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Islamic purge on in north Pakistan

Seeking to impose Taliban brand Islam in Pakistan, the Taliban Tehrik has announced a house-to-house search in the tribal areas of the North West Frontier Province on Sunday to seize and destroy radios, television sets, drugs and other items frowned upon by Islam.

The Tehrik yesterday warned of severe punishment if these articles were found in any house after Sunday's operation, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Islam, whose madarsas trained the Taliban, conducted a similar campaign against cinema halls and video shops in Baluchistan during Ramzan.

The activities of the JUI and the Harkatul Jehad in Bangladesh show the effectiveness of the training programme conducted in Afghanistan with funds from Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden.

About 2,000 recruits from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt and other Arabian countries are receiving training in terrorist activities there.

Observers fear a spillover of these activities into India as a Taliban commander Mohammad Qasim confessed to Pakistani newspapers that his Lashkar-i-Haider is active in Kashmir. Once the Taliban takes over all of Afghanistan, it could turn its attention to Kashmir, observers said.

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