In 1988, Benazir Bhutto became the first female Prime Minister of a Muslim nation. In 2007, during a rally to return to power, Bhutto was murdered by a suicide bomber. It is claimed that she was shot before the bomb detonated and the blast took twenty-eight lives and injured more than a hundred others. Now, ten years after this incident, the bomber’s name has been revealed as Saeed and his origin reported to be the Taliban.
The origin of Taliban
The link between the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the Taliban can be understood after the story of their origin. Between 1979 and 1989, when the Soviet-Afghan war took place, a terror group named Mujahideen was formed. Also known as the Peshawar Seven, it constitutes of seven terror groups made to fight against the red army. Funded primarily by the United States of America, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, this group was created simply for the guerrilla war. In 1989, the Soviet army was defeated, followed by the withdrawal of the troops. The Pakistani government soon realised that funding a terror group as such was no longer a requirement and reduced all funding from even foreign sources.
The end of the war brought its own form of chaos. Though the group consisted of skilled fighters, they no longer had a leader or guidance. They were unable to unite or decide on how to govern Afghanistan. Their internal quarrel and corruption led to bloodshed and complete destruction of the land. It was from this that the Taliban came to power. A group of men became clear about their vision of Afghanistan and skilled enough to bring the idea to life.
Taliban’s target
Mujahid translates to ‘struggler’, which supports the creation of the Mujahideen during the Afghani struggle. The word Taliban, in contrast, stands for ‘students’. This brings the idea that Taliban constitutes of individuals determined to carry forward a task. This would be the discipline taught to them by their self-appointed leader. Originally their leader was Mohammed Omar. Thus, while the Mujahideen were ‘strugglers’ against change, created in form of retaliation, Taliban’s main idea was to bring change in the way they find most suited for a free Afghanistan.
For ten years, there were no claims to which group was responsible for the killing. The recent release of the Urdu book, ‘Inqilab Mehsood South Waziristan – from British Raj to American Imperialism’, claims that the Taliban is responsible for the assassination. It also describes the instructions given to the suicide bomber while also stating the reason behind the murder. It infers that: the US government had been in contact with Bhutto. In 2007, while she was running for Prime Minister, she was given by the United States a plan against the ‘Mujahid-e-Islam’. This would then facilitate her with the right plans to end the terror group the US themselves had created. The Taliban, but, was informed of this plan, which was considered a threat against them, leading to her assassination.
Lives affected by the conspiracy
Ikramullah is the name of the man who was first told to carry forward the assassination. The suicide bomber is estimated to have taken one hundred and forty innocent lives with him in his assassination plan. Yet, Bhutto escaped death. This was the first attempt by the Taliban to kill Benazir Bhutto.
In Karachi, October 2007, Bhutto had realised the presence of a terror group hence, predicting her murder. In a letter to an American friend, Mark Siegel, she blamed the former President, Pervez Musharraf, for his resistance towards providing her with more security. The Taliban themselves expected the second attempt to need more tact given that their plan was now evident to the world. However, Bhutto, due to these conflicts with people of power, was unable to protect herself. She knew that the President was allowing her murder to take place and blamed him in the letter for her eventual murder. Yet, the President himself simply claimed it was the Taliban’s doing and now after ten years, he has been proven correct.
The women’s question
The Taliban want the redevelopment of archaic rules that the world has, for years, fought against. Their demands include the term that a woman can never be president. Although the Taliban does not oppose education to both genders, they state that they are in support of segregation. In fact, they state that women may be employed in any field of work but will have limits to their establishment of power. They recited that no woman can be part of the Supreme Court or become President legally. This is to maintain the hierarchy of genders.
For women, giving in means the continuation of patriarchy in the society. For the rest, it means losing much of the governmental power to bring change, to members of the Taliban. As Anatol Lieven, the author of ‘Pakistan: A Hard Country’ stated, “it is difficult to imagine the existing elites surrendering power and patronage to a neutral government, let alone one that in future would inevitably have to include the Taliban”.
The Taliban practice Sunni Islam and any settlement with them would include the fact that everyone in Afghanistan would be forced to follow this religion. The Taliban also believe in severe punishment which would be able to find its way even in the new society.
Implications of their existence
After the September eleven attacks in the United States, Taliban was targeted by them for harbouring the Al-Qaida, the militant group responsible for these attacks. In an invasion, the United States was able to topple the Taliban, leaving them momentarily powerless.
However, even now, more than fifteen years after these attacks, these militant groups continue to revolt against the Afghani troops, murdering them at an alarming rate. Although the States has continued to support the Afghani government with military support, the Taliban still holds power over a large part of Afghanistan including cities like Peshawar.
President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that the military will soon fight and win in Afghanistan. However, he now states that “someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan”. Keeping in accordance with the demands of the Taliban, it is hard to imagine which elements the President is referring to, that could be kept in Afghanistan.
A recent attack at the Kabul’s intercontinental hotel killed fourteen foreign nationals and four Afghans. The Taliban claims responsibility for this attack that took place on 20th January 2018. Looking at current events, it can be said that the terror of the militant group has not toppled. How and when this row of terror and enforcement of laws will end, is a question all hope to one-day answer.
