Terrorist Islamic Republic of Pakistan (TSP), Jan. 29, 2010

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 09 Feb 2010 22:41

Pakistan to take all stakeholders on board on talks with India

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has decided to take parliament and the national political leadership on board on the proposed foreign secretary-level talks with India, a media report on Tuesday said.

Quoting sources in the Prime Minister House, Online news agency reported that Gilani would also deliver a policy statement during the ongoing session of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, on Pakistan's stance on the talks.

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 09 Feb 2010 22:57

Physical and mental inferiority behind Pak's Oz cricket tour humiliation: Alam

Pakistan military 'biggest obstacle' to Afghan reconciliation with Taliban

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 09 Feb 2010 23:53

India is seeking INternational cooperation to fight TSP

.

kenop · Post by **kenop** » 09 Feb 2010 23:55

No water, medical aid for A Q Khan

Pakistan’s disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan has informed a court in Lahore that the government has placed a “ban on water and medical supplies" to him under the garb of a court order.

Khan’s counsel Syed Ali Zafar told a bench of the Lahore High Court on Monday that though arguments in a case for easing restrictions on the scientist were going on, the government had barred Khan from going out of his residence even to visit his brother who is critically ill in a hospital.

Zafar said Khan’s relatives and friends too had been stopped from visiting him and the government, in an unprecedented move, had restricted the supply of water to his residence and stopped his doctor and medical staff from visiting him.

This, Zafar contended, could severely jeopardize Khan’s health.

The counsel alleged that all this was being done in the garb of a recent interim order issued by the High Court in which the bench had directed the federal government to provide security to the scientist.

He said the government’s action amounted to a most serious breach of Khan’s basic fundamental rights and that this could not have been the intention of the High Court when it passed the recent order.

Zafar asked the court to direct the government not to dictate the terms of security for Khan.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 09 Feb 2010 23:58

The repeated 'faux pas' (mis-steps) by the GOI vis a vis TSP reminds on of the Konkani proverb posted by Viren in IF

raatri paLayile baayi.ntu, disaa vachchunu poDche
Literal Meaning: Fall during the day into a well which was seen in the night.
Context Of Usage: Doing a mistake inspite of having forseen the consequences.

I would put a ROFTL if it weren't so hurtful.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 10 Feb 2010 00:08

="shravan"]Pakistan to take all stakeholders on board on talks with India

And who does he represent?

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 10 Feb 2010 00:11

SaraLax wrote: CRamS,
..... So you mean to say that the Americans will ensure that the Pakis will not attack India with the American weapons or never attack in any manner the American (and maybe even other Western ?) establishments in India & American investment run establishments ?.

They will make sure things won't get out of control. Tell me why is TSP attacking Infosys or GE labs in Bangalore a vital nations interest for US? At most some back office operations will be affected, resulting in some some temporary disruptions to some American couples' vacation plans to Hawaii; but other than that what other US interests are at stake?

Look at how the American soldiers are being killed every week in bomb blasts at Afghanistan, Pakistan & elsewhere..... Are the Americans so perfectly, precisely and continuously over many years, devious in keeping Indians under their complete control by using the Pakis ???. If they are so cunningly proper & competent - do you think they would have not prevented the Pakis & warned their own double agent to stay away from the Jewish centre in Mumbai during 26/11 ?.

Don't go by all the hoopla in the media. Its been 8+ years since US landed in Afganisthan in a fit of rage post 9/11. I would wager to bet that US has lost no more than 1000 troops. (Compare this with the 1000s and 1000s of Indian civilians and security personnel killed by TSP, and there is no end in sight). So yes, lives have been lost, but US is in control. Lets see what Stanley boy accomplishes in Helmad. My gut feeling is that US, through a combination of force to teach Talibunnies a lesson (and not leave behind the myth that Talibunnies/TSP defeated US just as they defeated Russians; even US worries about its etch&dee onlee

), and through equal equal PR/diplomacy/economic/military goodies to keep TSP happy, US will exit.

As for the attack on Mumbai, it is still a mystery to me as to why TSP attacked the Jewish center. It was a grave risk TSP took

. But it transpired that compared to the enormity of the crime inflicted on us SDREs, the few goras including the jews, were collateral damage; and the west absorbed that in its stride and reverted to its equal equal and even told India to resolve Kashmir so as to not offend their TSP clients by assuring them that the Mumbai effort wasn't in vain.

