In defense of Nawaz Sharif: Are our politicians corrupt? Is Pakistan Army a sacred cow?

Rauf Klasra reveals some interesting details of the alleged 60 million dollar corruption by Nawaz Sharif.

http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2009-daily/26-11-2009/col12.htm

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Transparency International 2009 Report on Pakistan: An Analysis

In its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, the TI said Pakistan’s 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index Score is 2.4, and of the 180 countries and in its ranking as the most corrupt country it has slipped five ranks, from 47 in 2008 to the 42nd most corrupt country in 2009. (In Nawaz Sharif's government in 1999, Pakistan was 13th most corrupt country in the world.)

TI Pakistan Chairman Syed Adil Gilani said TI Pakistan was of the view that terrorism was the direct result of poverty, which had resulted due to corruption, especially the illegal direct, or indirect, rule of armed forces in Pakistan since 1951 to 2007. The endorsements provided to military regimes by a corrupt judiciary were also to be blamed.

Adil said positive impact of the few good governance steps taken by the government would be visible by the next year.

He mentioned the reinstatement of sacked judges by the Prime Minister through an executive order on March 16, declaration by the Supreme Court chief justice of zero tolerance for corruption and the withdrawal of the National Reconciliation Ordinance from the National Assembly as positive steps.

He said TI Pakistan also congratulated the Pakistan Army, which had proved to the world that Pakistan’s military were among the best in the world.

“The elimination of terrorists in Swat in two months is what the US and NATO forces have failed to achieve in 8 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has made Pakistan a proud nation,” TI Pakistan said. (Daily Times, 17 Nov 09)

Here is a critical and realistic analysis by Abbas Ather:

Here is another critical analysis by Rauf Klasra in which he compares politicians' corruption with the military rule's corruption in Pakistan:

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Pakistani heroes of the Berlin Wall - Rauf Klasra

"I met General Gul, who is now retired, in his house in a military district of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, where he lives in spacious comfort. I was shown into a reception room, and I sat on a sofa waiting for the General to appear. Beside me, on a low table, a piece of the Berlin Wall was on display—a gift, it seemed, from the West German foreign-intelligence service. The engraving read, “With deepest respect to Lt. General Hamid Gul who helped deliver the first blow.” "

For a background reading, please read the following post on Sherry's blog: http://sherryx.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/letter-from-pakistan-pashtun-code/

Here is Rauf Klasra's artcile:




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Zardari's corruption and our saviours in Pakistan Army

PAC wants culprits behind NLC losses identified

By Irfan Bukhari

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee on Thursday directed the Planning and Development Division to identify those responsible for losses of Rs 1.7 billion to the National Logistics Cell (NLC).

Considering the audit para pertaining to losses suffered by NLC from investment in the stock exchange between 2004 and 2008, the PAC directed the secretary to submit names of the officials responsible within 15 days.

The Planning and Development Division secretary informed the committee that NLC had invested Rs 4.8 billion in the stock exchange between 2004 and 2008 and had suffered losses of Rs 1.7 billion.

Briefing the committee about the findings of an inquiry report, the secretary said NLC officials had purchased shares of various companies in violation of company policy and against the decision of the board of directors.

He said Lt General (r) Khalid Munir Khan, Lt General (r) Afzal Muzaffar, Major General (r) Khalid Zaheer Akhtar, Najeeb Ullah Khan and Saeedur Rehman were heading the NLC at the time.

He said the Planning and Development Division held these men responsible for the losses, but Auditor General Tanvir Ali Agha said responsibility could not be fixed without a proper trial.

PAC member Hamid Yar Hiraj endorsed Agha’s remarks and PAC acting chairperson Yasmeen Rehman directed the Planning and Development secretary to fix the responsibility through proper procedure, so that money could be recovered from them.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\10\30\story_30-10-2009_pg7_23

