Pakistan: State Of Emergency Declared
Breaking: Pakistan's Musharraf declares state of emergency.
Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has invoked emergency rule amid growing violence by Islamist militants and a legal threat to his rule.With al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters winning North Pakistan, as well as a recent uptick in terrorist acts in the country, this is no surprise, really (emphasis added):
Musharraf -- who took power in a 1999 military coup -- presented the top court with the declaration of emergency. Seven judges refused to ratify it and ordered the prime minister and military officers not to comply.
(Keep reading here)
In between, there has been a resurgence of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, as well as clashes and confrontations between Pakistani forces and pro-Taliban/al-Qaeda forces - in fact, Pakistan is deemed likely to face a civil war should it presses on further in the areas where al-Qaeda and the Taliban are hiding. Furthermore, President (dictator) Musharraf may yet declare martial law, even if he has so far publicly rejected the option. Meanwhile, the only solution that President Bush could come up with in solving this dire problem is by seeking a $2 billion Pakistan aid package from Congress, in order to help financing tribal paramilitary groups in the semi-autonomous region of Waziristan in Pakistan (where al-Qaeda and the Taliban have gained such a foothold) as part of an American-Pakistani joint counterinsurgency effort designed to wrest the region from extremist militants.And there you have it: a country which has nuclear weaponry keeps on sliding slowly into civil war and anarchy - thanks to its own stupidity.
Now here's the problem with this "grand idea": newly declassified documents show that Pakistan was ever a staunch supporter of the Taliban, contributing significantly to its arming and gaining power in Afghanistan, back in 1996. And between then and 9/11, Pakistan continued with its significant military and financial aid to the Taliban.
Why? Because throughout the 90's, the ISI (Pakistani intelligence) considered Islamic extremists to be foreign policy assets. In other words, the Taliban were a necessary evil to keep close as a friend - the same way the U.S.A. not only turned a convenient blind eye when the Taliban seized power, but likewise provided military and financial support during the late 70's and throughout the 80's. Perhaps this is why the U.S.A. watched Pakistan support the Taliban without so much as a peep in protest.
Hence, Pakistan's current problems with radical islamists and pro-Taliban militants are of its own making - in turn, this explains why it can't be an effective ally against the Taliban insurgency, let alone being a discrete participant.
(...) because, in short, Pakistan painted itself in a corner long before 9/11 and the launch of the Afghan War.
Are we having fun yet?
Morning Mentarch, Well on the positive side this should ensure the Pakistani Govt is going to take the fight to aQaeda and the Taliban on their side of the border now. Remember my friend, ever dark cloud has a silver lining somewhere. The old hammer and anvil metaphor is running thru my mind right now concerning the Pakistani military and ISAF.
ReplyDeletePS. any update on Alison Bodine, most I can find is she has been banned for two years from entering the country but it seems from my searching that she has gone quiet on this. Sorry Mentarch, that leads me to believe that there might be some justification to the ban.
ReplyDelete"The old hammer and anvil metaphor is running thru my mind right now concerning the Pakistani military and ISAF."
ReplyDeleteThat's assuming that Pakistan does not devolve into a civil war à la Iraq ... and if this happens, any relative stability achieved in Afghanistan as a consequence will be illusory.
Sadly, I expect nothing good at all coming out of this and, in fact, the situation there will take a huge turn for the worse.
Of course, I hope I am wrong on this ...
"any update on Alison Bodine"
Yes, she was barred for 2 years but it amounted to a "he said/she said" and the immigration judge always sides with the agents - if only to protect the appearance of competence on their part. She had no reasons to misrepresent herself as was the accusation involved here.
If she is apparently "quiet", that is because this is an illusion brought forth by the lack of media coverage. There are a couple of sites which have been providing updates and interviews on this matter, one being alisionbodinespeaksout (to which I referred earlier).
All in all, this simply fits into the recent pattern of raising any and all duplicitous (non) reasons to prevent U.S. activists from entering our country.
I wonder what Harper and his Harpies would react if Canadian activists start being stopped/detained at the U.S. border?
(Rhetorical question here, of course ...)
Mentarch, I am still confused and I can find no answer on any of the sites that are supporting her on how they told her she misrepresented herself and before I posted this I checked out her site again. I am really curious about this as you understand. Has anyone suggested to Ms.Bodine to have her draft a letter to the Customs and the Govt of Canada waiving her privacy right so that this can be cleared up. Maybe I am just thick but I think it would be extremely relevant at this point for Ms.Bodine to tell us how she misrepresented herself i.e. failed to declare some bull shit arrest, whatever it is I would like to know. Do you know what it is, because I cannot find it.
ReplyDeleteShe has always denied having misrepresented herself. That is the accusation border agents levelled against her. It is also our government which does not want to disclose the "specifics", consistently refusing the public to assist at her hearings, all having been done behind closed doors.
