Terrorist Islamic Republic of Pakistan - September 15, 2009

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 23 Oct 2009 08:19

amdavadi wrote:Breaking News!!!!

Suicide blast kills three people outside an aeronautical complex(kamra) in Pakistan on Friday.

karma comes to kamra, seems like. Gallons of green paint must have spilled into the adjoining water bodies, am sure.

arun · Post by **arun** » 23 Oct 2009 08:33

amdavadi wrote:Breaking News!!!!

Suicide blast kills three people outside an aeronautical complex(kamra) in Pakistan on Friday.

That certainly is an early start for the demonstration of the IEDology of Pakistan. Anyway the death toll for this particular IED Mubarak has climbed to 7:

7 killed in Kamra suicide blast

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 08:38

Regarding the discussion I saw in the previous page about 'Pakistan' & 'Na Pakistan', I recall what the Great Abu Ala Al Mawdudi himself said once:

"As a Muslim, I have no interest in their (Muslim) rule in those areas of India where the Muslims are in a majority. For me the primary question is whether in this 'Pakistan' of yours the basis of government will be the sovereignty of God or, in accordance with the western idea of democracy, the sovereignty of the people. In the first case it will certainly be 'Pakistan,' otherwise it will be as much of 'Na-Pakistan' . . .

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 23 Oct 2009 08:39

Meanwhile pak fauj goes on "Al-Shamshaan" exercises with their Arabian Massas. I thought the Al-Shamshaan exercises were against the Taliban in S Waziristan

Contingent of Pakistan Army comprising Armour, mechanized infantry and Artillery left Bahawalpur Airport for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to take part in a joint military exercises "Al-Samsaam-3" (Sharp Sword) with Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) today. Three week long exercise "Al-Samsaam-3" starting from 10th of this month is a sequel to the series of exercises which are regularly carried out from time to time between the two Armed Forces. These exercises are planned with a view to enhance combat efficiency, mutual cooperation and understanding between the two Armed Forces. The contingent was seen off by General Officer Commanding Major General Nadeem Ijaz at the airport.

This is from ISPR's website.

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 23 Oct 2009 08:55

There is a way forward ---- Tasneem Noorani

Finally, the Kerry-Lugar Bill; the less said the better. We have been taking money from the world forever, and because of our addiction, go into a depression (of which the economic equivalent is recession) if we don't get aid. The KLB is meant to satisfying this craving. Whatever it says in the draft is also not untrue either, than where is the problem? The problem is the difference between me telling my wife not to spend beyond a certain budget and my neighbour telling my wife to do the same. I will bash the face of my neighbour for saying what I have wanted my wife to do.

Lahori Logic.

sum · Post by **sum** » 23 Oct 2009 09:03

Contingent of Pakistan Army comprising Armour, mechanized infantry and Artillery left Bahawalpur Airport for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to take part in a joint military exercises "Al-Samsaam-3" (Sharp Sword) with Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) today.

So, while the Pakis are getting a "Al-Samsaam" up their mush at home, they go to their patrons for another round of sharp swords...

Johann · Post by **Johann** » 23 Oct 2009 09:06

Gagan wrote:Brigadier 'assassinated'

This is supposed to have been a drive by shooting.

Whomever conducted this hit was very professionally trained. That's a very tight pattern around the driver's side - no spray and pray here. May well have been ex-SSG.

Pakistan's security establishment is at war with itself, but they still want to have their cake and eat it too.

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 23 Oct 2009 09:14

sum wrote: So, while the Pakis are getting a "Al-Samsaam" up their mush at home, they go to their patrons for another round of sharp swords...

"Al-Samsaam" = Pakis rehearsing for Al-Samshaan bhumi

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 23 Oct 2009 09:28

raghunath wrote:
Pervez Hoodbhoy, in his eminently lucid book Muslims and Science, gave examples of Pakistani nuclear scientists who engaged in research into the supernatural. In a conference on miracles in Islam organised in Islamabad under Zia, one of our scientists presented a paper on the possibility of tapping the energy of djinns to meet our power requirements. Another worked out how to calculate the degree of hypocrisy in society.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/daw ... he-fittest

The djinn scientist in question used to work in their Atomic Energy Establishment. He was later arrested because of links to Al-Qaeda.
http://sites.google.com/site/brfdiction ... nn-fizzyks for details.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 23 Oct 2009 09:36

Prerelease: Ahmed Rashid Takes On the Crisis in AfPak
by Ahmed Rashid
http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=22320

10.21.2009

EMAIL ARTICLE | PRINTER FRIENDLY

From the November/December 2009 issue of The National Interest.

