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Indians may quietly be told to let US, Pakistan work out Afghan peace policy

India sixth most affected by terrorism....carried on by Pakistani proxies of LeT, JuD etc. Say the complete sentence.


Misleading as usual. How do Pakistan's numbers add up? I quote:

The actual situation is, likely, worse. According to the United States (US) Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report titled “Violence towards Religious Communities in Pakistan”, published in August 2014, over the one-year period from July 2013 to June 2014, at least 430 people were killed in a total 122 attacks against minorities. These include 222 Shias in 54 attacks; 128 Christians in 22 recorded incidents; 10 Ahmadis in 10 such attacks; and two Sikhs in three attacks. Four attacks were recorded on the Hindu community in this period, with no fatality reported. 29 attacks resulted in 68 fatalities among other religious/sectarian groups.

These are just attacks on minorities. Not even counting ALL terror attacks. Pakistani civilian plus security forces casualties are listed at 1,172 for attacks officially designated as terrorist attacks?!

If you can make sense of the data, do tell me....
1. Pakistani News say the same about Indians that Indian proxies carries these attacks in Pakistan...So it goes both ways...As I said earlier , you are not saint either...!
2. We are in 2015, not in 2014 or 2013,I gave you numbers about 2015...So don't try to be smart and don't look through Indian eyes...And I will not go into details, I gave you the link showing numbers of both countries...And initially your claim was that situation in Pakistan is worse...I gave you numbers....Compare them with before...Search on google about situation now...!
3. You are making a difference..Terrorist attacks happen on minorities too..Like on christians in 2013 and Hindus in 2014...So they also makes the deaths due to terrorism just like you lynched people in India and the deaths counts as terrorism...!

NOTE: Your claim was that situation in Pakistan is worse...Support it with evidence and don't go round and round in circles and make your own theories...Support it with news/articles.
 
Pakistani News say the same about Indians that Indian proxies carries these attacks in Pakistan...So it goes both ways...As I said earlier , you are not saint either...!

It is not Indian news, but entire world media, US Department of State Annual Terrorism Report, CIA reports, etc, that talk of Pakistan's role.

For example, quoting from the same report that you mentioned:

In attempts to stall the country’s enduring hurtle into chaos, both Federal as well as Provincial Governments in Pakistan announced several measures through 2014, as in past years.....
.....Unsurprisingly, these various measures are bound to fail, given Islamabad’s close and enduring ties with various terror formations thriving on its soil. In the latest admission of such bonding, former President General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf, in an interview published on February 13, 2015, admitted that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had supported the Taliban after 2001 because the then Afghan Government led by ex-President Hamid Karzai had an overwhelming number of non-Pashtuns and officials, who were said to favour India: "Obviously, we were looking for some groups to counter this Indian action against Pakistan. That is where the intelligence work comes in. Intelligence being in contact with Taliban groups. Definitely they were in contact, and they should be."


We are in 2015, not in 2014 or 2013,I gave you numbers about 2015...So don't try to be smart and don't look through Indian eyes...And I will not go into details, I gave you the link showing numbers of both countries...And initially your claim was that situation in Pakistan is worse...I gave you numbers....Compare them with before...Search on google about situation now...!

The situation is as bad as ever. If there were over 1,100 fatalities in any country due to terrorism, one wouldn't try to brush it under the carpet unless they are Pakistani. And that is just tip of the iceberg, most hate-crime in Pakistan, such as murder of minorities, is not even counted as terrorism. Your initial assertion was that Pakistan is doing very well,
showed you the facts.

ou are making a difference..Terrorist attacks happen on minorities too..Like on christians in 2013 and Hindus in 2014...So they also makes the deaths due to terrorism just like you lynched people in India and the deaths counts as terrorism...!

No we don't. Stop lying. We have not massacred our minority population from 20% to 4% like Pakistan has. Our minority population has doubled since independence. There may be stray incidents of violence against minorities in India, but how can you compare that to the savage butchery in Pakistan where from conservative estimates thousands of people from minorities are murdered each year?

I quote:

The systematic persecution of religious minorities continues amidst prevailing anarchy across the Pakistan. The SATP database recorded at least 5,496 terrorism-related fatalities, including 1,781 civilians, 533 SF personnel and 3,182 terrorists, in 2014 as against 5,379 such fatalities, including 3,001 civilians, 676 SF personnel and 1,702 terrorists. In 2015, fatalities have already touched at least 697 (data till February 22), including 226 civilians, 59 SF personnel and 412 terrorists.
 
It is not Indian news, but entire world media, US Department of State Annual Terrorism Report, CIA reports, etc, that talk of Pakistan's role.

For example, quoting from the same report that you mentioned:

In attempts to stall the country’s enduring hurtle into chaos, both Federal as well as Provincial Governments in Pakistan announced several measures through 2014, as in past years.....
.....Unsurprisingly, these various measures are bound to fail, given Islamabad’s close and enduring ties with various terror formations thriving on its soil. In the latest admission of such bonding, former President General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf, in an interview published on February 13, 2015, admitted that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had supported the Taliban after 2001 because the then Afghan Government led by ex-President Hamid Karzai had an overwhelming number of non-Pashtuns and officials, who were said to favour India: "Obviously, we were looking for some groups to counter this Indian action against Pakistan. That is where the intelligence work comes in. Intelligence being in contact with Taliban groups. Definitely they were in contact, and they should be."




The situation is as bad as ever. If there were over 1,100 fatalities in any country due to terrorism, one wouldn't try to brush it under the carpet unless they are Pakistani. And that is just tip of the iceberg, most hate-crime in Pakistan, such as murder of minorities, is not even counted as terrorism. Your initial assertion was that Pakistan is doing very well,
showed you the facts.



No we don't. Stop lying. We have not massacred our minority population from 20% to 4% like Pakistan has. Our minority population has doubled since independence. There may be stray incidents of violence against minorities in India, but how can you compare that to the savage butchery in Pakistan where from conservative estimates thousands of people from minorities are murdered each year?

I quote:

The systematic persecution of religious minorities continues amidst prevailing anarchy across the Pakistan. The SATP database recorded at least 5,496 terrorism-related fatalities, including 1,781 civilians, 533 SF personnel and 3,182 terrorists, in 2014 as against 5,379 such fatalities, including 3,001 civilians, 676 SF personnel and 1,702 terrorists. In 2015, fatalities have already touched at least 697 (data till February 22), including 226 civilians, 59 SF personnel and 412 terrorists.
Since most of which you quoted is just plain BS...I can show you 100 of articles which says India is supporting terrorists in Pakistan specially in Balochistan too,
Terrorism in Pakistan: The Indian factor
US Secretary of defense designate Chuck Hagel suggested in a previously unreleased 2011 speech that India has for many years sponsored terrorist activities against Pakistan in Afghanistan. In a speech, delivered at Oklahoma’s Cameron University, Chuck Hagel said: “India for some time has always used Afghanistan as a second front, and India has over the years financed problems for Pakistan on that side of the border”.

