Pakistan: Attack on Christians

George W. Bush spread 'democracy' in Afghanistan. Now Obama is spreading 'democracy' in Afghanistan. Some of that 'democracy' has spilled over into Pakistan. Violence has become norm in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now Taliban are targeting Christians. Christians are already poor and underprivileged in Pakistan/India. And now their lives are in danger.

There are about 70,000 Christians in the city of

Peshawar, capital of deeply conservative Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa province

"But some of the violence against Christians is organised and directly related to American-led war in Afghanistan, so has an expressly political motive.

Months after the US-led coalition attacked Afghanistan in late 2001, a grenade attack on a chapel inside a Christian mission hospital Taxila city killed four people."

Read more on the story here BBC News.

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US/NATO Attack Kills 24 Pakistani Soldiers

It's a very scary incident, which makes America's already strained relations with Pakistan even worse. Some Pakistanis are talking about retaliation, I hope there is none. Pakistan is a nuclear power and if those nukes get into the wrong hands, God help us. It would be a very dangerous situation.

I think it is extremely important that US-NATO is very careful crossing borders and bombing indiscriminately. One, it violates the sovereignty of Pakistan, and second people's lives are taken, especially when you attack military establishments in Pakistan (a supposed ally).

That reminds me of the recent GOP debate on November 22nd. It was amazing how most of the candidates gave the impression that the only legitimate government in the world was the United States, that it was up to America how countries in the Middle East, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and North Africa, are governed.

In other words, they gave the impression that they are the world's rulers. The only person who came across as sensible was Ron Paul, he kept reminding the other candidates that these are sovereign countries, to let them resolve their own problems, especially as America had enough of its own problems domestically.

An interesting statement of Ron Paul's was that if the US had not stationed its forces on sacred Muslim sites in Saudi Arabia, 9/11 would probably have not happened. It looks in all this that anyone who makes any sense is Ron Paul, but unfortunately it does not look he will come anywhere close to being the GOP nominee.

If we want peace in the world, US and NATO should minimize their interventions in the governing of other countries.

You can read more about the Pakistan incident here.

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US/NATO is winning in Afghanistan??

Great victory eh! Once U.S and NATO forces leave, not only will Afghanistan fall back in the hands of the Taliban but also Pakistan and maybe Iran. Pakistan is becoming more fanatic religiously. Since 1978 Pashtuns from Afghanistan have taking refuge in Pakistan. More came during the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Now their influence on Pakistani society is very obvious. A 13 year old Christian girl was not only expelled from her school but her whole family was run out of town because she misspelled an Arabic word which came across as derogatory to the Prophet Muhammad. It is fairly obvious that she did not do it on purpose and apologized for her error but that was not good enough for religious leaders and other fanatics.



Pakistan and Iran have traditionally good relations and with Taliban-like governments in Pakistan, they may oblige Iran with a nuke or two. It looks scary and does not bode well for the west.

To read the story on young girl click here.

Dubya wanted to conquer Iraq at the same time as Afghanistan and took his eyes off of the latter, now his blunder is showing results. Dubya’s daddy was threatened by Saddam after Bush Sr. invaded Kuwait so being a good kid he wanted to kill Saddam to protect his daddy and then of course to access the oil in Iraq. What a mess.

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United States of America: Has it lost its collective brain

There is a story on MSNBC that the US is considering to grab “nukes” from Pakistan because there is a danger they may fall into the wrong hands. I suppose after Osama Bin Laden, US is emboldened. No doubt it was a flawless operation, but to ‘grab’ Pakistan’s nukes sounds like a mission impossible.

According to some estimates Pakistan has 115 nukes. Surely they’re not in one warehouse where the US can go and snatch them from Pakistan. This may start a devastating war between Pakistan and US. I read somewhere that Pakistan has one of the best trained militaries in the world partially because of ongoing hostilities with India.

US Empire seems to be falling apart. First there was this crazy debt ceiling crisis created by foolhardy politicians on both sides and now discussion of this venture. Looks like an adventure for Armageddon.

Read the story here.

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Hillary Clinton patronizing Pakistan

Since Hillary Clinton conceded to Barack Obama in 2008 she behaved perfectly magnanimously. I had nothing but praise for her. She was appointed Secretary of State and she performed her role quite well, that is until she visited Pakistan recently.

I believe what she did in Pakistan was a major diplomatic stumble. She basically told Pakistanis that they are not doing much to fight the Taliban and that if they don't want financial help from the US for such a fight they will get nothing. This is like grandma reprimanding her grand children. It is patronizing. I have been following this conflict a little bit and it looks that Pakistan has lost more soldiers and civilians fighting this US war than all the NATO countries put together.

