Pakistan's new foreign minister charms India
I missed the FM's appointment, she is a young lady, hence the storyline:
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Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's new foreign minister, secured a diplomatic breakthrough in New Delhi after sweeping India off its feet and into a "new era" of trade and co-operation in the war on terrorism.
Ends citing an Indian lady commentator:
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She's incredibly young pretty, glamorous and has no fear of appearing flash. She wore pearls when she arrived and diamonds for the talks. We're so obsessed with her designer bag and clothes that we forget she first held talks with the Hurriyat [Kashmiri separatists]. She could be Pakistan's new weapon of mass destruction.
Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...rms-India.html
Surely the FM is a 'new weapon of distraction'?
American kidnapped in Lahore
Pro-military websites are already hinting he was a spy: http://rupeenews.com/?p=37555
The truth, of course, may be another matter.
When the going gets tough...suggestions out of the box
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Originally Posted by
davidbfpo
I am quite new to this forum, but I know the Pakistan-Indian conflict from buttom-up, being , perhaps, slightly biassed because of Indian origin...
My theses to this conflict are as follows:
1. Having behaved as irresponsible as they have in the past, there are no legitimate interests of Pakistan whatsoever.
2. Accepting this, they - the Pakistani - have to disarm immediately to a level consistent with internal security.
3. Failing to do this voluntarily, a combined Indian/US/NATO-operation should be able to identify and disable the 10-odd storage sites for their nukes.
4. Using the internal fault lines of this punjabi-dominated country, Pakistan can then be dismembered at will. Beluchistan and Sind are ripe for secession and could be used for a very comfortable supply line, in fact facilitating the cut of Taliban supply lines...
Just my two cents
Thoughts on Afghanistan's endgame by Pak elite
Hat tip to Circling the Lion's Den for the pointer to:
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Pakistan's policy elite believe their state has two overriding objectives in the endgame in Afghanistan..
The first is to ensure that any settlement does not lead to instability in Pakistan, particularly amongst Pashtuns; second, to ensure that the Afghan government is not antagonistic towards Pakistan and does not allow its territory to be used against Pakistani state interests - presumably a reference to alleged Indian interference in Baluchistan. These two objectives translate into three outcomes for the government, say the authors; first the need for stability; second, a government in Kabul that adequately represents Pashtuns and - as far as some of those questioned were concerned - includes participation by Mullah Omar's Quetta Shura and the Haqqani Network; and third, a limit on India's activities in Afghanistan to ensure it is restricted to development work.
(Ends with)Many participants recognised a dilemma for Pakistan over US policy in the region. While they argued that the US military presence exacerbated tensions and led to instability, they also felt an early US withdrawal would lead to added instability in Afghanistan. Most thought it was in Pakistan's interests for reconciliation talks to take place as quickly as possible, although they recognised that there could be no return to Taliban rule in the whole of Afghanistan. Good material in this report which casts light on a subject that is seldom aired.
Link to commentary:http://circlingthelionsden.blogspot....me-by-pak.html
Link to the report by USIP and Pakistan's Jinnah Institute:http://www.jinnah-institute.org/imag...hanendgame.pdf
ISI has "made up" with the USA?
Once again Hat Tip to Circling the Lion's Den for a pointer to action taken in Quetta, Pakistan to arrest three AQ cadres:http://circlingthelionsden.blogspot....e-friends.html
Unless of course ISI knew where they were and a policy decision was taken to arrest them. Given the "revolving door" practice in the past "making up" maybe generous.
Pakistan reminds America of its sacrifices
Hat tip to the Australian think-tank the Lowry Institute and this article by an Australian in Islamabad, which rightly notes the impact for the Pakistani public:
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When looking at the most obvious change on the ground in Pakistan since 9/11, most would say security.
The threat of suicide bombings is very real. Headlines leading up to this year's anniversary of 9/11 reported stories like 'Peshawar, where every day is 9/11'. Cities like Peshawar and Quetta endure regular suicide attacks. Sadly, the frequency of attacks is not reported much in the Western media unless there are mass casualties or someone 'important' is killed (twenty deaths or fewer does not seem to create much of a stir).
The South Asia Terrorism Portal keeps track of the attacks, using local media reports. Last month (the holy month of Ramadan), there were 46 bombs detonated in Pakistan; the month before there were 62 blasts. That is enough to make everyone think twice about staying too long in a market place, wonder if the person next to them in a mosque is wearing a suicide vest, or if the woman in a burqa could be the next suicide bomber.
Link:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...acrifices.aspx
The Pakistani state may not have many admirers here, yes we often are told the Pakistani public distrust the USA, but for the Pakistani public battered by all manner of disasters, such as the current floods, adding the post-9/11 fear factor there is little to look forward to.
Shocking story - shorter title than...read on
The BBC's headline 'US envoy links Haqqani militants to Pakistan government':
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There is evidence linking the Haqqani militant network to Pakistan's government, the US ambassador to Pakistan has said in a radio interview.
"This is something that must stop," Cameron Munter told Radio Pakistan, when discussing Tuesday's militant assault on the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Riposte by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the leader of the network, has told the Reuters news agency...
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Gone are the days when we were hiding in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Now we consider ourselves more secure in Afghanistan besides the Afghan people, he said. He also said that the group would take part in peace talks with Kabul and the US if the Taliban endorsed such talks as well.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14960725
Public diplomacy like this strikes me as odd, given the stance taken by the Pakistani state and the often reported low esteem or hatred for the USA amongst the Pakistani public.