I hope to God that this is not true. The LA Times has posted this interchange between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and US VP hopefully Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin’s meeting in New York this morning with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari — part of her crash course in foreign affairs — began innocuously enough.

“So nice to meet you,” she told him, according to the pool report filed by CNN, and he responded in kind.

Simple, civil salutations. But Zardari soon steered the conversation in a direction that would make Campbell Brown, the CNN anchor who Tuesday called John McCain’s campaign aides sexist, cringe and cry chauvinism. Here is the exchange:

ZARDARI: “You are even more gorgeous than you are on the (inaudible).”

PALIN: “You are so nice. Thank you.”

ZARDARI: “Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you.”

[A Zardari handler tells the two to shake hands again for the cameras.]

PALIN: “I’m supposed to pose again.”

ZARDARI: “If he’s insisting, I might hug.”

At that point, the pool reporter was escorted from the room.

Please read the comments on the LA Times website, one person named “Asad” added “wow, before bhutto’s body is even cold…”

And from CNN:

Pakistan’s new president called GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin “gorgeous” when the two met in New York on Wednesday.

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin meets Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in New York on Wednesday.

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin meets Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in New York on Wednesday.

Palin has been in New York meeting international leaders in town this week for United Nations meetings.

On entering a room filled with several Pakistani officials Wednesday, Palin was immediately greeted by Sherry Rehman, the country’s information minister.

“And how does one keep looking that good when one is that busy?” Rehman asked Palin, drawing friendly laughter from the room.

“Oh, thank you,” Palin said.

Pakistan’s new president, Asif Ali Zardari, entered the room seconds later. Palin rose to shake his hand, saying she was “honored” to meet him.

Zardari then called her “gorgeous” and said: “Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you.”

“You are so nice,” Palin said, smiling. “Thank you.”

A handler from Zardari’s entourage then told the two politicians to keep shaking hands for the cameras.

“If he’s insisting, I might hug,” Zardari said. Palin smiled politely in response.

The Alaska governor did not answer questions from reporters at her first two appearances on Wednesday, when she joined running mate Sen. John McCain in meetings with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko and then traveled downtown to meet with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

But she did offer brief remarks to a reporter at the Zardari meeting who asked about her day.

“It’s going great,” Palin said. “These meetings are very informative and helpful, and a lot of good people sharing appreciation for America.”

And BBC News.

From the New York Times:

Earlier, Sherry Rehman, the Pakistani information minister, had welcomed Ms. Palin. “Busy on the campaign trail?” she asked the governor.

“Yes, yes,” Ms. Palin replied.

“How does one keep looking that good?” Ms. Rehman asked.

“Oh, oh, thank you,” the governor replied.

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After several weeks of international bad press because of drone planes being piloted by 19 year olds with joy-sticks in California, blowing up families in Pakistan willy-nilly, after all that, the “terrorists” in Pakistan decide to blow up a second rate hotel there, killing civilians, and making them the bad guys once again? How’s that for the worst timing ever?   The end result of this attack is to give the U.S. Army and the American politicians all the reason in the world that they would need to continue attacking Pakistan’s population, and taking the international pressure off the Americans to stop bombing their country. The playbook that the CIA has employed over and over again in places like Central America, Italy, Cuba, South America and the Middle East for decades to destabilize and overthrow governments is a tried and tested formula.  Hotel bombing doesn’t make sense unless “Al-Qaeda” is working to advance Neo-Con political agenda.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Why would “Al-Qaeda,” a group that is supposedly the prime target of the U.S. initiated war on terror, commit a terrorist attack against a country that has recently changed its government and all but renounced its role as a U.S. ally in the war on terror?

The mass media has already blamed the Marriott Hotel bombing, which killed at least 53 people, on “Al-Qaeda,” a routine reflex action despite the lack of any real investigation and no claim of responsibility.

On Saturday morning, newly elected Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari told his parliament, “We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity by any power in the name of combating terrorism.”

Hours later and hey presto!   “Al-Qaeda” provides the perfect pretext for the U.S. to violate Pakistan’s territorial integrity in the name of … you guessed it … combating terrorism!
More telling than that - had the leadership of Pakistan not cancelled their plans to dine at the Marriott Hotel at the last minute, the entire command structure of the whole country would have been decapitated.

“Pakistan’s top leaders were to dine at the Marriott hotel that was devastated by a truck bombing over the weekend, but changed the venue at the last minute, a senior government official said Monday,” reports the Associated Press today.

“Perhaps the terrorists knew that the Marriott was the venue of the dinner for all the leadership where the president, prime minister, speaker and all entire leadership would be present,” Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told reporters. “At the eleventh hour, the president and prime minister decided that the venue would be the prime minister’s house. It saved the entire leadership.”

Indeed, it seemed the “terrorists” did know that their prime objective was to completely wipe out the most influential players in a government that has seemingly vowed to break away from the years of Pervez Musharraf-mandated lapdog subservience to U.S. imperial whims.

The timing of this weekend’s bombing coincides with a build-up in tensions over the past month not between Pakistan and “Al-Qaeda,” but between Pakistan and the United States government.

Relations between Pakistan and the U.S. soured dramatically following a raid by U.S. commandos on the border town of South Waziristan earlier this month which killed 20 people, including women and children.

Pakistani troops fired on U.S. helicopters that had violated the country’s border a week ago and a repeat of the incident in the village of Angor Adda occurred again Saturday night.

On September 13th, Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani vowed to safeguard the country’s territorial integrity against U.S. incursions and warned of a possible direct confrontation with U.S. forces if the incursions continue.

In light of all this, does it make much sense that “Al-Qaeda” suddenly popped up and helped out its arch enemy the U.S., by attempting to wipe out the Pakistani leadership?

It only makes sense if “Al-Qaeda,” or whoever carried out the bombing, was working to further the geopolitical agenda of the Neo-Cons in control of the White House.

“After several weeks of international bad press because of drone planes being piloted by 19 year olds with joy-sticks in California, blowing up families in Pakistan willy-nilly, after all that, the “terrorists” in Pakistan decide to blow up a second rate hotel there, killing civilians, and making them the bad guys once again? How’s that for the worst timing ever, huh?  Well, the worst timing for them and the best possible timing for those troubled U.S. Military PR guys and all the politicians who had been saying just a month ago we need to step up military action in Pakistan, ” writes Scott Creighton.

“The end result of this attack is to give the U.S. Army and the American politicians all the reason in the world that they would need to continue attacking Pakistan’s population, and taking the international pressure off the Americans to stop bombing their country.”

The playbook that the CIA has employed over and over again in places like Central America, Italy, Cuba, South America and the Middle East for decades to destabilize and overthrow governments is a tried and tested formula.

