Pakistani authorities are encouraging Pashtun tribesmen on the Afghan border to revive traditional militias to counter rising Islamist militancy but analysts fear the move could backfire if not properly handled. Under a centuries-old tradition, ethnic Pashtun tribes raise militias, known as lashkars, in their semi-autonomous regions to fight criminal gangs and enforce their tribal codes. Pakistan, a front-line US ally against Al-Qaeda and Taleban militants, has been under tremendous US pressure to root out Taleban and Al-Qaeda militants responsible for rising violence in Afghanistan as well as in Pakistan. The Pakistani military has sent more than 80,000 troops to the northwestern Pashtun lands along the Afghan border and launched offensives in two areas in August. Authorities are now nudging the fiercely independent tribesmen, who carry guns as a symbol of honour, to raise their lashkars to reinforce the military's efforts. “Now the Pashtun people themselves have risen against those who have turned their lives into hell,” said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister of North Western Frontier Province. “The threat of militants cannot be countered without the support of the people. These people need to be organised and we support any such move.” Pakistani officials say they plan to supply assault rifles to thousands of tribesmen to fight the militants. The strategy of supporting tribal militias to evict militants bears a parallel with the Awakening Council movement in Iraq, in which Sunni tribesmen have risen against Al-Qaeda and driven them from their neighborhoods with help from the US military. Pentagon officials said US military officers had advocated a similar plan for Pakistan for some time. “The concept is welcome,” said a senior military official. Last month, a lashkar of about 3,000 men was organized in the Bajaur region, a militant sanctuary where security forces launched a major offensive in August. The lashkar began to take action against the militants early this month, demolishing houses of many militants, including that of Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taleban. Several areas have been cleared of militants, said Malik Bacha Zain, a pro-government tribal elder. “We raised the lashkar because we have become sick of the Taleban,” he told Reuters by telephone from Bajaur. “We thought they'd bring peace but they brought war.” Marriott 4 arrested Four men have been arrested over last month's suicide attack on the Marriott hotel in the Pakistani capital, police said Friday. The four were suspected of “indirect involvement” in the massive blast at the hotel in Islamabad, the city's police chief, Ahmad Latif, said. They are the first known arrests in relation to the bombing. The Sept. 20 attack killed 54 people and was a bloody reminder of the gathering threat posed by Islamist militants in nuclear-armed Pakistan. Latif said the men were arrested in different parts of Punjab province, but gave no more details. The men were brought before an anti-terrorism court on Friday where a judge gave police permission to question them for one week.
