Pakistan: Who's To Blame?

Speaking at the National Assembly, Pakistan's Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said that the military could stop the Taliban and that the country's nuclear weapons were safe.

"Does this parliament not have moral courage to stop them?" he asked.

Pakistan is on a precipice. The Swat Valley, once called the Switzerland of Pakistan for its great natural beauty, is now the Taliban's battle ground for Islamic fundamentalism where harsh Islamic (shari'a) law is imposed on the population and fully sanctioned by the Pakistani government. In recent days, armed Taliban fighters have set up checkpoints and occupied mosques in the Buner region just 60 miles from Islamabad, declaring Islamic law before retreating after striking a deal with the government.

Will Pakistan eventually fall to the Taliban?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recently warned that Pakistan's government is "basically abdicating to the Taliban." Parts of the country have already fallen to Taliban, and attacks inside main cities such as Lahore have been on the rise. The Taliban have also infiltrated into Punjab province and Karachi. But that does not mean that either Pakistan as a whole nor its nuclear stockpile is in danger.

According to U.S. and Pakistani officials, there is no way a complete nuclear weapon can be taken from Islamabad's stockpile, which is protected by about 10,000 of the Pakistani military's most elite troops. Also, the guts of nuclear warheads are kept separate from the rest of the device, and a nuclear detonation is impossible without both pieces. Additionally, the delivery vehicle -- plane or missile -- is also segregated from the warhead components.

So what are the Taliban after?

Their ambitions are no secret. Two prominent clerics have broadcast their intent to spread Islamic rule throughout the country, and they have been taking advantage of grievances against corrupt courts and greedy landlords to win support. Most importantly, they have also been able to capitalize on widespread resentment of the United States exacerbated by its attacks on militants with missiles launched from pilotless drones. In fact, US attacks on tribal areas in Pakistan have done nothing to reduce the Taliban's influence, but rather have backfired and strengthened it politically, and undermining what authority remained to President Asif Ali Zardari.

According to U.S. analysts and pundits, in eight short months since coming to office, Zardari has managed to cede large parcels of Pakistan's land to the Taliban, weaken the army, and bankrupt the government. Mr. Zardari, however, blames the instability in Pakistan on the U.S. and insists that the presence of Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar on Pakistani soil is not his fault:

"They were pushed [into Pakistan] by your great military offensive [in Afghanistan],' he says sarcastically. "For seven years nothing has happened, and now we are weak and you are unable to do anything about it ... I've lost my wife, my friends, and the support of my countrymen ... and in eight years you haven't been able to eliminate the cancer."

Zardari may have a point there...

Jamal Dajani produces the Mosaic Intelligence Report on Link TV.

.

Comments

[jaysan]

Zardari doesn't have a point there, and neither does Jamal Dajani. Taliban originated in Pakistan and were sent into Afghanistan. It is Pakistan which is the source and the root of Taliban's power, not Afghanistan. The US military has failed to turn back the Taliban tide in Afghanistan because they were not allowed to plug up the source, in Pakistan. From the Taliban's very start as the creations of Benazir Bhutto's Interior Minister, Naseerullah Babar, and onward to the US-led War on Terror, the Taliban have been coming from Pakistan into Afghanistan. Now that they have created some havens for themselves in Afghanistan, they are also able to proceed from those back into Pakistan as well. But the Taliban most certainly are a Pakistani-driven phenomenon. They come from Pakistan, they originate from Pakistan, the bulk of their power base is in Pakistan. Zardari is either clueless or just lying - more likely the latter, since his wife was in power when the Taliban first emerged as a creation of her govt.

[Asad Khan]

The Taliban have got latest weapons including missile system, Where the hell are they getting this from? this is all the same game when America played with Russia in Afghan war, and now KJB (Russian Intelligence) is playing role and supporting these militants from unknown source. Its still a point for SOME ANALYSTS but they are afraid to publish that some taliban leaders are still working for CIA, but CIA's Taliban do not know that, "elements like taliban have entered into them" they are working for Russian & Indian Intelligence against Pakistan and US, Indian are playing game "to kill two birds with one stone".

Pakistan Army is highly efficient & professional if such militants were in another state it would have become grave yard for them, but its yet by thanks of Pakistan Army & Intelligence who are still protecting and doing their best efforts for Nation.

