Pakistan : Terrorist Wahabi Islamic Rep Pakistan 7

[Guest]

from Paki fora, based on Paki Army titbits

on the 26th of November, a Pakistan Army post, [size="5"]manned by soldiers from the Azad Kashmir Regiment[/size], detected movement in a valley below and adjacent to their check-post. The checkpoint is 2 km inside Pakistani territory and located on high ground. After identifying the movement as armed individuals via night vision devices, spot light and flares, the soldiers opened fire. Shortly, they came under attack of an AH-64 Apache helicopter, resulting in the loss of 19 lives.

This I called ThanksGiving gift to India. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />

[Naresh]

[quote name='ravish' date='27 November 2011 - 09:01 PM' timestamp='1322407436' post='113879']

The death of Pakistani troops as a result of NATO attack on Pakistan border outpost this morning is bound to put further strain the bilateral relations between USA and Pakistan. However, in view of precarious economic and security situation in Pakistan in one side and the US requirement of facilities within Pakistan too carry out its operation within Afghanistan will ensure that business is back to normal within a few days.

In the past also Pakistan’s sovereignty has been violated by the US and NATO forces. After some initial noise by Islamabad, business has been back to normal. We should be conscious of the fact that these incidences are causing much serious damage to the state machinery of Pakistan. Its public image is getting damaged and full advantage of the same is expected to be taken by the extremist and anti US elements within Pakistan. In the emerging situation there is nothing for India to rejoice, as an unstable Pakistan will bring in more problems for India,[/quote]



Ravish Ji :



The problems cased by way of repercussions of an unstable Pakistan will be due to the so-called “Secular” Leaders who will open India’s Borders as this will create a “Huge” Vote Bank of Millions upon Millions of Pakistani Muslims – Altaf Hussain has been asking the Government of India to forgive the 60 Million “Muhajirs” for having migrated to Pakistan (The Muhajir Population of Pakistan has grown may be Ten Times from that in say 1948 or so as they have been having Six to Seven Children per couple) and allow these 60 Million Muhajir Muslim to return to India.



If India has “Pakistani-Proof” Border Controls then there are very few chances of these Terroristani Muhajirs to enter India, but, with things as they are I am sure the “Wagah Kandle Kissers Klan” as well as “Kangress Kamunist Kriminal Klan” will offer to lay down their lives to allow the “Poor Suffering Muslim Muhajirs” ro return to their Ancestral Land!



Herein, although OFF-TOPIC I refer you to the conditions of Hindus in Bangladesh which had a 28% Hindu Population in 1947 which [color="#FF0000"][size="6"]INCREASED[/size][/color] (such is the Secular Nature of Pakistan and Bangladesh) to 22% in 1951, 14% in 1974 (After East Pakistan became Bangladesh) about 6% now and ZERO% in 25 Years Time.



Illegal Muslim Immigrants of Pakistani or Bangladeshi Origin are deported from all Arab Countries, Malaysia, Indonesia etc. etc. except by the Government of India!



[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15928541"][center][color="#FF0000"][size="6"]Bangladesh approves Hindu property restoration act



Anbarasan Ethirajan : BBC News, Dhaka[/size][/color][/center][/url]



The Bangladeshi parliament has passed a landmark bill that will enable the return of property seized from the country's Hindu minority.



The land was taken under a controversial law enacted in the 1960s.



It was implemented by the East Pakistan administration before Bangladesh became independent in 1971.



The law, initially known as the Enemy Property Act, allowed the authorities to take over land and buildings of Hindus who migrated to India.



Under its terms, property belonging to millions of Hindus who fled to India was confiscated.



The law came into effect in 1965 when Pakistan and India fought a brief war.



The act was renamed as the Vested Properties Act after independence.



The Vested Properties Return (Amendment) Bill 2011 now enables Hindus to reclaim their property taken over by the government and individuals.



"There are some good provisions but it doesn't go far enough to address our demand that all the properties seized or taken over until recently should be returned to their rightful owners," Supreme Court lawyer Subrata Chowdhury told the BBC.



Exodus



[color="#FF0000"][size="5"]Hindu community leaders say that even after the independence of Bangladesh in 1971 the law was still used to discriminate against them.[/size][/color]



Human rights groups and civil society activists have long urged successive governments to repeal the act.



The governing Awami League made an electoral promise in 2008 that confiscated properties would be given back to the original owners.



