Terrorist Islamic Republic of Pakistan (TSP): Dec. 28, 2010

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 02 Feb 2011 22:14

Oh hum, yaaaawwwnn news from BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12345809

The ringleader of the 7/7 attacks received bomb-making guidance in phone calls from Pakistan

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 02 Feb 2011 22:30

jrjrao wrote:Michael E. O'Hanlon is the Director of Research and Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institute.

He is also a foolish and unthinking dunce.

Here is his new policy paper, dated Feb. 2011, titled "Improving Afghan War Strategy".

Lifafa paper?
Pakaistan surely has lobbyists who have to justify the high payment they receive. They ensure that such tripe churns out at regular intervals so that a certain decibel level is maintained.

Raghavendra · Post by **Raghavendra** » 02 Feb 2011 23:02

THE ACCUSERS IN ASIA BIBI'S CASE ONCE STOLE ASIA'S GOAT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLXUvmCWu9I

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 03 Feb 2011 00:14

Pakistani soldier killed in Afghanistan border clash

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 03 Feb 2011 00:45

What Pakistan needs to fight extremism

BY LUV PURI (Foreign Policy Magazine)

...

A YouTube video of Qadri reciting a poem in the praise of Prophet Mohammad, known as Naat, has received over 69,000 views. The video was shot while Qadri was in police custody and it remains a mystery who helped shoot and disseminate the video.

The rapid spread of the video and the showering of Qadri with flower petals as he made his way to the courtroom demonstrate worrying trends in contemporary Pakistan. On one side of the spectrum rests Pakistan's liberal elite, who expressed strong disapproval of the heinous crime and many of whom supported Taseer's efforts to reform the present blasphemy law. Yet much of the analysis of Pakistan in the time since the assassination has focused on Pakistan's burgeoning groups of extremists and hardliners.

...

Qadri's recitation of poetry in praise of the Prophet would be considered heretical by South Asian Islamic scholars belonging to the Ahl-e-Hadith and Deobandi schools of Islam. So how does one explain Qadri's instinct to kill someone for merely defending reforms in the blasphemy law?

...

However, the present failure of the political leadership to counter religious zealots is directly related to the prevailing political structure in the country and lack of middle class participation in Pakistan's polity. The Pakistani political leadership, like that in many other developing countries, does not emanate from the middle class. Democracy theorists describe this state as political clientelism, which is marked by conditions of low productivity, high inequality, and starkly hierarchical social relations. The feudal lords and their allies constitute only five percent of Pakistani agricultural households, yet they own 64 per cent of the farmland. The rest of the 95 percent are thus the feudal lords' political vote-bank. The urban realities are no different than those in the countryside.

...

Pakistan certainly has all the societal ingredients from its middle class for fighting against religious zealotry; in the past, poets of progressive thought and humble background like Habib Jalib openly challenged the regressive ideology of dictators and asserted their right to express themselves freely. The masses identified with them, and they remain icons for ordinary Pakistanis. Even now, the elite Pakistani political leaders, such as the chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Shariff, have to recite the work of poets like Habib Jalib to garner the support of the people in public rallies.

The growing importance of social media in Pakistan can be leveraged to engage with large but under-represented sections of society. There has been an accelerated growth in the number of internet users in the last two years. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority figures shows that there was an annual growth of 161 percent of internet users for the period ending in June,2010. And Pakistan has the highest mobile phone penetration in South Asian region with 64.2 percent by October 2010.

It is a safe bet that the main customer base of the internet users is the youth. According to a 2007 United Nations Development Program (UNDP) estimate, 65% of the Pakistan's population is below the age of 25.

...

Luv Puri is a political analyst, who has written two books on South Asian political and security issues. He recently published Across the Line of Control based on field work in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Brad Goodman · Post by **Brad Goodman** » 03 Feb 2011 00:46

NDTV is reporting a IED mubarak

Deadly Market Blast in Peshawar, Pakistan

This was the aftermath at a busy market in the Pakistani city of Peshawar after a vehicle laden with explosives blew up.

