Pak lacks will to fight terror: Pranab

[SurvivoR]

My friend pakistan suppoterd and funded terror outfits to fight against India.... now that move is backfiring.... ur goverment cannot guarantee to destry terror outfits... if u have a will to fight terrorism Y banned organistions like LET , JUD, Etc still operate in your country????

How about India destroying LeT. isnt it operating in Indian Held Kashmir?

Lahore attack is handiwork of India.

 

[SurvivoR]

Don't you get it? It isn't me you have to convince. You have to convince everyone that the report isn't credible, or else admit that it's all true and show that Pakistan is changing its ways. I think this was the report (together with proof of ISI involvement in bombing India's embassy in Kabul) that broke the back of support Pakistan enjoyed in Western capitals.

Rambling thoughts on US dictated war on terror
Tue, 2009-03-10 02:29
By Asif Haroon Raja

The onus of militarizing Pakistani society and injecting extremism and sectarianism rests on USA. CIA played a big role in destroying the social fabric of Pak society because of its drug trade from Afghanistan to USA-European markets through Pakistan throughout the eight-year Afghan war in the 1980s. CIA funded madrassas in Pakistan were directed to prepare young students acquiring religious training to become Jihadis. They were given military training by MI-6 and CIA. Availability of funds and government patronage led to phenomenal growth of madrassas in Pakistan.

Muslims were recruited from all over Muslim world by CIA and trained in Brooklyn School in New York and in Virginia. The Muslim fighters were pushed into the furnace of Afghanistan as cannon fodders and made to fight the Soviets forces to death.


Continued occupation of Afghanistan by US-NATO troops is the major cause of instability and militancy in Afghanistan while RAW led subversion and sabotage against Pakistan has fueled extremism and terrorism in Pakistan. Foreign interference and not religious militancy is the main threat to Pakistan.

USA is responsible for turning Afghanistan into the biggest narcotic state of the world.

To say that great majority of Al-Qaeda is headquartered in Afghanistan and FATA is utterly ridiculous. Thanks to the policy of oppression and injustice pursued by USA for the last 8 years, Al-Qaeda has become an international organization and has established linkages with various Islamic movements and Jihadi groups within the Islamic world as well as with Muslims residing in non-Muslim world. As a consequence its members are found in every nook and corner of the world. The conversion rate of Christians to Muslims in USA and Europe is growing at a phenomenal rate while the Muslims living in west are becoming more and more religious because of heightened sense of insecurity and humiliations suffered at the hands of the whites in the aftermath of 9/11.

The harebrained idea that any future attack on US homeland will be launched from FATA has not been defined as to how the attack will materialize. If it imply planning only, it can be done anywhere in the world including USA itself. If it means a band of terrorists trained in FATA would undertake a journey and blast targets in USA on the pattern of Mumbai, it needs elucidation whether thousands of miles journey would be undertaken by sea or air, and how they would penetrate foolproof security system laid in the aftermath of 9/11.

If it means an ICBM attack from FATA, it has not been spelled out whether the terrorists have it. If it means carrying a nuclear bomb in a suitcase, again it needs elaboration. If it means an attack masterminded by Al-Qaeda in FATA and executed by home based terrorists in US, this too is debatable. So far no conclusive evidence has come to light implicating Al-Qaeda with 9/11 attacks. The jugular vein of USA being in the hands of the Jews, there is no need for anyone else to undertake this dirty job.

If Al-Qaeda and Taliban are accused of imposing their brand of Islam on others, neo-cons in USA under Bush wanted to impose their western values on rest of the world under the guise of democracy. Enlightened moderation pursued by Musharraf together with secularization of our education system was link of the same chain.

In American perception Pakistan’s leaning towards Taliban is governed by its perpetual fear of insecurity from India. In their view as long as Pakistan suffers from Indo-phobia, it will never concentrate towards the militant threat posed in its northwestern sector. Hence, futile efforts are in hand to change the perceptions of Pakistan military to convince it that existential threat to Pakistan is not from India but homegrown militancy.