If you don't want to admit then no one can do anything..But just because you are an Indian and just can't accept the face about Pakistan ..its not my problem...All the evidence is there on google..I told you to SEARCH and compare them with previous years..But you are still not doint it..May be coz you know that fact..!

And I told you earlier Pakistan was worst terrorism affected state but still in 2015 the fatalities are 1100 whereas superpower India which is not affected by terrorism as much as Pakistan has 300 fatalities...!

*****Now this is the last time..Be on topic or don't waste my time...Your claim was that "Situation in Pakistan is a lot worse as Ever"....Support your claim with news/articles , compare terrorist attacks before and after in 2015 to show people that you are right..Don't make your opinions...you are making a claim, now support it with evidence...!

It is not Indian news, but entire world media, US Department of State Annual Terrorism Report, CIA reports, etc, that talk of Pakistan's role.

For example, quoting from the same report that you mentioned:

In attempts to stall the country’s enduring hurtle into chaos, both Federal as well as Provincial Governments in Pakistan announced several measures through 2014, as in past years.....
.....Unsurprisingly, these various measures are bound to fail, given Islamabad’s close and enduring ties with various terror formations thriving on its soil. In the latest admission of such bonding, former President General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf, in an interview published on February 13, 2015, admitted that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had supported the Taliban after 2001 because the then Afghan Government led by ex-President Hamid Karzai had an overwhelming number of non-Pashtuns and officials, who were said to favour India: "Obviously, we were looking for some groups to counter this Indian action against Pakistan. That is where the intelligence work comes in. Intelligence being in contact with Taliban groups. Definitely they were in contact, and they should be."




The situation is as bad as ever. If there were over 1,100 fatalities in any country due to terrorism, one wouldn't try to brush it under the carpet unless they are Pakistani. And that is just tip of the iceberg, most hate-crime in Pakistan, such as murder of minorities, is not even counted as terrorism. Your initial assertion was that Pakistan is doing very well,
showed you the facts.



No we don't. Stop lying. We have not massacred our minority population from 20% to 4% like Pakistan has. Our minority population has doubled since independence. There may be stray incidents of violence against minorities in India, but how can you compare that to the savage butchery in Pakistan where from conservative estimates thousands of people from minorities are murdered each year?

I quote:

The systematic persecution of religious minorities continues amidst prevailing anarchy across the Pakistan. The SATP database recorded at least 5,496 terrorism-related fatalities, including 1,781 civilians, 533 SF personnel and 3,182 terrorists, in 2014 as against 5,379 such fatalities, including 3,001 civilians, 676 SF personnel and 1,702 terrorists. In 2015, fatalities have already touched at least 697 (data till February 22), including 226 civilians, 59 SF personnel and 412 terrorists.
Latest Article 4 days ago...New York Times!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/w...s-power-and-is-thanked-for-doing-so.html?_r=0

"This year, the Pakistani Taliban have managed to carry out only a single major suicide bombing. The army’s success against the Talibanemboldened it to take on violent political parties and criminal gangs in the country’s biggest city, Karachi, through a paramilitary group known as theSindh Rangers. Despite complaints of human rights abuses in Karachi, and millions of internally displaced people from the tribal areas, most Pakistanis were simply relieved to see the violence hugely reduced."
 
Since most of which you quoted is just plain BS...I can show you 100 of articles which says India is supporting terrorists in Pakistan specially in Balochistan too,

Then show me...instead of quoting from a Pakistani blog. Which is pure nonsense.

Your claim was that "Situation in Pakistan is a lot worse as Ever"

Show me where I used those words?

On February 18, 2015, at least four Shias were killed and another six were injured in a suicide attack during evening prayers at a mosque inside Qasr-e-Sakina Imambargah (Shia place of worship) located on Kurri Road in the New Shakrial area of Rawalpindi District in Punjab. Police sources stated that the suicide bomber opened fire before trying to enter the mosque. When challenged by guards deployed at the Imambargah, the attacker attempted to detonate his explosive vest, but failed to do so. The explosive vest was diffused later. Fahad Marwat, a 'spokesman' of Jundullah, a splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claiming responsibility for the attack, declared that the blast was in a reaction to the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb [Sword of the Prophet] in the North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

On February 13, 2015, at least 22 Shias were killed and another 50 were injured when a three member suicide squad attacked an Imambargah in the Phase-5 locality of the Hayatabad area in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). As the entrance of the Imambargah is heavily guarded, the terrorists, dressed in Police uniforms, entered the Imambargah from another side of the mosque, cutting through barbed wire. The attack was executed when around 800 worshippers were offering Friday prayers. Of the three suicide bombers who entered the mosque, only one was able to blow himself up. A second was killed by Security Force (SF) personnel, while the third was arrested in an injured condition. Claiming responsibility for the attack, TTP ‘spokesperson’ Muhammad Khorasani declared, “It is the revenge of Dr. Usman who was hanged for attack on the Army’s headquarters.” Mohammed Aqeel aka Dr. Usman was among the two convicted terrorists who were hanged at the Faisalabad District Jail in the night of December 19, 2014.

On January 30, 2015, at least 61 Shias were killed and more than 50 were injured in a bomb attack on Karbala-e-Moalla Imambargah in the Lakhidar area of Shikarpur District in Sindh. More than 300 worshippers were inside the double-storey compound of the Imambargah and the prayer leader, Maulvi Tanveer Hussain Shah, was delivering the Friday sermon, when the bomb exploded. Ahmed Marwat of Jundullah, declared, “We claim responsibility for attack on Shias in Shikarpur very happily. Our target was the Shia community… They are our enemies.”

On January 9, 2015, eight persons were killed and another 25 were wounded in a bomb blast inside the Aun Muhammad Rizvi Imambargah in the Chittian Hattian locality of Rawalpindi city in Punjab. The blast occurred when prayers were in progress at the Imambargah.

