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  • 200 Pakistani troops kidnapped

    Govt pushes for talks to get troops freed: ‘Soldiers surrendered without firing a shot’



    By Alamgir Bhittani


    TANK, Aug 31: With the government appearing in disarray over the seizure of more than 150 soldiers in the restive South Waziristan tribal agency, militants on Friday seized in the Frontier Region’s Jandola area four vehicles along with five drivers. The vehicles were carrying rations for security forces.

    Though the exact number of missing soldiers was yet to be confirmed, security officials put the number at 156.

    However, tribal sources claimed that the number of security personnel held hostage was about 205, including 105 regular troops and 100 personnel of the Frontier Corps. A colonel, three majors and some captains were among the personnel seized by militants.

    A jirga comprising parliamentarians and 35 Mehsud tribal elders left Wana for Laddah on Friday for talks with militants after meeting Political Agent Hussainzada Khan in Wana. Mr Khan along with Senator Salih Shah had rushed to Wana in a military helicopter to initiate the dialogue.

    Political authorities, meanwhile, detained 20 Mehsud tribesmen in Jandola under the territorial responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulations to mount pressure on militants to free the security personnel.

    Witnesses said the political authorities had initially apprehended 200 tribesmen from a passenger van at Kawar checkpoint near Mianja Fort but later took only 20 of them into custody.

    A tribal elder claimed that only 20 militants were able to take hostage over 200 soldiers, 129 of whom were fully armed.

    “It is difficult to believe that 200 soldiers surrendered,” he said while talking to Dawn. He said the administration had detained innocent people who were in fact fleeing the area for fear of militants.

    Local people said the weather conditions were normal in the region and the government claims that the soldiers were stuck in the area due to bad weather was not correct.

    Security experts believe that the kidnapping of such a large number of soldiers would affect the morale of security forces operating in the tribal region.

    “So many security personnel getting captured without firing a shot affects the image of our forces in the country and also sends a negative signal to the international community,” a security analyst in Peshawar remarked.

    The troops, it may be mentioned, were captured when a convoy going from Wana to its base in Laddah was intercepted in the Momi Karam area.

    Sources said the militants had blocked the road and ordered troops to lay down their arms and surrender communication equipment. After disarming them, the militants divided the soldiers into small groups and took them to unknown places.

    Director-General Inter Services Public Relation Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad avoided saying that the troops had been kidnapped. “Soldiers are with the local tribesmen somewhere in Laddah area. It cannot be termed as kidnapping,” he told Dawn.

    He claimed that there had been some misunderstanding about the movement of troops in the area and a jirga had taken initiatives to bring the soldiers back to camp.

    On Thursday, he had said that the soldiers had been stranded somewhere in the area due to inclement weather.

    According to late-night reports, the jirga had reached Laddah and was likely to hold meetings with the militants on Saturday morning. —Staff correspondent Zulfiqar Ali contributed to the report

  • #2
    The Pakistani Army lives upto its proud traditions once again.
    Karmani Vyapurutham Dhanuhu

    Comment


    • #3
      This is all due to lack of proper and strict training. Parliament needs to induct new laws that the army has to obey. If any soldier dies, then the finger of his commanding officer should be deliberately broken in an official ceremony. After 5 broken fingers then the next superior officer's bones start being broken upto 5 fingers. This way they will all take their jobs more seriously and spend more time making sure troops are properly trained and equiped rather than playing golf and sipping chai.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by maqsad View Post
        This is all due to lack of proper and strict training. Parliament needs to induct new laws that the army has to obey. If any soldier dies, then the finger of his commanding officer should be deliberately broken in an official ceremony. After 5 broken fingers then the next superior officer's bones start being broken upto 5 fingers. This way they will all take their jobs more seriously and spend more time making sure troops are properly trained and equiped rather than playing golf and sipping chai.
        There may well be a severe shortage of candidates for the officer academy if any parliament were to introduce such barbaric punishments.
        Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

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        • #5
          re

          WTF?!!!!

          200 soldiers surrendered?!! Wow. This is the army we're talking about, right?

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          • #6
            Equal=equal, as in Victim of terrorism? That's worth couple of hundred millions aid from US as a part of 'WoT'?

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            • #7
              The personal army of a dictator fighting a rebellion often behaves like this, as sad as it may be.
              "The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von Bismarck

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Archer View Post
                The Pakistani Army lives upto its proud traditions once again.
                And they dream of taking on IA and capturing entire Kashmir within 30 days... lol

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Archer View Post
                  The Pakistani Army lives upto its proud traditions once again.
                  Remember the test run during Kargil?

