I think you have mentioned that there are many international terrorists, including from Uzbekistan and other countries on the border. Do you think the instigation or inspiration may have come from Al Qaeda?
Yes. Why not? This is something I have argued -- I never really used the word Al Qaeda or Taliban while I was in Pakistan. You kind of make the differentiation by referring to them as local militants and foreign ones. Now it is hard to know who is the ideological mastermind, who is crafting the strategy for the new generation of the Taliban that has directed their attention towards the Pakistani army. Who knows?
A lot of people have said that much of what is happening in terms of the Taliban or terrorism has much to do with the US policy towards Pakistan.
I think that it is true to a certain degree. I think American policy created so many opportunities for opportunistic religious leaders, political leaders, militant leaders, to get into the head of young men and women. So that certainly is there.
There are reasons in Pakistan -- we can't deny that the judicial system is broken, the police system is broken and when the State is no longer able to provide services -- it creates such a sense of frustration (among people) that anyone who comes along and is organised is liable to get support. In some cases it is the Taliban.
I understand there is lot of opposition to President Musharraf in Pakistan. Do you think Musharraf is somewhat responsible for this?
Certainly, Musharraf has aggravated the situation. People are so frustrated with the political, social and economic status quo that it has created opportunities for support (for terrorist forces) that might not have existed previously. And yet although (some) people suggest that a civilian government might be able to stop or slow the pace of recruitment of young men and women joining the militants, there is scepticism about anyone who suggests that a civilian government can crush the insurgency campaign and (come out with) a strategy that would effectively stem the rise of the Taliban.
Image: A Pakistani soldier stands guard by an election billboard bearing an image of slain Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in Karachi on February 16, 2008. Photograph: Rizwan Tabassum/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: Musharraf heading for a painful end
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