Terrorist Islamic Republic of Pakistan (TSP): Apr. 11, 2010

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 May 2010 02:07

This talk of not doing what Pakistan wanted us to do reminds me of a famous joke about a dumb (insert regional stereotype of whichever community) person who is going home in his new car. The local thug and gang stop him and ask him for hafta. Our friend replies he has no money on him. Upon which the thugs first beat him up, and then seeing that they want more satisfaction, tell him to lie down or else!! and proceed to smash up his brand new car. The person laughs and keeps laughing as the thugs smash up his car, give him a few more kicks and depart. A bystander asks - "sir, you just got your a$$ kicked, your property destroyed, why are you laughing?", our man replies -" you know they asked me to lie down, well when they were not looking, I got up once, see, see"!!

Thats the state of India (under Hon. Shri MMS with the umpteen Phds) and Pakistan and the Mumbai 26/11s, and the bomb blasts here, there and everywhere. It has become so ridiculous that we take pleasure in saying "the pakistanis were sure we were going to hit them, but that would have united them, so lookie we didnt, see see" or come up with similar excuses to justify our craven inaction. In the meanwhile nothing has been done and is being done to prevent Pakistan from ratcheting up its antics of terror, and payback against the terrorists for what they actually did.

Otherwise we seek hoary Shri Chanakya who departed this abode long back, in everything Shri MMS (Phd) does vis a vis Pakistan, in each new wave of WKK'ism. In any other nation with half a spine, its leaders would have been held accountable for such acts of shameless behaviour. In india, antics such as those at thimpu or wherever next pass without murmur and one go so far as to justify int under the guise of peace. Those who should defend us, waltz around in imported BMW SUVs with state of the art weaponry, robbed from the taxpayers pocket to save their sorry hides. While the common citizen has to make do with umpteen bomb blasts. Perhaps it is this craven behaviour which justifies us getting hit again and again, after all, if these are the insensitive, craven, egotistical leaders we choose, we deserve what happens to us.

It would be funny, if it werent tragic. Its so farcical, that even discussing it makes one wince.

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 02 May 2010 03:33

Vir Sanghvi on MMS's peace tune. It is hard to summarize, so please read it in full.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Pakistan- ... 38115.aspx

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 02 May 2010 05:20

UN sounds alarm on Pakistan aid

Lack of funds is threatening aid programmes providing housing, food and health care to hundreds of thousands of people in some of the most tense areas of the country, the United Nations said on Friday.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 02 May 2010 06:15

India keen to engage ‘empowered' Gilani

Siddharth Varadarajan

http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/02/stories ... 810100.htm

...

Providing the first detailed account of the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan and Mr. Gilani in Thimphu on April 28, senior officials said the question of ‘who India should talk to' had been answered by the 18th amendment to the Pakistani constitution which enhanced the authority of the Prime Minister.

But personal equations between the two principals also mattered. “They do manage to communicate well with one another,” an official said. “There is a certain chemistry.” Last year, when Dr. Singh was under fire following the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, Mr. Gilani batted for him by telling reporters that what the Prime Minister had said in Parliament about the controversial joint statement ‘is what we agreed.' Dr. Singh had put an Indian spin on the terror-dialogue delinking issue but the Pakistan Prime Minister chose not to score points. “We remember that,” an Indian official told The Hindu. “He seems to be favourably disposed towards peace.”

...

The sources also appreciated the fact that his statements on India had always been relatively restrained .

...

*sigh*

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 May 2010 06:19

Anujan wrote:Vir Sanghvi on MMS's peace tune. It is hard to summarize, so please read it in full.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Pakistan- ... 38115.aspx

Thanks for this article.

Shri Vir Sanghvi goes out of his way to make PM intentions honorable and even finds all sort of dubious equal equal such as:

"Strategic affairs experts may tell us that his solution is fair and equitable but politicians have spent the last 60 years telling us that Kashmir is ours"...which strategic affairs and what experts, may I ask would leave their brain cells at the door and ask for this "fair and equitable" solution when the aforesaid solution, per prior reports was allowing more Pakistanis into India, while demilitarizing Kashmir (where the Rashtriya Rifles is currently placed to discourage Pakistani tourism, and would apparently have no use later, because Pakistan would be a good boy)

...and yet ends with the kind suggestion that the hon PM find himself a new hobby, a new stalking horse, a new idee fixe. May I suggest India's broken infrastructure, its actual poverty levels, the Maoist problem? You know, minor issues such as those?

