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Emboldened militants set sights on Peshawar

Where is Jana?

She is the closest to the action.

What has she to report?

Nothing?

What is being surrounded? The military is there. They will break this impasse.

Too much of disjointed news is floating everywhere.
 
“We were exploited under colonialism, manipulated … during the Cold War, made to fight a proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan, and when that war was won, Pakistan and Afghanistan were abandoned to the forces of extremism and fanaticism,” he said in his keynote address at the Socialist International Congress in Athens on Tuesday.

He said that Pakistan was now “the Petri dish of international terrorism … that was a product of failed international politics and not our creation”.

The PPP leader said Pakistan could still be converted into a successful model of modernity for 1.3 billion Muslims but it needed international community’s help.

“We can’t do it alone. We need the help of the world. If we succeed, we will contain extremism and terrorism. But if we fail, the world will fail with us”.

Mr Zardari urged the world to convene a South and Central Asia regional conference to coordinate a multi-faceted international programme to not just militarily contain terrorism, but to suffocate the “fire of terrorism by rebuilding economies and infrastructure of our region”.

“A prosperous Pakistan will smash the remnants of terrorism from our frontiers better than the bullets, missiles and tanks of the superpowers,” he said.

He sought help for Pakistan’s socio-economic development and said it would ensure stability in Pakistan in particular and the world in general.

He said Pakistan was resisting terrorism not as “surrogates but as partners” of the civilised world because “we are fighting for the very soul of Pakistan,” adding that Pakistan had suffered more casualties in fighting terrorism than any other nation, including the United States on September 11, 2001.

“Has the UN, or the United States, or the United Kingdom, contributed one cent to the victims of terrorism in our land”?

The PPP leader said the people of Pakistan had confidence in their future and it was imperative to address their long-neglected social, economic and infrastructure needs.

“We will restore law and order to our land and attack fanaticism and terrorism wherever it rears its ugly head.” The PPP co-chairman said that the Pakistani government planned to transform tribal areas – hotbed of terrorist activity – economically, politically and socially, and integrate these areas into mainstream Pakistani society.

He said that Pakistan was also facing a looming energy and water crisis that threatened its progress. He said that to meet the challenge, the government would set up new power generating units, producing 2,200 megawatts this year alone and tackle the water issue on an emergency basis, reducing water consumption by half.

He claimed that education had been made a high priority “not just because it is right, but also because it is in the long-term strategic interests of Pakistan and the world.”

Referring to politics in Madressahs and their educational curriculum, he said: “In Pakistan, political Madressahs have spread hatred and intolerance. We will move to provide a uniform and responsible national curriculum, both for public and seminary education, so that Pakistani children have an opportunity for a future free of intimidation and coercion. And if political Madressahs will not conform … we will shut them down.”

He also paid glowing tribute to Benazir Bhutto.—APP

I am starting to see Asif in a new light. This man talks so much sense compared to so many others with an inflated ego. Many people talk of having defeated the USSR while not realizing they were no more than willing pawns in a game too big for them.
 
I am starting to see Asif in a new light. This man talks so much sense compared to so many others with an inflated ego. Many people talk of having defeated the USSR while not realizing they were no more than willing pawns in a game too big for them.

The game was larger than Pakistan, Afghanistan or India, but I am not convinced that Pakistan did not have legitimate security concerns once the USSR entered Afghanistan.

The cold war sowed the seeds of a lot of chaos and instability - Latin America, Iran, Afghanistan, Asia, Africa ...
 
the situation in the region of, NWP is realy out of hand because of armys un logical statagies... which are bringing closer all the radicals and terrorists togather day by day... they are organizng themselves very greatly!

i guss the main reason, of the failur of the army actions in that region.... could be of the idea of small army... of 500000, which was right back in 2002 , but now it seems this idea isnt working and putting stress on the army itself... so in my veiw it will be better to organize a new army force... with the numbers of 200000... strong mens with highly trained... withn the areas in which the insurgncy is on full swing.

i think PAKARMY, needs a seprate commmand of chain for the region of FATA! with lethal combination... of airforce, it can send a strong signal towards the insurgents and also across the boder.

