Pakistan News and Discussion-8

Naresh · 09-27-2006, 05:05 PM

Mudy Ji :

Some further reading from the Pakistani Press :

[center]Kargil : need for a probe[/center]

MORE than seven years after the Kargil crisis rocked South Asia, it remains a mystery on this side of the border. Normally, there should have been two versions â the Pakistani and the Indian. The Indian version is known to us: many Indians, civilians and retired generals, have written about it from both political and military points of view and in the process have sought to establish the truth behind what for the Indians was initially a shock. Later, the Indian government appointed a four-member committee to determine what caused the debacle from their point of view, especially the failure of the Indian intelligence to get wind of Pakistanâs plans to move into the Kargil heights. Establishing the truth on the Indian side was easy, because there was only one party that was in overall command and that was the civilian government; the military merely carried the orders. On this side of the border, however, the task of ascertaining the truth is difficult because there were two centres of power. President Pervez Musharraf has all along insisted that all parties, including the civilian authority, were on board. However, Mr Nawaz Sharif, who was then prime minister, insists that he was kept in the dark, and that the army planned the operations on its own. The publication of two books â Mr Sharifâs Ghaddar Kaun and the generalâs In the Line of Fire â have only made the confusion worse confounded, with the truth being a major casualty. This only strengthens the need for an impartial inquiry into the misadventure that Kargil was.

The people should know whose brainchild it was, what exactly was the broad strategic aim behind what in isolation appeared to be an astute tactical operation and, finally, what led to the retreat. The military blames the withdrawal from the heights on a prime minister who had succumbed to American pressure; Mr Sharif insists that the army pleaded with him to seek American intercession to ensure a Kargil ceasefire. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /> Let the government appoint a retired judge of the Supreme Court to hold a thorough investigation and let the nation know the truth about Kargil.

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

09-27-2006, 08:18 PM

Nareshji,

His book is full of lie like him. Yesterday's Jon Stewart show was interesting.
Watch show video - link
(watch both part)

Watch when Jon ask him "where is OBL"

09-28-2006, 12:47 AM

Stop griping about troop deaths: Pakistan to CanadaQUOTEOTTAWA - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf bluntly told Canadians on Tuesday to stop complaining about the number of soldiers they were losing in Afghanistan, saying Canadaâs death toll was far less than Pakistanâs.

Canada has 2,300 troops based in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. In the last three months, 20 soldiers have been killed in clashes with Taleban militants, prompting calls for the mission to be brought back home...............


Mushy's gave another example of his foot in mouth disease <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

09-28-2006, 12:50 AM

Musharraf calls Karzai an OstrichQUOTEOn the eve of the tripartite meeting between himself, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and President Bush at a White House Ifthar dinner hosted by Bush, President Pervez Musharraf slammed Karzai, describing him as "an ostrich," who doesn't want to tell the world about the real facts in Afghanistan "for his own personal reasons."
...........
Musharraf went on to say, "In the governance in Afghanistan there is a certain community, which is feeling alienated and it has 50-60 per cent representation in Afghanistan. That is his problem."
..............

Same problem is with Pakistan only those in Paki Army are happy lot, rest are alienated lot.

09-28-2006, 12:52 AM

Musharraf nailed on lie in bookQUOTEAziz Haniffa in Washington, DC | September 27, 2006 09:44 IST
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has acknowledged that he has to revise the contention in his book that the CIA paid prize money to the Government of Pakistan for their cooperation in fighting the global war on terror against the al Qaeda.

During an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, the network's anchor referred to Musharraf's argument in The Line of Fire, that 'those who habitually accuse us of not going enough in the war on terror, should simply ask the CIA how much prize money it has paid to the Government of Pakistan?'

Blitzer said the CIA had refused comment on this assertion, but former senior intelligence officials had said no such prize money was paid and that the CIA only give rewards to individuals who help bring high-value terrorists to justice.