Hillary Clinton also does not understand the socio-political dynamics of the area. Pashtuns are a major segment of Pakistan's territory, as well the southern part of Afghanistan is Pashtun. As a matter of fact, Karzai is a Pashtun. It is Pashtuns who turned Taliban. What should Pakistan do? Kill all the Pashtuns in its territory. Pakistan has suffered many attacks from extremists including the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. More recently their military headquarters in Rawalpindi were attacked which is quite dangerous as Pakistan is a nuclear power. Moreover Pakistan invaded Swat Valley and later Waziristan and killed many people to please Americans. What more does the US want from Pakistan?

Zardari is not necessarily your ideal leader. He is known for past corruption, but then what is new in that part of the world. Look at Karzai. My belief is that this Afghanistan war is an un-winnable war and Hillary Clinton is lashing out for nothing on Pakistanis which is not going to help. This war is a disaster. It has strengthened the Taliban and spread them to Pakistan too, hence destabilizing Pakistan. The US and NATO must rethink their strategy.

Update: Pakistanis gave it to Hillary Clinton:
click here.

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Pakistan and Swat Valley

After the recent media coverage on Swat Valley I did some research of my own because those faces of innocent children bother me whether they are in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Swat Valley, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Gaza, or elsewhere. It is my understanding that after Alexander the Great was in that area it had been relatively a peaceful place and avoided trouble during the USSR invasion of Afghanistan. It is also one of the most beautiful places in the world. However that all changed after Bush invaded Afghanistan and some Taliban moved into the area. Now it is becoming a killing field. And that beautiful place has turned into a living hell for local residents. What rights does anyone have to do that?

It looks that Zardari of Pakistan (a.k.a "Mr. 10%" - a reference to his being corrupt when his wife Bhutto was in power) is under great pressure from the US to do something in Swat and military action has been taken. It is resulting in the killing of innocent civilians and displacing close to a million people. Since these young kids are being put through hell don't be surprised that they become in future "terrorists."

Where is all this leading to? We can never win there militarily. A former US soldier was interviewed on CNN and he said the only way is to talk to local people and that killing in Swat Valley will further discredit the US. If the US or US sponsored aggression stops, then it is possible to win the heart and minds of local people.

As far as our role in Afghanistan, I believe Harper must stop playing Alexander the Degrade. He should consider pulling out of Afghanistan and only play a role of peacekeeper assisting with socio-economic development to give back our dignity as peacekeepers. If we stay there as a combatant power then we are going deeper into the quicksand and putting our soldiers in harms way. I think it is about time that Steve comes to his senses. He must realize that his idol Bush is long gone and we are really not getting any gratitude from the US.

Now is the time for Iggy to show some guts and leadership instead of personal aggrandizement. Hey Iggy, so far you have been a major disappointment and if you maintain your current narcissistic approach then it will be nothing more than a second coming of Harper if you get elected PM.

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Pakistan and the Taliban

Taliban are coming! Taliban are coming to take over Islamabad and eventually Pakistan! Is it possible that it is a one big scam? Maybe the Pakistani army is trying to scare the dickens out of the government of Asif Ali Zardari and is readying to take over the reigns of power themselves. After all, Pakistan has been under military junta most of its life.

However the Taliban, or in the past Pashtuns whose sizable faction is affiliated with the Taliban now, have been in Pakistani territory since its birth. It is an ethnic group that lives on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Thanks to the botched Bush invasion, some factions of Pashtuns have been radicalized.

It would look that Pashtuns always had a fair amount of influence in Pakistan as they have held influential government positions. In that case, why would they like to take over the Pakistani government militarily. To give you an idea of Pashtun influence, I believe one of the longest serving military Presidents of Pakistan was Ayub Khan and I also understand he was Pashtun. It was an important reason, his being Pashtun, that the capital of Pakistan was moved from Karachi, thousands miles towards north to Islamabad, to his home territory which is not far from the stronghold of the Pashtuns. Islamabad did not exist prior to that, he built a brand new city and declared it the capital of the country. Now he was President in the 1950s and the 1960s. So being such a powerful ethnic group, why would they want to invade Islamabad and take over.

Also it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a few Pashtuns turned Taliban to defeat the Pakistani army. It is one of the biggest, most well-equipped and well-trained armies in the World. Therefore, this Taliban invasion does not sound right. There is something screwy – playing with the nerves of Asif Ali Zardari, who is a weak leader, and with the nerves of gun totting Americans.

