Gun Markets of Pakistan

This is educational for folks calling for the invasion of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, a Taliban hangout. Some portray it as a monolithic Taliban region, but in reality it’s a lot of disparate tribes and interests. You see a large village in the video, where many guns are manufactured, however there are miniature versions of this town through every pass in the Pakistani frontier.

In popularlity the US is least liked, but Al Qaeda is disliked almost as much, and the Afghan Taliban are third on the “not liked” list. The Pakistanis are very nationalistic, and through history they’ve always been this way. Every conquering country that has come through eventually gets worn down and goes away. As the narrator states “Pakistan Zindabad!”

You should note in the video that most people walk about freely with guns, in some ways it reminds me of my home in Alaska, especially the part where he shoots the Kalakov (Kalashnikov made in Pakistan) off the roof. You should also note that people are smiling, listening to music, dancing. Even though they look like they might be the bad guys you should first know that Taliban don’t dance, they hate music, and rarely smile. You should also note the shaved chins, neatly trimmed beards – so most are not Taliban.

I am going to disagree with the narrator in one aspect, the war can be won, and is being won. Eventually it will be Pakistan Pashtuns and Afghan Pashtuns staring at each other across the border, and as the Aghan Talibs are pushed out of Pakistan (for surely they’ve outstayed their welcome too…) they will migrate back. More oft than not when Taliban cross the borders now they are being faced with Afghan Army forces, and that will continue.
The average Pakistani wants to go about his business, make some money, and hopes that load shedding of electricity will stop soon. Some are even vehemently opposed to the Talibanization of the frontiers, and want it to return to tribal structure. Yes, sometimes that business I spoke of earlier is opium and guns, but that’s the way it’s been, and the way it will be in the Khyber area until other means to live are made there.

2 thoughts on “Gun Markets of Pakistan”

  1. i don’t agree…

    I know well that its not about Islam, its about a ideology, which says human is not human…. & the ideology still exist, it hardly matters… what you call them; taliban, Deobandi, tablighi, Wahabbi, or even Nazis… what ever.

    I m not saying anything against Islam, but i used a word Wahabbi here… as i do know that Al Wahhab (founder of wahabbi Islam) had a high influence from Aurangzebs ideology…

    still a war have to be fought, but on all front… 1st again Wahabbis, then a war with in us….. as hate only destroy everything, and somewhere i think, that the point here….. Peoples had started hating all Muslims, though it was always told from our ancestors….

    “Hate Ideology, but not the Human”

    —–
    a Indian Hindu.
    but not a enemy of Pakistan.

    [Editors note:
    I hear what you are saying friend, but this area that we speak of was much the same before Islam arrived (Alexander’s time.) I was Speaking just of the local war Afghanistan / Pakistan, not the larger struggle against the modern Qutbists or whatever. On that front, the Pakistanis have to win the war against themselves — as you said that is a large internal struggle.

    — Thanos ]

  2. well, the area was like this even before Alexender… In Mahabharata, the mother of Duryodhan was from kandhar/Gandhar. the ideology given to Duryodhana was the reason behind Mahabharata war.

    The Question is what is really spreading like this, and is it something inherited genetically…. i will say NO. where Akbar was the most liberal king, generations after Akbar were tyrannt.. with most tyrannt Aurangzeb himself.

    I think, the only possible Answer is , that one has to attack the indoctrination… the Ideology… not a religion / caste as such.. Yes, condamination of factors, which are misused by by radicals is must, which also includes religion somewhere…. but i also know, that there exist mecca koran too… which is full of love.

    if you will offend me, then i will offend you back. if i feel danger from you, then i will attack you… and this is what happening today… Americans feel danger from radical Islam… and Muslims feel danger from non-Muslims… and all because of radical ideology.

    I can even see radicalism growing in Hindus, and we are really moving towards a war of cultures… but there is still a way out. to convert this war of culture into a war of Intellectuals against ignorants….

    thus in such conditions, there will be minimum causalities… liberal will support each other… and the radicals will have to move down… but in itself it also means going against racial politics of Asia….I think its a slow process… but is must for all of us… as the vary basic of our society is liberty, intellectuality, our plurality…. and to preserve it means to go against radicals.

    [Editor’s Note: I agree with you — it starts with indoctrination, to me it’s a reformation needed within the councils of Islam — just as an objective outsider. So to get there it’s education, energy, and religion. I don’t want the whole world to look like the west, that would be BORING! I do want people to stop killing innocents in the name of ideology, whether that is twisted religion, communism, socialism or whatever.]

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