IN AFGHANISTAN: a war going in the wrong direction, a fatally flawed election, reconstruction at a standstill and a growing political vacuum that the Taliban is filling even as some NATO countries contemplate withdrawing their troops.

In nuclear-armed Pakistan: a long-running multidimensional crisis, political and ethnic strife, an unprecedented economic depression, and growing local Islamic extremism which plays host to al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban.

In central Asia: the start of a suicide-bombing campaign by Taliban-inspired extremists wanting to derail regimes and governments that are themselves beset by corruption, unwilling to carry out economic reforms, practice authoritarianism and pauperize their people.

In Washington and European capitals: growing doubts about President Obama’s commitment to and the viability of the U.S.-led military and nation-building campaign in Afghanistan, continuing suspicions about the intentions of Pakistan’s military, the inability to push ahead with a regional strategy or engage with Taliban moderates, and now a lack of a credible government in Kabul.

Some of these points were highlighted by General Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, when he sent his new Afghan strategy document to the White House on August 30, 2009. McChrystal called for a widening and deepening of a proper counterinsurgency campaign with the deployment of more U.S. troops and civilians—a campaign that was outlined by President Barack Obama in March when he presented his assertive new Afghan strategy to the American public. Obama then, and McChrystal now, stressed the need to rebuild the Afghan government and win the people’s support—in other words, carry out nation building, a phrase that was banned from the Bush White House for eight years.

The speed of the deterioration in Afghanistan, however, has blighted Obama’s March strategy, depressed U.S. congressional and public opinion, and called NATO governments to openly question their future commitments. The rigged Afghan elections have created enormous doubts about Karzai’s credibility and legitimacy, while Western forces suffer the heaviest casualties to date under a continuing and withering Taliban offensive. Although talking to the Taliban has been a major plank of the Obama plan, it is impossible to imagine any such talks while the Taliban remains militarily strong and is convinced it is winning.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Oct 2009 10:04

To briefly go back to Jinnah,that cigar smoking,pork eating "MUslim" used his religion as a means to carve out a state for himself.He never intended Pak to be the monster manifestation that it is today,hence the emphasis on the phrase Muslim nation.Most Pakistanis wanted their country to be another Turkey.In fact from JS's book on Jinnah,there were many on both sides ,India and Pak,who felt that after a while both nations would "come together" again.Zia however took it firmly on the path of self-destruction by making his blinkered interpretation of Islam the ultimate aurthority in the land and flush with saudi and western funding ,used the opportunity of the Russian intervention in Afghanistan to further his ideal and start the fireball rolling downhill.

Pak today has in fact embarked upon its second civil war,the first being '71 and the battle for Bangladesh,which it lost in style.This second civil war strikes at the remnants of the Jinnah's "motheaten" state and is truly a fight to the finish as the GOP has been saying.Unfortunately for Pak, the 25,000+ madrassas are spread over the entir country and with the gospel of Jihad the main subject taught and drummed into the heads of young impressionable minds,the attacks against the Paki state will come from all directions ,almost impossible for the military to stop.

The situ is far worse here than what existed in Lanka,where one section of the population embarked upon terorism to attain politicla ends.The enemy was identifiable.Here the cancer of jihad is within the very fabric and skeleton of the state itself.Kept alive by transfusions of aid and weapons from the hated satanic US,the Paki state ,especially the military,has made itself incredibly unpopular in the bazaars and bylanes of the nation and the gospel of Osama and the Taliban has converted many of the bearded species into jihadis who feel that it is their divine duty to destroy the institutions that hold the state together.The Q is not whether the centre can hold",but when it will fall apart.RIP (rent into pieces) Pakistan.

sum · Post by **sum** » 23 Oct 2009 10:06

arun wrote: That certainly is an early start for the demonstration of the IEDology of Pakistan. Anyway the death toll for this particular IED Mubarak has climbed to 7:

7 killed in Kamra suicide blast

Wow, the miscreants are hitting all the areas which SDREs would have liked to hit out at.