Though terrorist formations have cited different reasons for these attacks, the reality is that the Shias in particular and all religious minorities in general, are under relentless attack across Pakistan. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), out of 226 civilian fatalities in the current year, 2015, (all data till February 22, 2015), at least 105, among those whose identities were confirmed, were Shia. The number has increased dramatically, after a sharp decline in 2014. Through 2014, out of a total of 1,781 civilian fatalities, Shias (identities confirmed) accounted for 116, as against 504 Shias killed out of a total of 3,001 civilian fatalities in 2013.

The actual situation is, likely, worse. According to the United States (US) Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report titled “Violence towards Religious Communities in Pakistan”, published in August 2014, over the one-year period from July 2013 to June 2014, at least 430 people were killed in a total 122 attacks against minorities. These include 222 Shias in 54 attacks; 128 Christians in 22 recorded incidents; 10 Ahmadis in 10 such attacks; and two Sikhs in three attacks. Four attacks were recorded on the Hindu community in this period, with no fatality reported. 29 attacks resulted in 68 fatalities among other religious/sectarian groups.

The systematic persecution of religious minorities continues amidst prevailing anarchy across the Pakistan. The SATP database recorded at least 5,496 terrorism-related fatalities, including 1,781 civilians, 533 SF personnel and 3,182 terrorists, in 2014 as against 5,379 such fatalities, including 3,001 civilians, 676 SF personnel and 1,702 terrorists. In 2015, fatalities have already touched at least 697 (data till February 22), including 226 civilians, 59 SF personnel and 412 terrorists.

While civilian fatalities recorded a steep decline in 2014, the level of brutality saw dramatic escalation. In particular, in one of the most barbaric acts of terror in the country, a seven-member TTP suicide squad killed at least 135 school children, ten school staff members, including the Principal, and three soldiers in an attack on the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar (capital of KP) on December 16, 2014. Schools and children have been targeted by terrorists before, but there was a conspicuous qualitative escalation in the Peshawar atrocity.

2014 also saw fewer SF fatalities, in comparison to 2013. Fatalities in this category have been on a decline since 2012, primarily due to a conscious effort by the SFs to avoid direct engagements with the terrorists on ground. On the other hand, terrorist fatalities, which had also been declining since 2012, for similar reasons, recorded a steep increase in 2014, with SFs launching a massive – primarily aerial – operation in NWA in the aftermath of the attack on Karachi Airport on June 8-9, 2014, in which at least 33 persons, including all ten attackers, were killed. The operation named Zarb-e-Azb, launched at 01:30am [PST] on June 15, 2014, still continues. The Director General (DG) of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, on January 16, 2015, claimed that SFs had killed 2,000 ‘terrorists’ under Operation Zarb-e-Azb, and also disclosed that 200 soldiers had been killed and another 800 had sustained injuries. No independent verification of these figures, or of the identities of the ‘terrorists’ killed, is possible, as media access to areas under the Operation is severely restricted.

Other parameters of violence, including suicide attacks, explosions, and major incidents, varied noticeably. Suicide attacks and resultant fatalities declined, with 336 killed in 25 such incidents in 2014, as against 43 suicide attacks resulting in 751 fatalities in 2013. Similarly, incidents of explosion and resultant fatalities in 2014 registered a sharp decline, from 574 incidents and 1,624 deaths in 2013, to 388 such incidents accounting for 846 fatalities through 2014. However, the number of major incidents (each involving three or more fatalities) and resultant deaths in 2014 increased, with 402 incidents and 4,173 fatalities, up from 355 incidents and 3,268 fatalities in 2013.

Violence was reported from across the country. FATA retained the distinction of being the most violent region, with the highest fatalities in 2014 (2,863), followed by Sindh (1,180), Balochistan (653), KP (617), Punjab (180), and Gilgit-Baltistan (3). In 2013, FATA with 1,716 fatalities, was the worst-affected, followed by Sindh (1,668), Balochistan (960), KP (936), Punjab (81), and Gilgit-Baltistan (18). While fatalities increased in FATA and Punjab in 2014, Balochistan, KP, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan witnessed some relief, as compared to the preceding year. SATP data indicates a dramatic rise in fatalities in Punjab, reversing a declining trend in the Province since 2010. Punjab has, for years, served as an ideological source, sanctuary and recruitment ground for various terrorist formations in Pakistan, and saw civilian fatalities increased from 64 in 2013, to 132 in 2014. On January 1, 2015, Awami National Party (ANP) Central General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain asserted that Punjab was a “training centre for terrorists and their masterminds” and demanded that the Government initiate decisive action against the terrorist leadership and infrastructure in the Province. He stressed, further, that “terrorism could not be eliminated from the country until an operation began against terrorist organisations in Punjab”. Pressing for action against terrorists, Hussain remarked that “there should be no distinction between good Taliban and bad Taliban and state institutions should take across-the-board action against terrorists.”

The threat of terrorism in Pakistan has been augmented further, as reports of the Islamic State’s (IS) outreach into the country gathered force. In June 2014, IS released a ‘world domination map’, including Pakistan within its projected ‘Khorasan’ region. IS now has a native Pakistani national - Hafiz Saeed Khan, a former 'commander' of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - as its Ameer (chief) for ‘Khorasan’. Khan replaced Afghan national Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost as the Ameer of the Khorasan Chapter.

Significantly, General John Campbell, the commander of The Resolute Support Mission, the new mission of US and NATO Forces in Afghanistan, warned on January 18, 2015, that IS was recruiting in Afghanistan and Pakistan: "We are seeing reports of some recruiting. There have been some night letter drops, there have been reports of people trying to recruit both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, quite frankly.”

The issue of ‘disappearances’, the continuing recovery of dead bodies, and the mounting numbers of missing persons continue to haunt the country. Pakistan’s Attorney General (AG) Salman Aslam Butt, on February 10, 2015, told a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, hearing an application filed by Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) Chairman Nasrullah Baloch, that 4,557 dead bodies had been recovered from all over the country over the preceding five years, and that 266 of these were unidentified.

Meanwhile, an orchestrated political drama brought Pakistan under siege during the latter part of 2014. Beginning August 16, 2014, Constitution Avenue in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, became the epicenter of violent demonstrations, with thousands belonging to the Imran Khan led-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) thronging to this venue. The crisis was brought to an end after the December 16, 2014, terrorist attack on APS Peshawar, when Imran Khan called off the protest (Qadri had earlier ended protests on October 22, 2014, claiming that the campaign had served its purpose of ‘awakening the nation’). Nevertheless, the protracted standoff with the Government certainly weakened the civilian Government’s position vis-a-vis the military even further, as it was widely believed that the crisis had been manipulated by the all-powerful Army.

