'Declare FATA Part of Afghanistan War': US Think-Tank

[Lockheed F-16]

Declare FATA part of Afghan war: U.S. think-tank
Updated at: 1732 PST, Thursday, January 08, 2009
WASHINGTON: A US-based think-tank has asked the incoming Obama administration to declare it a part of the Afghan war theatre, terming the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan as the "most dangerous place" in the world,.

Observing that a "nuclear Pakistan as a base for international terrorism is a prospect that the world cannot afford," the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) asked the US government to redefine the territory of war in the region to include FATA.

This, it said, would help CENTCOM the US Central Command to cooperate with the Pakistan army in both military and economic development efforts as needed and agreed on by both the countries.

The observations were part of a report "FATA A Most Dangerous Place" authored by Shuja Nawaz, a Pakistani journalist, who has just been appointed as the first Director of the South Asia Centre at the Atlantic Council of the US.

"FATA remains a most dangerous place, with the failure of governance and the rise of militancy affecting Afghanistan and Pakistan not only individually and separately but also jointly," Nawaz said, concluding his observations.

"A nuclear Pakistan as a base for international terrorism is a prospect that the world cannot afford," he said.

Author of the book "Crossed Swords: Pakistan, its Army and the War Within" released last year, Nawaz was the first war correspondent of Pakistani Television in 1971, according to his bio put on his website.

In his foreward to the report, Arnaud De Borchgrave, director Transnational Threats, CSIS said: "Pakistan is the ground zero in the US-jihadist war."

 

[F.O.X]

US can go to hell, as if i care.

I only care about the peoples of this country, Declaring FATA a part of war will give USA a free hand to demonstrate its open state terrorism, & will result in Killing more Pakistanis,
only message i want to give to us is that .
"JUST STAY THE HELL OUT OF OUR BUSINESS, WE HAVE ALREADY SUFFERED TOO MUCH BCOZ OF YOU"



Regards
PRimeX

 

[Ratus Ratus]

How about trying to READ the report “FATA: A Most Dangerous Place” before spouting off about a half cocked journalistic piece of reporting.

You will find a downloadable version of the report here:
CSIS Publications - FATA--A Most Dangerous Place

With respect to this thread the report states to quote:

“Declare FATA as part of the Afghan war theatre so CENTCOM can operate with the Pakistan Army in both military and economic development efforts as needed and agreed on by both countries.”

If you bother to actually read the report you will find it is nothing like the junk from the un-sourced article initially posted.

 

[S-2]

One step further. Here is the event itself to include the roundtable video discussion. I believe that Mr. Nawaz is a friend of one of our esteemed board members here who shall go unnamed. This is important stuff and not to be misunderstood here as is undoubtedly already the case.

These guys at CSIS do as good a job as anybody in the world to include CFR and IISS in England. Helps when folks actually read and watch before commenting-

FATA: A Most Dangerous Place Event-CSIS

 

[BATMAN]

At present not only FATA is dangerous but the whole region is a dengerous place!
It is all in the geography.
As far I remember till late 90's FATA use to be the top tourist spot of Pakistan. A must visit place for foreigners due to its culture and gun market.

Any how, we can propogate any thing to serve our interests but ground reality is that stronger presence of Taliban is in larger Afghanistan. Which in reality are bigger threat and ignoring a larger threat is no wisdom and will have consequencies i.e. Karzai govt. will never be implemented beyond and around Kabul and which unfortunately happens to be next to Pak border.
As far indian soldiers crossing in to Pakistan in disguise of Taliban (with truck loads of RDX) are being dealt by Pak army.

 

[S-2]

de Borchgrave gave the FIRST draft copy, sans graphs and charts, to Gen. David Petraeus.

I'd read it and watch the video if I considered myself any sort of student of this war. These are not stupid men and they possess access to the highest levels of government.

 

[BATMAN]

Yes you are right they are not stupid men but those who invaded Iraq in search of WMD and Afghanistan in search OBL.

 

[UnitedPak]

I dont think they realise how much man power and fire power that region contains. Good luck 'walking in' and finding the leadership.

 

[kidwaibhai]

i think this would be politically impossible for the government of Pakistan. If we do this then this would other countries to come into FATA and conduct operations which in the long run will hurt pakistan because this will further alienate the people living in those regions

 

[Omar1984]

Alot of Afghanis want FATA annexed to Afghanistan, maybe U.S. is working on that.

 

[was]

the us can go to hell. if they can,t handle afghanistan let,s forget about fata

 

[Evil Flare]

Alot of Afghanis want FATA annexed to Afghanistan, maybe U.S. is working on that.

Afghanis Cant able to Handle their Land
& they want from PAKISTAN ...

I think we should Claim ALL Afghanistan . This is in our interest

 

[Omar1984]

hahaha not only they want FATA, they also want NWFP, FATA, and Balochistan. When a map of future afghanistan and pakistan was out by US think-tank, many afghanis were happy...I think US maybe working on afghani people's dream, but afghanis should realize that US plans to control afghanistan for a long long time even if they want a larger afghanistan, they want a larger afghanistan for themselves not for afghanis.

 

[S-2]

Control your vulgarity. You're rude.

 

[RedBaron]

One step further. Here is the event itself to include the roundtable video discussion. I believe that Mr. Nawaz is a friend of one of our esteemed board members here who shall go unnamed. This is important stuff and not to be misunderstood here as is undoubtedly already the case.

These guys at CSIS do as good a job as anybody in the world to include CFR and IISS in England. Helps when folks actually read and watch before commenting-

FATA: A Most Dangerous Place Event-CSIS

The video is excellent education. These guys know what they are talking about and offer some invaluable advice. One can only hope GoP has the willpower to effect at least some of the recommendations.

I'm obviously not a Pakistani but even an outsider like me can clearly see that these gentlemen have Pakistan's best interests at heart and are well positioned to make these recommendations. I would urge my Pakistani friends to read and watch in its entirety and have an objective discussion regarding the report. I look forward to some objective comments from Pakistanis regarding this topic.