Pak Tea House » North-West Frontier Province
Coming Full Circle
By Cyril Almeida From www.dawn.com, Published February 12, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/13+cyril-almeida-coming-full-circle-220-za-02 Our boys in uniform have a spring in their step again. Domestically, they have taken on two enemies and appear to be winning: the civilian government has been reduced to parroting the army’s line on security issues, while the TTP is a significantly degraded force. Regionally, they can barely suppress their grins. In a few short weeks, the Americans have gone from threatening a ‘Pakistan first’ option in the war against Al Qaeda and associated movements to desperately seeking someone in Islamabad, or more accurately Pindi, who can put them in touch with the Taliban’s so-called ‘reconcilable’ elements. It’s not quite a wave of triumphalism that is sweeping over the army but there definitely is a widely shared sense of validation. And that should worry … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, Democracy, Egalitarian Pakistan, FATA, India, Islamabad, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, People's Pakistan, Taliban, USA, war, Yusuf Raza Gillani, Zardari
Drone attacks and US reputation —Farhat Taj
In terms of the drone attacks, the US must not make any distinction between al Qaeda and the Taliban. They both have internalised a global ideology that is anti-civilisation and anti-human There is news coming up in the media that al Qaeda in Waziristan may run away to Yemen in the face of growing drone attacks. The people of Waziristan have expressed deep concern at this news. They do not want al Qaeda to run away from Waziristan. They want al Qaeda along with the Taliban burnt to ashes on the soil of Waziristan through relentless drone attacks. The drone attacks, they believe, are the one and only ‘cure’ for these anti-civilisation creatures and the US must robustly administer them the ‘cure’ until their existence is annihilated from the world. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, FATA, Islam, Islamism, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Peshawar, strategy, Taliban, Terrorism, USA, war
Moving Towards a Global Afghan Taliban Settlement
Stratfor Analysis January 25, 2010 will be remembered as the day when much of the planet buzzed about diplomatic talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban movement. The chatter comes in the context of a number of conferences that will be held over the course of the next week that focus on dealing with Afghanistan’s jihadist insurgency. The countries being represented at the meetings — including the United States, the Central Asian states, Europe, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, India and China — have a stake in what happens in Afghanistan. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, FATA, Great game, India, Iran, Islam, Islamabad, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, quetta, Religion, strategy, Taliban, Terrorism, USA
Our Commitment to Pakistan
By Robert M Gates, US Secretary of Defence Exclusive to The News, Pakistan Published on January 21, 2010 We are including the link to an important op-ed by US Secretary of Defense Mr. Robert M. Gates. Mr. Gates repeats the message given by Hillary Clinton, that reaches out to the Pakistani population deeply suspicious of the US motives in the present war against extremism. The message looks to repair the trust deficit that has developed over time between Pakistan and the United States, and is a welcome step for the uneven relationship between the two countries who fight the common enemy in this present war. For the full article, please follow the link at the end of the post (Editor) Nearly 25 years ago, in 1986, I arrived in Islamabad for my first visit … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, Democracy, FATA, Great game, History, Islamabad, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Terrorism, USA
Defining "Strategic Depth"
By Kamran Shafi From Daily Dawn, Published 19th January, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/14-defining-strategic-depth-910 And how does it help us? We are engaged in the Great Game in Afghanistan, we are told, because ‘strategic depth’ is vital for Pakistan due to the fact that our country is very narrow at its middle and could well be cut into half by an Indian attack in force. Strategic depth, we are further informed, will give respite to our armed forces which could withdraw into Afghanistan to then regroup and mount counter-attacks on Indian forces in Pakistan. I ask you! I ask you for several reasons. Let us presume that the Indians are foolish enough to get distracted from educating their people, some of whom go to some of the best centres of learning in the world. Let us assume that … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, baluchistan, Great game, India, Islamabad, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Punjab, quetta, state, Taliban
Drone attacks: challenging some fabrications
By Farhat Taj Daily Times 02 Jan 2010 The people of Waziristan are suffering a brutal kind of occupation under the Taliban and al Qaeda. Therefore, they welcome the drone attacks There is a deep abyss between the perceptions of the people of Waziristan, the most drone-hit area and the wider Pakistani society on the other side of the River Indus. For the latter, the US drone attacks on Waziristan are a violation of Pakistani’s sovereignty. Politicians, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Army, FATA, Media, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Taliban, USA
The Taliban, the Pakhtun and Imran Khan
