USA's New Afghan Strategy

Regarding Fuzair: These lota carriers for the generals pervert history in order to enhance the nuisance value of the Pakistan Army. How did Chinese relationship with India during the 1965 and 1971 wars affect the outcome of those wars? So how would a belligerent tiny fart Afghanistan be a greater threat to Pakistan than China was to India? Please explain this you miserable apologist for the generals.

TNITC masadi

Fuzair writes "Daoud Shah staged a coup and took over in 1973. Not conincidentally, Afghanistan also started aiding the Baluch Insurgency. What would Pakistan's strategic situation have been like if Daoud Shah had been PM during the 1965 War? In 1971?"

Leave it to a lota carrier of the generals to pervert History. Actually Sardar Muhammad Daud (not Daud shah you moron) brought Afghanistan to a much closer relationship with the surrounding Muslim countries as is documented in this book, "Afghanistan in World Politics" by M. Khalid Ma'aroof, and as Pavo himself has written:

n 1976 major changes occurred once Sardar Daud Khan after having assessed aggressive Soviet designs decide to opt for a major policy change and rapprochement with Pakistan.Sardar Daud Khan visited Pakistan and made a statement " Pakistani brothers, I can assure you that we came to your country with the utmost goodwill and sincerity…..We will be able to solve our political problems and one day we will live as very close and intimate brothers".http://www.chowk.com/ilogs/65724/47736

TNITC masadi

Re: # 159
tahmed: "I cant believe you are serious in your support for the Taliban animals!!"

Where did you get that impression? I am not a Taliban supporter, merely stating facts as I see them.

tahmed: "India is a primitive society. If democracy can work in India, why do you think democracy cant work in Afghanistan?? "

Indian and Pakistani societies are far more sophisticated than the Afghan society. Both have been home to great civilizations in their various important regions.

Riaz Haq, PakAlumni Worldwide

Good night.

Riaz: I cant believe you are serious in your support for the Taliban animals!!

#157 RiazHaq: India is a primitive society. If democracy can work in India, why do you think democracy cant work in Afghanistan??

Re: # 155
tahmed: "Who decided that? "

They could have had the fig-leaf of Loya Jirga which would issue the desired decision by the Taliban. But I guess "Amirul Momeneen Mullah Omar" decided it wasn't necessary. That was it. Let's not forget it's fairly primitive trial society where your modern concepts of democracy do not apply. Even Obama has abandoned Bush's rhetoric about it in Afghanistan.
Riaz Haq, PakAlumni Worldwide

Re: # 152

Madani: "Worst part of this wheat export to India and AFstan is we use our real dollars to import wheat from usa, russia, etc while that is sold and we get worthless rupees same as our rupees."

While I agree with you, it is very very difficult to stop smuggling food or drugs, with the endemic corruption we have. It's true not just in Afghanistan/South Asia region but most of the rest of world to varying degrees. The money is too good to pass up for all involved in the illicit trade.
Riaz Haq, PakAlumni Worldwide

RiazHaq #151 Who decided that? Did the Taliban have a referendum to let the Afghan people decide that from now on they would simply accept Taliban rule??

Re: # 144
GT: "In my opinion, China should start playing a more active role in all of this."

China is playing a much bigger game by building powerful debt leverage over America. It's the same kind of leverage the US had over Britain when it threatened mass sale of British bonds to force the Brits to back down in the Suez crisis.

Besides, with their national coffers bulging with over two trillion dollars, the Chinese are active in most of the developing nations in Africa and Asia, including Afghanistan. Chinese see opportunities where others see risk during the current global financial crisis. In Afghanistan, China has committed nearly $2.9 billion to develop the Aynak copper field, including the infrastructure that must be built with it such as a power station to run the operation and a railroad to haul the tons of copper it hopes to extract. The Aynak project is the biggest foreign investment in Afghanistan to date, according to Reuters.