At least nine people died in the blast, two of them children.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 03 Feb 2011 01:00

India wants Pakistan to expedite trial

http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/03/stories ... 910100.htm

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 03 Feb 2011 01:01

SSridhar wrote: OK. That is very explicit. Pakistan is not going to go after the Haqqani Group; it has been made known to the US; and, the US has accepted that. Surprisingly, the intensity of drone attacks in that region has also declined in recent weeks.

This statement of US, this is the most curious thing in recent days. I dont think khans believe the Alkys have packed bag and left the badlands. So what makes them lower the expectation on pak and thereby the pressure to act? cant think of anything other than a near-future retreat. Any insights, saar?

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 03 Feb 2011 03:41

MK’s N-bomb alert - - Leaked cable speaks of jihadi attempt - K.P. NAYAR

Washington, Feb. 2: Governor M.K. Narayanan told the Americans when he was national security adviser that India had discovered a “manifest attempt” by jihadi groups “to get fissile material” to manufacture a crude nuclear bomb for use in a possible terrorist operation.

He, however, assured US Senators Russ Feingold and Bob Casey that these groups had not succeeded in acquiring fissile material, at the same time, warning them that terrorist organisations had “enough physics to fabricate a crude bomb beyond a dirty bomb”.
..
...
“Narayanan noted that under President Musharraf from 2004 to 2006, the ‘Composite Dialogue’ moved forward and infiltration dropped. The political crisis in Pakistan in 2007 stalled progress,” Mulford quoted the governor as telling Feingold and Casey.
...
...
Narayanan rationalised his scepticism about Zardari and Gilani by pointing out to the Americans that cross-border infiltration had spiked. With that information, he effectively countered promises brought by Casey from his earlier visit to Islamabad that Pakistan would crack down on illegal border crossings.

Another remarkable revelation in the cable is that in an effort to persevere with the dialogue with Pakistan, India deliberately downplayed cross-border infiltration at that time and did not formally protest to Islamabad, hoping that it would be a “temporary aberration”.
...
...
He regretted, however, that “those forces have since returned to the Indian border”. These facts on the ground may account for the differences between him and Manmohan Singh during the former national security adviser’s final months in office over the Prime Minister’s unremitting drive to talk to Pakistan and the diplomatic debacle in Sharm-el-Sheikh during a meeting between Singh and Gilani.

These differences were a factor in Narayanan’s departure for Bengal, but the cable is a clear vindication of the governor’s reservations about Singh’s Pakistan policy based on clear threat assessments.He told the two senators that he had pleaded in vain during his visits to Washington for greater information sharing, even of bits and pieces.

In what appears prophetic in retrospect over the US bungle over Pakistani American terrorist David Coleman Headley, Narayanan said he had urged his interlocutors in Washington that “what might not make sense to you might make sense to me”.

But he lamented from the experience of a life-long intelligence man that “we keep our cards close to our chest... it is extremely counter-productive”.
...
...
...
...

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 03 Feb 2011 04:46

hnair, more than anything else, it shows a sense of helplessness of the Americans.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 03 Feb 2011 05:39

Is it Friday already / or Pious ones are gonna take off to watch the Movie ?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... -pakistan/
Small IED

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A car bomb killed nine people close to the main northwestern city of Peshawar on Wednesday, the latest in a rash of attacks that are challenging police claims of progress against Islamist militants in the region.Twenty others were wounded in the blast on a main road leading to Pakistan‘s border area with Afghanistan, said government official Siraj Ahmed Khan. Three children were among the dead.The target of the bombing was not immediately clear. It was the third major bombing in or near the city in the past week.Government and security forces in Peshawar often have been attacked by the Pakistani Taliban, who have bases close to Afghanistan. Pakistani forces traditionally have had very little presence or authority in the tribally ruled region.

Guddu · Post by **Guddu** » 03 Feb 2011 06:26

Anyone know the significance of ...