Farhat Taj represents a view that is considered quite unpopular in Pakistan. Even if we do not agree with some of the points she frequently raises, the following is an important read to appreciate the complexities of Pakhtun idenity, the Taliban phenomenon, Taliban sympathizers in Pakistan, and all these factors are currently interacting within the Federation of Pakistan (AZW) By Farhat Taj http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\12\19\story_19-12-2009_pg3_2 Hate for the US is the problem of Imran Khan or his anti-Pakhtun allies. It is not the problem of the people of FATA. Their problem is occupation of their land by the international jihadi gangs. There are clear signs that the people of FATA are cooperating with the Americans in liberating their land from the jihadi occupation … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, FATA, Islamabad, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Peshawar, Taliban
A Realist with a Heart: Remembering Raj Kapoor
By Mohammad Taqi چناں قحط سالے شد اندر دمشق کہ یاراں فراموش کردند عشق ( سعدی شیرازی ) Saadi of Shiraz wrote with great dismay that “the famine in Damascus is so bad that friends have forgotten how to love”. Something much worse has befallen our city, Peshawar. It is difficult, if not impossible, to talk about music, art, films or love when the terror reigns supreme and war has ravished the city and its citizens alike. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Arts and Crafts, Cinema, culture, drama, Heritage, History, India, Media, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Peshawar, Photos
Afghanistan's Great Game And Superficial Analysis By US Foreign Policy Analysts
By Yasser Latif Hamdani The article below from Examiner epitomizes bad analysis that some in the US insist on carrying out which is damaging to the much flaunted “common objective”. God forbid if the author is right, it just means that the US is pursuing a perilous path by ignoring advice from Pakistan’s hardened policy hands. The author is absolutely wrong when she says the Pakistan Army “has never been excited” about US aid and intervention. The Pakistani military has always been very close to the Pentagon. What Obama needs is a sustainable strategy which brings on board every key player including Pakistan’s civilian federal government and the Pakistan Army. This means that the US will have to address Pakistan’s concerns vis a vis Indian involvement in Afghanistan. All of India’s so called interests in Afghanistan are Pakistan specific. Furthermore, the US needs … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, India, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Politics, Terrorism, USA, violence, war, World, Yusuf Raza Gillani, Zardari
Obama's Afghan Policy and Pakistan
By Bilal Qureshi So far, in 2009 alone, 9000 Pakistanis have died in Pakistan because of terrorism – that is bombings, suicide attacks and other acts of extreme violence against Pakistan, and Pakistani society by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Yes, 9000 (nine thousand) Pakistanis have died because of terrorism in 2009 alone. This terrorism according to Pakistan is the direct result of failed American strategy in Afghanistan. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Politics, Taliban, USA, war
Female squash player from Waziristan defies the odds
By Taimur Sikander Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Sports Pir Aftab Shah Jillani presenting Maria Toor with a cash award as her family looks on during a ceremony to reward top players on the national circuit in Islamabad. -Photo by APP KARACHI: Top Pakistani squash players Aamir Atlas Khan and Maria Toor have been nominated for Professional Squash Association Young Player of the Year and Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) Young Player of the Year, respectively, by … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, FATA, Islamism, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Rights, sport, Women, youth
Pakistan Taliban taps Punjab heartland for recruits
Pakistanis are increasingly concerned over the deadly collaboration between Punjabi militants from Sargodha and the Taliban. By Alex Rodriguez LA Times November 16, 2009 (Sargodha, Pakistan): One by one, recruits from Pakistan’s Punjab heartland would make the seven-hour drive to Waziristan, where they would pull up to an office that made no secret of its mission. The signboard above the office door read “Tehrik-e-Taliban.” In a largely ungoverned city like Miram Shah, there was no reason to hide its identity. … Read entire article »
Filed under: FATA, Islamism, Media, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Punjab, Taliban, Terrorism
Peshawar is Peshawar
“Kala May Perzo Shay Pa Bamono Pekhawara” Rahimullah Yusufzai The News Peshawar, or Pekhawar as it is called by Pakhtuns and Pishor by its old Hindko-speaking residents, has always been a city under attack. Past invaders coming from Central Asia, Persia, Afghanistan, India, and beyond have raided and plundered the place. Aryans, Greeks, Persians, Mughals, Afghans, Sikhs and the British occupied and lost Peshawar during their various campaigns of colonial conquest. And then there are the Pakhtun tribes living so close to the city in the Khyber and Mohmand tribal regions and the frontier regions of Darra Adamkhel and Hasankhel and threatening it whenever they are attacked. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, History, Identity, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Peshawar, Taliban, Terrorism
Caught Between Yaghistan and Talibanistan
Defeating the Taliban in Pakistan By Mehreen Farooq and Waleed Ziad – from The Hill It’s the strategy, stupid. Once again, we’re hoping that Pakistan’s latest offensive in the tribal belt will solve the Taliban problem. Our military-centric strategy, which has cost us eight years and $10 billion tax dollars, is incomplete. What’s missing is the complementary soft-power component necessary to secure the pivotal conflict zone in the war on terror. … Read entire article »
Filed under: FATA, Law, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, poverty, Rural, Taliban, USA
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