A strategically located country with a newly elected, populist government, vowing not to sacrifice the interests of its people for the U.S. imperial agenda, is almost immediately attacked by unknown “terrorists,” creating fear, chaos, and a demand from the population for “protection” that cannot be provided by the weakened ruling party, creating a power vacuum and an opportunity for the mighty U.S. war machine to step back into the fold, promising to chase away the evil deadly terrorists.

This article was published by Prison Planet

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• 10,000 Indian troops are stationed in Afghanistan under the garb of supervising construction of road Jalalabad-Port Chahbahar project that has now been completed. Whereas India has officially declared 14 Indian consulates in Afghanistan, on ground they have 107 in which 20 intelligence units are burning their midnight oil to destabilize Pakistan
• After 9/11 CIA bought the loyalties of pro-Pakistan tribal chiefs, leaving ISI and MI behind, those who refused were killed
• Nek Mohammad was killed by Americans when he made peace with Pakistan
• ISI had once given six figure coordinates of Baitullah and yet no Hellfire missile was fired on his hideout by CIA
• Foreign intelligence agents are involved in carrying out gruesome beheadings of security personnel and torching girls’ schools to defame the real Taliban who had a peaceful agenda
• Besides CIA and RAW, even Iran and Uzbekistan had developed their tentacles in Balochistan, Swat and Kurram Agency
• The nexus in Kabul is working upon a scripted plan to make FATA lawless and beyond the control of security forces, push militancy into settled areas and then into major cities and thus create a civil warlike situation to prove their contention that Pakistan was the most dangerous country in the world and that the extremists were on the verge of taking over power and nuclear weapons

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—When Gen. Musharraf submitted to U.S. pressure after 9/11 and ditched the Taliban in Afghanistan, he provided air bases as well as logistics support and shared intelligence with CIA. He allowed CIA and FBI to recruit agents in FATA and other places and to establish their outposts. The focus of ISI and other agencies was shifted towards hunting and nabbing so-called terrorists all over the country, in monitoring dissident elements within the army and in political wheeling and dealings. The CIA acquired all the links ISI and MI had both sides of the Pak-Afghan border and gradually took most agents on ISI payroll within its fold. By virtue of having better technology and means the CIA was able to take over intelligence acquisition and dissemination system. As a consequence the troops operating in FATA became entirely dependent upon CIA inputs. Taking advantage of complete liberty of action, CIA succeeded in buying the loyalties of many tribal chiefs and notables in FATA by doling out dollars in sacks since it knew that the Pashtun could not be crushed by force but could be purchased. Those not falling in line were got killed.

In FATA, Nek Muhammad was first cultivated and provided logistic support. When he entered into a peace deal with Pak Army in July 2005, he was killed using precision guided missile. Abdullah Mehsud, an Afghan war veteran who had also fought the Northern Alliance in October-November 2001 was captured and brainwashed during his two years internment in Guantanamo Bay. He was released after agreeing to work on terms dictated by CIA and he soon was able to takeover the leadership role. His death at Zhob at the hands of Pak security forces was a loss for CIA.

Baitulah Mehsud and Fazlullah had not taken part in Afghan jihad and do not qualify to head Taliban; yet 30 year old Baitullah has managed to create Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Fazlullah calls the shots in Swat. Mulla Omar had never shown interest in establishing any links with Pakistani Taliban and had warned Nek Muhammad not to operate under the brand name of Taliban. It is being questioned as to how come Baitullah, Fazlullah and their spokesmen desperately wanted by Pakistan security forces have escaped the hawk eye of USA, particularly after they have been seen giving detailed interviews to media and using their cell phones? ISI had once given six figure coordinates of Baitullah and yet no Hellfire missile was fired on his hideout by CIA. The TTP that has spread its influence in all the seven agencies of tribal belt and in neighboring settled districts of NWFP has succeeded in making inroads into Punjab, particularly southern Punjab. Large number has been recruited from Chiniot, Bahawalpur, Dera Nawab, Bahawalnagar, Faisalabad, Sialkot and other places.

After Shakai peace deal with the militants in South Waziristan in July 2005, Pakistan was subjected to a calculated slander campaign. Having pushed more than one hundred thousand troops into the furnace of FATA it was scoffed at for not doing enough to control militancy in FATA. Pakistan was also accused of nuclear proliferation and IAEA kept up the pressure to hand over AQ Khan for interrogation. Musharraf accepted the charge and forced AQ Khan to make a confession to defuse the heat. The religious extremist threat was blown out of all proportions and it was repeatedly stated that Pakistan’s nuclear assets had become unsafe. Musharraf accepted this charge as well and promised to fight extremism and terrorism with full force.

After declaring Pakistan as the most dangerous country, FATA was declared as the most dangerous place on earth. Pakistan was blamed for growing turbulence in Afghanistan since in the view of U.S. military leaders and Karzai Pak army was not doing enough to control militancy. The phenomenon of missile attacks by drones commenced in January 2006 when a suspected target in Damadola was attacked killing scores of innocent civilians. Another deadly missile attack was launched on a Madrassa in Bajaur in October that year killing 80 students. Ever since, this phenomenon continues unabated.

Once the ISI was freed from the wild goose chase of so-called terrorists and came under pressure on account of missing persons, it started to concentrate on its primary task in the troubled spots. To its horror it found far too many militant groups and criminal gangs operating under the guise of religious militants and cultivated by foreign agencies.

They were the ones involved in carrying out gruesome beheadings of security personnel and torching girls’ schools to defame the real Taliban who had a peaceful agenda. Besides CIA and RAW, even Iran and Uzbekistan had developed their tentacles in Balochistan, Swat and Kurram Agency. Most of the pro-Pakistan groups had been purchased or neutralized and those not coming to terms were eliminated by groups sponsored by CIA. Things had gone topsy-turvy and ISI found itself at a loss how to differentiate between friend and foe.

It is when the ISI began to recover the lost ground and renewed its old contacts in FATA and started to expose and block clandestine activities of CIA, RAW and RAM that all hell broke lose on ISI. Instead of feeling ashamed of what they were doing, USA had the cheeks to start making hue and cry that ISI was linked with the Taliban and that it must be emasculated. The three colluding partners lost their cool when the Indian Embassy in Kabul was subjected to a suicide attack on 7 July 2008. The trio fumed with anger and blamed ISI without even carrying out preliminary investigations. It was alleged that the perpetrator of suicide attack belonged to Gujranwala. Adm. Mike Mullen and Deputy Director CIA Stephen Kappes came huffing and puffing to Islamabad on 12 July and expressed their concern in strong words. Both Gen Tariq and Gen Kayani were told to bring the ISI to heel and to control militancy on their side of the border. The details of suicide bomber provided by the visitors proved false. It transpired later on that it was a bomb planted in a parked jeep which was detonated with the help of a remote control and was masterminded by Mossad.