I welcome the return of Shri Deve Gowda to the PM's position - he would be a minor issue compared to our present resident Phd, for whom Pakistan can do no wrong.

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/i ... t+see.html

How does such a person wake up?

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 02 May 2010 06:19

Anujan wrote:Vir Sanghvi on MMS's peace tune. It is hard to summarize, so please read it in full.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Pakistan- ... 38115.aspx

His last bit advising MMS to forget TSP and find some other issue to devote his energy to is mnost sane. His Kashmir "solution" which involves joint love making with TSP will be a disaster for India.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 02 May 2010 06:26

Another Paki Conspitation Saga.
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=237105
Children of the monsoons’

ISLAMABAD: “We want to retain the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). It is India that wants to circumvent the provisions,” alleges Syed Jamat Ali Shah, Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner, talking to The News from his office in Lahore. “We have no option but to go for neutral arbitration,” he adds referring to the disputed Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project in the Indian-administered Kashmir.
This development and Pakistan’s earlier wishes to bring water on to the agenda for future talks with New Delhi add another geopolitical angle to the contention. Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir handed over a brief paper on the Kishenganga dispute to his Indian coupterpart during the secretary level talks at New Delhi in February.
The two countries have been discussing the agenda issues, seeking resumption of their stalled peace process. Some in India, like the respected analyst Siddharth Varadarjan, saw this as a “carrier of concord with Pakistan” but others, like India’s former Federal Secretary for Water and Power Ramaswamy R. Iyer hold a different perspective closer to the established view there. Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao insisted it was “important to abide by the provisions of the treaty”.India has reportedly refused to include water on the agenda for the ‘composite dialogue’ alongside terrorism and Balochistan, whenever it may formally take place (although some observers contend that the beginning of formal talks at the secretary level means that the fifth round of Composite Dialogue has started for all intents and purposes). Following the last round of foreign secretary level talks in New Delhi, Jamat Ali Shah was quoted in the media saying, “Pakistan must look beyond the Indus Waters Treaty.”
The Kishanganga Hydropower Project on the Ganga River -- called Neelum upon entering Pakistan -- in Kashmir is disputed because Pakistan holds that diversion of the waters is not allowed under the IWT. Pakistan is also constructing the 1.6 billion dollars 969 megawatt Neelum-Jehlum Hydropower Project downstream that is expected to face a 27 per cent water deficit if the Indian project gets completed.Pakistan has reportedly awarded the contract for the Neelum-Jhelum project to a Chinese firm. Work on this project is underway on a hectic schedule. Pakistan cites the right of “prior appropriation” under the IWT as the reason behind this high-altitude development race. Not everyone is convinced.
India’s Federal Minister of Power Jairam Ramesh has termed the Kishenganga project as “an issue with geostrategic and foreign policy implications”. He added, “Even I am not competent to speak about it”.Dr Robert G. Wirsing, a member of the faculty of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii and an expert on South Asian affairs, recently said in a lecture in Islamabad that the Treaty had inherent weaknesses. “The solution to water disputes is heavily tied with the fate of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.Besides such sensitive issues, there are overarching ecological concerns that impel both countries to work in a spirit of harmony to stave off future threats. This is the fourth dimension to the water contentions between India and Pakistan. Jeopardising the IWT cannot help either of the traditional rivals.
According to the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Himalayan glaciers -- a major source of water for India and Pakistan -- are melting at an alarming pace due to global warming. The International Centre for Mountain Area Development (ICIMOD) has produced similar findings after extensive research. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has also sounded serious warnings over the air-borne chemical clouds over the Himalayan glaciers and Kashmir.“India has generated 8,296 MW electricity working within the 1.2 MAF limits imposed for the water India can store on the Chenab River under the IWT,” Adviser to the Centre for Research on Security Studies and Research Fellow with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) Arshad H. Abbasi points out. “We have no limit on how much water to store on the Chenab, yet all we are able to generate is only 13 MW!”“The more urgent problem is watershed management in the catchment areas of the Indus River System.
“We must ensure the natural ecosystems are not disturbed,” says seasoned development expert Syed Ayub Qutub, urging cooperation “for we are all the children of the monsoons”. (This Dr is kaffir and Ahmadi, Pakianis are 400% childen of Arabs and Persian under Muta provison).
Dr Shahid Ahmad of the Pakistan Agriculural Research Council wants urgent action to “manage the shared underground water resources in the Indus Basin sustainably.” He is also for joint watershed management in the upper catchment areas of the western rivers. The IWT does not provide for any of this.
However, the issue is not simply one of resource consumption. Nearly, 1.25 billion people in India and Pakistan are directly and indirectly affected by these mysterious happenings around the IWT, notes Dr Mubashir Hasan urging all to respect the treaty. Most independent experts in Pakistan agree.They include Shamsul Mulk, a known expert on water resources, who hopes in the coming years when both Pakistan and India are faced with greater pressures, India’s conduct will not negate the spirit of understanding reached in signing the treaty. “The important thing about water treaties is the conduct of the upper riparian, which determines the treaty’s success and failure,” he notes.In Pakistan, this is likely to continue being seen as the prevalent bottomline, our own weaknesses and lack of monitoring notwithstanding. It is clear, however, that water will continue to top the bilateral agendas for some time.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 02 May 2010 06:35

