Terrorist Islamic Republic of Pakistan (TSP): 31 Oct 2011

[Prem]

Pakistan's Border Outrage
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 13842.html

The pattern is familiar. When Navy SEALs raided Osama bin Laden's compound in a Pakistani military garrison town in May, Islamabad condemned the action as an assault on its sovereignty and scaled back military ties. Now Pakistan has shut its western border to NATO supply trucks headed into Afghanistan and ordered the U.S. to close an air base used by unmanned drones.Elements of the Pakistani military arm, fund and provide intelligence to the Haqqani network of insurgent fighters and the Taliban. U.S. officials aren't sure if the Pakistanis also command the terrorists. Yet either way, Pakistan is complicit in the deaths of American and allied soldiers fighting in Afghanistan.The Pakistanis should think harder about what a break with America would mean. Washington would cut off aid and possibly place it on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. The U.S. would have no choice but to build even closer ties with India, including a larger role for Delhi in Kabul. America has a national survival interest in denying terrorists a sanctuary, and ensuring that weapons of mass destruction don't fall in their hands. That includes Pakistan's weapons. It's lonely in the region if China is your only friend.

[Anujan]

I had posted something along the same lines earlier: From WSJ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 92452.html

Russia said it may not let NATO use its territory to supply troops in Afghanistan if the alliance doesn't seriously consider its objections to a U.S.-led missile shield for Europe, Russia's ambassador to NATO said Monday.

[Rajdeep]

Pakistan permanently closes borders to Nato after air strike

The announcement came as the Pakistan army claimed the attack lasted almost two hours and continued even after commanders at the bases pleaded with coalition forces to stop.

This time, Rehman Malik, Pakistan’s interior minister, said the closure was permanent.

Although the US is transporting more and more of its equipment, food and fuel through Central Asia in an attempt to reduce Pakistani leverage, the route through Karachi still accounts for 49% of supplies destined for the 140,000-strong foreign force.

Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas¸ Army spokesman said the attack lasted almost two hours and that commanders had contacted Nato counterparts while it was going on, asking that “they get this fire to cease, but somehow it continued”

[Surya]

^^ India should also jump in and flatten a TSPA infiltration post the next time they try this on LoC so that TSP knows that it old games cannot go on as usual on both east and west borders.

we have done that before with arty

[ramana]

I had posted something along the same lines earlier: From WSJ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 92452.html

Russia said it may not let NATO use its territory to supply troops in Afghanistan if the alliance doesn't seriously consider its objections to a U.S.-led missile shield for Europe, Russia's ambassador to NATO said Monday.

Yes you did. Hope the Pakis do the needful.

[Theo_Fidel]

Actually if anything IA response has been much stronger.

Several times IA artillery has forced the entire Neelum valley to be completely evacuated, civilians and all. We hold the heights in this area. Any forward base attempting cover fire is usually targeted for extermination. We have built a great frigging big electrified and flood lit fence and anyone even seen in the area is shot on sight, villagers and all. This fence was built despite this border being far more treacherous and longer than the Waziristan area.

The Paki's know this and never try the stunts they pull in AfPak on the J&K frontier.

[sum]

^^ India should also jump in and flatten a TSPA infiltration post the next time they try this on LoC so that TSP knows that it old games cannot go on as usual on both east and west borders.

we have done that before with arty

We had done it but have stopped it recently and if the news reports of the officers interviewed there are to be read, they always mention that "4-5 infiltrators tried to come over, we fired and they ran back into XYZ post of the TSPA".

That XYZ post needs to be flattened to send out a message that ceasefire or no-ceasefire, such BS wont be tolerated.

[SSridhar]

Our response should *always* be swift, disproportionately large and consistently so, irrespective of whether there is a dialogue process or not. The Indian resolve must be communicated openly and constantly repeated through open channels to reinforce the idea. The political dispensation should just give this directive to the IA and leave it to them to implement it in whatever fashion they deem it fit and never interfere in that.

