Pakistan is the next Iraq or Gaza

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Pakistan poses threats to India and the world: US-US-World-The Times of India

Pakistan poses threats to India and the world: US

 Pakistan's increasingly turbulent border region poses threats not just to the US mission in Afghanistan, but also to neighbouring

India and the world beyond, according to President George W Bush’s national security adviser.

Thus the biggest foreign-policy challenge awaiting President-elect Barack isn’t Iraq or Afghanistan but Pakistan, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told the Wall Street Journal in an interview previewing a valedictory speech he plans to give on Wednesday.

“Pakistan’s increasingly turbulent border region poses threats not just to the US mission in Afghanistan, but also to neighbouring, as evidenced by the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks, as well as to urban areas of Pakistan itself - and the world beyond,” he said.

“If extremists succeed in destabilising Pakistan, the resulting chaos will threaten the entire region,” Hadley is expected to say in his speech, according to the Journal.

“You can’t really solve Afghanistan without solving Pakistan,” Hadley told the leading financial daily in an interview in his White House office Tuesday. “That’s why I think Pakistan is at the centre” of the challenge for the incoming administration.

Hadley cited relations with as another challenge facing the Obama administration, highlighted this week by a confrontation between Russia and Europe over natural gas supplies.

In his speech, Hadley also is expected to acknowledge challenges for the US in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as in efforts to curb apparent nuclear ambitions, the Journal said Yet Hadley, a soft-spoken, silver-haired lawyer who has served Bush during his entire eight years in office, sounded notes of optimism in both areas as well, it said.

He is expected to say on Wednesday that Iran remains the biggest problem in the Middle East. But US progress in mending fences with Western Europe means that the next administration should be able to enforce tougher sanctions on Iran.

In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Hadley predicted that a ceasefire will be reached over the embattled Gaza Strip region, but wouldn’t predict when, and suggested that the US isn’t budging from its demands that a cease-fire be sustainable and durable.

The administration also wants security officers of the Palestinian Authority to take over responsibilities for monitoring border crossings around Gaza, a move that could elevate the authority’s status in the area, now dominated by the militant group Hamas.

Longer term, Hadley suggested that - notwithstanding the Gaza violence - the Israeli-Palestinian conflict presents the incoming Obama administration with a genuine opportunity for progress on a peace deal, because of economic and political progress already being made in the West Bank.

He held out hope that Gaza’s people will increasingly view the progress being made in the West Bank as a reason to turn away from Hamas, which controls Gaza, the Journal said.

It is even possible that a long-term peace agreement could be reached in the coming year, Hadley suggested. “You can see how it could come about,” he was quoted as saying.

On Iraq, he said he hopes the Obama administration will stick to the timetables for withdrawing troops set out in recent strategic agreements with the Iraqi government.

“We would hope that the new administration would…make any reduction a reflection of progress that’s been made on the ground,” Hadley said.

I just think one by one they are taking down all Muslim countries.

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Re: Pakistan is the next Iraq or Gaza

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Re: Pakistan is the next Iraq or Gaza

^ it seems like nothing matters anymore. The agenda of USA is to bring in new allegations to disrupt India / Pakistan bitter-sweet relationship.

Saddam Hussain got fooled - because he thought after declaring he had no weapons of mass destruction - USA will leave him alone... but he paid with his life.

Same will happen to Pakistan, if the leader is "slow" actor.

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Re: Pakistan is the next Iraq or Gaza

The bigger picture we as Muslims need to understand is that shaytaan will do all he can do take down Islam and its followers. Islam is a threat to this so-called civilized democratic world because it brings about peace, justice and equality for all. shaytaan is against all this, and he will use all his power to try and defeat us one by one, but do not lose your yaqeen, Allah is with the Muslims.

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Man, I am not a Muslim still I respect the devoutness of all Muslims. I might sound as a grand mom narrating parables but I feel that to take your religion to the apex which will be envied by every other religion on earth is not by supporting terrorism. Advance your beloved country in technology, education, heath care, economy etc.! Time will tell which religion is the best.
Shooting at innocent people in the name of Allah is no sane man's work and it doesn't show the greatness of Islam at all. I know you will say that you also feel the same way but all we, I mean the whole world, want from you is to dismantle this terrorist infrastructure. Why will U.S. think of attacking you, why will India ever have to raise its tone talking to a Pak counterpart and why would the whole world be skeptic of a person with beard and a "topi". Why this blood shed when Pak can prove it is better by other ways than to indulge in terrorism?