[color="#FF0000"][size="5"]Experts say that while the changes to the law are welcome, it will be impossible to return all the land because some of it was confiscated more than 40 years ago.[/size][/color]



Most of it appears to have been taken over by Muslims with links to the main political parties.



The government says that it will soon publish a list of properties that were seized. It that any Hindus wanting to make a claim will have 90 days to do so.



It is estimated by one prominent academic that about 400 to 500 Hindu people are migrating daily from Bangladesh.



[color="#FF0000"][size="5"]Professor Abul Barkat told the BBC that if the current rate continues, Bangladesh will no longer have a Hindu community in 25 years' time.[/size][/color]



Cheers

[Naresh]

.





[url="http://tribune.com.pk/multimedia/videos/300000/"]ISPR releases footage of Salala checkpost after attack[/url]



Cheers

[Naresh]

.





[url="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/WWC%20Pakistan%20Aiding%20Without%20Abetting_0.pdf"][center][color="#006400"][size="4"]Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars[/size]



[size="6"]Aiding Without Abetting[/size]



[size="4"]Making Civilian Assistance to Pakistan Work for Both Sides[/size][/color][/center][/url]



Cheers

[Naresh]

.



[url="http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=27789"]Pakistan bent on self destruction: James Jones[/url]



ISLAMABAD : In an interview with Charlie Rose on Bloomberg TV Thursday, Gen James Jones, who The News confirmed as the conduit between Mansoor Ijaz and Admiral Mike Mullen, said Ijaz was a mere acquaintance.



This comes contrary to Ijaz’s claims in several interviews that Jones is a close friend of his.



Responding to a question, Jones said [color="#FF0000"]“Pakistan is a country hell bent on self destruction” which refuses to listen to advice that might help it.[/color]



Asked about the memo controversy, he said he had played a small part in it.



Jones said Mansoor Ijaz is a “Pakistani American” who lives in Europe and remains involved in the affairs of Pakistan.



He is an acquaintance and on May 10 asked Jones to deliver a letter to Mullen.



Jones did not say that the letter was initiated by President Asif Ali Zardari or former ambassador Husain Haqqani.



Asked if Ijaz was considered credible in the US National Security Council, Jones stopped at saying he was a mere acquaintance.



Cheers

[Naresh]

.



[url="http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/03/pia-again-faces-eu-ban-threat.html"][center][size="6"][color="#006400"]Perhaps I Arrive again faces EU ban threat[/color][/size][/center][/url]



Cheers

[Guest]

[url="http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Pakistan/Asif-Ali-Zardari-may-quit-over-ill-health-say-reports/Article1-778872.aspx"]Asif Ali Zardari may quit over 'ill health', say reports[/url]

A US magazine has claimed that Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari who had gone to Dubai for medical check-up may have angioplasty on Wednesday and that he may resign from office on account of "ill health".



Zardari on Tuesday evening left for Dubai to visit his children and also to undergo some medical tests, Pakistan's official news agency Associated Press of Pakistan had reported.

Though the president’s personal physician Col Salman said the proposed medical tests are of routine nature and are linked to a previously diagnosed cardiovascular condition, the Foreign Policy magazine quoted a former US official as saying that parts of the US government were informed that Zardari had a "minor heart attack" on Monday night.



He had flown to Dubai via an air ambulance.

Looks like Paki Army is able to kick him out , ofcourse unkle gave his blessing. Another puppet will get blessing

[Naresh]

.



[center][color="#006400"]Pakistani rupee at [size="6"]record low of 89.36 to dollar[/size][/color][/center]



KARACHI : The Pakistani rupee traded at a record low early on Wednesday weighed by import payments and a bleak outlook for the country’s economy.



“The rupee was traded at 89.36 (to the dollar) and so far there has been one (import) payment of about $40 million to $45 million,” said a bank dealer.



The rupee was trading at 89.22/27 to the dollar at 10:43 a.m. (0543 GMT), compared with Friday’s close of 88.96/89.00. It has lost about 4.2 percent this year. The previous low was 89.02 on Friday.



Dealers cited concerns about the weak outlook for Pakistan’s economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts economic growth for 2011/12 fiscal year at 3.5 percent, lower than the government’s target of 4.2 percent.



“The rupee has come under significant pressure so far (in July-Dec) on a widening trade deficit and large external debt payments,” said Sayem Ali, economist at Standard Chartered Ltd.



Pakistan’s current account deficit stood at $1.6 billion in July-Oct compared with $541 million in the same period a year earlier. Islamabad has to start repaying an $8 billion International Monetary Fund loan in early 2012. Without additional sources of revenue, its foreign exchange reserves will come under pressure, analysts say.



