So things are escalating quite dramatically and they will keep increasing the pressure until there is unbearable suffering. Pakistan has now been put on a watch list for lack of religious freedoms, and also now other aid is being held. Next step it seems will be pressure on IMF, sanctions, visa restrictions etc. The rich, the generals and politicians will be fine but the average joe could suffer tremendously. Then there will be pressure thru India and destabilisation and sabotage in Balochistan. I hope cooler heads prevail and politicians ask themselves if supporting Haqqanis and Talibans is worth it. This escalation and ensuing sanctions could result in severe shortages etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if visa restrictions are also enforced.
I don’t really want to enter a heated debate but was trying to decode the reason behind putting Pakistan on the special watch list. My guess would be to force international community to cooperate in sanctions. It would get a lot uglier than many are estimating.
And to add to that, they have a PM who had a case of murdering thousands of minorities under his special instructions.. LOL. and that PM is now the bestie of trump admin. Hallelujah!
India is one of the most racist, sexist and intolerant country on the planet but they have shrewd politicians who know how to navigate treacherous waters, if they ever ended up confronting the west they will be on all on sorts of lists and sanctions. They d0 even worse atrocities against the Dalits. Them placing Pakistan on the watch list is more symbolic, my feeling is that it might be a prelude to sanctions and other devastating steps.
There is nothing to be happy about, there will be a tremendous suffering for the poor. Politicians and Generals are billionaires there. My feeling is that if things escalate they might even ban visas and freeze funds of politicians and generals.
After Soviet exit from Afghanistan in 1989, Pakistan faced the same situation though there was no ‘double game’ as such. There was Pressler amendment and America threatened Pakistan to be included to the list of countries exporting terror. It was to pressurise Pakistan over its nuclear program in the pretext of the struggle of independence in Indian occupied Kashmir. We were not a nuclear power in early 1990s, economy was too bad. We were under Benazir and Nawaz who were manipulated by the infamous desi GHQ of Pakistan’s military establishment.
Today things are way much better than they were in 1990s. We have a big brother China on top, new friends in Russia, a close ally in Turkey and Europe is kind of neutral. When North Korea can keep on urinating on the face of ugly Trump and the American pride and still can survive with all sanctions then why not Pakistan? Don’t act like a transgender General Musharraf who peed in his pants when the white skinned master made a phone call.
Look at Iran for example, they are not even militarily stronger than you. North Korea is the best example. There’s no need to play in the hands of Satan worshipers of the United States. These are pressure tactics to test your threshold.
If Haqqanis, Afghan Taliban are to defend Pakistan from American and Indian threat, support them. They are your first line of defense. Let this ugly Trump cry like a widowed woman!
Use diplomacy in the best manner. I know military generals would be upset for the possible loss of American aid as many of them live for American dollars. But don’t worry, you may serve the new masters in China and will still make money in Chinese currency. And I bet this is what is happening or else our military generals never had balls to defy Americans.
This special watch list is to support the Qadiyanis / Ahmadiyya. America wants Pakistan to give Ahmadiyya equal religious status by making amendment to the Constitution. Lately there was a conspiracy in Pakistan’s legislature when some Pro-Ahmadiyya and Pro-American Parliamentarians from all political parties attempted to soften the Constitution to support Ahmadiyya. Don’t ever touch that, or you will have a civil war in this country which will leave it as another Syria.
Pakistan has been notifying this to US administration from last 16 years!! that US will leave and we’ll left with the mess…
right now i cannot locate any difference, even shameless US administration knows it and that is why they are referring to notorious Presslor’s amendment…
Currently with little bit better management and throwing Rizvi, Qadri and That hafiz saeed guy out of the lime light will benefit us alot…
last not least, political stability is the key, we are on make or break stage!!!
Pakistani people have too much faith in whatever Americans say. People get terrified on every accusation as they know how weak and divided they are. Pakistani people are afraid of their own people who can be made to turn on each other by western powers.
Pakistan’s supporting of Haqqanis (a group of 2000 people) or any other group has nothing to do with America’s outbursts. When did Bashar Al Assad, Qaddafi, Saddam and many others like them support any activity that they accuse Pakistan of? They were the most secular Muslim countries. Now look at how they made those people suffer. Their intentions and methods are too simple and easy to understand but not for our people who are easy to get confused and made fool of.
What they themselves been doing in Afghanistan? They have made peace deals with Taliban since long time ago. They have provided aid money to them. ISIS has risen up under their watch. Same story in Libya, Syria and Iraq.
My guess is that Nawaz Sharif was on their call of duty and doing their budding in Pakistan. Now that he is gone Americans thought it would be useless to waste any more money on a headless government. They have stopped it for the time being until they get a replacement who makes a commitment to Americans. Once they have a new person in place they will announce they have sorted out issues and Pakistan has made promises to co-operate on terror and they will resume aid.
