Maulvi Fazalullah (also known as "Radio Maulvi") is the current leader in charge of militants in Swat. He is a follower of the TTP and its current leader, Baitullah Mehsud. Maulvi is son-in-law of Sufi Mohammad, head of the movement to establish an Islamic court system in Swat. Unlike Sufi Mohammad, Maulvi has not renounced the use of force and armed struggle.
Sufi Mohammad has moved into Swat with 9000 followers. He is the original leader of the Swat Islamic Courts Movement and the current leader of the the Movement to Implement Islamic Laws in Swat under the name, Tehrik-e-Nizam e Shariat e Mustafa (TNSM). Sufi Mohammad had virtual control over Swat during the 90’s but now has no military power on the ground.
Mullah Umar is the leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan. He has told his followers to disassociate themselves from Baitullah Mehsud and the TTP.
Gen. Ashfaq Kayani is the Pakistan Army Chief.
Benazir Bhutto 12th and 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan and the only woman ever to serve as Prime Minister. She was the eldest child of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. She was assassinated on December 27, 2007. She was the leading candidate against then president, Pervez Musharraf.
Pervez Musharraf is former dictator-turned- president of Pakistan. He was forced out of office due to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and his loss of support by his former sponsor, the U.S. government.
Asif Ali Zardari is the current president of Pakistan. He is the former husband of Benazir Bhutto and came into power on her coat tails after she was assassinated. He is also the son of veteran politician Mr. Hakim Ali Zardari. Mr. Zardari is commonly known in Pakistan as "Mr. Ten Percent" due to his well-known cuts on various government deals.
Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani is the current Prime Minister of Pakistan with Zardari as president. Both are members of the ruling political party, the PPP. He was elected as Prime Minister, unopposed. This was a singular and unprecedented event in Pakistan's political history.
After two years of brutal conflict in Swat, Pakistan, a complicated peace deal has been achieved. Before we get to this peace deal let me continue on the expansion of some facts from my previous article on Swat. A lot has been discussed in Pakistani media on Swat and the causes of militancy there. Based upon various television reports and articles appearing in the local newspapers here it is clear that the Pakistan government has made some moves that can only be described as "suspicious". Just like in former Yugoslavia, law enforcement funds were cut off to different provinces; similar steps have been taken in Pakistan. Hamid Mir, famous journalist/anchor of Geo Television (Pakistan’s top news channel) reported that local police and law enforcement agencies in Swat are facing the biggest shortfall in terms of arms, ammunition, troop morale and equipment such as police vehicles, bullet proof vests, etc. Also, in the past year, the town police officer has been rotated repeatedly. As mentioned in my earlier article “Playing with fire in Pakistan”, Pakistan is being given the same medicine that was given to former Yugoslavia. In his Global Research article, The Destabilisation of Pakistan (Dec 20, 2007), Michael Chossudousky wrote:
“Already in 2005, a report by the US National Intelligence Council and the CIA forecast a 'Yugoslav-like fate' for Pakistan ...
"in a decade with the country raven by civil war, bloodshed and inter-provincial rivalries, as seen recently in Balochistan." (Energy Compass, 2 March 2005).
"According to the NIC-CIA, Pakistan is slated to become a 'failed state' by 2015, as it would be affected by civil war, complete Talibanisation and struggle for control of its nuclear weapons.”
The reports about lack of police equipment and funds are not only limited to the Swat Valley, but to the entire North West Frontier Province (NWFP) which envelopes Swat. The question is why is the government not releasing more funds to improve law and order in this region? Why are the funds withheld?
The answer lies in the fact that this government came into power under National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). NRO was a deal that was the brainchild of Condi Rice, Richard Boucher, and John Negroponte. One of the first orders of business for the NRO was to cleanse all politicians of Pakistan of all their past crimes of corruption, lies, deceit, murder, and the political persecution of opposition. In short, NRO baptized all the corrupt politicians of Pakistan. It was brokered between former President of Pakistan Musharraf and slain leader Benazir Bhutto.
The CIA suspected that both Musharraf and Benazir were unreliable for their purposes and the combination of their posts as President and Prime minister, respectively, would mean a disaster for the CIA’s motives in Pakistan. As we all know, Benazir was removed from the scene once and for all on December 27, 2007. The investigation into her assassination is still being conducted by UN special commission. The fallout from Benazir’s assassination was sufficient to eventually push Musharraf out of office. In came her former husband, Mr. Zardari. Zardari has been given a task, that offers more to the U.S, more than anything that Benazir would have or could have done and all that Musharraf wouldn’t or couldn't deliver for the U.S.
The Main Government-Opposition Party
In order to understand what is happening in Pakistan, it will be important to become acquainted with some names of organizations and their leaders whose unfamiliar names may require some effort by our English language readers.
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Talha is a Sr. Analyst of www.pakistankakhudahadiz.com (PKKH). Pakistan's first independedt media from Pakistan. Talha is wireless communication engineer by profession. Has studied, lived and worked in USA. Talha follows current affairs and history (
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