Terrorist Islamic Republic of Pakistan (TSP): May 21, 2010

[Dipanker]

US will not tolerate any safe haven for terrorist: Obama

WASHINGTON: Stating that US faces a tough fight with the Taliban in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he would not allow safe haven for terrorists who want to destroy Afghan society.

[Prem]

TWA Flt 847 Hijacker Dies by US Drone
I read today that Mohammad Ali Hamadeh was blown right into the arms of 72 virgins today, or whatever, by a U.S. drone attack in Pakistan. After being secretly released from a German prison in 2005 for the hijacking of TWA Flt. 847, he went directly to Lebanon and joined with Hizbollah, then to Pakistan’s North Waziristan to fight with Islamic Jihad. Ten days before the hijacking, hubby and I flew from Rome to the U.S. on TWA Flt. 847. Islamic jihad was in full jihadi mode 25 years ago.

http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2010/06/23/t ... -us-drone/

[A_Gupta]

The greatest threat to individual Pakistani H&D is public ridicule.
The greatest threat to ((fragile) male) H&D is public ridicule by women.

[Prem]

The greatest threat to individual Pakistani H&D is public ridicule.
The greatest threat to ((fragile) male) H&D is public ridicule by women.

They beginning to hate you for exposing them . Bu Like Ali Sinha said , public ridicule seems to rub their H&D bit but fail to evoke intropective churnning. Beside being Pakiliberal is like claiming to be the son of infertile woman.

[Rudradev]

The greatest threat to individual Pakistani H&D is public ridicule.
The greatest threat to ((fragile) male) H&D is public ridicule by women.

Women like Sadhana Gupta?

Truly, I cannot imagine any other reason why the ire of the Pak Chaiwallas was drawn to mild-mannered Arun ji while Shiv ji is apparently still welcome to give them piskological nightmares

[Prem]

The delusion of identity —Ahmadi Ali Khalidh

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.as ... 2010_pg3_5

Historically, for instance, in the Muslim world, there has never been a single ‘Islamic’ civilisation, even when we talk about the Safavids, the Ottomans or the Mughals. This imaginary historiography is not only intellectually crass but also downright dangerous, creating false illusions of the past in order to create opposition and barriers for the present and future. We must adopt a more flexible and global narrative of civilisation rather than talking exclusively on the basis of faith or ethnicity. Categories of civilisation, in their philosophical, ethical and cultural dimensions are meshed, interlinked and interwoven in a global tapestry. That is not to say there are no distinct civilisational models based on ethnicity or faith, but rather that such models do not exist in a vacuum with no interaction with other models. However, with these discrete models, one needs to recognise the ambivalence and multiplicity of identity. To try and homogenise and monopolise identity in the name of faith is to reduce the precious truths of religion to an imagined human construct, whilst using ethnicity borders on xenophobia. By adopting such a narrative, we can go beyond ideological and binary constructs and appreciate this continuing inter-linking, interwoven odyssey of human civilisation.

[RamaY]

- can IM's prove to pakis (not to Hindus, not to Indians) that pakiland is a cancer to Islam (and not the fort of Islam) while IM's are the true inheritors of the prophet's legacy? it is impossible for many reasons.

is this desirable?

Is Islam beneficial to India?

[anupmisra]

Renewed strains between Islamabad and Washington

BBC Article by Ahmed Rashid. Nothing new. Much of this old rant is well known to us at BR. Highlighting a few key points.

Pakistani officials are threatening to pull its troops out from the sensitive north-western tribal areas unless the US and Europe comes up with more money for military campaigns.

When the $38bn annual budget was announced in parliament on 5 June, legislators sat up when it was announced that defence spending would be $5.2bn for 2010-11 - a rise of 17% compared to last year or 13.7% of the total budget. Even more shocking news came a few days later when Saqib Shirani, principal economic adviser to the government, corrected that figure to say that actual defence spending for 2010-11 would be $7.9bn, a 30% rise compared to last year and 21% of the total budget

.

For decades the army refused to allow any government to disclose the military budget. Now the army only allows a single blanket figure to be released that does not show what defence money is spent on. Meanwhile substantial parts of military spending like army pensions and research and development are hidden in other budget items outside the official defence budget.

With 28% of the budget being reserved this year for servicing Pakistan's huge external debt of $54bn, nearly 60% of the budget is taken up by just two items - defence spending and debt servicing.

However with the economy in a downward spiral and the government facing an internal funding crisis in the months ahead, Islamabad has begun to threaten the US. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was equally blunt when he told visiting Richard Holbrooke, US special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, that ''time is running out fast, public support can only be kept intact if the international community start delivering on their pledges.''