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/daw ... inking-150

Although Mr Qureshi stayed short of saying that Pakistan had agreed to drop the ‘composite dialogue’ title in return for India changing its hard-line position on normalisation of ties with Pakistan, he alluded to it, saying: “The change in Indian thinking has to be appreciated.”

He emphasised that the change in title was in national interest. “What I’m advocating is in national interest; otherwise I wouldn’t have done so.” It may be mentioned that before the Feb 25 meeting of foreign secretaries, foreign policy managers had strongly advised against tinkering with the composite dialogue. They said that any change in the composite dialogue would be counter-productive because of the current political mood in India. Besides, such a change would not be in Pakistan’s interest. The foreign minister evaded a question about the ‘thinking afresh’ remark made by Indian External Affairs Secretary Nirupama Rao. Foreign ministry sources told Dawn that the decision of accommodating India had been taken after the failed Feb 25 talks. A cursory glance at Foreign Office documents shows that the expression of composite dialogue was phased out of Pakistani diplomatic vocabulary some time close to the Pak-US strategic dialogue, indicating that this could have been a result of American prodding. After giving up the revival of ‘composite dialogue’ mantra, the Foreign Office started stressing the “need for meaningful engagement”.

Carl_T · Post by **Carl_T** » 02 May 2010 07:28

shiv wrote:The only direct explanation is US leash. But the US would have to pull that leash on India's behalf. The US will not rein in Pakistan on India's behalf unless there is something in it for the US. What's in it for the US? Why should the US put pressure on Pakistan to reduce terror in India?

I feel that there are maybe two reasons:

a) US is actually afraid of an Indian strike on Pakistan derailing all its plans and just wants to make doubly sure, also they would also want TSP to focus its activities along the western rather than eastern border.
b) US has stuff they want to sell to India.

Perhaps US is afraid of losing support on Iran, but I don't think Indian support counts for much there.

CRamS wrote:Unless there are truly "non state actors", the biggest fraud invented by USA/TSP combine to whitewahs TSPA's terror role, I doubt there will be any major terror attack against India at least until the AfPak denounement. In the interim US bahadur will chip away at their man MMS to keep giving TSP something, while they themselves continue doling out military economic goodies (pocket change for US). We are entering a war of attrition phase, where both India & TSP (India TSP equal equal onlee) use US presence to their utmost advantage. The real tamasha starts later.

I'm thinking that this may be a hidden blessing. If the US can keep TSP on a leash for a few years in exchange for a handful of F-16s we avoid terror attacks. In that period while TSP is engaged in a civil war we have the chance to rapidly build up our military capabilities - and in this decade we have a substantial set of military goodies coming our way, we are going to be so far ahead of TSP in a few years, it will be the optimum time to do what we need to do.