[sum]

^^ GP was on TV couple of days back and when asked about how MMS policy was different from NDA times when ABV also invited Mushy after Kargil, he mentioned that even during Kargil, he used to interact with the Poaks but the message used to be pretty terse and not very diplomatic unlike the "pyaar-mohobbat" ( his words) our folks seem to talk about these days when they meet

[sum]

Kayani a man of principle; stability factor for Pakistan: Cain

Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has received an unusual support from a leading Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, who described him as 'a man of principal' and the stability factor.

"The only thing that saves... that helps us is that General Kayani, who is in charge of that, is a man of principle. He would not let that happen frivolously and he would do everything he can to make sure that he did what was in the best interests of Pakistan," said Cain to CNN in an interview.

What principle, hain ji?

Sounds suspiciously similar to the "Gilani is a man of peace" of MMS

[Nandu]

Cain is a political lightweight and could have no inside information on Kiyanahi. He is just making up crap.

[ArmenT]

From Long War Journal:
Taliban, artillery, and lies in Mohmand Agency

I would also like to point out one more interesting fact that I don't think I've seen discussed anywhere. The Pakistani claim is that the two sites hit by NATO were lightly manned observation posts. Now, the official casualty figure is 24 dead + 14 injured = 38 total casualties, so we can count on at least 38 people being there when the NATO choppers struck. The question that hasn't been asked is what the heck were 38 pakis (and potentially more) doing in two so-called "lightly manned observation posts"?? Isn't that quite a bit of overstaffing for what they claim is a lightly manned observation post?

[Rohit_K]

For all intel. lurkers out there, pic of ISI's residential apartments in an Islamabad suburb

Location on google maps


more pics here

[Pranav]

So is there a message from our Russian friends that a cross-border strike by India to neutralise Pakistani sponsored Islamic Terrorism will not be supported by Russia?.

And a message from Russia to the US not to take the Northern resupply route into Afghanistan for granted?

Now that Putin is officially the next President in waiting, the signals from Russia are more muscular. Medvedev acquiesced in Libya, but Putin is sending warships to the Syrian coast.

I don't think this new Russian policy will be a negative for India. Even Putin does not want an ISI-controlled Afghanistan. But he does have issues with other NATO policies.

In any case, there is another route into Afghanistan via Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea.

[Surya]

lets not get carried away by a couple of rustbuckets sent here and there

all token

Russia's only leverage for now is Iran and the overland route into Afghanisthan.
Even the later one can call its bluff - Do they really want the Taliban knocking on theeir doorstep again??

[Lalmohan]

even whilst medvedev was president, it was putin who called all the shots, so no real difference in policies

[johneeG]

Our response should *always* be swift, disproportionately large and consistently so, irrespective of whether there is a dialogue process or not. The Indian resolve must be communicated openly and constantly repeated through open channels to reinforce the idea. The political dispensation should just give this directive to the IA and leave it to them to implement it in whatever fashion they deem it fit and never interfere in that.

+108

[RajeshA]

Can India and Pakistan make Peace !

Friday, November 25, 2011
Can India and Pakistan make Peace !
By Major (Retired)Agha .H. Amin, Pakistan Army.

A very accurate article.

+1
Extreme clarity! It is rare when a Pakistani provides it! Kudos to Major Amin!

[Lisa]

For all intel. lurkers out there, pic of ISI's residential apartments in an Islamabad suburb

Location on google maps


more pics here

So very kind of the ISI to put everyone in one neat location!

[SSridhar]

Pakistan's show is nothing but injured innocence. It is trying to make the best out of this situation, as it always does. It was protecting the Taliban all the while, refusing to initiate action against the Haqqani group in N. Waziristan, provided them with support in the form of retired and regular serving officers, allowed a free hand for them to go back and forth across the border, leaked intel information and enabled them to escape and the list goes on and on. Pakistan should therefore expect divine retribution in the form of AC-130 and Apaches. Allah works in mysterious ways for sure.

[johneeG]

Sridhar,
the more important point is: are the paki generals in a position to stop all those activities, even if they wanted to?

