US Commando Strike in Waziristan It is exactly the kind of verbal excretions we see from the poster at #44 that have taken Pakistan to where it is now. One still remembers in the 60s Pakistan was considered a westernised country much more as compared to India, one has graphic memories of an article in The National Geographic where West Pakistanis were projected as sophisticated and prosperous( as for India, only poverty was publicised by the Western media) what with one of the photographs showing a Karachi family gathering around a Western style buffet table laid out with goodies. May be the PR was good, yet the image was there, buttressed by cosy relations with the Americans and all. In contrast, today the name Pakistan evokes images of backwardness, Islamic fundamentalism, poverty, illiteracy, military dictatorships, nuclear black market, honour killings,export of terrorism, the list of negatives is endless, hardly anything positive. It evokes hate in such Muslim countries as Algeria as it is blamed for exporting terrorists and terrorism to that country and distrust in most of the world.
Our friend has proclaimed Pakistan is a nuclear power and awaiting the arrival of the next Caliph who will teach the Americans a lesson. As for the Pakistanis being in possession of a nuclear bomb there is no need to publicise it , the poster may note, it is already permanently in the sights of Pentagon. The more the likes of this poster brag, closer appears the Dooms Day for Pakistan and its much revered nuclear capability.
What is apparently required is debrainwashing so that all the lies that they have been fed over the last six decades are erased and the Pakistanis start seeing the world more objectively. It is sad that so many Pakistanis themselves are talking about the possible break-up of their country. It is really time to look back at the past 60 years and see how from the ill advised aggression of Kashmir in 1948 and the assasination of LAK in 1951 things have just been getting worse for the Pakistani nation (a misnomer here, for Pakistan has really been unable to metamorphose itself into a nation state).
As for the outbursts of the Pakistani Foreign Minister against the American transborder raid, take it easy , Pal, you lost your sovereignty way back in the 80's when Zia ul Haque (one wonders why can't Pakistan be a normal state where elected representatives decide what is good for the country and not some broad chested buffoon in Khakis)decided to lay bare all of Pakistan to Americans and all kinds of terrorists from the wide world of Islam in their war in Afghanistan, welcomed and even invited the Afghan refugees(some 2 million are unwilling to go back, one is told).
Very difficult to find something gladdening to write, sadly.

And then there was The Impeachment Issue… Pakistanis must remember Musharraf's contribution to their nation, particularly his attempt to swallow a piece of Indian territory in Kargil. It is another matter that he failed, but the plan was almost as audacious as Op Gibralter and he cannot be faulted for trying. Had he succeeded he would have been enshrined as a national hero for ever. So the Pakistanis should just let him fade away and may be he should quietly resign.

Ahmedabad Blasts: Numbed Apathy and The Conspiracy Of Our Resilience Recurring serial blasts clearly point to total apathy and lip service of the politicians and their stooges the police. The politicians are busy looting the state while the police are busy providing them protection. It is really difficult to understand how a few criminal elements can strike with impunity whenever they want, that too in sensitive places. What is the police intelligence doing? These politicians who have already raped the country so long will make proper noises after the blasts and the police will make lame excuses , people will continue to get killed as the nation waits with abated breath for the next round of blasts.

Attack in Mohmand #167
AH Amin's piece is objective, concise and immensely readable.

Twenty Three Students Expelled From Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad Reflects the level to which intolerance has grown in Pakistan or to which the Mullas are calling the shots even when institutions of higher learning are concerned.

Mohajirs Are People Too What are we talking about here? The Sindhis reflect the softness of the Sufi culture, it is visible in their demeanour. Far superior and quite opposite to the Magadhi Muhajirs about whom the writer is waxing eloquent.