"SLAMABAD: The government is likely to dissolve the federal cabinet on Friday to meet a 45-day deadline given by the Pakistan Muslim League-N to implement its reforms agenda aimed at revival of the economy and austerity, sources told on Wednesday."
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/03/cabinet- ... orrow.html

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 03 Feb 2011 07:55

Our Billionaires
Letter in The Yawn.

THERE are over 50 billionaires in the US. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are leading, having $54bn and $47bn, respectively. But what makes these two men great is that they have donated a substantial amount, over $20 billion, to charitable organisations. Our billionaires should learn from this example and also offer some of their wealth to charitable organisations.

ISHTIAQ ALI KHAN
Lahore

Paki Billionaires?

Sriman · Post by **Sriman** » 03 Feb 2011 08:10

anupmisra wrote: Paki Billionaires?

It should read 'Our Billionaire'..

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/bil ... _SVAF.html

surinder · Post by **surinder** » 03 Feb 2011 08:17

^^^ Begging is in the genes ... he can't help it.

When he thinks of Billionaires, he thinks of charity.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 03 Feb 2011 08:17

anupmisra wrote:
Paki Billionaires?

Crore commanders?

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 03 Feb 2011 08:25

Protesters break into police station, take cops hostage

LAHORE – Dozens of annoyed protestors broke into a North Cantonment police station here on Wednesday and held hostage the police officers for several hours.

Police officers, requesting not to be named, said the protestors of Sunni Tehrik had staged a protest demonstration against the controversial statements of Vatican Pope Benedict when police officers intercepted the demonstrators.

According to his statement, the protestors also slapped his colleague SI Ashfaq besides victimising him of severe torture.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 03 Feb 2011 11:04

IMF refuses talks with financial crisis-hit Pakistan on restoring 11.3-bn-dollar package

Amid the snowballing financial crisis in Pakistan, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has refused to send a mission to the country for talks on restoring the 11.3-billion-dollar bailout package.
The IMF took the decision after Islamabad failed to hold out a firm commitment to implement tax and power sector reforms.

The delegation said that mission-level talks would only be held if the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) was levied from March 1 and fiscal slippages were controlled.
However, the Pakistan government, which is sandwiched between the IMF, pressing for implementation of economic reforms - and other political parties warning it against taking unpopular decisions under the IMF's diktat, insisted that the implementation should be delayed till July.
The IMF had suspended the bailout package in July 2010 after Islamabad failed to deliver on its promises of levying the RGST a second time. Although the organisation extended the programme till September this year, it has refused to release the sixth tranche of 1.7 billion dollars.

uncle tightening screws slowly. pakis have the gun on their head attitude.
now what will happen- more blood letting and ieds on the streets.
more power to pakibaduls.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 03 Feb 2011 11:11

Actually nothing much has changed. TSP never completes an IMF program.

The last tranche is always with held.

The next is for details of statistics 'fudging' to come out.

Then the IMF levies fine. TSP pays.

Something Strategic happens. ALQ #3 captured?

Next IMF program begins.

rohiths · Post by **rohiths** » 03 Feb 2011 11:48

India has 2% rights in IMF(approx). When $10 Billion(approx) is given to pakis, it is $200 million of India's money. What a disaster!

Johann · Post by **Johann** » 03 Feb 2011 12:01

SSridhar wrote:Afghan war winnable without Pakistan's help on border : US
Nato-led forces can still win the war in Afghanistan even if Pakistan fails to move against militants on the border, a top US general said on Tuesday.

"That's not a mission stopper in my mind," General David Rodriguez, deputy US commander in Afghanistan, told a Pentagon news conference.

Rodriguez said the war effort would not be derailed even if Pakistan never fulfils promises to take action in North Waziristan, saying Islamabad has launched effective operations elsewhere along the northwest border.

"We need them to do more. We're going to encourage them to do more because that makes it easier on what we're doing. But I think it's still doable, without them decreasing what they've been doing, which is significant," he said.
OK. That is very explicit. Pakistan is not going to go after the Haqqani Group; it has been made known to the US; and, the US has accepted that. Surprisingly, the intensity of drone attacks in that region has also declined in recent weeks.