As for the Cricket analogy -

Forget cricket on this thread; it was just a friendly provocation

.

lakshmikanth · Post by **lakshmikanth** » 10 Feb 2010 01:44

The more I think about it the more it is becoming clear that the talks were an extremely naive move by GOI, WITHOUT pressure from unkil or TSP or poodle. Most likely MMS wanted to prove to a higher power (unkil/poodle??) that India was a responsible power by being extremely soft and naive. By doing that he has the blood on his hands because he has inadvertently invited the next spate of attacks on India by TSP.

If the talks were forced by unkil or poodle, TSP would have known what was coming and they would not have scrambled with emergency ministers meeting to figure out a response to the talks or shown such an arrogant face to the talks. [note that poodle does not have the capacity to force India to talk, but given our leader who will standup and salute any skin whiter than them, I wont be surprised if poodle forced us to do it]

It is evident that TSP, and the pimps behind TSP were NOT expecting India to throw in the towel so soon. Now unkil cannot say no talks ( because unkil has been demanding talks), unkil did not know and hence could not warn the wh0re that Indians are caving in. And now TSP is in a fix and seems to be really confused on what to do.

Anyway, our senile and impotent politicians have now created the next opportunity for TSP to kill any number of mango-aadmis they want in India.

TSP has won even without fighting!

Jai Ho!

[added later: *On another note, did someone in Italy dig up some dirt from Rajmata's past and is using it to blackmail her? If someone indeed managed to do that, our country is screwed ... just a random thought]

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 10 Feb 2010 01:51

And you dont see anything Chankian in this strategic cave-in?

Now TSP is looking more foolish than GOI. Atleast India can tell US look we tried. And after all these whines TSP comes to the talks table, the will be accused of another sellout to US. TSPA has the drone sellout cross and now civilians have the talks sellout cross to bear.

Would make a very good cartoon but could be haram.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 10 Feb 2010 02:00

CRamS wrote:
As for the attack on Mumbai, it is still a mystery to me as to why TSP attacked the Jewish center. It was a grave risk TSP took . But it transpired that compared to the enormity of the crime inflicted on us SDREs, the few goras including the jews, were collateral damage; and the west absorbed that in its stride and reverted to its equal equal and even told India to resolve Kashmir so as to not offend their TSP clients by assuring them that the Mumbai effort wasn't in vain.

One has to understand what Pakistan represents to the west and what is the image of Pakistna built over 50 years in the US and the west.
It was considered the bullwork for the western countries during the cold war days.

TO change that image there has to be a shock treatment to that image. This attack on the Jewish center is for this purpose to change the image of Pakistan.

Karna_A · Post by **Karna_A** » 10 Feb 2010 02:33

CRamS wrote:
As for the attack on Mumbai, it is still a mystery to me as to why TSP attacked the Jewish center. It was a grave risk TSP took . But it transpired that compared to the enormity of the crime inflicted on us SDREs, the few goras including the jews, were collateral damage; and the west absorbed that in its stride and reverted to its equal equal and even told India to resolve Kashmir so as to not offend their TSP clients by assuring them that the Mumbai effort wasn't in vain.

There is no surprise or mystery in this. Piglets have a long history of attacking Jewish targets in India. It was Kashmir before. Since last 10 years or so as terrorism has spread out all over India, the jewish targets have also spread so its Mumbai in 26/11. It may be Goa or Manali next.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-1072262.html

A kidnapped Israeli tourist in India's northern Kashmir state, facing what he believed would be a roadside execution by Muslim separatist guerrillas, grabbed an assault rifle from his captors and sparked a gun battle in which at least two people died, Indian police said today.

lakshmikanth · Post by **lakshmikanth** » 10 Feb 2010 02:37

ramana wrote:And you dont see anything Chankian in this strategic cave-in?

Now TSP is looking more foolish than GOI. Atleast India can tell US look we tried. And after all these whines TSP comes to the talks table, the will be accused of another sellout to US. TSPA has the drone sellout cross and now civilians have the talks sellout cross to bear.

Would make a very good cartoon but could be haram.