NUMBERS does have, the impact for example if we look at the KASHMIR PROBLM, again its the mighty indian army... with its heavy numbers in the region of KASHMIR kept the freedom fighters on the run. actuly pakarmy need more muscle to tackle the siuation in FATA.:agree::tup::pakistan:
 
Top commander among 69 militants held in Bara swoop

Thursday, July 03, 2008

By Javed Aziz Khan & Javed Afridi

PESHAWAR: The police force, supported by personnel of the Frontier Constabulary, continued cracking down on pockets of criminal gangs in the rural areas of the provincial metropolis on Wednesday, the fifth day of the Bara operation, rounding up 69 alleged militants, including a top militant commander.

The arrested commander was identified as Amal Khan of the Lashkar-e-Islam. Authorities claimed he was arrested in Mandikas area along with his 10 companions when he was allegedly transporting ammunition to the Tirah Valley.

"A total of 87 militants have been arrested during the five days of operation Siraat-e-Mustaqeem," said an official communication. Though curfew remained imposed on the fifth day of the offensive, life was gradually returning to normal in the Bara subdivision as the paramilitary operation continued unabated.

The flow of traffic between the Khyber Agency and the provincial capital increased while people were also seen in bazaars and markets despite a curfew in the town. Contingents of the Frontier Constabulary and the police were also on high alert in the provincial capital, checking every suspect vehicle and grilling its passengers. The improved visibility and movement of police force was also witnessed in the affected towns close to the tribal belt.

The latest developments have helped the police force to get sophisticated weapons and the required manpower. The federal government had withdrawn 27 platoons of the Frontier Constabulary from other provinces soon after launching the operation.

These contingents have been put at the disposal of the Peshawar Police. More platoons of the Frontier Constabulary were already deployed in the affected towns. "Apart from manpower, the force has been given weapons that we could not even dream of. Now, we just demand a weapon and get it within no time," an SHO told The News.

Police have been given new vehicles along with light machine-guns, grenade pistols, rocket-launchers, gas guns, bullet-proof jackets and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) where it was needed.

The force has cordoned off the boundary with the Khyber Agency in the west, the Mohmand Agency in the north and Darra Adamkhel in the south by establishing 26 more security posts. Concrete bunkers have been built outside these security posts to protect the cops from any attack.

Police in Matani, Badaber, Sheikhan, Bajri, Sarband, Regi, Mathra, Michni, Daudzai and Khazana had vacated a number of security posts due to lack of manpower and ammunition in these high-risk areas.

"To boost the morale of the force and to show strength to criminal gangs, SHOs have been directed to patrol in police vans with revolving lights switched on. Since we have adopted an aggressive policy, no incursion has taken place so far," a senior police officer said.

Security has also been beefed up in Hayatabad that lies in the foot of the mountainous range of the Khyber Agency. Police authorities, however, were of the opinion that every step had been taken to protect the residents of Hayatabad from any retaliation.

AP adds: In an interview with Mangal Bagh aired on Wednesday by Geo TV and conducted at an undisclosed location, the militant chief denied he had plans to capture Peshawar or had ever fought against the government.

Bagh, sporting a thick black beard and long curly hair, told Geo TV his Lashkar-e-Islam organisation had "rendered" sacrifices over the past three years to rid the area of criminals. In Bara town on Wednesday, the bazaar, usually bustling with traders selling cloth, electronics, foodstuffs and even hashish, was empty. Frontier Corps troops sat atop shop roofs with machine guns.

About 80 local people were blocked at a checkpoint into the town, as the security forces tightened their control of access into the area. A round-the-clock curfew is in force and about 20 people were arrested on Wednesday for violating it, a local administrator said.

Baghi Shah, 73, a retired civil servant, waiting at the check-point, said he had walked five miles from his village to get spare parts for a water pump and had been waiting for two hours to be allowed back through, without luck.

"My family has no water. I need to go home, but they won't let me inside," he said, scratching his grey beard. Mangal Bagh has offered the government to hold talks and asked security forces to go back to barracks. He said Federal Environment Minister Hamidullah Jan should own the responsibility of the Bara operation and resign from the assembly.