S Sridhar,

Rumsfeld in particular counted on Pakistani cooperation against the Taliban despite *repeated* reports from below that the ISI was in bed with them. His resignation and replacement by Robert Gates in December 2006 cleared the way for more realistic appraisals.

The CIA drone program massively expanded in the Summer 2008 precisely because the political levels of American leadership had finally accepted that unilateral action was against Pakistani clients such as the Haqqanis was the only way forward.

The drone programme can not be expanded linearly however - there have been warnings that collateral damage from drone strikes in Waziristan is acting like a recruiting agent for the Pakiban and the Haqqanis since there is no possibility for 'hearts and minds operations' to mitigate those deaths.

Secondly, the resources that support the drone strikes can not be focussed solely on N. Waziristan - the Pashtun districts of Baluchistan from Zhob to Quetta are also a safe haven supporting the Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan, esp Kandahar and Helmand.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 03 Feb 2011 12:53

Johann, the US Deputy Commander's observation on Pakistani operation in N. Waziristan and the reduction in drone attacks come in the wake of the exposure and the subsequent fleeing of the CIA's station chief in Islamabad. By all accounts, he was overseeing the drone campaign. I am not even saying that the campaign must have been expanded, which it already was in the last few months, but the pace has significantly tailed off since December when ISI blew the CIA operative's cover. I do not see any corresponding increase in the Afghan theatre as well. It may be a temporary pause but Haqqani Shura is the most major threat for the US & ISAF. For a year now, Pakistan has been saying that an operation against them would be launched at a convenient time, which never seems to have materialized. From the time it was mooted, we have said in BRf that Pakistan would never mount such a suicidal operation that would strike at the very root of PA's interests.Now that the US feels that Pakistan's inaction would not dent the America plans, one wonders then why was there US asking Pakistan for action in the first place for so long ! I would therefore surmise that the US is making a virtue out of necessity. This is one more example of the US limitations on dealing with Pakistan.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 03 Feb 2011 13:27

Ultimately the US will have to find OBL and AAZ and declare victory and leave. Mullah Omar might even be rehabilitated!

Point is we don't know how close the US is to actually capturing these two. Is OBL still alive? Is he is in US custody already, or under ISI protection sitting in a safe house somewhere? Or is he on the run, protected by his own, but under ISI supervision.

What is Iran's involvement is all this? It was strange that OBL's family found refuge in Shia Iran, and that too after the Taliban were killing Iranian diplomatic staff.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 03 Feb 2011 13:54

India played down infiltration for better Indo-Pak ties

In its effort to improve its ties with Pakistan, India played down the spurt in infiltration from the neighbouring country in 2008 -- the year in which Pak-based terrorists carried out the Mumbai terror attack, according to a secret US cable released by WikiLeaks.

During his meeting with the visiting US Senators Russ Feingold and Bob Casey on May 30, 2008 in New Delhi , the then National Security Advisor , M K Narayanan, said that India has down played increase in infiltration and has not lodged a protest before the new Pakistani government as part of its effort to improve relationship with its neighbour, the cable said.

Narayanan noted that under (Pak) President (Pervez) Musharraf from 2004 to 2006, the Composite Dialogue moved forward and infiltration dropped. The political crisis in Pakistan in 2007 stalled progress.

He said that he was "hopeful" the new leadership would continue to see dialogue as useful, and not just as "something that Musharraf did," the cable said. {which they eventually did not under pressure from Gen Kiyani}

"The recent Foreign Minister meetings in Islamabad helped ensure that the new government would sustain the Composite Dialogue," Narayanan recounted.

However, he regretted that infiltration and incidents have spiked recently.

He related that the Indian government has played them down and not lodged a formal protest, deciding instead to treat them as a "temporary aberration".

Narayanan remembered that hostility between India and Pakistan had dropped to such an extent that Pakistan had at one time withdrawn some of its military from the India-Pakistan border in order to focus on the threats along the border with Afghanistan, but those forces have since returned to the Indian border, the cable said.