It seems they are caught between devil and deep sea.

Karma works in mysteriou ways too...

[chaanakya]

http://www.d awn.com/2011/11/29/us-suspects-nato-forces-lured-into-deadly-raid.html

A joint US-Afghan patrol was attacked by the Taliban early Saturday morning, and while pursuing the enemy in the poorly marked border area, seem to have mistaken one of the Pakistan troop outposts for a militant encampment and called in a Nato gunship and attack helicopters to open fire.

US officials say the account suggests the Taliban may have deliberately tried to provoke a cross-border firefight that would set back fragile partnerships between the US and Nato forces and Pakistani soldiers at the ill-defined border.

Officials described the records on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters.

The incident sent the perpetually difficult US-Pakistan relationship into a tailspin.

There is a slight chance for saving echendee of piggistan that unkil is offering to it.

[Pranav]

even whilst medvedev was president, it was putin who called all the shots, so no real difference in policies

Not entirely, there were occasional discordant notes between Putin and Medvedev. Medvedev was also being egged on to not give way to Putin.

[sum]

PCB hopes to host foreign teams, including India in 2012

The newly-appointed PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf is confident about international cricket's return to Pakistan next year, and hoped that neighbours India too would be visiting the strife-torn country sooner than later.

Ashraf said he was hopeful that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would break the ice and tour Pakistan next year.

“I am looking forward to seeing the revival of international cricket in Pakistan in 2012,” he said.

“India till recently had reservations about touring Pakistan due to the conditions. But I would like to see the Indians respond in a positive manner to our offer. We would also like to see the Indians in Pakistan at some stage,” Ashraf told the 'Jang' newspaper.

Ashraf will be visiting India and Bangladesh next month on the invitations of the respective boards of two countries to discuss bilateral cricket ties and future tours.

Wont be surprised if a India tour happens due to a push from "peace loving" PMO.

[parsuram]

Can India and Pakistan make Peace !

Friday, November 25, 2011
Can India and Pakistan make Peace !
By Major (Retired)Agha .H. Amin, Pakistan Army.

A very accurate article.

+1
Extreme clarity! It is rare when a Pakistani provides it! Kudos to Major Amin!

This is kind of jhutto's brilliant pre 65 war prediction that India will not cross the international border in response to the paki attacking in J & K. Sure, if Bharat stays with its current policies, - some sort of a permanant Ram ki Gai. Ya, but really, is that realistic. I for one am far more optimistic, and suggest my fellow forum members be likewise, and work towards changes to get out of this Ram ki Gai attitude.

[SSridhar]

Mohmand attack hands Pakistan a chance to squeeze the US

“The Pakistan military is clearly very angry at the turn of events and the army’s top leadership is under tremendous pressure from middle-ranking offices and junior officers to react,” said Hasan Abbas at the US National Defense University’s College of International Security Affairs.

That pressure will spur the military to flex its muscles in diplomatic manoeuvring with Washington in the run-up to the exit of US combat troops from Afghanistan in 2014.

Analysts said Pakistan will seek concessions from the United States as its price for Saturday’s attack, in which NATO helicopters and fighter jets strafed two military outposts in northwest Pakistan, close to the Afghan border.

The concessions are likely to include giving Pakistan a greater say in the political settlement to end the war that would cement a role for Islamabad’s allies in a future Kabul government.

“From the military’s point of view, here is a perfect opportunity to try to go on the offensive for a change,” said Kamran Bokhari, vice president for Middle Eastern and South Asian affairs at STRATFOR, a US-based intelligence consultancy.

“The Pakistanis are going to lay their terms out,” Bokhari said. “They’re going to say ... whatever you’re doing on that side of the border, we need more input into that and you need us to get you out of there and provide a safe exit.”

What an arrogance !

[sum]

^^ Wah, what a country..using the bodies of its soldiers to bargain some cheap gains!!