"We will stop operations (in Fata) and go back to the eastern borders,'' he added threateningly.

The danger is that there is a growing tiredness amongst Western donors that Pakistan has cried wolf once too often

Mr Gilani's recent trip to the European Union (EU) in Brussels, following the brutal killing of 90 Ahmedis in Lahore by militants was a public relations disaster, with the EU bluntly refusing to fund Pakistan unless it improved its governance record.

Yet even as Pakistani leaders cajole the West for more money and warn of an impending economic collapse, the army insists that the world must recognise Pakistan as a full blown nuclear power.The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen Tariq Majid told the National Defence University in Islamabad recently that ''the world must accept our nuclear reality and stop unwarranted insinuations to create alarms and deny us the related benefits."

The army and the government wants to have its cake and eat it too. It wants the US and Europe to pay for the war on "terrorism", but at the same time it wants to spend vast funds on building up defences against an imagined Indian attack - without improving relations with India.

Meanwhile it is willing to threaten the US, knowing that with the US campaign in Afghanistan going so badly, Washington desperately needs Islamabad.

Aha! The old "gun to its own head" negotiation ploy that has worked wonders for decades.

[SSridhar]

But doesn't that somewhat erode the value of Cold Start (i.e. being able to conduct a punitive strike with only hours of notice?)

I mean, if India has to be prepared for a subsequent conventional escalation by Pakistan, then we will need to have a lot more forces, assets, materiel etc. ready in the theatre than are required for Cold Start itself, and they will have to be ready at the time of launching the Cold Start operation. So doesn't that mean we will have to have a buildup of much greater scale along the IB and LoC... which will take weeks or longer, before we can launch the Cold Start? In that time, international pressure will build up, Pakistani readiness will increase more quickly than ours, all the problems that apply to a larger deployment like Parakram will come into play.

You are right about the immensity of it all. Military planners always take into consideration all possibilities. As amateurs, let us look at it this way. Those who devised Cold Start know Pakistani mindset, especially that of PA, very well. The H&D based society of Pakistan cannot take a 'punitive attack' and that too from India, lying down. That would be most disgraceful to the momin mard. Cold Start obviously has contingency plans on how to tackle such Pakistani retaliation. Certainly, Pakistan has its garrison and logistic dumps closer to the border than India and that reduces their mobilization efforts. That advantage could also be turned into a disadvantage by Cold Start, perhaps. That should delay the mobilization efforts of Pakistan. Besides, I expect that one aspect of Cold Start strategy is to reduce the time lag for large scale Indian mobilization too. Op Parakram should have taught the IA a lot of lessons.

That is what I was driving at by asking what India will do if our Cold Start in response to terrorism, is followed by more Pakistani terrorism. We can count on Pakistan escalating in the wake of a Cold Start, whether conventionally or sub-conventionally or in both ways.

Certainly Pakistan will escalate terrorism within the country. We can do nothing about that. There must be increased alertness and public awareness to minimize the damage. If we launch, it will be based on the premise that we have decided 'enough was enough' and we are prepared to 'do or die'. There are no softer options beyond a certain inflexion point except for continuing to be a sponge and absorbing body blow after body blow. I think, the Parliament Attack in Dec. 2001, the Mumbai commuter train attacks in 2003, and the fidayeen attack of 26/11 have incrementally pushed the reluctant Indian political class to the edge now.

In other words, as you have indicated in your post, Cold Start will not be the end of the story, only the beginning. Given this, how do we make sure that we retain control of writing the rest of the story?

Rudradev, do we have control of the story today vis-a-vis Pakistan ? Except in 1971, when we had a tough woman at the top and we could plan the moves carefully over a long period, we generally allowed things to drift during the rest of the sixty three years. We only reacted to Pakistani provocations. At least now, we seem to be carefully planning our move, though ever so slowly and not to the liking of most here. But, that is the Indian kafir mindset that cannot be quickly changed. But, I want to believe that India is working with a plan to have our way.

[RamaY]

SSji,

The H&D based society of Pakistan cannot take a 'punitive attack' and that too from India, lying down. That would be most disgraceful to the momin mard.

I need to do some research, but could this be true? How much opposition TSPA gave in 1971, and in 1998? I have a feeling that the RAPE/TSPA H&D claim is as shallow as their belief in Islam(ism) {Islam(ism) as this basis of a nation-state or even a society is a discussion we shall have another day}. They (RAPE/TSPA) are nothing but a bunch of thugs who are holding a whole bunch of zambis at (civilizational) ransom, IMHO.

Assuming that, I think it would be interesting to study the behavioral patterns of thugs when threatened with a special-ops (like - in this case CSD) action against them.

