Pakistani politics (catch all)

[davidbfpo]

A commentary by Ahmed Rashid, via the BBC:

Pakistan is paying a devastating price for pandering to extremists and allowing them to dictate the political agenda...(much later)....Pakistan is on the cusp of a nightmarish scenario where extremists call the political shots and the government obeys.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19697479

Usually I enjoy reading his work, but this passage jarred - hence my emphasis:

In Pakistan, as elsewhere across the Muslim world, there is a sense of powerlessness against Western governments and media companies who want to uphold the right of free speech but publish explosive material that enrages Muslims. A growing sense of economic and political powerlessness is leading to support for extremist views. And the refusal of the West to meet half-way on containing hate material is being further fuelled by extremists who find it convenient to stake their claim in such troubled moments.

Rightly Ahmed Rashid contrasts, perhaps not his intention, with:

Riots in Lahore and many parts of Punjab were led by the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba .. Sipah-e-Sahaba, a militant Sunni group that wants to "cleanse" Pakistan of all Shia Muslims and has claimed responsibility for the murder of more than 300 Hazara Shias in Quetta alone this year, openly led the demonstrators in other parts of Punjab (nobody has been caught for the murder of so many Shias).
The Pakistani Taliban and their supporters were in the forefront in Karachi and Peshawar where they have considerable assets.

Then the traditional state (the army & ISI, not government):

in January 2012 the military and intelligence services mobilised dozens of Islamic parties, militant groups and retired generals to form a platform called the Defence of Pakistan Council. They held nationwide street protests against the Americans and Nato after the government had closed the Nato supply road to the Afghan border.....Yet, mysteriously, when the military decided to cut a deal with the US and reopen the road, the Council just as suddenly disbanded and disappeared from the streets. The establishment had demonstrated to the Americans its obvious influence over extremist groups.

The apparent national (in)security strategy pursued by the "usual suspects" in the Pakistani Army & ISI has been debated before on SWC. I do wonder how long the US Congress will continue to agree to fund billions in US$ civil and primarily military aid - if the Executive argue the case.

In time I will merge this thread with the thread 'Pakistani politics'.