Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Bad hair day

A new crisis has emerged in the district of Bajaur in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA) after the recent bombing of its madressa by American forces. It seems that militants (read Taliban/Taliban sympathisers) have decreed that no male, young or adult, shall go in for a haircut or get their beards trimmed as it is deemed un-Islamic. While moderates are silently outraged and indignant at this latest umbrage, the barbers of the district have now resorted to contemplating a whole new profession as their loyal rank of followers is obviously dwindling.

This simple and cynical example is but an instance of two significant developments taking place in Pakistan's lawless northwest: one, the lack of Islamabad's authority and the increasing stranglehold of Taliban in the region and two, the extent to which the Taliban are utilising these areas to regroup and spread their good word.

One wonders when President Musharraf would realise the growing threat that Taliban poses not only to Pakistan but also to the greater region itself. I would hazard that this realisation might come when the barbers in Islamabad start looking for alternative assignments.

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