India and Afghanistan continue to be in good books of USA and thus far none has been admonished on any account. This is notwithstanding Karzai losing his special status he enjoyed with Bush Administration. Pakistan is the only country that has been grilled hard by USA and accused of several charges. There is no let up in US aggressive posturing against Pakistan under Obama led administration. Drone attacks are continuing as heretofore and Obama has not changed his perceptions about FATA declared as the most dangerous place.

Richard Holbrooke undertook his first trip to the region after his appointment as special envoy to Afghanistan-Pakistan. With Kashmir taken off his agenda under Indian pressure, his work is now confined to fine-tune and coordinate the killing spree of the so-called extremist militants residing along Pak-Afghan border and to ensure participation of all the players with full gusto.

Holbrooke’s visit to Islamabad catapulted Zardari to make a dash to Peshawar who otherwise had no intention to travel northwards. He and Gilani or any minister of ruling cabal has yet to visit FATA and Swat. Having learned that he would discuss A Q Khans release, our government hastened to re-enforce restrictions on Khan and went to the extent of saying that it could file an appeal against the decision of Islamabad High Court.

Our leaders were expected to convey the concerns of people of Pakistan to Holbrooke and telling him clearly that misuse of Afghan soil in the form of subversive activities by RAW, RAAM and Mossad and US drone attacks must end if USA wanted Pakistan to operate with USA in its war on terror. Instead of informing the visitor that Pakistan has already suffered a great deal because of flawed policies of Bush and will no more tolerate high handed policies of USA, our leadership showed willingness to play ball with Obama, Karzai and Manmohan well knowing that none is sincere towards Pakistan.

After listening to naval chief statement, it has now become clear that the dramatic press conference of Rehman Malik on Mumbai attacks was held on Obama and Holbrooke’s dictation to accept the blame and bail out India. One of the objectives behind concoction of Mumbai drama was to build a case that similar terror attack could also be launched from FATA against USA about which a prophecy has already been made by Bush. 3/3 terror attack in Lahore is another test trial in that direction.

While Holbrooke concedes that US goals in Afghanistan may have to be reviewed, the military preparations underway belie it. What it actually implies is that military operations so far conducted in Afghanistan lack coordination and determination and unclear how to go about achieving laid down goals. The new US Administration feels that since the approach was not focused and mission oriented and various players engaged in counter insurgency operations were out of sync therefore the militants managed to gain an upper edge. This realization had dawned upon the Pentagon and CIA in 2008 during which the casualty rate of coalition forces in Afghanistan surpassed Iraq.

In the province of al-Anbar in Iraq which was Al-Qaeda dominated and most violent, the US troops under Gen Petraeus had succeeded in normalizing the situation through troop surge and pitching local Sunni tribes against Al-Qaeda. Led away by this misconception, Petraeus now wants to repeat the al-Anbar experiment in southern and eastern provinces of Afghanistan where the balance has tilted towards Taliban. Till early 2006, Afghanistan was touted as a military success and Iraq a failure. 2008 turned the tables since it proved to be the deadliest year for US troops. Casualty rate surpassed that of Iraq. The US somehow judges its performance from the fatalities it suffers. The US is hoping that its strategy of troop surge in Iraq would prove productive in Afghanistan as well.

Local Afghan militias are being trained, equipped and funded by USA and given the name of Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) to fight the Taliban. The militia will be entrusted with the responsibility of protecting villages and keeping the Taliban threat at bay. The planners are of the view that the villagers are providing shelter to the Taliban out of fear and not willingly. They assume that denial of villagers’ logistic support to the Taliban would incapacitate them since they would be like fish out of water. These militias have been recruited entirely from Pakhtun tribes comprising mainly anti-Taliban elements. They will be provided full backup support in the form of aerial, gunship helicopter, artillery and mortar support whenever needed. Extra funds will also be made available to win over loyalties of village notables and informers. De-weaponisation of hard-line Pakhtuns friendly to Taliban will be accelerated. Obama has given go ahead to shifting of 17000 troops from Iraq and by the end of this year another 13000 would be inducted to double the existing US force level of 30,000 in Afghanistan.

