The Pakistan Update

By Dr. Kamran Iqbal

Absence of democracy is a significant prelude to violence in society and opens up space for foreign interventionism as proponents of autocratic regime buy their security either on the basis of fear or interest from external sources and this brings about bullying of nascent democratic regimes by matured democracies. Most commonly nascent democracies are bullied by matured democracy in terms of enforcement of democracy rather than protection of democracy.

Liberal and democratic states are less likely to suffer intervention by other states. But nascent democracies are exception to this rule as these have instable leadership regimes which tend to distract masses by promoting diversionary behavior and tactics to cover their instabilities. This, in turn generates a vicious cycle of further instability setting young nations war or violence prone. (more…)

Tags: Afghanistan, AfPak, Democracy, History of relations, Nationalism, Pak US relations, Pakistan, President Obama, Terrorism, US

Posted in Around | 1,036 Comments »

By Dr. Kamran Iqbal

Terrorism is like a devil’s tree. It has roots, main stem, branches, leafs, fruits and environment that nourishes it. Its roots are those ideologies where violence is used as a justification with no weight to conscience. Its main stem is constituted by those parent organizations that guard, promote and institutionalize it, its branches are the terrorist organizations like Talibans and Al-Qaeda. It leafs and fruits are the social poison of enmity, hostility, grievances, intolerance, hatred, discrimination, illiteracy that it disperses wide spread through different mediums.

Its environment is constituted by the areas of conflicts where these things thrive at best under the shades of religio-nationalistic sentiments. The energy, money, time of current US war on terror is largely focused on cutting and severing branches only (i.e., terrorist organizations) and very little focus is put on its causes. (more…)

Tags: Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism, United States, US

Posted in Around | 1,132 Comments »

Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington said his country would rather have technical expertise with which it can combat militants on its border with Afghanistan than have the U.S. fire missiles into Pakistani territory.

“Pakistan prefers to do everything on the Pakistani side of the border itself,” Ambassador Husain Haqqani told NPR’s Robert Siegel. “And the reason is very simple: We have a military capability in certain areas and in some areas we lack certain technical capabilities and we would like that technical capabilities for ourselves.”

Pakistani public opinion against U.S. missile strikes by unmanned drones is high. (more…)

Tags: Featured

Posted in News, Radio | 743 Comments »

By Dr. Kamran Iqbal

Technically speaking, the current war on terrorism is the war against guerilla warfare of unique nature and articulation, of which specific deadline cannot be given practically. It’s an unconventional and asymmetric war which defies any modern or conventional military warfare mindsets, a war for which US army may be trained but inadequately experienced. This kind of guerilla warfare thrives on time, space, will and local support. Giving deadline to intervention adequately provides these Mujahideen-turned-militants time to go underground, wait, see and prepare for US Army to leave Afghanistan and gather their will and organize further. (more…)

Tags: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Terrorism, United States, US Army, War on Terror

Posted in Around | 387 Comments »

By Dr. Kamran Iqbal

The history of Pakistan-US affairs has been one of love-hate relationships for many decades. But the strategic relevance of both the countries in the current war on terrorism binds the two countries closer than ever, and it’s not unusual for partners to occasionally snap, especially when confusion can sometimes prevail and definitions become murky. These definitions are largely based on misunderstandings, stereotyping and under-addressed gaping voids. This matter is, in many ways, becoming serious to an extent where failure of democracy in Pakistan can indirectly affect the Obama administration for the next term, as it would define the U.S.’s ability to operate in Afghanistan. (more…)

Tags: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Taliban, United States, US, US Army, War on Terror

Posted in Around, Blog | 1,905 Comments »

By Raza Rumi

Many decades ago, our Governor General-President Iskander Mirza had rather contemptuously stated that democracy does not suit the genius of Pakistani people. Immediately after these words of wisdom were uttered, direct military rule not only exiled Mirza but also became a norm rather than aberration. For the last six decades or so we have not been able to overcome this political reality. The unelected institutions of the state are not willing to give up the power they inherited from the might of the colonial state. At best, they are willing to share power to a degree that they deem fit.