You people aren't the govt. but you can empathize with us by accepting the facts. Your army is playing games by reverting to its old tactics of denial. Why not shun the stereotype of trying to defeat India in a passive war. If your country stops playing in the hands of Terrorists India will be the Ist to provide help be it anything. We have no expansive plans, why would we want a war?

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Re: Pakistan is the next Iraq or Gaza

To people who will still remain adamant and indulge in false promises the message is clear- Run, they are coming for you from both sides! (I guess you all got it!)

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moral of the story is. US didnt invade Iraq until it made sure it hasnt got WMDs by sanctions for 10 years or so, if saddam really had WMDs US would have stayed at bay.

Pakistan is not Iraq and certainly its not Gaza! if such forces who are planning to destabilise Pakistan by recruiting some jehidis and playing Pakistani Taleban etc and blowing up at many places and doing militant acts, Pakistan is addressing this already. certainly its a problem. but Pakistan is capable enough to defend its homeland as long as we have our armed forces and nukes!

hence the plan of such forces to keep busy the army inhouse, while trying to show Pakistan is not a good state to have nukes and will ultimately come out try to strip of its nuke status. and god forbid if any mickey mouse leader agree to this(which is most unlikely case), only then we will have to worry about Pakistan.

Pakistan managed to go nuclear against all odds with many governments changes but this defence program kept moving at good pace. If we managed to make it, we certainly are capable to keep them and use them if required to defend ourselves!

Pakistan will not certainly go down in history as Iraq or Gaza inshallah.

Pakistan Zindabad!!

not everybody in Pakistan is terrorists, and hey we are not running, we going to tackle problem created by India and supporters within Pakistan and we will defeat any threat to our national security. and yes we got it all who is planning to destablise Pakistan.

We also know in Kashmir more than 700000 troops supress people's demand there. issue like Kashmir does create militants which may have sympathy from other people like taliban etc.

160 million Pakistanis are not terrorists and believe in Dialogue and freedom not terrorism. If india was able to create Bangladesh in 1971 with proxy war and cause of some idiot leaders in Pakistan that time, it doesnt mean it will be able to do so again!

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LOL, pakistan's defence program! It stated the moment India did 4 nuclear tests by calling up Chinese and was over within a fortnight after painting those Chinese nukes.
You take all Indian credit! It was India which was under sanctions from 74 to 98 and still we banged a deadlier bomb and now US and the world community recognizes that we are a responsible nuclear state with impeccable record! DAY X-->>India test fires Missile with range Y kms. DAY X+1--->>Pakistan test fires missile with range Y kms. With a literacy rate of 37% ,much less than that of India (65%), how do you people come up with a missile in one day!

Pakistan with be worse. While Pak media embarassed by govt. yielding that Asab is a Paki on which they dare hurl so many insults and canards on India, i see no reason to give Kudos to Pak!

India is damn busy tackling its own prob we don't have funds and don't even need to destablize a turbulent country as of yours!

Stop worrying about our matters, you have had this taste 4 times in a direct war! I have contrary info that Pak had sent lakhs of troops to suppress the democratic movement in Bangladesh but India thwarted its intentions!:)


We know that not all Pakis are terrorists but who cares what you think! You follow your media which in turn is controlled by your govt. which is a tenaciously hold puppet of the chagrined military having lost 4 wars is now out for revenge! It is impossible all they will end up doing is to exasperate themselves more!
I see no bright future for Pak! I see another partition, one part under Jihadis and other under Military fighting among themselves relentlessly till the end!

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Gaza and Iraq are not good examples. The real scenario of disaster for Pakistan is much closer to home in the form of "Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan".

If we let FATA, MQM warlords to take over our cities, if we let our JD type maulvis take over our villages, then surely we'll turn into IEOF.

If we let our religious fanatics kill our minorities like Pashtuns did to Hazaras of Afghanistan, then surely we'll turn into IEOF.

So the bottom line is to save Pakistan from IEOF Mullahs and their arab and tajik masters.

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You guys give to much credibility to Indian Newspapers... The times of India is only good for finding out about Ashwariya Rais newest hair due, and thats it.

This paper has an obvious bias towards Pakistan so no reason to give it a second look.

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It was never about empathy... We have had bigger tragedies in Pakistan, so im sure Paskistanis could empathize. Its was Indias saber rattling that was the problem. Its the arrogance of this self pronounced super power to speak down to Pakistan as something less then an equal.
The Army had nothing to do with this and neither did the govt. Its Indias paranoia that is the issue here. This was terrorist attack nothing more, nothing less. Pakistan is fighting terrorists in Pakistan, the last thing we need is for you people dictate terms. Besides, there a certain but of hypocracy in India accusing others of terrorism.
The ultimate issue is Indias refusal to deal with the issues at hand... Pakistan will do its part, but Indians will have to deal with real issues between the two countries, mainly the Kashmir issue.

