Don't blame Pakistan for your own Failures of War! - Imran Khan

[Fighter488]

Why his popularity does not convert into votes..
Seems a good leader but lets see if he has the capability to lead his party to victory..

He seems a good leader, I agree.
I think his party do not have a good access at grass-root level among Pakistani populace. This is the reason his party is unable to convert the support in to solid results at election time. He need to work more to reach to the general population, understand and know thier problems first hand and suggest a solution as well. Then he can ask for vote to his party to implement these solutions. Untill then his PERSONAL CHARM would give him a worldwide audience but not enough support through ballot box.

His views on International matters are quite clear and un-ambigous unlike most Pakistani politicians. He has clarity of thoughts on most issues.

Good luck to him and his party.

 

[nForce]

I have a few questions as well as a few arguments.I will try to put them forward in a categorized manner.

Before the West invaded Afghanistan my country had no suicide bombers, no jihad and no Talebanisation.
If it is the terrorists that the author is talking about,then he is mistaken.Pakistan has a history of terrorist attacks.

[QUOTE]Zia Blames Kabul for Terrorist Blast in Pakistan

The Washington Post | July 16, 1987 | Richard M. Weintraub |

President Mohammed Zia ul-Haq today linked two massive terrorist bombings that killed at least 72 here last night to agents opposed to Pakistan's support for Afghan guerrillas fighting against the Kabul regime and Soviet forces there.

Business and government life came to a halt in reaction to the bombings, which also left 140 hospitalized, including 15 listed in critical condition tonight.

Zia, who flew to Karachi today from Islamabad, was able to visit survivors in only one of two major hospitals because angry students were demonstrating at the other.

Zia Blames Kabul for Terrorist Blast in Pakistan - The Washington Post | Encyclopedia.com

Pakistan's Premier Points At India in Fatal Bombings

The Washington Post | July 17, 1987 | Richard M. Weintraub |

Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammed Khan Junejo said tonight that India and not Afghanistan may have been behind the two car bombings Tuesday that killed at least 72 persons here.

Junejo, who cut short a state visit to Japan to rush back to Karachi, appeared to be distancing himself from President Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, who said yesterday that he believed the bombing was related to Pakistan's support for Afghan refugees and that recent bombings were "only the beginning" of a severe test for this country.

The two bomb blasts, and earlier ones in Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Peshawar

Bombs kill 7 as Pakistani opposition hits Zia's rule

Chicago Sun-Times | July 6, 1987 | Copyright

KARACHI A series of bombs killed seven people and wounded at least 50 Sunday in Pakistan as opposition parties held protest rallies to mark the 10th anniversary of a coup that brought President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq to power.

Police said the explosions came around midday in Lahore.

ZIA TIES AFGHANS TO KARACHI BLASTS AS THE TOLL INCREASES TO 75 DEATHS

KARACHI, Pakistan - President Mohammed Zia ul-Haq said yesterday that Afghan agents were responsible for bombings Tuesday that killed 75 persons. It was the deadliest terrorist bombing in Pakistan's history.

Police and rescue workers, meanwhile, removed the last of the bodies from the wreckage of the fashionable Saddar market and residential area, which was teeming with shoppers, commuters and street vendors when the bombs exploded. More than 300 people were injured

There is now a general recognition that the war in Afghanistan cannot be won militarily. All the Taleban have to do to win is not to lose. The Americans won’t stay and everybody knows that.

General recognition by whom??So far as the Pakistanis are concerned,they are fighting the taliban inside their own territory.So far as the Afghans and NATO forces are concerned,they are fighting directly with the taliban in Afghanistan.I don't really see the NATO forces,led by US,throwing down the towel.Even they have sent a new General,David Petraeus to bolster their offensive.

The focus has come to rest on the inevitable need to talk with all the militant groups in Afghanistan. While most important players are ready to talk peace, the US remains confused and has still to straighten out its policy. This confusion is once again taking its toll, especially on Pakistan.

If US is not the main player in this issue,then who is???Whose focus are we actually talking about then???

As the US and Nato realise the failure of their military policy in Afghanistan, they are seeking to shift the centre of gravity of the war into the north west of Pakistan, the region known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). One of the fears raised in the West at the prospect of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan is that it will lead to a Taleban- controlled nuclear Pakistan. That fear betrays a total ignorance about the evolution of the Taleban movement as well as the impact of the War on Terror on Pakistan.

