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Taliban untamed

The Presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan appear to have contained their mutual hostility when they met for a Bush-hosted dinner at the White House. It may only be a matter of time before the war of words resumed. President Hamid Karzai alleges that Pakistan's intelligence agencies have a hand in the revival of Taliban activity in southern Afghanistan. The extremist and fundamentalist movement has carried out a series of attacks on government installations over the past several months. The 41,000 American and NATO troops operating alongside the newly raised Afghan army have failed to crush the Taliban despite undertaking several campaigns. Commanders of the western forces complain that militant activity intensified after Pakistan struck a deal in September with the leaders of Pakhtoon tribes in South Waziristan. In return for the suspension of the Pakistan army's drive against them, Taliban-affiliated groups promised to give up their armed struggle. Islamabad, which lost more than 700 soldiers in South Waziristan operations, insists that the practice of allowing tribal leaders to police their own territory is a time-tested method for restoring peace in the tribal Pakhtoon belt, given the rugged terrain and the tribesmen's skill in guerrilla warfare.

While defending his policy, President Pervez Musharraf maintains that the Karzai Government's incompetence is the main factor behind the Taliban resurgence. That argument is not devoid of merit although observers other than the Afghan President have accused Pakistan's intelligence services of playing a destabilising role. Reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed in the nearly three decades of war has proved a formidable task and most projects are behind schedule, even in relatively tranquil parts of the country. The Afghan government could hardly be expected to work wonders in a mountainous part of the country where insurgency is raging. The question is whether the Karzai regime has done all it can, and there are doubts on that score. There is a widespread belief that most Ministers are either corrupt or inefficient. Mr. Karzai is also perceived to be an indecisive leader who cannot command loyalty. However, even a strong-willed head of an effective government will find it difficult to bring peace to southern Afghanistan. The warlords and opium runners of this region have for long resisted Kabul's authority. A militant movement that professes religious purity apparently has no qualms about linking up with desperate elements of this sort. If Pakistan's intelligence agencies are indeed involved in the Taliban revival, the region is in for bigger trouble than it is prepared for.

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