Asked by Senator Casey how India felt about the pacts signed between the Pakistani Army and tribal groups, Narayanan replied that the Indian government does not consider them conducive to peace.

Instead, he stated, "they are out-sourcing terror". He acknowledged that the US understands this stance, but the British seem to think that the peace deals are a good move.

"Instead, Narayanan cautioned, the deals will allow the tribal groups to re-energise by withdrawing the pressure under which they might have relented," the cable said.

"Narayanan also advised the US to fight the war on the ground and avoid an air war, which he doubted would work against tribal groups. Senator Feingold said that he shared Narayanan's concerns about the peace agreements," the cable said.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 03 Feb 2011 14:00

India warned US of 'white faces' in Pak terror camps

Some five months before the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, India had warned the US about increasing "white faces" in terrorist camps along Pak-Afghan border and the attempt by jihadi groups to acquire fissile material to "fabricate a crude bomb beyond a dirty bomb".{Considering the fact that Indian intelligence on Pakistan have almost always been very accurate, the 'crude bomb' development is very worrying}

According to a US diplomatic cable dated May 30, 2008, released by WikiLeaks the then National Security Advisor M K Narayanan had said this during a meeting with the visiting American Senators Russ Feingold and Bob Casey in New Delhi.

According to the cable, Narayanan told the Senators that the US-India relationship amounts to much more than just trade links and defence deals, but rather benefits from a mutual empathy.

Asked about terrorism, Narayanan related that training camps on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have attracted more "white faces".

"He also noted jihadi groups have attempted to acquire fissile material and have the technical competence to manufacture an explosive device beyond a mere dirty bomb," the cable said.

Narayanan lamented that national intelligence agencies lack a common understanding at a time when an incident such as the 2006 blasts in Mumbai involved planning and fundraising in up to 11 different countries, it said.

Regarding the May 13 blasts in Jaipur, Narayanan divulged that India has narrowed the suspects to the Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HUJI).

According to the cable, Narayanan also observed that the US no longer ignores terrorist attacks that occur in India because it has adopted a more "cooperative angle" to face this common threat.

"He related that Indian intelligence has detected various targets, including southern and northeast Europe, Somalia and the Middle East, but not the US. Non-state actors will intensify their asymmetric warfare, he predicted, and pointed to the increase in 'white recruits' detected by Indian intelligence in terrorist training camps along the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders," the cable said.

"Those recruits will not be used against India or Asian nations," he pointed out, adding that he has warned his counterparts of the development.

He also related that India has found a "manifest attempt to get fissile material," though terrorist groups have not yet acquired any.

However, he warned, they have "enough physics to fabricate a crude bomb beyond a dirty bomb." the cable said.

Narayanan perceived the lack of "adequate understanding" among intelligence agencies as the greatest weakness in the war on terror.

Johann · Post by **Johann** » 03 Feb 2011 14:51

SSridhar wrote:Johann, the US Deputy Commander's observation on Pakistani operation in N. Waziristan and the reduction in drone attacks come in the wake of the exposure and the subsequent fleeing of the CIA's station chief in Islamabad. By all accounts, he was overseeing the drone campaign. I am not even saying that the campaign must have been expanded, which it already was in the last few months, but the pace has significantly tailed off since December when ISI blew the CIA operative's cover. I do not see any corresponding increase in the Afghan theatre as well. It may be a temporary pause but Haqqani Shura is the most major threat for the US & ISAF. For a year now, Pakistan has been saying that an operation against them would be launched at a convenient time, which never seems to have materialized. From the time it was mooted, we have said in BRf that Pakistan would never mount such a suicidal operation that would strike at the very root of PA's interests.Now that the US feels that Pakistan's inaction would not dent the America plans, one wonders then why was there US asking Pakistan for action in the first place for so long ! I would therefore surmise that the US is making a virtue out of necessity. This is one more example of the US limitations on dealing with Pakistan.

Hi,

Id certainly agree that the US faces limits in its ability to pressure the Pakistanis to toe its lines across the board.

The promised but constantly delayed PA North Waziristan offensive is certainly an example, but Gen Rodriguez is almost certainly counting on the drone program to keep the pressure up on the Taliban.