I think 2020 is the best time to plan for liberating the Indus Valley, delaying it beyond that will get costly IMO.

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 02 May 2010 07:44

Mrinal wrote:Shri Vir Sanghvi goes out of his way to make PM intentions honorable and even finds all sort of dubious equal equal

Mrinal-ji

Vir Sanghvi is not your vanilla WKK journo. His views on Pak are quite hawkish and he does think before he writes. To calibrate, here is an earlier column by him
http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/counter ... n-with-it/

shynee · Post by **shynee** » 02 May 2010 07:49

What was the last mission of Khalid Khwaja?

Sen_K · Post by **Sen_K** » 02 May 2010 08:34

Seems like the Paki military is being pulled in all directions

US pressure to take on militants in North Waziristan
Pressure to control internal bombings everywhere in Pakistan by pakiban
Paki govt pressure on Paki military to rein in India focus militants

Kayani has 2 choices

1 Either he could launch a full fledged offensive on the TTP in North Waziristan, which will have serious repurcussions for Paki army and Pakistan in general due to TTP-Punjabi militants nexus.
2 He could make peace with N.Waziristan militants. Probably the Khwaja episode is part of the last ditch effort to make peace.

It appears the US wants Kayani to take action 1 at any cost. That could be a reason why MMS was playing the US tune to the Pakis in Thimpu. And then talk of 1 lac troops transfer to Western border. Kayani is left with the choice to set off a 26/11 type attack on India, to break the pressure on him and to streamline anger on India. Probably that explains the terror alert on Delhi.

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 02 May 2010 08:39

What shocks the living daylights out of me is the extent to which the rot has set into MMS, his core, and many Indian elites. While here we are, as any reasonable Indian should, want to hold TSP accountable to terror, most recently Mumbai, but for a large swathe of Indian elite, Mumbai and terror are not even peripheral issues; its the desparation to get into bed with TSP. I mean its not as if India is about to be overrun by TSP or anything. What drives these people?

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 02 May 2010 08:43

Anujan wrote:
Mrinal wrote:Shri Vir Sanghvi goes out of his way to make PM intentions honorable and even finds all sort of dubious equal equal
Mrinal-ji

Vir Sanghvi is not your vanilla WKK journo. His views on Pak are quite hawkish and he does think before he writes. To calibrate, here is an earlier column by him
http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/counter ... n-with-it/

He blows hot and cold. Can't take the guy seriously who predicates everything on India's impending super powerdom. In one column he suggested India give up Kashmir as a away of demonstrating that India has arrived on the world scene. Can one take someone like that seriously?

But I do give him credit for the last part where he makes sense and advises MMS to find some other core issue to seal his legacy.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 02 May 2010 09:19

Empowered Gilani is an oxymoron and MMS should know better. In the frozen kabila that is TSP, only the guards decide how much empowerment Gilani gets.

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 02 May 2010 09:35

But ramana-ji

MMS himself, in a way, is responsible for Gilani's ascendancy. He spoke into the Mic (not know it was switched on, he claimed) to Zardari when they met embarrassing Zardari and that was the reason Gilani traveled to SeS...

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 02 May 2010 09:42

Anujan, The guards tolerate the rise of Gilani as it marginalizes Zardari who is there because of his wife's assassination. And his wife was foisted by massa. So we can kid ourselves the MMS fostered his rise.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 02 May 2010 10:21

Even Times of India can see the truth:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 881042.cms

But the latest of a spate of disclosures about continued plotting of terror attacks against India by Lashkar is a pointer to the challenge Pakistan faces in clearing the litmus test of "credible measures against terror" Manmohan Singh set for it in Thimphu. More so, because of the growing evidence of infiltration being on the rise in J&K.

In fact, the government here has been trying to tamp down expectations of the talks between the foreign secretaries and foreign ministers -- as agreed in Thimphu -- automatically leading to the restoration of the composite dialogue.

For all its assurances, Pakistan has shown little inclination to deter Lashkar from targeting India. A similar alert was sent to the Delhi Police in the wake of a US advisory on April 21 as well. However, the latest one was backed by "certain specific inputs", said sources in the home ministry.