Kamra - check
Wah - check
Sargodha - check
GHQ-check
ISI safehouses all over - check
Naval war college -check

missing in list are :
PoK training camps

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 10:08

Johann wrote:Whomever conducted this hit was very professionally trained. That's a very tight pattern around the driver's side - no spray and pray here. May well have been ex-SSG.

Pakistan's security establishment is at war with itself, but they still want to have their cake and eat it too.

Let's remember the death last year of Maj Gen Feisal Alvi, ex Chief of SSG. He was killed by Major Haroon at the instigation of Ilyas Kashmiri. Ilyas Kashmiri himself was an ex-SSG commando. Maj. Haroon's brother was a Captain in the SSG who left it to join the Punjabi Taliban. Also recall the Tarbela SSG suicide bombing, conducted by an SSG officer.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 10:24

Philip wrote:To briefly go back to Jinnah,that cigar smoking,pork eating "MUslim" used his religion as a means to carve out a state for himself.He never intended Pak to be the monster manifestation that it is today,hence the emphasis on the phrase Muslim nation.Most Pakistanis wanted their country to be another Turkey.In fact from JS's book on Jinnah,there were many on both sides ,India and Pak,who felt that after a while both nations would "come together" again.

Philip, Jinnah had an overly inflated ego and became a narcissist after the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa. We have discussed this enough in the JS and Partition thread. However, as a person who clearly saw the dangers of pan-Islamism and refused to support the Khilafat even though the Muslims of India had been greatly agitated, he later adopted pan-Islamist appeals to get his Pakistan. He was a bundle of total contradictions, as exemplified by his Aug. 11 speech, with no solid convictions except in eating pork and drinking whisky.

Zia however took it firmly on the path of self-destruction by making his blinkered interpretation of Islam the ultimate authority in the land and flush with saudi and western funding ,used the opportunity of the Russian intervention in Afghanistan to further his ideal and start the fireball rolling downhill.

I would say that the solid foundations of Islamization were laid by none other than ZAB. Zia built on it and took it to a higher plane. I have not found one leader in Pakistan who had not contributed significantly to take Pakistan to the fundamentalist, extremist jihadi state that it is today. All shades of the society willingly participated in that project. That's why we cannot have misplaced notions of sympathy when Pakistanis get killed. Nobody, just nobody, in Pakistan is above board in matters of jihad and terrorism against India.

rkirankr · Post by **rkirankr** » 23 Oct 2009 11:24

archan wrote:Now just wait for a pink burqa campaign. Zawahiri's office will start receiving tons of pink burqas in the mail.

We should ask the "whats-her-name" of Pink chaddi campaign to form a pink burqa brigade

manish · Post by **manish** » 23 Oct 2009 11:43

pgbhat wrote:There is a way forward ---- Tasneem Noorani
Finally, the Kerry-Lugar Bill; the less said the better. We have been taking money from the world forever, and because of our addiction, go into a depression (of which the economic equivalent is recession) if we don't get laid. The KLB is meant to satisfying this craving. Whatever it says in the draft is also not untrue either, than where is the problem? The problem is the difference between me telling my wife not to spend beyond a certain budget and my neighbour telling my wife to do the same. I will bash the face of my neighbour for saying what I have wanted my wife to do.
Lahori Logic.

Nope, its GUBO logic. Fixed it for ya

Sree · Post by **Sree** » 23 Oct 2009 11:53

Amid all the doom, gloom and booms from across the border ... a little light entertainment, from over in Baltimore:

http://www.tnr.com/article/pervez-dispenser#

"An evening with Musharraf: The Failed Military Dictator's Zany Speaking Tour Goes Off The Rails in Baltimore"

Most enjoyable ...

... More power to those Baluchis!!

chilarai · Post by **chilarai** » 23 Oct 2009 11:54

I would say that the solid foundations of Islamization were laid by none other than ZAB. Zia built on it and took it to a higher plane.