Foreign exchange reserves fell to $16.88 billion in the week ending Nov. 25. They hit a record $18.31 billion in the week ended July 30.



Cheers

[Guest]

[url="http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/10/9352886-pakistan-says-us-drones-in-its-air-space-will-be-shot-down"]Pakistan says U.S. drones in its air space will be shot down[/url]

Good barking dog. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[Arun_S]

[center][size="2"]Night[/size][color="#808080"]Watch[/color][/center][url="http://www.kforcegov.com/Services/IS/NightWatch/NightWatch_11000254.aspx"]http://www.kforcegov...h_11000254.aspx[/url]

For the night of 22 December 2011



Pakistan: Civil-military crisis evolving. In a written reply to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Pakistani Defense Ministry said it has no control over any operation conducted by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate or the Pakistan Army, according to unnamed supposedly knowledgeable sources. The ministry said it only handles administrative affairs for the ISI and the Army and, therefore, it was not in a position to answer or explain anything on behalf of the Pakistan Army.







Prime Minister Gilani reminded the Army that it, like all state institutions, answers to the parliament and the prime minister. He added that the Army is under the Defense Ministry and could not consider itself its own state within Pakistan without accepting lawmakers' sovereignty. Gilani said there are conspirators plotting against the elected government and that he would fight for Pakistani rights whether he remains in the government or not.







Pakistan's Army wants President Zardari to leave office through legal means rather than a coup, unidentified military sources said on 22 December. They added that no military coup is being planned because it would be opposed by the people. It also would have national and international consequences and the government's mistakes already create discontent. Any action taken must come from the Supreme Court rather than the military.







Comment: Cumulatively, the reports indicate that the civilian government is now in an open struggle with the Army, which apparently declines to recognize civilian control. The government apparently fears the Army has become a sovereign entity within the state of Pakistan.



Gilani's comment implies that he expects to be removed from office. The reference to the Supreme Court is that the Court found several years ago that Zardari's presidency is illegal, but was dissuaded from taking futher action. Today's statements, assuming they are accurate, indicate the Army leadership now supports the court's pursuit of its earlier finding.

[Naresh]

.



[url="http://tribune.com.pk/story/310583/strategic-retreat-nbp-ogdc-burst-the-ip-gas-pipeline-bubble/"]Strategic retreat: NBP, OGDC burst the IP gas pipeline bubble[/url]



ISLAMABAD: The government has faced a major set back in the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project as the country’s largest bank National Bank of Pakistan and the country’s largest exploration company Oil and Gas Development Company Limited on Thursday refused to finance it due to possible sanctions by the US.



Sources told The Express Tribune that a representative of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) informed the steering committee on gas import projects on Thursday that it had branches in different countries of the world and therefore it feared that these branches could be closed due to US sanction against Iran.



Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) already cash constrained due to the circular debt said that its US investors, having a 1.6% share in the company, had threatened to retreat if the company financed the IP gas pipeline project.



The project, first proposed in the 1990s, has faced numerous delays. The United States last year said that Pakistan should be wary of committing to the proposed Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline.



The spiralling circular debt is another reason, another sources said. The Government Holding Company, however, is still committed to finance $60 million for the project.



The Economic Coordination Committee’s (ECC) Steering Committee on Iran-Pakistan (IP) Pipeline and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline projects on Thursday approved to hire a consortium of Pakistani and Chinese banks as financial consultant to generate $1.2 billion for IP gas pipeline project.



TAPI project one step closer



The steering Committee that met on Thursday also gave a go-ahead to sign the Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) with Turkmenistan for Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project at 70 per cent parity of Brent oil. Pakistan earlier signed GSPA with Iran at gas price equal to 78 per cent of crude oil under Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project. The TAPI gas pipeline project is valued at more than $3 billion



Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain confirmed to The Express Tribune that the steering committee had approved to hire a bank consortium of Pakistan and China including Habib Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited.



The meeting informed that the government would generate Rs34 billion per year through charging Gas Development Cess (GDC) on natural gas to finance gas import projects, said an official.



The petroleum ministry also informed Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday during a meeting that the steering committee had approved the financial consultancy for Pakistan-Iran Gas Pipeline, which was a major step forward as far as the project was concerned.



