Why You Shouldn't Trust the Pakistani Government -- A Commentary

Members of a tribal militia working with the Pakistani Army. The militias are part of the military’s strategy to quell the Taliban. Abdul Majeed for The New York Times

From The Weekly Standard:

CNN has a story on the situation in Swat, the Taliban-controlled region in Pakistan's northwest outside of the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Hina Khan, a 14-year-old Pakistani girl, talks about how the Taliban are in control of the region and are expanding thier influence:

"Right now, [Swat Valley] is under the control of the Taliban," she said. "They are knocking on the doors of Peshawar, and I have no doubt they will be knocking on the doors of Islamabad [if] the government continues the complacency they are showing right now."

But Major General Athar Abbas, the spokesman for Pakistan's military, disagrees:

"There is success," Abbas said of operations against anti-government forces in the tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan. "The success rate of the army's operation is pretty good in these areas."

I've been closely following the situation in Pakistan's northwest for five years now. And sadly, I have to take the word of a 14-year-old Pakistani girl over the word of a senior Pakistani military officer. Here's why: Pakistan's military leadership has been outright untruthful to the media multiple times in the past on events in the northwest. In two of the more blatant instances, Major General Abbas had to backtrack on his falsehoods.

Read more ....

My Comment: The proof is always revealed on the battlefield. The Pakistani Government has been saying for years that there are no Al Qaeda elements in their country .... and that the Taliban with their Islamic extremists are not a threat.

I think they are going to repeat this until the Taliban are at the doors of their homes.