US suspect targeted drone attack

US suspect possibly targeted for drone attack

The American suspected terrorist is in country that prohibits US military action on its soil. The US President said that the only military not the CIA can kill American terror suspects overseas, creating a policy conundrum for the White House. The condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The justice department is also required to show  citizen that killing an American citizen through military action is legal constitutional because this is considered an enemy combatant. 

PAK - CHINA FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP

PAK-CHINA RELATIONSHIP.

China & Pakistan relations began in 1950 when Pakistan was among the first countries to break relations with Taiwan and recognize the People’s Republic of China. Pakistan also supported China over the issue of Hong Kong and Taiwan and condemned the machinations against China in the name of Tibet. China on its part has supported Pakistan in variety of projects including Gwadar Port and some of other projects in Balochistan. China has extended full cooperation to make Pakistan self-reliant by providing know how with a view to strengthening and ensuring territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan.

Pakistan has always appreciated and expressed its gratitude for the continued Chinese help for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan. Pak-China  friendship is a major source of concern for anti-Pakistan lobby. Such lobbies are trying to create fissures between China and Pakistan, but given the time tested friendship they are bound to fail. There is a perception that detractors of both countries have devious plans to create threats to Chinese security in Pakistan to stop Chinese investment. However Pakistan is determined to ensure their safety and security. Those opposed to Pak-China’s strong ties are trying to link strong. Both China and Pakistan cherish their friendship and consider their friendly relations as everlasting.

China is a indeed a peace loving country and it has neither bullied its smaller neighbors nor has it ever tried to extend hegemony over other countries. It is more interested in improving its economy rather than engaging itself in any military entanglement because it believed that economic strength can help increase military strength. That is why, it has hitherto opted to seek political and negotiated settlement of the Taiwan issue although it has left no doubt in any one’s mind that it will not hesitate to go to any extent to retrieve its territory that was separated by Chiang Kai. China’s having friendly relations with all its neighbors should not be misunderstood, as it has the capability and the resources to give adequate response to those harboring evil designs. In fact the tolerance China shows to other countries is its strength. However propagandists continue rising doubts about Pak-China all weather friendship.

Unfortunately, regional and international powers including US, Western powers, India and Japan, driven by their imperial designs to seize and grab energy (oil, gas and coal) gold and other natural resources, wish  to create a wedge between China and Pakistan. their misleading analysis and skewed reports using jargons are meant to create a sense of mistrust and misperceptions among them. A recent analysis titled China in Pakistan Relationship beneath the surface is a case point. USA and western powers being economic rivals of China are trying to create suspicions between China and Pakistan but both friendly countries continue with their planning to undertake mega economic projects like China-Pakistan economic connecting Pakistani report of Gwadar with Kashgar China construction of dams and Chinese investment in Pakistani textile, energy, banking, commerce and industry sectors and numerous other development projects.

China has indeed helped Pakistan in economic and defence spheres. Las  year the movement formally awarded the contract for expansion and operation of Gwadar Port to China which is being operated by the State run Chinese firm. China overseas Port holding Company. The fact remains that the port has the potential to give economic boost to its economy and make Pakistan as the trade corridor for Central Asian States, China and the Gulf as 50 percent trade of gas and oil is channeled through this route. Pakistan would be in a position to offer Central Asian countries the access to sea through Gwadar Port, as communications network linking Pakistan to Central Asia is in progress.

Both countries (China & Pakistan) are on one page so far as their strategic thinking and policy framework are concerned. Pak-China excellent relations are reflective of strong bonds and friendship, free of petty prejudices. 

US help Pakistan to Overcome Crisis

United States will continue her assistance for Pakistan.