Ramana saar,

There used to be a few monkeys nearby our cricket training ground. They got used to throwing balls back at us (sometimes stones too). One day someone hit a ball near the monkeys, they threw the ball back and it hit the stumps, getting the runner out

. This whole clusterfcuk reminded me of that incident...

I am just keeping my fingers crossed at how much we will concede this time. That prospect truly scares me

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 10 Feb 2010 02:49

Yeah me too!

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 70#p821070

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 10 Feb 2010 04:08

India plans to further divert Pak water
By: Mahafool Malik
Like Tennyson said , Water , water, everywhere water but not a drop to Paqui .

SLUMABAD – In line with its hegemonic ambitions, India has begun desperate efforts to divert Pakistan’s water ostensibly to ensure its food security by 2030, sources said Tuesday.
Background discussions and interviews revealed that India has come up with new theory that it would need plenty of water to prevent 25% of its agriculture land turning into dessert by 2030, was actually an attempt to weaken Pakistan’s position on the core Kashmir dispute by diverting the water.
The sources viewed these theories followed by multi-billion dollars India’s programme to build dams and water reservoirs under the grab of so-called food and energy security, as actually a part of Indian grand design to divert the water from Pakistan and make it a dessert.
“India should immediately abandon its multi-billion dollars programme to build new dams and water reservoirs over Pakistan’s rivers,” sources said and called upon the PPP-led ruling coalition to forcefully take up water issue with New Delhi.India has recently resumed work on the controversial Kishanganga Hydropower Project and has initiated four other mega projects of about 3,900MW on the Chenab and Jhelum rivers in Occupied Kashmir that can result in major water shortage in due course of time.
The sources further said that Asia’s tight water supply was already a bone of contention between China and India. India blames China for its plan to build dams on the middle reaches of the river, in the Yarlung-Tsangpo section, could more than halve the flow of the river from Tibet into India, although China downplays this.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news- ... -Pak-water

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 10 Feb 2010 04:18

They are afraid and now running around like Choohas without tail in lahre.

No need to dialogue in haste
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news- ... e-in-haste

SHREEMAN M MAZARI
India’s real intentions on commencing a dialogue with Pakistan are now becoming clearer. One, they have no intention of resuming the composite dialogue; two, they want to talk on issues framed their way focusing on terrorism, but they do not include water, which has become a source of Indian state terrorism for Pakistan; and, three, they have now said they will talk on Kashmir and Baloc-histan! This should make Indian designs only too clear. Yet there has been no suitable resp-onse from the Pakistani side at all. After all, if India wants to talk on Balochistan, we should offer talks on Assam and the other eastern states of India where insurgencies are rife! But our leaders are maintaining a strange silence on this ridiculous Indian demand.
(Madam Kash- Mir is Indian , Your Mir is Persian)
Perhaps the most important point, though, that Pakistan needs to keep reiterating to India till it sinks through even the most communalised of Indian mindsets, is that Kashmir really is the core issue from which all other critical issues arise. Be it terrorism, or water or Indian state terrorism - all these are rooted in one way or another in the Kashmir dispute. So if the Indians are seeking a one-item agenda for dialogue it logically has to be Kashmir bef-ore all else. After all, India wants to discuss terrorism, so does Pakistan. India’s terrorism issue, as they see it, is linked to Occupied Kashmir; Pakistan’s terrorism issue is linked to state terrorism by India on the water issue and in Occupied Kashmir as well as now increasingly within Pakista

