US threatens Taliban airstrikes in Quetta

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I'm not sure either, but if it does happen (i.e. after the fact), then the resulting geopolitical scenario would definitely be more stable than the current one.

Yes, but thats a bigger leap of faih and 'hope' than the argument that IF India and Pakistan resolve Kashmir the rivalry loses a lot of the hostility and therfore heralds an era of peace, cooperation and therfore economic prosperity and development in the region.

The 'Resolving Kashmir' argument atleast is accepted by both India and Pakistan, and the process exists, unlike the 'form a cohesive Afghanistan by imposing the will of 40% over the remaining 60%, hope the cohesion lasts long enough for Afghanistan to pose a challenge to Pakistan as a viable state, and then manage to instigate a majority of the Pakistani Pashtun to revolt against Pakistan.'

I'm not making any leap of faith at all. I am simply stating one of the possible outcomes of the current situation.

Infact, my whole point is that Pakistan is trying NOT to let this scenario play out by trying to undermine NATO efforts in Afghanistan, so essentially we are in agreement.

I understand that it is one scenario, its been discussed quite frequently on this board - Ralph Peters map and all - but it remains unviable IMO for the reasons I mentioned. Imposing the will of the Pashtun on the other ethnicities, even through 'bribes' etc. is an unnatural way to run a state - its been tried and failed in Afghanistan, Pakistan (East Pakistan, Baluchistan some would argue) and elsewhere.

NATO isn't thinking beyond the question "how to stabilize Afghanistan". That is its primary concern. Of course, there are dozens of papers by various American analysts and other think-tanks that outline a number of political scenarios, but they have little or no bearing on its current decision to try and create an independent, democratic Afghanistan with a strong central government.

But why is stabilizing Afghanistan a concern for NATO? Just for kicks or is it because an unstable Afghanistan allows for AQ and assorted ant-West groups to pereptrate attacks against Western interests? If it is the threat to Western interests, then the destabilization of Pakistan and the region, through an expansionist Afghanistan, only adds to the space such groups have and allows them to expand and acquire resources in far greater magnitudes then they currently possess.

It invovles destabilizing and destroying a nation (Pakistan) essentially reducing it to what Afghanistan is now, and then hoping that somehow 'regional peace' wil be salvaged from the ruins.

If such drastic regional reorganization is necessary, I'd argue that the proposal to reorganize Afghanistan and holding referendums in the various Pashtun provinces over joining Pakistan is far more viable and accomplishes the same. You said India won't like it, but the West isn't in this for India, they are in it for themselves. As you said, stabilizing Afghanistan (or the territories comprising Afghanistan) is their priority, so why would they care if India opposes such a solution that allows them to extricate themselves and stabilize the region?

 

[S-2]

Latest C.I.A. estimate of Afghanistan's population shows a country comprised of 42% Pashtu-

Afghanistan-C.I.A. World Factbook

They have, btw, significantly downsized Afghanistan's population as a revision (again) to data that's based upon a 1979 census.

Afghanistan is scheduled for a census next year. How it can even be accomplished much less the accuracy of such will be interesting.

Can't recall anything similar.

 

[Righteous_Fire]

Latest C.I.A. estimate of Afghanistan's population shows a country comprised of 42% Pashtu-

Afghanistan-C.I.A. World Factbook

They have, btw, significantly downsized Afghanistan's population as a revision (again) to data that's based upon a 1979 census.

Afghanistan is scheduled for a census next year. How it can even be accomplished much less the accuracy of such will be interesting.

Can't recall anything similar.

That would be a real cracker!

It would be interesting how they are planning to conduct it

any more info, probably a new thread!!

 

[trickey]

Read a column in news paper today by a retired general.He said there will be coup if govt agrees with this US Deal.Army will never let this happen as Quetta comes within Pakistan Government writ unlike FATA which is largely law less area also known as Alqa Ghair.Frankly i think its time we start supporting moderate elements in the taliban.To hell with US.Get out of Afghanistan.

Unfortunately for Pakistan, Uncle Sam demands bang for his buck.

 

[trickey]

Regimes can be removed if required.

To be replaced by?
Meet the new boss...Same as the old boss.

 

[Hulk]

I understand the feeling of Pakistani friend no one likes to be dictated, but if you ask for money and favor from other countries, you need to pay it back. Also economics of country is important and if you guys become serious then you can earn a lot of money I can tell you. I hear SWAT is as beautiful as Switzerland, man if Switzerland is so close why should I travel that far, if peace comes many Indian would like to visit there.

 

[pak-marine]

I understand the feeling of Pakistani friend no one likes to be dictated, but if you ask for money and favor from other countries, you need to pay it back. Also economics of country is important and if you guys become serious then you can earn a lot of money I can tell you. I hear SWAT is as beautiful as Switzerland, man if Switzerland is so close why should I travel that far, if peace comes many Indian would like to visit there.

they dont have youth hostels in SWAT lol ! rabit not sure if u wil fork out swis hotel rates

 

[Hulk]

they dont have youth hostels in SWAT lol ! rabit not sure if u wil fork out swis hotel rates

I am not ****** rich but if I want to spare one year savings, I can do a decent tour with family.