Arming of Pakhtuns and making them fight with Taliban who are still popular in Pakhtun dominated regions will be a recipe for disaster. Either it will result in recommencement of internecine war as was the case from 1989 to 1995, or else majority of armed militias would desert and join ranks of Taliban. Afghan government is ambivalent about US troop surge urging that money would be better spent on developing Afghan forces. Very little has been done to alleviate poverty in Afghanistan where 70% of 30 million people live below poverty line. Collateral damage to civil population as a result of indiscriminate bombings by trigger happy US pilots has peaked anti-Americanism in Afghanistan. Troop surge and pitching so-called moderate Pakhtuns against extremist Pakhtuns with a view to isolate the latter for piecemeal destruction would result in more bloodshed and would further intensify militancy with fatal consequences for the whole region.

Lending ear to the advice of Holbrooke Pakistan has agreed to create armed vigilante groups for villages in NWFP to resist the criminal elements (Taliban). This program is also under execution in Afghanistan and had been experimented in Al-Anbar province of Iraqis as well. The vigilantes named as Village Defence Rifles (VDR) will in addition to the armed lashkars created in each tribal agency and certain settled districts of NWFP including 2500 strong elite force for Peshawar. A decision has been taken by NWFP government to enroll 30,000 civilians. The real purpose behind the VDR scheme is to deny the Taliban access to any village in NWFP. The scheme has not been welcomed by the people of Frontier who fear that arming of favourite civilians will ultimately lead to civil war.

For invasion and occupation of Afghanistan in 2001, USA had taken on board all the regional countries which included Pakistan, India, Iran, Central Asian States, China and Russia to complete the encirclement. It is once again working on a regional approach to garner support of these countries before it launches a coordinated ground offensive by US-NATO-Afghan-Pak troops in the Pak-Afghan border belt. For the attainment of its short term regional objectives USA is likely to swallow its pride and extend attractive concessions to win over Iran and Russia. It’s wheeling and dealing with the two antagonists would be from a position of weakness and not from strength as was the case in 2001.

We must look into not too distant future when USA and NATO troops would be compelled to abandon Afghanistan because of rising fatalities and dwindling economy of USA and Europe. Pakistan will once again be left high and dry to deal with antagonised Afghan and local Taliban and affiliated militant groups for times to come. It will then be their turn to settle scores with Pakistan for treating them like stray dogs and none will come to our rescue. They will forget the wounds inflicted by foreigners but not by fellow Muslims who betrayed them. Neither history will forgive the rulers for killing their own people at the behest of others.

Asif Haroon Raja is a security and defence analyst based in Rawalpindi.

- Asian Tribune -


Rambling thoughts on US dictated war on terror | Asian Tribune

 

[RescueRanger]

"We must support the Taliban" - two-star Pakistani general.

Take this tripe and shove it down someone else throat, care to provide a source that is "Impartial" and covers the facts rather than paying lip service to either party?

Let’s face it, unless you come down to Peshawar and take a trip down to Khyber Agency you will not witness how hard the Pakistani army is working to please observers like yourself, this is our war too friend.
I have lost several friends in this fight against the terrorists who care not for the colour of your skin, race, religion or creed. So it upsets me very much when people claim Pakistan is not doing enough, or lacks the will.

Come down to Rawalpindi and i will take you to Army Kabristan "Cemetery" and list all my friends who have been sacrificed in this conflict, bright young officers. And then i can take you to Islamabad Cemetery in H/8 Sector and show you the graves of brave police officers who have been sacrificed in this conflict.

So please don’t say "we lack the will"...

 

[third eye]

Take this tripe and shove it down someone else throat, care to provide a source that is "Impartial" and covers the facts rather than paying lip service to either party?

Let’s face it, unless you come down to Peshawar and take a trip down to Khyber Agency you will not witness how hard the Pakistani army is working to please observers like yourself, this is our war too friend.
I have lost several friends in this fight against the terrorists who care not for the colour of your skin, race, religion or creed. So it upsets me very much when people claim Pakistan is not doing enough, or lacks the will.

Come down to Rawalpindi and i will take you to Army Kabristan "Cemetery" and list all my friends who have been sacrificed in this conflict, bright young officers. And then i can take you to Islamabad Cemetery in H/8 Sector and show you the graves of brave police officers who have been sacrificed in this conflict.