I was under the impression that the US forces are in pursuit of the talibans in Afghanistan.They will be in the region where the talibans are.So it depends upon the taliban,where the center of gravity will be,not upon the pursuing forces.Even if we accept that,we know that PA is responsible for COIN operations in FATA.Is Pakistan not doing enough that makes US to shift its focus???

Remember, there was no Pakistani involvement in 9/11. Nor throughout the period of the Taleban regime in Kabul was there Talebanisation in Pakistan

.

Pakistan had deep relations with the mujaheddin throughout the 80s,with the involvement of ISI.That means the mujaheddin had deep relations with Pakistan.They regularly used Pakistani soil,for logistical support.Even if we assume that ISI severed its ties with these mujaheddin after the Soviet exit,it will be wrong to assume that the mujaheddin stopped severed their own ties with their local supporters in the border regions of FATA.There were even open gun markets in the FATA area which the taliban frequently visited.Some of these very mujaheddin are the taliban of today.Hence there is a relation between Taliban and Pakistan.It is these very taliban,who sheltered Osama.Osama is even believed to have escaped through Pakistan o even hiding in FATA.The relations are so close,that suspicions are bound to arise.

When the Americans were drawing up their military response to the 9/11 attacks, they drew up a list of seven conditions for Pakistan to meet to attract US support. The assumption was that General Pervez Musharraf, the former President of Pakistan, might agree to three or four. Instead he unilaterally signed up for the lot. These conditions were a total violation of the human rights of the people of Pakistan and the sovereignty of the country.

Please let us know about these seven conditions.

This was a leader with whom President Clinton had refused to shake hands when he came to Pakistan before 9/11, for fear of being seen to support a dictator. It was quite shameless how the Pakistani leadership capitulated and how the US gave Musharraf the embrace of legitimacy. This was reminiscent of the Cold War era when tinpot dictators were routinely supported by the US.

Its funny to observe that US did not see anything wrong in Zia-ul-Haq,perhaps the most famous dictator of Pakistan when they needed him.Then another US president refuses to shake hand with another dictator of Pakistan.Then again another US president blackmails this very dictator to do their bidding.Is this some kind of Use and throw policy???What the common Pakistani think about this??

In 2004 Pakistan’s Government sent troops into Waziristan, where al-Qaeda was allegedly present. I was one of the only politicians from outside the tribal areas who had been to Waziristan and I opposed the move in Pakistan’s Parliament. Anyone who knows the region and its history could see it would be a disaster.

Agreed that it would be disaster.But that does not mean that you should not take care of the terrorists present there.

Until that point we had no militant Taleban in Pakistan. We had militant groups, but our own military establishment was able to control them. We had madrassas, but none of them produced militants intent on jihad until we became a frontline state in the War on Terror.

Again wrong.I have provided sources above.

The country is fighting someone else’s war. We never had suicide bombings in our history until 2004. Now we have 30 to 40 deaths a day from shells or bombings and the suicide attacks continue to increase. While we have received about $15 billion in aid from the US, our own economy has lost about $50 billion.

It is estimated that there are about 20 million firearms in circulation in Pakistan,a country of about 160 million people.That means every eighth person in Pakistan has a firearm,most likely an automatic one,thanks to the war legacy and Kalashnikov culture brought upon the state of Pakistan by Zia ul Haq.Add this to the religious extremism practiced in some parts,support to jihad or holy war,economic instability and poor education,and we have a situation that is bound to go out of hands.These problems were bound to create serious issues for Pakistan as well as the entire sub continent,some day or other.It is good for Pakistan that this issues are being addressed with US help,rather than being alone to deal with it.

We have borrowed a record amount of money from the International Monetary Fund, which was only given to us because of our role in the war, not because we could afford to pay it back. Our social and economic fabric is being destroyed because of the conditions that the IMF has imposed.

IMF and US aid are not synonymous.Author is either mistaken or trying to take advantage of ignorance of the uninformed.

Millions of our people have been displaced and a massive radicalisation of our youth has taken place as they see the Pakistani state becoming a puppet doing US bidding. The military operations by Pakistan in FATA have led to 40,000 casualties in indiscriminate aerial bombardment and ground fire.

