3 J’s rather than 3 D’s

While the West wants the 3 D approach in AfPak (Democracy/Diplomacy, Development and Defence – see e.g. Robert Swope’s page), Nawa’i Waqt has another option: 3 J (Jamhooriyat, Jihad and Johari Silahiyat).

War is a terrible thing.

A history of the Iraq war, told entirely in lies

US “presence” in Pakistan

Financial support to Pakistan by the US is extensive, discussions about the security of the state’s personel there ongoing (here and here) but all the foreigners I see on the ground are non-US citizens. In 4 years in Lahore, Kashmir, the Northern Areas, the Tribal Areas and Peshawar I have met 4 American Nationals. I do not count my visits to horrible expat paries in Isloo with tipsy girls and tough guys or my encounter with well-built guys on the airport, who had a special escort past the queue and were obviously not here to taste Daal or learn a foreign language but to look grim and foster a clicheed, conspirational Xe-image, US citizens based in Pakistan nowadays have.

Pak Army Publicity Stunt Department

The Western media seems to buy everything from the Pakistani Publicity Stunt Department and blow it up to an even bigger extent that probably even Athar Abbas has to laught at. ABC News pays specialists (in this case Abu Muqawama) to make judgments from propaganda material, that are obvious (”they left in a hurry, otherwise [...]

Rethinking interests

Raul R. Pillar is probably right with his theory , that terrorists (foremost al-Qaeda) do not necessarily need Afghanistan as a safe haven to attack the US in future and that the presence of US troops in the area should not be justified with just this target – to eradicate such breeding places.

on pakistani identity

Two new Pakistani Nationals and NADRA a mess: Hussein here and Malek here.

The capture of Jundullah leader Abdolmalek Rigi

Abdolmalek Rigi, the leader of Jundallah militant group, was nabbed in Iran on 23rd Feb in a dramatic fashion. His post-arrest statement and a photo allegedly showing him at a US base in Afghanistan just 24 hours before his arrest has sparked an interest debate on US role with Jundallah under Obama’s administration.

Although Pentagon spokesman [...]

Looking for trust – in the wrong place.

The Western media, especially after Mullah Abdul Ghani Akhund and some other high-up Talibans where pinned down by ISI/CIA, are trying to understand the ISI and the Pakistani army again. When news of Ghani’s arrest broke, the first reaction was “yeah, finally they do what we want”, only to be immediately followed by “I am sure they are tricking us again” (claiming that the ISI captured him in Karachi making sure he could be kept in their custody and wouldn’t be interrogated by ISAF/CIA at Bagram, Penetta yesterday requested a transfer there)

SufiLore #4 – Pakistan has a Rock scene?

It’s quite old by now, and wasn’t picked up for more than 3 articles really, but for a glimpse the Western media was as if they had discovered something new (which it wasn’t): PakRock. It’s worth documenting the videos at least.
[Article/Video] Pakistan Rock against the West by Adam B. Ellick
In my opinion he chose examples [...]

The Guantanamo “Suicides” – The other front forgotten

Not everyone who is involved in this matter views it from a political perspective, of course. General Al-Zahrani grieves for his son, but at the end of a lengthy interview he paused and his thoughts turned elsewhere. “The truth is what matters,” he said. “They practiced every form of torture on my son and on many others as well. What was the result? What facts did they find? They found nothing. They learned nothing. They accomplished nothing.”