Very Disturbing :Pak army morale hits new low after desertions at Frontier

A day before President Musharraf declared emergency in Pakistan, Taliban fighters in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) showed off close to 50 ‘captured’ paramilitary troops in the Swat valley. On Saturday, Islamic militants confirmed that 100 more security personnel — mostly police and paramilitary soldiers — had been ‘captured’ in the same area. And on Sunday, the Associated Press reported that militants freed 211 soldiers in exchange for the release of 28 insurgents from government custody, including some allegedly connected to suicide attacks. The soldiers had been taken captive on August 30 as their convoy travelled through South Waziristan.

The Pakistan army motto is: Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabilillah (faith, piety, striving in the path of Allah). Analysts say this itself contradicts the action in NWFP for the ordinary soldier who feels he is waging a jihad in the name of America against his own people. The challenge before the Pak Army, which is a very professional army, is to justify that the fight there is for Pakistan and not someone else’s war, say these analysts.

The past few months have been extremely difficult for the Pakistani security forces. Over 1,000 have been killed fighting extremists in NWFP and Waziristan, others have been targets of bombings — in an officers’ mess, outside a cantonment and, most recently, at an air force station. Others, like the paramilitary troops, have chosen the easy way by getting ‘captured’ willingly by the Taliban.

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Do you think that motto of Pakistan army needs to be changed so that the war against Talibans is justified

 

You hit the nail when you said soldiers are feeling that they are not fighting for Pakistan.

They are not fighting because its a fight for Pakistan, they are fighting because Pakistan is one of the allies of USA.

Don't forget, this is the same taliban that Pakistan not only supported during Afghan-Soviet war, but also was one the few countries that recognized their regime.

 

How do you think Pakistan Govt. is going to Motivate their Army ? One thing which come to my mind is that they will have to redfine the Motto : Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabilillah (faith, piety, striving in the path of Allah) or give Sabililah a different meaning.

 

The real question is, where is it going?

If we assume, Musharraf fails and falls, what is going to happen next?

Is there anyone, competent enough to hold the Pakistan together? Extremists are gaining ground. We begun to see support for extremists in the military. And I believe in the current situation, Musharraf will not be able to hold it for long..

So whats coming up?

 

It is a good tactics by Americans to oppose him just for heck of opposing him. Americans would not allow him to fail. Even if he fails , Benazir is their second bet.That is plan number two

 

Do you think that if Musharraf fails, Pakistani military will let Benazir take the control over?

 

No militiray commander can overthrow him without Amercian support , Americans were boldened by the support Benazir got while she was back in Pakistan . This encouraged them to enter Pakistan through democracy.

 

200 more Pakistan Army man Surrender to Taliban..

 

Seems like Pakistan has been a hot bed for Islamic militants for quite some time.
It may seem that Musharaf is undemocratic, but no one can be when there are so many Taliban.

 

Pak Army is the best army in the world .... no doubt about it.... and the moral is very very high.....
they are sacrificing their life for the sake of their country.....to ensure peace in the region.

 

How about if our government takes a radical approach in supporting pakistan. How about we actually support their poor and homeless that im sure the extremists are appealing too. Win the hearts of the masses and u are home free. This is what martin luther king junior, gandhi and many others did and were very successful at doing.

 

Pro-Taliban fighters have advanced in recent days and government officials say they now control as much as 70 per cent of the valley, just a few hours' drive from Islamabad.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C341BB4A-EC10-4CB8-A79A-F563467C05C0.htm

 

Do you any statics to prove that ? BTW have not seen a situation where so many Army people surrender to the militants in their own country.

 

So now the world needs to change according to America's whims? Its so straight forward. Taliban for the existence of Musharraf and America's illegal adventures.

You do realize Ronald Raegan, General Zia ul Haq and the CIA were behind them.

Sometimes I wish USSR should've won the cold war.

 

It's a bad sign that hundreds of pakistani troops are surrendering to the taliban extremists

 

The reality is that they are surrendering not to Talilban, but to the fact that they are killing people just for the sake of extending one man's rule.

 

Its not about the Taliban, The fact is, soldiers are deserting army because they are not feeling that it's a fight for their country. They believe they are fighting and killing their own people, their Muslim brothers. And not to forget Taliban (and such) is very popular in the north west tribal region of Pakistan.

 

In a sense you are right , as majority people in Pakistan still have sympathies with Taliban and Al-Qeda, and they see them as the saviours of their faith

 

The next step is that the PAK soilders desert and join the taliban. That hapened with the Shah of Irans army back in 1979 when soilders deserted and joined the militants.