IMHO, any other leader at that time would have done the same. In pakland, actions are either halal or non-halal. Anything non-halal would immediately bring the wrath of the whole country on you. So the only thing left for any leader to do would be to bring in more of the same. Pak by pandering to the mullahs and the miscreants just made the process faster. Pak is just destined to be the height of extremism and fundamentalism. Its in their nature , the nature of the country , its origin and its people.
I have no doubt that eventually somewhat moderate countries like Malaysia/Indonesia would end up being same. Just that they will take their time ( already there are indications that they are fast catching up). maybe not the right thread.

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 23 Oct 2009 12:55

AP NewsAlert

(AP) – 14 minutes ago

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani police say bomb rips through restaurant's parking in northwestern city of Peshawar.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 13:07

chilarai wrote:
I would say that the solid foundations of Islamization were laid by none other than ZAB. Zia built on it and took it to a higher plane.
IMHO, any other leader at that time would have done the same. In pakland, actions are either halal or non-halal. Anything non-halal would immediately bring the wrath of the whole country on you. So the only thing left for any leader to do would be to bring in more of the same. Pak by pandering to the mullahs and the miscreants just made the process faster. Pak is just destined to be the height of extremism and fundamentalism. Its in their nature , the nature of the country , its origin and its people.

Chilarai, you are absolutely right and there is no contradiction between what I stated (but left unsaid) and what you have articulated. I was only clarifying that Zia is not the first person in TSP to have implemented significant Islamization. ZAB was before him. The reasons that prompted him to do so are immaterial, though. As I said, every ruler in Pakistan has contributed his mite to the cause of extremist Islamism there. The only person who resisted it initially was FM Ayub Khan but he too had to fall in line eventually.

Having founded his arguments for a separate country on the basis of religion, having taken the help of fundamentalists like Mawdudi, having spurred violence in the name of Islam in Bihar, UP, Punjab & Bengal, and having incited the Pirs to indulge in violence in NWFP, Jinnah's confused speech on Aug. 11, 1947 cut no ice. It was probably meant to soften the impact or calm the nerves. He could not have expected to bottle the genie having himself warned of its dangers as early as 1919 when the Khilafat Movement was launched.

Umrao Das · Post by **Umrao Das** » 23 Oct 2009 13:13

Suicide bomber kills eight in Pakistan
Fri Oct 23, 2009 3:22am EDT
1 of 4Full SizeBy Zeeshan Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Taliban suicide bomber killed eight people outside a key Pakistani airforce facility on Friday, with officials quick to deny suggestions the target was linked to the country's nuclear program.

The bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body at a checkpoint outside the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, some 75 kms (45 miles) northwest of the capital, Islamabad.

There were also police and hospital reports of a blast in the northwest city of Peshawar that wounded seven people, but further details were not immediately available.

The attacks come as the army continues a major offensive against Pakistani Taliban militant strongholds in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border.

The offensive has raised fears the insurgents will step up a suicide bombing campaign on urban targets. Over 150 people have been killed in a series of brazen attacks in the past few weeks.

"Eight people were killed and 13 were wounded, three of them seriously," said Shaukat Sultan, head of the main government hospital in Kamra, scene of Friday's airbase attack.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the country's nuclear infrastructure was safe and faced no threat from Taliban militants, and an airforce official was quick to dispel suggestions on Friday that the Kamra facility was linked to the weapons program.

"It's nonsense. It's rubbish," the airforce official told Reuters.

Friday's attack came a day after an army brigadier and his driver were killed in a drive-by shooting in Islamabad, while at least six people, including two suicide bombers, died in twin attacks at an Islamic University in the capital on Tuesday.

MORE ATTACKS

Analysts have warned of the possibility of more attacks as the militants come under pressure in Soputh Waziristan, with the Taliban hoping bloodshed and disruption will cause the government and ordinary people to lose their appetite for the offensive.

The offensive is a test of the government's determination to tackle Islamic fundamentalists, and the campaign is being closely followed by the U.S. and other powers embroiled in Afghanistan.

It is also affecting the financial markets, with the benchmark KSE index falling around six percent this week.

"There is still concern regarding the security situation," said Asif Qureshi, director at brokers Invisor Securities, who said sentiment would remain tentative until a successful offensive seemed more clear cut.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNew ... MK20091023

amdavadi · Post by **amdavadi** » 23 Oct 2009 13:18

Breaking News!!!