However I am not sure that the events around US emassy and consulates can be causally tied to the pace of the drone programme. There is a reason that the Jordanian suicide bomber operating out of Waziristan who killed 7 CIA officers in December 2009 was met at a base in Khost.

The number of strikes in December even after the US chief of station's cover was blown were almost twice as many as the same period in December 2009 going by the database on the New America Foundation website.

Despite the hype few vehicles (especially lightweight prop powered a/c) and sensors are truly all-weather in performance when the bar in question is positively identifying individuals on the ground. The second week of January saw fog heavy enough to shut down civil flights across much of Pakistan, while the fourth week saw a large rain system moving in with snow in hill areas, and rain at lower altitudes. I would guess this has had a bigger impact on the slight dip in the numbers of drone strikes than events in Islamabad and Lahore, although I don't doubt that the Pakistanis would also like the drone pressure against their clients to slacken further.

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 03 Feb 2011 15:59

Sherbano's revelations
Sherry for all you lovestruck loners.

“No option” but to abide by PM’s decision on blasphemy

A liberal lawmaker on Thursday accused Pakistan’s prime minister of sabotaging efforts to reform blasphemy laws that have been widely condemned by rights groups. “Appeasement of extremism is a policy that will have its blowback,” said Sherry Rehman, a lawmaker for the main ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

“The prime minister categorically made it clear that government has no intention to amend the law. Neither he nor the speaker of the national assembly has constituted any committee to consider the amendment bill,” his office said. A furious Rehman disagreed, but said she had “no option” but abide by the decision after the prime minister ruled out any discussion.

“Pakistan has set the standard for intolerance when it comes to misusing blasphemy laws, but sending a schoolboy to jail for something he scribbled on an exam paper is truly appalling,” said Human Rights Watch.

Last seen, Sherbano was filling out asylum forms in the Canadian High Commission and the Swiss embassy.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 03 Feb 2011 16:47

Gagan wrote:Ultimately the US will have to find OBL and AAZ and declare victory and leave. Mullah Omar might even be rehabilitated!

Point is we don't know how close the US is to actually capturing these two. Is OBL still alive? Is he is in US custody already, or under ISI protection sitting in a safe house somewhere? Or is he on the run, protected by his own, but under ISI supervision.

What is Iran's involvement is all this? It was strange that OBL's family found refuge in Shia Iran, and that too after the Taliban were killing Iranian diplomatic staff.

The Iranians are not all too unhappy with Al Qaeda, because Al Qaeda is directing more of its attention towards USA, as well as Saudi Arabia. Moreover it is busy in places like Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc. That gives the Iranians some breathing room, and the satisfaction of seeing their enemies suffer.

ISI cannot turn over OBL or AAZ over to the Americans. That would be treason of the highest order, and would mean that the Saudi and other Gulf financiers of the Jihadi "charities" like JuD, would call upon them, and LeT to make short work of ISI too. LeT, beside the various Taliban groups like Haqqani Group, Quetta/Karachi Shura, etc., is the only group to be more or less under ISI supervision. If that group leaves, then there would be nobody else supporting the old establishment in the Pakistani Army, and it would be toast.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 03 Feb 2011 16:58

I have to agree with SSridhar here. The comment coming from Gen. Rodriguez is most disappointing. There are two possibilities:

1. This is a lull before the storm - and I fail to see how much more stormy it can be given the apparent pace of attacks set By Gen. William McRaven in that theatre. Unless the storm this time is going to blow over Pakistan. In other words, the comment by Gen. Rodriguez about not needing much from Pakistan in Waziristan could suggest that the reason is American anticipates to act on its own. But I doubt it. This may, ultimately, be a political statement more than anything else. The Obama drawdown is to begin in a few months... and this might be the opening shot in the media to indicate that, yes, things will go according to "plan". Of course, that's crap. Uniformed American soldiers in fairly significant numbers will be in Afghanistan for a while to come.