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 10 Feb 2010 04:29

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=223325

Kayani's Behind offer to train Afghans

According to reports in the Indian media, around 100 Afghan defence personnel are trained every year in India's military academies. There were also reports that some Indian army officers were sent to Afghanistan to teach basic military field-crafts and English-language skills to personnel of the Afghan National Army. Afghan policemen and foreign ministry officials have also attended training courses in India. One report in the Indian media said President Karzai sought "further capacity building" of his armed forces with Indian assistance. In this context, the report said Indian help was sought in training Afghan pilots and technicians for using Mi-35 helicopter-gunships. Yet another report in the Indian media claimed that the US had asked India to send some of its special forces' instructors to train Afghan military personnel in counter-insurgency and commando operations. Due to Taliban attacks on Indian workers, India sent paramilitary soldiers to Afghanistan to protect the crews of its Borders Roads Organisation, building roads, including the already completed strategic one linking the Iranian seaport of Chahbahar with Zaranj, capital of Afghanistan's Nimruz province, and onward with Dilaram on the Kandahar-Herat highway. India's assistance to Afghanistan, now nearing $1.5 billion, has been mentioned as far too generous and, therefore, motivated by the desire to outbid Pakistan, at the same time competing for influence with China in the war-ravaged country. India's emphasis on building roads, hospitals, educational institutions, electricity systems and other projects of public welfare is paying rich dividends and earning it tremendous goodwill of the Afghan people. Due to its economic woes, Pakistan obviously cannot match India's contribution to Afghanistan's development and it has to selectively and wisely spend its money to win Afghan hearts and minds, after having wasted its resources in the past on funding Afghan warlords. The increased strength of the Afghan army was also highlighted by Gen Kayani as something worrisome for Islamabad, as he felt an unfriendly force of 250,000 on Pakistan's western border would pose a potential threat to a country already facing India in the east. This is the reason that he wants Pakistan to get involved in the training of Afghan security forces to develop understanding and earning their goodwill, rather than giving an open field to India to befriend Afghan army officers

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 10 Feb 2010 04:51

If a Pakistani capable of apprehending reality is dangerous, then Zahid Khan, Central Information Secretary of Awami National Party is dangerous.

On Capital Talk, Hamid Mir, two guests and Zahid Khan came to the quick agreement that the violence in Pakistan is related to Afghanistan. The other two guests suggested that if the US and NATO withdrew from Afghanistan and were replaced by a Saudi-Turkish-Indonesian Muslim countries' force, the Afghanistan problem would soon be over - may in a matter of 3-4 weeks!

Zahid Khan disagreed. He said, first remember why the US is there in the first place - what brought them there? He said that e.g., Iran and Saudi Arabia don't get along - so this idea that a Muslim countries' force will work there is wrong. He said that as long as we [Pakistanis] continue with the mind set of Hamid Gul and Aslam Beg there will be no solution. We [Pakistanis] have to give up the idea of Afghanistan as the fifth province. To which Hamid Mir, clearly annoyed, interjected - nobody in Parliament and only a handful of army types think of Afghanistan in that way. To which Zahid Khan replied, who do you think sets the policy?

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 10 Feb 2010 05:30

harbans wrote:They're not even handcuffed, tied with a rope. Just hoods on top and standing with hands in pockets. Cool 'terrorists'.

Obviously staged. One of them is holding on to his cap.

amdavadi · Post by **amdavadi** » 10 Feb 2010 05:36

Everything in paquistan is stage.Paquistan has two national sports nautanki & mujra.

lakshmikanth · Post by **lakshmikanth** » 10 Feb 2010 05:40

Anyone notice that Chaman Ki Tamasha and all the riot that the Janab Quershi was having has all but dissapeared from TOIlet website?

Why do they have to make it so damn obvious that it was just a marketing trick to get the Indian public agree to talks with TSP?

Wish TOIlet was the official news paper of Porkilund

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 10 Feb 2010 05:45

Substandard tractors exported to Japan

Pakistan may lose the huge market of its tractors in Japan due to the failure of a local manufacturer to provide the vehicle according to commitment. Saleem said, he got the delivery of 12 tractors in Japan in the first phase and those were sent to the Japanese company which had ordered them.

May lose? I didn't know that pooki tractors were road worthy.

According to the accord, all tractors must be of 2009 model but on the body model 2000 was printed. Two tractors had no gear shaft while engines of some tractors stopped after few hours of drive.

He said the dishonest deal destroyed the image of the country

I think I read somewhere that pakjabi farmers were ready to ride into India on their trusty tractors to fight for their rights to irrigation water which India had allegedly blocked. After this, Indians should now say " bring it on". Should be a laugh riot.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 10 Feb 2010 05:46

Islamabad can't give an inch

Pakistan's military sets Afghan terms

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 10 Feb 2010 05:49

This should hurt the pakjabi psyche quite hard. Western, southern Punjab: Every second household living in absolute poverty

More people live in poverty in western and southern regions of the Punjab comprising fourteen districts than in Sindh, Balochistan and the NWFP combined as development and facilitation remain lopsided in the Punjab. The districts in southern Punjab include Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar khan, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran and Vehari while Layyah, DG khan, Muzafargardh, Rajanpur, Bhakkar, Khushab and Mianwali are in the west. The combined population of western districts of the Punjab according to provincial government statistics is 11.14 million and in south Punjab it is 17.49 million. The combined population of these two regions is 28.63 million which is higher that the 23 million population of Sindh, 17.7 million population of NWFP and 6.3 million population of Balochistan.

