The Taliban recently raided the house of an influential tribal elder , Pir Attique , in the Northern Tank district in South Waziristan provice in the autonomous tribal areas in Pakistan . Not finding him the militants killed 13 of his family members after they refused to reveal his whereabouts . Pir Attique runs his own newspaper and is anti-Taliban .
The tribal areas of Pakistan are where the Taliban took shelter after they were routed from Afghanistan in 2001 . Tribal custom is that anyone seeking shelter is not to be turned away . The guests are beginning to take over control of the house now .
The Pakistan government has always been wary of the fiercely independent tribals in Balochistan and NWFP [North West Frontier Provinces} . Pakistani control has been at best tenuous .
The Taliban influence is growing in these areas specially in North and South Waziristan . Especially in South Wazistan , a volatile area populated by some 500,000 inhabitants . Taliban fighters have taken over administrative buildings . The borders with Afghanistan has more Taliban presence than Pakistani soldiers who keep no check on who comes and goes . Though they number 1,00,000 they seem to be unable or unwilling to keep check on Taliban movements . They have been accused of actively colluding with the militants . Which is a fact as the ISI [Inter Services Intelligence] wants the Taliban alive and kicking to leverage its influence in Afghanistan and squeeze money from the US .
The Taliban has even set up Shariat courts . Maulvi Nazir, the Taliban commander of South Waziristan dispenses quick justice which is welcome to the local inhabitants tired of the delay and corruption of the official judicial courts .
Alarmed at these developments US Vice President Dick Cheney had urged Musharraf to reign in these elements when he visited Pakistan in February this year .
Some analysts say Musharraf will be unable to stop the Taliban’s political and cultural influence in South Waziristan.
Fazal-ur-Rahim Marwat , a professor at the Pakistan Study Center at the University of Peshawar , paints a grim picture when he says ,
Due to the ongoing instability on both sides of the border, the Taliban will become the ultimate rulers in South Waziristan
In Afghanistan the US and Nato forces want to root out the Taliban from the Helmand province . But the outcome will be futile unless something is done about the ready refuge for the Taliban in Pakistani tribal areas .
