Taliban, Punjab militia uniting to open 'unmanageable' fronts for Pak Army : Experts

Washington, May 29 (ANI): With a relatively unheard of terror group, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab (TTP) having taken responsibility for Wednesday's terror strike in Lahore, fears have been raised about an increasing unity between different Punjabi militant groups and the Taliban.

Former Lahore city police chief, Malik Iqbal said there are signs which prove that the Punjab based militia is 'working hand in glove' with the Taliban.

Experts also believe that the Taliban is trying to open so many fronts in Punjab, which would be virtually impossible for the Army to contain.

"Ultimately we're going to reach a tipping point where the Taliban will have opened so many fronts in Punjab that it will be almost impossible for the army to deploy against so many fronts which are so distant from each other geographically," The Daily Times quoted Ahmed Rashid, as saying.

The United States believes that Punjabi extremist groups have become much stronger and threatening than ever.

Pakistan officials also admit that city police personnel lack counter terrorism training, and they are basically a force to maintain law and order in urban areas, a fact extremists are utilizing for their own benefit.

"Police is not trained for this purpose. It's a force against crime. It's not a force against terrorism," said Multan Police chief, Saud Aziz.

What makes the situation worse is the persistent flow of money from certain quarters of the world, especially from Arab states, the United States believes.

The non-serious attitude of Islamabad towards the issue has only aggravated the whole problem.

"The money is pouring in. The money is there. The weapons are there. The philosophy is there. This is our problem. And we are not concentrating," said a senior police officer. (ANI)