Cheers

[ravish]

The statement made by the Prime Minister of Pakistan does not contain any unknown facts. It the past, it has been proved beyond doubt as to who controls Pakistan the elected civil governments or the armed forces. In recent times, certain ground realities have changed and the day to day running of the state apparatus has become complicated. That is the reason why the Armed Force of Pakistan is still tolerating the civilian government. They do not want to take direct control of the mess and tarnish whatever is left of its public image. So there is a strong possibility that the top players will be changed but the civil outfit will be kept in place .



Currently the relation between USA and Pakistan is at its lowest level in several decades. The Pakistan Army simply cannot wash off the incident and start business as usual, even if a section of the Army top brass may desire it to be so, as it would cause incalculable damage to the Army’s already dented public image. The Chinese President meanwhile have sent a special envoy to Pakistan just to reassure that China is ready to support Pakistan in its confrontation with the United States.

Nareshji who is an outstanding expert on Pakistan may like to give his considered views on the emerging situation.

[Naresh]

[quote name='ravish' date='25 December 2011 - 11:16 PM' timestamp='1324834689' post='114089']

The statement made by the Prime Minister of Pakistan does not contain any unknown facts. It the past, it has been proved beyond doubt as to who controls Pakistan the elected civil governments or the armed forces. In recent times, certain ground realities have changed and the day to day running of the state apparatus has become complicated. That is the reason why the Armed Force of Pakistan is still tolerating the civilian government. They do not want to take direct control of the mess and tarnish whatever is left of its public image. So there is a strong possibility that the top players will be changed but the civil outfit will be kept in place .



Currently the relation between USA and Pakistan is at its lowest level in several decades. The Pakistan Army simply cannot wash off the incident and start business as usual, even if a section of the Army top brass may desire it to be so, as it would cause incalculable damage to the Army’s already dented public image. The Chinese President meanwhile have sent a special envoy to Pakistan just to reassure that China is ready to support Pakistan in its confrontation with the United States.

Nareshji who is an outstanding expert on Pakistan may like to give his considered views on the emerging situation.

[/quote]



ravish Ji :



Where does one start? Any case one will give it a go :



1. Pakistan is directly involved in 9/11 World Trade Towers(?) incident and the USA Bombed Afghanistan and Iraq.



2. A US Patriot Cruise Missile "Fell" in Pakistan who promptly despatched it to China - No action by USA except I weak protest (if there was one)



3.Osama had been "Provided" a Safe Haven in Pakistan under the Pak Government, Army, ISI etc. & etc. Protection. The USA "took out" Osama and in the effort left one of its "Crashed" Stealth Helicopter in the "Compound". The Pakistanis passed it on to the Chinese for Inspection and after Chinese Inspection it was sent, I believe, returned to the US. I am sure that the Chinese must have taken sufficient material from the Helicopter Wreckage to build a Stealth Helicopter themselves.



Pakistan is thumbing its Nose at the USA who are literally Shaking in their Boots.



In addition despite its loss of face the Pakistan Army is in full control in Pakistan and whenever Gilani raises his voice against the Pak Army he has to - within a few Hours if not Minutes - retract his statement.



The Indian Government's Impotence can neither by appreciated nor understood by the common Indian denizens.



May be you can tell us why MNS & Co. are down on their knees saying "Ji Hazoor" to the Pakistani Government in General and the Pak Army as well as the ISI in Particular especially in respect of the 26/11 Pakistani atrocity in Mumbai.



In addition the USA or is it the UN have removed Mulla Omar from the Terrorist-Jehadi List under duress from Pakistan. Please let us have your take especially with your connections in New Delhi.



Meantime I continue to focus on Pakistan's Economic Situation - by golly it is heading Southwards as we speak!



You might find the following Article Interesting to say the least :



[url="http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2011/12/28/pakistan-focus-on-the-basics/#axzz1hqL4wMF3"]Pakistan : focus on the basics[/url]



Even by its high standards, 2011 has been a tumultuous year for Pakistan. Political uncertainty, energy shortages, [color="#FF0000"][size="5"]terrorism,[/size][/color] and flood devastation all feature heavily in the central bank’s end of year report on the state of the economy, which makes for predictably glum reading.



According to the State Bank of Pakistan’s report, domestic problems are of greatest concern, including, “the collapse of fixed investment; acute energy shortages; urban violence and lawlessness; poor physical infrastructure; and institutional fragility”.



Such ‘structural deficiencies’, coupled with an absence of good governance and the floods that hit last year, saw the economy grow by 2.4 per cent of GDP in fiscal year 2011, which runs from July to June, a significant undershooting of the projected 4.5 per cent estimated by the central bank.



