As the Taliban is fast expanding its control over NWFP and threatening to step into Islamabad, the worried world leaders are sending their special envoys to Pakistan to press the Zardari Government and the Army for urgent measures to contain the growing menace. Already Special envoys of France, Britain, and Italy arrived in Islamabad for talks with the Pak leadership.
The British Special Envoy, Sir Sherad Cooper, has planned to stay in the country for two days. President Zardari and his Prime Minister gave him a cold treatment to express their disquiet over the handling of recent arrest of eleven Pakistani students suspected to be involved in terrorism.
The French Special Envoy Pierre Lellouche would stay in Pakistan for a week. Several other countries like Germany and Japan have also appointed special envoys to deal with Afghanistan and Pakistan security situation.
US Chairman and Joint Chiefs of staff, Admiral Michael Mullen was also again in town for second time. It may be recalled that the American special envoy, Richard Holbrook visited the country and Afghanistan on April 6.
The Taliban have completed their subjugation of Buner and lower and upper Dir. Buner is a gateway to Mardan, the second largest in NWFP, after Peshawar. A senior police official said that they may soon roll over into Mardan and beyond. From the hills of Buner, the Taliban can easily access the flatlands of the district of Swabi, which lead directly to the four-lane motorway that runs from Islamabad to Peshawar, the capital of the NWFP.
The Taliban is also now threatening to take over Nowshera, the military garrison town of the NWFP. The police chief of the province has confirmed the presence of terrorists moving near the military establishments and independent reports suggested that about 100 militants were roaming around the area.
Moscow sees the terrorist groups operating in the region of Afghan-Pak border as one of the biggest threats to its own national security and that of its allies in the region, Col. Gen. Aleksei Sedov, head of the internal intelligence agency, FSB’s Task Force, told a Security conference held under the aegis of Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO).
The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Andrei Nesternko said his government was extremely concerned over increasing attacks in Pakistan against its religious centres and government targets. He said the terrorists, operating boldly and openly, are seeking to terrorise population and create anger against the State and thus undermine the system of governance. And added the terrorists wanted to trigger chaos in Pakistan in order to create favourable conditions to bring Islamists to power.
Col. Gen. Aleksei Sedov disclosed that the Taliban militants were gaining proficiency in cyber warfare and warned that they might be planning cyber attacks on governmental and private networks with an intention to disrupt communications and essential services.
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