In attempts to stall the country’s enduring hurtle into chaos, both Federal as well as Provincial Governments in Pakistan announced several measures through 2014, as in past years. Some of the most prominent among these included the lifting of the moratorium on execution of death penalties in terrorism-related cases on December 17, 2014, in the immediate aftermath of the Peshawar APS attack; and the launch of the National Internal Security Policy (NISP), among others. The Government also approved the 20-point National action Plan (NAP) ‘to root out terrorism’ in January 2015, and released a list of 5,400 suspected terrorists, to ‘swiftly execute’ a crackdown against sympathizers, financiers and facilitators of banned outfits across the country. After the lifting of the moratorium, at least 24 prisoners have been executed, including at least two with no connection to terrorism. Government officials also disclosed, on February 15, 2015, that over 600 hardcore terrorists have been arrested since the approval of NAP. Of these 600-plus terrorists, 320 belonged to TTP, while 311 had links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT). Significantly, however, the top leaderships of LeT and JeM continue to roam free, and in many cases, their actions are visibly facilitated by state agencies.

Unsurprisingly, these various measures are bound to fail, given Islamabad’s close and enduring ties with various terror formations thriving on its soil. In the latest admission of such bonding, former President General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf, in an interview published on February 13, 2015, admitted that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had supported the Taliban after 2001 because the then Afghan Government led by ex-President Hamid Karzai had an overwhelming number of non-Pashtuns and officials, who were said to favour India: "Obviously, we were looking for some groups to counter this Indian action against Pakistan. That is where the intelligence work comes in. Intelligence being in contact with Taliban groups. Definitely they were in contact, and they should be."

Crucially, Islamabad continues its policy of supporting select terrorist formations. In the aftermath of the December 16 Peshawar APS attack, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had made many bold claims about rooting out all terrorists, without discrimination. What followed, however, was in complete contrast, and reaffirmed the conviction that Islamabad would never abide by its promises to end support to terrorism.

Indeed, soon after the APS attack, top LeT ‘commander’ Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai 26/11 attacks was granted bail by Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court on December 18, 2014, citing ‘lack of evidence’. However, after several u-turns, under intense pressure from India and the international community, Lakhvi continued to remain behind bars. Similarly, despite several reports and claims of a ban on the ‘charitable organization’ Jama'at-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the Haqqani Network in the aftermath of the Peshawar APS attack, it was subsequently confirmed that these outfits remained ‘legal’. Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, while clarifying that the Government has not outlawed any group after the APS attack, declared, on February 11, 2015, "Yes we are a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Charter and we will devise a policy on this topic [But] so far, we have only added 10 organisations - proscribed by the UN - to our watch list." Interestingly,the Supreme Court on January 22, 2015, had directed the Federal Government to upload on its websites, details pertaining to terrorist outfits banned by the Government. The Court observed that no such record was available and friendly countries should also be informed in this regard. The Government claims that it has banned 63 terrorist outfits, but no record or notification of such a list is in the public domain.

Pakistan has recorded apparent cycles of relief in terms of various indices of terrorism, essentially when state Forces have backed off and sought disengagement from the extremists. The assault against civilians, particularly minorities, however, continues, and even mounts during these periods, clearly demonstrating the intent and capability of the terrorist groupings. Ham handed operations by state Forces, overwhelmingly depending on area weapons and aerial attacks, have inflicted large fatalities across widespread target areas, but the residual capacities of the targeted groups, after such operations, appear undiminished. Worse, the state-backed process of radicalization and the selective support by state institutions to a number of ‘loyal’ terrorist formations, continues to expand the spaces for domestic and international terrorism in Pakistan. There is, however, no single political entity in Pakistan that has demonstrated the will and the courage to challenge the edicts of majoritarian religious extremists in the country, or to act against all terrorist formations without discriminating between the ‘good Taliban and bad Taliban’.

There is a long, dark tunnel ahead, for Pakistan to traverse, before the possibility of approaching light.
 
Then show me...instead of quoting from a Pakistani blog. Which is pure nonsense.



Show me where I used those words?

On February 18, 2015, at least four Shias were killed and another six were injured in a suicide attack during evening prayers at a mosque inside Qasr-e-Sakina Imambargah (Shia place of worship) located on Kurri Road in the New Shakrial area of Rawalpindi District in Punjab. Police sources stated that the suicide bomber opened fire before trying to enter the mosque. When challenged by guards deployed at the Imambargah, the attacker attempted to detonate his explosive vest, but failed to do so. The explosive vest was diffused later. Fahad Marwat, a 'spokesman' of Jundullah, a splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claiming responsibility for the attack, declared that the blast was in a reaction to the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb [Sword of the Prophet] in the North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

On February 13, 2015, at least 22 Shias were killed and another 50 were injured when a three member suicide squad attacked an Imambargah in the Phase-5 locality of the Hayatabad area in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). As the entrance of the Imambargah is heavily guarded, the terrorists, dressed in Police uniforms, entered the Imambargah from another side of the mosque, cutting through barbed wire. The attack was executed when around 800 worshippers were offering Friday prayers. Of the three suicide bombers who entered the mosque, only one was able to blow himself up. A second was killed by Security Force (SF) personnel, while the third was arrested in an injured condition. Claiming responsibility for the attack, TTP ‘spokesperson’ Muhammad Khorasani declared, “It is the revenge of Dr. Usman who was hanged for attack on the Army’s headquarters.” Mohammed Aqeel aka Dr. Usman was among the two convicted terrorists who were hanged at the Faisalabad District Jail in the night of December 19, 2014.

On January 30, 2015, at least 61 Shias were killed and more than 50 were injured in a bomb attack on Karbala-e-Moalla Imambargah in the Lakhidar area of Shikarpur District in Sindh. More than 300 worshippers were inside the double-storey compound of the Imambargah and the prayer leader, Maulvi Tanveer Hussain Shah, was delivering the Friday sermon, when the bomb exploded. Ahmed Marwat of Jundullah, declared, “We claim responsibility for attack on Shias in Shikarpur very happily. Our target was the Shia community… They are our enemies.”

On January 9, 2015, eight persons were killed and another 25 were wounded in a bomb blast inside the Aun Muhammad Rizvi Imambargah in the Chittian Hattian locality of Rawalpindi city in Punjab. The blast occurred when prayers were in progress at the Imambargah.