Musharraf tried to wriggle out of this corner by saying, "I don't know whether this is to the Government of Pakistan. I don't think I wrote to the Government of Pakistan."

But Blitzer nailed him, saying, it was right there on page 237 that the money was 'paid to the government,' and offered Musharraf an out, asking "You want to revise that?"

Caught off guard, an embarrassed Musharraf responded, "Yes. I think if it is written Government of Pakistan, yes."

09-28-2006, 01:26 AM

QUOTEFormer Pak ISI chief 'vanishes'
Press Trust of India
Posted online: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at 1404 hours IST
Updated: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at 1537 hours IST

Islamabad, September 27: The former ISI chief who conveyed US Secretary Richard Armitage's reported threat to "bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age" if it failed to crackdown on Taliban after 9/11 to President Pervez Musharraf has "vanished" to escape attempts by the media to get his version.

ISI chief General Mehmood Ahmad Mehmood, who prematurely retired from the Army after he was sidelined by Musharraf following disclosures that he tried to persuade Taliban Chief Mullah Omar to not to give in to US pressure after 9/11, has since settled in Lahore and was not available for comment, The News daily reported.
In an interview to CBS show 60 Minutes in Washington last week, Musharraf had said that the former US assistant secretary of state Armitage had threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the Stone Age". His comments were based on a report to him by Ahmed about the American stand on Pakistan's role in the war against terrorism after the 9/11 strikes.
Mahmood who took active part in the October 1999 coup that brought Musharraf to power was later made chairman of the Fouji Fertilisers. He was, however, removed during a purge of army commanders. He has since then joined the Tableeghi Jamaat

09-28-2006, 09:59 PM

Nareshji,
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM PAK GENERAL PERVEZ MUSHARRAF'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY,
Link 

Enjoy it. <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

Boycott Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's Memoirs; Don't Buy In The Line of Fire

09-29-2006, 12:29 AM

QUOTEÂ Pakistan's gambit 
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Easy visa, easier travel for jihadis 
On the face of it, there can be nothing objectionable about Pakistan relaxing its visa regime for tourists from India and 23 other countries. After all, many countries have adopted the 'visa on arrival' scheme to promote tourism: Travellers, especially those visiting foreign shores on vacation, are loath to stand in queue for visa and deal with unfriendly bureaucrats who take great delight in harassing applicants in the guise of implementing rules and regulations. The 'visa on arrival' scheme, therefore, has worked to the advantage of countries that have adopted it - apart from attracting a larger number of tourists, it has also helped countries promote a friendly image. But, and for this Pakistan has only itself to blame, when Islamabad offers a similar relaxation in its visa regime, there is every reason for hackles to be raised in New Delhi. This is primarily because of two reasons. First, past experience suggests that the proposed scheme will prove to be hugely beneficial for criminals and terrorists fleeing law-enforcing agencies in India. Till now, those on the run and seeking refuge in Pakistan would travel to their destination via a third country, usually the United Arab Emirates, offering visa on arrival. For example, Dawood Ibrahim and his cohorts chose this route to their present hideouts in Pakistan. But with the UAE increasingly discouraging criminals and terrorists from using Dubai or Abu Dhabi as transit points and willing to extradite wanted men to India, the journey to Pakistan has of late become cumbersome. If Islamabad does implement its proposed 'visa on arrival' scheme, then criminals and assorted jihadis will have to simply hop on to the first PIA flight out of India, or any other flight scheduled to land at a Pakistani airport.

