Twirp : Terrorist Wahabi Islamic Republic Pakistan 3

[Naresh]

<b>No Turkey for 250 Pakistanis this Christmas Dinner</b>

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

[acharya]

<b>The world cannot afford a ‘failed’ Pakistan</b>

* Former congressman Lee Hamilton says country’s underlying economic weaknesses, global financial crisis have devastated it
* Says India remains Islamabad’s national security obsession

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: The danger of a failed state, replete with nuclear weapons, ethnic tensions, Taliban sympathisers and Osama Bin Laden in residence, is chilling, according to Lee Hamilton, former congressman and co-author of the 9/11 report.

Writing in the Indianapolis Star, Hamilton argues that Pakistan’s underlying economic weaknesses and the global financial crisis have devastated the country. Between July and October, the rupee lost a quarter of its value. Foreign-exchange reserves have dwindled to dangerously low levels. Pakistan has sought assistance from the International Monetary Fund in the $5 billion to $13 billion range to avoid defaulting on its debts. President Asif Ali Zardari has “yet to demonstrate the capacity to tackle Pakistan’s toughest challenges”. He lacks popular support to wage a campaign against the Taliban. He must carefully balance his country’s strategic alliance with the United States and widespread public hostility to the US.

Hamilton write that the dispute over Kashmir lingers, while the reach of the Taliban increasingly extends from the Tribal Areas into Pakistan and its cities. From their tribal agency base, the Taliban have launched deadly raids on US and allied troops in Afghanistan, where their presence is growing. The US response thus far has been increased cross-border military action into the Tribal Areas, but it needs a comprehensive plan to promote stability in the region with integrated security, political and economic components. Even then, the US cannot achieve success and eliminate terrorist sanctuaries in the Tribal Areas without Pakistani help. The United States needs to discreetly help Pakistan defend traditional forms of tribal governance and the elders who could form the backbone of indigenous resistance to the Taliban. In dealing with the Tribal Areas, the United States must differentiate its enemies.

Obsession:
Hamilton notes that Kabul has opened low-level negotiations with pragmatic elements within the Taliban under Saudi Arabian auspices. The US should sharply expand and improve its commitment to Pakistan’s economic development. India, he points out, remains Pakistan’s national security obsession. To Islamabad, Afghanistan represents an opportunity to achieve ‘strategic depth’ vis-à-vis India. The United States should support rapprochement and a settlement over Kashmir, while encouraging Pakistan to view its regional security challenges more broadly. But, even with the right military, economic and political resources, the US faces an enormous challenge, nation-building in a country of 170 million people. The United States needs a unity of effort in support of the Pakistani government, the Pakistani people and our own national security interests.

[Naresh]

Cross-Posted from the Energy Thread :

<b>India opposes IPI penalty proposal</b>

<i>* Iran wants amendment to GSPA force majeure clause, replacing ‘act of war’ with ‘situation of armed conflict or war’</i>

<b>NEW DELHI : India has opposed Iran's bid to include a clause in the proposed Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project to absolve itself from paying penalties for disruption and non-supply of natural gas due to armed conflict. With US strikes inside Pakistan increasing and a possible strike against Iran, Tehran wants to absolve itself from supplying gas through the tri-nation pipeline in the case of conflict.</b>

An amendment clause is being opposed by New Delhi, which wants Tehran to make alternative arrangements like shipping gas in liquefied form (LNG) in the event of disruption of supply.

Negotiations on the $7.4 billion pipeline have been long and tedious with each side wanting to protect its interests. With most of the issues now settled, the new condition would further delay agreement on the project.

Official sources said Iran had suggested an amendment to the force majeure clause that sought to include its enforcement in the situation of armed conflict or war. It wants the term ‘Act of War’ under excusing event to be replaced by a suitable substitute such as ‘situation of armed conflict or war’ in the GSPA.

But India wants Iran to pay for non-supply of gas in situations other than war. Tehran, it says, has to commit to the principle of 'supply or pay' as the buyers are agreeing to a 'take or pay' clause.