Three generals cause multi-billion loss to NLC

Friday, October 30, 2009 By Rauf Klasra ISLAMABAD: Two former lieutenant generals and one major general of the Pakistan Army calling shots at the National Logistic Cell for five years, stood exposed before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday, when an inquiry report revealed that after defying the orders of the then prime minister Shaukat Aziz, these generals had quietly borrowed Rs2billion from four banks on commercial rates to make investments in the volatile stock markets and in the process lost Rs1.8billion in the stocks. A total of Rs4billion of the NLC including the pension fund of its employees, were invested in the stock markets, out of which, according to the report, Rs1.8billion were already lost during this adventure. The PAC was informed through its inquiry report that OIC/NLC Lt General Azfal Muzaffar evn continued to make investments in the stock market till the last day of his retirement in 2008 even though the rest of the government departments and organizations had stopped this exercise in 2006. The PAC was informed that after causing a loss of Rs1.8billion in cash to the NLC which would continue to pay the loan installments of the banks in the years to come, these three army generals were never questioned about their acts of omission and commission which had caused a loss of billions to the organisation. The PAC members suspecting some foul play in the multi billion investment spree sought the names of the brokers and directors of those firms through whom these billions were invested despite the orders of PM Aziz in 2003 to stop investing in stocks. The interesting part of this scam is that this was Shaukat Aziz who as a finance minister had devised a policy to make the public sector departments, organizations, corporation etc to invest their pension funds into stock markets to show fake recovery and financial health of the country. Earlier, the secretary planning division Ashraf Hayat placed the names of five top guns of NLC who according to inquiry repot were responsible for this massive financial loss. Secretary said he did not have any doubt in his mind that following five were responsible—-Lt General Khalid Munir Khan who served in OIC NLC during 15.1.2004 to 14.6.2005, Lt General Afzal Muzaffar ( 15.6.2005 to 17.10.2008), DG NLC Major General Khalid Zahir Akhar ( 25.7.2002 to 27.2.2008), DFA Najeebullah Khan ( 25.10.2002 to 10.4.2007) and Chief Finance Officer ( 20.6.2004 to 22.10.2008). These top guns were holding the positions of OIC DG AND DFA/CFO when these amounts were borrowed from the four commercial banks and invested in the markets. According to official inquiry report placed before the PAC, a total loan of Rs2billion was borrowed— Bank Al Falah (Rs650million), National Bank of Pakistan(Rs90million), UBL (Rs800m) and ABL (Rs500m) and out of this loan, Rs 1.8billion has already been lost in the stock markets because of the decision of these three top army generals who had contracted with some brokers to make these heavy investments in stock markets. The shocked PAC members however stopped short of ordering the recovery of these huge financial losses from these top military generals even after it was established that not only these generals had defied the orders of the then prime minister Shaukat Aziz not to make investment in the markets, but Staff Retirement Benefit Fund of employees was also thrown and lost in the stock markets. The PAC decided to wait for two more weeks to get another review of the inquiry report before ordering the recovery of these losses from those top military men who made such silly investments in the stocks. Earlier, the PAC met here with Yasmeen Rehman in the chair. Sardar Bhadur Khan Sihar, Riyaz Fatinya, Hamid Hiraj, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Nadeem Afzal Chann and others. The secretary Planning Ashraf Hayat laid the inquiry report before the PAC and he did not have any doubt in his mind that these three generals were responsible for this huge financial losses to the NLC by making faulty decision of investing in the volatile markets of the country. Despite the repeated questions of the PAC members the secretary did not budge from his stance that three generals were responsible for this loss. MNA Riyaz Fatina was wondering that why PAC was ordering the fixing of responsibility when it was clear from documents that these generals had defied the orders of the PM Aziz and this single violation was enough to establish a case against them. The PAC was informed that three generals even devised a new strategy to make the money invested when after consuming the pension funds NLC employees, they even decided to borrow from four commercial banks and then threw it in the stocks. The PAC was informed that the sorry part of this sordid affair was that even the pension fund of the employees of the NLC was not spared in the heat of investment with the help of some powerful brokers. According to the inquiry report, as a part of its official policy, NLC should invest 20 percent of the total fund under the management in non government securities/TFCs and shares. The report said in its 37th meeting of NBL held on September 8, 2003 the chairman NLB approved the investment policy of NLC advising not to invest in the stocks and carry over transactions. In its next Board meeting held on Jan 7, 2005, while viewing the status and results of NLC investments, the prime minister/chairman of NLB pointed out that public sector companies should not trade in stocks. The DG NLC clarified that investment policy was made as per the guidelines by the ministry of finance. The PM Aziz asked the secretary finance for an approval and issuance of fresh guidelines, he further directed that a strategy should be worked out by NLC in consultation with secretary finance to disinvest from the stock market. The DG NLC reiterated that irrespective of the policy, PM Directive to withhold trading in stock till fresh guidelines from the finance division will be followed. The inquiry report said it analysed the investment record and reached the conclusion that massive financial irregularities were detected. The report said, “ besides noticing the acts of blatant violations of instructions, procedures and other guidelines”. The PAC would now decided whether to summon these generals in meeting and put recovery on them in its next meeting after receiving another report within two weeks. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=25281

http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2009-daily/01-11-2009/col10.htm

(Abdul Qadir Hassan)

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Aqeel alias Dr Usman, the GHQ attack mastermind previously arrested and released

GHQ attackers’ leader one of army defectors

LAHORE: The leader of the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) is one of several former military personnel to have joined terrorist groups, The Times reported on Monday. Security officials have identified him as Muhammad Aqeel alias Dr Usman and said that he was in the medical corps before joining terrorists based in North Waziristan. Earlier this year police arrested Major Haroon Rashid who, they said, worked for Al Qaeda and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and was involved in the murder of a retired general who led the country’s special forces against the terrorists, the newspaper reported. The major quit the army in 2001 after Pakistan supported the US-led invasion of Afghanistan and went to Waziristan to train terrorists, security sources said. His younger brother, a captain, went to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban after leaving the army in 2002. He was killed in Helmand in 2002. They have been involved in planning strategies and tactics that have made the terrorists more effective in recent years. The terrorists also have sympathisers among serving officers, the Times quoted intelligence sources. daily times monitor

EDITORIAL: ‘Dr Usman’: last desperate act

Aqeel alias Dr Usman has been caught in a seriously wounded state after the terrorist attack on the GHQ by his Amjad Farooqi Group. A “mastermind” of several past terrorist attacks, he decided to become a part of the team that was sure to die in its attempt to enter the GHQ. Why did he do that?

From his dossier of activities, Dr Usman was not an ordinary terrorist led by the nose by his handlers. He was himself the handler. He knew that the attack on the GHQ would not get very far. It was to serve as a symbolic Al Qaeda assertion of power at a time when the world thought it was weakened by the reversals suffered by the Taliban. He knew it was going to be his last act. He did try to blow himself up with an anti-personnel mine but survived the explosion and was captured in a seriously wounded condition.

Aqeel alias Dr Usman was from a locality near Kahuta and has been missing from his home for a long time. One reason he never returned home was that he was a deserter from Army’s Medical Corps and knew that the army would catch him and punish him. He was taken to the Tribal Areas by Ilyas Kashmiri, Al Qaeda’s operations commander and became a warlord in North Waziristan. Kashmiri had also used another retired army officer Major Ashiq to kill a retired commando officer in Islamabad who had taken part in the assault on Lal Masjid in 2007.

Dr Usman had also killed the Surgeon General of Pakistan army, Lt-General Mushtaq Baig, in February 2008, standing aside from the operation. He similarly stood by as his boys attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. He had also masterminded the missile attack on the plane of General Musharraf, but he never directly became a part of the suicide-squad. It is also difficult to believe that his bosses wanted the “mastermind” to become a “suicide-bomber”.

The only credible explanation is that he had come to the end of his tether, realising that the Taliban were under siege and were about to be attacked in South Waziristan and thought he should end his role of a mastermind with a supreme “act of martyrdom”. Now that he is in custody — one hopes fervently that he survives his wounds — the interrogators will surely get to the bottom of the mystery, and may even learn from him important strategic secrets on the eve of the military operation in South Waziristan. (Daily Times)

Rawalpindi attack mastermind previously arrested and released

By BILL ROGGIOOctober 12, 2009 2:01 PM

The terror commander who led the assault and siege on Pakistan's Army General Headquarters last weekend was previously in police custody for involvement in the suicide attack on the Islamabad Marriott in September 2008.