The second reason why we should not be enthused by Pakistan's offer to ease its visa regime is because Islamabad will sooner than later demand reciprocal measures by New Delhi. Given the alarming alacrity with which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh concedes to Gen Pervez Musharraf's demands for concessions, we can be sure that a similar facility will be offered to 'tourists' landing in India from Pakistan. While it makes little sense to cavil at the present visa regime, which offers visa on arrival to Pakistanis above 65 years and below 12 years at Wagah and Attari and is a humanitarian gesture of goodwill, there is every reason to oppose any move to expand the scope of this facility to include all Pakistanis and other ports of entry. If the UPA Government were to do that, it would be tantamount to opening our doors and welcoming jihadis. The Government is welcome to pretend otherwise, but that shall not diminish the danger posed by what is clearly a conspiracy to make travel easier for India's enemies. The initial response of the Ministry of External Affairs - "We welcome all proposals for liberalising the visa regime between our two countries" - will no doubt gladden hearts that beat for Pakistan. For those who are worried about the rapid downing of defences in keeping with the Prime Minister's disastrous "out-of-the-box thinking", Pakistan's opening gambit has come as an ominous sign of further concession to Gen Musharraf. Before that happens, hopefully the Opposition will at least make an effort to block it.

09-29-2006, 12:34 AM

QUOTE
SUCH GUP
Bliss bills
Our mole went and hung around outside that fancy five star hotel in central Manhattan where Big Benâs Hubby has been happily ensconced for a year now. A little while later Hubby emerged and soon thereafter a big black limo appeared to pick him up. Our mole stayed put at his vantage point and two hours later Hubby returned. Our mole saw him tip his limo driver with a bliss bill of US $50.

Little big man
In his memoirs, the real PM claims that he fell out with his erstwhile boss The Man of Steel on three occasions before the government was overthrown in 1999. Two had to do with serving generals and The Manâs interference in affairs of the military. The last had to do with âthe editor of The Friday Timesâ and The Manâs demand to court martial the errant editor in 1999.

To his credit, the real PM refused to oblige and when the editor was arrested and his custody appropriated by the Invisible Soldiers Inc, the real PM asked them to take care of the editor and ensure his wellbeing. True again. Readers of the real PMâs book have wondered why he was loath to name the editor and why he has labeled The Friday Times (Pakistanâs only international award winning newspaper) a âtabloidâ as if to denigrate it. Our mole reports that the real PM had indeed put in the name âNajam Sethiâ when discussing the issue of TFT âs editor but that it was erased by his Pakistani ghost writer. The appellation âtabloidâ is also the handiwork of the same ghost, as confirmed by the real PMâs publishers. By taking with one hand what the real PM gave with the other, the ghost has made the real PM look small.

So whoâs the little big man then?

Maulana republic
After rumours of a coup dâetat swept Pakistan last Sunday, the real PM was forced to quell them with a no-nonsense statement: âNo question of a coup. Pakistan is no banana republicâ he said in a clear reference to the Thai coup which happened last week while the prime minister was away. Upon hearing this, Asma Jehangir, that indefatigable campaigner for human rights had this to say: âPakistan may not be a banana republic but it is certainly a maulana republic!â

Politically incorrect
We reported in this space last week that the real PM had alleged in his memoirs that Mukhtar Mai was never gang-raped and that she was detained against her will for a brief while, and âemerged disheveledâ. He implied that she wasnât at the mercy of her captors long enough to be raped. It now emerges that this allegation has been ironed out of the final version of the real PMâs memoirs. Our mole at a prestigious British newspaper reports that the memoir given to the reviewer of that paper certainly contained the âno rapeâ allegation but that it was taken out at the last minute. The real PM was advised that given the kudos heaped on Mai in the West, such a statement would be politically incorrect.

09-29-2006, 12:45 AM

QUOTENuggets from the Urdu press 

Beard issues? Call 1122!
According to daily Jang, the ex In-charge of the Rescue 1122 department charged that he was fired because he has a beard. He said his face shows the sunna of prophet Mohammad (PBUH). He said that the director of Rescue 1122 Dr Rizwan is allergic to bearded employees and told one employee to shave off his beard <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /> . I was failed three times in promotion examinations because of my beard. He urged the leaders of religious parties to take note of this rebellion against the religion. Dr Rizwan, director of Rescue 1122 denied the charges and said the man was fired because he was incompetent and did not work.

