stupid

US: CNN airs mysterious 'Divide Pakistan' advertisements
UK-based author buys spots on news network to advertise book

Times of India
Sunday, March 11, 2007

By Chidanand Rajghatta

Washington --- While Pakistan has charged India with stoking fires in its troubled provinces and produced articles in a Sindhi journal published from New Delhi as 'evidence,' it can drum up far more serious charges against its patron United States.

A maverick 'academic' based in Europe has been buying airtime on CNN for the past two weeks to advertise his book titled Divide Pakistan to Eliminate Terrorism. The 15-second spot, which is aired every day, charges Pakistan with terrorist activities across the world and says the only way to stop this is to split the country into half dozen separate entities, including Sindhudesh, Jinnahpur, Balochistan and Pakhtunistan.

The author of the book, which is being sold on Amazon.com for $ 15.95, is Syed Jamaluddin, who describes himself in a blog (www.dividepakistan.blogspot.com) as a British Citizen-Naturalized in UK and a chartered accountant with a degree in conflict management.

On Amazon, he is described as "an active writer on issues concerning Pakistan's involvement in various terrorist activities in the South Asian region" who was "forced to leave Pakistan after the military coup of General Musharraf in 1999." It says he also "liaised with political and religious parties of Pakistan as well as Government Agencies."

Washington's think-tank circuit, where Pakistani scholars and commentators are frequent visitors, has no idea who Syed Jamaluddin is. The conjecture is he is a disgruntled spook out to embarrass a country that is already in a deep hole in the US where it is seen the grand central -- if not a sponsor -- of terrorism in most quarters, except by administration officials tasked with bringing it to heel with kid gloves.

Indian officials too said they had no idea of the book or the author. One official visiting from New Delhi, when told about the ad, joked that dividing Pakistan was a terrible idea, saying, "One is bad enough -- who wants to deal with four or five?"

According to the jacket notes for the book on Amazon, Divide Pakistan to Eliminate Terrorism is "Syed Jamaluddin's vision to address issues related to combating terrorism emanating from Pakistan which have dramatically transformed the entire region into a systematically controlled network having vicious effects to the global peace."

This book, it says, gives an in depth analysis about the role of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Tablighi Jamat which are involved in producing future terrorists. The book also claims to provide "specific information about the actual tactics of ISI and Tablighi Jamat and their strategy to disrupt the international peace in the name of Islamisation of the world through holy war and martyrdom."

Jamaluddin, who declares General Musharraf as a "Terrorist-in-Uniform" has also been circulating an online petition calling for the division of Pakistan.

Pakistani diplomats in the U.S, who toil ceaselessly to counter critical newspaper editorials by writing plaintive letters to editors, seem to be stumped by the ad, which usually airs in the morning. A 30-second prime time spot on CNN can cost as much as $ 20,000.

Considering the ad has now been airing for a fortnight, profiting from the book seems farthest from the mysterious Syed Jamaluddin's mind.

Date Posted: 3/11/2007

Dreadnought

I dont see the U.S. as backing this seperation of Pakistan. I do however see the somebody behind it as not knowing what is involved to even keep relations with Pakistan much less what it would take/cause a split in the country.

__________________
Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

xerxes

US maybe had Pakistan as a mistress for a while, but at the end US will marry India. Pakistan has it uses, and I am quite certain that the republican wouldnt shed a tear, should Pakistan break apart. I think the biggest supporter of the Baluchi-in-exile are the United States. I imagine, the issue regarding the Durand Line is also being used to drive a deep wedge between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan cannot tolerate a strong uniform Afghanistan outside its orbit. No one doubt Washington will use all available means to discredit and fracture Pakistan in the near future.

__________________
If we contrast the rapid progress of this mischievous discovery of gunpowder with the slow and laborious advances of reason, science, and the arts of peace, a philosopher, according to his temper, will laugh or weep at the folly of mankind. - Edward Gibbon

Ray

Xerxes,

Even if the US 'marries' India, Pakistan will continue to be a favourite 'mistress' of the US and there are good reasons for that!

By keeping Pakistan in good humour, the US will have some sort of a control over the international terrorists spawned from the madrassas of Pakistan, over which Musharraf has no control, but is surely observing them with his spy agencies.