The Taliban commander, who is known as Dr. Usman, led the 10-man assault team that a few days ago attacked the front checkpoint at Army General Headquarters, entered the compound, and took 42 hostages. In the 18-hour crisis that shut down Pakistan's Army command, 14 Pakistani troops were killed, including a brigadier general, a lieutenant colonel, and six commandos from the Special Services Group, along with nine terrorists. Thirty-nine hostages were freed during the commando assault that ended the siege.

Dr. Usman is the only terrorist to have survived the assault. He escaped the initial commando assault and was wounded and then captured in another section of the building.

Dr. Usman was previously in the custody of Pakistani security forces for his suspected involvement in the suicide attack at the Islamabad Marriott in September 2008. Dr. Usman was detained along with Rana Ilyas, Muhammad Hameed Afzal, and Tehseenullah Khan, according to a report in Daily Times from October 2008. The four men were described as being "linked to an organized terrorist network operating in the NWFP and Punjab."

It is not clear when Dr. Usman was released from custody. According to the Daily Times, on Aug. 9, 2009, the Anti-Terrorism Court completed a hearing on an acquittal plea filed by Dr. Usman relating to his involvement in the Marriott suicide attack. The court rejected the plea on Sept. 22, 2009.

Dr. Usman, who is also known as Mohammad Aqeel, served in the Pakistani Army Medical Corps until 2006, when he left the military and joined the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Daily Times reported. He later joined the Harkat-ul-Jihad-Al-Islami, which is led by Qari Saifullah Akhar. Dr. Usman served under Ilyas Kashmiri, the former Special Services Group commando who served as the operations chief for HuJI (the US killed Kashmiri during an airstrike in North Waziristan in September).

Kashmiri formed the Amjad Farooqi Group from the HuJI cadre, and the group is largely manned with Punjabi jihadis, many with military experience. Amjad Farooqi, who was killed by Pakistani security forces in 2004, led two assassination attempts against then-President Pervez Musharraf. Dr. Usman is also thought to be involved in the planning of those operations.

The Amjad Farooqi Group is often referred to as the "Punjabi Taliban" and has close ties to the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, al Qaeda, and other jihadi groups in Pakistan.

Dr. Usman is said to have organized and led some of the most high-profile attacks carried out by the Amjad Farooqi Group. Along with the Islamabad Marriott suicide attack, Dr. Usman has been implicated in the ambush that targeted the Sri Lankan national cricket team in Lahore in March 2008 and the suicide attack that killed Lieutenant General Mushtaq Ahmed Baig, the Surgeon General of the Army Medical Corps, in February 2008. Dr. Usman worked with Mushtaq during his time in the Army. General Mushtaq is the senior-most Pakistani general killed by the Taliban.

The Amjad Farooqi Group and Dr. Usman are also thought to be involved in a suicide bombing in February 2007 at the Islamabad airport that targeted former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/10/rawalpindi_attack_ma.php#ixzz0TqBE87H2

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Tailpiece:

Hafiz Saeed is free (Thanks to our saviour, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry)

The Lahore High Court has rightly ordered the quashing of two cases registered against the Jamaatud Dawa (JD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. This means that he walks because the government failed to indict him properly. What came to light was quite ridiculous, in fact. The government had not read the law under which it had apprehended Mr Saeed.

It is not so comic when you think that India and the international community are breathing down our neck about holding Mr Saeed to account for acts of alleged terrorism outside Pakistan. The UN Security Council committee on terrorism has declared Jamaatud Dawa a terrorist organisation which is a convenient political act because today states can go to that forum and get any organisation proscribed. Doing the same at home is, however, not that easy because the courts demand evidence of why someone should be detained and why an organisation ma be branded a terrorist organisation.

The cases brought against Mr Saeed were under the Anti-Terrorism Act which bans organisations declared terrorist from making provocative statements and collecting funds. The FIR said that Mr Saeed was inciting the Muslims to launch holy war (Jihad) against the US, Israel and India, in Faisalabad. When asked to prove that Jamaatud Dawa was a banned organisation, all the prosecutors could show was a letter saying the UN Security Council had declared it as such.

The Court could only declare the FIRs unmaintainable. If the effort of the government was to keep Mr Saeed out of circulation, it failed. There was no need to proceed under the Anti-Terrorism Act without first declaring Jamaatud Dawa a terrorist organisation and marshalling evidence against Mr Saeed. Will the PPP government be upset over this lapse of control and find out why the case was filed at all? The world outside will be bemused by it. If the government agencies were not willing to abide by the said UN Security Council resolution, and have no damaging evidence against Mr Saeed, they should have spared the discomfort caused to Mr Saeed who has already been released on bail in earlier cases. (Daily Times)

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The secret meeting between Shahbaz Sharif and General Kayani

Weren’t they supposed to call on generals?

Saturday, October 10, 2009 By Rauf Klasra ISLAMABAD: The “constitutional chain of command” comprising the president, the prime minister and the defence minister was not taken into confidence by either of the participants of a recent secret meeting of the COAS General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Ch Nisar Ali Khan. Sources told The News that President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and even Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar were caught off guard when the media reported the details of the secret meeting between the top leaders of PML-N with General Kayani. The sources even claimed that these frequent secret meetings between the top leaders of PML-N and the Chief of Army Staff as confirmed by Ch Nisar Ali Khan in his speech in the lower house the other day, might well have given the required confidence to the top guns of the GHQ to send the tersely worded press note to the media after the corps commanders meeting. The sources said that the departure of the Army chief from his earlier tall claims of not getting himself involved in the political matters of the country after he took oath in 2007 had greatly shaken the confidence of this chain of command in the promises of top military brass, which had doled out commitments to the nation and the media of staying away from the politics. The sources claimed that even the PML-N, which had been championing the cause of democracy from exile, had conveniently violated the CoD by secretly holding a meeting with the COAS. DG ISPR Major General Athar Abbas, when asked to comment if the president, prime minister or defence minister were informed about the secret meeting with Shahbaz Sharif and Ch Nisar Ali Khan, was unresponsive. Ch Nisar Ali Khan justified the meeting by saying that it was held in the national and security interests. But, the sources said, this plausible justification was not enough to convince those people who heard the PML-N making tall claims in the past—not to meet the Army generals what come may. These meetings with the army chief further led to speculations in the Islamabad circles that perhaps the history of 90s was being repeated when the military establishment used the opposition leaders to topple the sitting governments. The immediate result of this secret meeting with General Kayani was that the very next day, to the much surprise of the PPP rulers at Islamabad, Shahbaz Sharif launched lethal attack against the Kerry-Lugar Bill. The sources said the PML-N leaders were now fast getting frustrated with the policies of President Zardari who was not showing required interested in bringing about changes in the 17th Amendment. The sources said, by holding such secret meetings, PML-N leaders were trying to improve their bargaining position visa-a-vis 17th Amendment. On the other hand, the army establishment was happy to meet them secretly to also make the PPP rulers fall in line. Ayaz Khan:

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Pakistan army showing the true way to treat Taliban

Give the devil its due!