Taliban requested Masood death
Daily Jang reported that the former security guard of Osama bin Laden, Abu Jandal said that Al Qaeda organized the hijacking of an Indian plane in 1988 to get Islamic scholar, Maulana Azhar Masood released from Indian prison. Osama bin Laden arranged a lavish banquet for Maulana Azhar Masood in Kandhahar to celebrate his freedom from Indian jail. He disclosed that Ahmad Shah Masood was also killed at the request of the Taliban by Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda wanted to attack American carriers away from Arab countries, but attacked it near Yemen by mistake.

Pope speaks like a âcowboyâ
Columnist Irfan Siddique wrote in daily Nawa-i-Waqt, that what was the need to quote a Byzantine emporerâs blasphemous remarks by Pope Bennedict? If the word âCrusadeâ came from the mouth of uncivilized President Bush, nobody would have noticed it. An uncultured and crude person can use highly objectionable words like Islamic Fascist. His Holiness Pope Benedict was reading from a speech prepared for this occasion. The recent history of two hundred years is filled with killing and butchering at the hands of Christians. On the contrary Christians in Muslims lands are living in peace and their life and property is safe. Pope Benedict shouldnât have spoken in the style of a Cowboy, like President Bush.

As reported in daily Pakistan, Pope Benedict addressing university students in Germany challenged the concept of jihad. Talking on subject of âfaith and logicâ he said the concept of jihad doesnât go with soul of God. He rejected the earlier Popeâs opinion that Muslims and Christians can pray together. He said the Muslims attacking the West are called fidayeen and Jihad.

Greek saved Pakis
According to daily Nawa-i-Waqt, a wooden boat carrying mostly Pakistanis capsized near the island of Crete. The Greek Navy saved 118 Pakistanis and evacuated them by helicopters. One person was drowned and three are still missing. The Pakistanis started their journey from Egyptian city of Alexandria and wanted to enter Greece illegally.

Quaid-i-Azam was also Rajput <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />
Daily Jang reported that the general secretary of the Rajput Bhatti Association, Nasrullah Rana, told the audience in a Nishan-e-Haider conference that Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a Rajput. His voice had the roar and majesty like the voice of Rajputs. Mohammad Ali Jinnah had himself mentioned that he was Rajput. The Quaidâs forefathers were Rajput from Sahiwal.

No music classes in Punjab University
As reported in daily Jang, the secretary general of Jamaat Islami Ameer ul Azim said the starting of music classes in Punjab University is against Islam and the ideology of Pakistan. He said the Governor Punjab wants to please President Musharraf. The governor wants to confirm his job by making the girls and boys dance to the tune of western civilization.

Krishna in jeans and T-shirt
As reported in daily Nawa-i-Waqt, in Attar Pradesh famous Banke Behare temple, some unknown persons put on jeans and t-shirt on the idol of Lord Krishna and put mobile phone in his hands. The priest of the temple said the Lord changes his appearances and it is not a joke. Other priests said it is an insult to their 33 crore gods. Visha Hindu Prashad and Samaj Wadi party called for a strike and filed a writ petition to change the priest of Banke Behari temple.

Marri 
Daily Khabrain, reported that parliamentary secretary for defence Maj Â® Tanveer Hussain Syed said Nawab Akbar Bugti was killed by his Marri security guards. He said Marri tribe took the security agencies to the cave of Nawab Akbar Bugti. The Marris blew up the cave when security agencies were negotiating with Akbar Bugti. He said Balochistan is at the centre of international conspiracy, and India was involved with the help of Afghanistan. Akbar Bugti had more arms than Hezbollah, Hamas and Tamil Tigers.

Italian nun killed in Somalia
According to daily Nawa-i-Waqt, some unknown masked men fired and killed an Italian Christian nun, her bodyguard and a hospital assistant in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The cause of attack was Pope Benedictâs statement against Islam.