Though terrorist formations have cited different reasons for these attacks, the reality is that the Shias in particular and all religious minorities in general, are under relentless attack across Pakistan. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), out of 226 civilian fatalities in the current year, 2015, (all data till February 22, 2015), at least 105, among those whose identities were confirmed, were Shia. The number has increased dramatically, after a sharp decline in 2014. Through 2014, out of a total of 1,781 civilian fatalities, Shias (identities confirmed) accounted for 116, as against 504 Shias killed out of a total of 3,001 civilian fatalities in 2013.

The actual situation is, likely, worse. According to the United States (US) Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report titled “Violence towards Religious Communities in Pakistan”, published in August 2014, over the one-year period from July 2013 to June 2014, at least 430 people were killed in a total 122 attacks against minorities. These include 222 Shias in 54 attacks; 128 Christians in 22 recorded incidents; 10 Ahmadis in 10 such attacks; and two Sikhs in three attacks. Four attacks were recorded on the Hindu community in this period, with no fatality reported. 29 attacks resulted in 68 fatalities among other religious/sectarian groups.

The systematic persecution of religious minorities continues amidst prevailing anarchy across the Pakistan. The SATP database recorded at least 5,496 terrorism-related fatalities, including 1,781 civilians, 533 SF personnel and 3,182 terrorists, in 2014 as against 5,379 such fatalities, including 3,001 civilians, 676 SF personnel and 1,702 terrorists. In 2015, fatalities have already touched at least 697 (data till February 22), including 226 civilians, 59 SF personnel and 412 terrorists.

While civilian fatalities recorded a steep decline in 2014, the level of brutality saw dramatic escalation. In particular, in one of the most barbaric acts of terror in the country, a seven-member TTP suicide squad killed at least 135 school children, ten school staff members, including the Principal, and three soldiers in an attack on the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar (capital of KP) on December 16, 2014. Schools and children have been targeted by terrorists before, but there was a conspicuous qualitative escalation in the Peshawar atrocity.

2014 also saw fewer SF fatalities, in comparison to 2013. Fatalities in this category have been on a decline since 2012, primarily due to a conscious effort by the SFs to avoid direct engagements with the terrorists on ground. On the other hand, terrorist fatalities, which had also been declining since 2012, for similar reasons, recorded a steep increase in 2014, with SFs launching a massive – primarily aerial – operation in NWA in the aftermath of the attack on Karachi Airport on June 8-9, 2014, in which at least 33 persons, including all ten attackers, were killed. The operation named Zarb-e-Azb, launched at 01:30am [PST] on June 15, 2014, still continues. The Director General (DG) of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, on January 16, 2015, claimed that SFs had killed 2,000 ‘terrorists’ under Operation Zarb-e-Azb, and also disclosed that 200 soldiers had been killed and another 800 had sustained injuries. No independent verification of these figures, or of the identities of the ‘terrorists’ killed, is possible, as media access to areas under the Operation is severely restricted.

Other parameters of violence, including suicide attacks, explosions, and major incidents, varied noticeably. Suicide attacks and resultant fatalities declined, with 336 killed in 25 such incidents in 2014, as against 43 suicide attacks resulting in 751 fatalities in 2013. Similarly, incidents of explosion and resultant fatalities in 2014 registered a sharp decline, from 574 incidents and 1,624 deaths in 2013, to 388 such incidents accounting for 846 fatalities through 2014. However, the number of major incidents (each involving three or more fatalities) and resultant deaths in 2014 increased, with 402 incidents and 4,173 fatalities, up from 355 incidents and 3,268 fatalities in 2013.

Violence was reported from across the country. FATA retained the distinction of being the most violent region, with the highest fatalities in 2014 (2,863), followed by Sindh (1,180), Balochistan (653), KP (617), Punjab (180), and Gilgit-Baltistan (3). In 2013, FATA with 1,716 fatalities, was the worst-affected, followed by Sindh (1,668), Balochistan (960), KP (936), Punjab (81), and Gilgit-Baltistan (18). While fatalities increased in FATA and Punjab in 2014, Balochistan, KP, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan witnessed some relief, as compared to the preceding year. SATP data indicates a dramatic rise in fatalities in Punjab, reversing a declining trend in the Province since 2010. Punjab has, for years, served as an ideological source, sanctuary and recruitment ground for various terrorist formations in Pakistan, and saw civilian fatalities increased from 64 in 2013, to 132 in 2014. On January 1, 2015, Awami National Party (ANP) Central General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain asserted that Punjab was a “training centre for terrorists and their masterminds” and demanded that the Government initiate decisive action against the terrorist leadership and infrastructure in the Province. He stressed, further, that “terrorism could not be eliminated from the country until an operation began against terrorist organisations in Punjab”. Pressing for action against terrorists, Hussain remarked that “there should be no distinction between good Taliban and bad Taliban and state institutions should take across-the-board action against terrorists.”

The threat of terrorism in Pakistan has been augmented further, as reports of the Islamic State’s (IS) outreach into the country gathered force. In June 2014, IS released a ‘world domination map’, including Pakistan within its projected ‘Khorasan’ region. IS now has a native Pakistani national - Hafiz Saeed Khan, a former 'commander' of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - as its Ameer (chief) for ‘Khorasan’. Khan replaced Afghan national Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost as the Ameer of the Khorasan Chapter.

Significantly, General John Campbell, the commander of The Resolute Support Mission, the new mission of US and NATO Forces in Afghanistan, warned on January 18, 2015, that IS was recruiting in Afghanistan and Pakistan: "We are seeing reports of some recruiting. There have been some night letter drops, there have been reports of people trying to recruit both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, quite frankly.”

The issue of ‘disappearances’, the continuing recovery of dead bodies, and the mounting numbers of missing persons continue to haunt the country. Pakistan’s Attorney General (AG) Salman Aslam Butt, on February 10, 2015, told a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, hearing an application filed by Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) Chairman Nasrullah Baloch, that 4,557 dead bodies had been recovered from all over the country over the preceding five years, and that 266 of these were unidentified.

Meanwhile, an orchestrated political drama brought Pakistan under siege during the latter part of 2014. Beginning August 16, 2014, Constitution Avenue in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, became the epicenter of violent demonstrations, with thousands belonging to the Imran Khan led-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) thronging to this venue. The crisis was brought to an end after the December 16, 2014, terrorist attack on APS Peshawar, when Imran Khan called off the protest (Qadri had earlier ended protests on October 22, 2014, claiming that the campaign had served its purpose of ‘awakening the nation’). Nevertheless, the protracted standoff with the Government certainly weakened the civilian Government’s position vis-a-vis the military even further, as it was widely believed that the crisis had been manipulated by the all-powerful Army.

