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Forming militias in north a perilous act

The government policy of arming civilians and forming militias to tame the growing insecurity in the north has drawn flaks. As the government has been trying to rein in militancy, thousands of citizens from the north are expected to be mobilized to fight the Taliban in areas where the military and police force have shortage of men. The strategy of arming civilians against the militants is considered to be riskiest. Fowzia Koofi, a member of the Parliament from Badakhshan where the government is mulling to form the militias, says the move will spread the war from house to house. Badakhshan is a backward province that borders Pakistan where the militants have increased their presence. She says it will trigger rivalries as everyone will begin arming their own groups. Many other people have also vented their frustration over the plan. They say the move can potentially unleash a bloody civil war as it can provide a chance to ex-warlords to take up arms. Should it happen the government has no capacity to extinguish the fire and tame the ex-warlords. Reportedly, the governor of Kunduz province, Omar Safi recently said he will deploy 1,000 strong local policemen to crush the growing militancy. He also said they have enlisted the support of local elders to introduce individuals from their areas to join the force of 1000-men. Jawed Kohestani, a defense analyst, says the government must be cautious as this act may give serious backfires. Moreover, Ahmad Zia Massoud, the brother of late Ahmad Shah Massoud, warned that the bickering between the leaders of the National Unity Government has gradually been turning into a disastrous challenge. He urged the leaders of the government to abstain from politicizing the state institutions. He warned people have already started alienating from the government because of its weaker performance and given that the rifts in the power corridor catch further length the current political setup will lose public support. Now a man like Massoud, on a key government position talks like this, what else remains there, which can re-enliven the flattened hopes of the general public. Revolution in the streets, mass protests, civil war, change of governments, all these things have already been seen, but to no avail. Therefore, the current government must avoid rifts and take decisions in the larger interests of the nation. Besides that the government must not form any militia force formed from civilians as in this unfortunate country, the nation has already witnessed people changing sides and affiliations. Instead of forming local militias, the need is to overhaul and train the current security forces and policemen. This is often quite troubling when one ponders how a Taliban force of nearly 30,000 men can do unnerve a government which has already a force of 35, 0000 security troops and policemen to such an extent that is compelled on forming militias? The stark fact is the government is unable to chalk out its security strategies effectively as the Taliban never surpasses our national security forces and police in terms of men and ammunition, however, the sole reason behind the panic is the government’s internal divisions and lack of coherence on security strategies. Besides that the government is primarily focused on peace negotiations. However, now it needs to strike a balance between the use of force and peace overtures.

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