09-29-2006, 12:47 AM

FT
QUOTEWhy begrudge General Musharraf a couple of million dollars?Â 
Najam SethiâsÂ E d i t o r i a lÂ
"Pakistanis are happy with me and unhappy with the USâ, declared President-General Pervez Musharraf in America last week. He told Fox TV, that he was âso popular back home that he would win elections for President âhands downââ. He then weighed in with National Public Radio and claimed that âthe massively moderate people of Pakistan are massively in my personal supportâ and âwill never come out on the streets against me.â Then he expanded into international relations and lectured America on its unjust and failed policies in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan which have provoked a Muslim backlash.

Whoâs he kidding? Except for his American publisher, many people are pissed off with his utterances in print. In the Line of Fire is a world bestseller already because General Musharraf has taken a nasty dig at anyone whoâs anyone at home and abroad and cunningly exploited his official position to beef up sales of his book.

General Musharraf writes that Richard Armitage, who was US deputy secretary of state on 9/11, ârudelyâ threatened to âbomb Pakistan into the Stone Ageâ if it didnât comply with US demands. But Mr Armitage has denied this: âI didnât have authority to make such a threatâ. The former Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has been roused from semi-retirement by General Musharrafâs charge that âsomeone above the two of us with the power to overrule usâ sabotaged the Agra summit in July 2001. âI told him we had both been humiliated. He just sat there, speechlessâ. Mr Vajpaee has retorted that there was no insult or humiliation and the summit failed because General Musharraf insisted on calling the âterrorists in Kashmir freedom fightersâ. The general blithely claims the Pakistan army had the better of the Indians in the Kargil conflict in 1999. To add salt to Indian wounds, he adds the âIndians blinked and quite ignominiously agreed to a mutual withdrawal of forcesâ from the border in 2003. Later in the book he patronizes Manmohan Singh, the current Indian prime minister, as seeming âsincereâ but being âinflexibleâ in resolving conflict with Pakistan because of the weight of the Indian establishment. This has stirred ultra-patriotic Indian commentators to damn the book as âchest thumping machismo and self-aggrandisementâ by an author with a âsick mindâ.

At home, the reaction has been even more negative. The mullahs are bristling at his âcowardiceâ in bending to American threats after 9/11 and admitting to taking CIA money to fund the war against terror in Pakistan. The media is indignant that he used a state-paid visit to the US to flog his book and reveal âstate secretsâ that could harm Pakistan. The Peoples Party is annoyed because he holds Zulfikar Ali Bhutto responsible for the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971. And Nawaz Sharif has called him a liar and a cheat.

But the general should be more worried about the disquiet on the Pakistani street following his disparaging remarks against Dr A Q Khan, the rogue scientist who remains a âheroâ in the Pakistani imagination. âDr AQ Khan was not the sole scientist in charge of the entire effort; yet he had a great talent for self-promotion and publicityâ¦he was such a self-centered and abrasive man that he could not be a team playerâ¦he had a huge egoâ¦he did it all for moneyâ. Only a week ago, Dr Khan hit the news when he underwent cancer surgery in Karachi and was flooded with good wishes from Pakistanis. âHe is no fall guy for anyoneâ writes General Musharraf in a futile effort to deflect the widespread perception that the military establishment has sacrificed Khan to protect its own involvement in the sordid saga of Pakistanâs nuclear proliferation. Last Sunday, Pakistan was swept by a wave of rumours during an unprecedented national power outage that General Musharraf had had a heart attack in America and a coup had been carried out against him. Some Pakistanis distributed âsweetsâ upon hearing the ânewsâ. But in America, General Musharraf thundered no coup could take place against him because âPakistan isnât a banana republicâ.

Clearly, General Musharrafâs aim is to woo the US with tall claims and feigned confidence. He explains the rationale for the book in the preface. âWhat happens to Pakistan in the coming years will not only decide the outcome of the global war against terror, it will also shape what the future will look like for both Islam and the West...I am determined that that future be peaceful and prosperous â not just for Pakistan but for the entire international community. That vision is possible only if the Muslim world and the West, led by the United States, strive together toward resolving the issues before us.â In other words, he is saying that the US needs to stay engaged with Pakistan and Pakistan needs to stay engaged with President-General Musharraf.