<b>The sources said India also wanted the ownership of natural gas to be transferred to it at the Pakistan-India border and that Iran should be liable for safe passage of the fuel in Pakistan. India has said it will pay only if gas is delivered at its border. Iran has proposed to transfer gas ownership at its border with Pakistan and wants New Delhi and Islamabad to enter into agreements for onward transit of fuel.

New Delhi also opposes Tehran's insistence on revising the gas price every three years. It believes the pricing formula agreement between the three nations was for the entire 25-year tenure of the project.</b>

India and Pakistan are to buy 30 million standard cubic metres per day of gas each from the proposed pipeline.

Earlier, in September, Tehran had expressed serious concerns over the security situation in Pakistan and asked Islamabad to make security a part of the IPI project.

Iran had demanded from Pakistan to include a provision on security in the GSPA for the gas pipeline project. With such a provision in the IPI gas pipeline project, Tehran was to be able to suspend gas supply to Pakistan in case of ‘a security incident’ in the country.

In June, India and Pakistan has declared they had reached a consensus on the transit fee of the IPI pipeline.

<b>India wanted the gas pipeline to operate like the proposed Turkey-Austria Nabucco gas pipeline that is exempted from gas transit fee.</b>

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

[Guest]

<b>Pakistan seeks $25bn investments from ‘friends’</b>
They should call India, Moron Singh will rush towards Pakistan.

[Guest]

<b>Warplanes, troops kill 40 militants in Bajaur, Swat </b>
Now they are killing their own brothers. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Naresh]

<b>WAPDA criticised for upsetting wheat targets</b>

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->ISLAMABAD : <b>WAPDA passive water releases from Tarbela have inflicted huge losses to wheat sowing plans of both Punjab and Sindh putting the wheat target of 25 million tonnes in jeopardy, a senior official told The News</b>.

Both the provinces Punjab and Sindh came down heavily on WAPDA in the Advisory Committee meeting of Indus River System Authority which was held on November 18<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

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

[Naresh]

<b>Pakistani H N D - <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Quo Vadis?</span></b>

<b>Russia allows transit of Nato arms to Afghanistan</b>

<b>MOSCOW, Nov 20 : Russia said on Thursday it had authorised the transport of German military equipment to Afghanistan through Russian territory, the first time it had allowed such a transit by a foreign state.

Russian authorities on November 10 “issued a permit for... the rail transit through Russian territory of arms, military equipment and military property of the Bundeswehr to Afghanistan,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.</b>

“This will be the first experience of this kind between Russia and a foreign state, emphasising the close cooperation with Germany in the sphere of cooperation in countering mutual problems and threats to security,” it added.

<b>Russia has since April allowed the transit of non-military supplies through Russian territory for countries such as France and Germany contributing to the Nato force in Afghanistan.</b>

But this is the first time Russia has allowed military hardware to pass over its soil and the fact the agreement is with Germany is richly symbolic given the hostility in World War II.

The German shipments would use Russia’s vast rail network which leads into Siberia and then connects into Central Asian countries towards Afghanistan.

The foreign ministry said that the issue was discussed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a summit meeting in Saint Petersburg on October 2.

Relations between Russia and Nato have suffered a deep chill over Moscow’s war with Georgia in August but the two sides have maintained a close cooperation over Afghanistan.

Nato’s 53,000-strong International Security Assistance Force is struggling to put down a Taliban-led insurgency amid increasing violence. Germany has a contingent of about 3,300 soldiers in Afghanistan.—AFP

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

[ramana]