Hillary Clinton a Better Presidential Candidate Obama has not been a much popular figure in Pakistan ever since he expressed his desire to bomb Pakistan

How to End Politics of Hate and Intolerance It is interesting to read how a part of the Pakistani intellegentia keeps griping about lawlessness and other ills facing the Pakistani society. Blaming Musharraf is fine but he is just a symptom of a malaise which has much deeper roots. The poor quality of political leadership Pakistan has had right from the inception is a major cause or else Ayub Khan would not have been able to institute military preponderence in the body politic of the country. The biggest blunder Pakis made was to play 'frontline' against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The Americans got what they wanted, the Russians left licking their wounds, what did Pakistan get? None of the strategic depth which Zia had dreamed of but 3 million Afghan refugees who wont go back because they are thriving at the cost of Pakistani jobless, a gun culture (which unfortunately most Pakistanis think macho)no civil society can be proud of and an unhealthy rise to prominence of retrograde Mullahs who will ensure Pakistan goes down the drain. The ever present desire to upstage India has also resulted in Pakistan's unhealthy dependence on their military .
Now that the people have voiced their preference, the first task before the civilian leadership is to rein in the military and send it permanently to the barracks and keep there for good. Let the generals look after their corps and divisions rather than meddling in politics.
With Nawaz Sharif who has a steady head on his shoulders and the PPP we hope will give Pakistan a new direction

How did Hindus Become Vegetarians? A good read.

Pervez Musharraf and India Pakistan Rapproachment Was in Tashkent last week. Met a Pakistani youngster. Said he was flabbergasted at seeing see so much white pusey. Throughout his stay he did nothing but drink and fornicate. According to him you cannot see any firangs in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. They all get abducted, he said.
Thanks to Musharraf?
Promised to visit again and again. He need not be so sure. A few years ago all Pakistanis had been unceremoniously bundled out of Uzbekistan, most, it appears, were trying to incite islamic fundamentalism among local population.

Pervez Musharraf and India Pakistan Rapproachment In response to the now famous US line "you are either with us or against us" and facing the threat of Pakistan being bombed out, the great "statesman" in uniform started shitting bricks and overnight decided to dump the Talibs and present his backside to the Mricans, the only condition for his total capitulation being that India be left out of any operations to be carried out in Afganistan.

Pervez Musharraf and India Pakistan Rapproachment Re: # 68
That Pakistan had nuclear weapons was known to India. The explosions conducted by India were a successful attempt to get the Pakistanis to reveal what they had, so this talk of Indian leaders going soft on their posture on Pakistan consequent to the explosions is just bullshit.

Pervez Musharraf and India Pakistan Rapproachment The struggle for independence of India was a movement encompassing the whole subcontinent and it produced an entire generation of leaders, who could steer the country in its nascent stage. So, even when Gandhi was no more on the scene, India continued with Nehru and other political leaders who had been well groomed to provide solid leadership.
On the other hand, after MAJ there was no dynamic leader who could rise to lead Pakistan, and the chaotic situation that followed gave Ayub Khan the opportunity to meddle in governance of Pakistan. The military which had tasted blood would not like to leave the political scene. Musharraf's take over of power is just another chapter in the military dominated political life of Pakistan. He is just a person of ordinary intellect ( although he has good linguistic skills which, despite his being a Muhajir, enable him to speak Urdu in Punjabi accent in front of the troops)who derived his power from the army of which he was commander. All generals in Pak army think that they can rule Pakistan better than the civilians.
Until this is corrected and the rudder is firmly in civil hands, Pakistan will not be able to make progress as a democracy.

In fact, had ZAB been strong enough, he should have put the army firmly in the barracks particularly after the humiliating defeat of 1971 which dismembered Pakistan.

As for the so called change in Musharraf's policy toward India, it is in fact the humiliating withdrawal of Pak troops from Kargil heights convinced him that he cannot mess with India. So the next best option was to make friendly overtures. Mind you, his position on Kashmir is only acceptance of what Pakistan will in any case never get.

Interview: Imran Khan on Elections and Boycott Imran Khan comes across as an honest and sincere man who feels for the people. It is a pity that he has not been able to make a real dent in Pakistani politics. It is no wonder, because only scoundrels can thrive in politics.

Fall of Dacca Re: # 134
Hear, hear!

Fall of Dacca Re # 129, 130

These scoundrel commies must be thrown into the Bay of Bengal, including Brinda Karat, Bardhan et al, all having extra-territorial loyalties