The bad news is that there cannot be a more self-serving agenda or book. The good news is that it will not have any good or bad impact on friends or foes alike because he is quite transparent in word and deed. So why begrudge the general a couple of million dollars in book sales?

09-29-2006, 12:54 AM

Hello, Jon Stewart - goodbye, Pakistan <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />
Inside the mind of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan:

09-29-2006, 12:57 AM

Ex-Pakistan spy chief knew of 9/11: Report QUOTEWASHINGTON â¢ Pakistanâs spy agency ISI chief in 2001 Lt Gen Mahmood Ahmed according to a commentary published here, was âat all timesâ aware of exactly where Osama bin Laden was located, as his agents tracked every move of his and the ISI was also aware of the planning for September 11.

Arnaud de Borchgrave writes in The Washington Times that Gen Ahmad was even accused of authorising British-born Pakistani terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to make a $100,000 transfer to Mohamed Atta, the operational chief of the September 11 conspiracy, a charge that met vehement denials. 

Omar Sheikh was tried and sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl in 2002, âbut his ISI links spared him the gallows.

There was little doubt some elements of the ISI knew the outlines of the aerial plot against the US and the evidence was turned over to the September 11 Commission three days after its report had gone to press. It was never made public.â

According to de Borchgrave, who has often come up with âcolourfulâ theories, including his assertion once that Bin Laden was living in Peshawar, âGen Ahmed arranged to be in Washington the week of Al Qaedaâs big terrorist attack, presumably to take the Bush administrationâs pulse and gauge probable reactions.â After seeing Armitage, he called Gen Musharraf in Islamabad and translated the âeither-youâre-with-us-or-against-usâ threat to mean that Bush planned to âbomb Pakistan back to the Stone Ageâ unless Gen Musharraf complied with Washingtonâs wishes.

De Borchgrave writes that Gen Ahmed clearly miscalculated. Not only did Gen Musharraf acquiesce to US demands, but he also dispatched General Ahmad to Kandahar with orders to get Mullah Mohammed Omar to hand over Bin Laden.

The delegation was made up of six religious leaders and six ISI officers. General Ahmed ignored his orders and advised Mullah Omar to âhang tough and refuse to surrender Bin Laden.â

He reported back to General Musharraf on October 6, 2001 that his mission had failed to persuade the Taleban. The US invasion got underway the next day.

The Washington Times columnist believes that âheated denials notwithstanding, Taleban and Al Qaeda now have privileged sanctuaries in North and South Waziristan where they no longer have to duck when they see a Pakistani soldier.

Several thousand foreign guerrillas â mostly Uzbeks, Tajiks and Arabs who made it out of the Tora Bora battle in December 2001, or stayed on after the Soviets abandoned Afghanistan in 1989, and married local girls â are also home free.

A year ago, when this reporter was in Waziristan, a score of trainers in suicide and roadside bombing techniques had arrived from Iraq. Today, suicide attacks in Afghanistan are almost as commonplace as in Iraq.

Mehmood, who prematurely retired from the Army has since settled in Lahore and was not available for comment, The News daily reported.

In an interview to CBS show 60 Minutes in Washington last week, Musharraf had said that the former US assistant secretary of state Armitage had threatened to bomb Pakistan âback to the Stone Ageâ.

His comments were based on a report to him by Ahmed about the American stand on Pakistan's role in the war against terrorism after the 9/11 strikes.

Naresh · 09-29-2006, 03:16 AM

<img src='http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/sep-2006/29/image/max.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

09-29-2006, 06:41 AM

<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devilsmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='devilsmiley.gif' /> 'US paying Pervez $70-80 million a month'
Chidanand Rajghatta
[ 29 Sep, 2006 0251hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates

WASHINGTON: A British analyst has stirred a hornet's nest by revealing that the United States is bankrolling Pakistan's military ruler Pervez Musharraf to the extent of $70-80 million a month, adding fuel to the dictator's incendiary visit to the west this month.