Would they stand and fight, or would they kill their captivities and commit suicide to evade capture?

[Prem]

Per Ralph Patai,Pawki kind of H&D comes with oversize wings to take flight at the first sign of resistence. Pawki have rational for 71 surreneder,daily lota carrying , zakat collection deeds. They even went on calling the rapists of their female ancestors as honorable father while still in mothers womb. there is onlee one way to hurt Paki H&D and that must remain secret.

[abhishek_sharma]

In re: punishing Pakistan for terrorist attacks --

Why is there not more thinking on the role that the Indian Navy could play? My understanding is that the IN has been significantly adding to its capabilities in recent years, and certainly it is more than sufficient to overwhelm the joke that is PN.

Seems to me that a simple, yet effective, punishment for Paki terror is a naval blockade on Karachi, pure and simple. As it is their economy is so brittle that it is nearing the point of collapse - imposing a blockade would simply nudge it along to its natural death.

The problem is that Americans are using the Karachi port. They were using it on 26/11 (since 9/11). I guess they would like to defend their supply lines.

It would be a good idea after American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

[SSridhar]

RamaY, 1971 was a comprehensive defeat and that shut up Pakistan for a long time though it accelerated its efforts and began to eat grass to take on the kafir on another day at a more equal level. That situation is very different from a small 'punitive attack'. Nobody will leave a punitive attack go unchallenged. The PA is no pushover especially when it comes to fighting infidels. The gravest mistake we can make is underestimating the capabilities of our enemy.

[RamaY]

No intention of undermining the threat SSji. I was doing a special kind of downhill-skiing onlee

Who in their right mind would want to use their special ops to release 170 million zombies?

[SSridhar]

China, Pakistan and the NSG - Sidharth Varadarajan

But it can respond to the new situation that is unfolding in one of three ways. First, it can go into overdrive to lobby NSG members to take on China and make sure there is no dilution of the group's rules prohibiting nuclear commerce with Islamabad. Second, it can remain quiet and do nothing. Third, it can make a virtue out of necessity and suggest the NSG start considering the need to bring Pakistan into the non-proliferation tent.

No prize for guessing as to what option Sidharth Varadarajan would recommend.

[pgbhat]

x-posting....
Now the full article from Rolling Stone. Six pages long.
The Runaway General

Stanley McChrystal, Obama's top commander in Afghanistan, has seized control of the war by never taking his eye off the real enemy: The wimps in the White House

[Prem]

The ‘It-is-not-us’ syndrome

Pakistan is a nation in denial, unwilling to mature and accept responsibility for mistakes past and future – unwilling to shoulder the weight of responsibility for improving its own future. Certainly, other countries have meddled in our politics. But we’re the ones taking the decision to let them, and then finding ways of shooting ourselves in the foot. The Taliban are a case in point, thanks to Pakistan’s notions of strategic depth in Afghanistan. Like ostriches, we always have and perhaps always will keep our heads stuck in the sand. One can argue that it is the state and the government that ought to be tasked with steering the course of the country’s future away from its currently suicidal direction: but until individuals who constitute society change their minds, a mere government can achieve little of long-term impact.
So much for zehni ghulami!

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/daw ... rome-qs-03

[Sanjay M]

Pak to Get Upgraded F16s

[SSridhar]

Behind Rigi's hanging

Iran's success in tracking down the leadership of Jundallah owes a lot to cooperation from democratic Pakistan. In 2008, the newly elected Pakistan People's Party government captured and extradited to Iran the Jundallah leader's brother Abdolhamid Rigi, who was executed last month. It may have also facilitated the capture of the other Rigi from a commercial flight earlier this year. If Pakistan intends to go after any remnants of Jundallah operating from its territory is not clear. But with the group said to have built links with the Pakistani Taliban and perhaps even the al-Qaeda, Islamabad may have realised that the outfit was doing it more harm than good. Doubtless, this was encouraged by a mix of smooth diplomacy and warnings — mostly quiet — by Tehran. As India does not enjoy the same leverage with its neighbour, it can only be hoped that Pakistan will, on its own or goaded by others with influence over it, have a similar epiphany about militant outfits such as Laskhar-e-Taiba that carry out terrorist attacks on Indian soil.