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Five Reasons Why India Can’t ‘Do A Gaza ‘ On Pakistan

January 7, 2009
Over the last week, many Americans (and not a few Indians) have asked me why India does not “do a Gaza” on Pakistan, referring, of course, to an emulation of Israel’s punitive use of force against Hamas-run Palestine, a territory from which rockets rain down on Israeli soil with reliable frequency (if not reliable destructiveness … but that is not for want of Hamas intent).
My answer, given with the heavy heart that comes always with a painful grip on reality, is simple: India does not because it cannot.
Here are five reasons why:

  1. India is not a military goliath in relation to Pakistan in the way Israel is to the Palestinian territories. India does not have the immunity, the confidence and the military free hand that result from an overwhelming military superiority over an opponent. Israel ’s foe is a non-sovereign entity that enjoys the most precarious form of self-governance. Pakistan , for all its dysfunction, is a proper country with a proper army, superior by far to the tin-pot Arab forces that Israel has had to combat over time. Pakistan has nukes, to boot. Any assault on Pakistani territory carries with it an apocalyptic risk for India . This is, in fact, Pakistan ’s trump card. (This explains, also, why Israel is determined to prevent the acquisition of nuclear weapons by Iran .)
  2. Even if India could attack Pakistan without fear of nuclear retaliation, the rationale for “doing a Gaza ” is, arguably, not fully present: Israel had been attacked consistently by the very force–Hamas–that was in political control of the territory from which the attacks occurred. By contrast, terrorist attacks on India , while originating in Pakistan , are not authored by the Pakistani government. India can– and does–contend that Pakistan ’s government should shut down the terrorist training camps on Pakistani soil. (In this insistence, India has unequivocal support from Washington .) Yet only a consistent and demonstrable pattern of dereliction by Pakistani authorities– which would need to be dereliction verging on complicity with the terrorists–would furnish India with sufficient grounds to hold the Pakistani state culpable.
  3. As our columnist, Karlyn Bowman, writes, Israel enjoys impressive support from the American people, in contrast to the Palestinians. No other state–apart, perhaps, from Britain –evokes as much favor in American public opinion as does Israel . This is not merely the result of the much-vaunted ” Israel lobby” (to use a label deployed by its detractors), but also because of the very real depth of cultural interpenetration between American and Israeli society. This fraternal feeling buys Israel an enviable immunity in the conduct of its strategic defense. India, by contrast–while considerably more admired and favored in American public opinion than Pakistan–enjoys scarcely a fraction of Israel’s “pull” in Washington when it comes to questions of the use of force beyond its borders.
  4. Pakistan is strategically significant to the United States ; the Palestinians are not. This gives Washington scant incentive to rein in the Israelis, but a major incentive to rein in any Indian impulse to strike at Pakistan . However justified the Indian anger against Pakistan over the recent invasion of Mumbai by Pakistani terrorists, the last thing that the U.S. wants right now is an attack–no matter how surgical–by India against Pakistan-based terror camps. This would almost certainly result in a wholesale shift of Pakistani troops away from their western, Afghan front toward the eastern boundary with India –and would leave the American Afghan campaign in some considerable disarray, at least in the short term. So Washington has asked for, and received, the gift of Indian patience. And although India recognizes that it is not wholly without options to mobilize quickly for punitive, surgical strikes in a “strategic space,” it would–right now–settle for a trial of the accused terrorist leaders in U.S. courts. (Seven U.S. citizens were killed in Mumbai: Under U.S. law, those responsible–and this should include Pakistani intelligence masterminds–have to be brought to justice.)
  5. My last, and meta-, point: Israel has the privilege of an international pariah to ignore international public opinion in its use of force against the Palestinians. A state with which few others have diplomatic relations can turn the tables on those that would anathematize it by saying, Hang diplomacy. India , by contrast, has no such luxury. It is a prisoner of its own global aspirations–and pretensions.

Tunku Varadarajan, a professor at the Stern Business School at NYU and research fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, is opinions editor at Forbes.com, where he writes a weekly column.

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True to heart but I believe India would have surpassed all other factors in 2001 only had there been, as mentioned in the Ist point, no nukes especially in the hands of a chagrined army which will not think for a second to detonate it over civilian areas seeing an imminent defeat!

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So If God forbid situation arises to that point and Pakistan army does that, do you think Indian army will bomb "military areas" only? Be realistic, not idealistic in your response.