It seems that the jihadi and sectarian killers, suicide bombers, human butcherers namely Taliban (or Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Taiba or Lashkar-e-Jhangavi or Jaish-e-Muahammad, and so on) are receiving justice Taliban style from Pakistan Army.

Give the devil its due. We support Pakistan Army in its jihad against Taliban.

The True Way to Treat Taliban Criminals!

Compare the above video with the detailed account of Taliban violence in Pakistan (compiled by Rabia Shakoor):

http://talibanviolence.wordpress.com/

Also must watch:

Pakistan Army rescues a family from Taliban in Swat in a daring operation

As the army moves deeper into Swat, people have started talking about Taliban's atrocities, including forced marriages with young girls. At least three soldiers were injured as an army unit tried to rescue one such family from the Taliban.

Video shows Pakistan army 'abuse'

By Syed Shoaib Hasan BBC News, Islamabad Men in uniform are seen kicking and hitting detainees Pakistani soldiers are seen apparently abusing Taliban suspects in a 10-minute video which has been posted on the social networking site, Facebook. The video would be the first clear proof of such abuse. It shows men in military uniform beating suspects as officers stand by giving instructions. It is not clear who shot the film or where. It appears to have been made recently, perhaps in the Swat valley. Pakistan's army has said it needs to examine the video before commenting. Conversations heard on the video suggest it is recent. Troops recently declared they had largely cleared the Swat valley of insurgents after a sustained offensive there. Human rights groups have accused the military of being involved in torture and extra-judicial killings in the region. Whips "This is a very serious accusation," Gen Athar Abbas, head of Pakistan army's public relations wing, told the BBC when asked about the video. "I cannot comment on the video till we have examined it. This will take some time as the army headquarters will have to be involved in the process." The footage shows an officer in Pakistani army battle uniform interrogating several suspects, some of whom are quite elderly and are presumably relatives of men being sought. When the officer does not receive satisfactory answers, he motions with his head and soldiers rush in to punish the suspect. They then beat him with belts, fists and what appear to be small whips. He is also kicked all over the body by soldiers wearing heavy army boots. The suspect is heard screaming and imploring the soldiers to stop in the name of Allah, repeatedly saying he has told them all he knows. In the video the soldiers administering the beating have to be restrained by the officer on at least two occasions. Threats After an initial round of punishment, the officer tells a suspect that this is "soft treatment". Unless the suspect tells all, the officer says he will have to administer "hard punishment". "You don't want me to cut off your hands and feet," the officer says. If confirmed, this would be the first clear proof of the Pakistani army being involved in the abuse of detainees. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and other groups have accused the army of such violations during the recent Swat campaign. The HRCP says it has also found evidence that the army is involved in extra-judicial killings in the region. The Pakistani army has consistently denied the reports, calling them "baseless." But it has also said it will investigate if any solid proof emerges of its personnel being involved in such activities. Some relevant comments: (pkpolitics, Pakistan Defence Forum) Wajhee:comon guys!!!just put yourselves in the shoes of the soldiers...they needed vital info to take out the hideout camps of these bast*rds...so what if they kicked a bit...stop exagerating things...God damit its a WAR!!! consider i have raped your mother/killed your father/brother...and i suddenly come in front of you what would be your reaction????sahibzada1 said: Must not forget the innocent men, women and children who have lost lives in the hands of so called Taliban… and please recall those who were butchered by so called Talibans…Those were also Pushtons Can anyone here suggest a better method for a Soldier (Many of whom have lost their lives in these operations) to fight the menace of terrorism……Perhaps u would find it difficult…. the way the video is released and the text added to it…. it looks a great conspiracy ….. Pakistanis Please don’t be a part of it….. Bawa said: فوج کے ہاتھوں شہریوں پر تشدد جہاں نہایت ھی افسوسناک واقعہ ھے وہاں بی بی سی کی طرف سے اس وڈیو کو جاری کرنا کسی اور چیز کی طرف بھی اشارہ کرتا ھے. شہریوں پر فوج یا پولیس تشدد پاکستان میں کوئی نیا واقعہ نہیں ھے. اس سے قبل بی بی سی کو کوئی وڈیو جاری کرنے یا انسانی حقوق کی خلاف ورزیان کیوں یاد نہیں آئی؟ ابھی چند دن پہلے لاہور کے پانچ شہریوں کو ڈاکو بنا کر جعلی پولیس مقابلے میں قتل کر دیا گیا اور انسانی حقوق کے کسی چمپین کو اعتجاج تک کرنا نصیب نہ ھوا http://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/E-Paper/Lahore/2009-09-25/page-1/detail-22 Becharraa Jazbaati Pakistani said: @mbokhari u said Who can forget the countless tribal khasadars and soldiers whose throats were slit by the Taliban when the army was appeasing them and signing peace treaties?.. i say the all those tribal khasadaars should be hanged along with FC and Army who let Talibaans/Extremists/Drug Barons to collect so much weapons and power over 62 yrs….that how u run a country???? u can not run a brothel this way….as many Pak Generals will tell from their own experience…. sahibzada1 said: @Haroon Ali Sir respectfully i seek ur opinion if u have any suggestion for the Pak Army to fight terrorism or should it leave the innocent civilian Pushtons at the mercy of these butchers… The point is that why Musharaff allowed these terrorists to take roots in those areas so that now Army have to sort them out like this…. Please don’t give it an ethenic colour since Pak Army is full of Pushtons and FC is entirely Pushton zam1112 said: Weldone our brave army, these zalimans deserve more than this. These zaliman(talibans) have killed so many civilians and policemen and our brave soliders and officers. Peoples who are sitting in the airconditioned rooms and criticising our army, this army cleaned the gund of talibans from SWAT sacrificaing their lives. Young officers and soliders were martayred, but you have been sitting in ur rooms. Never ever criticise our forces they are protecting our country, our bitter enemy india is doing propoganda against our forces , so u some peoples are also doing same. If dacoo come to ur home they start killing ur bro and sisters what will you do. vous said: I think its a coordinated effort by world powers to keep Pak Army under pressure. No doubt contents are contemptous to humanity but this along with other highlights of political scene is a very well concerted effort to maintain status quo among different power players of pakistani society. Just play with mob psychology. zam1112 said: @adnan56 shame on u, calling our brave army napak army, u indian minds are small and garbrage brains shut up. OUR ARMY IS BRAVEST ARMY IN THE WORLD . hadi26 said: Human Perspective: 1) The treatment meted out to these people in the video is disgustful and shockingly appalling. 