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 02 May 2010 10:30

Carl_T wrote: I'm thinking that this may be a hidden blessing. If the US can keep TSP on a leash for a few years in exchange for a handful of F-16s we avoid terror attacks. In that period while TSP is engaged in a civil war we have the chance to rapidly build up our military capabilities - and in this decade we have a substantial set of military goodies coming our way, we are going to be so far ahead of TSP in a few years, it will be the optimum time to do what we need to do.

I think 2020 is the best time to plan for liberating the Indus Valley, delaying it beyond that will get costly IMO.

It bears repitition but one thing we must all remember: TSP believes that ultimately its Jihadi machine and army and nukes will bring them deliverence. They are just waiting for the right moment. No matter how much this is hidden blessing, remember one thing: India has not extracted a price from TSP for its terror. And so in the interim, India must find a way to raise the costs for TSP's sponsorship of terror. Or else we will be back to the late 90's and into 2000+ where we saw TSP terror unabated on a daily basis especially in J&K.

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 02 May 2010 10:40

Asian Tigers==HuJI

HuJI chief behind ex-ISI man's killing?

LAHORE: Pakistani investigation agencies probing the abduction of former ISI official squadron leader Khalid Khwaja and his subsequent murder believe that the Asian Tigers, the group which took the responsibility for Khwaja's assassination, is actually a cover for top militant commander Ilyas Kashmiri's led Harkatul Jihadul Islami (HUJI).
...
"As a matter of fact, while the leaders of the three mainstream Kashmir jihadi groups, JeM, LeT and HuM, are still allowed to move freely across Pakistan despite being proscribed by the government, Ilyas Kashmiri has been declared as one of the most wanted fugitive commanders," the newspaper said.

If true an former SSG commando of TSP army killed a former PAF officer.

Purelander killing another purelander for not being pure enough.

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 02 May 2010 10:52

Sri Lanka will teach Pakistan a lesson

...in military tactics

A delegation of senior military officers of Pakistan Army, Navy, and Air Force from National Defence University (NDU) of Pakistan visited Sri Lanka on a study tour from April through May 01. The Pakistani military team headed by Air Commodore Nadeem Anjum of Pakistan Air Force was here to learn about the anti-insurgency operations conducted by the Sri Lankan Army against the LTTE.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 02 May 2010 10:57

I think Vir Sanghvi's article makes lot of sense. His characterisation of MMS as stubborn when he wants to get something done has been proven amply in the case of nuclear deal when he took on sections of his own party, the BJP and Stalinist traitors that too running a minority govt. Not to speak of a public that did not care or was opposed. Even Rao was not so clever.

We too should not want a nice guy like MMS humiliated or become a one (failed) trick pony in this term. His brains are required to manage the economy and to dismantle remains of red-tapism that is keeping India 3-5% behind China in terms of growth %.

On the contrary SV's intentions are questionable. He has already eulogised the so-called constitutional reform of Pakistan where the President and PM exchanged powers that they never had or will have. It is like you being nice to let me keep Brooklyn bridge in exchange for me being nice and not disturbing your hold over the Eiffel Tower. Now he is using that drama to issue certificate of empowerment to Gilani. One does not know what the Stalinist game is perhaps, they believe a India that finds peace with TSP on TSP's terms will become an effective joint puppet of Beijing and are hence pushing this path.

hulaku · Post by **hulaku** » 02 May 2010 11:14

Another day in Swat.

Swat blast kills woman, injures three

SWAT: A woman was killed and three persons were injured in a blast that rocked a house in Swat’s tehsil of Kabal this morning, Geo News reported Sunday.

The blast occurred at the house of Roshanzada, who is member of local Peace Committee in Kabal area of Sangarserai, killing a woman and injuring three others.

The nature of the blast could not be ascertained immediately.

The injured have been shifted to a local hospital.

Police said all the injured are out of danger. The relief activities could not be carried out smoothly as it is a far-flung area.

