. Action against fanatical and extremist organizations and groups
4. Detention of jihadi leaders
5. Banning of jihadi organizations
6. Reformation and regulation of madrassas encompassing:
a). NOC for opening of madrassas
b). The registration of madrassas
c). The review of the syllabi
d). A curb on the number of foreign students attending them.
7. Regulation of Mosques:
a). NOC required for opening a Mosque
b). Political activities in Mosques made unlawful
c). The use of loud speakers restricted to the Azaan.

Along with Airbases were provided, Intelligence information was
shared, sharing of naval facilities and search operations were carried
out. Many successful operations against the Taliban were conducted.

The operations carried out were:
1. Al Mizan operation (the balance) was conducted in South Waziristan
2001-2002
2. Sherdil operation (lion-heart) was launched in Bajaur in 2007
3. Zalzala operation (earthquake) was conducted in South Waziristan
in 2008
4. Rah-e-Haq operation (the true path) was launched in Malakand and
Swat in 2008
5. Rah-e-raast operation (the correct path) was launched in Malakand
and Swat in 2009.
(7)



These were the successful operations conducted by Pakistan Army
against the Taliban. However; the Taliban continued to plan more
terrorist attacks in Pakistan and a result of which the Pakistan Army
agreed to peace talks. The process of peace talks started long ago,

8
Their interpretations differed greatly with what majority of Muslims
thought. And the most prominent of their malpractice was the
treatment of women, which many scholars and clerics of Islam, relating
to different school of thoughts, claimed to be un-Islamic. Later on their
government in Afghanistan was broken by the intervention of USA.
While all this was going on the year 2001 showed the biggest terrorist
attack the famous 9/11. This caused the international community to
join hands and combat the Taliban. So a new era of war started. This
very operation was named as War on terror. Pakistan joined hands
with Bush Government in the United States, and became a non-NATO
ally of USA. USA on the name of war on terror invaded many countries.
The resort for Taliban was now in the homeland of Pakistan. The north
West Pakistan, more commonly known as FATA came under their
surveillance, and a series of attacks on Pakistan started.

Pakistan began its operation against these Taliban and did all that was
possible to get rid of them, but with each year, they grew fiercer, and
the aim of Taliban got more stronger with their official formation of TTP
i.e. Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. The nature of TTP became fiercer and
inflexible with the continuing Drone Attacks on them by USA, as a
result of which, innocent Pakistanis and some Army officials became
the target of TTP. Pakistan in 2013 started table talks with them and
tried to bring out the peace but yet no decision has been achieved.

TTP demands a state that is run according to their extremist version
Islamic laws i.e. Sharia. They want Pakistan to end all her ties with
USA and that all of their demands must be adhered to. However this
type of call cannot be accepted, that is evident but yet the Government
of Pakistan trying her best to find a peaceful solution through table
talks. While table talks are being held, yet terrorist activities havent
come to halt, they might have reduced but not ceased completely.
Since 2002 not a year has gone by when Pakistan didnt faced terror at
the hands of TTP and other Taliban and terrorist organizations. From
Mosques to schools, from shrines to historical places, and from market
places to international hotels; all have become a target of them. The
wait is a rather long one. When will this end is the only thing every one
today wished to know.

CONCLUSION:

After carefully analyzing the demands made by the Taliban, I have
concluded that their manifesto is IMPOSE SHARIA. Now in todays age,
every person believes in freedom and that he be allowed to practice his
religion in personal. No one allows the interference by anyone in any
manner and this to some extent is somewhat making it difficult for the
peace process. Since there is a community that may be small in
number, but is highly powerful and effective and they reject the idea of

9

REFERENCES:
(1)
(2) Carlotta Gal, Ismail Khan, Pir Zubair Shah and Taimoor shah (26
th
March 2009) Pakistani and Afghan Taliban
Unity in face of US influx New York Times retrieved 27
th
March 2009.
Shane, Scott (22
nd
Oct 2009)Insurgents share a name but pursue different goals NYT 26
th

January 2011
Siddiqa, Ayesha (2011) Pakistans counterterrorism strategy: separating friends from enemies
The Washington
Quarterly 34.
(3) Bajoria, Jayshree Greg Bruno (6
th
May 2010) Shared Goals for Pakistans Militants Council on Foreign relations
Retrieved 26
th
January 2011
(4) Abbas, Zafar (10
th
September 2004) Pakistans undeclared war. BBC
(5) Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban: militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in central Asia. New Haven: Yale University p43
(Interview with Mullah Wakil)
(6) Sherazi, Zafar Shah (9
th
Feb 2009) TTP finalizes 15 points for drafts dawn.com/news/1085920.
(7) Khan, Dr.Hidayat (winter 2013) Pakistans Contribution to Global war on terror after 9/11 Steps taken by
Pakistan, after 9/11, p.44-49.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Wikipedia.org/tehreek-i-Taliban_Pakistan Dawn news online
New York Times online
Pakistans contribution to Global War on terror after 9/11 *All the information has been searched using Google scholar.






"Pakistan: A Plethora of Problems" (PDF). Global Security Studies, Winter 2012,
Volume 3, Issue 1, by Colin Price, School of Graduate and Continuing Studies in
Diplomacy. Norwich University, Northfield, VT. Retrieved 2012-12-22