It is now clear that within a few months Pakistan is due for another political upheaval. Barely two years after an election took place, the political elites are back in business (more…)

Tags: Asif Zardari, Democracy, Dictatorship, Judiciary, Kerry Lugar Bill, Martial Law, Nawaz Sharif, NRO, Pervez Musharraf, PML (N), PPP, Ziaul Haq

Posted in Blog | 703 Comments »

An “accidental” President, thrust into office following the shocking assassination of his young, vital predecessor, takes the reins of power. He has inherited a war that is rapidly turning into a quagmire.  Landmark legislation lingers on the Hill. The country is struggling with the divisive issue of civil rights.

Congressman – Senator – Vice President – 37th President of the United States Lyndon Baines Johnson was a crude, tactless man.  Bobby Kennedy loathed him.  The photograph of Johnson taking the oath of office on Air Force One standing next to a shocked, blood-spattered Jacqueline Kennedy is one of the most tragic and iconic images of the 1960s.  Conspiracy theorists driven by hatred of Johnson’s Vietnam policies – including filmmaker Oliver Stone – believe Johnson had a hand in Kennedy’s death, a theory that despite lack of proof is stubbornly resilient. (more…)

Tags: Afghanistan, barry goldwater, civil rights, congress, john f. kennedy, ku klux klan, lyndon johnson, medicaid, medicare, Obama, Politics, robert kennedy, US, vietnam, vote rigging

Posted in The Ballot Box | 2,163 Comments »

By Suhasini Haidar

Even gods have their moments of doubt — of coming up against seemingly insurmountable odds. And it would seem that cricket, one of the subcontinent’s most venerated gods, may have met such a match in the current India-Pakistan détente. Politicians in Pakistan and cricket lovers in India alike have decried the IPL auction that rejected every Pakistani player up for bids, disappointed that team owners were unable to overcome visa fears and security risks to transcend borders. “Cricket, after all,” wrote in one agitated viewer, “has no political boundaries.” But it does. And to assume that it should be able to overlook them would be to give the sport a much greater leadership role in solving bilateral problems than it deserves, or indeed should aspire to.

Fortunately for those disappointed fans, there are several signs that India and Pakistan may be padding up for a new round of engagement, which could possibly change the atmospherics in time for IPL-4. (more…)

Posted in Around, India, News | 465 Comments »

Battling Taliban no excuse for complicity in abusive counter-terrorism practices

Pakistan’s military actively undermined the civilian government’s human rights agenda in 2009, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday in its new World Report 2010.

The 612-page report, the organization’s 20th annual review of human rights practices around the globe, summarizes major human rights trends in more than 90 nations and territories worldwide. The report says that Pakistan’s military publicly and privately resisted the government’s reconciliation efforts in the troubled province of Balochistan and attempts to locate people “disappeared” there during General Pervez Musharraf’s military rule. The military also opposed the international community’s attempts to end military intervention in the political and judicial processes through aid conditions.

“The Pakistani military continues to subvert the political and judicial systems in Pakistan, (more…)

Tags: Featured

Posted in News | 730 Comments »

By Sadia Ali

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates noted a ‘trust deficit’ between the United States and Pakistan and pitched a close military relationship between the two countries to overcome the problem.

Addressing at the Pakistan National Defense University, Gates noted the far-ranging strategic relationship between the United States and Pakistan, but focused his remarks on the two countries’ military relationship – one he conceded the United States mistakenly cut off in the early 1990s due to short-sighted U.S. legislative and policy decisions.

“Perhaps the greatest consequence of these choices was the severing of military-to-military relations,” he said.

The result, he said, was a “very real and very understandable trust deficit – one that has made it more difficult for us to work together to confront a common threat of extremism.” (more…)

Posted in News | 1,752 Comments »