That’s not quite it. I have no doubt Punjabs trained in the extremist madrassas are causing trouble in Kashmir; that’s why they were trained. Similarly, I have no doubt there are Arabs and even maybe some Uzbeks amongst the Taliban—given the relationship of the IMU to al-Qaeda, it would make sense.

I do doubt, however, that Punjabs (or Chechens) are actively fighting in Afghanistan. Without proof beyond a single reporter (and an author who claims Uzbek eat their own young), it is a tough sell.

I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re arguing. The ICGA post mentions Punjabs only in terms of an ethnic conflict masquerading as a government/tribal conflict (i.e. Punjab Army vs. Pashtun militants). The letter he posts is from a religious minority pushing the idea that the conflict there is motivated, essentially, by the Sunni-Shi’a split—and not that the Punjab are a majority portion of the Taliban. Otherwise, “Punjab” is not really mentioned in the text.

The Abbas piece mentions Punjabi militants in the context of Kashmir, but their role in the Neo-Taliban insurgency in Pakistan (and, more important to this discussion, Afghanistan) is left assumed or unstated.

So, no, it’s not an April Fool’s joke… I just would need more evidence than that to think the Punjab are behind the attacks in Zabul.

This must be an April fool’s post.

I think you can do better than questioning the presence of Punjabis amongst the Taliban. (I am not saying they are the majority, or that there are no Pushtoons in the insurgency.) Try to see where most of the outlawed militant outfits fighting in Kashmir–yes they used to be lawful or at least borderline–came from and where they are today. You will find some sobering details. Dig here and you find a bit at least: http://icga.blogspot.com/2008/01/do-taliban-represent-pashtun-identity.html

Otherwise, Ahmad Rashid’s book is always there to enlighten. If there is a strong connection at the outset that is ample evidence to suggest there is connectivity. Unless you have a compelling logic that proves there was a break.

So once proven that there are Punjabis within the Taliban movement, next thing to prove would be why they fight in Afghanistan. Because they don’t want to fight the Pakistan army. That simple. Hassan Abbass can enlighten on this:http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/IE24Df02.html

Thanks for the comment. I had misread the news story to say Mr. Hashem was the head of a shura, not the official council. That is my fault, and I apologize. These are sometimes written in haste, and not edited very well, if at all—the downside of blogging, I suppose.

Herschel, no worries—we all have those days.

“Article One Hundred and thirty eight
Ch. 8. Art. 3

In every province a provincial council is to be formed.

Members of the provincial council are elected in proportion to the population by free, direct, secret ballot, and general elections by the residents of the province for a period of four years in accordance with the law.

The provincial council elects one of its members as Chairman.”

Zabul’s Provincial Council has eight members, and Hajji Hashem was elected by them as its chairperson. Two of the members are women.

Again, in the comment I should have simply pointed out that I was not agreeing with the report on the makeup of the Taliban rather than jumping at you. My bad.

Aside from that, I would still question how Hashem knows the cellular structure of the Taliban, if all they are is scattered foreign fighters. Chechens, Punjabis, and Arabs rarely speak Pashto, and few speak Dari. How would he know, if they aren’t mostly Pashtun?

Regardless, I apologize for the misunderstanding.

At the very least, when writing your own posts you owe your readers an accurate rendition of your sources. In other words.

You can do better than this.