In the meanwhile Bush gave a green signal to Pentagon to extend the sphere of operations in Afghanistan into neighboring FATA in July. He said that besides Iraq and Afghanistan, Pakistan is the third battleground. The military was told to hit targets whenever any actionable intelligence was available without notifying Pakistan. U.S. troops started to man mobile posts all along Pak-Afghan border with Paktika as their main forward base camp. These hostile steps were taken in spite of the fact that the new government under Zardari had abandoned its policy of dialogue and resumed the policy of force against the militants. After a month-long Frontier Corps-led operation in Khyber Agency, the army was employed in Hangu to control the unrest. In continuation of the offensive policy, the army launched powerful operations in Swat in July and in Bajaur on 6 August backed by jetfighters, gunship helicopters, tanks and artillery guns and started to make rapid progress against the well entrenched militants. Operations in these two restive areas are still going in with full steam and several hundred militants have been killed. Instead of getting pleased, the Americans got disturbed since they never intended to control militancy but to spread the flames of militancy into cities and create anarchic conditions.

The month of September saw intensification of missile attacks and each attack resulted in loss of innocent lives. To create fear and panic among the peaceful residents of Waziristan and also to target pro-government elements, missile attacks were intensified and each attack killed innocent men, women and children.

The idea was to antagonize pro-government Waziris and also to force them to migrate as had happened in case of Bajaur. To further up the ante, Pakistan was declared as a battleground and a first ever ground attack was carried out by U.S. troops on the night of 3 September at Angoor Adda killing 15 men women and children. A deadly missile attack was conducted on pro-Pakistan Jalaluddin Haqqani house in North Waziristan on 8 September killing 25 inmates mostly women and children. He was blamed for carrying out attack on Indian Embassy.

The intruding drone was forced to beat a hasty retreat on 12 September when Pakistani jets got airborne and started to track it. A ground attack on 15th was also thwarted by the troops and locals. So far, 62 border violations have been carried out by U.S.-ISAF forces including 36 after the takeover by PPP government in March 2008. So far 30 missile attacks have been made killing innocent people. In none of the attacks any Al-Qaada operative or militant Taliban was killed.

The nexus in Kabul is working upon a scripted plan to make FATA lawless and beyond the control of security forces, push militancy into settled areas and then into major cities and thus create a civil warlike situation to prove their contention that Pakistan was the most dangerous country in the world and that the extremists were on the verge of taking over power and nuclear weapons. After inflaming South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Mohmand Agency, Khyber Agency, Darra Adam Khel, Kurram Agency, Hangu and Swat, Bajaur Agency was built into a stronghold of militants where huge cache of arms and ammunition was dumped. By virtue of being located at the crossroad of the tribal belt and also linked with Dir, Swat and Afghanistan, it was to act as bulwark and a launching pad to provide reinforcement to other areas.

10,000 Indian troops are stationed in Afghanistan under the garb of supervising construction of road Jalalabad-Port Chahbahar project that has now been completed. Whereas India has officially declared 14 Indian consulates in Afghanistan, on ground they have 107 in which 20 intelligence units are burning their midnight oil to destabilise Pakistan. Many mercantile shops run by Indians have an intelligence office in the rear. In Wakhan, a religious Madrassa run by Indian Muslim clerics is functioning since 2002 under the patronage of RAW and Mossad. Very young boys, mostly orphans, destitute or homeless are recruited. Recruits are mostly Afghans, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Caucasians. The latter being fair skinned and resembling Europeans are trained to hit targets in Europe or in USA to once again create a 9/11 like situation.

Reportedly, 10,000 ideologically motivated terrorist and suicide bombers have been trained. Besides receiving military training, they have also been made to learn Pashto and customs of the Pashtun. They are regularly infiltrated into troubled spots of Pakistan. Posing as volunteers they join the rank and file of militants to fight the army. They are the ones who are destroying schools, CD shops, bridges and other installations and carrying out brutal beheading of captured personnel. The idea is to create chaos and confusion and also to defame the real Taliban that have not come under their influence. They are also responsible for creating cleavages within the people of FATA and in disrupting peace deals. In Kurram Agency, Afghan officers and soldiers are actively involved in the sectarian conflict by way of providing arms and ammunition to Shias belonging to Tori tribe and physically participating in duels with Sunnis. In Swat, Fazlullah led militants are supplied with war munitions as well as fighters.

Likewise, dissident tribal chiefs in Balochistan including late Akbar Bugti were also taken on board. The CIA helped in reincarnating BLA and providing all sorts of war munitions to Baloch militants belonging to Bugti, Marri and Mengal tribes and establishing over 60 Farari camps in Balochistan. Shamsi airbase that was handed over to USA in October 2001, houses Blackhawk helicopters primarily engaged in monitoring the entire length of Iranian border. CIA has cultivated Sunni Iranian Baloch Jandullah group (not the one that had operated against 5 Corps commander). It is anti- Iranian regime and was utilized by CIA to carryout acts of sabotage in Iran through Zahidan. Iran has now constructed a stone wall all along its border to prevent cross border terrorism from Baluchistan. It has clouded Pak-Iran relations since the latter feels that such activities could not have been undertaken without the blessing of Pak government.

It is now clear that our so-called friends have been playing a double game. Now that USA has bared its teeth and let its intentions known, to pretend that it would stop short of achieving its objectives will be like living in fools’ paradise. It is simply degrading to unashamedly say that we cannot fight the Americans. It is also preposterous to assume that Pakistan may not survive without American support. Pro-American elements within Pakistan on U.S. payroll have been parroting this theme since creation of Pakistan to safeguard their vested interest. North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Iran, Somalia are living examples who have survived despite adopting hostile posture against USA. It is high time that we gird up our loins and put our act together to face up to the challenge boldly.

The army under Gen. Kayani has expressed its resolve to confront the threat and safeguard country’s sovereignty irrespective of the consequences. It is now up to our week-kneed rulers oblivious of the ominous threat and still busy in power game as to how they stand up to the test. It will be naive to expect that the threat will be warded off with diplomacy alone. We must make USA realize that it will become exceedingly difficult for U.S. led allied troops to operate in Afghanistan if Pakistan opts out of fighting U.S. war of terror and refuses to provide transit facility to carry oil and food supplies to its troops in Afghanistan. The magnitude of dependence can be gauged from the fact each day over 400 containers ply from Karachi and Quetta to Afghanistan transporting food, munitions and 300 million gallons of fuel for U.S.-Nato troops in Afghanistan. We may also consider bridling CIA’s unchecked activities and closing down four bases in control of USA.

Asif Haroon Raja is a defence and a political analyst. This article was first published by the Asian Tribune.