Car blast near a restaurant in peshawar, 7-10 injured.

If i keep putting up breaking news about paki blast than my posting will double in a week.

Umrao Das · Post by **Umrao Das** » 23 Oct 2009 13:23

injuries dont count only those busy with 72 count (towards your posts)

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 13:52

Najam Sethi's Edit

It is quite clear that Mr Malik wants to close the chapter, so to speak, on India. He says: “India should not perceive our offer for negotiations as a sign of weakness...we can engage in threatening rhetoric just as well, or even better, than India. Pakistan is not a weak country and is capable of responding to India.” He referred to the unfortunate Samjhota Express tragedy to make his point. This of course is a permissible hyperbole and there is never a closure on two hostile states talking to each other.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 13:57

So, today we have the following:

Restaurant Blast in Hyatabad, Peshawar
18 killed in Mohmand blast
8 killed in Kamra Aeronautical Complex blast

And the day is not old still.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 14:13

So, what creates this hate ?

Those who try to attribute religious indoctrination as the prime basis of these suicide attacks have to provide better evidence to support such simplistic claims. . . It helps ignore the more complex and demanding question that why are so many Pakistanis is a state of mind where they are willing to gather around the radical rhetoric and give up their own lives as well as taking life of other innocent people. . . The answer to this is complex but one factor that could lead people to such extreme hate is the element of revenge. . . Palestinians pitted against Israel have faced that problem for long. . . I was closely engaged in studying the Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafza when it was staging the resistance and when it was under siege by the military. The state in this case was definitely an unjust aggressor. There was simply no need for the military operation that resulted in death of at the least 100 students. . . The resist was triggered by some legitimate concerns about Pakistani military operations in the tribal belts and other issues such as that of the 'missing people.' It started moving in other directions, such as securing public piety, and of course needed to be curtailed. However, it could have been curtailed through a dialogue and through giving some concessions rather than opting for a full military operation. If today some relatives of students who died in those military operations had become recruits for such suicide attacks that are taking place in Pakistan, one won't be surprised. Such gross level of injustice committed by a state is often not absorbed easily by those harmed by it.

What we have to remember if we want to find a solution to this problem that no one wants to give up his or her life for nothing. The promises of rewards in the other world could be tempting. To give up life in this world for promises of the rewards in the other is too extreme a measure, which is never just a product of search for heavenly rewards. After all, less costly measures, such as Haj, Hifz, fasting, khairat promise generous heavenly rewards too. There have to be actual political factors that are making people go to such extremes.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 14:38

Deep nexus between Punjabi Taliban and TTP exposed

Security agencies have arrested two of the highest ranking Punjabi Taliban commanders, who are believed to have masterminded the 10/10 attack on Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) and other high-profile strikes in Lahore.

The two commanders identified as Iqbal and Gul Muhammad, both hailing from Faisalabad, were arrested earlier this week by law-enforcement agencies, senior officials disclosed to Dawn on Thursday.

They were members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Shura, the umbrella council of about top 40 militant commanders that coordinates and oversees Taliban activities in Pakistan.

The two, who were in charge of militancy in Punjab, officials claim, served as the link between Taliban’s main leadership in Waziristan and the increasingly threatening Punjabi Taliban network, a grouping of sectarian and Kashmir focussed militant groups responsible for the Taliban hits in Punjab and the federal capital.

Iqbal and Muhammad are said to be of the same ranking in the militant hierarchy as Aqil, who was also one of the TTP Shura members.

However, security analysts believe that the growing role of Punjabi Taliban has heightened the militant threat not only in Punjabi heartland, which has recently suffered multiple suicide bombings, but also in the rest of the country, because the Punjabi militants have increasingly taken control of the Taliban forces and are believed to be more lethal than their Pakhtoon counterparts.

Security analysts, however, are sceptical if the arrests would break the backbone of Taliban in Punjab.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 23 Oct 2009 14:45

Am sure the chinese have nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the current spate of terror attacks in tsp......

/just moi humble attempt to sow FUD...

rkirankr · Post by **rkirankr** » 23 Oct 2009 14:46

SSridhar wrote:So, today we have the following:
Restaurant Blast in Hyatabad, Peshawar
18 killed in Mohmand blast
8 killed in Kamra Aeronautical Complex blast
And the day is not old still.

