Article

2004-08-20 Afghanistan/South Asia

Pashtun join hands with the Baloch in Balochistan

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Posted by Paul Moloney 2004-08-20 12:08:19 AM|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Has this got legs, Paul? I've been thinking about this all day, off and on, and realized I'd better get my question there before you conk out for the day!

Just when it seems that Musharraf is really pressing and having serious success in WoT...

Can you say how much or little of the sentiment behind this is related to Musharraf's support for WoT? Are we defining true PakiWaki Islam in PONM? Or is this just factionalism, power-base politics, etc?

Posted by .com 2004-08-20 5:09:52 PM|| 2004-08-20 5:09:52 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 The PONM has nothing to do with Islamism, in fact of the ethnic groups involved in it, only the Pashtuns have any serious problem with extremism, the rest are known for following Sufi style Islam and avoiding Jihadi groups.

It is just ethnic-based nationalism, but probably doesn't provide any real threat to the Pakistani state, since the Army is half a million strong and showed in Bangladesh that they will not let any region of Bangladesh secece without a fight.

So I would consider these sentiments unrelated to the WoT, and yet it is hardly a positive development.

Posted by Paul Moloney 2004-08-20 7:29:47 PM|| 2004-08-20 7:29:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 Isn't Baluchistan where KSM, Ramsey Clark Yosef and the other original WTC bombers came from? Doesn't Laurie Mylroie make it the center of militant anti western Islamofascism?

Posted by Mrs. Davis 2004-08-20 7:33:50 PM|| 2004-08-20 7:33:50 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 They were Kuwaitis of Baluch descent. The only Islamofascism in Baluchistan comes from the Pashtun migrants and Afghan refugees who number in the millions in the area.

Posted by Paul Moloney 2004-08-20 8:20:51 PM|| 2004-08-20 8:20:51 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Thanks, Paul. I've all but given up on understanding all of the factions and tribal / ethnic groups in Pakistan... so when I see a story like this (which sounds ominous for what passes for stability there) I can't tell how serious it is. The roster of players is the ultimate alphabet soup - and a full-time job! You must have a huge spreadsheet or DB to track these guys. And I don't know whether to marvel at Musharraf's staying power or wonder at his sanity for wanting to be in the spot he's in - President / Dictator - whatever it is, heh.

You make sense out of chaos - and that's no mean feat. Thanks, again!

Posted by .com 2004-08-20 10:12:15 PM|| 2004-08-20 10:12:15 PM|| Front Page Top

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