LibriumArcana.Games

A bold sign painted on a wall establishes the heritage of the north-western Pakistani town of Tank.

"Welcome to Tank: Gateway to South Waziristan and home to Frontier Constabulary."

The Frontier Constabulary (FC) was started by the British Raj in this part of undivided India.

The FC's job was to keep marauding tribesmen from Waziristan and other adjoining tribal areas at bay.

Recently, that past has reappeared to haunt this border town of just under a quarter of a million people.

Sense of uneasiness

A new group of tribesmen, pro-Taleban militants, now descend on the town on a regular basis.

To start with, their visits were non-violent - but as many testify - they are now full of silent menace.

That has been apparent since 26 March when security forces tried to stop forays by the militants.


xxxxx
We can deal with... any untoward incident
Tank Deputy Chief of Police Mohammad Idrees Khan

That led to several violent clashes in which dozens have been killed.

Following those clashes, the Taleban are increasingly open in their activities.

The security forces appear to have backed down and keep a low profile. They seem unable to stop the militants.

Locals say the military is unwilling to take action because of fears over further casualties and President Musharraf's reluctance to upset the militants.

There is palpable sense of uneasiness as we enter Tank. Police and FC personnel appear wide-eyed and uncertain.

The town seems to be bustling with activity, but the mood is anything but jovial.

Three days earlier, the Taleban stormed the home of the head of the local civilian administration, killing 13 of his family members.

The attack was carried out in spite of government assurances that the situation was under control.

Our first meeting illustrates an obvious home truth about the people of Tank - everybody knows what is happening and is afraid to talk about it.

'Collaboration'

"Even the walls have ears over here," says a school teacher from behind the safety of his front door.

Inside, he explains how the principal of a local school was kidnapped by the Taleban for allegedly providing information to the authorities.

Vehicle in Tank
Many locals say they are not properly protected

"They let him go after being convinced he was not involved," he says.

"But there are quite a few others who have been beheaded for alleged collaboration."

Like many others, he is adamant that the government intentionally does not want to tackle the militants.

"It is the government's responsibility to protect us," says an angry local restaurant owner.

"They always disappear when we need them most."

But not all the locals are so resolutely against the Taleban.

"We are with them... all they are doing is for the sake of Islam," says one man.

But it has to be said that such views are not held by the majority of the population.

"We have always been Muslims... we don't need anyone to tell us how to practise our faith," said an irate resident.

Yet despite the anger, he and the general populace appear helpless to stop the militants' assault.

"The government knows what is happening... why don't they stop it?" asks one man.

Deathly afraid

Tank's residents are not the only ones affected by the upsurge in Taleban activity.

A Sufi shrine which hosts an annual fair and devotional prayers has also been hard-hit.

Sufi shrine in Tank
The Sufi shrine is no longer a centre of activity

"Pir Shabbir Shah's urs [devotional prayers] used to attract thousands of people," says the shrine keeper.

"We would have a fair with music, and wrestling and other sports."

But that has all changed.

When we visited the shrine, close to the city centre, only a few dozen people were present.

"They are all afraid because the Taleban don't like to see people enjoying themselves," a devotee said, before being told to keep quiet by his friends.

This is the core of the problem and shows the level of intimidation that people face. Although most complain about the government, nearly all are deathly afraid of saying a bad word about the militants.

"It's representative of what's happening all over the tribal areas," says Mohammad Idrees Khan, deputy chief of police in Tank.

Mr Khan says that things have improved since the March incident and that the police are now better armed and equipped.

"We also have the support of the FC and can deal with any untoward incident," he said.

But his nervous demeanour as he escorts us to our vehicle betrays itself when we ask him how long it has been since he last had a holiday.

"A while... things are not so good, as you know," he brusquely replied.

A local political leader lends perspective on what is happening.

"The government knows what is going on... they are part of the problem themselves," he said.

He asked how militants can move around without the security forces knowing anything about it.

"If the government fails to enforce its writ, the inevitable outcome is that the state will begin to fall apart," he said.