[SSridhar]

http://www.d awn.com/2011/11/29/us-suspects-nato-forces-lured-into-deadly-raid.html

US officials say the account suggests the Taliban may have deliberately tried to provoke a cross-border firefight that would set back fragile partnerships between the US and Nato forces and Pakistani soldiers at the ill-defined border.

The question to ask the US therefore is, why didn't they practice exactly what they have been preaching India. Haven't they been telling us that cross-border terror attacks are done to derail the peace process and therefore the process must be 'uninterrupted and uninterruptible' ? Why do the US/NATO forces lose their 'patience' every now and then and attack a peace-loving Pakistan ?

[harbans]

There is a slight chance for saving echendee of piggistan that unkil is offering to it.

One of the reasons i like BR..folks here don't miss out on the detail behind the news. That indeed Chanakyaa Ji is wiggle out space for Paki echandee Worm.

Coming to think about it..saves Uncles Echandee too...though i doubt it was that way.

[SSridhar]

^^ Wah, what a country..using the bodies of its soldiers to bargain some cheap gains!!

That country refused to even accept the bodies of its dead soldiers lest the involvement of its regulars would be exposed in the Kargil affair, leaving it to us to bury their dead. At least this time, they have given a decent burial to the dead.

[Philip]

A Pakistani expatriate writes, well understanding the root of his nation's problems.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/28/the-art-of-justice.html

"If you truly value democracy and liberty then you will oppose American power. For decades American hegemony has crushed and suppressed the hopes and dreams of millions of people from the Shah’s Iran to Mubarak’s Egypt and beyond. The Nato attack should bring into focus one clear outcome – the future of Pakistani democracy is dependent on achieving independence from American power and American money...."

The art of justice
by Ahmad Ali Khalid

Selective outrage is a national pastime – and it’s becoming incredibly infectious. Those who profess to hold the up banner for liberalism are inconsistent whilst they condemn home grown religious extremism they show reluctance in condemning US foreign policy in the region. Whilst those who claim to speak in the name of a religiously tinged nationalism cannot bring themselves to admit that although American foreign policy has created a fragile situation in Pakistan, some of the fundamental problems facing the nation come from within its own institutions such as the unconstitutional interference of the Army in political affairs. In the process Pakistani politicians and intellectuals have lost the art of justice.

The art of justice is more than just producing flashy rhetoric – it’s all about asking the difficult questions that most of us would prefer to hide under the pretence of patriotism, ideology or religious dogma. Today in Pakistan there is an atmosphere of polarisation where real justice, in terms of observing a critical distance from power is lost. So let’s lay down the agenda – condemning religious extremism and the insanity of American foreign policy are not mutually exclusive. It is imperative for Pakistanis to reorient themselves with a fresh understanding of justice that is universal and consistent. Human suffering is a universal fact of this world and if you are outraged then you must be prepared to be consistent in your outrage.

The latest Nato attacks on Pakistan are a blatant example of injustice and calls into question Pakistan’s relationship with the West. Beyond the crude dichotomy of total isolation and utter subservience to American hegemony there must lie another way. Pakistan’s participation in this so called “War on Terror” has shaken its foundations to the core; it has exposed pre-existing problems and created more difficulties. The story of Pakistan’s turbulent political history cannot be read in isolation from geopolitical events and the actions of international power or by ignoring the phenomenon of home grown terrorism and radicalism.

Nor can we ignore the gargantuan failings of our so called “civilian” politicians and parties such as the PPP. It can be safely said that after Zia, the biggest disaster for democratic liberalism in Pak is the PPP – people acting in its name but producing nothing but a nepotistic dystopia. The actions of this party and its woeful record on the economy, foreign policy and domestic affairs have left a tarnished legacy for Pakistani liberals to confront. For those who call for civilian supremacy, are they willing to consider the records of corruption, political malpractice and violence that has characterised Pakistan’s woeful experience of democracy?

But civilian supremacy must equate to more than simply having elections – there must be demonstrable accountability and transparency in the performance of the Armed forces. The actions of the Army must be within the parameters of the democratic framework and its performance scrutinised by both the parliament and public opinion.