Courtesy: The Asian Tribune

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So many events in the news, so little time to write about them. Global warming deserves a look, politics never ends, the Russia/Georgia thing gets more intractable all the time. Iran is always fun, the Russians are going to sell them new anti-aircraft missiles, as if to say to Bush “Nyah, nyah, nyah.” Still,  today’s issue is Pakistan, especially Bush’s acts of war against same. Basically, in July Bush gave the military the authorization to launch attacks inside Pakistan without the approval of the Pakistan government. And the military has done so. This situation is not the only potential appocalypse on the horizon, but it’s worth looking at for a number of reasons.

For starters, there are some parallels with Vietnam era thinking. In Vietnam the Viet Cong/NVA used bases in Laos and Cambodia to support and supply their military operations in South Vietnam. The obvious solution was to attack the enemy bases in Laos and Cambodia. And the same thinking seems to be prevailing in Afghanistan. The Taliban are getting support and supply from bases in Pakistan, the Pakistan government is unable or unwilling to do anything about them, so the USA is taking unilateral action against them. Sounds reasonable enough, I have even heard people claiming we should simply declare war on Pakistan because of their unwillingness to deal with this situation.

Unfortunately, in both cases, there’s problems. The first being that while the support from across the border is definitely an issue, it’s not the sole or even the most important reason our missions in Vietnam and Afghanistan were failing. In both cases the basic problem was that we were trying to prop up a government that the locals mostly viewed as corrupt and illegitimate. As I’ve stated before, because I think a lot of people are unclear on this, governments that are installed and maintained by foreign troops…are not legitimate governments. They are occupation governments. So it’s unfair and unrealistic to claim that their problems are due to “outside agitators”.

The second problem is that cross border attacks rarely acheive much except destabilizing neighbouring countries. Laos is quite literally the most bombed country in history, yet all that bombing did little to slow, let alone halt, the flow of supplies down the Ho Chi Minh trail. And US bombing and meddling was instrumental in destroying Cambodia and paving the way for Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge to seize power. And none of this carnage changed the outcome of the war, and arguably simply made our enemies even stronger.

And superficial analogies aside, the situation vis a vis Pakistan and Afghanistan isn’t really all that similar to Vietnam. In Vietnam, North Vietnam was indeed using Cambodia and Laos to move militarily significant amounts of supplies and troops to South Vietnam. There simply isn’t this sort of support flowing from Pakistan to Afghanistan, though there’s no doubt the Taliban is using Pakistan as a safe haven, the resistence in Afghanistan is largely home grown. IE North Vietnam did send about half their army into South Vietnam (a year after the USA sent troops to South Vietnam,) there’s nothing even remotely similar taking place in Afghanistan. And lastly, the tiny number of American attacks and raids in Pakistan are militarily insignificant if the intent is to hurt Al Qaeda and the Taliban, or stop the purported flow of men and materials to Afghanistan.

So what the hell is going on here? If the Bush administration thinks that the occasional raid and air strike in Pakistan is going to change the situation in Afghanistan, they are deluded beyond belief. It’s possible though, especially since the military itself seems  have agitated for this new state of affairs. The other side of the coin is that while these raids may not be militarily significant, they are most definitely politically significant. The Pashtun in Pakistan are not at all happy about these raids, as no doubt Americans would be upset if Canada or Mexico conducted military raids in the USA that frequently killed American civilians. And Pakistanis in general aren’t happy that their government seems at best helpless to stop these attacks, and at worst is deliberately looking the other way or even betting them quietly.

Basically these American attacks are very destabilizing in Pakistan, and the USA has to know that. So I see one of two possibilities. The lesser possibility is that the USA is trying to goad the Pashtun region of Pakistan into revolt against the Pakistan government, the end result being that Pakistan will send troops into the region and deny the region to the Taliban as a secure base. Unfortunately this is a really simplistic and optimistic plan, since there’s simply  no guarantee that even if Pakistan sends in the army that it can pacify and control the region. It’s just as likely that it will simply spread the Taliban (IE Pashtun) insurgency to Pakistan as well, and even possible it will create such chaos and instability in Pakistan that its western style government will be overthrown by an Islamic revolution.

And that is in fact the final possibility, that these American attacks are indeed designed to destabilize Pakistan, with the end result of destroying the world’s only nuclear armed Islamic regime. I hope that’s not true, because it would speak of arrogance and tunnel vision of truly epic proportions. In any event it doesn’t matter what the intent is, only the result. And frankly I don’t see how these raids can possibly do anything but make a bad situation worse. And that’s the terrible danger here, especially since supplies for the NATO operation in Afghanistan run through Pakistan. If we do succeed in starting a full scale civil war or insurgency in Pakistan, it’s the NATO forces in Afghanistan that will find themselves cut off from outside supplies.

My guess is that the Bush administration is so enamoured of military force as their only option that basically these raids are like a bear swatting wildly at stinging hornets. I don’t know how this is going to end, but I don’t think it’s going to be pretty. And oh, did I mention that these attacks in Pakistan are acts of war and are illegal under international law and completely unconstitutional under US law? Facts that the so called liberal press is completely ignoring? Fancy that.

Have a great weekend everyone.

(The above image is claimed as Fair Use under US copyright law. It is not being used for profit and is central to illustrating the post. Credit: Who knows?  It may even have been created as satire, though I got it from an extremely pro-Bush web site. I chose it to illustrate the most alarming possibility, that Bush and company actually believe that they are on a crusade for God, and as long as they attack “evil” wherever they see it, why God will ultimately lead them to victory. Even a cursory examination of the crusades shows how disastrous substituting faith for sound military and political judgement is, but studying history doesn’t appear to be the Bush administration’s strong suit.)

Courtesy: Doug’s Darkworld

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With all the rumors and discussion flying around in the media, this cartoon is a great representation of today’s Pak - US relations.

Failed Imperial Strategy

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Since 9-11, the Muslim world has come under attack for its beliefs, traditions and culture. Amar Bakshi, a contributing columnist for the Washington Post, has put together a great piece on “Ali Khan” about the Americanization of Muslims. This is great reading for all of us.

Ali Khan grew up watching America from behind a 7-Eleven counter. Though his family is from Pakistan, Ali never questioned his “American-ness,” until 9/11. Drinking Gatorade and listening to Tupac, we zip down the Hempstead Turnpike in Long Island, New York toward his 7-Eleven.

As a teenager, Ali felt at home here, slushing slurpies while listening to customers’ stories. There was the corpulent banker hooked on beer, the rebel hooligans with nerdy aspirations, and the two married men who met at 2 a.m. on Wednesday nights for surreptitious sex. Ali kept their secrets safe….
Read the rest here.