To an average pakjabi, Indian Punjab must feel and seem like heaven.

amdavadi · Post by **amdavadi** » 10 Feb 2010 05:52

Islamabad doesnt have an inch left. Whatever land is left is to bury their na-paq army & likes of zaid chu****.

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 10 Feb 2010 05:55

Pakistan lost its ‘head’ in 1971, says Pak envoy to UN

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Husain Haroon has said that Pakistan did not loose an arm in 1971 after the former East Pakistan became an independent state but had lost its “head.”

So besides losing their b@lls, they lost their head as well.

amdavadi · Post by **amdavadi** » 10 Feb 2010 05:57

no wonder, instead of giving head to chipanda & unkil. Pakis are doing GUBO, because they lost their head in 71.

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 10 Feb 2010 06:02

Lessons in ‘patriotism’?

One banner that caught my eye read “Hindu bania muzammat se nahin murammat se maney ga” roughly translated as “The Hindu money-lender will not mend his ways through persuasion but will have to be physically fixed”.

I was already feeling really agitated about an lesson called “Yom-e-Difaa” or “Defence Day” that my son had to do in his Urdu class a few days back. As I read it for him, I found it a pack of sheer lies and a classic case of how young impressionable minds are being indoctrinated through textbooks.

The students are being fed a strange concoction of half-Islam and half-patriotism in the name of Urdu.The patriotic stories are scary, to say the least.

We in Pakistan have made a mistake of looking only at madrassas as seats of indoctrination. Our mainstream schools, private and public, and the very textbooks prepared by our textbook boards are where we need immediate reform.

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 10 Feb 2010 06:08

Gerard wrote:Islamabad can't give an inch

Cart load of horse manure. Just linking up irrelevant issues. If Isalmabad can't give an inch, India can't give a micron on Kashmir

.

lakshmikanth · Post by **lakshmikanth** » 10 Feb 2010 06:10

CRamS wrote:
Gerard wrote:Islamabad can't give an inch
Cart load of horse manure. Just linking up irrelevant issues. If Isalmabad can't give an inch, India can't give a micron on Kashmir .

With MMS and team, I am not so sure anymore

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 10 Feb 2010 06:37

Rahul Shukla wrote:Militants allegedly targeting Americans at hotel arrested (Boston Globe)

on their way yesterday to attack a five-star hotel and kill Americans in Pakistan’s cultural capital,

Of course of course. And what else would you expect in Pakistan's cultural capital other than a capital example of Pakistani culture?

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 10 Feb 2010 06:39

shravan wrote:Pakistan to take all stakeholders on board on talks with India

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has decided to take parliament and the national political leadership on board on the proposed foreign secretary-level talks with India, a media report on Tuesday said.

..agencies report that this is in stark contrast to everything else done in Pakistan where entities and agencies do things on their own without taking anyone else into confidence.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 10 Feb 2010 06:51

Pakistan Is Said to Pursue Role in Afghan Talks With U.S.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world ... pstan.html

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan has told the United States it wants a central role in resolving the Afghan war and has offered to mediate with Taliban factions who use its territory and have long served as its allies, American and Pakistani officials said.

The offer, aimed at preserving Pakistan’s influence in Afghanistan once the Americans leave, could both help and hurt American interests as Washington debates reconciling with the Taliban.

Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, made clear Pakistan’s willingness to mediate at a meeting late last month at NATO headquarters with top American military officials, a senior American military official familiar with the meeting said.

It is a departure from Pakistan’s previous reluctance to approach the Taliban. The meeting included the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen; the head of Central Command, Gen. David H. Petraeus; and the commander of American and allied troops in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the official said.

“The Pakistanis want to be part of discussions that could involve reconciliation,” the official said.

