Taliban have to blame none but themselves for their present predicament. They would not have been declared as outcast by the world community had they chosen a middle of the road path and got rid of religious fanatics present in their ranks . They had ample opportunity to establish their credentials as moderate people when they came to power more than once in Afghanistan after a bloody war with the Kremlin but instead of proving themselves as responsible rulers they followed the path of religious fanaticism in every field of life which alienated them from the world at large. They could have also followed a middle of the road policy by keeping the fanatics in their ranks at bay and by forging brotherly ties with the super powers of the world and devoting their entire attention to developmental projects aimed at rebuilding their country devastated by a prolonged war with the Soviet Union and ameliorating the lot of teeming millions Afghanis living below the poverty line. That would have moved them out of the harm’s way but instead they chose for themselves a path which is self destructive and nothing short of hara Kiri which leads to nowhere except self destruction. They forgot the age old wise crack that one can change friends but cannot one’s neighbor. It is in the evidence that they always gave India preference over Pakistan which is their next door neighbor in every walk of life right from day one from1947. Like the Bourbons they had learnt and forgotten nothing. Their obscurantist policies leaving no option for the world community but to declare them as pariah. This isolation from world would further exacerbate the agonies of Afghanis thus making Afghanistan a breeding place of more violence.
POST SCRIPT
The powers that be chose wrong persons for both the gubernatorial office and chief minister ship of KPK and paid a heavy price for it as both were in their salad days. Small wonder they made a mess of this border province of KPK. Instead of paying due attention to the law and order of it they spent most of their time in bickering and recriminations against each other with the result that their province has been in utter chaos with its law and order touching its nadir as never before. The revenue districts bordering the erstwhile FATA suffer from violence galore as never before. Let us hope this time when they make new appointments on these two posts they should take a lesson from their past mistakes.