The forces put a security cordon around the blast site.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=104021

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 02 May 2010 11:32

I keep getting some Paki crap in my mailbox from Ahmed Quereshi; the most paranoid bizzare stuff thats not worth reading. But one e-mail I recieved was interesting. This was Sania Mirza marrying a Paki. People here dismiss that as a "personal choice" by Sania and has no strategic significance. But thats not how TSP looks at it. They look at it as yet another "proof" that Indian Muslims yearn to be TSPians and that rattles India. And the e-mail goes on to add that UK/US, as expected, were euphoric that Sania's decision would bring "peace" between India and TSP but for "Hindu extremists" who are opposed to this wedlock. Maybe I missed it, but was there any official statements or media coverage of Sania TSP love fest in US/UK?

I guess what TSP is thrilled about with this Sania crap is that no matter how much India thinks its a "global super power" apart from TSP, a section of India's people yearn to sleep with TSPians. Now whether or not this is true is not the issue. But what does piss me off is the round the clock coverage of Sania's marriage. If India indeed has in its own mind de-hyphenated from TSP, what I would have expected is that Indian media and India people would have ignored Sania's hair-brained decision to sleep with a Paki terrorist (and yes, the entity Sania is sleeping with said that all Muslims support TSP in cricket, thats a Jihadi mindset), and let it pass as a personal decision. But instead we had a media frenzy, people went ga ga, and that undercuts the notion that India is on a separate glide path compared to TSP.

Now imagine, and yes one needs to imagine because its so rare if non existant, an Israeli celebrity of European descent were to marry an Arab celebrity? Will that creat a media frenzy in Israel? They probably will ignore it as a personal decision. Sadly, India is stuck with this f&*($%ing TSP albatross around its neck thats its unable to extricate itself from.

sum · Post by **sum** » 02 May 2010 11:40

Code: Select all

But personal equations between the two principals also mattered. “They do manage to communicate well with one another,” an official said. “There is a certain chemistry.” Last year, when Dr. Singh was under fire following the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, Mr. Gilani batted for him by telling reporters that what the Prime Minister had said in Parliament about the controversial joint statement ‘is what we agreed.' Dr. Singh had put an Indian spin on the terror-dialogue delinking issue but the Pakistan Prime Minister chose not to score points. “We remember that,” an Indian official told The Hindu. “He seems to be favourably disposed towards peace.” :evil:

* Running to the nearest wall to bang my head*

It appears the US wants Kayani to take action 1 at any cost. That could be a reason why MMS was playing the US tune to the Pakis in Thimpu. And then talk of 1 lac troops transfer to Western border. Kayani is left with the choice to set off a 26/11 type attack on India, to break the pressure on him and to streamline anger on India. Probably that explains the terror alert on Delhi.

Sorry but isn't this dhimmi thinking?

Arent you saying that India should remain a punching bag and get attacked over and over again without retaliating so that Pakis dont unite against India and US goals in Af-Pak are also achieved?

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 02 May 2010 11:41

Heard someone remark yesterday that there're more beards in the Pak cricket team than in the afghan one. Apt quote that.

^^^CRS,
as for indo-pak comparisons, no point doing that. The comparison in TSPian mind is between TSP elite (the top 2% of its popn) and the Yindian average person. Regardless of the pathetic state of the packee common man, the paki elite is certainly better off (as of now) than the aam aadmi here. So there.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 May 2010 11:43

well ouside the chattering classes and a few english language tv channels and their associated news papers who did care?

99% of people in india have far bigger problems in life than spending cycles on where she married.

I am not aware that anything changed in GOI policy on account of the marriage.

once can trust the pakis to look for such 'victories' and clutch at straws to forget their miserable present and future.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 02 May 2010 12:21

shynee wrote:What was the last mission of Khalid Khwaja?

From the above,

It is also interesting that these Punjabi Taliban have no respect for staunch US critics like General Aslam Beg and Hameed Gul just because they don’t support bomb blasts in Pakistan.

Altair · Post by **Altair** » 02 May 2010 12:24

CRamS wrote:What shocks the living daylights out of me is the extent to which the rot has set into MMS, his core, and many Indian elites. While here we are, as any reasonable Indian should, want to hold TSP accountable to terror, most recently Mumbai, but for a large swathe of Indian elite, Mumbai and terror are not even peripheral issues; its the desparation to get into bed with TSP. I mean its not as if India is about to be overrun by TSP or anything. What drives these people?