With Pakistan 'in the bag', there is a good possibility that when the Afghanistan problem is solved, Pakistan will readily allow the US to build the Central Asian oil and gas pipeline through Afghanistan and Balochistan to the Gwadar port.

But Pakistan has to be kept in line and so a bit of fun and games being organised in Balochistan, does help! It also gets Iran on tenterhooks! As it is Iran is complaining about the Balochis on her side.

Durand Line is an interesting proposition. Pakistan is all for it, while her dear friend China is deadly against it!

But fracturing Pakistan would not be a great idea.

More on it when you respond.

__________________


"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

Asim Aquil

Lol who the hell's Syed Jamaluddin? Lol you gotta wonder who is funding his ad campaign here.

Ray

Anyone could be funding and it could be that he himself is doing the same, who knows?

The world is made up of all sorts of people.

xerxes

Ray, I am not aware of the question regarding Durand Line and China. From what I know the Durand line was to expire few years ago, ofcourse Pakistan is against it. Why do you say China is deadly against it? ...

and yes I would say both in regards to Iran and Pakistan, the baluchi situation is a thorn to their side

Ray

Xerxes,

How can the Durand Line expire? It is a treaty signed by the British as the British imperial power of India, with neighbouring countries.

China does not recognise the Durand Line as the boundary between India and Tibet. They claim it was an unequal treaty forced on Tibet by the British!

xerxes

mr ray,

i will do some search, but my understanding is that the Durand Line agrement was meant to expire in 100 years therefore sometimes in the 1990s. Ofcourse, it is just a technicallity. i will get back to you.

stupid

sirs,
there is no term mentioned in the agreement. i mean reading through the *original* paper :D.

traditions and popular beliefs have led to the confusion of 100 years limit which as such doesn't have any legal binding especially if the same beliefs/traditions are not followed by all parties. instead what appears valid, and also is my opinion, the agreement was signed by british govt. during occupation that ended in 1947, beyond which unless parties agree upon to uphold such agreement, the agreement cease to have any validity.

secondly, at this time do you think the internation tribunal would accept any claims against Queen, towards whatever damages were/are being caused due to the agreement which, if i may say for whataver good/bad reasons - was imposed on other party?

Ray

India and Pakistan are legatees of the British Empire and all its treaties.

Garuda

I guess you meant McMahon line.

The notion in its entirety is a nonsense. Nations follow whatever suits their national interests, so should India and Pakistan.

The colonial geo-political divisions of the sub-continent are not based on cultural histories and ethnicities of the region. People are paying with their lives now to carry on with the heterogeneous patchworks.

xerxes

I wonder if McMahon somehow related to that useless French marshal de france under the Napoleon III regime. How the Caesar dares to bestow him the honor of marshalate once occupied by such great name as davout, murat, lannes, ney, ... God knows.

Ray

[quote]Thanks.

Indeed that is what I meant. My mistake.

The analogy I was making.


True that one should follow whatever suits one's interest, but then all treaties will become worthless pieces of paper and so time should not be wasted in signing or negotiating treaties!

Garuda

There are 2 problems with the treaties and agreements signed during the era of European colonialism, which indeed makes them worthless papers. Problem is not confined to the Indian sub-continent alone, but it is visible elsewhere as well. Entire Africa is a good example, as with rest of the Asia.

1. These treaties were signed under duress by the defeated or subdued parties as a result of successful campaigns by the Europeans powers. Which means the interests of the Locals=Native_Populations=Present_Nations were not the deciding factors. Things don't work this way, as Germans showed after the treaty of Versailles.

2. The areas demarcated in most (or all) cases failed to encapsulate contiguous communities or nationalities. Pashtuns, Balochs, Kurds, etc. come to my mind in our immediate neighborhood.

The first reason causes irredentist tendencies which may remain latent in the collective memory of the people and national consciousness. But as and when the nation in question gathers enough military might the intentions come out in open. This is the gist of China's problem with her neighbors. And this the root of the political ideology of the Hindu nationalists in India.

The second reason is the most dangerous because it causes many sub-nationals within larger unions to develop secessionist tendencies, so that they may separate and join their clansmen across the border.