Pakistan has rendered matchless sacrifices in the war against terrorism. It is said that although improving law and order in Pakistan is an internal matter of its own, yet the United States is ready to extend all possible assistance in this regards. Pak-US relations have significantly improved as a result of strategic dialogue and hoped the mutual cooperation will be further strengthened. He said the United States will fully help Pakistan to overcome energy crisis and speedy development of other sectors. Electricity has been added to national grid in Pakistan through US cooperation. Washington will also cooperate with Pakistan to overcome gas shortage in the country and help it in the import of liquefied natural gas. Pakistan and the United States have similarity of views regarding resolving the Afghan issue. It is also further stated that the United States will continue to remain engaged with Pakistan even after pullout of NATO troops from Afghanistan. 

RUSSIAN HISTORY OF OLYMPICS

REVISING RUSSIAN HISTORY

The western view of Russia tends to paint it as a cold war, inhospitable land inhabited by equally taciturn people. Certainly the Cold War increased this distance as the USSR remained inscrutable behind the iron curtain dividing communist countries from western Europe. But Russia’s opening to the world after communism ended in 1991 and its subsequent highly published struggles have begun to create a different view. If the opening ceremony of the fun and more importantly, to reclaim its place as a great power on the world state. The ceremony itself was spectacular as it took us on a brief walk through Russian History. The fireworks and lighting were equally astounding. The piece tag on the game puts Russian ambitions in context $50 billion the most ever spent  in Winter Olympics history, more than four times the initial budget estimate. Critics point to this as proof of Russia’s endemic problems. Then too there is criticism of Russia for its stance on gays. However, very little in the way of protests marred Russia’s Olympic friendly spirit.

Pakistanis are all too aware of the distortions that rewriting history in this way can bring. Refusal to acknowledge our region’s history before the Arab invasion of 712 AD and exclusive focus on the history of Islamic conquests in India have and intolerance. When Russians stray into denying their communist past  they run a similar risk of not learning from history.

TALIBAN WANTS ISLAMIC SOCIETY

TALIBAN WANT A ISLAMIC SOCIETY

It is hard to argue against the notion that Pakistan is a fertile ground for extremist Islam, its causes and conflicts. Pakistan’s status as an ideological state has resulted in the proliferation of Islamic political groups of all kinds. The country’s constitution states that it is an Islamic state, religion is a way of life the indoctrination and no other competing ideology, is allowed. Moreover the national policies since Pakistan’s creation have set the country’s trajectory away from the tolerant, syncretism and peaceful strands of Islam and towards a harsh, literalist and limited version of Islamic values, extremism is also driven by pernicious mix of cultural and religious factors.

Extremists with different strategies flourish in Pakistan, while the writ of the state continues to weaken. Extremists can argue that because Pakistan is an Islamic state, actions aimed at imposing Islamic sharia across the country, even by force of arms are consistent with the writ of the state. The Pakistani Taliban several extremist groups have received state patronage or at least tolerance at one time or another. Others have operated independently or with the support of fellow Islamist groups outside the country. The Pakistani leaders publically flaunt their own piety and support the deeper islamisation of institution and society. The Pakistani state’s approach to militant Islamism is a combination of a state  of denial lack of clarity and intransigence in accepting past strategic mistakes; a specious distinction between good and bad Taliban is still made in official circles, politicians are often part of expedient political alignments with islamist groups etc.

It is somewhat point what pointless, therefore, to keep harping on about the existential threat to Pakistan from extremist violence and terrorism if society itself has stopped viewing the grip of extremism as ultimately self-destructive. Sadly trends do point to the Pakistani state and society continuing in a downward spiral of hate and spite, rage and self pity, poverty and oppression, with all that implies for horrible and troubled future. It is difficult if not impossible, to seed how the Pakistani state and society can disengage itself from the suffocating embrace of extremism, generally it would require that society abandon grievance settle its differences and join its talents energies and resources in a common Endeavour to combat extremism for its own sake and by its own choice. The state has to stop projecting Pakistan as a citadel of Islam, and must curtail the freedom of organization, funding and movement of extremists. The political will has to be found to firmly push back against the religious groups who are demanding the establishment of a theocratic state. Another step should be to rally the public behind the broader rollback of religious legislation that strengthens religious absolutism and obscurantism, at the expense of individual rights, freedom and liberty.