2) ARMY has no business brutally torturing suspects or even convicted criminals for that matter. These poor guys are mere suspects. Pakistani Perspective: 1) It is extremely naive of anyone to expect all is hunky dory in areas like SWAT and FATA (where ARMY has been operating against the most ruthless adversaries who are ready to SLIT throats, let alone punch and kick, at the drop of a dime) and all laws and human rights are respected by the Law Enforcement and Military personnel when infact they aren’t respected even in the poshest and more developed parts of the country. Take a video Camera and go into your nearest Police Station in your ‘developed’ Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and others and you would find something equally, if not more, appalling and shocking than the contents of this video. 2) The comments inserted in the video at the end do not point to someone circulating this video out of respect for human rights but the intent clearly appears to be toinflame ethnic tensions and hatered and add further fuel to a fire that’s been burning for long. Bottom Line When you are operating in conditions where you have had colleagues slaughtered or blown to bits in suicide/rocket attacks; respect for ‘human rights’, which hardly exists in rest of the country, become a little irrelevant. Pakistan Zindabad Pak ARMY Zindabad My Pukhtoon brothers Zindabad! dara said: Tit for Tat, I have seen vedio in which Talibans have cut throats of soldiers. What Army should do? though it is amazing to realize this is the same army who made those talibans. strikeone said: all pansies up in this forum commenting the inhumane treatment by Pakistan Army, though it is wrong but this is what these people understand, the language of belt boot and stick. All these people which were arrested were only on information by local individuals, they provided information to army who all were partners of Talibans and who all were supporting the talibans and even in video you can see that the local informant was standing there and pointing out army personals. so just relax and chill , it is only the army that swat has been cleared and rest of the area will also be cleared all upto Waziristan. these are those people who instead of fighting against american the so called Kuffars in afghanistan were slitting the throats of their own brothers of Swat. Just relax and chill out. Allah ka Banda said: I think I psoted this said video on Facebook with comments, “We should stay clear whether this clip is issued by Army, n why? To threat Talibans? Or this is something else, with same objectives as with fake fogging clip of Swati girl? Now to defame Pak Army. It happens everywhere including Guantanamo Bay Jail, but why video clip of this law n order effort only, are being issued? Why?” So I again request you guys stay clear, and dont run after another “truck ki batti”. When army wasn’t taking action this same media and human right agencies were accusing army of supporting Talibans, and now they are criticizing their action why? They think us a foolish nation? Local police is there, they are not beating Taliban suspects becos…., army is doing this so we should appreciate this. One can’t assure law n order by giving sweet toffees to Talibans. We guys think like mothers, while law is law, interogation is interogation, and punishment is punishment. For me defaming Pak Army is the last step before the NWFP and Karachi controllers join hands with separatists of Balochistan, Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease Thinkkkkkkkkkkk Abouttttttttttt ittttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kashif said: I am not surprised we are same group of people who were supporting Taliban until flogging video was released and we switched sides. Then we supported Army operation until this video was released. Pls tell me what other tools choices do our military has to get to suicide attackers, those who are attacking state machinery slitting throats. Wars are brutal HR activists and reporters can’t fight those. Let Army do their job. I stand by Army in operation rahe e raast and support their brutal means of investigation. I wish their was an injection that ‘d force anyone to spill out anything they know. Until we have that we have to rely on these brutal interogation techniques. Kashif said: I hope to see conclusive operation in Waziristan in coming days. I am not sure why people are shocked bythis video. What were there expectations everyday commanders and militants who are surrendering its thru NRO? Frankly I was expecting much brutal video an d I am sure even if its not caught in camera there must be much more brutal investigations going on as we speak. I see here all Taliboons Shitamore, Babu, zam etc are excited by this video as if they have got conclusive evidence to turn the tide and stop operation raahe raast in Swat or Waziristan. I ‘d like to them to see throat slitting videos to refresh their memories. Atif khan said: People what you think Its war. Soliders are trained to kill. War is never clean and neat thats why not everyone can fight the war. Thats why you are sitting in your homes while the brave solider are fighting to keep you safe. NEVER FORGET THAT Allah ka Banda said: The people being interogated are not suspects, they are arrested as per information given by local people/police. They were involved in slitting throats and blasting bombs because the local people got the first hand knowledge, I am amazed by people’s views talking law n order, talking human rights like mother says my son is innocent even when he have killed a man.

hifuka said:
i wish someone uploads those videos in which innocent people were slaughtered as goat/lambs and dead bodies were hanged on the cross after digging them out from the graves.

i wish someone also uploads thsoe videos in which army jawans and officers, even ssg commmandos,were also slaugheterd by the socalled talibans.

i wish someone also uploads those videos in which they force young boys, infront of the eyes of his father and village, to drive the vehicle and push one button after one km, so that others get encouragement for suicidal missions.

i wish someone also upload those videos in which they forcebly take the girls of the village in the nikkah of a socalled mujahid…the mujahid who never offers prayers and drinks alcohol.

i wish someone also upload those video stories of the families who suffered from the hands of these socalled talibans…recently some text stories have appeared on bbc urdu website…

i wish someone digs out the truth behind this socalled torture video which seems to be simply a plot against the efforts of people and army…

long live the people and army of this nation…
(none of my family members serves in any armed forces).

Mulla Nafs e Zakkiya said:
They are being beaten for lie-ing to army!

And I thought Allah was supposed to help these taliban..what happened ?