So please don’t say "we lack the will"...

RR,

Appreciate the sentiments & the anguish .

The best a soldier can do is to give his life.. its for the Govt of the day to get the best from the sacrifice a soldier gives and ensure such sacrifices do not go in vain.

Govts tend to use soldiers as pawns and as ' expendables". Somewhere there is a feeling that its a " part of his job". This must stop, & can only stop when the value of a soldier dying in the line of duty is not considered as a mere " figure / statistical detail'.

There is world of a diff when a soldier dies in battle & that of a citizen dying in a road accident... Govts do not seem to realise this.

In the case of Pak the ' running with the hare & hunting with hound' approach of of GOP is whats causes the feeling others get of it being insincere.

 

[PeacefulIndian]

Take this tripe and shove it down someone else throat, care to provide a source that is "Impartial" and covers the facts rather than paying lip service to either party?

Let’s face it, unless you come down to Peshawar and take a trip down to Khyber Agency you will not witness how hard the Pakistani army is working to please observers like yourself, this is our war too friend.
I have lost several friends in this fight against the terrorists who care not for the colour of your skin, race, religion or creed. So it upsets me very much when people claim Pakistan is not doing enough, or lacks the will.

Come down to Rawalpindi and i will take you to Army Kabristan "Cemetery" and list all my friends who have been sacrificed in this conflict, bright young officers. And then i can take you to Islamabad Cemetery in H/8 Sector and show you the graves of brave police officers who have been sacrificed in this conflict.

So please don’t say "we lack the will"...

Nobody is saying that Pakistan army is not fighting terror. Yes, sadly, the soldiers are dying. But what is dubious, is Government/Army General's double game strategy. Kayani thinks Taliban is an asset. Government/Army Generals know that they need to be 'seen' as doing something. Thats why the grassroot level army soldiers are being used as scapegoats & being sacrificed.

 

[Patriot]

Nobody is saying that Pakistan army is not fighting terror. Yes, sadly, the soldiers are dying. But what is dubious, is Government/Army General's double game strategy. Kayani thinks Taliban is an asset. Government/Army Generals know that they need to be 'seen' as doing something. Thats why the grassroot level army soldiers are being used as scapegoats & being sacrificed.

Would you like to provide proof that Kiyani think Taliban is an asset or are you pulling this statement out of your *** like other Indians?Are we talking about the same Kiyani who was honored by Americans few days?Americans must be dumb for giving award to a person and showing confidence in a person who thinks Taliban is an strategic asset.

 

[PeacefulIndian]

Would you like to provide proof that Kiyani think Taliban is an asset or are you pulling this statement out of your *** like other Indians?Are we talking about the same Kiyani who was honored by Americans few days?Americans must be dumb for giving award to a person and showing confidence in a person who thinks Taliban is an strategic asset.

There has been enough discussion on what Kiyani said. Watch Musharraf's video in India. Though he denied this, Indian media persons claim that they have transcripts of Kiyani's conversation.
And why it is so strange that Americans honor Kiyani? They helped Taliban itself when it was in their interest to do so. If you think that whatever Americans do is right, you should support their colse relationships with Israel too. Wake up. Superpowers only know their interest.

 

[Patriot]

There has been enough discussion on what Kiyani said. Watch Musharraf's video in India. Though he denied this, Indian media persons claim that they have transcripts of Kiyani's conversation.
And why it is so strange that Americans honor Kiyani? They helped Taliban itself when it was in their interest to do so. If you think that whatever Americans do is right, you should support their colse relationships with Israel too. Wake up. Superpowers only know their interest.

Righttt..Let me know when India releases this transcript.So i guess i was right you are pulling this statement out your *** as well as Indian's Media ***.
Yes, America current interest is to eliminate Taliban not fund it.

 

[Solomon2]

It seems people just don't "get it". No matter what is written, no matter how exemplary its conduct, Pakistan passed a point in the last year such that the burden of proving itself innocent lies with Pakistan; it is no longer up to others to prove Pakistani guilt. You guys can argue the merits of this, but the bottom line is that it is up to Pakistan to do, not say, before its international standing can improve.

thousands of our soldiers have died, and yet Mukherjee dares to say that Pakistan lacks the will to fight against terrorism?