[chetak]

Behind Rigi's hanging

Iran's success in tracking down the leadership of Jundallah owes a lot to cooperation from democratic Pakistan. In 2008, the newly elected Pakistan People's Party government captured and extradited to Iran the Jundallah leader's brother Abdolhamid Rigi, who was executed last month. It may have also facilitated the capture of the other Rigi from a commercial flight earlier this year. If Pakistan intends to go after any remnants of Jundallah operating from its territory is not clear. But with the group said to have built links with the Pakistani Taliban and perhaps even the al-Qaeda, Islamabad may have realised that the outfit was doing it more harm than good. Doubtless, this was encouraged by a mix of smooth diplomacy and warnings — mostly quiet — by Tehran. As India does not enjoy the same leverage with its neighbour, it can only be hoped that Pakistan will, on its own or goaded by others with influence over it, have a similar epiphany about militant outfits such as Laskhar-e-Taiba that carry out terrorist attacks on Indian soil.

SSridhar saar,

Forget jundallah, these guys would sell their very mothers!

They know when to lick the shias.


http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/daw ... in-aug-460

Accord on 1,000MW electricity from Iran in Aug
By Kalbe Ali
Thursday, 24 Jun, 2010

ISLAMABAD, June 23: Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf will visit Iran in August to sign an agreement for importing 1,000MW of electricity.

[shravan]

Target killing claims 220 lives in 5 months

[Rudradev]

In other words, as you have indicated in your post, Cold Start will not be the end of the story, only the beginning. Given this, how do we make sure that we retain control of writing the rest of the story?

Rudradev, do we have control of the story today vis-a-vis Pakistan ? Except in 1971, when we had a tough woman at the top and we could plan the moves carefully over a long period, we generally allowed things to drift during the rest of the sixty three years. We only reacted to Pakistani provocations. At least now, we seem to be carefully planning our move, though ever so slowly and not to the liking of most here. But, that is the Indian kafir mindset that cannot be quickly changed. But, I want to believe that India is working with a plan to have our way.

SSridhar: ordinarily, I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to criticize the GOI... but I have deliberately kept domestic politics out of my end of this particular discussion.

I'm not asking what our leaders of today have done to take control of the story... but rather, seeking the considered opinions of you and others as to what COULD be done in order to retain control of the story (assuming, for arguments sake, that we had the power to determine policy ourselves.) A thought-experiment if you will. What is, in practical terms, the best route to managing the escalation ladder in our favour once a cold start is operationalized?

Anyway, since you have raised it, could you please speculate on what kind of plan India may be working on to have our way? I would be most interested to hear. Thanks.

[Rudradev]

Loss of Land is for me the only appropriate strategy. That is why I am of the opinion that, in order to stop terrorism in India, India should 'confiscate' a commensurate amount of Land from Pakistan, regardless of price.

Well said. In fact, it was the loss of Land in 1971 that has meant that TSP has not waged a full-fledged open war on India. They went for from an overt war to a covert one. Now further loss of Land should be threat that India should use. It is not cheap for India, but I don't see any alternative.

It is a 400% empty threat as long as Pakistan is illegally sitting on nearly 100,000 square kilometers of our land, and we aren't able to do a goddamn thing about that. What "land" of theirs are we going to confiscate, when for 63 years we have not been able to take back even the land that is our own?

[SSridhar]

What is, in practical terms, the best route to managing the escalation ladder in our favour once a cold start is operationalized?

Anyway, since you have raised it, could you please speculate on what kind of plan India may be working on to have our way? I would be most interested to hear. Thanks.

I can only speculate and that was why I said ". . .we seem to be carefully planning our move". One of the basic premises is that in a democracy, leaders have to do things that would get votes. Another attack would be that much closer to general elections and public anger (though we know that it subsides quickly as witnessed after 26/11) would force the government to do something. Keeping quiet or issuing empty threats would not be an option at that stage.

The CIA Chief (or, was it the NIA Director ?) who was recently in India said that an Indian retaliation next time around would be justified. I do not think that came out of nowhere. India seems to have bargained with the US that while it would help PA keep the focus on the North Western front by not attacking Pakistan, the next time around it would be retaliating and in the meanwhile the US must keep up the pressure on Pakistan stopping it from attacking India and punishing the 26/11 planners.

It is not that India is not getting sufficient warning ahead of a terrorist attack. Somehow, they are getting lost. The integration of various intelligence agencies after 26/11, one hopes, will plug that gap. In that case, India can alert its forces that would reduce the time requirement for Cold Start and even mobilization.

In c. 1971, Mrs. Gandhi tried to gather world opinion against the genocide by visiting several countries and highlighting the PA atrocities. She was rebuffed, especially in Washington. Yet, she indirectly succeeded in making them realize the Indian position. She used the Indo-Russian Peace Treaty to telling effect. I think the current denouement vis-a-vis Pakistan is reaching a similar stage with the US somewhat replacing the more solid and reliable Russians. I have been a strong critic of the GoI's approach to Pakistan. But, if SeS and Thimphu are last ditch efforts by India to avoid a war and buy time, I am partly mollified because last ditch means that the only remaining option is war. It means the realization that only war and an overwhelming defeat of PA can resolve the problem, at least for the time being, as it did in 1971. The problem here is whether Indian leaders and diplomats are capable of extracting till the very last such a cooperation from somebody like the US which plays realpolitik to the highest degree.