The pakis , yes pakis are more devote than the Yindoos. They started the Diwali well ahead of the evil yindoos and are yet to conclude it. Of course they are too paki to follow Yindoo panchangams.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Oct 2009 15:03

18 dead as bus hits landmine in Mohmand Agency

Updated at: 1420 PST, Friday, October 23, 2009
18 dead as bus hits landmine in Mohmand Agency PESHAWAR: Eighteen persons have been killed when a marriage party bus hit a landmine in tehsil Lakro of Mohmand Agency.

According to Geo News correspondent, a marriage party bus struck with anti tank mine planted by militants in tehsil Lakro. Eighteen persons including women and children have been killed whereas four women and two men injured in the incident. The injured have been rushed to hospital. The military operation is underway in Mohmand Agency and militants planted the mine to target army convoy.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 15:14

US aiding TSPA in Waziristan offensive

This should anger even those momin who would be otherwise supporting the action.

The U.S. military is providing intelligence and surveillance video from unmanned aircraft to the Pakistani army to assist in its week-old offensive in South Waziristan, marking the deepest American involvement yet in a Pakistani military campaign, officials said.
The assistance includes imagery from armed Predator drones that Defense officials say are being used exclusively for intelligence gathering in the offensive.
Providing such information fills gaps in the Islamabad government's spying arsenal, officials said, and helps show how the Obama administration intends to intensify pressure on insurgents in Pakistan as the administration overhauls the U.S. military strategy in neighboring Afghanistan.
The cooperation also reflects a significant shift for Pakistan, which had previously resisted U.S. offers to deploy Predators in support of its military operations.
Recent militant attacks have shaken the Pakistani government, convincing officials of the need for help in taking on militants.

arun · Post by **arun** » 23 Oct 2009 15:20

SSridhar wrote:So, today we have the following:
Restaurant Blast in Hyatabad, Peshawar
18 killed in Mohmand blast
8 killed in Kamra Aeronautical Complex blast
And the day is not old still.

Seems that an extra effort to demonstrate the IEDology of Pakistan is being made as today, Friday, is the Muslim Sabbath.

While your post has mentioned the Mohmand demonstration of the IEDology of Pakistan and Singha has posted the story, the link to that event does not appear to be available on this thread . Consequently I am taking the liberty for the sake of good order of posting the link:

18 die as bus hits landmine in Mohmand

Also a fatality has been recorded in the Peshawar restaurant demonstration of the IEDology of Pakistan:

One killed, 15 injured in Peshawar car blast

arun · Post by **arun** » 23 Oct 2009 15:22

Only fitting after the years of Pakistan’s fomenting terrorism in India and elsewhere:

Security situation impeding oil and gas exploration

ITF cancels Pakistan tennis events over security fears

arun · Post by **arun** » 23 Oct 2009 15:24

X Posted.

The US established “Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism”, released its Risk Report on October 21st.

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan figures prominently in the report and is identified, along with Iran and North Korea as being part of the “Areas of Concern”.

Page 4 of the report had this to say:

Pakistan remains the geographic crossroads for terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

For good measure the same point is reiterated on page 27:

The country is at a geographic crossroads for terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

The complete report is available here:

A Progress Report on America’s Preparedness to Prevent Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism

For those not inclined to plough through the report, the Hindu carries a story by IANS on the report:

Pakistan remains the geographic crossroads for terrorism: US

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Oct 2009 15:57

Sridhar,I don't think that ZAB was a fundoo.He was a rank opportunist and schemer who also wanted power like MAJ any which way.His populist rule was based upon a personality cult,not Islam,but he too made his contribution to the dismemberment of Pak especially during the E.Pak/Bangladesh crisis,refusing to allow Mujib to be the ruler of a united Pak and encouraged the Paki army to crack down on the Bongs.Zia showed the world his evil by hanging Zulfie.Strangely,on the day he was hanged,I was in the delectable company of a Paki woman of elitist origin with UK connections.When the news broke that ZAB had been hanged she broke into a rage,swore in abundance, chain smoked for an hour and tearfully told me that Pak was now "finished".Prophetic words 30+ years on.Zia had the eyes of a snake and acted like one.I personally know of one incident where he used his charm,cunning and guile,to curry favour,but it was a case of mistaken identity! It was Bear Brezhnev who saved Zia's reputation by sending Soviet troops into Afghanistan.The whole scheming lot ,the Pakis,US,Saudis,etc.,then flooded the land with arms ,money and ideology ,screwing up the region to this day.In the decades since the start of the conflict,many rulers have contributed their mite in stoking the fires ,preventing it from going out.Obama is just another bufoon in a long list of clowns.