Top commander among 69 militants held in Bara swoop
 
XII Corps is more than able to handle this mess. The civilian side needs to be ready for collateral damage and loss of lives in the cities (as a result of suicide bombings), but the Army for sure can take on these guys and put them out of business. The ramifications and spill over of such a military action would have to be taken care of by the GoP, which currently, does not seem to be willing to take on.

In the long run, time, resources etc. are on the side of the GoP and the Army. Recently the Army put pressure on this Mehsud joker and he was the one who sued for peace. The problem is that the nation is lacking resolve in going after these guys. Army can and will sustain the operations as well as the associated casualties if the Government fully backs it and galvanizes public support in favor of putting a stop to this nonsense.
 
The game was larger than Pakistan, Afghanistan or India, but I am not convinced that Pakistan did not have legitimate security concerns once the USSR entered Afghanistan.

The cold war sowed the seeds of a lot of chaos and instability - Latin America, Iran, Afghanistan, Asia, Africa ...

There is no doubting Pakistan's legitimate security concerns during the period. There may even have been a real danger that you were the next target of USSR.

It is about the respective roles of various parties in that conflict. I have seen even Musharraf boasting that Pakistan defeated the USSR!

While Pakistan did have an important role to play as the staging ground for the arms and rebels and their training facilities, to ascribe a much bigger role and even claiming that Pakistan defeated the USSR was a stretch imho. I have seen some member boast here that the ISI was the most powerful agency in the world at that time! Based on what? Distributing arms coming from the USA to the rebels?

Asif's comments seem closer to truth. Pakistan has actually proved a loser in the long term for the cynical game played by the Superpowers in the region. From that angle you can say that USA is the bigger culprit for the mess today.

Not if Pakistan wants to claim the credit for that conflict. Then you were a willing and major player and share the major responsibility for the fallout.
 
Blain2,

Did Mehsud the joker sue for peace? I thought it was the Pakistan govt that did that and allow him space!

I am sure that the PA will control the problem, but with a dithering govt, as is ours. it makes the task difficult.

Terrorists in J&K, in some eyes are as justified as Mehsud and gang. It is only the Army that has to differentiate a terrorist from a genuine freedom fighter! The govt only twiddles it thumb and behave like a weather vane!

Is Mehdud a freedom fighter and a defender of Islam or a terrorist is the question!
 
The game was larger than Pakistan, Afghanistan or India, but I am not convinced that Pakistan did not have legitimate security concerns once the USSR entered Afghanistan.

The cold war sowed the seeds of a lot of chaos and instability - Latin America, Iran, Afghanistan, Asia, Africa ...

AM - i beg to differ - the move by the USSR was part of the classic "great-game". seek the warm waters of the arabian sea, and then control the oil reserves of the CAR and also threathen the middle-east oil reserves. the US had to respond as part of the great game or cold war as u put it. Pakistan had to get involved (due to its location). the problem was we didnt play our cards correctly at the end of the afghan war in 87-89. US had a clear-cut policy. drive the USSR back!. we helped them without analysing the after effects of our policy. we r to be blamed for that!
 
Blain2,

Did Mehsud the joker sue for peace? I thought it was the Pakistan govt that did that and allow him space!

I am sure that the PA will control the problem, but with a dithering govt, as is ours. it makes the task difficult.

Terrorists in J&K, in some eyes are as justified as Mehsud and gang. It is only the Army that has to differentiate a terrorist from a genuine freedom fighter! The govt only twiddles it thumb and behave like a weather vane!

Is Mehdud a freedom fighter and a defender of Islam or a terrorist is the question!

nothing but a two-bit terrorist. a 4-week campaign by the PA against this guy and his ~10,000 lightly armed so called jihadists and it will be over. as blain2 mentioned it requires the GoP to convince the people that crushing this guy is the right thing to do for peace in the country.
 
