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India-Pakistan

A chill ushers in new diplomatic order in Pakistan

2008-03-28

If it was not yet clear to Washington that a new political order prevailed here, the three-day visit this week by America's chief diplomat dealing with Pakistan should put any doubt to rest. The visit by Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte turned out to be series of indignities and chilly, almost hostile, receptions as he bore the brunt of the full range of complaints that Pakistanis now feel freer to air with the end of military rule by Washington's favored ally, President Pervez Musharraf.

Faced with a new democratic lineup that is demanding talks, not force, in the fight against terrorism, Negroponte publicly swallowed a bitter pill at his final news conference on Thursday, acknowledging that there would now be some real differences in strategy between the United States and Pakistan.

He was upbraided at an American Embassy residence during a reception in his honor by lawyers furious that the Bush administration had refused to support the restoration of the dismissed judiciary by Musharraf last year.

Posted by:john frum

#4 Indian methods will be far more sophisticated.

There will be no forcible conversion.

There are after all more Muslims in India than in Pakistan.

Consider that in the 1930's the father of Pakistan, MA Jinnah could not even get a hotel room in the NWFP. All the Pasthuns and Balochis... the same folk running around and blowing things up today, rejected him, the Muslim league and Pakistan. They elected a Congress party local government.

They were following Abdul Gaffar Khan, the so called "Frontier Gandhi" who had convinced them to forsake violence and use non-violent measures to throw out the British.

Imagine that.. non-violent Pahtuns... the same Taliban folk we see today sawing off heads...

Today the ANP, the political party founded by Abdul Gaffar Khan and now led by his grandson, runs the NWFP.

Abdul Gaffar Khan is the guy on the left.

Posted by: john frum 2008-03-28 14:55

#3 What does the administration have to show for shoveling at least $10 billion into Pakistan and rescuing their economy from collapse?

I suspect we're about to find out. And we'll wish we could spend another $10 billion to have postponed it another 8 years.

Even when it became evident the Pakistanis the knew about the Sept 11 attacks and were financiers of it. Should have let India occupy it in 2002 and converted by the sword those savages to Hinduism.

Patience.

Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-03-28 08:34

#2 We won't be getting much diplomatically from Pakistain, so we better be on a strong military footing with regard to any crap coming out of there.

Posted by: M. Murcek 2008-03-28 08:31

#1 What does the administration have to show for shoveling at least $10 billion into Pakistan and rescuing their economy from collapse? Even when it became evident the Pakistanis the knew about the Sept 11 attacks and were financiers of it. Should have let India occupy it in 2002 and converted by the sword those savages to Hinduism.

Posted by: ed 2008-03-28 01:37

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