Afghan Taliban Form Shadow Government

The 'real' Taliban (as opposed to the fake ones based in Pakistan who are heavily penetrated by suspect foreign intelligence operatives) now have shadow governors in all but three of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

By CTV.ca News Staff
Monday, 19 January 2008.

KABUL, Afghanistan—The Taliban are claiming they control 70 per cent of rural Afghanistan and have instituted a shadow government with their own police, courts and rule of law.

The boast comes in the days leading up to Barack Obama's inauguration as U.S. president, who is planning on dramatically ratcheting up America's military presence in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's claim is being dismissed by many inside Afghanistan as empty rhetoric, but there is little denying that their presence is expanding.

Khalid Pashtoon, a member of the Afghan Parliament, says there isn't enough NATO and Afghan troops to police the entire country. As well, the justice system is spread thin and some villagers are turning to the harsh - but swift -- justice system of the Taliban.

"Right now the people have completely lost their faith, they mostly solve their legal disputes over Taliban judges," he said.

Recently the governor of Kandahar visited distant parts of his province to counter claims that the Taliban was in control in those regions.

Tooryalai Wesa, the Canadian-Afghan governor of Kandahar, called the Taliban's assertions "rumors."

But many villagers in the region told CTV's Steve Chao a different story -- saying they put their trust in the Taliban.

Wesa's shadow government counterpart is believed to be Mahibullah Akhunzada, The Canadian Press reports. He replaced Mullah Mahmood, who died last year in an air strike in Khakrez district.

He has said that the Taliban has shadow governors in all but three of Afghanistan's 34 provinces.

With a report from CTV's Steve Chao and files from The Canadian Press. Published by CTV.CA

Taliban's Swift Justice

By Dr. Ghayur Ayub

Friday, 23 January 2009.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—It was during a visit to Peshawar that I met a senior police officer. He narrated a story which was brow-raising. He told of a person from Bannu who lent Rs. 40,000 [approx. U.S. $500] to a man he knew, who promised that he would return it within a specified time. He told the borrower that he had saved up the said amount to help pay for his children's education. When the agreed time lapsed, he asked him to return the amount. The borrower started making excuses and after a few months he flatly refused and challenged the lender to do what ever he could. There is a Pukhtu word for it 'Laas Da Azaad De'.

The man went from pillar to post to seek justice but with no result. The police proved incapable as the borrower was a powerful man with strong connections. When he tried to knock on the door of the court for justice he was dismayed to hear that it would take months for the case to come to a hearing and years to reach a final judgment. After all that, the chances were that the verdict would go against him as he was up against powerful people. To top it off, he was told he had to pay Rs 1000 upfront every time he wanted to put his case forward for a hearing. This amount did not include the amount he was going to pay the lawyers. When he calculated it, the approximate amount turned out to be more than the actual amount he was going to seek justice for.

At the end of every day, he would go back home heart broken; cursing his luck to be living in a country where there was no justice for the middle or poor classes. He tried to persuade the borrower by pleading with him, explaining how desperately he needed the money for his children's education. He even offered a discount or to split the amount into installments, but all in vain. It was like hitting a brick wall. He felt dejected, helpless and powerless to see his children suffering just because he came from a stratum of a society pushed against the wall.

One evening, he heard a knock on the door. He opened it and saw two strangers with bushy beards standing outside. Thinking they were there to collect charity, he asked with irritation what they wanted. They told him that they saw him crying in the mosque and on enquiry they were told that someone was refusing to pay his money back. With a surprised look on his face, he asked them who they were.

"We are local Taliban," they said. Then they asked if he would let them have his side of story. He saw a ray of hope and ushered them in. After listening to his story, the Taliban told him that the borrower had committed an un-Islamic act, and if he wanted they could persuade him to return the said money. "We want your permission". His heart jumped with flickering optimism and immense joy and without any hesitation, he gave them his consent. Before they left the premises they asked for 72 hours.

According to the police officer, the Taliban went to the influential man and told him it was un-Islamic not to pay the amount he had borrowed from the man. They threatened that if he did not pay the debt back within 48 hours; he would bear the consequences. They also told him how Taliban had previously dealt with people like him. Shivers went through the spine of the 'powerful' man as he knew what their threat meant. With a dry mouth, frightened face and shaking body he nodded his head in agreement, promising he would return the amount. The next day, he went to the house of the lender and paid back the full amount he had refused up until then. He apologized for the delay and requested him to tell the Taliban not to harm him or his family and to let them know that he had returned the money. The Taliban never went back to ask whether he got the money back, but they must had been watching the development. From that day on, according to the police officer, that man became a strong supporter of Taliban. Could anyone blame him?

There are countless other stories of parallel justice systems running in Pakistan in the present day. These systems seem to be nippy and effective satisfying their poor clients. Some are Taliban style, others tribal style, sharing one commonality; they are swift, just and not stained with corruption.