An acute case of chicken came first or egg.If some sections of Pakistan had not been radical,then neither US or Pakistan would have anything to worry about.For God's sake,the TTP has made it a regular event to target Pakistani market places,we have observed events like Lal Masjid.I don't see thenm gain any support without radicalism being previously present.

The attacks by US drones, in which the Government of Pakistan is complicit, have also killed thousands of civilians, leading to a growing hatred becoming embedded among the local population. There is deep resentment of the war in the frontier regions, where high unemployment feeds the discontent.

Agreed with the author.

Regarding the rest of the post,it is author's own point of view and I would not like to comment on it.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

He is right

 

[RescueRanger]

Can you provide any more info in this regard?? Sad if true though.

Lahore Royal Palm... Royal Plam Golf & Country Club | Lahore - Pakistan - Home

Where the rich and famous go to get drunk!

 

[MastanKhan]

Hi,

When you get a chicken---it is upto you to make chicken soup out of it or chicken sh--it. People get oppurtunites in their lives---sometimes they are not tailor made to what you want them to be and it befalls on your judgement to seize the oppurtune moment to get the best out of the situation.

Imran Khan is a good man---but his problem is that unlike the cricket field---he wants the political system ought to be to his liking to step upto the plate.

for Imran Khan---the golden oppurtunity arrived with the arrival of Musharraf---mushrraf asked many a good pakistanis to form a govt with him to run the country---Amin Fahim was coward---couldnot stand in front of Benazir---Shahbaz Sharif sold the motherland to his older brother Nawaz---he didnot step forward to take the charge when the oppurtunity was presented.

Then there was Imran Khan---the premiership was offered to him and he refused as well---. Each one of them were looking for their personal interests and noen for pakistan---they simply didnot want to work wioth the general.

Imran had the oppurtunity to take over pakistan and make something out of it---he could have used Musharraf and switched him to his way of thinking---.

Don't the corporations have hostile takeovers---haven't prime ministers overthrown the kings and presidents in the history---have junior commanders not overthrown the senior generals---they have.

But for you to do that---you ought to have the intellect---the strategy---the game plan---the tenacity---but all that can wait till you can have that job.

That is where Imran Khan failed---he had it presented to him on a platter----and he failed to take charge---bottomline----he knew that he was not capable to do the job---when realization hit reality---he acknowledged his shrotcomings to himself and chicked out----he found out that it is cheaper and easier to talk than to do the real thing---and that is what he has been doing for the last 10 plus years. The man has met his destiny---.

 

[Haris Mansoor]

Why his popularity does not convert into votes..
Seems a good leader but lets see if he has the capability to lead his party to victory..

It did......

 

[veg]

Don't blame Pakistan for the failure of the War!
Imran Khan





Before the West invaded Afghanistan my country had no suicide bombers, no jihad and no Talebanisation.

There is now a general recognition that the war in Afghanistan cannot be won militarily. All the Taleban have to do to win is not to lose. The Americans won’t stay and everybody knows that.

The focus has come to rest on the inevitable need to talk with all the militant groups in Afghanistan. While most important players are ready to talk peace, the US remains confused and has still to straighten out its policy. This confusion is once again taking its toll, especially on Pakistan.

As the US and Nato realise the failure of their military policy in Afghanistan, they are seeking to shift the centre of gravity of the war into the north west of Pakistan, the region known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). One of the fears raised in the West at the prospect of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan is that it will lead to a Taleban- controlled nuclear Pakistan. That fear betrays a total ignorance about the evolution of the Taleban movement as well as the impact of the War on Terror on Pakistan.

Remember, there was no Pakistani involvement in 9/11. Nor throughout the period of the Taleban regime in Kabul was there Talebanisation in Pakistan .

When the Americans were drawing up their military response to the 9/11 attacks, they drew up a list of seven conditions for Pakistan to meet to attract US support. The assumption was that General Pervez Musharraf, the former President of Pakistan, might agree to three or four. Instead he unilaterally signed up for the lot. These conditions were a total violation of the human rights of the people of Pakistan and the sovereignty of the country.

This was a leader with whom President Clinton had refused to shake hands when he came to Pakistan before 9/11, for fear of being seen to support a dictator. It was quite shameless how the Pakistani leadership capitulated and how the US gave Musharraf the embrace of legitimacy. This was reminiscent of the Cold War era when tinpot dictators were routinely supported by the US.