I am not in support of just mere punishment, I would have not beaten them in this shape if it was up-to me, as I have family both in army and in swat.

One of my distant relatives was dug out of his grave and hanged…and his young brother who was dying was jumped on his body by these beardo’s…

I support Army to eradicate this issue without being recorded cause it is disgusting to see them cry like little girls….

Mulla Nafs e Zakkiya!

Nonaligned said:
This video has certainly harmed the reputation of our Armed Forces; it may also trigger a reprisal from Taliban’s and religious extremists against Punjab.

Before we jump to a conclusion we must realize that our Armed Forces are fighting a war of survival against a vicious and brutal enemy.

Recently I saw a video of a public execution where Taliban were seen cutting the throats of five people one by one like sheep’s, it was the most horrible and nasty video I have ever seen.

This beating may have happened during an investigation when Army was trying to find the cadets and teachers kidnapped by Taliban.

strikeone said:

all those against this video and disturbed like little girls, again one cannot support it but this is “THE METHOD”.

I am sure all of you are angels and have descended from heavens or either member of some human rights chapter of UN. or some PETA member.

In the past all the wars have been fought like that, all the wars right from Islam early years to this day. All crusades, all invasion of Abbasids and Umaiyad to Abbasis, you name it even on christian side, war in europe to Gingiz, from Abdali to Ghazali, to Babar.

this is called Collateral damage, Army has to act swiftly and this is the quick method.

Army can not make them sit in AC environment and give them weeks to break their will, it is matter of few hours and they need information so that rest of talibans dont fleee.

Again this is done with the help of local population who were against talibans and have to leave during their terror time.

so relax and take some pill if you can not sleep at night after watching this video.

yahya said:
اتنی مار ہميں بچپن ميں پنجاب کے سکولوں ميں پڑھ جاتی تھي- ہم سے کسی نے ہمدردی نہيں کی کيونکہ ہم ”مجاہدين” کے کوٹہ پہ نہيں آئے تھے
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Nawaz Sharif's 'mother of all NROs with Musharraf' --- Rauf Klasra

Rauf Klasra's analysis of PPP's NRO with Musharraf


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Rauf Klasra: Wrong policies of appeasing the Mullah....

Tacit support for violence?
By Huma Yusuf
Saturday, 21 Feb, 2009 (Dawn)


WHEN Frontier politicians and members of the Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) are done patting each other on the back, Pakistanis should take a moment to reflect on the terrible precedent that the peace-for-Sharia deal in Swat has set.

In its long stumble towards democracy, Pakistan has developed a history of political activism. But the recent agreement between the government and TNSM indicates that a violent struggle is the only path to successful representation in this so-called democratic state. Make no mistake. The Nizam-i-Adl Regulation 2009 has struck a severe blow to Pakistan’s delusions of democracy. A political infrastructure that has variously been described as failing, flailing, and fledgling is now fundamentally flawed.

There is no point denying that the government was cornered by violent means into accepting Maulana Sufi Mohammad’s terms for the imposition of Sharia in Swat. None other than Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti directly linked militancy with the drafting of the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation when he said that there is now “no motive left for the people who had taken up arms for the enforcement of Islamic judicial system”.

Of course, all manner of democratically elected politicos — including Afrasiab Khattak, Sikander Sherpao and Pir Sabir Shah — have celebrated the regulation for articulating the aspirations of the people. But where have the people of Swat spoken? The only position stated was that of the gun, the explosive.

Indeed, these politicians now find themselves in a tricky position: measures that they have been advocating for peacefully — in the halls of assembly and through public debate — have now been implemented through intimidation. By praising the government-TNSM deal, these politicians have tacitly supported violence as a means to an end. The message then is clear: to earn representation and enforce legislature, take up arms against the government, army and the civilian population.

Sadly, the government’s decision to kowtow to the writ of the gun cheapens our history of democratic struggle and highlights the futility of peaceful civic engagement. Think, for example, of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy, which agitated against Gen Ziaul Haq’s military dictatorship through political alliances, public protest and the boycotting of polls — with little success. (Ironically, in that instance, three army divisions were deployed to quash civilian mobilisation efforts while in our present circumstances, the army has stepped down from tackling no-holds-barred militancy.)

Similarly, the Women’s Action Forum, which has been fighting for women’s rights since the 1980s, is still struggling to achieve its goals. Years of public protest, awareness campaigns, media initiatives and calls for new legislature resulted in the half-baked Women’s Protection Bill in 2006. And yet the effort to have the Hudood Ordinance repealed in its entirety continues apace.

More recently, the lawyers’ movement took on Gen Pervez Musharraf’s authoritarian regime to great effect before slipping out of the headlines. At the height of its momentum, the movement was being lauded throughout the world as an example of the efficacy of peaceful protest and ‘non-violent disobedience’ in the Muslim world.

Many thought public action was enjoying a second coming when the lawyers successfully protested former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry back into office in July 2007. But now, months have passed, YouTube videos have been circulated, Facebook groups have been populated, blogs have been posted, SMS text messages forwarded, protests well attended, and long marches long endured, but Mr Chaudhry remains deposed — the peaceful mobilisation initiatives of the Black Coats are proving insufficient. In this context, the government’s caving in to Swat-based militants suggests that resorting to violence is the most strategic option.

Implying that violence is the default mode for provoking socio-political change is problematic for many reasons. Obviously, any trend that promotes further conflict and weaponisation will continue to destabilise our civil society. In a recent interview, author and journalist Mohammed Hanif was asked about mushrooming parallel judicial systems. He responded that there are already too many parallel systems in this country — “jirga, panchayat, husband, jilted lover with acid bottle”.

By equating men who throw acid with localised justice systems, Hanif highlighted the fact that violence has already been internalised by many members of this society as the best way to seek recourse or express an opinion. Concretising that perception — in the way the peace-for-Sharia deal has — will make for a tumultuous society indeed.

Moreover, favouring violent means is a surefire way of further marginalising Pakistan’s most disenfranchised populations. The groups least likely to resort to violence — including women, poverty-addled Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis — are the ones with the least rights, suffering the consequences of insufficient representation.