Meanwhile the plight of the trapped populace of the battlezone is well illustrated here.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 07649.html

PS:Karachi next?
http://blog.taragana.com/n/soft-target- ... rt-203036/

‘Soft target’ Karachi Port next on terror hit list: Pak intelligence report
By ANIOctober 22nd, 2009

KARACHI - A Pakistani intelligence report has revealed that following the brazen terror attacks on the Army General Headquarters (GHQ) and other security installations, extremists are now on the lookout for a ’soft target and could attack the Karachi Port in near future.

Sources said intelligence agencies have also warned about a probable attack on various seaports across the country.

The Daily Times reported that Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza has also acknowledged the impending threat to country’s seaports and other important installations within Karachi.

It is worth mentioning here that there is only a single police station with about a dozen policemen guarding the whole Karachi port area, which houses several important installations such as the Karachi Port Trust oil terminal, the dockyard, shipyard, Customs House and PNSC building.

The security force deployed in the port area is ill-equipped to counter any terror attack, which makes the Karachi port a sitting duck for the militants to unleash their terror.

A senior police official, however, claimed that they are prepared to thwart any extremist attack. He said that apart from the security being beefed up, the Navy and other concerned departments have also been directed to maintain a strict vigil in the area. (ANI)

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 23 Oct 2009 16:16

shravan wrote:PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani police say bomb rips through restaurant's parking in northwestern city of Peshawar.

Signs of impending civil war.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 23 Oct 2009 16:23

Anoop, the civil war began some time ago. its just gathering pace, like hurricanes do offshore, before wreaking havoc over land...

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 23 Oct 2009 16:36

Sincerley hope they fight it in traditional Islamist way and live up to their ideal till the last mananimal standing . Let Peshawar roll into Lawhore and prove its dominance once more over Pakjab.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 23 Oct 2009 16:39

anupmisra wrote:
shravan wrote:PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani police say bomb rips through restaurant's parking in northwestern city of Peshawar.
Signs of impending civil war.

Hah, brf ahead of the crve yet again or what.

Clearly recall ramana gar and Paul saar launching the Pushtun civil war thread many moons ago.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Oct 2009 16:54

Philip wrote:Sridhar,I don't think that ZAB was a fundoo.He was a rank opportunist and schemer who also wanted power like MAJ any which way.

Philip, no, he was not. Neither was MAJ nor Gen. Yahya nor Musharraf and yet each one of them did things that contributed to further Islamizing and militarizing the society. You are right also about ZAB's power hungry and scheming, cunning ways. And yet, all these led him to do things which I have listed below (I have posted them here more than once), which enormously empowered Islamists and set up an enabling environment for Zia to push through his Islamization more easily as the society had already been Islamized and made receptive enough. From that point of view, he is the pioneer, IMO. He might very well have been compelled to do these things because of the circumstances of the situation, but, that is hardly a solace for the evil effects it wrought on the society. He appeased the Islamists (as others did before and after him) but he did them on a wide scale and subtly too. He also subverted the educational institutions which has played the biggest havoc in Pakistan. He changed the charter of the Army to defend 'Islamic causes worldwide'. These remain some of the far reaching changes. They might yet have occurred anyway in Pakistan without ZAB, but he takes the blame for doing these, under whatever compulsions.

