The Afghanistan Stalemate
By Saad Hafiz: It is getting very difficult after the Bin Laden episode to explain Pakistan’s doublespeak on terrorism and the Taliban to increasingly skeptical Western friends. The ambiguous Pakistani terrorism strategy of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds is now recognized as official State policy. The Islamabad mantra describes “good” or “moderate” Taliban as those that are engaged in a nationalist struggle against coalition forces in Afghanistan. The good Taliban are expected to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Terrorism
Not doubting, just concerned
By RAJA FATAH ALI What about our Nukes? Are they save enough? Who were they? They belongs to CIA, MOSSAD, even RAW. They can’t be Al-Qaida. Well after claiming the responsibility, if someone say, “How claiming the attacks means that Al-Qaida or Talban did that, even I can claim the responsibility of attack, then I am not sure about his mental health”. Because we all can judge in a minute or so that who were they, if we had a very good look at situation and anger shown by Tehreek-e-Talban Pakistan after OBL operation in Abotabad. But we were calm because we want some real proof and intelligence or investigation report which can confirm Al-Qaida or Talban or if we do not be so specific about them, then we want a solid … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda
Things More Important than Sovereignty and Honor
Zia Ahmad Two days ago, a motley crew of a handful militants raided and occupied a highly sensitive and supposedly heavily fortified Naval air base in Karachi. The ensuing battle lasted for sixteen plus hours at the cost of ten military personnel, fourteen injuries and two surveillance planes. Bear in mind, these are the official numbers. We can’t really blame the people if they find the official toll of damages suspect and assume a higher count of casualties. It is also said that a contingent of a hundred commandos was deployed to reclaim the naval base. Let’s run the numbers again: … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Army, Karachi, Taliban, Terrorism, violence, Yusuf Raza Gillani
No more glory, izzat da tukkar please!
By Raza Rumi Pakistan’s only viable and efficient institution has been attacked. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has accepted the responsibility for intruding into well guarded naval and air force bases; and managed to destroy state of the art equipment – two PC3 Orion aircraft costing millions of dollars – in a long drawn out operation. The nightmare is over now. At least 10 security officials have been martyred in line of their duty and according to the Interior Minister … Read entire article »
Is It America’s War Really?
By D. Asghar Is it “America’s War” really? If so then why is Pakistan facing the worst of it. Why is Pakistan taking so many casualties on a daily basis? How many more “conspiracies” do we need to wake us up from our deep slumber? If anything PNS Mehran incident should be an eye opener for those who are in delusion about the real enemy. Throngs of “patriots” gathered barely 24 hours ago, prior to this horrific incident, sending a strong message to their perceived enemy, “No more drones” and “No more violation of our sovereignty.” Whether it was Peshawar or Karachi, the right wingers were spewing their same old anti US rhetoric. Yet completely ignoring the real enemy, actually dismissing any such impression as a malicious propaganda. Those in denial … Read entire article »
The Empire strikes back
By Saad Hafiz “I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden” a resolute looking President Obama announced to the world. America had violently dealt with another Public Enemy ala Billy the Kid, Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger. The moment smacks of frontier justice, but it was the only choice given the alternative of a long, drawn out trial and probable execution. Once the hoopla dies down, America must go back to addressing its growing 14 trillion dollar national debt and chronic 9% unemployment rate. Progress on cutting the debt and reducing unemployment will count more towards Obama’s reelection prospects than a dead Bin Laden. That Bin Laden had to be a US kill was a … Read entire article »
The trajectory of peace
By Raza Rumi The dramatic events of the past few days have far-reaching repercussions on the future of global terrorism and US policy in Afghanistan and West Asia. Osama bin Laden may have been removed from the scene, but Al Qaeda lives as a hybrid conglomerate with formidable allies in Pakistan and elsewhere. Whilst a plethora of questions on Bin Laden’s capture and death remains unanswered, Pakistan has, once again, come under global scrutiny admittedly for the right reasons. Most Pakistanis are dumbfounded by the sudden discovery of Bin Laden virtually under the nose of the military and the mysterious way in which Operation Geronimo was carried out by the United States. Despite the hard talk, it is clear that the US-Pakistan relationship is not going to be majorly affected by the recent turn of … Read entire article »
OBL saga and Pakistan’s crisis of governance
