Punjab, with Lahore as its bustling capital, contains half of
Pakistan’s population. The provincial government is in the hands of the
conservative, mildly Islamist party of a former prime minister, Nawaz
Sharif. In a speech in March his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, who is chief
minister, pleaded with the Taliban to leave Punjab alone as his
administration shared their ideology of keeping out “foreign dictation”
(ie, Americans). Officials bristle at comparisons between Punjab, which
is moderately well run, and the lawless tribal areas.
It is correct to say that there has been no territorial takeover by
extremists in any part of the province, nor any enforcement of Islamic
law. However, Punjab functions as an ideological nursery and recruiting
ground for militants throughout the country. Distinctions between the
Taliban in the north-west and older jihadi groups in Punjab
have broken down. The federal government says Punjabi groups have been
responsible for most of the big terrorist attacks in the province.
Punjab’s minister of law, Rana Sanaullah, went on the campaign trail
in February with the reputed head of Sipah-e-Sahaba, for a by-election
in the southern town of Jhang. The two rode through the streets in an
open-top vehicle. The minister says that he was just trying to bring the
group into the mainstream. Jhang is Sipah-e-Sahaba’s headquarters; the
group makes little effort to hide its presence there.
Another outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammed, is based in Bahawalpur, also in
southern Punjab, where it has a huge seminary. Former members of both
organisations are integral parts of the Pakistani Taliban. Another
group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for the devastating attack on Mumbai in
2008, also has Punjab as its home. “The Punjab government is not only
complacent, there is a certain ambivalence in their attitude” towards
extremists, says Arif Nizami, a political analyst based in Lahore. “They
compete for the religious vote bank.”