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As expected, the US Congress has approved a bill on US aid restrictions. This bill includes the amendment from Kerry, Dodd and Biden that calls for strict controls on all aid to Pakistan based on its satisfactory participation in the War on Terror. Now, since most of the US administration and foreign policy teams are adamantly against any kind of conditions on Pakistan’s participation in the War on Terror due to already cooled relations between Islamabad and Washington, it is not surprising that the Democrats decided to attack this strategic relationship, as their muscle flex in response to the Bush Iraq troop surge plan.

Since I have spent a lot of time writing about this development in Pak-US relations, let’s look at the text from the bill and understand how easy it is to sanction Pakistan.

“Now, therefore, be it resolved that it is the sense of the Senate that:

(1) It is the policy of the United States:

(a) To maintain and deepen its long-term strategic partnership with Pakistan;

A small correction here… everyone knows that any partnership would require that both sides give and take equally. That is not the case with Pakistan. The United States has always had a relationship of convenience with Pakistan, “When we want something, you do it. When you want something, maybe… and that only if you do these things first.”

The United States does nothing to assist Pakistan in reaching global markets, but demands complete openness for itself and its companies. Doubt it? The one thing that the United States could do that would bring Pakistan decades forward is to help build a nuclear power plant for the nation, as has been granted to India. Will that happen? Never. Why? The fear of the extremist. So is that the new standard for judging whether a country should develop economically or not, is there the possibility of an extremist government coming into power?

Can’t do that? How about you help Pakistan bring to justice the numerous former politicians, government, and military officials that have robbed the national exchequer? Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Asif Zardari, have stolen over $ 2 billion from Pakistan during their stays in the Prime Minister house. The British courts have cases pending against them. The Swiss courts have cases pending against them. The New York Times did a comprehensive exposé on the level of corruption that her government committed.

Has the United States done anything to freeze her bank accounts or seize any of her multi-million dollar properties in Florida? Nope.

Has the United States done anything to arrest her and return her to Pakistan to stand trial? Nope.

Can I ask you a question? If there was a string of robberies in your neighborhood and everyone knew who was doing it, it is reported to the police. The police listen, but do nothing. Another series of robberies happen and again everyone knows who did it. Again, it is reported to the police. Nothing is done. Then one day while you are at the police station trying to get information about the robberies, you see the person that robbed you smiling and having a cup of coffee with the Chief of Police. Would you trust the police?

The Government of Pakistan has repeatedly requested the assistance of the US government in bringing this to prosecution and returning the funds to Pakistan to aid in development. $ 2 billion, do you know how much that can do for a developing country? Nothing… when the United States is your partner.

It is a relationship of convenience. Call a spade a spade.

(b) To work with the government of Pakistan to combat international terrorism and to end the use of Pakistani territory as a safe haven for Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated terrorist organizations, including through the integration and development of Fata;

For anyone that is familiar with the tribal areas of Pakistan, you know that this is much easier said than done. In the tribal areas, you have the most rampant form of extremism, which is mostly due to their demands to live outside the laws of Pakistan. In the tribal areas, the government police are not allowed; they have constabularies. In the tribal areas, the government doesn’t make the laws or decide punishment; the Nawab, or self-proclaimed King, of the area does. In the tribal areas, polio vaccinations were stopped due to mullahs convincing villagers that they were sterilization shots by the West. These people will not give up their alliances to fundamental Islam and the people that fight for it easily. Nor will this be a fight that can be won with tanks and guns; it will require diplomacy and long term dedication to achieve it. Are you really read to deliver on this? Or is this more flowery language to convince yourselves that you really are trying to help the poor, struggling nation of Pakistan that would be nowhere without US assistance?

(c) To work with the government of Pakistan to dismantle existing proliferation networks and prevent nuclear proliferation;

Wasn’t this effectively done, according to the US government, with Dr. A.Q. Khan being placed under house arrest in Pakistan? The Government of Pakistan has been more than cooperative in providing information gained from Dr. A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program. Or is this the US government’s way of saying to Pakistan, “give him to us and see how much he talks”?

Thank you, but no!

We will not give you our citizens to torture and abuse.

(d) To work to facilitate the peaceful resolution of all bilateral disputes between Pakistan and its neighboring countries;

“Peaceful resolution of all bilateral disputes.”

A bomb blast happens in India and before there is an investigation, evidence or witnesses, the finger is pointed at Pakistan, the Army and its Intelligence wing. The Afghani people, who have been at war with themselves for decades, now blame Pakistan for their instability. How will you first get these countries to understand that the bulk of the problem is their own and not Pakistan’s?

India is a country of 1 billion people, with numerous levels of castes (including untouchables), and numerous insurgent groups, there are bound to be people with a bone to pick with the Indian government that are not loyal to Pakistan. When you look at the entire Kashmir situation, Pakistan has put forward peace plan after peace plan, only to have India get up from the table because Pakistan’s plan includes independence for Kashmir.

It is also well known that Washington is heavily leaning to India’s side on the Kashmir issue with its continued status quo. The Kashmiri people will continue to resist Indian occupation, both peacefully and violently, outside the control or purview of Pakistan and unless a serious and concerted effort is made to resolve this issue, peace between Pakistan and India is very difficult.

Also, the United States needs to take a more evenhanded position, both in words and deeds. Due to the United States’ lack of evenhandedness, India continues to escalate its nuclear arsenal, causing Pakistan to respond, continuing the South Asian arms race.

Afghanistan is a country in ruins, which has been in ruins for decades now. But within Afghanistan, you have numerous peoples that can’t stand each other. Drug lords have long fought the Afghan government and international agencies trying to reduce the poppy cultivation. The Northern Alliance has been at war with the Taliban for decades and currently has the “advantage” of having the US Coalition forces fighting for them. And the people of Afghanistan have been caught in the middle since the beginning. Afghanistan’s own instability is not because of Pakistan; it is in spite of Pakistan.

After the Soviet conflict, it was Pakistan’s borders that swelled to absorb the displaced Afghanis, well over 4 million; not the United States’. It was Pakistan that suffered from a proliferation of sophisticated American made weapons and narcotics, not the United States.

Pakistan has always been a ready partner for peace in the region. It is our neighbors that would rather blame Pakistan than admit they have problems in their own countries.

(e) To encourage the transition in Pakistan to a fully democratic system of governance; and

Can you define democracy?

I ask that because Pakistan has already experienced the United States attempts to establish democracy. In 1988, Benazir Bhutto “democratically” became Prime Minister of Pakistan after General Zia’s, American’s #1 during the Soviet conflict, plane was shot down. Her government was dissolved under charges of corruption. Next came Nawaz Sharif, again “democratically” elected, as Prime Minister. Government dissolved under charges of corruption. Funnily, this process repeated itself and the same 2 people became Prime Minister in succession. This was our experience with democracy.