                  Dead Pak soldiers dressed as jihadis?

                  Their bodies remained unclaimed by the country they gave their lives for?

                  Now its the same sh!t done in the reverse.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by glyn View Post
                    There may well be a severe shortage of candidates for the officer academy if any parliament were to introduce such barbaric punishments.
                    Not really. This would be a bone breakage not an amputation, Yakuza style. People who join the armed forces are already prepared to die, the "officer class" usually consists of more priveleged folk who look forward to a career of commanding cannon fodder while they sip chai and play golf off duty. This would eliminate those slackers and have serious folks take their spot.

                    The higher ups need to be humiliated and physically punished...its a mode of communications pakistanis need and understand a lot more than other cultures I suspect, unfortunately. Look at the case in question here for examples. Sloppy oversight by the higher ups.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by maqsad View Post
                      Not really. This would be a bone breakage not an amputation, Yakuza style. People who join the armed forces are already prepared to die, the "officer class" usually consists of more priveleged folk who look forward to a career of commanding cannon fodder while they sip chai and play golf off duty. This would eliminate those slackers and have serious folks take their spot.


                      I totally disagree. Bone breaking in the 21st Century as a punishment is simply an abomination, utterly anathema to civilized peoples. Officers run the same risks as their men. Their training is typically much longer and no less physically demanding. Drinking and playing golf is an urban myth in your country I expect, just as our soldiers referred to HQs as Gin Palaces even though the staff officers were working like the clappers!

                      The higher ups need to be humiliated and physically punished...its a mode of communications pakistanis need and understand a lot more than other cultures I suspect, unfortunately. Look at the case in question here for examples. Sloppy oversight by the higher ups.
                      You seem very young. Your views will change over time.:)
                      Last edited by glyn; 02 Sep 07,, 16:44.
                      Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by maqsad View Post
                        Not really. This would be a bone breakage not an amputation, Yakuza style. People who join the armed forces are already prepared to die, the "officer class" usually consists of more priveleged folk who look forward to a career of commanding cannon fodder while they sip chai and play golf off duty. This would eliminate those slackers and have serious folks take their spot.

                        The higher ups need to be humiliated and physically punished...its a mode of communications pakistanis need and understand a lot more than other cultures I suspect, unfortunately. Look at the case in question here for examples. Sloppy oversight by the higher ups.
                        Where the f### are you coming from .

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by tankie View Post
                          Originally Posted by maqsad View Post
                          Not really. This would be a bone breakage not an amputation, Yakuza style. People who join the armed forces are already prepared to die, the "officer class" usually consists of more priveleged folk who look forward to a career of commanding cannon fodder while they sip chai and play golf off duty. This would eliminate those slackers and have serious folks take their spot.

                          The higher ups need to be humiliated and physically punished...its a mode of communications pakistanis need and understand a lot more than other cultures I suspect, unfortunately. Look at the case in question here for examples. Sloppy oversight by the higher ups.
                          Where the f### are you coming from .
                          He comes with first-hand knowledge and experience, I think:

                          http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/ope...tml#post401753

                          ===============================

                          In his defense, not of his barbaric proposition but of his assessment of his country's military leaders, he is probably more accurate than we would like to believe.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by maqsad View Post
                            Not really. This would be a bone breakage not an amputation, Yakuza style. People who join the armed forces are already prepared to die, the "officer class" usually consists of more priveleged folk who look forward to a career of commanding cannon fodder while they sip chai and play golf off duty. This would eliminate those slackers and have serious folks take their spot.

                            The higher ups need to be humiliated and physically punished...its a mode of communications pakistanis need and understand a lot more than other cultures I suspect, unfortunately. Look at the case in question here for examples. Sloppy oversight by the higher ups.
                            I dont know about the Pakistani Army(ok,maybe some ),but in the Indian army I know,the officers always lead from the front...Captains,majors,Lt.Cols and even Cols.Thats why in any war(eg.Kargil,ongoing COIN ops)there is always a lot of casualties among the officer cadre and the IA is always short of officers.

                            As for playing golf as somebody(okay, Ray sir;)) once said,"you dont expect a 55 year old to play rugby do you?"

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                            • #15
                              Why did the 200(129 fully armed) soldiers surrender and that too to 20 militants?

                              I mean, even if the militants were like say 500 are the soldiers allowed to do so?

                              200 security personal is a lot, its not like 2-3 were strolling about and they were taken by surprise etc.

                              Dont belive they would have surrendered unless they wanted to or were ordered to by someonein the chain of command, perhaps to send a message to Mr mushy?

                              This seems highly embarassing for any military establishment.
                              God is a cruise missile.

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