Book Review

LONG WAIT FOR DELIVERANCE

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->LONG WAIT FOR DELIVERANCE 


Pakistan: Engagement of the Extremes By Ashutosh Misra, Shipra, Rs 450

In his preface to this book,<b> Kanti Bajpai laments that Indians, though much agitated by happenings in Pakistan, never bother to write a book on them. </b>Ashutosh Misra, by that account, is an exception. Given this, one wonders why a rare effort of his kind should have been marred by such slipshod editing. Paragraph after paragraph is repeated in a span of a few pages and chunks of the text are made completely unreadable by proofing errors. That Misra and his publishers felt nothing about going ahead with the publication of such a dated manuscript, and did not feel the need to change the conclusion in January 2008, when Bajpai’s preface was added, is even more curious. Events are traced only till early 2007, when the real problems for Pervez Musharraf had not even surfaced. Although Misra anticipates the turn of events correctly — Musharraf’s ‘deal’ with Benazir Bhutto for example — the tumultuous changes in Pakistan since early this year make his recollections of Musharraf’s dalliance with the Islamists appear like ancient history.

<b>Misra recalls the coming together of the two extremes in Pakistan — the Islamists and the military — during the Musharraf era, and how the convergence of interests at this time, leading up to their growing confrontation, has shaped the country’s present destiny. But he does not stop to explain why the two are regarded as “extremes”. Readers are expected to deduce from a diffuse introduction that the Islamists and the military in Pakistan ascribe to two radically different positions. While the first considers power as a means to an end — the spread of ideology — the latter sees ideology as a means to consolidate state power (now synonymous with military power). </b>

The Musharraf era is obviously not the first time the two “extremes” came together. There had been a convergence of interests in the time of Ayub Khan, when he needed to invoke Islamic zeal to unite the country during the 1965 war with India, although he disbanded Islamist parties during his martial rule. Following him, Yahya Khan co-opted the Islamists into the State machinery to counter nationalist agitation in both East and West Pakistan. Before Zia-ul-Haq embarked on his mission to build a theocracy that brought the Islamists centre stage, and even afterwards, Islamists were variously entertained by the secular regimes, each to its specific advantages.

What makes the Musharraf era distinct from the others is the coming together of the Islamists under the banner of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, a conglomeration of six parties (five Sunni and one Shiite) that went on to secure an unprecedented number of seats in the national assembly. Participation of the religious parties in the ‘democratic’ political set-up of Pakistan is not unique. Since the parties see ‘democracy’ as the most effective way of spreading their influence and keeping the moderates at bay, they have espoused the democratic cause and even participated in the government. These parties have also, almost unfailingly, objected to military control over state power, despite the fact that they have always depended on the army for their survival. This is no better illustrated than by the dealings of the MMA with the Musharraf regime that Misra elaborates on.

The template on which the give-and-take occurred between the Islamists and the military in the time of Musharraf was thus no different from what it was like before and continues to be. The military continues to use the Islamists, as and when necessary, to mould domestic and international support for itself, while the Islamists, willy-nilly, remain dependent on the army for their political reach. Had Musharraf’s rule, his sinful wooing of the religious parties during his crucial political tests (the April 2002 referendum, the legal framework order of 2003 and the confidence vote of 2004) strengthened them enough for them to become powerful determinants of Pakistani politics, as Misra suggests, they would not have fared so miserably during the 2008 elections when the military under General Ashfaq Kayani (despite Musharraf’s presence) withdrew itself from any active political role. By the time the results came out, Misra had, of course, finished his manuscript.

Given the larger focus and the turn of events, Misra’s reflections appear limited. There is no doubting his intense research though, particularly his ability to show how well <b>the MMA has manipulated the army to realize its goals in the North-West Frontier Provinces, in Balochistan and in Sindh. In each of these places, it capitalized on anti-American, and anti-Musharraf, sentiments to wrest power, then used it to push through Islamic ideals: the enforcement of the sharia, the hisbah bill and policies curbing women’s independence.</b>

Many of these moves heckled Musharraf — whom Misra calls an enlightened moderate — and brought him on the path of confrontation with the Islamists. <b>It was not a moderate Musharraf alone who had to cut the religious parties short. A diehard Islamist like Zia-ul-Haq, too, could only espouse the sharia to a limited degree. As Frederic Grare, a noted expert on the sharia, has pointed out, Zia-ul-Haq created a sharia federal court but exempted the decrees of martial law, the tax system, and the overall banking system from conformity with the sharia. It amounted to a stupendous let-down for the Islamists, who soon quit his ministry.</b> The <b>logic of state management obviously imposes its own limitations on the full realization of Islamic ideals, and this fact will continue to keep Islamists at loggerheads with whichever authority assumes charge in Islamabad.</b>