And i have a point that why will Pakistan support or sanction these militants for killings its own nation, In this case its sure that third party is enforcing these militants who do not want peace instability in Pakistan as well creating tension for US. This is all the game for disrupting the American agenda, that America would send troops to Pakistan in near future which will be great loss for them. Its adviced that American troops should be limited to Afghanistan once that mission is properly completed then attention here for our help.

[jaysan]

Taliban weaponry is obtained on the black market, and certainly missiles are available on the black market. Pakistan even reverse-engineered the US-supplied Stinger missile system and called it the Anza. The bizarre propensity for Pakistani/Islamic activists to conjure up grand conspiracy theories defies belief.

[tomballardesq]

Don't be so credulous of the claims of Pakistan's civilian leadership. It is inept generally, and especially with respect to military affairs. It doesn't have full control or even full knowledge of the dealings of its military and intelligence services, who have long tolerated the Taliban to bolster their defensive posture against India. It's far too easy to imply that the U.S. is the root cause of the Taliban's advance, and it's simplistic (typical of your column) to say that the Taliban have capitalized on popular frustration with elements of Pakistani civil society. Why don't you bother to point out that the Taliban have no popular support in Swat or Buner, and their presence there is made possible only by their brutality and the concessions of the Pakistani government (e.g. appointing officials 'suggested' by the Taliban to key posts in those areas)?

[Alethia]

There is a resistance in the general populace in Pakistan against America because America has been doing things that are diametrically opposed to Pakistan's strategic interests. U.S. officials have fallen all over themselves pushing through the nuclear agreement with India and have been screaming on top of their lungs how Pakistan does not deserve the same treatment. Secondly, the U.S. has ignored the dire situation which exists in Kashmir: both the situation between India and Pakistan and the situation of the long-suffering Kashmiri populace. That dispute needs a solution and it needs it soon if there is to be any peace in that part of the world.

So With friends like America undermining an ally's interests, who needs enemies! Pakistan is one the most important countries in the world, especially where U.S. interests are concerned. Treat it with respect.

Yes, the U.S. should be friendly with India no doubt. But it needs to treat Pakistan's interests with care and understanding because that nation's interests, in addition to India's, coincides with the interests of the United States.

Treating Pakistan with care is crucial to the success of peace in all of South and Central Asia.

[Burfee]

Pakistan has long proven adept at diplomatically levering its weakness into strength. Now it is using the threat of its possible implosion to rake in record-level bilateral and multilateral aid.

Bountiful aid has been pouring in without any requirement that Pakistan address the root cause of its emergence as the epicenter of global terrorism — a jihad culture and military-created terrorist outfits and militias. Even though the scourge of Pakistani terrorism emanates not so much from the Islamist mullahs as from generals who reared the forces of jihad, rewards are being showered on the procreators of terrorism.

If the U.S and the world fail to recgonize continuing Pak deception, it will do so at ist own peril. Pak nukes and its ISI should be neutralized

[marko77]

yappnmutt See Profile I'm a Fan of yappnmutt I'm a fan of this user permalink
the taliban is religiously opposed to poppies. that explanation is doubtful.
the farmers and their tribes(including their usa and euro bruddahs) are making money
________________________________________________________________

yappnmutt, I don't think so. The Taliban consider anyone who does not subscribe to their twisted interpretation of Islam as "unbelievers" and hence - human garbage.

Reaping profits from the heroin trade is "pleasing to Allah" in the Taliban's fevered imagination - "non-muslims" are non-entities. You can do what you want to them - with Allah's blessings.

[allentothemax]

Yeah there is a lot of blame to go around. Plenty for everyone involved to have a second and third helping of disgrace. That though is beside the point. We all to often waste time on this blame game when really we should just jump right to the part where we solve the problem.

I see two possible scenarios here. Pakistan needs to pull troops off the border with India and out of Kashmir. This will enable them to redeploy those troops against the Taliban. Right now they don't have the power to take them on because they have to mirror India's presence on the other side of said border and region. This means India will have to reduce it's troop numbers. So scenario one involves arch enemies engaging in regional cooperation.

Since that is unlikely lets talk about scenario number two. U.S. troops go in and take them out for the betterment of the whole region and the whole world. This is probably what it will come down to. I say, look for U.S. boots on the ground in Pakistan around 2 years from now. Maybe even sooner.

[newsjunkie5]

Really well put.

The question is which scenario do you think is more likely to happen?

[marko77]

What about the people of Pakistan deciding to reject fundamentalist extremists? How many Pakistanis want to have women dressed like Darth Vader? How many want to be ruled by people who are just side of the hillbillies in the movie Deliverance? You know, the ones who molested the city folks in the woods.