In 2004 Pakistan’s Government sent troops into Waziristan, where al-Qaeda was allegedly present. I was one of the only politicians from outside the tribal areas who had been to Waziristan and I opposed the move in Pakistan’s Parliament. Anyone who knows the region and its history could see it would be a disaster.

Until that point we had no militant Taleban in Pakistan. We had militant groups, but our own military establishment was able to control them. We had madrassas, but none of them produced militants intent on jihad until we became a frontline state in the War on Terror.

The country is fighting someone else’s war. We never had suicide bombings in our history until 2004. Now we have 30 to 40 deaths a day from shells or bombings and the suicide attacks continue to increase. While we have received about $15 billion in aid from the US, our own economy has lost about $50 billion.

We have borrowed a record amount of money from the International Monetary Fund, which was only given to us because of our role in the war, not because we could afford to pay it back. Our social and economic fabric is being destroyed because of the conditions that the IMF has imposed.

Millions of our people have been displaced and a massive radicalisation of our youth has taken place as they see the Pakistani state becoming a puppet doing US bidding. The military operations by Pakistan in FATA have led to 40,000 casualties in indiscriminate aerial bombardment and ground fire.

The attacks by US drones, in which the Government of Pakistan is complicit, have also killed thousands of civilians, leading to a growing hatred becoming embedded among the local population. There is deep resentment of the war in the frontier regions, where high unemployment feeds the discontent.

The war in Afghanistan is justified as a stabilising force for Pakistan, whereas in truth the country is collapsing under the pressure. We are like Cambodia in the Vietnam War. After the Wikileaks revelations yesterday reports are being floated that the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service, is aiding the Afghan militancy. The fact is that the ISI is not that powerful, but certainly in an environment of chaos and uncertainty Pakistan will need to protect its interests through all means necessary.

It is unfortunate that the US was unable to use the window of opportunity that it had in the immediate aftermath of the removal of the Taleban Government in late 2001. It could have brought in a truly broad-based Afghan government and invested in the development of the country. Instead, it continued its military actions and brought corrupt and criminal elements into power in Kabul.

Pakistan, supposedly an ally of the US, is bearing the brunt of American failure in Afghanistan. A recent poll showed that 80 per cent of Pakistanis consider the US a bigger threat to their country than India. Nor is this view about the US solely because of the “War on Terror”. Pakistanis also blame the US for brokering the “National Reconciliation Order”, which was intended to sustain Musharraf in power while also bringing rogue Pakistani politicians back into the political landscape.

The result is a total collapse of governance in Pakistan today. There is no danger of Talebanisation in Pakistan but there is a very real threat of chaos and radicalisation, especially of the youth.

There is only one solution to this chaos. This is to implement an immediate ceasefire and commence talks with all militant groups in Afghanistan. Either America leaves or Pakistan withdraws from this war.

The US should not worry about Pakistan. Once the bombing stops, it will no longer be jihad and the suicide attacks will immediately subside. About 18 months ago the former head of the CIA’s Kabul station, Graham Fuller, wrote in the

International Herald Tribune that once the US leaves the region Pakistan will be stable.

Political leaders in the US and UK should realise that people in the streets of New York and London are not threatened by the people in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan but by the growing radicalisation of their own marginalised Muslim youth.

Imran Khan is the founder and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (the Movement for Justice Party)

Imran Khan is naive and his stupidity (along with non-visionary politicians like him) has already costed Pakistan in form of death of thousands of people and millions displaced in Swat.

The phenomenon of suicide has not to do with operation against al-Qaida, but it has to do 100% with the raising Islamization of the society, where extremists are dreaming about the return of Khilafah.

Therefore, not only Pakistan, but these Islamic suicide bombings are taking place all over the world.

Be it al-Shabab, or be it Boko Haram, or be it ISIS, or be it al-Qaeda.

There are suicide bombings even in Saudi Arab.

There are suicide bombings in name of Islam even in Taliban VS Taliban case, al-Qaeda vs al-Qaeda case.

There are suicide bombings in name of Islam even on the Shias and vice versa.

There are suicide bombings in name of Islam even on the Mazars of Sufi Buzurgs (one sided. No vice versa thing).

All that is not happening due to the operation in FATA, but all this is happening due to the recent wave of Islamization of the society.