The way I see it, India is giving up Afghanistan and Kashmir so that Unkil can cut and run from AfPak and claim American victory in spreading democracy.What drives these people is that they have been fed nonsense by unkil. MMS's thinking is that, even if 4 paki divisions are moved to western border and fight the bad taliban,India is in a better position hence we have to talk peace with Gilani. How it is better,I fail to understand.

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 02 May 2010 12:27

Singha wrote:well ouside the chattering classes and a few english language tv channels and their associated news papers who did care?

99% of people in india have far bigger problems in life than spending cycles on where she married.

I am not aware that anything changed in GOI policy on account of the marriage.

once can trust the pakis to look for such 'victories' and clutch at straws to forget their miserable present and future.

Problem is that can cut both ways. MMs, WKKs and Paki lovers lwill argue that outside of a few, do 99% of Indian people care about Kashmir?

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 02 May 2010 12:29

Canada warns of imminent terror attack in new delhi
http://ptinews.com/news/635378_Canada-w ... -New-Delhi

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 02 May 2010 12:33

Altair wrote:
CRamS wrote:What shocks the living daylights out of me is the extent to which the rot has set into MMS, his core, and many Indian elites. While here we are, as any reasonable Indian should, want to hold TSP accountable to terror, most recently Mumbai, but for a large swathe of Indian elite, Mumbai and terror are not even peripheral issues; its the desparation to get into bed with TSP. I mean its not as if India is about to be overrun by TSP or anything. What drives these people?
The way I see it, India is giving up Afghanistan and Kashmir so that Unkil can cut and run from AfPak and claim American victory in spreading democracy.What drives these people is that they have been fed nonsense by unkil. MMS's thinking is that, even if 4 paki divisions are moved to western border and fight the bad taliban,India is in a better position hence we have to talk peace with Gilani. How it is better,I fail to understand.

I agree with everything except the India part. MMS probably believes that "South Asia" is better off, I don't believe he cares that much about India or the primacy of India as such such. And of course, this suits US/UK just fine, for them whats the differnece between an Indian and a Paki? Equal equal onlee. Its a depressing situation, but as MMS pushes the button, I hope there is some nationalism and realism left in India that will prevent such a sell out.

rohiths · Post by **rohiths** » 02 May 2010 12:45

Many of the Indian elites do not like Pakistan. They are bad for business and very bad for image.
It is just that there a few pre-independence dinosaurs in the Indian establishment who love Pakistan.
I personally don't think MMS loves Pakistan too much. He just loves the Piss prize more and wants to leave back his legacy.
The thing that makes MMS so scary is that he is patient and works constantly behind the scenes and slowly builds up alliances to achieve his aims. He has also built up a coterie of babus and put them in important circles to achieve his objectives.
But Kashmir is a whole new ball game compared to the nuclear deal. He cannot give away Kashmir that easily. And people of India are not that unconcerned. Bofors brought down Rajiv Gandhi, an electoral malpractice brought down Indira Gandhi. MMS is a small fish when compared to them. There is too much inertia in the system to allow any radical changes.
Moreover he is being slowly sidelined in the congress party. Sonia is back in NAC. PC & Pranab Mukherjee also have aspirations to become PM.
Last but not the least, there is Paki tactical brilliance. God forbid if there is a terror attack and Commonwealth games becomes a failure then what? Can MMS still proceed with his plans?

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 02 May 2010 12:54

On Sania Mirza's decision to marry Shoiab.

The girl is young and immature. She was the media darling in India, and the richest female sportsperson in India. The media fawned over her. Her immaturity came across the way she behaved with the media. Mouthing off badly accented ingliss, throwing temper tantrums - I know that kind.

Besides her parents are eminent sports persons themselves, and the pakistani cricket team were visitors at their house when they came to Hyderabad.

Sania Mirza probably wanted someone equally glamorous as herselves. She has grown up in India and has only seen the liberalism here. She is not yet aware of the narrow mindedness of pakistanis. I suppose the only reason she is not settling in pakistan is because of all those bums going off that she's seen on Zee news! Otherwise she'll gladly go and live there - and shock and horror will begin. Some homeopathic dose of reality will be sinking in when she starts to live with that shoaib and gets exposed to his pakiness.

It is her personal decision - however mature or immature it might be.