In conclusion, I will add that Bush-Cheney, Rumsfeld and other cowboys of the pack did destabilize Pakistan through the botched invasion 0f 2001. It is hoped that Obama will use a more thoughtful strategy to calm things down in Pakistan and bring some sanity and stability to Afghanistan. This cannot be done through military conquest. Winning hearts and minds, and diplomacy, may stand a better chance.

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Afghanistan: Is Pakistan a victim?

Last Friday I was watching CBC and a former Canadian General (I did not write down his name and could not find it later) was being interviewed. I was stunned at what I heard. The good general said that what people don't know is that Pakistan lost more soldiers than all the NATO soldiers killed put together. I tried for the CBC news and I could not find it on the net but here is what I found out: Up-to-date all NATO forces put together lost 1122 soldiers (details given below per country). According to one estimate Pakistan lost over 3000 soldiers in the conflict by 2006.

To Date:

Total deaths by country

Australia: 10

Canada: 116

Czech Rep.: 3

Denmark: 21

Estonia: 3

Finland: 1

France: 27

Germany: 29

Hungary: 2

Italy: 14

Latvia: 1

Lithuania: 1

Netherlands: 18

Norway: 3

Poland: 9

Portugal: 2

Romania: 9

South Korea: 1

Spain: 25

Sweden: 2

UK: 152

US: 673

Total: 1122

Pakistan by 2006: 3,000

This is frightening. No wonder Musharraf was shown the door. It must be very difficult for Pakistani politicians to convince its population to further sacrifice for a US war. There were millions of Afghanis who took refuge in Pakistan since 1978 when the former-USSR first invaded Afghanistan and then in 2001 when NATO forces came into Afghanistan. These Afghanis, some second generation in Pakistan, have sympathies for the Taliban.

These deaths do not include civilians through direct bombing or killed by suicide bombers in Pakistan. Moreover, thousands upon thousands of Afghani soldiers and civilians were killed in the last 8 years. How dreadful and to what end. The real sad part is that no Afghani or Pakistani was involved in the 9/11 attacks. If only there was someone with brains in the Whitehouse at the time. A lot more could have been achieved through diplomacy and negotiations and there was a good chance that those responsible for 9/11 could have been captured and dealt with. However, cowboy Bush, gun-toting Cheney and Rumsfeld wanted to show their military muscles.

After watching CBC news I can better understand that why Pakistani politicians and military will be hesitant for any more carnage of their people.

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Pakistan the Achilles' Heel

Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan, has problems. He had a coalition with the opposition before toppling Pervez Musharraf but since becoming President he has wavered from some positions, including freeing judges who were imprisoned by Musharraf, in order to maintain his hold on power. In recent days Zardari faced major countrywide demonstrations over it and caved into the opposition's demands. But I do not think his troubles are over. Given the history of Pakistan, the military has ruled it for most of its existence since getting freedom from the colonial power of Britain in 1947. The military could be breathing down Zardari's neck and a military take over may happen again. The Generals may not take over the Presidency but rather appoint a puppet and take over day-to-day governing.

The instability in Pakistan is an Achilles' heel for Obama and the US. Instability in Pakistan may bring more woes for Obama than he expected. Northern and Western parts of Pakistan, such as Baluchistan and the Northwestern territories, are already strongholds of rebels.

Millions of Afghans, especially from its southern part, have taken refuge in Pakistan since 1978 when the former USSR invaded Afghanistan. That process of migration has continued for over 30 years now and Afghans, especially Pashtuns, are a force to be reckoned with in Pakistan. They have spread all over the country and they are sympathetic to Afghanistan and Taliban causes, For some of them, Osama bin Laden is an iconic figure thanks to the handling of Afghan war by Bush. It has made more enemies than friends. All this rings danger bells for the US and maybe for the world. Pakistan is a nuclear power and if nukes do get into the hands of those who detest the US, this along with the already existing animosity with India over Kashmir, means trouble. Watch out world. US power and any other powers may not be able to control this explosion. Therefore diplomacy and quick resolution of the situation is essential to avoid looming catastrophe. Military victory in Afghanistan is simply impossible especially when the situation in Pakistan is factored in.

Obama has too much on his plate. Besides the economy, these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not going to go away easily. Bush and his cronies are now saying they have made the US safe but the reality is that the US and the whole world has been endangered because of Bush-Cheney blunders. Other super powers are sensing the weakness of the US. Russia wants to establish Russian combat aircraft stations in Cuba which sounds like the early 1960s when there was the Cuban Missile Crisis (and nuclear war was narrowly averted). Venezuela is inviting Russia to station its fighter aircraft in that country. This looks like countering U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in Central Europe. China is flexing its muscles with the recent confrontation of the US ship Impeccable in the South China Sea where the Chinese are challenging the US ship's presence there. Lots of trouble for Obama. It is hoped that the world will come out of this dangerous situation started by the Bush-Cheney dark era.

