Pakistan dangerously close towards becoming fiefdom of Islamist warlords, terrorists: Report

Washington, Apr.17 (ANI): The Taliban's expanding writ in Pakistan with every passing day may ultimately see the whole country falling into the hands of the insurgents, and being turned into a fiefdom controlled by Islamists warlords, a report in the McClatchy newspaper said.

According to the report, intelligence officials and experts having a long experience in Pakistan viewed the current precarious condition of the country as a making of a disaster.

"It's a disaster in the making on the scale of the Iranian revolution," an intelligence official said.

Experts believe that the insurgent groups not only pose a danger to the US, but the whole region is facing the threat.

"There is little hope to prevent nuclear-armed Pakistan from disintegrating into a fiefdom controlled by Islamist warlords and terrorists, who would then pose a far greater threat to the US than those in Afghanistan," they added.

Intelligence and Defence officials interviewed by the newspaper, said Pakistan could turn into a country run by Islamic militants in the coming ten years, if the extremists continue expanding to newer regions.

"I think Pakistan is moving toward a situation where the extremists control virtually all of the countryside and the government controls only the urban centers. If you look out 10 years, I think the government will be overrun by Islamic militants," one of the officials said.

US President Barack Obama's Advisor on counterinsurgency David Kilcullen also pointed out that Al-Qaeda has its command over two-third of parts of Pakistan where there in no government control.

"Pakistan has 173 million people and 100 nuclear weapons, an army which is bigger than the American army, and the headquarters of Al Qaeda sitting in two-thirds of the country which the government does not control. The implications of this are disastrous for the U.S.," Kilcullen said.

Furthermore, experts said that the army of the country is tottering due to a directionless civilian leadership.

"It remains fixated on India to ensure high budgets and cohesion among troops of divergent ethnic and sectarian allegiances," the US officials added. (ANI)