Do you realize what this one step would entail? You would have to start by re-writing the Constitution of Pakistan to have 3 independent branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. Then, you would need to create a system of checks and balances that would curtail abuses of power and corruption. You would need to reform the judicial system in Pakistan so it wouldn’t take 20 years to reach a judgment in a court case.

Your democracy in Pakistan would need to find a place for the Islamic right, being that Pakistan is an Islamic Republic. Or were you planning on changing that?

Democracy does not mean a nation voting for its leader. It means an entire system that supports and protects the development of a nation socially and economically after the ballots are counted. We are not guinea pigs for your aspiring policy makers. Nor do we want the democracy that we have already seen with previous leaders or what we see in Iraq/Afghanistan.

Are you really read to see this step through to its natural end?

(f) To implement a robust aid strategy that supports programs in Pakistan related to education, governance, rule of law, women’s rights, medical access, and infrastructure development; and

Yeah, right. Isn’t this what was promised to the Afghanis and Iraqis?

(2) The determination of appropriate levels of US military assistance to Pakistan should be guided by demonstrable progress by the government of Pakistan in:

And here we are… the conditions for acceptance…. “we want to do all these things for you, but first you have to do these things for us….” This is the same story that was passed to Pakistan after 9/11. During that conversation, Pakistan asked for delivery of the long outstanding F-16s that had been frozen due to the Pressler Amendment, another Pakistan specific amendment curtailing aid. We were promised immediate delivery… today, we are still waiting for them.

I wonder how this amendment will affect the Bush administration’s decision today to give Pakistan $ 750 million in aid to build a border fence on the Pak-Afghan border?

(a) Preventing Al Qaeda and associated terrorist organizations from operating in the territory of Pakistan, including by eliminating terrorist training camps or facilities, arresting members of Al Qaeda and associated terrorist organizations, and countering recruitment efforts;

80,000 Pakistan Army soldiers in the border areas with Afghanistan. Military precision strikes on suspected terrorist training centers. Regular raids of homes, businesses and warehouses that are suspected of being used for terrorist activities. Special terrorism courts. Active cooperation with the United States in arresting members of al Qaeda. Pledge to build a border fence and plant land mines on the Pak-Afghan border to stop Taliban supporters from entering Afghanistan. Presidential order to all Afghanis in Pakistan to return to Afghanistan.

(b) Preventing the Taliban from using the territory of Pakistan as a sanctuary from which to launch attacks within Afghanistan, including by arresting Taliban leaders, stopping cross-border incursions, and countering recruitment efforts; and

80,000 Pakistan Army soldiers in the border areas with Afghanistan. Military precision strikes on suspected terrorist training centers. Regular raids of homes, businesses and warehouses that are suspected of being used for terrorist activities. Special terrorism courts. Active cooperation with the United States in arresting members of al Qaeda. Pledge to build a border fence and plant land mines on the Pak-Afghan border to stop Taliban supporters from entering Afghanistan. Presidential order to all Afghanis in Pakistan to return to Afghanistan.

(c) Implementing democratic reforms, including by allowing free, fair and inclusive elections at all levels of government in accordance with internationally recognized democratic norms.

See above.

There are more opportunities for failure, than opportunities for success. And I say that with all honesty, I see more opportunities for the Congress to call for sanctions or limit the amount of funding provided to Pakistan unless the conditions of aid are met. This is a recipe for disaster.

The National Assembly has already voted that any resolution calling for sanctions against Pakistan by the US administration would require a re-assessment of Pakistan’s role in the War on Terror. Our involvement thus far has been for our own security in Pakistan from extremist elements and a willingness to further develop the existing relationship with the United States.

Now, as we struggle with suicide bombers and growing domestic dissatisfaction with the close alignment of Pakistan and the United States against fellow Muslims, we need to do what is best for Pakistan, not matter what the US and its allies may want.

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It seems very funny that coming off the multitudes of statements about Pakistan not doing enough in the War on Terror, the Democrats would want to curtail foreign aid until they do more. I have been following the debate in the US Congress this past week, led by Senators John Kerry and John McCain, about how the United States shouldn’t give Pakistan the F-16s that have been purchased and paid for since 1998, along with other military technology, until the White House certifies that Pakistan is fully cooperating with the US in the War on Terror. Ok, no problem. Would you like to return the money as a Cashier’s Check or in Cash? But wait…

I remember long ago, when a pissed off cowboy called up a 3rd world General and asked for help. The General said sure, but I have some conditions. First, remove the sanctions. Second, give me my stuff. Third, your troops can’t attack our soil. The US Congress, the same congress that John Kerry and John McCain were part of, voted unanimously to lift the sanctions against Pakistan and to make preparations for the transfer of technology in return for its assistance. This was one of the conditions of our participation in this ego exercise. Ego exercise… yes I said it. This is not a war, this is a test of Dubya’s ego in the face of Cheney and Rumsfeld. But I digress…..

So now, the US Congress sees it fit to introduce a “non-binding resolution” that the White House must certify that Pakistan is being fully co-operative with Coalition Forces in the war in Afghanistan. One question, if it’s non-binding, then what exactly is the point? Is this what Americans pay their Congressmen for: to write memos and call them non-binding resolutions? No wonder, Matt Taibbi called this the Worst Congress ever.

Now, there are few times that I am so proud of the individuals that serve in our great country as I was this week. The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence, after vigorous debate, announced that Pakistan could end cooperation with the US in the war on terrorism if the US Congress passed any law or resolution imposing sanctions on Pakistan.

“The Standing Committee on Defence in its meeting unanimously noted the fact that Pakistan’s contribution to the war on terror is far higher than any other country. Current legislation under discussion in the American Congress/Senate to put unwarranted restrictions on Pakistan is uncalled for and amounts to downgrading our contribution. The resolution/law if passed by the US Congress, whether binding or otherwise, calls for a reciprocal action from Pakistan, including complete or partial non-cooperation in the war against terror.”

Add to that our National Assembly’s announcement that if the US attacked Iran, Pakistan would no longer allow its country’s military bases to be used by US or Coalition Forces. As Pakistan, along with the rest of the intelligence international community, has held firm that the only resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue is through talks, not unilateral action. If it worked with North Korea, why not try it with Iran?

So, coming back to our discussion about F-16s.

Keep the F-16s. We don’t need them. Just wire us back the millions of dollars that we paid you for the military equipment and we will get our weapons from China. With the already increased Chinese investment into Pakistan coupled with the “flip-flop” decision making of the US administration, it would serve Pakistan’s interests better. And, we all know that the Chinese are less tempermental than the Americans.

More importantly, it would give Pakistan an exit from the War on Terror and we can concentrate on securing our own country, leaving Afghanistan to the Americans… once and for all.

The United States started this conflict with the Soviets and it is about time you cleaned up your own mess!

