Zakaria: Pakistan – friends without benefits

By Fareed Zakaria, CNN

You wouldn’t have thought anti-Americanism in Pakistan could get any worse, but last week NATO attacked a Pakistani army post, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers. Even before this episode, for which NATO expressed deep regret, it would be difficult to find a country on the planet that was more anti-American than Pakistan. In a Pew survey this year, only 12% of Pakistanis expressed a favorable view of the United States. Populist rage and official duplicity have built up even though Washington has lavished Islamabad with aid totaling $20 billion over the last decade.

I think it’s time to recognize that the America’s Pakistan policy is just not working. I write this as someone who has consistently supported engaging with the Pakistani government as the best of bad options. But the evidence that this engagement is working is thin – and gets thinner with every passing month.

Supporting Islamabad has been premised on two arguments. The first is that if we don’t, the Pakistani government could collapse and the country’s nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands, perhaps even ending up with al Qaeda. This misunderstands the problem. Pakistan is not Somalia. It has been ruled by a professional military for most of its independent existence, even when there has been a nominally civilian government in charge – as there is today. There have been no Gaddafiesque colonels’ coups in Pakistan; instead, the entire military, with its command chain intact, has moved to replace the civilian government.

Read more » CNN

MQM chief may shift to Dubai

Courtesy: Waqat News Tv → YouTube

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– MQM chief may shift to Dubai

by Mumtaz Alvi

ISLAMABAD: The hitherto mysterious assassination of Dr Imran Farooq and the chain of unfolding events afterwards in England and back home have compelled MQM supremo Altaf Hussain to consider shifting his party’s international secretariat to Dubai, The News learnt here on Wednesday.

Party insiders said their leader now feels he must move out of England as soon as possible and the best and safer place could be Dubai, though some other Muslim countries are also an option.

However, the party sources almost ruled out his homecoming. Altaf has spent almost two decades in London. They pointed out that MQM was facing grave challenges to its leader and its own existence from many sides locally and internationally and with the passage of time, the situation could become complicated.

“Circumstances are such that the sooner he shifts to any other place, most probably Dubai, the better it would be for him and indeed the party, as signals from Pakistan also are not positive in recent weeks,” they pointed out. ….

Read more: → The News

http://thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=975&Cat=13

via → Siasat.pk

Army Chief appears before Public Accounts Committee

PAC meet on canteen scam ends inconclusively

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meet on the canteen scam ends inconclusively. The army and the air force have divergent views from that of CAG and the PAC. PAC would hold further meetings to reconcile this.

It’s the first instance of its kin, serving chiefs have been asked to appear before PAC in connection with Canteen scam.

Army Chief General V K Singh, air chief V K Naik and naval vice chief D K Dewan met the PAC headed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi and with other MPs. The hearing is in connection with the alleged irregularities in the canteen stores supplies. The PAC meet was called after the CAG report pointed out irregularities in the supply chain management of rations by CSD.

General VK Singh, Army Chief, said, “I am happy to be at meeting. We made a presention on the issues raised by MPs on rations issued to soldiers.” …

Read more : The Times of India

Drug mafia funds jihad!

The war on terror in Afghanistan can’t be won so long as traders in drugs continue to reap enormous profits, writes Alexei Pilko

The structure of international relations has undergone a sea change in recent years: Now, one of its features is that so-called non-state actors have greatly expanded their reach, to the detriment of the global situation. Non-state actors are global political entities that act outside the realm of international law. They include extremist, radical and terrorist organisations, fundamentalist movements, criminal syndicates and commercial entities engaged in illegal activities. The international drug mafia is undoubtedly one of the most influential non-state actors in the world.

The drug mafia, as a non-state actor in global politics, is distinguished by its decentralised and networked structure. It is essentially indestructible because, like the Lernaean hydra of Greek mythology, for every head it loses, it grows two more. Like all businesses, its goal is simple and clear: To make the largest profit possible. The drug mafia’s network now covers the entire globe. There are producer countries — Afghanistan (opium poppy) and Columbia. Drugs from these countries are transported to consumer countries through transit regions — Central Asia, Central America and the Middle East. The profitable markets of Russia, the European Union and the United States (coca bush) form the endpoint in the supply chain.

June 14th, 2010

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Courtesy: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=3006