[Singha]

Hate attack? Pak army officer in shooting spree at Indian UN camp

http://in.news.yahoo.com/248/2010062...in-shoo_1.html


Cross-Border hostility has hit a new low. On June 8, a Pakistan army lieutenant armed with an automatic rifle fired indiscriminately at CRPF personnel posted in Liberia on a UN peace-keeping mission. The incident has sent ripples down the corridors of North and South Block.

Around 120 members of CRPF's Rapid Action Force are currently posted in Zwerdu, 350 km from Liberia's capital Monrovia. Just 350 yards from the Indian camp is that of the Pakistan army's Battalion 13, which is on UN duty and guards the Zwerdu airport.

"At 4.45 am (local time) on June 8, Lieutenant Murad fired indiscriminately at Indian sentry posts and pre-fabricated huts where the Indian personnel stay, shouting slogans of Allah-hu-Akbar," says a secret report of the Union home ministry. Despite Lieutenant Murad firing at least 21 rounds and four bursts from his rifle at the Indian camp, two CRPF constables at the sentry posts did not retaliate for fear of hurting civilians in the thickly inhabited area. Lt Murad escaped, leaving behind his automatic rifle. All the CRPF men were extremely lucky to escape unhurt despite the heavy firing.

Home secretary G. K. Pillai has now brought the matter to the notice of the Prime Minister's Office and the external affairs ministry. The latter has taken it up at the diplomatic level with the United Nations. A source said India now expects the triggerhappy lieutenant to face court martial proceedings in Pakistan.

Benn Wilson, the regional commander of the UN Police and Prince Gharleh, the regional commander of the Liberian National Police, arrived at the scene soon after the firing and nabbed Lt Murad later that evening (on June . Major Jamal, the officer in charge of the Pakistan contingent, confirmed that Lt Murad was missing.

An automatic rifle, 30 live rounds in two magazines, and 18 empty cases were recovered from the spot. The UN Police have also confirmed that the ammunition found at the spot belongs to the Pakistani contingent and the automatic G-3 rifle found abandoned ( serial number POF- 71- B40380) belongs to Lt Murad," says the report.

A high-level special investigative team comprising six members has been formed by the UN Police. "The preliminary reports of the investigation do not point to any immediate reasons for Lt Murad's bizarre behaviour," the report with the ministry of home affairs ( MHA) says. However, a source has revealed that according to the Pakistan side, Lt Murad is slightly " mentally unbalanced". The UN has praised the two CRPF men - Constable Jeet Singh and Constable Kaptan Singh - who were at the sentry posts. They came under heavy fire but did not retaliate. In the process, they saved innocent civilians' lives. "The CRPF exercised commendable restraint.

They should get awards," the UN has told India.

The report is full of details. "At 0445 hours on June 8, Constable Jeet Singh heard gunshots at sentry post number 3. He saw an unknown man wearing a black dress firing six rounds and shouting slogans of Allah-hu-Akbar . The man then proceeded towards sentry post number 4 where Constable Kaptan Singh was posted and fired 15 rounds and two-three bursts. The sentry posts and wall of pre- fabricated huts, where our men stay, have borne the maximum brunt - one bullet pierced through the wall of the hut and hit a Vajra vehicle parked on the other side," says the report.

India has now requested the UN to "suitably augment" the security of the Indian camp in light of this unfortunate incident. There is a move to seek the shifting of the Indian camp from the present location. As many as 120 members of the CRPF are posted at the UN Mission in Liberia at Zverdu since last February. A CRPF women's contingent is also posted in Liberia, but they are in Monrovia.

By Aman Sharma in New Delhi Miraculous escape for two constables Women are also part of the CRPF contingent posted in Liberia.

[chetak]

Food for thought?

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/771 ... march.html

Thursday 24 June 2010

Pakistan’s grand march
By M K Bhadrakumar

Often derided as a ‘failing state,’ Pakistan presses ahead with a foreign policy agenda that meets the country’s national priorities.



The Pakistani diplomacy has been presenting some stunning success stories. It is coolly cruising toward a ‘nuclear deal’ with China. The deal doesn’t involve any Hyde Act prescribing the contours of Pakistan’s Iran policy or a Nuclear Liability Bill freeing Beijing of culpability for faulty performance.