<i>{Unless the Islamists in the Army themselves takeover the state}</i>

Misra draws attention to the Islamists’ ability to make mischief. <b>But the army too should not be absolved of that sin. If the Islamists’ link with the jihadis is to be feared, more so the army’s. After all, the Islamist threat has been held out to the international community to justify army rule as the only way to deal with it. Despite the ascendancy of a civilian government in Pakistan, the discretionary powers still rest with the army. These are bound to be used whenever domestic and international pressure mounts on the army to clean up its act.</b> Or, as usual, the civilian authority fails to bring Pakistan to its deliverance.

CHIROSREE BASU
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Naresh]

<b>Three blasts in intervals at PIL building in Lahore</b>

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->LAHORE: At least 3 persons, including a child, were injured when a series of 3 blasts occurred with intervals at the building of Punjab Institute of Language (PIL) near Gaddafi Stadium Saturday night.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

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

[Naresh]

<b>There is a bit of India in every Pakistani : Zardari</b>

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>For the first time, a Pakistani head of state promised a “no-first nuclear-strike” against India,</b> talked of change and reconciliation, of shared bloodlines and the possibility of doing away with passports.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

One must remember that <b>Zardari’s words are not <span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>ETCHED IN STONE</span></b>

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

[Shambhu]

1. Some dude somewhere babbles something in his sleep
2. A Puke afsar says something

Who has more credibility?

[Naresh]

<b>Pakistan not keen on Saudi oil facility</b>

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->ISLAMABAD : Pakistan is less enthusiastic about the Saudi oil facility because the drastic drop in oil prices in the international market has eased pressure on the country’s forex reserves. “The unbearable pressure on Pakistan, with its foreign reserves plummeting extremely low, has evaporated due to the huge fall in oil prices,” a senior official told The News on Sunday.

He recalled the time when Pakistan was paying around $1,800 million for its monthly oil import bill and one barrel was costing as much as $144. Now the country is paying just $800 million a month for the same, according to a source, who argued the price decline had taken off the pressure on Pakistan<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Pakistani spin on "Saudi Refusal!"

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

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->One must remember that Zardari’s words are not ETCHED IN STONE<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wait, have you heard Moron Singh comments or Babus comments, they will come out in joy. See with little bribe we did wonder.
Now Mudy's foretell, India should watch LOC and Border. Now SIMI had given free hand by Shame of India, watch Diwali.

[Naresh]

<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Nov 24 2008, 09:39 PM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Nov 24 2008, 09:39 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Wait, have you heard Moron Singh comments or Babus comments, they will come out in joy. See with little bribe we did wonder.
Now Mudy's foretell,  India should watch LOC and Border. Now SIMI had given free hand by Shame of India, watch Diwali.
[right][snapback]90557[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

<b>Mudy Ji :</b>

Leaders and Babus have to contend with the rest of the 1.2 Billion Indians.

Meantime more “Good” news from Pakistan

<b>Late wheat sowing, yield losses</b>

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->PUNJAB has missed the most propitious date for wheat sowing by a big margin, which may render the target of 25 million tons of national production unachievable.

In Punjab, which is supposed to contribute 20 million tons out of total 25 million tons this year, the optimum sowing date was November 20. After that date, the crop, according to experts, starts losing yield of 16kg per acre per day.