[hillpill]

Good points.
Scenario one is not that unlikely if vested interests stopped meddling. Now that's unlikely.

[Solaris123]

Many islamic leaders around the word begin realize that all the propaganda against the twin bogey men of Israel and U.S. has a way of being a double edged sword.
I 've read some astonishingly frank articles in Arab press on this subject.
There seems to be a grand re-alliance in the Muslim world. Arab leaders are re-aligning their strategic interests closer with U.S., Israel and the West.
On the other side--Iran and their proxies. The Sunni- Shia fault line complicates this realignment ( whats new.)
Telling detail, Iran/ Hezbollah are encouraging drive to convert Palestinian militants to the Shiite sect.
For instance, an entire clan of the militant commander Mohammed Shehadeh,( no longer with us, thanks IDF) has converted to Shia. Almost unheard of thing in Sunni Palestine before Iran assumed reigns of control among Palestinians.

[leonardox1]

Where do you get your information from? MEMRI

[joz22]

You are using the Bush doctorine explaining things in the context of Sunni-Shia. Sunnis are more worried abou a nuclear Israel than a nuclear Iran.

[Solaris123]

Al Hayat Arabic newspaper, Feb. 21.23009
The Greater Iran”
“Until recently there was a lot of talk about the Zionist project of Greater Israel, however this is no longer possible,” Israel territorial ambitions were overwhelmed and it has withdrawn from territories it occupied in the past such as Sinai, South Lebanon and Gaza.”
by Saud Al Ris
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 15, 2006 Ahmed Al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of Kuwait Arab Times newspaper,
"No to Syria, Iran agents,"

People of Arab countries, especially the Lebanese and Palestinians, have been held hostage for a long time in the name of "resisting Israel"... Forgetting the interests of their own countries the Hamas Movement and Hezbollah have gone to the extent of representing the interests of Iran and Syrian in their countries. These organizations have become the representatives of Syria and Iran without worrying about the consequences of their action.
_________________________________________________________________

[Solaris123]

Editorial by the editor-in-chief of Kuwait's Arab Times, Ahmed Al-Jarallah

"Unfortunately we must admit that in such a war the only way to get rid of "these irregular phenomena" is what Israel is doing. The operations of Israel in Gaza and Lebanon are in the interest of people of Arab countries and the international community."

[yappnmutt]

the taliban could not do this without money. so the question is, where is the taliban getting its money? answer that question then the solution will be clear.

[E4B32787]

The Ruskies say the Taliban's military budget is derived from the traffic in drugs, from the poppys in the rural areas. You gotta remember, we grabbed the cities, but left the rural areas alone and instead pursued this folly in Iraq. I hear about 1/3 of the Afghanistan economy is in narcotics, which is conducted in the rural areas.

[yappnmutt]

the taliban is religiously opposed to poppies. that explanation is doubtful.

the farmers and their tribes(including their usa and euro bruddahs) are making money

[RobotRockRod]

many to blame but mostly, Its Pakistan's fault.
For decades they've embraced the Islamists thinking India was their biggest threat, now...

"qui sème le vent récolte la tempête"
he who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind

[newsjunkie5]

who can blame them?

[Paul]

Afghanistan is a loser.

Our military actions strengthen our enemies.

Time to come home.

[joz22]

Who's to blame? This is no brainer...Bush! Let's get the hell out of there Mr. Obama!

[newsjunkie5]

much easier said than done

[stpmdn]

And why are we worried about iran who has a stable government and no nukes again? Oh that's right Israel.

Well Israel better be worried. Cause if the taliban gets nukes it is much worst for them than if iran gets a nuke.

[jad114]

So are you saying Iran should also get nukes?

[newsjunkie5]

Why do you think the Taliban is more of a threat to Israel than Ahmadinejad woh has already publicly said he wants to wipe Israel off the map!

[newsjunkie5]

Why does the US always seek out a scapegoat to cover up its messes?

[cohen238765]

Israel's FM Avigador Lieberman proclaimed that Afghanistan and Pakistan are now considered jointly as the greatest strategic threat to Israel instead of Israel especially if Pakistan's nukes fall in the hands of Taliban extremists.

[justice2008]

Any Muslim country is considered a strategic threat to Israel in Lieberman's eyes especially if they go nuclear. ONLY Israel can have nukes and no one should complain!