The thing to note is the effect it will have on people who have a tradition of cross border marriages. This could spur that trend, but everyone is more than aware of the bums going off and the pervasive pakiness there, so that could be a dampner. Besides everyone knows Sania didn't go to live in Pakistan because of those darn bums, and soosai bummers.

This entire sania mirza - shoaib wedding with the first wife scam that the paki shoaib pulled on every one is distasteful as it is. So last post on this subject from me.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 02 May 2010 12:59

Meanwhile the pappi-jhappi begins in rightful earnest.
Q: What does student mean in Urdu / Pashto?
A: Talibilm / Talibaan
SAU: India eases visa norms for Pakistani students

The recently held South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit resolved the issue of differential visa norms for Pakistani students and faculty for the South Asian University (SAU) coming up here, said official sources.

A dream project of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the SAU was fast becoming a victim of the India-Pakistan visa norms which prescribe police reporting and city-specific visas for nationals from the other country, whereas those from other SAARC countries are subject to normal visa procedures.

India has now conveyed that students and faculty from Pakistan headed for SAU will get visas on the same terms as their compatriots from other countries, in other words, there would be no police reporting requirements nor would they be restricted to specific cities with a maximum of three cities.

...

This led to Islamabad even holding out the threat of withdrawing from the project if its citizens were subject to differential norms for a collaborative pan-South Asian project.

Err admins where is the Ack-Thoo / Puke smiley when one needs it?

Altair · Post by **Altair** » 02 May 2010 13:03

CRamS wrote:I agree with everything except the India part. MMS probably believes that "South Asia" is better off, I don't believe he cares that much about India or the primacy of India as such such. And of course, this suits US/UK just fine, for them whats the differnece between an Indian and a Paki? Equal equal onlee. Its a depressing situation, but as MMS pushes the button, I hope there is some nationalism and realism left in India that will prevent such a sell out.

I havent heard of any Pakistani terrorist attacks in Bhutan,Srilanka,Maldives or Nepal. But I guess,You are right. MMS thinks of sacrificing India's interests for South Asia sake. Pakistanis have a smirk on their faces when they hear of talks with India. Its a victory for them. MMS made a self goal here.

PS:There is no such thing as nationalism and realism left in Congress. They let Mayavathi loose and cut a deal with Sibu Soren and Karuna. Someone made a genuine attempt to pressurize this government by exposing Phone tapping (Indian Watergate scandal), 1 Lakh Crore Telecom Scam by Raja. I hope they dont give up trying. Even if there is a Mega terrorist attack on Delhi nothing is going to change the Congress wallahs. They just got used to serve the goras.

Sen_K · Post by **Sen_K** » 02 May 2010 13:28

Low intensity blasts rock Peeru’s Café in Lahore

saket · Post by **saket** » 02 May 2010 13:35

Friends, I am frequent lurker here and am as alarmed as anyone about the possibility of MMS selling India out on Kashmir, Afghanistan etc.
Can anyone clarify for me if it is possible for MMS to change the sovereignty of India over Kashmir by signing on some agreement which violates the Parliament resolution on Kashmir. Can this be challenged in the Supreme Court?
Is there any mechanism of legislative assent to external agreements signed by the GoI which change the nature of India's borders/sovereignty?

Btw I have lost hope of the BJP as an opposition party. They simply have ignored the enormous u-turn done by MMS, what a pathetic lack of spunk for a party that calls itself nationalist.

Charlie · Post by **Charlie** » 02 May 2010 13:47

Pakistan to get more conventional weapons from US

"We must continue to reassure Pakistan that as it combats the terrorist threat, it is not exposing itself to increased risk along its eastern border,” said Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Michele Flournoy while explaining why the United States needed to strengthen Islamabad’s conventional defence systems as well.

“Although extremist attacks have led to the repositioning of substantial Pakistani forces, Pakistan’s strategic concerns about India remain pre-eminent.”

Under Secretary Flournoy and other senior US officials who spoke to the House Armed Services Committee urged lawmakers to provide funding for billions of dollars of planned US military and civilian aid to Pakistan during the next five years.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 02 May 2010 14:12

US Embassy in Islamabad catches fire

Should just be short circuit in air vacuum. Nothing to worry.