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NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > TALIBAN BRINGING WAR GAME SHOW TO PAKISTANI COUNTRYSIDE
TALIBAN BRINGING WAR GAME SHOW TO PAKISTANI COUNTRYSIDE
May 30 2010
Peshawar, Pakistan – War has always had a dirty face. The nature of conflict ensures that the horror and drama of war will always be its most obvious and outward face. There are, however, other stories to be told in war, stories that are rarely 
disseminated through films and books, the story of the people who don’t want to fight. Though occasionally the protagonist of such tales will expound objections to the conflict, often those elements are to further the story rather than tell the tale. As always, real life is far more complicated than we see in the movies.
In the complicated and war torn northern territory of northern Pakistan the impression has been that the conflict is in at shortage of fighters, but nothing could be further from the truth. Throughout the region the vast majority of people have been caught up in the conflict just like people in Afghanistan, Iraq, or even the United States and would like to see the end of the conflict and that is leaving the fighters with an eroding talent pool. Like many events in the recent war of/on terror, the Taliban has started to think in more abstract ways in an effort to draw new fighters to the battle. Already offering one of the highest kill payouts in the world, the Taliban has now started a new game show that they believe will help push the war against the foreign allies closer to victory.
“We can’t lie to our commanders: they can check to see if there was a fight in that area. We get money if we capture equipment too. A gun can fetch $1,000. It’s a lot of money for us. We don’t care if we kill foreigners: their blood allows us to feed our families and the more we kill, the more we weaken them. Of course we are going to celebrate this,” a Taliban commander told the Times Online. “We have recognized this as a major growth sector and we believe that by expanding the payouts we can bring in more people which will increase competition but also give us opportunities to expand.”
For now, the game show will travel from town to town due to the dearth of televisions and computers in the region.
“War as an entity takes over the mindset of most people. It almost feels like the sky is falling, that the world is coming down on your head but most wars are fought as this one is being fought. It is only the people in the war zone who are significantly affected but of course other people are being drawn in,” said Scrape TV International Conflict analyst Mario Martinez. “People saw this during the Vietnam War where the draft took over. The situation in Pakistan is significantly different because the Taliban has power, but no real legislative rule. They can threaten to kill people if they don’t fight, but that doesn’t make for committed warriors, something payouts can certainly do.”
The Afghan Taliban was reportedly considering a similar option but there is no money in the country.
“Bounties are really nothing new in warfare but putting into a game show-type setting is something really fresh and original. War is so miserable and morbid but putting on some glitz and a little bit of showmanship could really lighten up that mood and make the whole thing a lot more appealing for everyone,” continued Martinez. “The other major advantage is that if you can involve young people in the fun then you will have new generations of fighters just waiting in the wings and that means a whole lot of prosperity for years to come and a formidable fighting force.”
Ryan Seacrest is reportedly in talks to host the show should it come stateside.
Emil Uliya, International Correspondent
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