For Obama, a good starting point would be to defuse the Afghanistan/Pakistan ticking bomb first.

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Pakistan and Insurgency

Imran Khan

I once in a while watch the program GPS on CNN which is hosted by Fareed Zakaria. He interviews influential world leaders. Yesterday, he interviewed Imran Khan of Pakistan, leader of one of the opposition parties there. I have heard the name before as he became well-known when he married Jemima Goldsmith of Britain in 1990s, a wealthy socialite, and he was in the news quite a bit.

As Fareed Zakaria interviewed him, I was impressed by Imran Khan's assessment of the situation with regards to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Insurgency. Is it possible that Barack Obama is wrong on Afghanistan?

It is not a winnable war. Swat Valley and the North Western Territories have been no-man's land and rogue areas for centuries. No one has ever been able to subjugate these people. The British failed and it brought down USSR empire. Why does Obama think he can succeed?

I have heard that it is one of world's roughest terrains. I once drove around Cape Breton on Cabot Trail and I was scared stiff as a minor mistake and I could have ended up in the ocean - a several hundred feet fall. I am told that compared to Swat and frontier territories in Pakistan, Cabot Trail is a picnic. And there is no ocean that you may have a chance to survive in the water.

Imran Khan was asked what he would do if he was running the Government of Pakistan and if he was advising the US. His assessment was blunt and realistic. He said Afghanistan must have never been invaded to start with because you cannot win. He suggested that efforts should have been made to alienate Taliban from Al-Qaeda as the Taliban were not involved in 9/11 in any way. He said that was the sole way to end the insurgency in that area. He said he would negotiate with the Taliban because fighting them brings out the extremists and it is a no win situation.

He said that the latest peace-treaty with tribal forces and Pakistan was inevitable. Pakistan had no choice. It does not have the financial or military resources to defeat these forces. Where the USSR failed, how can Pakistan succeed? The only choice is to negotiate and marginalize Al-Qaeda and other extremist group. It looks that may be the only solution. Maybe Obama will learn in due course.

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Jerome Corsi and Ann Coulter - the low life

They should join forces with Rush Limbaugh and that will complete the axis of evil.

Jerome Corsi, who wrote the book Obama Nation, has no moral rudders. Liar, liar is written all over him. I do not think I will waste money to buy his book or waste time to read it but I have read enough media reports to conclude that his book is a bunch of lies and political propaganda not much different than the swift boating drive against John Kerry in 2004. Some people will do anything to get their way, exploit, hustle and make money in the process, and Corsi is one of them. It is these types of people who are the scum of the earth.

On a different note, I earlier predicted, after Bhutto’s assassination, that Musharraf of Pakistan would not stay in power through 2008. He did resign this Monday. I hope the elected government does better, as past elected governments in Pakistan have been corrupt. Pakistan is a nuclear nation and it’s very important for world peace that it is stable. Bush’s bungled invasion of Afghanistan has destabilized the whole region including Pakistan, Afghanistan and India to a certain extent, as tensions between Pakistan and India are intensifying in recent months.

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George W. Bush's democracy and legacy

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Pakistan suspended from the Commonwealth... the reaction in Pakistan

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Nukes: Pervez Musharraf makes a veiled threat

Pakistan's Musharraf warns on nuke weapons
President defends emergency rule, saying arms could fall into wrong hands

LONDON - President Pervez Musharraf, defending his decision to declare emergency rule, has said Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands if elections led to disturbances. Click here to read more.

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Benazir Bhutto under house arrest

UPDATE: Musharraf has kept his word and removed the House arrest :)

UPDATE 2: It looks that Pervez Musharraf is very jealous and Benazir Bhutto will be confined to her house a little longer, there's quite a bit of confusion given his jealousy ;)

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CNN: Wolf Blitzer got Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan very upset ;)

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Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf - it looks that the marriage is falling apart

Martial law

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Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf have reached an agreement

Will this arranged marriage survive?

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Musharraf of Pakistan has Bush syndrome... Also known as BS Disorder

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Bush's Lap/Attack Dog

US ploy to destabilise Iran: report

Sue Pleming, WashingtonApril 5, 2007

THE US has been secretly advising and encouraging a Pakistani militant group that has carried out raids inside Iran, the American broadcaster ABC News has reported, citing US and Pakistani intelligence sources... ABC cited Pakistani Government sources as saying the secret campaign against Iran was on the agenda when Vice-President Dick Cheney met Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in February. Click Here to Read More.

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