The self-appointed secular socialist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto “appeased” the Islamists by hosting the second OIC summit in Lahore in March, 1974 thereby projecting himself to the Pakistani masses as the foremost leader of the Ummah. In the Islamic world, scholars and clerics associated ‘socialists’ with Godless Communists. The Arabs, especially the Syrians, Iraqis and the Egyptians implemented a spiritual form of socialism which they called as ‘Arab Socialism’. Other countries like Algeria and Libya embraced Arab Socialism later. Bhutto was inspired by all that and introduced Islamic Socialism in circa 1967. After the secession of East Pakistan in 1971, Islam was once again vigorously thought of as a unifying and cementing solution. This split the debate into two, with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto peddling his ‘Islamic Socialism’ and the Islamists (Jama’at-e-Islami, Jama’at-Ulema-e-Islam etc) calling for a stiffer dose of Islam to the masses. They formed an alliance called PNA (Pakistan National Alliance) which looked threatening to Z.A.Bhutto. Thus, Z.A.Bhutto decided to pander to Islamist sensibilities to gain popular sysmpathy which he felt had been hijacked by the Islamists. For the circa 1970 elections, Z.A.Bhutto chose ‘sword’ (Talwar) as his party’s symbol associating the Islamic symbolism of the name of Hazrat Ali’s (the son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed) sword, Zulfikar, with his own given name. Later, when Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman won a simple majority in the National Assembly, Bhutto accused Mujib’s Awami League as a pro-Hindu organization detrimental to Muslims of Pakistan. In 1977 he announced a slew of measures that were broad and deep in Islamization of the country. Some of them were cosmetic while some were to set the course of the nation towards an intolerant and fundamentalist state. He declared Islam as the state religion, ex-communicated the Qadianis through the declaration of Khattam-e-Nabbuwat, announced Friday as the weekly holiday (instead of Sunday), banned gambling, changed Red Cross to Red Crescent, prohibited sale of liquor to Muslims (though he himself was a heavy drunkard), created a separate minister for Religious Affairs in the Cabinet (for the first time in Pakistan’s history), closed down night clubs and ordered closure of all restaurants during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He introduced the PATA Regulations in the Swat region in circa 1975 eclipsing the federal laws and enabling the jirga to decide cases. He nationalized all the schools and colleges to deprive the Christian Missionaries of their many educational institutions. He introduced changes in the curriculum so that Islamism and anti-Indianness got prominence in order to engineer the minds of the young. Pakistani textbooks then began to condense history omitting inconvenient periods, events and historical figures. For example, Pakistani history textbooks trace their nation only from the conquest of bin Qasim in areas of Sind in 712 AD, then skip to Mahmud Ghaznavi in the early 11th century, thus skipping the intervening three centuries, then moves to Mahmud Ghori of the late 12th century, again skipping nearly two centuries, then moves seven centuries forward to the First Indian Independence War of 1857 only because the soldiers who mutineed looked up to the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, and then stops at the emergence of Jinnah in 1920s. Again, those people who were found to be inconvenient to the State or even suspicious were branded as anti-Islam as it happened to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi) of NWFP.

Z.A. Bhutto also ensured that only a Muslim can be a Prime Minister through the Third Schedule (of the 1973 constitution) that defines the Oath to be taken by such a person. The oath states as follows: I, ____________, do swear solemnly that l am a Muslim and believe in the Unity and Oneness of Almighty Allah, the Books of Allah, the Holy Quran being the last of them, the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last of the Prophets and that there can be no Prophet after him, the Day of Judgment, and all the requirements and teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. It was also the same Z.A. Bhutto who coined the term “Islamic Bomb” for his proposed nuclear arsenal and the brand of socialism that he wanted to implement as “Islamic Socialism”. He also called the Pakistani Army as the “Soldiers of Islam” in the OIC Conference in Lahore, a term which was later freely used by Gen. Zia and others. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict, Bhutto sent PAF pilots to fly the Jordanian fighters, something that the Israeli Defence Minister Gen. Moshe Dayan was angry with. Bhutto also assured President Hafiz al-Assad of Syria that “should Damascus be in danger from the Zionists, a Pakistan brigade would be ready to fly over and fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the Syrians.” Thus it was the secular socialist Z.A.Bhutto who turned the country that was created for Indian Muslims into an ideological state to defend the “frontiers of Islam”, an effort that his successor Gen. Zia-ul-Haq took to even greater heights.

Even in his young formative years, Z.A.Bhutto had invoked Islam to denounce the formation of ‘One Unit’ by Gen. Ayub Khan.