Nor has Pakistan agreed to have a ‘minimum deterrent’ or shown willingness to cap its inventory of nuclear weapons already exceeding India’s. It seems no power on earth can stop Pakistan getting a ‘waiver’ from the Nuclear Supply Group (NSG). Not even the United States.

Compare it to how the UPA government tied itself in knots to conclude a nuclear deal with the US. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh staked the survival of his government and resorted to dubious methods to re-charter the course of coalition politics for reaching his destination. He is still to explain his failure to fulfil his assurances to parliament. Of course, the ENR technology will not flow to India.
Why is Pakistani diplomacy doing so well? The army chief Pervez Kayani has just concluded a 5-day visit to China, which raises Sino-Pak defence cooperation to new heights. Yet, Islamabad is preparing for the second round of the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue for which secretary of state Hillary Clinton is visiting Pakistan next month.

Hardly three months after the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue in Washington, the Obama administration is sitting down with the Pakistani leadership — civilian and military — for another round of high-voltage diplomacy. Against this backdrop, Kayani’s visit to Beijing underscores that Islamabad is not lacking in foreign-policy options if the Obama administration resuscitates the Bush-era doctrine pampering India’s regional vanities.

The self-assuredness of Pakistani diplomacy is such that on the eve of the strategic dialogue with the US, Islamabad ambled across the final lap of negotiations to sign an agreement with Tehran over a $7 billion gas pipeline from Iran. It was done with such manifestly cavalier abandon. The agreement came hot on the heels of the latest UN sanctions against Iran that the Obama administration robustly pushed through.

Why is it that Indian diplomacy chooses to settle for vacuous rhetoric and grandstanding in the ties with the US — a gala state dinner for Singh or an elegant pair of gold cuff links for external affairs minister S M Krishna? India lives in its region and can the US ensure its preeminence?

Our smaller western neighbour, which we often deride as a ‘failing state,’ presses ahead with a purposive foreign policy agenda that meets the country’s national priorities of energy security. The Iran gas pipeline project throws into relief the dismal truth that India lacks a foreign policy that serves its national objectives of growth and development.

Spin masters
Every time the subject comes up, the spin masters serving the establishment come up with some lame excuse or the other. The latest thesis is that India could be ‘floating on gas reserves’ and might indeed be ‘energy-secure.’ True, Reliance is developing new gas fields under lucrative pricing conditions provided by the government and competing Iranian gas imports are, arguably, best avoided. But that has nothing to do with the country’s energy security as such. An honest discussion about the cost of Iranian gas becomes practically impossible, given the opaqueness of the government’s pricing policy.

Then, there is shale gas, which is lately touted by our spin masters as a promising energy source ‘likely to overtake’ — in the womb of time — both conventional gas as well as liquid fuels. Unsurprisingly, Reliance bets on shale gas. And needless to say, shale gas extraction, which involves tapping natural gas trapped between layers of shale rock, requires latest American technology and the Reliance is currently buying into it in a significant way.

Of course, Reliance’s emergence as a ‘diversified, vertically integrated player’ in the energy sector could be a matter of national pride. But can national pride be equated with the government’s energy security policy? The heart of the matter is that India needs both the Reliance fuelling wealth as well as Iran’s fabulous South Pars gas fields feeding the gargantuan Indian economy for decades to come.

Quite obviously, the US disfavours Iranian gas feeding the Indian market on a long-term footing as it could deprive the Big Oil of lucrative business. Two, the US seeks to block Iranian energy exports until such time as US-Iran normalisation materialises. Three, the US is fundamentally opposed to the emergence of an Asian energy grid involving Iran, Pakistan, India and China, which would have potentially far-reaching strategic implications for American global strategy.

The Indian leadership has failed to show the transparency that a ‘failing state’ like Pakistan possesses in defining its hardcore national interests vis-à-vis Iran. Pakistan also has a political elite that is corrupt and which may harbour a sense of vulnerability to American pressure.

But what distinguishes its foreign-policy making is that the GHQ in Rawalpindi as the custodian of national interests, draws the bottom line. Which, in turn, enables Pakistani diplomacy to turn to its advantage the growing Sino-American rivalries in the central, south and west Asian regions.

Ironically, the Obama administration doesn’t object to Pakistan’s independent foreign policy. Nor does it seem to mind if Pakistan disagrees with its agenda towards the situation around Iran. The Indian leadership’s fear psychosis is clearly unwarranted.
(The writer is a former diplomat)

[abhishek_sharma]

Pakistan’s grand march
By M K Bhadrakumar

Often derided as a ‘failing state,’ Pakistan presses ahead with a foreign policy agenda that meets the country’s national priorities.

