It was recognized only by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Emirates; the United Nations turned down its application for membership for its discriminatory treatment of women. It introduced medieval rules of justice. Conversion from Islam, to any religion was punishable with death; women caught in adultery were stoned to death, for petty crimes like theft hands were chopped off; girl%u2019s schools were closed down; woman denied jobs and put in burqas. If you want to read a graphic description of the havoc caused by the Taliban, read the Afghan writer Khalid Hussein%u2019s two novels: The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Why should we be alarmed by the Taliban? It is they who infiltrate into our part of Kashmir and cause mayhem and murder; it is they who explode bombs in our temples, mosques, dargahs and market places. They are trained killers and highly motivated. If they could bomb New York%u2019s Trade Centre and the Pentagon in Washington, they will find softer targets in India. More than anything else, their nefarious activities give sustenance to our religious fanatics of the RSS, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the BJP. We are caught between the two arms of a nut-cracker.
