Why the Taliban Thrive in Pakistan
Why is Pakistan’s commercial hub less stable than ever?
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Takeaways
- Due to many Afghan wars, 5 million Pashtun now live in Karachi. Their neighborhoods are now Taliban strongholds.
1. The various wars in Afghanistan and the related, ongoing destabilization in Pakistan have forced the migrations of millions of Pashtun.
2. Decades of migration out of the Pashtun homeland straddling the Afghan-Pakistani border turned Karachi into the largest Pashtun population center in the world.
3. Some 5 million citizens of Pashtun origin now reside in Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial heart.
4. It is the city’s Pashtun areas that have come under Taliban influence, giving them an urban foothold in Pakistan.
From Why the Taliban Thrive in Pakistan by Saeed Shah (Wall Street Journal)
