The Taliban continues to do what the Taliban does. In this latest revolting example, a group of men held down a 17 year old girl and beat her due to what they considered a violation of Islamic law. The video (which is inside the linked Guardian article) has triggered a strong reaction among national leaders though in the region where the video was taken, the national government has little control or influence. Somehow I have my doubts that the outrage will translate into action against this band of criminals.
The Pakistani government has ordered an inquiry into the flogging of a 17-year-old woman by Taliban militants in the troubled Swat valley, after public outrage triggered by shocking video footage of the punishment.Brace yourself for yet another failed action in Pakistan.
The images, played yesterday on private television channels, show a burka-clad woman being pinned to the ground by two men while a third whips her backside 34 times. The woman is seen screaming and begging for mercy as a crowd of largely silent men look on. She is accused of having had an illegal sexual relationship, according to local law. Her brother is among those restraining her.
President Asif Ali Zardari led a wave of public condemnation, and ordered the arrest of the perpetrators. Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani termed it "shocking" and called for an immediate inquiry. At the supreme court, the newly reinstated chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, summoned officials to a hearing scheduled for Monday to investigate the incident.