2. This is the final acceptance by the US that Pakistan is unwilling to act in that area. What does this mean? It means that the operations in the Pak theatre might be winding down. And this is not a good thing at all. It could mean, despite the full knowledge on the part of the Americans, from Obama & Biden down to the platoon commander on the ground, that the Pakistanis are "the cancer", nothing is going to be done about it. What is clear is that although everyone identifies the problem, the solution that first appears to go through their minds is "India must do something on Kashmir". They know they can't really raise this issue with us either, because they know how idiotic it would be to do so. They know what we will say and they know they have no answer for it.

While it is disappointing, the disappointment may be temporary. It seems to me, judging by the various scratches and itches that the US is executing, that something rather bad for Pakistan is taking shape within the American strategic machinery. There are few takers for the argument in the US now that Pakistan is anything but a double-dealing reptile. So far, they seem to think however that to keep this snake from lunging at them every now and then, they have to give "massive aid". They can hardly string together two sentences about Pakistan without that phrase in there somewhere. But, even that assessment is on its last legs.

As we know, Satyam eva Jayate. We can wait.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 03 Feb 2011 17:35

http://www.newsindia-times.com/NewsIndi ... 407777.htm
Implications of a Collapsing Pakistan
Harold A. Gould

the best option is strategic consolidation. That is, India, the U.S. and its allies, must “step aside”, let the holocaust happen, and try to contain in every way possible its spread beyond Pakistan’s borders and the Pashtun region now dominated by the Taliban.

..the man reaches a conclusion we reached on here 5 years ago.

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 03 Feb 2011 18:50

A Paki vows Egypt-style Islamic revolution in Pakistan

O muslim brothers in Egypt, we in Pakistan are following the events in your
country seriously. Pls accept congratulation from a humble servant of allah
and Prophet Mohd (PBUH). We will learn from you and do the same in Pakistan
and bring about a revolution here, InshaAllah.

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 03 Feb 2011 18:53

Barelvis and Deobandhis: “Birds of the Same Feather”

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 03 Feb 2011 19:27

Karachi- Paki lifeline city or citty of death- vikram Sood

According to the Citizens' Police Liaison Committee, 1247 persons were killed in 2010 - the highest since 1995 while more than the 801 who were similarly killed in 2009. The latest spree would suggest that the current year could be equally violent and brutal unless the governments in Islamabad and Karachi show considerable resolve in trying to stop this mayhem.

The reasons are obvious is that the 16 million megapolis has attracted countless refugees and job hunters from the rest of the country. Mostly homeless, these hopefuls live in their own ethnic ghettoes.

The issues in Karachi are far more complicated where ethnic, religious, sectarian interests clash violently and merge with business vendettas by the all-pervasive and powerful crime mafia. Extortion, kidnappings (more than 100 last year), narcotics and gun running are the chief specializations, quite often with political patronage.

Karachi with an estimated 3.5 million Pushtun population is the largest Pushtun city in Pakistan.

Karachi contributes nearly 70 percent of the revenue to the central government and 25 percent of the GDP. In recent years US military has been sending 75 percent of its supplies for the Afghan theatre through Karachi, which includes 40 percent of its fuel requirements. Karachi is Pakistan's jugular and NATO's vital logistics link. Any disruption in Karachi, which is savage or unending, will have grave consequences up country and on the economy.

One of the main problems has been that Karachi, like the entire country, has been allowed to be highly weaponised - eight years ago the number of unlicensed arms was 18 million.

In areas far removed from the elegant and up market Clifton, MQM and ANP have marked out their territories; the former control places like Orangi, Korangi and Azizabad which are no -go areas for others, the ANP dominates Al Asif Square and Sohrab Goth. The MQM has three fears.
It is concerned about not only losing out to the growing Pushtun numbers but also to increasing Talibanisation; it was Karachi's Binori Masjid that was a major Taliban centre in the early days and remains so today. The hold of the Deobandhis and the Wahhabis has been growing in Karachi.
Further, their relations with the Sindhis who have always perceived the Mohajirs as interlopers have remained hostile even when MQM and PPP are in the same government.