Pakistan’s desire to work with the United States in an Afghanistan endgame is likely to be discussed when the national security adviser, Gen. James L. Jones, visits Islamabad, this week. So far, the United States has been more eager to push Pakistan to fight Taliban than to negotiate with them, and has not endorsed Pakistan’s new approach.

...

What the Pakistanis can offer is their influence over the Taliban network of Jalaluddin and Siraj Haqqani, whose forces American commanders say are the most lethal battling American and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan.

From their stronghold in Pakistan’s tribal area of North Waziristan, the Haqqanis exert sway over large parts of southern Afghanistan and have staged major terrorist attacks in Kabul, American officials say.

They are close allies of Al Qaeda. But they also have long ties to Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies that have protected them inside Pakistani territory.

In return for trying to rein in the Haqqanis, Pakistan will be looking for a friendly Afghanistan and for ways to stem the growing Indian presence there, Pakistani and American officials said.

In briefings last week with reporters at his army headquarters, the usually reticent General Kayani repeated his offer at NATO to play a constructive role, while making it clear Pakistan was seeking broad influence in southern Afghanistan. The Haqqani network would be one of Pakistan’s strongest levers to do that.

American officials said Washington was still debating the contours of any negotiated solution. But a baseline for Pakistan, they said, would be for it to engineer a separation between the Haqqani network and the Qaeda leadership.

...

At the Jan. 26 NATO meeting with General Kayani, American military commanders reviewed the list of hardware — MI-17 helicopters, ammunition for Cobra attack helicopters, body armor, armored vehicles — that has been put on a fast track to the Pakistani military as an inducement to take on the Haqqanis.

But General Kayani, who pleased the Americans with an operation against the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan last fall, was unmoved. “There is no need at this point to start a steamroller operation in North Waziristan,” he told reporters last week.

Last month he took General McChrystal on a helicopter tour over the mountains of the Swat Valley, where Pakistani paratroopers landed last summer to flush out Taliban insurgents.

The message was that the Pakistani Army still regarded India as its primary enemy and was stretched too thin to open a new front.

The reluctance to take on the Haqqanis preserves them as both a prize to be delivered at the negotiating table and a potential asset for Pakistan in postwar Afghanistan, said Syed Rifaat Hussain, professor of international relations at Islamabad University, who is close to the Pakistani Army.

“Haqqani is the guy we are banking on to regain lost influence in Afghanistan,” Mr. Hussain said. “When Pakistan says we are well positioned to help, that means the Haqqanis.”

One strand of thinking within the Obama administration calls for allowing the Pakistanis to keep the Haqqanis as part of Pakistan’s sphere of influence in southern Afghanistan, but only if Pakistan forces the Haqqanis to break with Al Qaeda and to push militants out of its areas, an American official said.

That would be a tall order for Pakistan, Mr. Hussain said. “The question is, how much influence do we have over Haqqani?” he said. “We have influence but not controlling influence.”

Since Qaeda leaders escaped Afghanistan in 2001, they have used Pakistan’s tribal areas to cement their ties to the Haqqanis and other militants, including the Pakistani Taliban.

A chilling example came on Dec. 30 when, according to American officials, the Haqqanis helped Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban stage a suicide attack at a C.I.A. base in southern Afghanistan, killing seven Americans working for the agency.

Since that attack, the Americans have escalated drone strikes in North Waziristan, with the help of intelligence provided by Pakistan, a demonstration that Pakistan’s ability to shield the Haqqanis extends only so far.

Pakistani efforts to persuade the Haqqanis to break with Al Qaeda have not made much headway, according to Pakistani intelligence and military officials, who declined to be named because they were not authorized to talk about the issue.

According to a Pakistani military official, the Pakistanis would first have to resolve where Qaeda fighters would go and whether they might be given safe passage to Yemen or another location.

As the Pakistani military works out the details of its negotiating stance on Afghanistan, Washington is taking notice, said Daniel Markey, senior fellow for South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“The United States side is pretty worried about seeing a deal emerge that suits everyone other than us,” he said.

Guddu · Post by **Guddu** » 10 Feb 2010 06:56

CRamS wrote:

Cold Start would be a portent of escalation, and inevitably a disaster for both. It is a doctrine that challenges both countries.

The writer is a retired brigadier of the Pakistan Army.