In attempts to stall the country’s enduring hurtle into chaos, both Federal as well as Provincial Governments in Pakistan announced several measures through 2014, as in past years. Some of the most prominent among these included the lifting of the moratorium on execution of death penalties in terrorism-related cases on December 17, 2014, in the immediate aftermath of the Peshawar APS attack; and the launch of the National Internal Security Policy (NISP), among others. The Government also approved the 20-point National action Plan (NAP) ‘to root out terrorism’ in January 2015, and released a list of 5,400 suspected terrorists, to ‘swiftly execute’ a crackdown against sympathizers, financiers and facilitators of banned outfits across the country. After the lifting of the moratorium, at least 24 prisoners have been executed, including at least two with no connection to terrorism. Government officials also disclosed, on February 15, 2015, that over 600 hardcore terrorists have been arrested since the approval of NAP. Of these 600-plus terrorists, 320 belonged to TTP, while 311 had links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT). Significantly, however, the top leaderships of LeT and JeM continue to roam free, and in many cases, their actions are visibly facilitated by state agencies.

Unsurprisingly, these various measures are bound to fail, given Islamabad’s close and enduring ties with various terror formations thriving on its soil. In the latest admission of such bonding, former President General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf, in an interview published on February 13, 2015, admitted that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had supported the Taliban after 2001 because the then Afghan Government led by ex-President Hamid Karzai had an overwhelming number of non-Pashtuns and officials, who were said to favour India: "Obviously, we were looking for some groups to counter this Indian action against Pakistan. That is where the intelligence work comes in. Intelligence being in contact with Taliban groups. Definitely they were in contact, and they should be."

Crucially, Islamabad continues its policy of supporting select terrorist formations. In the aftermath of the December 16 Peshawar APS attack, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had made many bold claims about rooting out all terrorists, without discrimination. What followed, however, was in complete contrast, and reaffirmed the conviction that Islamabad would never abide by its promises to end support to terrorism.

Indeed, soon after the APS attack, top LeT ‘commander’ Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai 26/11 attacks was granted bail by Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court on December 18, 2014, citing ‘lack of evidence’. However, after several u-turns, under intense pressure from India and the international community, Lakhvi continued to remain behind bars. Similarly, despite several reports and claims of a ban on the ‘charitable organization’ Jama'at-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the Haqqani Network in the aftermath of the Peshawar APS attack, it was subsequently confirmed that these outfits remained ‘legal’. Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, while clarifying that the Government has not outlawed any group after the APS attack, declared, on February 11, 2015, "Yes we are a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Charter and we will devise a policy on this topic [But] so far, we have only added 10 organisations - proscribed by the UN - to our watch list." Interestingly,the Supreme Court on January 22, 2015, had directed the Federal Government to upload on its websites, details pertaining to terrorist outfits banned by the Government. The Court observed that no such record was available and friendly countries should also be informed in this regard. The Government claims that it has banned 63 terrorist outfits, but no record or notification of such a list is in the public domain.

Pakistan has recorded apparent cycles of relief in terms of various indices of terrorism, essentially when state Forces have backed off and sought disengagement from the extremists. The assault against civilians, particularly minorities, however, continues, and even mounts during these periods, clearly demonstrating the intent and capability of the terrorist groupings. Ham handed operations by state Forces, overwhelmingly depending on area weapons and aerial attacks, have inflicted large fatalities across widespread target areas, but the residual capacities of the targeted groups, after such operations, appear undiminished. Worse, the state-backed process of radicalization and the selective support by state institutions to a number of ‘loyal’ terrorist formations, continues to expand the spaces for domestic and international terrorism in Pakistan. There is, however, no single political entity in Pakistan that has demonstrated the will and the courage to challenge the edicts of majoritarian religious extremists in the country, or to act against all terrorist formations without discriminating between the ‘good Taliban and bad Taliban’.

There is a long, dark tunnel ahead, for Pakistan to traverse, before the possibility of approaching light.
You are living in PAST my friend...

Latest Article 4 days ago...New York Times!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/w...s-power-and-is-thanked-for-doing-so.html?_r=0

"This year, the Pakistani Taliban have managed to carry out only a single major suicide bombing. The army’s success against the Talibanemboldened it to take on violent political parties and criminal gangs in the country’s biggest city, Karachi, through a paramilitary group known as theSindh Rangers. Despite complaints of human rights abuses in Karachi, and millions of internally displaced people from the tribal areas, most Pakistanis were simply relieved to see the violence hugely reduced."

It is not Indian news, but entire world media, US Department of State Annual Terrorism Report, CIA reports, etc, that talk of Pakistan's role.

For example, quoting from the same report that you mentioned:

In attempts to stall the country’s enduring hurtle into chaos, both Federal as well as Provincial Governments in Pakistan announced several measures through 2014, as in past years.....
.....Unsurprisingly, these various measures are bound to fail, given Islamabad’s close and enduring ties with various terror formations thriving on its soil. In the latest admission of such bonding, former President General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf, in an interview published on February 13, 2015, admitted that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had supported the Taliban after 2001 because the then Afghan Government led by ex-President Hamid Karzai had an overwhelming number of non-Pashtuns and officials, who were said to favour India: "Obviously, we were looking for some groups to counter this Indian action against Pakistan. That is where the intelligence work comes in. Intelligence being in contact with Taliban groups. Definitely they were in contact, and they should be."




The situation is as bad as ever. If there were over 1,100 fatalities in any country due to terrorism, one wouldn't try to brush it under the carpet unless they are Pakistani. And that is just tip of the iceberg, most hate-crime in Pakistan, such as murder of minorities, is not even counted as terrorism. Your initial assertion was that Pakistan is doing very well,
showed you the facts.



No we don't. Stop lying. We have not massacred our minority population from 20% to 4% like Pakistan has. Our minority population has doubled since independence. There may be stray incidents of violence against minorities in India, but how can you compare that to the savage butchery in Pakistan where from conservative estimates thousands of people from minorities are murdered each year?

I quote:

The systematic persecution of religious minorities continues amidst prevailing anarchy across the Pakistan. The SATP database recorded at least 5,496 terrorism-related fatalities, including 1,781 civilians, 533 SF personnel and 3,182 terrorists, in 2014 as against 5,379 such fatalities, including 3,001 civilians, 676 SF personnel and 1,702 terrorists. In 2015, fatalities have already touched at least 697 (data till February 22), including 226 civilians, 59 SF personnel and 412 terrorists.
Here...And when you compared Pakistan with Afghanistan..It is obvious what you think...!!
 