The feeling is that the government or army leaders lack the will to win, so they are sacrificing their soldiers in useless campaigns as a sop to Western opinion. Is it me who is guilty of disrespecting Pakistani soldiers, or their own government and commanders who so readily surrender arms, territory, and soldiers to the Talibs?

 

[HAIDER]

how can army avoid collateral damage to make west happy ?, these collateral damages de moralized the Pak arm forces....Majority of time it takes ten innocent lives to take out one militant. How can be avoided ? Its been decades Pakistan is paying the price of Russian invasion in Afghanistan.......isn't it...

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

It seems people just don't "get it". No matter what is written, no matter how exemplary its conduct, Pakistan passed a point in the last year such that the burden of proving itself innocent lies with Pakistan; it is no longer up to others to prove Pakistani guilt. You guys can argue the merits of this, but the bottom line is that it is up to Pakistan to do, not say, before its international standing can improve.


The feeling is that the government or army leaders lack the will to win, so they are sacrificing their soldiers in useless campaigns as a sop to Western opinion. Is it me who is guilty of disrespecting Pakistani soldiers, or their own government and commanders who so readily surrender arms, territory, and soldiers to the Talibs?

For the last time, you and Mr. Sanger need to provide evidence to validate your accusations against Gen. Kiyani.

If you can't provide evidence, shut up or get banned - either is fine by me.

I have no time for liars and trolls like you and Warraich on this board.

 

[Halaku Khan]

Would you like to provide proof that Kiyani think Taliban is an asset or are you pulling this statement out of your *** like other Indians?Are we talking about the same Kiyani who was honored by Americans few days?Americans must be dumb for giving award to a person and showing confidence in a person who thinks Taliban is an strategic asset.

Did not the ISI chief recently say in an interview to Spiegel that the Quetta Shura people (i.e. the Mullah Omar faction) deserve "freedom of speech and action" or something like that? I can dig up the interview if need be.

 

[Halaku Khan]

^^^
OK, here is the quote:

However, it is worth listening closely when the general explains why he too is unwilling to apprehend the Taliban leadership, even though many claim that Taliban leader Mullah Omar, for example, is in Quetta, a city where Pasha lived until a few years ago. "Shouldn't they be allowed to think and say what they please? They believe that jihad is their obligation. Isn't that freedom of opinion?" he asks, defending extremist rabble-rousers, who are sending more and more Koran school students to Afghanistan to fight in the war there.

So Pasha is batting for the freedom to do Jihad and freedom of opinion for extremist rabble-rousers.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

^^^
OK, here is the quote:

So Pasha is batting for the freedom to do Jihad and freedom of opinion for extremist rabble-rousers.

Halaku,

I am disappointed. I woudl have though your English skills were good enough to spot the critical difference between what you alleged above and what Gen. Pasha actually espoused here:

"Shouldn't they be allowed to think and say what they please?"

He says 'think' and 'say' - no where does he suggest that they be allowed to 'do' as they please, which is the only way you could argue that 'he is battling for the freedom to do Jihad.

Lets not create things out of thin air now.

 

[Halaku Khan]

So the Quetta Shura wants to do Jihad, ISI believes that they have right to want to do Jihad, and they are in fact doing Jihad. That much is clear.

The only legalistic doubt is whether ISI believes not only in their right to want to do Jihad, but also in their right to actually do Jihad. But that is a moot point since Jihad is happening anyway.

But leaving aside the legalistic hair-splitting, there is plenty of reason to doubt Pakistani sincerity with respect to the Taliban, or at least with respect to some factions of the Taliban, which was the point Solomon2 was making.

Halaku,

I am disappointed. I woudl have though your English skills were good enough to spot the critical difference between what you alleged above and what Gen. Pasha actually espoused here:

"Shouldn't they be allowed to think and say what they please?"

He says 'think' and 'say' - no where does he suggest that they be allowed to 'do' as they please, which is the only way you could argue that 'he is battling for the freedom to do Jihad.

Lets not create things out of thin air now.