Posted on 10/20/2011 1:07:45 AM PDT by Cardhu
Till 2004, Pakistan was a peaceful country and suicide bombing was unheard of. The figure of terrorism-afflicted casualties began to rise from 2005 onwards and by 2007 the number rose to 3599 killed. The death toll has now jumped to 35000. While the total fatalities of ISAF in Afghanistan from 2001 till 30 September were 2670, which includes 1800 US soldiers, Pak Army alone has suffered 3500 deaths and injuries to 10,000 soldiers. Wear and tear of weapons, tanks, APCs, helicopters, guns and vehicles is substantial. Given the acute resource constraints, it is very difficult for Pak Army to replace them or get them overhauled. The Army and Frontier Corps have been provided very limited counter terror equipment by USA and have not been paid their dues for the services rendered and for deploying 147000 troops in FATA and Swat region in deference to the wishes of US. Had the US been able to contain terrorism in Afghanistan, the wave of terrorism would not have entered Pakistan. Ironically, the US and its strategic partners rather than helping Pakistan in controlling terrorism have been fomenting terrorism.
Failing to make any headway, White House belatedly realized that military option will not solve the Afghan tangle. It therefore decided to give a push to the political prong and to earnestly work towards political settlement through negotiations with irreconcilable Taliban and move out.
After jointly fighting the war on terror for a decade and suffering a lot, the two allies USA and Pakistan are cross with each other. Both are not on the same page and their perceptions on several issues are at variance.
(Excerpt) Read more at pakobserver.net ...
Its military as well as political prongs have failed to make any worthwhile progress.
Neither the Taliban been defeated in the battlefield nor have Taliban agreed to hold talks.
This is utter nonsense. I lived in Karaachi from 1986 to 1989 and during that time Karachi was a seething bed of bombings, gunfights, mass murder, kidnappings, and mayhem of all varieties. Pakistan peaceful pre-2004? Any such assertion is risible. The author of this piece is not to be believed.
Terrorist nests that were cleaned out of Iraq and Afghanistan have migrated to places like Pakistan. It’s like a big game of whack-a-mole.
You were there so I believe you - but as bad as it was then it probably is much worse now.
The news didn’t pay a lot of attention to it back then. Still, it seems that things are even worse now.
Ooops! I just noticed it said “suicide bombings,” does that make a difference.
I see that Hillary Clinton arrived in Afghanistan today, the same day as this article - “To get a reality check,” she said
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2795376/posts
“Reconciling with the Taliban” is like Little Red Riding Hood expecting the big bad wolf to be a vegetarian.
Let me guess, the Moose were vying for their virgins even back then.
Rubbish. The cited article is simply more refutation of reality, a common theme in Pakistani media.
The long term grooming and indulgence of fundamentalists in Pakistan, largely started by Zia, has been a disaster for that country. They have been reaping the whirlwind over the past few years.
The Pakistani domestic terrorist problem predates US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Many of the groups there today evolved in the 1990s, but some date back to the 70s.
As for extraterritorial attacks, groups enjoying Pakmil support have been operating in Kashmir for decades.
US frustrations with Pakistan have long been suppressed for political expediancy. We’re finally getting sick of their games, and it’s time to give them an object lesson. The Pakis are getting nervous - witness GEN Kayani crying about US and Afghan forces now operating against the Haqqanis close to the border opposite North Waziristan - and their media campaign to pump themselves up and bluster about their military capability is just more fantasy.
Last year I read an assessment predicting Pakistan would fragment by 2013. At the rate they are consuming themselves it may not take that long.
The SOS is in Afghanistan at this moment trying to convince Karzai to negotiate with them after killing a family member.
“[That Pakistan before 2004 was a peaceful country and suicide bombing was unheard of] is utter nonsense. I lived in Karaachi from 1986 to 1989 and during that time Karachi was a seething bed of bombings, gunfights, mass murder, kidnappings, and mayhem of all varieties. Pakistan peaceful pre-2004? Any such assertion is risible. The author of this piece is not to be believed.”
That the author started with that fantastic statement made me scroll immediately down to the comments, hoping something like your post would be here already. Thanks for saving me some typing. Pakistan is and has been a dangerous place for a long, long time. The author is evidently a fiction writer.
Till 2004, Pakistan was a peaceful country and suicide bombing was unheard of.Just, wow.
Ooops. Credibility blown in the first sentence. I hope the rest of the article didn't have anything good in it, because I failed to read after that.
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