By IRNA,
Islamabad : Ayesha Siddiqa, a Pakistani independent security analyst, on Saturday said that there might be a possibility of Taliban control over Karachi, Pakistan’s most populated city and a business hub.
Talking to IRNA she said that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) warning to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) a political party, to immediately end their kingdom in Karachi as the time has ripe for the Taliban to gain control of the city, cannot be taken lightly.
Intelligence Agencies had used these religious groups to replace MQM and these groups have much influence on religious sects of the city, Ayesha Siddiqa said.
Asked about the status of peace deals between Pakistani government and local Taliban in the tribal areas, she said that the future of these agreements depends on the future of the conflict in Pakitsani tribal area.
She added that the conflict in region is not between Pakistan and tribesmen but between multiple stake-holders and certainly US and its allies have an influence in the region.
“I don’t think that there would a major breakthrough coming out of these peace deals,” she said.
Ayesha was of the view that problem in the area is that the stake-holders are not coming up with the roles they are playing in the region, they are not confessing there roles.
She said that certainly there is a pressure from US on Pakistan not to enter into peace agreements but the final decision would be taken by the Pakistani government in this regard.
To a question about the possibility of attack by the US in Pakistani tribal region, she said that if the hawks prevail upon Washington there will be an attack.
She added that the US will not be able to get much from the attack on Pakistani tribal region., But there is always a possibility of attack Dr. Ayesha said that in case of US attack in Pakistani tribal area the regime in Pakistan would loose its credibility in the public.
To a query about the military operation in Swat she said that Pakistani army would not be able to succeed in Swat.
There is a tricky situation in Swat and Mualana Fazlullah a local leader has been getting support from tribal areas in fight against the Pakistan army, she said.
Siddiqa received her doctorate from King’s College London in 1996 and has worked on issues varying from military technology, defense decision-making, nuclear deterrence, arms procurement, arms production to civil-military relations in South Asia.
She has been a civil servant for 11 years during which she was asked to work as the Director of Naval Research with Pakistan Navy making her the first civilian and a woman to work at that position in Pakistan’s defense establishment.