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I have gotten so tired of hearing US Senators complain about how Pakistan isn’t doing enough in the War on Terror. When are you going to stop pointing the finger at other countries to cover your own screw-ups? Your President, State Department and Pentagon repeatedly say that Pakistan is a key ally in the War on Terror, yet your senators and congressmen point the finger at Pakistan saying that they aren’t doing enough. Enough you little crybaby’s!

Let’s look at backward at the history of relations between the United States and Pakistan, before we point fingers of blame. Some of you may recall back in the late 70s, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to expand its borders. The United States, rather than stepping forward like a super power would, cowered behind the Pakistan Army and pumped money into a ruthless military dictator’s hand to fund the Mujahideen and create what is today known as the Taliban. The ruthless military dictator was General Zia Ul Haq, who rose to power by overthrowing the democratically elected government of Zulifqar Ali Bhutto. By the way, for all of you democracy loving Americans, the United States government did nothing to stop the overthrow or hanging of the Pakistani Prime Minister. Instead, it ushered in the General because it served US interests that he rule Pakistan. For 12 years, the mighty US government fought the Soviet Union in the uniform of the Pakistan Army, the Mujahideen and the Taliban. Afghanistan was ravaged. Destroyed. Turned to rubble. Just like it is today…… ahhh the memories of doing more…..

On the behest of the United States government, the Pakistan Army trained Afghanis to serve in the Mujihadeen and the Taliban. So when the US suddenly screams that it has pictures and intelligence that Taliban fighters are being trained in Pakistan, it is because the Pakistanis built those camps to train the militia that was fighting the Soviet Union on the insistance of the US government. But wait, I am getting ahead of myself. So…. for 12 years, the mighty US military cowered behind the Pakistan Army because it couldn’t face down the Soviets in Afghanistan.

At the same time, the ruthless general that the US had installed as Pakistan President imposed a extreme Islamic rule on the country causing social and economic development to come to a standstill. General Zia gave rise to the strength of the Mullahs in Pakistani politics. It was during his rule that the controversial Hudood Ordinance was passed, which stripped women of any rights. Mullahs were given a voice in development allowing them to declare something un-Islamic, because they didn’t understand or value it, and it would not happen in Pakistan. Today, these Mullahs are the extremist voice in Pakistan that foster the continued unrest in the NWFP and Balouchistan provinces. They are also the people that wholeheartedly support the Taliban and their cause. Want to know the funny part? Their children are probably sitting next to your child in college. The United States may be the great Satan when it means development for Pakistan, but it is A-OK when it comes to their own families.

Hypocrites!

After the war ended, what did Pakistan get for its wholehearted assistance? We had to absorb millions of Afghan refugees. Educated, uneducated, militant, peaceful, no matter what state they were in, Pakistan had to accept them. We still have at least 3 million of them in the country that refuse to leave or register with the Pakistani government . Granted with the Afghanis the problem is much larger than the refugees. These people who invaded our country, lived off its people and resources and continue to seek refuge in Pakistan would swear at our government for not doing enough for them….. not doing enough…. ahhh the memories of doing more…

They would sit in Pakistan and insult the Pakistanis for not supporting them more in the war with the Soviets, while at the same time flooding our country with US military weapons, drugs and prostitution. Yes, the Afghanis brought some very interesting gifts with them when they invaded Pakistan.

Also, with the end of the war, came the end of the General Zia’s rule as his plane was shot down…. and thus, “democracy” returned to Pakistan. Now, I say “democracy” because I don’t call what happened to Pakistan after Zia democracy in any way. There were elections. There were candidates. Benazir Bhutto won. I understand why. I personally had alot of hope for Pakistan when Benazir was elected. I was living in the United States and was very proud that my home country of Pakistan had elected a woman as Prime Minister. I was more proud when I heard about her background, upbringing and beliefs. She could change Pakistan, I thought. I even joined the Pakistan People’s Party, her party. My hope disappeared quickly.

I have written at length about Benazir and her government, so I am not touching it here. But after Benazir, we got Nawaz Sharif…. what?!?!?! I moved to Pakistan towards the end of Nawaz Sharif’s rule in Pakistan and was more than happy to see it end. His agenda was a simple one point plan: what do I get? Thank you and goodbye.

We had a broken country whose people were struggling to survive. We had a broken economy that “only the rich got rich and the poor stayed poor.” We had a divide along cultural lines between Pathans, Punjabis, Sindhis and Balouchis. We had warlords that violated the writ of the government and laughed at the previous governments because they could not be touched. We had a bureaucracy that was not just broken, but held together by spit and gum. Education in Pakistan was a business, not a field of learning. This is what we got for doing more the last time we answered that call from the United States government.

Thus, brings the leadership of President Pervez Musharaf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. And Pakistan is growing economically, socially and politically, which is a threat to US interests in South Asia. To the US, there can only be one Asian Tiger and that is India…. for now. Our President and Prime Minister have spent the past 7 years healing a nation, its people and the ills of society. They have to do alot of work and established the foundations for the country to grow and prosper. The country is learning democracy, accepting a free media and slowly silencing the extremist voice. The Prime Minister, because of his background in finance has put Pakistan on the road to a clear financial stability and a nation that is no longer dependant on the IMF or World Bank for money to feed its people. We can do that ourselves now, thank you.

So how about this, instead of asking us to do more, why don’t you do more? Act like a super power instead of a little school kid whose ball just got taken away.

Instead of selling us F-16s, how about a few boatloads of textbooks, school equipment and supplies?

Instead of forcing us to struggle with an outdated electrical supply system, why don’t you fund the building of a nuclear power plant in Pakistan, so that we can grow and prosper economically?

Instead of solving the Kashmir conflict and putting an end to the South Asian Arms Race, you choose to foster it by telling India and Pakistan that we need to shore up our defences against the other… while ever increasing the billions of dollars paid to your defence contractors.

Instead of supporting war and conflict, how about focusing on social development and economic enhancements for the people of Pakistan?

How about you support Pakistan like you support Israel? Oh, wait, that’s not possible…. we don’t pay you enough for that…

And while we are at it, instead of telling everyone else to clean up your mess in Afghanistan, how about you do it yourselves? The Afghan Parliament is full of criminals, warlords, former Mujahideen and Taliban, what exactly do you expect them to do? They are the people that the Coalition Forces are supposed to be fighting, if I’m not wrong. But hey maybe it was easier to install a puppet President, a powerless Parliament and a poor excuse for a government in Afghanistan. If anything goes wrong, blame Pakistan. That’s what the Mayor of Kabul does. Yet, when Pakistan says it wants to fence and mine the border areas, everyone screams “Bloody Murder!”

