"Pakistan Adopting a Tough Old Tactic to Flush Out Qaeda"
Very interesting article. In addition to the headlined topic, highlights the efforts underway by Pakistan and other nations to lessen the sway of Islamic extremism/fundamentalism in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Excerpts:
At the start of the month, Pakistan massed several thousand troops in and around the town of Wana, near the country's mountainous border with Afghanistan. Using a harsh century-old British method, officials handed local tribal elders a list and issued an ultimatum. ...
The British decided instead to take advantage of an existing tribal custom that held an entire tribe responsible for the actions of one of its members. Tribes were ordered to find kidnappers themselves, or face collective punishment. ...
Tribal elders said they would rather sort out matters themselves than have outsiders search their communities and homes. In an interview in Islamabad, Maulana Abdul Malik, 43, a leader of the Jalikhel tribe and a member of Pakistan's Parliament from Wana, said he had urged other tribal leaders to hand over the men. ...
The governor said he hoped new aid flowing into the area would reduce sympathies for Taliban and Al Qaeda. He said the government had increased the development budget for the tribal areas by 400 percent, to $67 million. ... There is also international help. Norway is building 350 schools, he said. Japan and the United States are spending $2 million on refurbishing existing primary schools. And the United States is paying $10 million for new roads.
Excerpts:
At the start of the month, Pakistan massed several thousand troops in and around the town of Wana, near the country's mountainous border with Afghanistan. Using a harsh century-old British method, officials handed local tribal elders a list and issued an ultimatum. ...
The British decided instead to take advantage of an existing tribal custom that held an entire tribe responsible for the actions of one of its members. Tribes were ordered to find kidnappers themselves, or face collective punishment. ...
Tribal elders said they would rather sort out matters themselves than have outsiders search their communities and homes. In an interview in Islamabad, Maulana Abdul Malik, 43, a leader of the Jalikhel tribe and a member of Pakistan's Parliament from Wana, said he had urged other tribal leaders to hand over the men. ...
The governor said he hoped new aid flowing into the area would reduce sympathies for Taliban and Al Qaeda. He said the government had increased the development budget for the tribal areas by 400 percent, to $67 million. ... There is also international help. Norway is building 350 schools, he said. Japan and the United States are spending $2 million on refurbishing existing primary schools. And the United States is paying $10 million for new roads.
// 1/30/2004 