Whores earn more than Ph.D. students.
Gang leaders also earn more than Ph.D. students.

[SSridhar]

However, a source has revealed that according to the Pakistan side, Lt Murad is slightly " mentally unbalanced".

So, the process has already started to let Lt Murad escape under the guise of 'mental instability'. He may even be secretly rewarded and deputed to a terror tanzeem to liaise with them on GoP's behalf. We know how Pakistan convicts its 'non-state actors'. This guy is even a 'state actor' !

I am also not quite happy with the 'restraint' shown by the two CRPF sentries. The report itself says that the prefab huts were pierced by the bullets from Lt. Murad's attack and those sleeping inside were extremely lucky to escape. The CRPF sentries, by their inaction, had put the the lives of so many at stake; that they were simply lucky is quite another matter. There could easily have been a massacre there. The UN may recommend them for awards because the UN does not want this matter to escalate.

[Singha]

yes just a question of fitting him into the right job profile under the PA/ISI reporting chain. he will do well, having established himself as a proven loyalist.

probably keep both sides happy by discharging him on medical grounds and recruiting him into ISI the very next day

[rkirankr]

However, a source has revealed that according to the Pakistan side, Lt Murad is slightly " mentally unbalanced".

So, the process has already started to let Lt Murad escape under the guise of 'mental instability'. He may even be secretly rewarded and deouted to a terror tanzeem to liaise with them on GoP's behalf. We know how Pakistan convicts its 'non-state actors'. This guy is even a 'state actor' !

Oh but India will do nothing. We will bombard Kiya Nahi with a super daisy cutter dossier. We want piss process to go on. After all borders are irrelevant and now our soldiers are also made irrelevant

[RajeshA]

Well said. In fact, it was the loss of Land in 1971 that has meant that TSP has not waged a full-fledged open war on India. They went for from an overt war to a covert one. Now further loss of Land should be threat that India should use. It is not cheap for India, but I don't see any alternative.

It is a 400% empty threat as long as Pakistan is illegally sitting on nearly 100,000 square kilometers of our land, and we aren't able to do a goddamn thing about that. What "land" of theirs are we going to confiscate, when for 63 years we have not been able to take back even the land that is our own?

Rudradev ji,

You are comparing apples to oranges in this case, or let's say apples to apple-orange-hybrids.

• Apples: Compensation for damages, due to Pakistan's current state policy of terrorism
• Oranges: Historical issue in cryostasis

The political class, and I guess, the majority of the people, in India has already come to terms with living in State with a birth defect (PoK), for a number of reasons. The people are however not happy with the ongoing terrorism campaign coming from next door.

Land grab in Pakistan for every terror attack in India is to serve as a form of compensation/retribution/justice. It is supposed to hurt the terror perpetrators, where it hurts them the most, in the loss of H&D. It is not primarily for the sake of land itself.

TSPA needs to lose their aura of can-do, they have nurtured in Pakistan and the West. The loss of face and defeat of 1971 has paled. The Pakistanis think they got rid of Soviet Union in Afghanistan. They would soon be celebrating, that they got rid of America in Afghanistan after milking them of a few billions, using smoke and mirrors. They are hitting India as and when they will, and getting no retribution. The country of Pakistan belongs to them. They get 30% of the Budget. TSPA has every reason to feel good and invincible. TSPA needs a reminder.

Every new day, India holds on to this piece of land in Pakistan, be it even a couple of hundred square kilometers, conquered in response to a terror act in India, would be a day, when the Pakistani Army would be hauled over the coals. By the right-wing for losing a fight to the kafirs, and by the people and media for precipitating a clash leading to a loss of land.

For all in India who think, there is a peace constituency in Pakistan and it needs to be strengthened, this is the way to go about it.

[Joseph]

I have been a strong critic of the GoI's approach to Pakistan. But, if SeS and Thimphu are last ditch efforts by India to avoid a war and buy time, I am partly mollified because last ditch means that the only remaining option is war. It means the realization that only war and an overwhelming defeat of PA can resolve the problem, at least for the time being, as it did in 1971. The problem here is whether Indian leaders and diplomats are capable of extracting till the very last such a cooperation from somebody like the US which plays realpolitik to the highest degree.

Pakistanis still complain about their loss in 1971 which is closing in on four decades ago, so it is difficult to imagine them gracefully accepting a total defeat in 2011 or 2015 or whenever the event occurs.

What would be the next step after an overwhelming defeat of the PA? Removal and disposal of all nuclear weapons? Land and educational reform are sorely needed and without removing RAPES and mullahs from the power structure, change won't happen.