In addition, President Musharaf has, on repeated occasions, said that if the Pakistani government was provided with clear intelligence, they would act on it. Why did it take the US government until this recent trip by Vice President Dick Cheney to reveal that information? Do you think we have an intelligence arm like the CIA in Pakistan that has access to all the facilities that the US government has access to? Please…. you do your part, we will do ours.

Today, Pakistan wakes up and goes to bed in a state of high alert. We have suicide bombers blowing themselves up on our streets. We have car bombs detonating in metropolitan cities. Our judges and elected officials are being assassinated for their support of the Musharaf government cleaning up Pakistan and the War on Terror. Can you name the last suicide bomber in the United States? How about a car bomb in your metropolitan cities? Any officials assassinated for supporting George Bush? No?

Then don’t tell us we aren’t doing enough.

We have already learned the lessons of doing more and are still healing a nation and its people for doing more for the United States.

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On the 15th of September, Dubya said that in response to a question about whether he would send troops into Pakistan to hunt down Osama bin Laden said: “Pakistan — if he is in Pakistan, which this person thought he might be who was asking me the question — Pakistan’s a sovereign nation. In order for us to send thousands of troops into a sovereign nation, we’ve got to be invited by the government of Pakistan.” and here.

Now, just days after making the statement during a news conference, Dubya has changed his position and categorically told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that “he would order U.S. forces to go after Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan if he received good intelligence on the fugitive al Qaeda leader’s location.” And Dubya accuses Ahmadinejad of not staying true to his word….

President Musharraf has already told reporters at the United Nations on Wednesday that his government would oppose any US action in its territory.

This report comes on the eve of a massive report by The Times that the US and British have devised a secret plan for a 10-year “War on Terrorism” involving a completely new military and diplomatic strategy to eliminate terrorist networks and cells around the world.

Now, wait a minute… Dubya is in the final 2 years of his “presidency” and Poodle Blair has already promised the British people that he relinquish the Prime Ministership within a year, even though 40% of Britons want him gone yesterday. So how do you fight a 10 year war without knowing who the next leaders are going to be?

Unless of course, you plan to fix the elections like 2000 to assure that the Republicans control the White House and another puppet Prime Minister assumes leadership of Great Britain. Not completely unimaginable given the recent history.

Didn’t Dubya invade Afghanistan because he had credible intelligence that Osama bin Laden was in Tora Bora? Credible Intelligence… isn’t that an oxymoron when talking about the current US administration?

Didn’t the US military have Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda cornered in Tora Bora, only to let him get away?

Wasn’t it soon after that Dubya announced to the world that Iraq had ties to Al Qaeda and launched a massive invasion that has brought Iraq to the brink of civil war?

Am I wrong in asking if Dubya has embarassed every member of the US military with his lack of leadership during “war time?”

Let’s not forget that most serving generals have categorically stated that they are not confident in Donnie Rumsfeld’s leadership as Secretary of Defense, because he has been unable to assure that the US military personnel fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have the proper attire or equipment to protect and defend themselves and here. Not to mention the Democrats repeated calls for his resignation for the treatment of prisoners at Abu Gharib and the mishandling of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Let’s also not forget the fact that Pakistan’s President Musharraf has worked hand and hand with the United States and Great Britain to support the “War on Terrorism” since 9/11, including allowing the use of Pakistani bases by the US military to attack Afghanistan. This in spite of pressure in Pakistan on Musharraf to not allow the US to attack Afghanistan from Pakistani soil. President Musharraf has also worked hand and hand with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in supporting his government with development projects and military support to bring stability to Afghanistan in the face of continued attacks by the Taliban.

Airstrikes in January of 2006 on suspected Al Qaeda figures on the Pakistan border provoked protests by tens of thousands of Pakistanis and complaints from Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who said the US launched the attack without consulting Pakistan. But then, Dubya said in his 2004 State of the Union address that “America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country,” which was echoed 2 months later by Vice President “Dick” Cheney “The United States will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.” Notice, exact same words…. And permission slips… wasn’t that something from grade school for class trips?

Let’s not forget that in the same interview on the 15th of September, Dubya said: “And I’ll look forward to talking to President Musharraf. Look, he doesn’t like Al Qaeda. They tried to kill him. And we’ve had a good record of bringing people to justice inside of Pakistan, because the Paks are in the lead. They know the stakes about dealing with a, you know, a violent form of ideological extremists.”

So when you know that Pakistan is commited to supporting the cause, why would you invade Pakistan?

Let me explain…

First, the United States knows that the only military threat to its true allies, India and Israel, is Pakistan. All the posturing about Iran and its “potential nuclear capabilities” is nothing more than rhetoric. If Iran was the target, the cowboy president would have already attacked, but because Pakistan has achieved nuclear capabilities, the US has become increasingly concerned about an “Islamic bomb” which could be sold to terrorists and extremists for use on other nations, namely the US and Israel.

In addition, in the very recent past, an former member of the Israeli Barak administration, while speaking with defence analysts in India pointed the finger at Pakistan as the “largest exporter of terrorism.” This coming on the heels of a historic meeting between Israel and Pakistan to discuss the possibilities of creating diplomatic and economic ties in Turkey. By the way, President Musharraf was firebranded in Pakistan by the Islamic fundamentalists for even considering recognizing Israel diplomatically and economically.

Soon after the first nuclear tests in 1998, between India and Pakistan, an errant missile dropped very close to the Pakistani nuclear facilities. The Pakistan government, which at the time was lead by Nawaz Sharif, launched a formal complaint with the Clinton government over the overt attempt to attack Pakistan’s nuclear facility. The Clinton White House quickly explained that it was a mis-calculation and it was not the US’s intent to hit any targets inside Pakistan. What would the US have said had they hit the nuclear facility? Ooops?

Second, Pakistan has stabilized is economy and is moving toward developed nation status much faster than under “democratically-elected” leaders. Pakistan has become one of the most favored nations for foreign investment, as reported by World Bank, and has become a preferred location to India in terms of outsourcing. As a matter of fact, in the recent Doing Business report released by the World Bank, Pakistan is ranked more favorably than India overall.

Third, and most importantly, it would allow Dubya to face the US Congress and say that he took another step for “democracy” by finally dealing Musharraf a hard hand on terrorism. For many months, the US Congress, media and people have believed that Pakistan and President Musharraf were not doing enough to stop the terrorism and extremist elements in Pakistan. This was brought to a head recently when ABC News reported that a senior officer in the Pakistani government had said that “Osama would not be arrested if he behaved as a good citizen.” My previous comments on this incident can be viewed here.

So, if Dubya goes forward with this plan.. and that is assuming that the US Congress is stupid enough to commit more US troops to a losing battle.. that would mean that the US military would be in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Iran.

Just one more thing… if you remember the Russians invaded Afghanistan during military rule in Pakistan… after 12 years and a severe beating, the Soviets went home and watched their country fall apart from within…. Ominous omens of the future….

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