Even discounting regional giant India, this modest growth puts the country well below its South Asian neighbours Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, both of whom are posting growth rates of 6-7 per cent of GDP.



Pakistan’s public finances are most worrying for its central bank. The budget deficit of 6.6 per cent is well above the 4 per cent target and plugging the shortfall will prove problematic as the government is stalling in implementing vital fiscal reforms, such as expanding the tax-base.



Only 1 per cent of the population pays income tax in Pakistan and despite year-on-year increases, tax revenues still fell in real terms in FY11. The failure to make significant moves on fiscal management has led to Islamabad prematurely ending a three-year IMF loan-programme.



The report is also further evidence of the disconnect between what outsiders often see as Pakistan’s huge economic potential and the faltering fundamentals that seem to hold it back from becoming a success story.



After all, Pakistan is included in Jim O’Neill’s ‘next 11’ growth markets alongside South Korea, Indonesia, and Turkey – mainly on account of its massive 180m population. And according to at least one Indian economist who spoke to beyondbrics, Pakistan’s near neighbours have also come to see the clear benefits of developing ties with their erstwhile rivals.



“More and more people in India are realising that we have a stake in a stable and more prosperous Pakistan. The business opportunities are simply huge”.



Normalising relations with India will not be a panacea to Pakistan’s ills but plans to grant Delhi ‘Most Favoured Nation’ status should be a first step in diversifying the country’s trade relations. Approximately 50 per cent of Pakistan’s exports go to the EU and US, and access to the Indian market should certainly provide a fillip to the country’s powerful industrialists.



But as warned by the SPB, the government needs first to address deteriorating business conditions, the most crucial of which is energy supply. Insufficient resources have put a ‘ceiling on growth potential’ and the demand-supply gap for electricity in particular has led to growing social unrest and the shutting down of factories for large parts of they day.



Pakistan ranks 105th out of 183 countries surveyed in the World Bank’s ease of doing business scores, a fall of nine places from 2010.



Inflation is 12.9 per cent and has been running in double-digits for 50 consecutive months, whilst benchmark interest rates have been held at 12 per cent, having been cut by 150 basis points in October. The central bank estimates growth to be between 3-4 per cent and inflation to fall by less than one percentage point for FY12.



For all its potential, Pakistan’s end of year report reads conclusively as ‘try harder next time’. In the words of the central bank: “policymakers must focus on the basics if Pakistan’s economy is to move forward.”



I look forward to your considered views.



Cheers

[rhytha]

[size="3"]Pakistan got screwed in F-16 deal, so whats new. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> [/size]



[size="5"]Behind the Pakistan F-16 deal, a tale of many wheels[/size]



The sale by the United States of F-16 military aircraft to Pakistan, announced in 2005, was celebrated as a sign of deepening strategic ties between Islamabad and the Bush administration in Washington. Described by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as an attempt to “break out of the notion that [India and Pakistan are in] a hyphenated relationship,” the decision was met with anguish in New Delhi. But leaked U.S. diplomatic cables suggest that the sale was used only to further America's broad strategic interests, with Pakistan standing to gain little from the deal.



The despatches, from the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, indicated that the deal was, among other things, meant to assuage Pakistan's fears of an “existential threat it perceived from India.” The diplomatic cables, accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks, suggested that the purpose of the sale was to divert Pakistan's attention from “the nuclear option,” and give it “time and space to employ a conventional reaction” in the event of a conflict with India (151227: confidential). Privately, however, the U.S. acknowledged the “reality” that the F-16 programme would not change India's “overwhelming air superiority over Pakistan.” In fact, the cables bluntly assert that the F-16s would be “no match for India's proposed purchase of F-18 or equivalent aircraft.”



Given India's “substantial military advantage,” one cable (197576: confidential) even surmised that the F-16s would at the most offer “a few days” for the U.S. to “mediate and prevent nuclear conflict.”



Fully aware of such limitations, the U.S. continued to press ahead with the deal, and cables document hectic parleys to bring it to fruition. Before the agreement was signed in September 2006, the U.S. played hardball to make Pakistan sign the Letter of Acceptance (LoA). Islamabad had threatened to delay it further, raising additional demands. The U.S. Ambassador to Islamabad, Ryan Crocker, suggested that Washington “convene” the Pakistani Ambassador, Ali Durrani, to remind him that “missing the deadline [to sign the LoA] would have serious ramifications.”