The loss of precious life should awaken Pakistanis to the fact that America is not a friend. This is nothing unique to American power – because the fact is that all great power has no friends it only has interests. And Pakistan must look after its own interest and safeguard the liberty and security of its own citizens first and foremost. The relationship with America has clearly undermined the Pakistani State’s responsibility of safeguarding its citizens and Armed forces. It is only logical to assume that Pakistan’s relationship with America is an abusive marriage and now it is time that the battered wife that is Pakistan be brave enough to step forward and file for a divorce.

America’s actions in the region have caused immeasurable suffering – this is a fact beyond doubt and one that we must confront head on. But having said that Pakistan has demons of its own that it has been harbouring for many decades. A principled opposition to injustice must be created – if you condemn American foreign policy then you must also condemn the atrocities and barbarities of the Taliban. The drone attacks should be protested again but so must the brutal treatment of the Ahmadis and other religious minorities such as Christians. Protest and outrage must be based on principle otherwise it becomes susceptible to the forces of political opportunism. Pakistan must reject the tyranny of both Uncle Sam and the mullah if it wishes to have the chance of determining its own destiny.

Those who try and portray any opposition to American foreign policy within the polemical framework of Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” are missing the point. Any principled opposition to American power in the region is not because there is any opposition to the ideals of freedom and democracy which are universal ideals. It is rather because American power has yielded only death and destruction. Indeed in the name of democracy and freedom American power should be opposed and criticised thoroughly.

If you truly value democracy and liberty then you will oppose American power. For decades American hegemony has crushed and suppressed the hopes and dreams of millions of people from the Shah’s Iran to Mubarak’s Egypt and beyond. The Nato attack should bring into focus one clear outcome – the future of Pakistani democracy is dependent on achieving independence from American power and American money. But looking beyond the apocalyptic consequences of American power there are uncomfortable questions to face within as well. What about the role of the Army? Is Pakistan actually a democracy given the rampant electoral fraud that plagues the system? How does the State confront the proxies that it once created in the hope of confronting its bigger neighbour India?

The reason most of our esteemed columnists and politicians do not wish to have a principled conception of justice is because it’s difficult. By tying yourself to principles you open yourself up to asking complicated questions that open up a whole can of worms that most would best leave unopened. But now is the time to grasp principle beyond ideological dogmatism or political point scoring. It is time to ask the difficult questions – no one said justice would be easy.

Ahmad Ali Khalid is a freelance writer and blogger based in the UK. He can be reached at ahmadalikhalid@ymail.com or twitter.

[johneeG]

^^ Wah, what a country..using the bodies of its soldiers to bargain some cheap gains!!

That country refused to even accept the bodies of its dead soldiers lest the involvement of its regulars would be exposed in the Kargil affair, leaving it to us to bury their dead. At least this time, they have given a decent burial to the dead.

It is not a decent thing to do, yet it is par for the course as far as realpolitik is concerned. What are the soldiers for, if not to further the interests of the nation? Soldiers are expected to make sacrifices...

The real failure of a pakistan is that its soldiers have selfishly usurped the resources at the cost of nation and people.

[Lisa]

Perfect!

Pakistan 'to boycott Afghan Bonn talks' after Nato raid

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15937270

[abhijitm]

^^ Decision of boycottt means they were on the losing side in the plan/bargain anyway. Good to know.

[Philip]

Even here the bluff and bluster of the Paki military stands exposed! Banning the Yanquis from Shamsi will not stop the drone attacks as Pak cannot control its own airspace!

Shamsi base not crucial for US drone raids

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/29/shamsi-b ... raids.html

WASHINGTON: US drone raids targeting militants in Pakistan will not be jeopardised if Islamabad does indeed expel Americans from a key air base, officials and a former intelligence officer said Monday.

Angered over a Nato air attack on Saturday that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead, Islamabad has shut off supply routes to US-led forces in Afghanistan and ordered Americans out of the Shamsi air base used by the CIA’s fleet of unmanned aircraft.