A cash strapped country, more concerned with building its defence apparatus has allowed its infrastructure and socio-economic services to weaken to the extent that the Jamaat-ut-Dawa, the mother of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, is believed to have the best ambulance service in the country.

Stephen Cohen, the American scholar on South Asia described Pakistan, as a "house under water" in an interview on January 6, 2011 adding that "Except for its territory, which is strategically important, there is not much in Pakistan that is of benefit to anyone."

karachi halwa in the making.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 03 Feb 2011 19:41

Rony wrote:Barelvis and Deobandhis: “Birds of the Same Feather”

That is a fine article which is a must read.

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 03 Feb 2011 19:44

krisna wrote:
One of the main problems has been that Karachi, like the entire country, has been allowed to be highly weaponised - eight years ago the number of unlicensed arms was 18 million.

Take a bow Doc!

Rajdeep · Post by **Rajdeep** » 03 Feb 2011 19:50

Pakistan military bombs Afghanistan

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/163369.html

Pakistani forces have bombarded residential areas and police checkpoints in eastern Afghanistan one day after Afghan and Pakistani troops exchanged fire across border, a top Afghan official says.

Pakistani troops also attacked residential areas and government buildings in the area, damaging two police checkpoints in the Thursday attack, according to the report.

The Afghan official condemned the attacks and warned that Afghan forces would respond to them if repeated.

On Wednesday, one Pakistani soldier was killed and three others were left injured after Afghan and Pakistani troops exchanged fire across the border.

jrjrao · Post by **jrjrao** » 03 Feb 2011 20:04

To add to what SSridhar and JEM have said, recall this Jan 17 report in the NY Times.

This report reports that there is virtue indeed in a venomous snake having a couple of long and sharp fangs -- the virtue being that all the poison is after all located in one place only. For how much very less virtuous would the situation be, if there were 100 fangs, all lined up end to end on the snake, a half-inch apart, says this NY Times report.

Pakistan’s Failure to Hit Militant Sanctuary Has Positive Side for U.S.

yogi · Post by **yogi** » 03 Feb 2011 20:27

Sherry Rehman drops effort to repeal blasphemy laws

A Pakistani politician has dropped her attempt to amend the country's controversial blasphemy laws, accusing her party of appeasing extremists. Pakistan People's Party MP Sherry Rehman made her decision after the government ruled out changing the law.

It would seem like Sherry Rehman is being shut by its party. But a careful reading of her statement can be taken as a turnaround in her position.

"Since the PM announced that there cannot even be discussion on procedural amendments, and the committee announced by the party to amend the laws has been disbanded, then as a PPP representative I had no option but to abide by the party's decision in parliament.

She added: "Appeasement of extremism is a policy that will have its blow-back."

Ms Rehman added that if the Speaker had allowed her bill "perhaps some of our colleagues would have understood that it was not suggesting total repeal of the law, but protecting our great Prophet's name against injustices done via procedures introduced by [former President] Zia ul-Haq

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 03 Feb 2011 21:17

Rajdeep wrote:Pakistan military bombs Afghanistan

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/163369.html

Pakistani forces have bombarded residential areas and police checkpoints in eastern Afghanistan one day after Afghan and Pakistani troops exchanged fire across border, a top Afghan official says.

Pakistani troops also attacked residential areas and government buildings in the area, damaging two police checkpoints in the Thursday attack, according to the report.

The Afghan official condemned the attacks and warned that Afghan forces would respond to them if repeated.

On Wednesday, one Pakistani soldier was killed and three others were left injured after Afghan and Pakistani troops exchanged fire across the border.

Just bogus propoganda, none of the Paki newspapers have reported it.

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 03 Feb 2011 21:21

The brave Paki airforce bombs and kills Pakis. May be we should offer them refuelling facility!

http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/02/thirteen ... mbing.html

KALAYA: Thirteen militants were killed and eight others wounded as jet fighters pounded militant hideouts in Orakzai tribal region on Wednesday.

The jets targeted militant positions in Ali Sher zai area of the tribal region.