Taliban verenigen zich met militanten in Punjab in Pakistan

Opstandelingen van de Taliban gaan samenwerken met plaatselijke militante groepen om hun weg te vinden in Punjab, de provincie waar meer dan de helft van de bevolking van Pakistan woont. (Met bijzondere foto’s in The New York Times uit Punjab).

"United Militants Threaten Pakistan’s Populous Heart" (The New York Times: This article was reported by Sabrina Tavernise, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Eric Schmitt and written by Ms. Tavernise.

According to The New York Times, “Taliban insurgents are teaming up with local militant groups to make inroads in Punjab, the province that is home to more than half of Pakistanis, reinvigorating an alliance that Pakistani and American authorities say poses a serious risk to the stability of the country.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/world/asia/14punjab.html



Punjab

The Punjab is by far the country's most populous region and is home to the Punjabis and various other groups.

Neighbouring areas are Sindh to the south, Balochistan and the North West Frontier Province to the west, Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad to the north, and India to the east.

The main languages are the Punjabi, Urdu, Saraiki, Potowari and Pashto. The provincial capital is Lahore. The name Punjab literally translates from the Persian words Pañj (پنج) , meaning Five, and Āb (آب) meaning Water.

Thus Punjab can be translated as (the) Five Waters - and hence the Land of the Five Rivers, referring to the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej these five rivers are all the tributaries of the Indus River. The province was founded in its current form in May 1972.

The province is populated by over 81 million people.

Enkele ontwikkelingen in en uit Pakistan
Londen: toename terreur vanuit Pakistan (NRC)
http://www.nrc.nl/buitenland/article2209691.ece/Londen__toename_terreur_vanuit_Pakistan

Aanvallen Taliban in Afghanistan en Pakistan (Wereldomroep)
http://antilliaans.caribiana.nl/news/international/6255174/Aanvallen-Taliban-in-Afghanistan-en-Pakistan

Pakistan pakt vijfde verdachte aanslagen Mumbai (Elsevier)
http://www.elsevier.nl/web/Artikel.htm?contentid=230489

Pakistan akkoord met invoering sharia (De Morgen) (in noordwesten van het land)
http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/990/Buitenland/article/detail/817902/2009/04/13/Zardari-akkoord-met-invoering-sharia-Swatvallei.dhtml