Even if the Pakistanis make good on their threat over Shamsi, US officials and analysts say the move would be largely symbolic as Washington could fly Predator and Reaper drones out of air fields in neighboring Afghanistan.

“Shamsi is a nice thing to have, but it’s not critical to drone operations. They can be carried out from bases in Afghanistan,” said Bruce Reidel, a former CIA officer and fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank.

The remote Shamsi air base in the country’s southwest is particularly useful for flights hampered by poor weather conditions, he said.

A senior US official said the facility was not a make-or-break link for the robotic planes that have proved an effective weapon against al Qaeda and Taliban extremists.

“The real issue isn’t Shamsi, it’s air space,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

So far there was no sign that Islamabad would bar the US aircraft from flying over Pakistan, and its announcement on Shamsi appeared designed to placate a domestic audience in Pakistan, officials said.

The Shamsi base reflects the contradictions in the uneasy partnership between the two countries, with Islamabad reluctant to publicly acknowledge its tacit cooperation with US counter-terror efforts, which many Pakistanis see as a violation of their country’s sovereignty.

“You have to have jet fuel delivered to Shamsi,” Reidel said. “The Pakistani public has the impression of a base that operates extraterritorially but in reality it operates because the Pakistani army helps it to operate.”

Shortly after Saturday’s air attack on the border by Nato forces, Pakistan’s cabinet ministers and military chiefs demanded the United States clear out of the Shamsi air field within 15 days.

Pakistan previously called for the Americans to leave the air base in June but later backed off.

Although President Barack Obama’s administration was working on a response to a number of demands from Pakistan, there were no plans to pull back on the drone raids, which intelligence officials have credited with weakening the al Qaeda network.

“Pakistan remains a critical counter-terrorism partner, and we do not anticipate significant changes in that relationship,” another US official said.

A more serious problem for the United States and Nato allies is Pakistan’s decision to close its border to convoys ferrying fuel and supplies to coalition troops in landlocked Afghanistan.

Nearly half of all cargo bound for Nato-led forces runs through Pakistan.

Roughly 140,000 foreign troops, including about 97,000 Americans, rely on supplies from outside Afghanistan for the ten-year-old war effort.

Pakistan has shut off the border over previous incidents, partly to allay popular outrage, and US officials said they expected the latest closure would be temporary.

The Pentagon said top government officials and commanders are working with the Pakistanis “on a way ahead” following the air strikes and the White House underscored the importance of the relationship with Islamabad.

Despite the deep distrust between the United States and Pakistan, neither country can afford a complete rupture in relations, officials said.

“By permanently cutting off supplies to Nato forces, Pakistan would not just be taking on the United States but Nato and the United Nations,” Reidel said. “The Pakistanis don’t want to do that.”

[subodh]

A casual news piece in today's WSJ. This kind of stuff was usually kept off the news pages so that the narrative stays clean. Clearly, a new narrative is now being created - so we have stuff like this -

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 02304.html

Decorated Marine Sues Contractor - WSJ

Two months ago, Dakota Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama for his service in Afghanistan, the military's most prestigious award. On Monday, Sgt. Meyer alleged that a defense contractor has called him mentally unstable and a problem drinker, ruining his chances for a job in the defense industry.

In legal papers filed Monday, the Marine claims that BAE Systems, where he worked earlier this year, retaliated against him after he raised objections about BAE's alleged decision to sell high-tech sniper scopes to the Pakistani military. He says his supervisor at BAE effectively blocked his hiring by another defense contractor by making the claims about drinking and his mental condition.

Sgt. Meyer's complaint is likely to pose a more difficult challenge for BAE, a British company with extensive U.S. operations, than a typical employment dispute. In the September White House ceremony, Sgt. Meyer was hailed for braving enemy fire as he tried to save the lives of fellow Marines who had been trapped in a Taliban ambush.