So when they asked Afghanistan to hand over Osama Bin Laden, Afghans chose war. They turned the country into rubble and then killed Osama and his family. Do you think it would have been a better decision to hand over Osama. There is absolutely no justification in providing safe heavens and support to terrorists, they are enemies of Pakistani people, Afghans and the west. I hope Pakistan does not make the same mistake that the Afghans made after 911. Talibans and Haqqanis will be destroyed regardless of what Pakistan decides.
Taliban had said that they would handover OBL to a muslim or a neutral country. Why wasn’t the ICJ used when it is used to punish tinpot african dictators?
The american juggernaut had starting preparing for war and surely a doctor phd professor like you would have figured out by now that afghan war had to do with more than OBL.
No, haqqanis won’t be “defeated” by 13,000 colonial troops and a rental afghan army that can be bribed to switch their loyalties and actually sell their weapons to the enemy. If 5 guys in sandals can take over kunduz then haqqanis in their mountain hideouts would be a tough nut to crack. The take no prisoners russian army found out the hard way when they got to eastern afghanistan after the easy sweeps of kabul and bagram in the early eighties. There is a reason that Reagan invited jalaluddin haqqani to the white house in the eighties.
You need to really get your head out of the gora’s you know what. Goras are not perfect and they don’t know everything just because they are good at lot of other things in their societies.
I don’t make judgement on right or wrong, I can only try to forecast consequences. They keep pushing until they achieve desired goals. Either nations do it the easy way or with a lot of pain. They were horribly rude and unfair with Canada and we didn’t kick a chit storm like Pakistani politicians. With Pak they started with 255 mill, we went ballistic, they notched it to a bill, we burnt flags, it went to 2 bill, then watch list, next is IMF and world bank, then comes sanctions then they freeze accounts of generals and politicians and country, then they start unrest, then a few get assassinated in the meantime sickness, starvation, shortages will occur. If you think protecting known terrorists is worth it then it is a choice you make. I know they are horribly unfair and have committed countless atrocities and the whole world knows that but even powerful countries follow direction as the fallout can be devastating. Chinese economy is totally at the mercy of US so we cant look up to them for protection. Would you like to revisit the atrocities terrorists committed against Pakistanis? Anyone supporting terrorists is not a friend of Pakistani people. Lets kill these bastids and build factories and call centers and go on a path of progress.
Correction: US-Afghanistan never had an extradition treaty. Afghans asked to see evidence which US didn’t provide. On the other hand US doesn’t extradite even if evidence is shared and there is an extradition treaty. Case in point is of Amanda Knox who has been convicted of murder by multiple Italian courts. And also of Fethullah Gulen whom US refuses to extradite to Turkey.
They can be totally wrong and still cause unbelievable devastation and most all nations have resigned to that fact. They have been horribly unfair to Canada, Europe, China, Japan etc also. Afghans chose devastation for their principles and that is what they got. Always the dominant powers impose their will on weaker nations. Nations have to decide if they will cooperate or suffer huge pains. Iraq, Iran, Libya. In the end they killed Osama anyways so why did Afghans chose devastation over some thing that was bound to happen anyways.
Nothing bad is gonna happen for a few good reasons. US knows it can’t have a better servant than Pak Army in South Asia which is well trained, well equipped, dollars loving mercenaries which is willing to sacrifice poor soldiers from the countryside of Khaiber Pakhunkhwa and Punjab. Ayub Khan till Musharraf has done the same job in order to get ‘financial assistance’ and training from Americans. Raheel Sharif and Bajwa would have continued with the same ‘serving’ policies had a ‘better offer’ made in China not been on the table.
Americans can’t get India to do this service on the soil of Afghanistan because it’s not possible for India to fight another militancy in Afghanistan when it’s already using 700,000 troops in Kashmir. However, if Pakistan Army is smart and ‘ghairat mand’ enough, it has to pull Indian troops to Afghanistan so that one day we may take some 100,000 Indian soldiers as POW to settle the score of 1971 in East Pakistan.
Anyways, sooner or later Americans have to release Pakistan Army’s aid if they don’t want to forget about China and Asia. Pentagon has already said that the aid hasn’t been blocked permanently.
Well, this is my personal opinion as well that very soon US will realize that this “blackmailing” isnt working. They do need Pak for many many reasons.
And everyone knows it.
Even Afghani govt, who are the arch enemies, know they need Pak. If we divide Afghanistan in top 4 influencing factors, Pak controls atleast 1-2 of them.
So the aid will eventually be released and this cat-mouse game of putting on this list and that list may continue.
But Pak must know figure out ways to live without US and the best way is self-reliance and great relationship with majority of nations