[SSridhar]

Pakistani ATC finds the 5 American Muslims guilty and sentences them to 10 years each

Look at the speed. Case filed and wrapped up within 3 months. When it comes to Pakistani terrorists, the courts invariably find 'no evidence' or 'technical flaws' and they are released.

[Pranav]

Pakistan’s grand march
By M K Bhadrakumar

Our smaller western neighbour, which we often deride as a ‘failing state,’ presses ahead with a purposive foreign policy agenda that meets the country’s national priorities ...

But what distinguishes its foreign-policy making is that the GHQ in Rawalpindi as the custodian of national interests, draws the bottom line.

Whores earn more than Ph.D. students.
Gang leaders also earn more than Ph.D. students.

Who is the whore?

TSPA is the custodian of its perceived Islamist interests. Whose interests are MMS/Sonia et al fighting for?

[Pranav]

Land grab in Pakistan for every terror attack in India is to serve as a form of compensation/retribution/justice. It is supposed to hurt the terror perpetrators, where it hurts them the most, in the loss of H&D. It is not primarily for the sake of land itself.

Basic principle: Either you totally destroy an enemy, or you leave him alone.

[shiv]

Pakistani ATC finds the 5 American Muslims guilty and sentences them to 10 years each

Look at the speed. Case filed and wrapped up within 3 months. When it comes to Pakistani terrorists, the courts invariably find 'no evidence' or 'technical flaws' and they are released.

This is a clear kick in the US's echandee. "Your boys come here. We catch 'em and sentence 'em. How can you ever accuse us of being lax" I suppose it helps that the 5 are not white boys. What a sham.

[Sanku]

Basic principle: Either you totally destroy an enemy, or you leave him alone.

Flawed, it assume that the world is Binary.

A while back Ramana had put up a magnificent essay into the "secret of longevity of Byzantine" -- every one who wants to talk geo-politics should read that.

On how greys the approach was, how clearly understood were the real political imperatives, how the basic memes of the civilization was carried forward under different wraps.

How finally the barbarians who defeated Byzantines ended up turning into copies of what the Empire was.

Three things are needed
1) Huge military power, kept in check, unleashed rarely but kept visible for all to see.
2) A clear national goal.
3) Un conventional means for times when total war was not being fought (sam, dam, danda, bheda) and sub-conventional warfare.

[Pranav]

How finally the barbarians who defeated Byzantines ended up turning into copies of what the Empire was.

I don't know whether that reflects well on those who were responsible for defeating the Barbarians ...

Anyway, my point was simple - if you think you are not strong enough to totally destroy a wild bear, then don't go and poke it in the eye.

I basically agree with your prescription on what is needed.

[Sanku]

The issue here is different the wild boar is running around in your cabbage patch.

Are you going to wrestle it to death or do you have other means.

Of course if it was so simple as "take out a gun, shoot the boar and eat it" India would have done that many times back.

The situation is complicated and needs a complicated multi-pronged approach. (Which is my main complain with GoI, it is taking a single dimensional approach for last 6-7 years)

[RajeshA]

Land grab in Pakistan for every terror attack in India is to serve as a form of compensation/retribution/justice. It is supposed to hurt the terror perpetrators, where it hurts them the most, in the loss of H&D. It is not primarily for the sake of land itself.

Basic principle: Either you totally destroy an enemy, or you leave him alone.

Pranav ji,

That is a good sound bite. Nothing more.

Basic principle is to control the environment to allow own nation and civilization a clear path to forge ahead in terms of all attributes of national power.

Pakistan is part of that environment over which we have little control. What we need to do is regain control over this variable. It need not be full control, but sufficient control so as to not become quicksand for us.

The biggest obstacle is the Pakistani Army. That needs to be weakened. There are several suggestions cursing around:

• Lull the enemy into sleep. Allow the civilians to exert more control. Do more Pappi-Jhappi. Do more chai-biskuit. MMS is hard at it.
• Increase the destructive entropy in Pakistan. The more lashkars sprout up in Pakistan and turn against TSPA the better. The more pious are already taking care of that to some extent.
• Weaken the platform which sustains TSPA, i.e. the Pakistani economy. Again this is happening by itself. USA would sooner or later again let Pakistan to go into a spiral.
• Wean away Pakistan's benefactors. There are limitations of Indian capacity to do that.
• Destroy TSPA's sheen. My suggestion was, that this is best possible, by grabbing chunks of land from Pakistan as compensation for their terrorism in India.

Getting ourselves nuked does not really belong in the category, "controlling the environment".

"Either you totally destroy an enemy, or you leave him alone." - is another way of saying "Either you get nuked, or you get terrorized."