Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Why is it that all terrorist plots -- seem to have roots in Islamabad?”

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Why is it that all terrorist plots -- seem to have roots in Islamabad?”

    An abbreviated title indubitably, but I hope one that readers will not view as “Propagandist “ given that :

    A). The title, albeit in an abbreviated manner, encapsulates the full quotation which is :

    "Why is it that all terrorist plots -- from the Sept. 11 attacks, to Madrid, to London, to Mumbai -- seem to have roots in Islamabad?”

    Unfortunately the title cannot handle the number of characters, hence the forced précis writing on my part.

    B). The statement is a direct quote of a former Prime Minister of Pakistan.

    C). The statement has been taken from an American newspaper that is well regarded and part of the main stream media.

    Anyway as soundbites go I still prefer Steven Cohen’s ( Provenance will be provided on request):

    There is no export that Pakistan has except for textiles and terrorists that has a global market
    I certainly would like to know the answer to the question posed in the thread title .

    Anyone willing to take a whirl ?

    Anyway, as it were, setting the Hors d'oeuvres aside and onto the Entrée :

    A False Choice for Pakistan
    By Benazir Bhutto
    Monday, March 12, 2007; Page A13

    Last month President Bush told Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan that he must be more aggressive in hunting down al-Qaeda and the Taliban along his country's border with Afghanistan. During his recent visit to Islamabad, Vice President Cheney echoed the claim that al-Qaeda members were training in Pakistan's tribal areas and called on Musharraf to shut down their operations. British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett also expressed concern recently about suspected terrorist safe havens.

    Clearly, the pressure is on. Western leaders are finally beginning to recognize that Musharraf's regime has been unsuccessful in taming the Taliban, which has regrouped in the tribal areas of Pakistan while the military regime has given up trying to establish order on the Afghan border. At the same time, the regime has strategically chosen to help the United States when international criticism of the terrorists' presence becomes strident. The arrest of Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, a top Taliban strategist, by Pakistani authorities late last month is a case in point. The timing, right on the heels of American and British pleas for renewed toughness, is too convenient. Akhund was arrested solely to keep Western governments at bay.

    There are other political calculations in all of this. For too long, the international perception has been that Musharraf's regime is the only thing standing between the West and nuclear-armed fundamentalists.
    Nothing could be further from the truth. Islamic parties have never garnered more than 13 percent in any free parliamentary elections in Pakistan. The notion of Musharraf's regime as the only non-Islamist option is disingenuous and the worst type of fear-mongering.

    Much has been said about Pakistan being a key Western ally in the war against terrorism. It is the fifth-largest recipient of U.S. aid -- the Bush administration proposed $785 million in its latest budget. Yet terrorism around the world has increased. Why is it that all terrorist plots -- from the Sept. 11 attacks, to Madrid, to London, to Mumbai -- seem to have roots in Islamabad?
    Pakistan's military and intelligence services have, for decades, used religious parties for recruits. Political madrassas -- religious schools that preach terrorism by perverting the faith of Islam -- have spread by the tens of thousands.

    The West has been shortsighted in dealing with Pakistan. When the United States aligns with dictatorships and totalitarian regimes, it compromises the basic democratic principles of its foundation -- namely, life, liberty and justice for all. Dictatorships such as Musharraf's suppress individual rights and freedoms and empower the most extreme elements of society. Oppressed citizens, unable to represent themselves through other means, often turn to extremism and religious fundamentalism.

    Restoring democracy through free, fair, transparent and internationally supervised elections is the only way to return Pakistan to civilization and marginalize the extremists. A democratic Pakistan, free from the yoke of military dictatorship, would cease to be a breeding ground for international terrorism.

    Indeed, Pakistan's return to democracy is essential to America's success in South and Central Asia, as well as in the Middle East, as democratization is an integral part of fighting terrorism. Wouldn't it therefore be prudent to tie aid money to genuine political reform?

    Pakistan must take steps toward hunting down al-Qaeda operatives in the "ungovernable" tribal and border areas -- which were once successfully governed by democratically elected civilian governments. The regime must also stop its intimidation tactics of recent weeks, which include brutal murders, assassination attempts and other attacks on opposition party members.

    Of course Musharraf's regime, to legitimize its coup and divert attention from the institutionalized corruption of the military, accuses Pakistan's secular, democratic parties of corruption. But according to Transparency International, 67 percent of the people believe the regime is corrupt, surpassing the rate for past civilian governments. Musharraf's regime has lasted twice as long as any civilian government in Pakistan. Yet not one of its ministers or key political supporters has been investigated.

    The National Accountability Bureau has persecuted opposition leaders for a decade on unproven corruption and mismanagement charges, hoping to grind them into submission. However, when politicians accused of corruption cross over to the regime, the charges miraculously disappear. Musharraf's regime exploits the judicial system as yet another instrument of coercion and intimidation to consolidate its illegitimate power. But the politics of personal destruction will not prevent me and other party leaders from bringing our case before the people of our nation this year, even if that could lead to imprisonment.

    In his State of the Union address in January, President Bush said, "The great question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all humanity. And I say, for the sake of our own security: We must."

    This holds true for countries in South and Central Asia as well. Now is the time to force Pakistan's government to make good on its promise to return to democracy.

    The writer is chairwoman of the Pakistan People's Party and served as prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996. She lives in exile in Dubai.
    Last edited by Hari_Om; 13 Mar 07,, 20:08.

  • #2
    Well We have terrorists as well, though less and way different way of approach.

    Comment


    • #3
      Why is it that all terrorist plots -- seem to have roots in Islamabad?
      The answer for that is cause Pakistan is a terrorist breeding land.....to be more specific so some Pakistani doesn't run in and say well this non-Islamic "x" nation breeds terrorist too...like which they all say to counter. I'm talking about the terrorists who have NOTHING to do with there lives but blow themselves up in the face of unarmed innocent civilians hoping to be rewarded in hevan for it. lol

      Comment


      • #4
        I am afraid it appears to be too late to answer this question.

        Musharraf has bit much more than he can chew. He has made a huge blunder in arresting the Chief Justice.

        He has got too arrogant with the accolades being heaped on him as also thought he could hunt with the hounds and run with the hare, both internationally and domestically. While the international arena humoured him, the domestic audience it seems were boiling under the surface and the CJ issue has made it boil over!

        If the world news and TV is anything to go by, there seems to be a huge ground swell against Musharraf and should be show military muscle and power, he may ignite a greater fire.

        A most silly thing he could have done has been done.

        Who will benefit? The religious parties!

        So, Pakistan then will no longer play hide and seek about its role in fomenting terrorism worldwide. She will come out in the open as the real face of terror spawning.

        I wonder how the world will react.
        Last edited by Ray; 14 Mar 07,, 08:09.


        "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

        I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

        HAKUNA MATATA

        Comment


        • #5
          Why does the Sun rise in the east?
          Karmani Vyapurutham Dhanuhu

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Archer View Post
            Why does the Sun rise in the east?
            But you can't keep a good man down!

            You push him down in the West, he surfaces in the East - Urdu couplet!


            "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

            I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

            HAKUNA MATATA

            Comment


            • #7
              this was in the paper some time ago, in the Toronto Star
              Some True Desi Goons- Bombay Rockers
              youtube.com/watch?v=JHkjZ1Ae9ck[/url]

              Comment

              Working...
              X