As a result, there is no guarantee that it will work but looking at the fundamental trend lines in Pakistan, it is hard to be optimistic if things continue the way, Taliban are now.

PAKISTAN WAITING PEACE WITH TALIBAN

PAKISTAN WAITING FOR PEACE.

The government of Pakistan for the first time, nominated a negotiating team. Pakistani Taliban are not the same as the Afghanistan Taliban. The latter consider themselves to be freedom fighters working to rid their country of foreign occupies.

The Pakistani Taliban on the other hand are purely local movement. Based largely in the northern western KPK province, they want to see an Islamic system of government installed in Pakistan. The reject the Pakistani constitution and the democratic system of Pakistani government in general. They have waged a campaign of terror over the years. Their suicide bombers have killed maimed tens of thousands of innocent Pakistan civilians. They have attacked military bases destroying aircraft and equipments. Army convoys have been ambushed and bombed.

The current love fest seems to have made more progress. the general public is watching all this with somewhat bemused disbelief. They know as would any objective observer with common sense that there is no common ground. And they also know that in the end of the Taliban will have to be defeated on the battleground, no in the conference room.

What does Pakistan’s powerful army make of all this? They have not sensibly expressed their preferences in public. But it is not hard to imagine that they are raring to have a go at their noir and would like nothing better than a clean, unrestricted mandate from the civilian administration to use whatever means necessary to achieve this objective.

The Pak army has proved that it has the ability will and firepower to extirpate the Taliban. The last time they received a clear mandate to do so was in 2009 when the Taliban and affiliated groups had occupied the Swat district. Within a few weeks they defeated and evicted the occupiers, enforced the government‘s writ and allowed hundreds of thousands of refugees to return to their homes. But for the time being at least it seems that Pakistanis are going to have to wait and see the outcome of the government’s negotiations with the Taliban and what will be discussed?

Drone Strikes Decline

Drone Strikes on the decline?

It is becoming increasingly clear that president Hamid Karzai will not sign the US Afghan Bilateral Security agreement before presidential elections in April. This poses a major dilemma for the White House, which must decide whether to make contingency plans for a small residual force should afghan approval be forthcoming at a later date or plan a full withdrawal. But the implications run much deeper as to both the US ‘s legal rationale for its war on alQaeda and the US ‘s ability to carry out drone operation in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

If the White House is forced to commit to a total with drawl by the end of 2014, the US will  lose its last remaining zone of active hostilities in the war with alQaeda. In this way the legal rationale for drone strikes in Pakistan. Yemen and Somalia will be completely untethered from any traditional war theater. This bodes ill for the continued ability of the Obama administration to wage drone warfare without incurring massive reputational damage to the United States. Without good options elsewhere, US drone operations in the tribal areas will be seriously circumscribed, if not altogether curtailed.

The United States will use lethal force only against a target that poses a continuing imminent threat to US persons. In the absence of such a threat, the US will forgo the use of lethal force. However a leading human rights. Intended or not the switch in the operative language is cause for concern as US interests could be stretched indefinitely to render a much wider swath of individuals targetable for drone strikes. What is important, however is whether the administration adopts an expansive or narrow interpretation of its own policy guidelines. With such elastic concepts as imminence and US interests determining who is targetable, White House can opt to keep the US on permanent war footing long past the Iraq and Afghan Wars if it so chooses.

The legal advice included the striking conclusion that should a UK person share intelligence with the US with the knowledge that such intelligence could be used for a drone strike, that person might be criminally liable as an access story to murder under UK law. What effect it will have on intelligence cooperation is nuclear but the implications of business as usual have been rendered transparent. The White House can put forth dubious legal justifications for its drone operations, but that will  not prevent close allies from risking criminal liability should they continue to cooperate with United State.  

However US allies especially in Europe have long castigated the US for its global war on terror and parted ways with successive White Houses over the applicable legal framework.