On that fateful day, sowing in Punjab stood at an abysmal 28 per cent – rice belt with a 25 per cent sowing, rain-fed areas 40 per cent and cotton belt a paltry 15 per cent. By that calculation, 72 per cent of sowing will fall in the “late category” and suffer yield loss to varying degrees, making the target distant.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

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

[Naresh]

Another “Kick” into Pakistan’s H N D :

<b>US wheat exempted from pre-shipment inspection</b>

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->ISLAMABAD (November 24 2008) : The government has reportedly exempted US wheat from pre-shipment inspection without giving any reasonable justification after Washington opposed any such condition, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

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

[Naresh]

<b>Research in IT institutes</b>

The information technology industry in Pakistan began to nourish in late eighties, when some of the top universities offered some courses and diplomas in computer science. <b>Since then, it made little progress in catering to some of the software related needs for business and strategic issues.</b>

From 1998 to 2005-6, due to the personal interest of the then president Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Dr Ata-ur-Rehman, many IT related institutes were initiated and some new IT parks established. The prime goal of these IT universities was to provide trained IT recruits to the developing IT industry which depended on western technology resources (like data entry and business software) for its business gain and was a weak rival for giant Indian IT hubs.

<b>Since then, the aim of both the government and IT institutes has been to produce a handsome amount of these IT recruits for the IT industry whose volume never increased because its main focus was to get business from the west which had already diverted to the rival Indian side mainly because of terrorism and lack of research.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Now, as a result, Pakistan is producing more and more educated jobless persons in the IT sector every year.</span></b> <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Research is the key factor, which was ignored by these so called IT institutes producing computer users rather than trained self dependent IT professionals.

Once we start developing research based softwares that could be used in the various fields like defense, jet planes, automated vehicles industry, medical science, computer networks etc; only then can Pakistan’s IT industry be made self reliant and more lucrative.

<b>JAMAL AHMAD KHAN
Jhang</b>

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

[Naresh]

<b>No commitment from India on water losses’</b> <!--emo&:clapping--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' /><!--endemo-->

NEW DELHI : <b>India on Wednesday refused to give a commitment to compensate Pakistan for water losses arising from the filling of Baglihar Dam, at a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries, according to sources. The sources said there was no firm commitment by India to compensate Pakistan for its water losses.</b> Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi – who reached India on Wednesday on a four-day visit – had raised the issue of decreasing water levels in Chenab River at the talks on the Indo-Pak peace process. Addressing a joint press conference, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that water would be made available to Pakistan in line with the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) – subject to availability at the source. About the Jammu and Kashmir issue, Mukherjee rejected any third party involvement. About the Indian team’s tour to Pakistan in January, Mukherjee hoped the team would go to Pakistan, after Qureshi expressed readiness to address security concerns. iftikhar gilani

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

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Political wing of ISI disbanded, confirms Prime Minister </b>
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani confirmed late on November 26 his Government had disbanded the political wing of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the external intelligence service, according to Dawn. Gilani''s statement confirmed an announcement by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on November 23 that the ISI''s political wing dealing with domestic politics had been disbanded. "The political wing of ISI has been closed," said a brief statement from Gilani''s media office. It also said "The Prime Minister hoped that it would further improve the effectiveness of ISI as one of the premier institutions of the national security apparatus of the country."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<b>Suspected US strike kills 2 in Pak</b>

Cheers, this makes me happy.

[Naresh]

Cross Posted on the "Attacks in Mumbai" Thread

<b>Mudy Ji:</b>

I have been advocating this action in addition to others and reiterate that the best way to hit the Terroristanis is to stop Cricket - in fact all Sporting Links - alongwith no more India Visit Visas, no more Terroristanis to take part in India's Entertainment or any other Sector of Economy and finally do the same with Bangladesh.

[center] <!--emo&:clapping--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' /><!--endemo--> <b><span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>India cancels cricket team’s tour of Pakistan</span></b> <!--emo&:clapping--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' /><!--endemo--> [/center]

<b>NEW DELHI : India's government has refused permission to send a cricket team for a full tour of Pakistan early next year following the deadly Mumbai attacks, Indian television reported on Sunday.

The tour was cancelled amid a government probe into Pakistani links to the assaults on the country's financial capital by heavily-armed militants that left nearly 200 people dead.

Two Indian news channels, quoting unnamed government sources, said the matches were also unlikely to be played at neutral venues.</b>

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