The unnamed analyst has made the disclosure in a British ministry of defence think-tank paper that has subsequently been disowned by London as "not representing the views of the MoD or the government."

While much attention has been drawn to the analyst's contention that Pakistan's spy agency ISI is supporting terrorism, the portion about the payola for Musharraf, as reported by BBC, has embarrassed Washington, which is already chafing from Musharraf's own disclosure that the US paid bounty money to the Pakistan government for handing over wanted Al Qaida terrorists.

"Musharraf knows that time is running out for him...at some point the US is likely to withdraw funding (and possibly even protection) of him estimated at $70-80 million a month," the analyst wrote, adding, "Without US funding his position will become increasingly tenuous."

While it is possible the analyst might have meant US funding Pakistan (and not Musharraf individually), the latest flap comes on top of Musharraf's own claim that the CIA has paid the Government of Pakistan undisclosed sum of reward money.

He later retracted the claim when faced with questioning arising from the fact that it is illegal for the US to pay governments. He then indicated the payments may have gone to individuals but did not identify the individuals. The Bush administration has refused to comment on the matter.

For all the criticism heaped on Musharraf, he has never been accused of corruption. He evidently lives well within his means, although the Pakistani army typically lavishes enormous perks and privileges on itself.

If the report about the $70-80 million payola for Musharraf is true, then the lolly he would make from his memoir would be peanuts.

He would also join the list of Third World dictators Jordan's late ruler Hussein, Iraq's Saddam Hussain, Panama's Noreiga, Dominican Republic's Trujillo among them who were reported to be on CIA rolls at one time of the other.

09-30-2006, 12:04 AM

Leak highlights a complex relationship QUOTE "Pakistan is existing on the edge of chaos," he writes, arguing that Gen Musharraf does not stand for stability but rather that a move to civilian rule "might in fact be the only way to retain and improve stability, avoiding collapse and anarchy".
..........................
.....................
However, in some areas the Defence Academy's paper is quite opposed to Downing Street's world view, suggesting that "the UK has followed US policies on the global war on terror at the perceived exclusion of its own interests". 

The officer suggests the Pentagon lacks a strategic big idea and that "the US/UK cannot begin to turn the tide until they identify the real enemies... and seek to put in place a better and more just vision".
.............
The British officer considers 2007 to be "the crunch year", in which international pressure for a move to civilian rule will collide with the Pakistani military's attempts to retain control of the country through their Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and political proxies.

Many Pakistani commentators have long suggested that the ISI has been used to maintain the system of military rule by exporting Islamic militancy to Kashmir and Afghanistan.

"Indirectly", the British officer agrees, "Pakistan (through the ISI) has been supporting terrorism and extremism." He suggests that the Americans are fed up with this state of affairs and may withdraw their funding in order to chase Gen Musharraf from office.


Here British want to continue "The Great Game -I"
Mush is thinking about his dienasty.

Naresh · 09-30-2006, 04:48 AM

We killed spy in Waziristan, say Taliban

[center]LONG LIVE THE ISLAMIC EMIRATE OF WAZIRISTAN[/center]

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

Naresh · 09-30-2006, 01:14 PM

Mudy Ji :

Mush the Tushâs Interview :

CNN â WOLF BLITZER â 26 September 2006

Following from the above Interview :

[center]Q U O T E[/center]

MUSHARRAF: He is not oblivious. He knows everything. But he's purposely denying -- turning a blind eye, like an ostrich. He doesn't want to tell the world what is the fact, for his own personal reasons. This is what I think.

[center]U N Q U O T E[/center]

Proof from The Daily Times of Mushâs 400% Better English Speaking Capabilities :<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' />

<img src='http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2006/09/30/20060930_zahoor.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

09-30-2006, 06:32 PM

Radical teachings in Pakistan schools

QUOTEMadrassas back Taliban, bin Laden
By Charles M. Sennott, Globe StaffÂ |Â September 29, 2006

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- In a bustling, prosperous corner of this capital city stands the gated campus of a religious school, or madrassa, where some 10,000 students study the teachings of the Koran every day.

Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Abdul Rashid Ghazi, assistant headmaster at the school, sat cross-legged on the floor flanked by a Koran and a Kalashnikov, and asked that a reporter not photograph the weapon because it would ``give the wrong impression."

Then Ghazi proceeded to praise Osama bin Laden's call to ``jihad," or holy war, against the West. He expressed ``great pride" that ``at least hundreds" of graduates from his school have answered the call to take up arms against US forces in Afghanistan. And he openly described himself and his students as ``pro-Taliban."

The Jamia Feridia school does not exist in the shadowy fringes of militant Islam. It operates openly and has a 40-year history as part of the religious establishment in a country that Washington regards as a pivotal ally in the ``war on terror."

The school starkly illustrates just how radicalized Pakistan has become and how widespread is the support for both bin Laden and the Taliban, diplomats and political observers here say.

10-01-2006, 04:33 AM

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--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /> We could bring you to your knees: Mush
Rashmee Roshan Lall
[ 30 Sep, 2006 2025hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

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LONDON: General Musharraf has mixed rank self-righteousness with a remarkably stark warning to the West that it could be 'brought to its knees' if Pakistan withdraws its cooperation in the so-called war on terror.

Launching a fierce and finger-wagging attack on the West's growing doubts about Pakistan's role in fighting Islamist terrorism, Musharraf said the US and UK had to understand Pakistan is the West's "main ally...If we were not with you, you won't manage anything".

In his strongest warning ever on the issue, Musharraf declared, "You'll be brought down to your knees if Pakistan doesn't co-operate with you. That is all that I would like to say. Pakistan is the main ally. If we were not with you, you won't manage anything. Let that be clear. And if ISI is not with you, you will fail."

But sources here said Musharraf's passionate defence of his country and its infamous intelligence agency early on Saturday morning was yet again undermined after Mumbai's police chief firmly blamed the ISI for planning the 7/11 train blasts.

In an extraordinary coincidence, Musharraf issued his blunt warning to the West to cease doubting Pakistan's role and commitment to fighting terrorism just a couple of hours before the Mumbai blasts were formally alleged to have been masterminded by the ISI.

Commentators said that Musharraf's attempt to silence Western critics of Pakistan came across as blustering over-defensiveness after the Indian allegation.

Musharraf's firm denial of Pakistani two-facedness in the war on terror came just days after a leaked British report criticized the ISI for fomenting Islamist radicalism by indirectly helping the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Late on Thursday, an angry Musharraf challenged British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the issue and received a public assurance that the British government does not doubt Islamabad's commitment to fighting terrorism.

But Musharraf, who remained in the UK over the weekend, has let it be known he is riled about Western doubts over Pakistan 's role in the war on terror.

With a visible sense of entitlement, Musharraf said the US and UK should acknowledge a "historic debt" of gratitude to Pakistan because it had helped "win the Cold War" for the West. Blaming the West for creating al-Qaeda, he said it had been foolish for the West to arm and train the mujahideen to fight the Soviets and then leave them to turn their rage - and weapons - on their creator.

Insisting that Pakistan was left "high and dry" by the West and left to deal with the purposeless mujahideen on its own, Musharraf argued that it was unfair to blame his country for all the evils of the world.

The stern rebuke and warning to the West comes as Musharraf assumes an increasingly combative and hectoring tone on the ever touchier subject of Pakistan's real role in the war on terror.

Late on Friday, the General delivered the same message in a speech to students and academics at Oxford University. He demanded that the West to offer assistance rather than criticism to Pakistan's battle against terrorism.

And he blithely batted aside criticism from Amnesty International that his government was illegally detaining innocent people on suspicion of terrorism, secretly imprisoning them and transferring them to US custody for money.

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