ReplyDeleteI have no more info on this, especially considering that I have been too busy lately to accurately follow up (on this or everything else, for that matter) - hence why I've left it to Pale at A Creative Revolution and others in the blogosphere to keep *me* appraised.
Now - how about what's going on in Pakistan, eh?
;-)
Ref Pakistan, I think were going to have to wait a few days to see what transpires, I too am not impressed with the imposition of Mil Law, and the arrest of the Sup Court. The evil part of my brain is suspecting that the Sup Court was going to rule against him in the upcoming decision this week concerning holding on to his military position and being president. Again to my silver lining theory, the only way I can see him justifying to the rest of the world what he has done is to utilize the western badlands as his excuse and go after the Taliban and their friends with a vengeance as a soldier who has been there and with friends still there, I consider this an up-side if it transpires. We and I mean you too mentarch have lamented about the porous border on the eastern side of Afgan and if this seals it in anyway then that is a good thing. As to the civil war theory, I pray not, but I do believe from everything I have read that he firmly has the military on his side, because I do not even want to fathom a situation where hard line Islamics such as the Taliban take over that country and now have control of Nukes. Now that I mention that, I do not thing the rest of the world would allow that to happen, what are your thoughts on that.
ReplyDeleteMusharraf is really an idiot, and he isn't able to solve the problems, and making it worse now.
ReplyDeleteI think Musharraf countdown has just really started.
Either way this little US supported Musharaf is about to turn the tables on Bu$hcos rhetoric of "you're either with us or agin us axis of stupidity"...
ReplyDeleteWhich is it, George? Are you with a police state or not? Are you going to talk tough or are you going to allow your spinmeisters to develop a "plan" for you? Will this further destabalize the already jittery ME or will it bring such comforting stability to your policy of swatting the hornets nest with your big stick that the world will somehow begin to regard you as a genius statesman?
My hunch is that it will prove once again that the people (of Pakistan) rule their own destiny and you can do nothing, short of pulling out of Iraq and declaring peace before victory was your longterm goal! You and your policiy and hubris shall reap what you've sown...
Problem is...Myself and many other citizens of this country and the citizens of the ME that are experiencing your fumbled engagement are stuck with the results. We will clean up your and Musharaf's mess since you've no real plan or intention of stabalize anything. This is yours and Cheney's wet dream, eh redneck?
You will wait until the opportunity presents itself to you as a better political option and then you will pounce on it and contend you've been acting all along toward the interests of peace.
State of emergency is your little game, George. This may well be just the warm up for your own... isn't that right my malevolent, half-cocked decider?
This latest development highlights the utter disaster that has been Bu$hCo™'s foreign 'policy', if you can even call it that. First of all, the alliance with dictator Musharraf has not achieved the goal as initially presented to the public - to seal off any escape route out of Pakistan for Osama bin Laden and the Taliban after 9/11. When they stopped looking for OBL, what was the continuing rationale behind this? I forgot.
ReplyDeleteNot such a great deal for Pervez either. Ruling an Islamic country and being seen to be in cahoots with 'the great Satan' has never been a good move. Too bad the old Shah of Iran wasn't around to give Musharraf a bit of advice.
I imagine the biggest long-term loser in this debacle will be India, who have had a dangerous nuclear-wielding neighbor made even more dangerous. And why is the bullheaded Harper government unable to cut Canada's losses and get out of Afghanistan while the getting is good? After all it WAS the Liberals who went in there to begin with, he could blame it on them. They're obviously too busy cozying up to the failed and hated Bush administration to think clearly.
Yep, Pakistan was much more dangerous that Iraq was, but Cheney told them that they would be our allay or be bombed into the stone age. A stepping stone on the way to Iran, but first to Afghanistan, then Iraq. With the 5th. fleet in the Persian Gulf we pretty well have them surrounded, just as planned by the PNAC.
ReplyDeleteSo here we are with a noncomplient Democratic congress that is rooting for the Elite, and Mortimer Snerd at the helm of what used to be the greatest country on the planet, (except Canada LOL), and Cheney is still running the show while he is guilty of treason and should answer for this in the supreme court. (such as it is) G:
Pakistan as of right now is in a very critical position. If Musharaf loses this time there is going to be a big mess in Pakistan. Obviously he has not taken the very bright way of doing it by the State of Emergency but hey if it means that it will keep the radical extremists away from the Pakistan's nuclear weapons so be it. Honestly imagine that happening the extremist regime taking over and i dont think the world is going to let that happen but it's a verys scary thought, but i guess we can only sit back and watch how he plays it for now or should i say what does bush has for him next.
ReplyDeleteActually, this mess may precipitate a full blown civil war - which is then more likely to greatly increase the likelyhood of islamist radicals (like al-Qaeda or the Taliban) to gain access to Pakistan's nuclear weaponry ...
ReplyDelete