And the trade between Africa and China has grown an average of 30% in the past decade, topping $106 billion last year.
Riaz Haq, PakAlumni Worldwide

here tree= tea

Re: # 148 Worst part of this wheat export to India and AFstan is we use our real dollars to import wheat from usa, russia, etc while that is sold and we get worthless rupees same as our rupees. We spend dollars to import whaet and then smuggled toAFstan and India and get back shody indian goodies. Also afghans are importing so much Indian tree and it comes back to Pakistan, trade treaty between AF and Pakistan is great conduit for smuggling and Our american dollars flies to enemy( India) and hostle people ( afghans).
GFood day everybody.

Re: # 150
tahmed: "they never held any elections? "

In their version of the Shariah, there is no democracy or elections. In any event, elections in tribal society are just sham elections, like the election of Karzai by the Loya Jirga.
Riaz Haq, PakAlumni Worldwide

RiazHaq: If Taliban were indeed as popular as you think they were, how come they never held any elections? Anyone who seeks to gain power through the barrel of the gun deserves only one thing - a taste of his own medicine, namely a bullet through his head.

Re: # 145
tahmed: "Pakistan's involvement in Afghanistan has given them the Taliban. I dont know how you can call any Afghani an ingrate."

While I agree Pakistan helped the Taliban, it's an oversimplification to say Pakistan "has given them the Taliban." It was years of civil war in Afganistan among the "Mujahideen" that ended in the Taliban taking over all of Afghanistan with Pak's help.

Taliban clearly imposed tough justice and brutal rule. But, with the exception a small educated elite and Uzbeks/TaJIKS, most Afghans took a sign of relief because the nation saw a semblance of law and order after total anarchy brought by the various warlords.

I believe the Taliban would still be in charge in Afghanistan had not made the mistake of hosting and protecting bin Laden who launched 911 attacks on the US soil.

Given the total dedication and willingness to die for their cause (no matter how misguided), they currently have an upper hand in Afghanistan. The US willingness to negotiate with them is a testament to the Taliban's strength and renewed popularity in their land.


Riaz Haq, PakAlumni Worldwide

Re: # 143 Professor Riaz-Haq.... You have included wheat only. But other commodities like sugar, cement, Atta which are cheaper in Pakistani market seep to India and AF stan.One of reason even though we get bumper whaet crop we suffer due to shortage as our Cheap wheat is smuggled big way and thet has become "big income " for Rangers of Sindh and also leak through Punjab/ India border.If you note carefully most trade organizations are not patriotic but more interested in money and they overwhelming support trade with India which is is producing not balance on ourside. Major wheat growing parts of India are not in India but Pakistan. Even Indian metrological dept watches wheather in their wheat growing regions in Pakistan. They have costly wheat there than pakistan so price potential difference starts a unending current of wheat flowing from Pakistan to India. Only good part is this trade is balanced as tire tube, vegetable, eat, live animals, Pharma products are traded indirectly for wheat and sugar is smuggled in Pakistan. But all above products can be purchased from China, if we have to trade ( more import than export) it is strategically better to send dollars to China than India. In addition you can see many automobile products from India hurting local markets. My feeling is actual uninformal trade is 10 times leagal trade. There is one trader in Karachi his Lorries "visit" india on regular basis not just for cultural reasons. This is so open secret they trade gifts on Eid and hindu Holidays. I am kind of old fashioned an do not touch alcohol which is very poisonious than venom of Snakes. In middle class and low level people they can have real drink made in northern cold waters of Scotland but it has become fashion to drink in lower income people, so they resort to drinking ceap "IMFL" ( India made foeign liquors). This is purposeful activity encouraged as economic transaction as wel as to dumb people by any ways.

It boils down to fundamental question is it responsibility of Pakistani state to take care of hordes of poor indians and Afghans especially when both races are hostile at same time.
This is war like situation, we do not like war but war may like us , should we not start stopping subsidizing cheap exported wheat from pakistan to masses in India and A.Stan.
I feel time has come to stop smuggling and stop feeding hostle poor indians as it is not our responsibility. There is need to feed indian and afghan masses and that should be done by NGO or UN etc, we are not in charity business to fatten our enemies.
Unless laking of whaet is stopped wheat prices will always be shooting up.
Good morning to all.