“Do not think there is a better deal out there if this one expires,” was one of Ambassador Crocker's suggested bargain lines for Washington to use (77877: confidential/noforn). The agreement was inked two weeks after the cable was sent.



At the time of signing the LoA, Major General Tariq Malik, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Defence Production, had expressed reservations about the payment schedule as an “immense strain on Pakistan's fiscal and foreign exchange reserves…, jeopardising growth.” But Mr. Malik's memo was dismissed by Mr. Crocker as “separate from the valid, legal contract” (80337: confidential/noforn).



But when “a cash-strapped” Pakistan government approached the U.S. two years later for Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to perform mid-life updates for the existing F-16 fleet, the succeeding Ambassador, Anne W. Patterson, was concerned that Washington would be “rewarding economic mismanagement.” The annual disbursement of FMF had “produced a culture of entitlement within the Pakistani military,” according to the diplomat (151227: confidential).



Why, then, did the U.S. push hard to realise the agreement, apart from the stated objective of “additional business for U.S. defense companies”?



If, according to American diplomats, the threat from India was the primary consideration for the Pakistan military, the F-16 sales would not tilt the strategic balance by their own admission. However, the cables suggested that the U.S. was confident that Pakistan would “still fully invest in its territorial defense, despite current economic challenges.” On the other hand, “our [U.S.] cancelling the sale would emphasize that we favor maintaining Indian superiority at Pakistan's expense and feed anti-Americanism throughout the military” (197576: confidential).



Another reason to sell F-16s, according to the same cable, was to “exorcise the bitter legacy of the Pressler Amendment” in the 1990s, when the U.S. refused to deliver F-16s that Pakistan had paid with “national money.” Pakistan was even made to undertake costs for storing the fighters in Arizona. For the Pakistan military, the new deal would be tangible proof of the “post-9/11 bilateral relationship.



Avoiding a blow-up



“The bottom line is that Pakistan cannot afford the $2 billion required to complete this F-16 program,” wrote Ambassador Patterson in 2009 (189129: secret). “At the same time, nothing is more important to good military-military (and overall U.S.-Pakistani) relations than avoiding a blow-up over the F-16 case.”



Even if the sale was considered only “symbolically important” by the U.S., the deal came with many strings attached.



The U.S. was more interested in the use of F-16s by Pakistan for counter-terrorism purposes along the Af-Pak border.



Although the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) had been disinclined to use F-16s “due to the risk of collateral damage in civilian areas,” Ms. Patterson suggested linking the FMF for mid-life updates to “explicit commitments by the PAF that accept Close Air-Support training” (151227: confidential).



A year after the agreement was concluded, Pakistan learnt that mid-life updates for the F-16s could only be performed in a third country. Since the LoA did not bear any references to “cryptokeys” for the aircraft, officials were also worried that the U.S. would withhold the capability of the F-16s. When these concerns were raised by President Pervez Musharraf and Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood, the U.S. response was hardly comforting.



“We know many in Washington are dismayed by what they consider a juvenile reaction on Pakistan's part. The Pakistanis do not fully understand our requirements for sharing encrypted devices and need to be reassured that the aircraft will still fly without the cryptokeys.” (122429: secret)



Eventually, it was agreed that Pakistan would pay $80 million to perform the updates in Turkey. The U.S. also expressed concerns about basing the F-16s in Pakistan due to “concerns about potential technology transfer to China.” The outcome? Pakistan was made to fork out another $125 million to “build and secure a separate F-16 base” <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> (197576: confidential).



The purported aim of selling the F-16s to Pakistan was to “yield foreign policy benefits for the U.S.,” but the cables reveal that these benefits were gift-wrapped almost always at Pakistan's expense. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



(The Pakistan Cables are being shared by The Hindu with NDTV in India and Dawn in Pakistan)



http://www.thehindu.com/news/article2059881.ece

[Naresh]

.

[url="http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/29/india-rejects-pakistans-proposal-to-move-artillery-from-loc.html"]India rejects Pakistan’s proposal to move artillery from LoC[/url]



NEW DELHI: India has rejected Pakistan’s proposal to move heavy artillery and mortars away from the Line of Control in disputed Kashmir claiming frequent ceasefire violations and asked Islamabad to come clear on its nuclear policy, including command and control over nuclear assets, Press Trust of India PTI reported on Thursday quoting unnamed sources.



This was conveyed to Pakistani officials by India during talks on nuclear and conventional confidence building measures on December 26-27, 2011 in Islamabad after gap of four years.