"This year, the Pakistani Taliban have managed to carry out only a single major suicide bombing. The army’s success against the Talibanemboldened it to take on violent political parties and criminal gangs in the country’s biggest city, Karachi, through a paramilitary group known as theSindh Rangers. Despite complaints of human rights abuses in Karachi, and millions of internally displaced people from the tribal areas, most Pakistanis were simply relieved to see the violence hugely reduced."

Apart from saying that human rights abuses are being made by Sindh Rangers, what is the specific input? Is it mentioned in the article that more than 1,100 people have lost their lives? How is that "hugely reduced"?

You are living in PAST my friend...

Latest Article 4 days ago...New York Times!

I said that in reference to your claim that India is involved in terrorism in Pakistan. Stop BS. Show me the proof.
 
Apart from saying that human rights abuses are being made by Sindh Rangers, what is the specific input? Is it mentioned in the article that more than 1,100 people have lost their lives? How is that "hugely reduced"?
Hahahahahaha :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: Don't waste my time kid...The topic here is Suicide bombings in Pakistan..First you said it is same as ever, then you said you show me Pakistani blog, I showed you NY times, and now you pick up Human rights violations...This happens in WAR...Indian army too accused of this in Kashmir...Now don't waste my time..Go ahead, think what you like..Not my problem...!
 
Hahahahahaha :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: Don't waste my time kid...The topic here is Suicide bombings in Pakistan..First you said it is same as ever, then you said you show me Pakistani blog, I showed you NY times, and now you pick up Human rights violations...This happens in WAR...Indian army too accused of this in Kashmir...Now don't waste my time..Go ahead, think what you like..Not my problem...!

I said that in the context of your claim that India is sponsoring your countries problems. Typical liar. And maybe in the failed state where you live, over 1,100 fatalities in terror acts in less than a year mean "nothing", but in the rest of the world it would be treated as a catastrophe.

I can show you 100 of articles which says India is supporting terrorists in Pakistan specially in Balochistan too,

This was the quote,shameless liar.
 
I said that in the context of your claim that India is sponsoring your countries problems. Typical liar. And maybe in the failed state where you live, over 1,100 fatalities in terror acts in less than a year mean "nothing", but in the rest of the world it would be treated as a catastrophe.



This was the quote,shameless liar.
Now personal attacks? Run out of arguments and reasons? The world you are talking about also has a country USA whose report I just showed you and 300 attacks in half year is also a catastrophe is Shining India...You showed your hatred by mentioning this bold part...India has been whining about Pakistan is a failed state..No one gives a shit,we are still here!
Now Kid,You successfully wasted my time, go ahead...Pakistan is a failed state..This should give you good sleep..! Byee..!
 
India will continue to protect its intrests there by seeing to it no taliban like govt comes into power there again
None of the major external parties involved - US, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China - want a 'Taliban like government' in Afghanistan. What they all want is a sustained end to the insurgency, which, given the destruction of Afghanistan's government and social institutions over decades of war, will require some sort of accomodation with the Taliban, ideally with minimal to no changes to the current Afghan constitution.

As usual all I see in the OP are lot of comments by Pakistani sources but none quoted from US confirming the chief assertion made.
Why do multiple official statements, on the record by US officials, describing engagement with the Taliban as a critical component of long lasting peace in Afghanistan, not support the authors contention in your view?

India sixth most affected by terrorism....carried on by Pakistani proxies of LeT, JuD etc. Say the complete sentence.
Stating that Pakistan or Pakistan supported groups are behind the majority of casualties in India is completely false - if you had actually taken a look at the breakdown of terrorist/insurgent related casualties in India on the SATP link you responded to you, for the past several years, you would know that.
 
Stating that Pakistan or Pakistan supported groups are behind the majority of casualties in India is completely false - if you had actually taken a look at the breakdown of terrorist/insurgent related casualties in India on the SATP link you responded to you, for the past several years, you would know that.

Pakistani ISI support for Maoist terror and insurgency in the North East is well known:

ISI hand in the Maoist insurgency to subvert India | IndiaFactsIndiaFacts

Pakistan ISI admits supporting insurgency in India's Northeast | Daily Mail Online

Quite the cancer your country has spread, be proud of it.
 
Did you write this ? Always include the source URL of the publication !!

Indians may quietly be told to let US, Pakistan work out Afghan peace policy - thenews.com.pk

What a joke!!! From where did this tittle which is indeed very strong enough words to break down ever expanding trust between India and US. ?

Just an Pakistani author interpretation? Leaving India out of Pakistan and then what? Bring in taliban at the center and throw people's government in Afghanistan against their will?

Wonder how one can publish some unknown intelligent guy who THINKS this was the meaning?

For : check bold statement

Amember of his team said “there was complete understanding of our positions on both the Republican and Democratic party sides” while the military understood that Pakistan had to play a critical role in the Afghan solution and thus had to be helped and not distracted by others playing dirty games.



This position was articulated by chief spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa in his media briefing who said the US now sees Pakistan “not from the Indian prism” but as a country which had to be handled independent of others.

Seriously?

YES SIR
latest

Yes for what? You wrote this article?
 
Pakistani ISI support for Maoist terror and insurgency in the North East is well known:

ISI hand in the Maoist insurgency to subvert India | IndiaFactsIndiaFacts

Pakistan ISI admits supporting insurgency in India's Northeast | Daily Mail Online

Quite the cancer your country has spread, be proud of it.
Unsubstantiated Indian allegations are well known - where exactly is Asad Durrani's actual quote or his actual statements regarding ISI support for rebels in India's North East?
 
Unsubstantiated Indian allegations are well known - where exactly is Asad Durrani's actual quote or his actual statements regarding ISI support for rebels in India's North East?

The statement was made during judicial proceedings before the Supreme Court. I would expect you to treat it seriously, and not launch into yet another "where is the proof" escapades.

In the meanwhile, let me regale you with this published piece from Yale's Macmillan Center:

India’s Treacherous Northeast

I quote:

.....The ULFA insurgency followed rebellions in other parts of the northeast populated by Tibeto-Burman peoples. The Nagas had fought for separation from India since the mid-1950s, with material support from Pakistan and China and encouragement from Christian groups. The Mizos fought since the late 1960s, and in the Imphal valley of Manipur, left-wing militants had launched a violent campaign to turn their state into an independent republic......

....India’s arch-enemy Pakistan provided sanctuaries, military training, and weapons for Naga and Mizo rebels. Indian troops marched into Dhaka in December 1971 and found rebel leaders from both groups.....

