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| India-Pakistan |
| Our own proxies on the rampage: 10,000 dead and counting |
| 2008-09-24 |
| By Farrukh Saleem As our national defence strategy appears to have collapsed, our own proxies -- the Taliban and the Jihadis -- are now waging a war on Pakistan itself and have killed 10,267 Pakistanis in five years, which is 6,000 more deaths than the total number of Pakistani lives lost in the Pak-India War of 1965. It's neither about religion nor about tribal traditions. Our national defence strategy has long been dependent on the use of the Taliban in the West and the Jihadis pinning down elements of India's 9, 10, 14, 15 and 16 Corps in the north-east. The tripodal national defence strategy meant maintaining a good 90 per cent of our military assets -- including the two strike Corps and Corps X, XXX, IV and XXXI -- in the east, sustaining the Taliban in the West in order to project power into Afghanistan plus our nuclear deterrent. For some two decades, the military-conceived strategy performed remarkably well. And then came September 11. After the 9/11, our tripodal strategy came tumbling down like a house of cards. But, we are still in a state of denial. Seven years hence, Pakistan now stands isolated and completely encircled. A mere 100 miles east of Islamabad are six of India's Su-30MKIs, the most advanced, nuclear-capable, long-range, high-endurance, heavy-class Air Dominance Fighters with multi-mission capabilities. A hundred miles west of Islamabad are the United States Air Force's MQ-1 Predators, MQ-9 Reapers, the 37-nation International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), the Afghan National Army and Nato forces. Off the coast of Karachi is the United States Navy's Nimitiz-class, nuclear-powered, $4.3 billion super-carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (Pakistan's entire annual defence allocation is $ 4 billion). After 9/11, we have lost at least two legs of our national defence strategy. As if losing two legs wasn't enough, our Jihadis and our Taliban, the very tools of our foreign policy, are on the loose. Our ex-proxies are hitting back at the very soul of Pakistan. It's neither about religion nor about tribal traditions. This is an active insurgency whereby our ex-proxies are struggling to suck the soul out of the nation-state called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and then hold physical terrain from where to affect their agenda. Our one-time proxies have challenged the state for control of a portion of its territory. The outside world, in the meanwhile, is out to contain us and contain our violence from spreading. Our national defence strategy has long been due for a major makeover. But, we have long been in a state of denial. Pakistan is truly under siege; under siege because of the proxies we keep. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 As our national defence strategy appears to have collapsed, our own proxies -- the Taliban and the Jihadis -- are now waging a war on Pakistan itself ...... well it seemed like a good idea at the time... |
| Posted by: Black Bart Ebbolusing2994 2008-09-24 15:54 |
| #9 Su-30MKIs, the most advanced, nuclear-capable, long-range, high-endurance, heavy-class Air Dominance Fighters with multi-mission capabilities. I don't know if I'd go THAT far. Posted by bigjim-ky 2008-09-24 Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. ~ Arthur C. Clarke |
| Posted by: DLR 2008-09-24 11:07 |
| #8 Su-30MKIs, the most advanced, nuclear-capable, long-range, high-endurance, heavy-class Air Dominance Fighters with multi-mission capabilities. I don't know if I'd go THAT far. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-09-24 08:53 |
| #7 Farrukh Saleem, when I read you, my head just starts to spin. Where do I start following your logic? Where does it lead me? I get dizzy trying to figure it out. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2008-09-24 08:42 |
| #6 Somebody in Pakistan has actually stepped back from the testosterone overdose to see reality. Al Qaeda has already shown the Muslim world that attacking America is a loser's game. Perhaps if this goes on long enough, the Ummah will realize that sponsoring terrorists is even more stupid -- in the long run a much more effective strategy than bombing the part of Pakistan that they don't much care about even further into the stone age than they currently are. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-09-24 08:17 |
| #5 Thor Elmulet1863, you ever thought how the World would look now if George (Condi) considered the facts instead of rushing headlong into "Nation Building"? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-09-24 06:51 |
| #4 Thor, A Pakistan collapse in 2001 or 2002 or 2003 would have resulted in Al Q having many nukes. A Pakistan collapse today would probably result in our being able to either disable or take the nukes out. Its an important difference. |
| Posted by: mhw 2008-09-24 06:30 |
| #3 Pakistan would have collapsed if GWB had the common sense to carpet bomb Pashto Afghanistan from the north. Instead - in service of his Saudi owners - GWB lifted sanctions and poured aid into the terror entity. If stupidity was a crime, GWB wouldn't breath free air for the rest of his wretched life. I wonder what the knee jerkers think? |
| Posted by: Thor Elmulet1863 2008-09-24 05:16 |
| #2 It's all fun and games when your trained attack dogs are murdering infidels, but when your rabid curs turn on their masters...well, it sucks to be you. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2008-09-24 01:34 |
| #1 And now, VIRGINIA, you know yet another reason why RUSSIA FOUGHT GEORGIA IN AUGUST 2008. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-09-24 00:25 |