My piece for The News, Pakistan As details of Operation Geronimo unfold, more and more questions are being raised regarding Pakistan’s role in the war on terror. Sadly, millions of Pakistanis are even more confused than the global pundits. Other than the lunatic fringe thriving in the folds of mainstream media, ordinary Pakistanis are dumbfounded at the prospect of the world’s most wanted man living next to the deep state’s power-house, i.e., the Pakistan military academy. If bin Laden was indeed residing in a purpose-built house with extra thick walls and security cameras then how come Pakistan’s most ‘efficient’ institution was unaware of this lethal presence? Furthermore, if they were not involved in the operation then how could a mammoth defence establishment allow such a clandestine operation by a foreign country … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda
Behind the Hunt for Bin Laden
By MARK MAZZETTI, HELENE COOPER and PETER BAKER Pete Souza/The White House President Obama and members of his national security team receiving an update on Sunday. A classified document in front of Hillary Rodham Clinton was blurred before this photo was released. More Photos » WASHINGTON — For years, the agonizing search for Osama bin Laden kept coming up empty. Then last July, Pakistanis working for the Central Intelligence Agency drove up behind a white Suzuki navigating the bustling streets near … Read entire article »
Osama bin Laden didn’t win, but he was ‘enormously successful’
By Ezra Klein Did Osama bin Laden win? No. Did he succeed? Well, America is still standing, and he isn’t. So why, when I called Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a counterterrorism expert who specializes in al-Qaeda, did he tell me that “bin Laden has been enormously successful”? There’s no caliphate. There’s no sweeping sharia law. Didn’t we win this one in a clean knockout? Apparently not. Bin Laden, according to Gartenstein-Ross, had a strategy that we never bothered to understand, and thus that we never bothered to defend against. What he really wanted to do — and, more to the point, what he thought he could do — was bankrupt the United States of America. After all, he’d done the bankrupt-a-superpower thing before. And though it didn’t quite work out this time, it worked a … Read entire article »
Amid vows of revenge, cries of indignation, young men hold funeral prayers for Bin Laden
By Saba Imtiaz Supporters of the banned Islamic organisation Jamaatud Dawa hold up their hands while shouting anti-American slogans before a symbolic funeral prayer for Osama bin Laden. PHOTO: REUTERS KARACHI: “I will go fight jihad too,” said a madrassa student proudly. But when asked how he planned to do this with a ‘scholarly education’, not one in handling arms, he remarked, “I am being given training. I will go.” … Read entire article »
Delivered from evil … to a minefield of law and consequence
By Ben Saul Was America’s killing of Osama Bin Laden lawful or an extrajudicial assassination? The answer depends on two key areas of international law: the law on the use of force, and international humanitarian law. Under the law on the use of force, it is prohibited to use military force on the territory of a foreign country except in self-defence against an “armed attack”. The US may plausibly argue that it is the victim of an … Read entire article »
Pakistan’s Deep State – After OBL
By AA Khalid America Gets Closure The Deep State in Pakistan received a shock and a major blow with the death of Bin Laden. Under the noses of the Army and Intelligence services the world’s most wanted man resided in idyllic tranquillity, whilst the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan burnt at the hands of an angry and wounded United States. The US constructed its foreign policy based on anger after 9/11, but it should have heeded the words of Benjamin Franklin, that, ‘‘Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame’’. Iraq and Afghanistan will end in shame; America gave up on its own values of liberty and freedom to pursue senseless wars, corrupting its very soul in front of the world’s eyes. But with the death of the man who can only be … Read entire article »
Release Osama’s Final Photo President Obama!
By D. Asghar President Obama’s decision not to release Osama’s final photo will not sit well with many. Personally, I wanted him to do that, as he is underestimating the backlash. If he is afraid of the “Jihadis” going bonkers, then he is trying to reason with the wrong guys, isn’t he? For them it doesn’t matter, they see and thrive on such images, perhaps all day long. Remember, such people behead people and blow dissenters or unsuspecting people into smithereens. The signal President Obama is sending that, yes we are trying to be thoughtful of your sensitivities. It is not going to sit well with skeptics (my self included), the victims and for the rest of the inquisitive world. There will be this cloud of mystery surrounding this whole event. … Read entire article »
Sohaib Athar’s Tweets from the attack on Osama bin Laden – read them all below
By Melissa Bell According to his Twitter stream @reallyvirtual, Sohaib Athar moved from Lahore, Pakistan to the resort town of Abbottabad to take a break from the rat race. It seems he didn’t move far enough. On Sunday, Athar found himself smack in the center of one of the year’s biggest news events. Scroll down to see his Twitter stream. (Sohaib Athar’s Twitter profile photo) A 33-year-old IT consultant, Athar was on Twitter when the sound of a … Read entire article »
PTH biweekly Cartoon
Picture of the Week
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Sunrise at the Arabian Sea, Charna Island
24 Dec 2011
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