.....ULFA searched for new comrades-in-arms to establish bases outside India and soon found an ally in Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence, ISI. In March 1992, Barua and several of his lieutenants had just come from Singapore where he had bought sophisticated communications equipment. He made no secret of the fact that Pakistan supported ULFA and encouraged the group to step up activities in Assam.....If serious trouble were to erupt once again in Assam, ISI evidently hoped that the division and possibly other units would be pulled from Kashmir.


India’s Treacherous Northeast

The piece has been written by a journalist who had repeatedly interviewed Paresh Barua, Commander-in-chief of ULFA. These facts were divulged by Barua himself.

Look, I have interacted with you before. I don't mind exchanging posts and barbs with you. But for the sake of brevity we should establish certain ground rules:

- Do not work under the assumption that you have to either concede or refute anything. You can make your point, I will make mine. Working under the afore-mentioned presumption tends to force your hand, as it makes you attempt to dismiss every sentence based on clever first principle arguments.
- As a result, there is a severe disincentive to research and post material, as anyone who wishes to deny can simply concoct a seemingly credible argument to assail the source. Mind you, that only works with those who wish to agree with you in the first place, but it is discouraging nonetheless.
- The threshold that you often set is nearly impossible to meet. I posted an article from Mail Online, which clearly mentioned that the statement by Asif Durrani was made during court proceeding. Now you want to send me on a wild goose chase for the original transcript. Now I have posted from a Yale article, you will ask for further testimonials. Where does this end?
- The Pakistani denial game seems to be based upon a triple-layered structure. For those making mere statements, no matter how well-established or self-evident it might be, you will ask for a source. Once a source is given, you will ask for the primary material based on which the piece was written. The conversation on PDF will break down at that level. For most assertions, neither you nor me will have recourse to primary sources - all we can rely upon are news and analysis available in the public domain. So you stand vindicated, right? But when the Indian government/CIA/US Department of State provide evidence of Pakistani involvement in terrorism, it's not that your government accepts that as well, does it?

So tell me, what will satisfy the threshold? Make that clear and stick to it. Otherwise let us stick to trading assertions and allegations. What's the point of pretending to engage in a conversation, when the outcome is already pre-decided?
 
11-21-2015_40785_l_T.jpg



WASHINGTON: Intense discussions lasting about two and a half hours between US Vice President Joe Biden and Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif at the White House on Thursday have spurred widely believed speculation that the US side now understands Pakistan better.



“Not just our international and regional, but even domestic constraints and compulsions in the war against terror are also very clearly understood in Washington and most of them agree with our outlook,” a highly-placed member of the civil and military team said after meeting Joe Biden.



As against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent visit and meeting with President Obama, the nature of talks between the US national security team and top Pakistani generals, as one diplomat put it, “meant real business, thrashing out the nitty-gritty.”



General Raheel met almost every tier of the US security, civil and military establishment, beginning at the CIA and ending at the NSA on Friday before flying off to Brazil and in between these meetings he saw the full spectrum of US politicians and decision makers on The Hill.



A member of his team said “there was complete understanding of our positions on both the Republican and Democratic party sides” while the military understood that Pakistan had to play a critical role in the Afghan solution and thus had to be helped and not distracted by others playing dirty games.



This position was articulated by chief spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa in his media briefing who said the US now sees Pakistan “not from the Indian prism” but as a country which had to be handled independent of others.



One interpretation of this comment was that this could mean that the Indians may be quietly told to let the US and Pakistan work out contours of a regional reconciliation policy in Afghanistan “in peace.”



Army chief Gen Raheel also referred to these developments in his address to the Pakistani community on Thursday night which was marred by a lot of confusion about whether it could be, or should be, reported by the media.



We were first told that the speech would be off-the-record. No phones, recorders and even pads and pens were allowed in the hall. Everyone heard in rapt silence and a lot of ovation was given when Gen Raheel made some comments about the ongoing operations and the will of the army to take them to the logical conclusion, come what may.



Then the army chief visited every table to meet guests and when he came to the media table he was politely asked why his speech had been barred from the media. He laughed off the suggestion and referred the matter to Gen Bajwa, who said a briefing was to be given soon.



He did brief the media and gave salient points of the visit, the talks and the speech. But then a TV channel started reporting Raheel’s speech in news tickers and confusion was compounded.



The main points of the speech were picked up by other TV channels and nothing was left off the record. The Pakistan Embassy joined the fray on Friday morning by issuing a censored and tailored version of the speech.



What the embassy missed out were references made by Gen Raheel on the ongoing operation in Pakistan and discussion of internal civil-military relations was totally off the table.



The embassy press release stated: “General Raheel Sharif expressed the unflinching commitment of the armed forces to ensuring peace and security in the country as well as in countering the external threats. He asserted that the Armed Forces of Pakistan would take the war against terrorism to its logical conclusion and would not let the sacrifices of martyrs go in vain.”



What the embassy tried to omit were the very explicit and categorical remarks by Gen Raheel that the financiers, abettors, helpers and supporters of terrorism will be pursued at a great speed and there was no time to waste.



This obviously referred to some of the high-profile cases now being pursued but this was not something which had not been said earlier by the army many times. So why ban it now.



Gen Raheel repeated this twice, once at the beginning and then ending his speech.The security at the event was so tight that even a top level delegation of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), now visiting the US, was kept out as there were no seats available.



But curiously two very controversial men made their way to the banquet hall, one named in the current Dr Asim Hussain investigation of money laundering and another brother of a PPP minister who was named in the Ayyan Ali money laundering case.



What these guys were trying to do was not clear and who let them in, with such tight security around, is also a mystery.



But the tone and confidence of Gen Raheel to continue with the operation in Pakistan assured the audience, which gave him a big ovation. It was clear that soon the pace of the operations will pick up speed and at one point the army chief used the specific words: “No reversal, come what may.”



A general in his delegation quietly said this freight train of the ops was “without a reverse gear and even without brakes.”The official briefing by Gen Bajwa indicated the Afghan “recon” policy, a word used repeatedly in talks and speeches, will pick up pace and regional moves will be soon visible.



This was also true for the operations against the financiers and supporters of terrorists and he told his briefing “You will soon see the pace and the priorities that have been decided.”When I asked Gen Bajwa at his briefing if he could specify what are the elements of the priority list which the army thinks have not yet been addressed with speed, he said: “Don’t let us give out our strategy to the enemies. You will see what happens soon.”
Source: The News

India would also be quietly told to come into Afghanistan if Pakistan does not mend it's ways and heed to US' advise.
 

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