This is not to say that the acquiescence to violence is the only undemocratic aspect of the agreement between the government and TNSM. The willingness to deal with an individual, as opposed to a constituency, goes

against the very tenets of democratic rule. Despite the ‘thousands’ who marched for peace into Swat, Pakistanis are aware that Sufi Mohammad is essentially putting on a fine one-man show. His shifting allegiances — he was dispatching jihadis in 2002, and championing peace by 2008 — makes his credentials as a negotiator all the more dubious.

Further, the fact that he is brokering a deal with his son-in-law leaves a niggling sense that the government has been caught up in a tribal power play between contentious family members. This is an unfortunate turn of events as good democracies are meant to transcend the particularities of their participants.

Ultimately, any agreement that rests on the shoulders of strong-arm tactics is bound to collapse. It is hardly surprising that the first news out of Swat was that of journalist Musa Khankhel’s assassination. The writ of the gun is not bound by agreements and ordinances, nor is it accountable to referendums or public opinion. If militants believe that their violent tactics can get them what they want, they will see no compelling reason to lay down their arms once and for all.



Snags in TNSM-Taliban talks in Swat

Quite predictably, Sufi Muhammad of the Tehreek-e Nifaz-e Shariat-e Muhammadi (TNSM) has run into snags while negotiating peace with his son-in-law, warlord Fazlullah of the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Taliban have raised two questions, the matter of amnesty for the heinous crimes they have committed against the people of Swat, and the matter of their retaining the weapons they have at their disposal. The Sufi is supposed to have argued fruitlessly with them and is now carrying the Taliban reservations to the NWFP government.

These complications should have been foreseen before the offer of peace talks. Negotiating from a position of weakness usually leads to such drawbacks which then have to be swallowed. The ANP leader Asfandyar Wali on Friday justified parleying from a weak position when he said that his party could no longer see “the soil of my country flowing with streams of innocent blood”. Concealed in this sentence was his disappointment with the state elements, notably the military, to face up to the challenge of the Taliban.

The only good that has come out of the TNSM-TTP talks is the opening up of a shuttered Swat. There is ceasefire in place which the Taliban are willing to extend beyond ten days. The people of Swat have gathered around the Sufi hoping to see him succeed where the state has failed. Business is back in the markets. But the Taliban want to remain armed and don’t want to become targets of the sharia law they have welcomed at the hands of Sufi Muhammad.

One can’t see how the Sufi can enforce the new order unless he hands it over to warlord Fazlullah and contents himself by becoming its presiding figurehead. The age-old axiom that all law flows from military dominance is once again affirmed. A new rule of the game is coming into force: if you accept sharia in a region in Pakistan you have to accept the terrorists as its guardian. The logic of this development will dictate changes in the maps of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the long run with a territory between them that they will agree to tolerate. But that scenario too is an unstable one. (Daily Times, 22 Feb 2009)
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Why the US bugged Pakistan Army generals - Rauf Klasra offers excerprts from David E Sanger's book “The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts..."