India cannot look at such proposals till the situation on the LoC improves, PTI report said. During talks India conveyed to Pakistan on need to demonstrate in practical measure restraint and responsibility in nuclear field and urged it facilitate talks on Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.



Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is slated to visit Pakistan to review progress of talks and both sides are keen to have meetings between Home Secretaries, Water Resources Secretaries, Defence Secretaries and Foreign Secretaries before the visit.



On nuclear CBMs, India made it clear to Pakistan that views on nuclear doctrines could be exchanged only when official documents enunciating the policies are available in the public domain, PTI report said



Cheers

[ravish]

Nareshji,

India’s current policy of keeping dialogue going with Pakistan serves many diplomatic purposes. One of them is that it gives the world community a deep sense of satisfaction that the bilateral situation is rather normal between the two countries. This enables India to look beyond Pakistan and play a major role in other areas of international cooperation. Secondly our so called disengagement with Pakistan has posed limitations on that country in propagating the theory of great Indian threat to Pakistan before the world community. Without going into the specifics, I would like to mention that the current policy has already yielded good result. Terrorist attacks in J&K are already in the decline and the general situation across the border is generally peaceful. In fact, the Pakistani leadership is devoting much less time on India as they are far more busy in their own infightings. In addition the Government is also busy fighting the economic crisis. So without getting into any firefight, considerable progress has taken place to limit the mischief making power of Pakistan.

[rhytha]

THe jihadi elements are active in Afghanistan, Pakistan is not having enough bandwidth to fund/support and fuel enough elements on this side of the theater. So as long as NATO is around in their backyard, they will be the object of hostilities, and once that cools off its back to infiltration on Kashmir side.



Apart from the 26/11 spectacular show that they pulled off that is.

[Naresh]

[quote name='ravish' date='30 December 2011 - 04:23 PM' timestamp='1325241901' post='114116']

Nareshji,

India’s current policy of keeping dialogue going with Pakistan serves many diplomatic purposes. One of them is that it gives the world community a deep sense of satisfaction that the bilateral situation is rather normal between the two countries. This enables India to look beyond Pakistan and play a major role in other areas of international cooperation. Secondly our so called disengagement with Pakistan has posed limitations on that country in propagating the theory of great Indian threat to Pakistan before the world community. Without going into the specifics, I would like to mention that the current policy has already yielded good result. Terrorist attacks in J&K are already in the decline and the general situation across the border is generally peaceful. In fact, the Pakistani leadership is devoting much less time on India as they are far more busy in their own infightings. In addition the Government is also busy fighting the economic crisis. So without getting into any firefight, considerable progress has taken place to limit the mischief making power of Pakistan.

[/quote]



ravish Ji :



In other words the Indian Government has commenced Trade and Diplomatic Dialogue and Pakistan under the threat of Further Devastating Pakistani Terrorist Attacks if India does not sweep under the carpet the Various Pakistani Terrorist Attacks in General and the Mumbai Suburban Train Bombing and more specifically the 26-11-2008 Attack in Mumbai killing around 200 People in Particular.



Thus India has “Gone Down on Its Knees” to Pakistan and now the Dialogue is on a Normal Level as if nothing had happened.



I must Congratulate the India Foreign Policy Makers be it the Indian Foreign Service or the Politicians in the Indian Foreign Ministry along with the Members of the Indian Parliament but most of all the “Shivering in his Boots” Prime Minister of India.



Well done sir!



Cheers

[Naresh]

.



[url="http://www.dawn.com/2012/01/06/thinking-the-unthinkable.html"]Thinking the unthinkable[/url]



James Howard Kunstler is an American writer who enjoys a large following for his prediction of a looming future in which our technological civilisation based on oil dependence will have failed us, and for his almost uniquely courageous and insightful (as far as I’m concerned) articulation of the ways in which American society, in particular is going to have to dismantle and reconstruct itself, and soon, if we want to avoid a very hard landing indeed.



His tone and style are not to everyone’s taste; he can be abrasive, profane, and sometimes insulting. But sometimes it’s important for somebody to be impolite, for the sake of saying things that otherwise might not be said, and Kunstler usually handles that role with aplomb and panache. He also affects a gentler and more compassionate vision in his World Made By Hand series of novels set in the aftermath. I’ve been reading his weekly blog faithfully ever since a friend gave me a copy of his book The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century, about five years ago.