I've always wondered what would have happened if the Soviets had been given carte blanche by Pakistan to build rail and road links to Gawador in 1979. Maybe then Afghanistan would not have been supported by the Soviets to attack and Annex NWFP, FATA and Balochistan for the USSR. There would have been pure peace in both Afghanistan and Pakistan all the way up until now. The Soviets would have probably helped out with more steel mills, nuclear plants and who knows what else. Mullahs would have been forced to get a real education and wouldn't barf so much retarded nonsense. Land distribution would have taken place and economic productivity soared. How bad could it have been? Look at both countries now, trashpiles.

I think it was Ayub Khan who presided over the blunder to make Pakistan a US puppet, and Zia was instrumental in making it a backwards pseudo-caliphate dominated by thugs with no real education and values.
 
I've always wondered what would have happened if the Soviets had been given carte blanche by Pakistan to build rail and road links to Gawador in 1979. Maybe then Afghanistan would not have been supported by the Soviets to attack and Annex NWFP, FATA and Balochistan for the USSR. There would have been pure peace in both Afghanistan and Pakistan all the way up until now. The Soviets would have probably helped out with more steel mills, nuclear plants and who knows what else. Mullahs would have been forced to get a real education and wouldn't barf so much retarded nonsense. Land distribution would have taken place and economic productivity soared. How bad could it have been? Look at both countries now, trashpiles.

I think it was Ayub Khan who presided over the blunder to make Pakistan a US puppet, and Zia was instrumental in making it a backwards pseudo-caliphate dominated by thugs with no real education and values.

very interesting observation indeed.
 
I've always wondered what would have happened if the Soviets had been given carte blanche by Pakistan to build rail and road links to Gawador in 1979. Maybe then Afghanistan would not have been supported by the Soviets to attack and Annex NWFP, FATA and Balochistan for the USSR. There would have been pure peace in both Afghanistan and Pakistan all the way up until now. The Soviets would have probably helped out with more steel mills, nuclear plants and who knows what else. Mullahs would have been forced to get a real education and wouldn't barf so much retarded nonsense. Land distribution would have taken place and economic productivity soared. How bad could it have been? Look at both countries now, trashpiles.

I think it was Ayub Khan who presided over the blunder to make Pakistan a US puppet, and Zia was instrumental in making it a backwards pseudo-caliphate dominated by thugs with no real education and values.

For the record. Pakistan's tilt towards USA goes back to Liaqat Ali Khan. He declined the US offer and instead went to US on officail trip.

It is a fallacy to think that USSR could have been a better friend or could have helped more.
 
For the record. Pakistan's tilt towards USA goes back to Liaqat Ali Khan. He declined the US offer and instead went to US on officail trip.

It is a fallacy to think that USSR could have been a better friend or could have helped more.

It was in my opinion a blunder of classical proportion. At the end of the day, there was no need for that snub, and it has earned us nothing but trouble.
As a matter of principal, i am against taking sides in the big boys game. The only thing, Pakistan should look out for is Pakistan not USA - not Russia.we have been America 's lackies for 5 decades to no betterment of our own. we might have beeen better off relying on our own strength and ingenuity. I cant blame anyone other than the slave mentality of our leadres for the fiasco we are in today.
WaSalam
Araz
 
For the record. Pakistan's tilt towards USA goes back to Liaqat Ali Khan. He declined the US offer and instead went to US on officail trip.

It is a fallacy to think that USSR could have been a better friend or could have helped more.

Did you mean to say Liaqat Ali Khan declined a Soviet offer of friendship? :confused:


And I don't see how it is a fallacy to assume the USSR would not have been a better friend, they built the steel mills for the pak govt which Musharaff and Aziz tried to sell off, what did the US ever build for Pakistan? Or for Afghanistan? Soviets also built a major highway through mountains in the north of Afghanistan and were trying to concentrate on developing it. So why was the USSR not capable of being a positive force in Pakistan assuming they were not opposed?

Supposedly the soviets told the Afghans that Balochistan, NWFP, FATA and NA would be annexed into Afghanistan....which I suspect was the only legitimate reason to fight them from a pak-centric POV but what if Pakistan had just said ok fine you can have a naval base in Gawador, rail and road links to it and we will actually help you with security rather than turning the whole area into a hellzone. What then? Would the USSR have refused the offer?
 

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