 

[pakdefender]

I understand the feeling of Pakistani friend no one likes to be dictated, but if you ask for money and favor from other countries, you need to pay it back. Also economics of country is important and if you guys become serious then you can earn a lot of money I can tell you. I hear SWAT is as beautiful as Switzerland, man if Switzerland is so close why should I travel that far, if peace comes many Indian would like to visit there.

I think recently some indians did find their way to Swat but we have now dispatched them to a better place

 

[Hulk]

I think recently some indians did find their way to Swat but we have now dispatched them to a better place

thanks for your humble reply, this is what you do to people with friendly gesture. But I will not change my feeling.

 

[pakdefender]

thanks for your humble reply, this is what you do to people with friendly gesture. But I will not change my feeling.

and why would you asume that my reply was not friendly , maybe we sent the indian tourists visting swat to nathia gali

 

[Righteous_Fire]

thanks for your humble reply, this is what you do to people with friendly gesture. But I will not change my feeling.

I am really sorry for any hostile attitude from my country men.

and I truly and honestly ask your forgiveness.

It is just that, when you hear such BS like some idiot proposing to bomb this or that part of your country, you cannot expect anything other than hatred and anger.

I mean, just put in a city of India in that title, and you'll understand our sentiments.

So, lets keep this thread pure discussion and no hate and animosity, especially between neighbors

 

[gambit]

I don't think there is any harm in using US computer Technology, US **** to find out how to F US. (I think you got the point)

btw if you want then we have china as our neighbor who can provide us much cheaper technology then yours.. just we need to take initiative like we did after Denmark..

No...It is YOU who missed the point. No surprises there. Supposedly, an Egyptian diplomat once said that Egypt is the only 'real' country in the ME, the rest are just 'tribes with flags'. You may not like the arrogance in that comment but the uncomfortable truth is as obvious as the nose on your face -- that geographically, not politically, speaking the ME is nothing more than a country occupied by tribes that for the large part overly romanticized their past and retained the tribalistic mentality of that past.

Daljir.com :::

Many years ago an Egyptian diplomat, Tahsin Bashir, called the new Arab states of the Middle East “tribes with flags” (though he exempted Egypt). His point still holds. In countries as different as Lebanon and Iraq, ethnic, confessional or sectarian differences have thwarted programmes of nation-building.

The US is not any genuine threat to the ME. We have no problems at all with the Arabs, who are the main keepers of the Islam faith, being tribal, and continues to sustain that mentality in the region. What is Saudi Arabia? Or Libya? Or Syria? Or Kuwait? Or even Iraq? The contempt that the Egyptians has for the region is that these are culturally dead peoples and unfortunately they being armed we (Egypt) have no choice but to put up with them. Sadat saw the futility of a war against the Jewish state and so ordered Egypt to break rank with the Arabs and maintain a peace treaty with the Jews.

The real point about calling for a boycott of Western products is that the dreamer seems to be blissfully ignorant of the pervasiveness of that tribal mentality throughout the people and the region. Tribes do not produces anything other what normal human biology demand that we produce. The Arab tribes are nomadic intellectually today as their forefathers physically were several hundreds years ago. The Islamic ummah can no more unite to effect such a boycott as they tried to unite militarily to defeat Israel several times and failed miserably. Whose fault is that? No one...Of course...The division in the ummah is caused by...drum rolls please...The Zionists.

Shias versus Sunnis. Iranians are beginning to question their loyalty to the Israelis-Palestinians conflict. The Iraq-Iran War. The Iraq-Kuwait War. The Iraq invasion and occupation by the US. Each time someone from the Western alliance take a side in some squabbles in the region someone ALWAYS predict the dire consequence that the ummah will rise and repulse the nosy parties and each time they proved themselves to be as prescient as the 8-ball novelty toy that I have on my desk at work whenever I shake the thing to help me decide on where to go for lunch.

Egypt, the biggest Arab country, refused even to attend April’s Arab League summit meeting in Doha.

Take the Egyptian diplomat's tacit advice and forget about this dream of Islamic unity and concentrate on removing Pakistan from this list of 'tribes with flags'. In not attending the summit, Egypt did exactly just that.

 

[Patriot]

^ ^ Pakistan is not in Middle East Gambit and we are not Arabs.

 

[EjazR]

No drone strikes in Balochistan, Kayani tells US

LAHORE: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani has said Pakistan will not allow US drones to attack Balochistan, a private TV channel reported on Tuesday. Quoting sources in the ISPR, the channel reported that Kayani attended the 28th Tripartite Commission, consisting of senior military representatives from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, where he met Afghan army chief General Bismullah Khan and ISAF Commander