Kunstler’s concern with oil means, of course, that he can’t avoid addressing issues of geopolitics, and more specifically of the West’s relations with Muslim countries. Iran’s threat this week to close the Strait of Hormuz is an example of something he would, and probably will, write about. But his main theme is how American society has lost its way with its obsessive grasping after the suburbanised “American dream” and its related dependence on automobiles. When he is writing about this, Kunstler is at his prophetic best.



But, like any ambitious writer with a universal vision, Kunstler occasionally strides all too confidently beyond his own authority. He also – again, like any of us – is animated partly by personal and visceral sentiments and resentments. Thus this week, in his long look ahead at trends for 2012, he wrote:



“It is hard to think about the bizarre case of India, a nation with one foot in the modern age and the other in a colorful hallucinatory dreamtime. Their climate-change-related problems are doing heavy damage to the food supply. Their groundwater is almost gone. The troubles of the wobbling global economy will take a lot of pep out of their burgeoning tech and manufacturing sectors. It wouldn’t be surprising if these travails prompted distracting hostilities with its failed-state neighbor, Pakistan.



Pakistan, with its inexhaustible supply of Islamic maniacs, could easily start a rumble with some crazy caper like the Mumbai hotel assault of two [sic] years ago, [color="#FF0000"][size="5"]but this time India would answer with a heavy cudgel, perhaps even a nuclear sortie designed to neutralise Pakistan’s dangerous toys at a stroke.[/size] And that would be that. Like cleaning out an annoying neighborhood crack house. It’s not a very appetising scenario, but what else can you do about failed states with nuclear bombs?”[/color]



I quote this passage, even though I consider it flawed or just plain wrong on several points as well as dangerous, to show Pakistanis what your country is up against, in terms of American perception. For what it’s worth, Kunstler doesn’t think America is in very good shape either. Part of Kunstler’s problem, though, is that while, legitimately given the kind of writer he is, he takes the whole world for his bailiwick, he consistently treats Muslim countries as if they were all about Islam and nothing else (and he doesn’t mean that in a good way), and he gives a pass to any country, such as India, that’s positioned against a Muslim country or countries. This doesn’t invalidate his credibility overall, but it does reveal a large blind spot.



It’s unavoidably true that India is the dominant power on the subcontinent, but part of what’s missing from Kunstler’s drive-by geopolitical analysis is a recognition that several of the problems he identifies as India’s, from climate change to water to “dangerous toys,” are also Pakistan’s. Speaking of which, as every Pakistani knows, it was India’s then-BJP government that raised the stakes in 1998 by testing a nuclear bomb first. It’s maddening, and telling, how Westerners tend to forget that awkward fact, or don’t even know it in the first place.



In any case, if India were to hit Pakistan with a preemptive nuclear sortie that would not be that, to put it mildly. Would Pakistan retaliate? Probably tens of millions of people would die on both sides of the border. We think – and hope – that such a scenario is unthinkable. But if, as this ominous new year begins, we cast our minds back over the past decade, we should all be chastened by an awareness of how many previously unthinkable scenarios have already come to pass.



Kunstler’s provocative prognostications do raise hard questions: [[color="#FF0000"][size="5"]Does Pakistan have an “inexhaustible supply of Islamic maniacs”? Is it – or, less provocatively, could it become – a “failed state”?[/size] Could, or would, Pakistan “start a rumble” with India? Above all, who’s in charge? Pakistan needs nothing more than it needs mature, responsible, patriotic (as distinct from nationalist) leadership.[/color] Then again, that’s also more than anything what my own country needs.



Ethan Casey is the author of Alive and Well in Pakistan and Overtaken By Events: A Pakistan Road Trip. He can be reached at www.facebook.com/ethancaseyfans and www.ethancasey.com



Cheers

[Naresh]

.

[url="http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jan2012-weekly/nos-01-01-2012/pol1.htm#7"]A big challenge[/url]

The State Bank of Pakistan’s annual report must be a cause of alarm for the policy makers



By Shujauddin Qureshi



The State Bank of Pakistan’s annual report 2010-2011, State of the Economy, portrays a gloomy picture of overall economy of the country, which according to the central bank, [color="#FF0000"]is expected to grow at the rate of 3 to 4 percent[/color] as against government’s GDP growth target of 4.2 percent for the fiscal year 2011-12.

[url="http://www.sbp.org.pk/reports/annual/arFY11/complete.pdf"]State Bank of Pakistan : Annual Report 2010-2011 (State of the Economy)[/url]



Cheers