Why the US bugged Pakistan Army generals

Monday, February 16, 2009 Book claims drone attacks began after ISI-Taliban coordination confirmed By Rauf Klasra ISLAMABAD: A new book by a New York Times journalist has levelled serious allegations against Pakistan and its Army claiming the telephones of all senior officers, including the COAS General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani were bugged by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency (NSA), the main eavesdropping US agencies around the world. The book written by David E Sanger, which has hit the stands a few days back, claims that the American intelligence agencies were intercepting telephonic conversations of Army officers and the decision to attack Pakistan through drones was taken after one such high level conversation was intercepted claiming the Taliban as a “strategic asset” for Pakistan. The book, titled “The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the challenges to American power” claims the decision to invade Pakistani territories was taken after the CIA reached a conclusion that the ISI was absolutely in complete coordination with the Taliban. The NSA intercepted messages indicating that ISI officers were helping the Taliban in planning a big bombing attack in Afghanistan although the target was unclear. After some days, the Kandahar Jail was attacked by the Taliban and hundreds of Taliban were freed, it says. General Kayani would be the second army chief of Pakistan whose conversations have been bugged by the Americans, if the allegations in the book are true. Earlier the FBI had intercepted the telephone conversation between President Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto when Musharraf had threatened her that her safety within Pakistan depended upon her nature of relationship with him (Musharraf). The Indians had also recorded a telephone conversation between General Musharraf and General Aziz when Musharraf was in Beijing during the Kargil war days. The author who seemed to have been given direct access to the secret record of several meetings held at the White House before George Bush left the presidency on January 20, has made several revelations in his book. The book has also disclosed that NSA was already picking up interceptions, as the units of Pakistan army were getting ready to hit a school in the tribal areas. Someone was giving advance warning of what was coming. The book said they must have dialed 1-800-HAQQANI, said one person who was familiar with the intercepted conversation. According to another para, the account of the warning sent to the school was almost comical. “It was something like that “Hey, we are going to hit your place in a few days, so if anyone important is there, you might want to tell them to scream”. The book also establishes that the Americans were in full knowledge of the facts on the ground and they started attacking territories inside Pakistan as they thought the Pakistan army and intelligence agencies were no more interested in fighting the Taliban. In chapter 8 of the book on Pakistan “Crossing the Line”, the author has also revealed that how an angry two star army officer of Pakistan army had actually unfolded the whole secret plan of Pakistan army deliberately before a US spy master McConell. The book said, the US intelligence agencies knew very well that Musharraf was playing a double game with them as on the one hand he was assuring the Americans that only he could fight against the Taliban and on the other, he was backing the militancy and the militants. “Musharraf’s record of duplicity was well known. The author has written this chapter on Pakistan on basis of some secret trips of America’s twwo top spy chiefs-McConnel an Haden-nicknamed as “two Mikes” who had held several meetings with the top military army officers including General Pervez Musharraf. The author records that in late May 2008, McConnel made a secret trip to Pakistan, his fourth or fifth since becoming the director of national intelligence, trips that seemed to blur together in his head. But this one was dramatically different from the rest- and ended up driving the push in the last days of the Bush administration to greatly step up covert action across the border into Pakistan. The book says, packing quickly through his usual rounds of meetings with Musharraf and a raft of intelligence officials in Islamabad, McConnel and his small entourage found themselves in a conference room with several military officers, including a two star Pakistan general. No officer was talking to other participants in the meeting as if the American intelligence chief, the visiting dignitary for the day, wasn’t in the room. Not surprisingly, he was being pressed about Pakistan strategy in the tribal areas, and he was “reluctant to start” one of the participants in the conversation recalled. “But once he got into it, he could not contain himself”. The two-star general began making the case that the real problem was the tribal areas and in Afghanistan was not al-Qaeda or the Taliban, or even the militants who were trying to topple the Pakistani government. The real problem was Pakistan’s rival of more than sixty years which he said was secretly manipulating events in an effort to crush Pakistan and undo the 1947 partition that sought to separate the Islamic and Hindu states. “The overwhelming enemy is India”, the Pakistani officer told the General. “We have to watch them at every moment. We have had wars with India, he said as everyone in the room needed reminding.” The Pakistani two-star general described President Karzai’s cozy relationship with India, seeking investment and aid. With alarm, he talked about how the Indians were opening consulates around the country and building roads. What the rest of the world saw as a desperately needed nation-building programme, Pakistan saw as a threat. He was not alone in that view, conspiracy theories about Indian activities in Afghanistan are a daily staple in the Pakistani media. As the officer talked, he became more and more animated. The Indians will surround us and annihilate us, he said, knowing McConnel was hearing every word. “And the Indians in their surrounding strategy, have gone to Afghanistan.” Those newly built roads were future invasion routes, he seemed to suggest, without quite saying so. The consulates were dens of Indian spies. The real purpose of the humanitarian aid to Afghanistan was to run “operations out of Afghanistan to target Pakistan”. The conspiracy theory deepened. “In the long run, America will not have the stomach to bear the burden of staying in Afghanistan,” the officer continued, still seeming to ignore the presence of the American intelligence chief. “And when the Americans pull out, India will reign. Therefore, the Pakistanis will have to sustain the contacts with the opposition to the Afghanistan government meaning the Taliban so when the Americans pull out, it’s a friendly government to Pakistan. “Therefore,” the officer concluded with a flourish, “we must support the Taliban”, two-star general announced in the meeting in the presence of US spymaster. The last statement of the two star general stunned McConnel. For six years, the Americans had paid upward $10 billion to the Pakistan army to support its operations against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Bush and his aides knew — though they never admitted that much of the money had been diverted to buying equipment for the Pakistan military to bulk up against the Indian. Now a Pakistani officer in his fury and frustration, was openly admitting that the Pakistani government had officially denied that it was playing both sides of the war—-the Americans side and Taliban side. In return for the Americans billions, Pakistani forces or intelligence agencies operatives occasionally picked off a few al-Qaeda leaders (though even that had slowed to a trickle). But they were actively supporting the Taliban and even some militants in the tribal region. It was almost as if the American taxpayers were making monthly deposits in the Taliban bank accounts. Some in the Pentagon objected but were overruled. None of this was really a surprise-except to the American people who were regularly told by President Bush that Pakistan and its leadership were a strong ally against terror. Even some of the Bush aides cringed when he uttered those words “it was like hearing him say, victory in Iraq”, one told me after leaving the muddled complexity of it all was some kind of admission of defeat. Even some inside the While House, admitted to me (author) that “reimbursements” to the Pakistani military were just this side of fraud. They had been paid out when Musharraf had announced he was pulling back from tribal areas because of a “truce” with the tribal leaders. When Congress threatened to link the reimbursement to the Pakistan military performance, one American general summarized this reaction this way: “It’s about goddamn time”. Bush knew the truth. Intelligence reports written over the past five years have all documented the ISI support for Taliban-something Bush had admitted to me (author) and other reporters. He knew of course that even Musharraf had little interest in sending his army into tribal areas. Every military professional who returned from Islamabad came back with the same report. Seven years after 9/11, 80 per cent of Pakistan military was arrayed against India. McConnel himself returning from one of his trips noted that there is only one army that has more artillery tubes per unit, everything from old cannons to rocket launchers and mortars. It’s North Koreas’, he said. It was a telling statistic. Artillery tubes weigh tonnes and are useful only in holding back Indian hordes as they come across the plains. They are useless against terrorists enclaves. Overhearing the two-star’s rant about India was not the only rude surprise McConnel experienced on this trip. He had brought with him the chart he used in the White House situation room tracking the number of attacks inside Pakistan over the past two and a half years. One of the charts showed that about 13,000 Pakistanis had been killed in 2007 chiefly by suicide bombers, about double the numbers in 2006. He told Musharraf and General Kayani, the former DG ISI, that the casualty numbers on the track to double again in 2008. Then he described the interviews that Osama Bin laden and his deputies had given, declaring their intention to topple the Pakistan government. “You are aware of these casualty numbers and what Osama said of course”, McConnel asked. He got blank stares. They told him they had heard about Bin Laden statements. “It was news”, McConnel reported to his colleagues later. “I talked to the highest level of the Pakistani government and it was news. They just were not tracking it”. It astounded him that the officials in Washington and at the American embassy in Islamabad might be keeping more careful tabs on the rising number of attacks than were Musahrraf or Pakistani crop of democratically elected leaders. Were they ignoring the obvious or were they just denying they knew about it, part of the deception within the deceptions as they supported both sides in the terror fight. When McConnel returned to Washington in late 2008, he ordered up a full assessment so that he could match what he had heard from the single angry officer with the intelligence that had poured in over the years. His question was a basic one. Is there what McConnel called an officially sanctioned “dual policy” in Pakistan?” That was a polite way of asking whether the leadership of the country including Musahrraf had been playing both sides of the war all along. It did not take long for McConnel’s staff to produce the answer. McConnel took the formal assessment to the White House, concluding that the Pakistani government regularly gave the Taliban and some of the militant groups “weapons and supporters to go into Afghanistan to attack Afghan and coalition forces”. This was not news to many in the administration but McConnel wanted to have it down on paper. The assessment was circulated to the entire national security leadership and to Bush who was still giving public speeches praising Musharraf as a great ally. “It was news to him,” said one of the officials who briefed Bush and watched his reaction to McConnel’s assessment. “And he always says the same thing, so what do you do about it? By the summer, Bush answered his own question. For the first time in a presidency filled with secret unilateral actions, he authorized the American military to invade an ally-Pakistan. Editor’s Note: The ISPR has been requested for a detailed response and whenever available it would be given equal and similar space. (The News)

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