Here's a link re:Cold start, incase not posted earlier
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/fil ... 58-190.pdf

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 10 Feb 2010 06:58

amdavadi wrote:no wonder, instead of giving head to chipanda & unkil. Pakis are doing GUBO, because they lost their head in 71.

Some poor Paki still dont undertsand the term "giving head" and they need to be enlightend about GUBO of the second kind.

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 10 Feb 2010 06:59

ISI chief, four commanders retiring this year

ISLAMABAD: The top brass of Pakistan Army is all set to undergo a reshaping process with the retirement of at least 12 three-star generals, including four corps commanders, during the ongoing calendar year, warranting promotion of major generals and the necessary reshuffle.

Three of the lieutenant generals, including incumbent Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt-Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha, are scheduled to retire next month. However, according to informed sources, Lt-Gen Pasha in all probability will get an extension ‘in the interest of continuity’.

A senior security official told Dawn that the army chief did not need to send a summary for extension in the tenure of a three-star general. He cited the example of Lt-Gen Masood Aslam, Corps Commander for Peshawar, who was to retire last year but was given an extension by the army chief.

The other extensions in the recent history of Pakistan Army were of Lt-Gen Hamid Javed, chief of staff to former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, and the chief of Strategic Plans Division, Lt-Gen Khalid Kidwai.

The incumbent ISI chief will reach the age of superannuation on March 18. Others who are due to retire next month include Lt-Gen Tanvir Tahir, Inspector General of Communications and Information Technology, General Headquarters (GHQ); and Lt-Gen Mohammad Ashraf Saleem, Commander of Air Defence, Pakistan Army.

Lt-Gen Ahsan Azhar Hayat, currently serving as Inspector General of Training and Evaluation at the GHQ, will retire in the middle of March.

Another four lieutenant generals, including two corps commanders, will be retiring in May. They are Corps Commander for Lahore Lt-Gen Ijaz Ahmad Bakshi, Corps Commander for Mangla and Chairman of the Special Support Group, Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed, former Corps Commander for Mangla and incumbent Deputy Chairman Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) Lt-Gen Sajjad Akram, and Lt-Gen Sikandar Afzal, force commander for the United Nations mission in Liberia last year.

Others who are scheduled to retire during the current year are Lt-Gen Masood Aslam, Corps Commander for Peshawar, who is already on extension, Lt-Gen Shahid Iqbal, Corps Commander for Karachi, Lt-Gen Zahid Hussain, Quarter Master General (QMG), and Lt-Gen Mohammad Asghar, Rector of National University of Science and Technology (NUST).

Rahul Shukla · Post by **Rahul Shukla** » 10 Feb 2010 07:39

Adopt right path or be prepared to die, Gilani warns terrorists (Daily Times)

ISLAMABAD: Terrorists should lay down their weapons and adopt the right path or face death, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday.

Correct interpretation: What I really mean to say is that, eventually, we all die! So until that day, should you choose to ignore my most humble and optional suggestion, please remember that the 'right path' lies east of the LOC and not east of the Line-e-Durand. Thank you!

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 10 Feb 2010 07:45

Rahul Shukla wrote:

How come two of the criminals have their faces uncovered

Malayappan · Post by **Malayappan** » 10 Feb 2010 08:48

CRM in IE -
The Great Game Folio
While concluding he says -

Instead of objecting to the persistent stalker that Pindi is, Delhi must learn to hold its nerve and play a few mind games of its own. Agreeing to talk with Pakistan is only the first step. It should not be the last in a long list of surprises that Delhi can serve up to Pindi. One way of becoming unpredictable is for the government to stop responding to every statement that comes from across the border. It is not obliged to.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 10 Feb 2010 08:52

Gerard wrote:Islamabad can't give an inch

Pakistan's military sets Afghan terms

Whenever they have common external enemy they are together. Once India said they are ready for talks the internal fissures start manifesting. Who knows they might even have regime change before the talks.

Wow, CRM is also alluding to that.

Rangudu · Post by **Rangudu** » 10 Feb 2010 09:26

Ramana

I agree that CRM is trying to allude to the internal fissures in TSP. But those types of games are useful only if they are part of a coherent strategy. In and of themselves these "surprise" moves will only speed up the TSPA types to accelerate their big moves.