I am 400% sure, this chap is not the first to object along these lines. Neitehr is this type of objection the first one raised. But now - its 'news', and fit to be in a leading paper.

The paki filth are in for some fun times.

[SSridhar]

Sridhar,
the more important point is: are the paki generals in a position to stop all those activities, even if they wanted to?

It seems they are caught between devil and deep sea.

Karma works in mysterious ways too...

johneeG, for very long, I had held this belief that there is a very small coterie within PA (possibly including some retired Generals) who run the AQAM show. They completely identify with the overall AQAM objective, though there might be minor quibbles here and there. They have no qualms about the loss of PA officers and lower ranks, if only their objectives are served in the process. They have similarly no qualms about civilian deaths. The killed men, women and children would anyway go to jannat for having been a(n) (unwitting) part of the larger Islamist cause against the kufr. So, they used to enact a big drama of sending an army unit to take on Nek Mohammed or Baitullah Mehsud et al knowing well that the units would be decimated or captured or would be beaten back. All these things happened. The coterie used all these to its advantage as propaganda material by putting on a show of fighting global terror, making sacrifices, getting peanuts in return etc. The US and allied generosity poured money and material into the coffers of the PA. quite early on, the coterie allowed MQM to grab power in NWFP during the most crucial phase of GWoT and help AQAM escape into Pakistan. They had already ensured that top AQAM leaders escape from Kunduz through a generous airlift. Subsequently, the coterie made 'peace deals' at frequent intervals with the Taliban and allowed them to regroup, gain more space and generally entrench themselves comfortably within Pakistan. Their operations against the Taliban mostly were farcical with 'sufficient notice' given to them and then flattening the empty mud houses and showing them as war-trophy to the rest of the world. The Taliban, for their part, eliminated all inconvenient jirga leaders and anti-Taliban lashkar. Thus, the ground underneath has been prepared extensively and meticulously. The loose overburden can collapse at a favourable time as a result of this thoroughly weakened ground below.

With the situation in Afghanistan rising to a crescendo, the coterie has to ensure that it gains the advantage. The quick demand, even before the bodies could be buried, of 'greater say' in Afghan affairs is an indicator.

My point therefore is the Pakistani Generals, at least some of them, are in a position to stop all this but they initially co-opted the jihadists and then became part of them that they fancy themselves as being on the winning side today.

[anupmisra]

Perfect! Pakistan 'to boycott Afghan Bonn talks' after Nato raid. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15937270

Oh, the pakis will attend. They will be there. This is plain and simple a positioning strategy on their part. For public consumption. Without them, the conference is meaningless and the double-dealing SOBs know it.

[abhijitm]

imagine the burn if all decide to go ahead without pakis

[SSridhar]

It is not a decent thing to do, yet it is par for the course as far as realpolitik is concerned. What are the soldiers for, if not to further the interests of the nation? Soldiers are expected to make sacrifices...

The real failure of a pakistan is that its soldiers have selfishly usurped the resources at the cost of nation and people.

Of course, soldiers are expected to make sacrifices but the state must be deserving of their supreme sacrifice. What did Pakistan think by refusing to accept the bodies ? That the PA's involvement would not be exposed ? Even by the time the bodies were rejected, India had shown evidence of PA's involvement, diaries, letters, telephone transcripts, PoWs and the whole works. Jaswant Singh had played the conversation between Musharraf and his deputy for the whole world to listen to. Then, the NLI mutineed in Gilgit and that was splashed all over as Nawaz had to rush there and pacify them. Finally, Nawaz Sharif and a whole lot of Pakistanis admitted to PA's operation. PA did not learn from a similar fiasco in 1965 when it thought it could send its regular soldiers as shepherds and expected India not to find that out. PA did not even learn from its 1947 exposure of the NWFP tribals being deployed in J&K. It is absolutely impossible to hide pregnancy and such Pakistani deceptions. Period.

Having said that, if the dead Pakistanis, their families & the rest of the nation think that it was well worth it, who are we to dispute that ? That defines Pakistan.