What Lies Beneath: Dispatch from the Frontlines of the Burqa Brigades

Re: # 645

Yasser:

You know that I support you.

I would like to believe that Pakistan came out stronger. You may need to convert this into Pakistan`s victory.

Last thing I hope that democrats in Pakistan now do is support perpetuation of Military rule.

I would love to read what Benazir Bhutto had to say, where can I get it?

#641 mantolives {``All of you can hope, pray and wish for whatever doomsday scenario but Pakistan has come out on top. ``}

Manto Bhai,
The void of sagacity in our military leaders is understandable, but you should know better. Pakistanis were told that the loss of East Pakistan was a blessing in disguise and that with a more ``homogenous`` Pakistan and without the albatross of Bengalis, the country would fare better.
I love the spin you ``liberal`` elitists put on every setback. At this rate of tragedies, we are bound to be the leading nation of Asia if not the whole world pretty damn soon.

Quoting Bezamir Bhutto about peace, compromise, or sound judgment is a non-starter. With her own record of murdering Karachiites, including her own dear brother, she is the last person to talk about what`s good for Pakistan. I seriously think that she is on a vengeance spree against all Pakis for the murder of her father.

#645 by Mantolives on July 10, 2007 10:48am PT


Absolutely.


Strongeris a relative term...If you wash your hands after you take a dip in a tub of shit, you are technically cleaner than when you were in the tub...

anil #637 {`` No matter how one looks at it, Pakistan lost today.``}

Anil,
You are absolutely right, brother.

And I feel this way when I am a confirmed secular, anti-Mullah, anti-Sharia, anti-Hudood, anti-Madrassa, anti-bearded fundos, anti-Hijab, and pro-massage, pro-Hiram Andy, and pro-mini Sari person.

Re: # 642


``Can you honestly say, that today, Pakistan became stronger?``

Absolutely. Without a doubt. I know the religious bigots from our side and Indians like to think otherwise... but I think a clear message has been sent.

I suggest you try following what Benazir Bhutto just said in her interview... instead of listening to the nay sayers and prophets of doom that lurk on these boards.

#641 by Mantolives on July 10, 2007 10:32am PT


but PakistanMushy has come out on top.


there...fixed it..

didn`t I tell you`all that mushy isn`t going anywhere and when it comes to a choice between what allah wants and what amrika wants, we all know who wins....

#637 by anil,

that either respond to every whim of the west, or east ( = China) as many are now pointing.

That is the next tragedy which has occurred. It is widely believed China advocated a Tiananmen Square solution. But what people forget is that in the Chinese mindset, crushing a few hundred or thousand citizens holds little meaning. The People`s Liberation Army is a ruthless killer in their own country but the population accepts that because it was the same PLA which brought them out of serfdom. Besides, the Chinese identity is homogeneous.

Not so in case of Pakistan. The army is not seen as a benefactor but an oppressor, and the national identity is split.

Re: # 641

No Yasser, it does not.

Can you honestly say, that today, Pakistan became stronger?

The resolve among those who want extreme certainly grew stronger. Please study the parallel with Vietnam. The battle there was also between two ideologues, communism (= fundamentalist), and the U.S. Throughout its stay, the U.S. kept propping up one general or the other, proclaiming one sham election or the other as validity of a democratic government or the other. Almost a generation after the Vietnam war, Vietnamese realize that they would have been better off choosing a democratic and market driven economy.

Mistakes are also made by humans, Yasser.

Re: # 637

This is just another analysis which builds on the thesis that Pakistan is about to be talibanised. There was popular outcry against the Mullahs and the Lal Mosque.

All of you can hope, pray and wish for whatever doomsday scenario but Pakistan has come out on top.

Manto...don`t despair...Pakiland is #1 globally in the M&J list...that`s mullahs and jihadis list..

India 2nd in global M&A deal rankings


India has been ranked second in the global M&A deals this year so far in the Asia-Pacific region, with a total outbound deal value of $13.5 billion, a latest report says.

According to data complied by global consultancy firm Dealogic, Australia tops the Asia-Pacific cross-border outflow with over 125 deals worth $30 billion, followed by India with a total of 74 foreign acquisitions in the current year so far.

Some of the significant outbound cross-border deals include Suzlon Energy`s [Get Quote] acquisition of REpower for $1.7 billion, Vijay Mallya-led United Spirits [Get Quote] buying out Whyte & Mackay for $1.11 billion, Tata Power [Get Quote] picking up stake in two Indonesian firms and Essar Group`s purchase of Canadian Algoma Steel for about $1.55 billion.

India`s cross-border M&A deal value has more than doubled this year from about $5 billion in the same period in last year, the report said.

#634 by Mantolives on July 10, 2007 10:16am PT


Mahatma Ghazi Amar ho gaye!


Uh-oh...does this mean that the 72 virgins he gets will be his grand-neices?

#606 by zeemax on July 10, 2007 9:24am PT


aww....peemax has his knickers in a twist....good thing he`s wearing a burkha..

tell me: what happens to the dead ninja chix? do they become one of the virgins due the Haroon soldier? or do they get 72 male virgins?

Musharraff lost his mind to play this out right at front and center. No matter how one looks at it, Pakistan lost today. This game played out in the open only strengthens that today the gap between two ends of Pakistani spectrum. Time will prove that Pakistan has thus become more unstable. The U.S. support to South Vietnam’s generals did not result in victory for South Vietnam, if anything; South Vietnam simply disappeared into communist North Vietnam. Even today, the scenes of the flight of boat people, fall of Saigon are quite vivid in my memory.

How deeply these fundamentalists are rooted in Pakistani society, compared to the military rule, or the form of democracy Pakistani military wants to bring in, is the most important question.

Can military create a populist alternative?

No doubt, Pakistani army may have played Kargil in the city center of Islamabad, and this time won it too. What is the cost? It certainly cannot be measured in terms of human lives lost alone, I am not sure anyone is counting its cost to Pakistan. Only a couple of days earlier, in response to Zeemax, I had written that Musharraff should escort these mullahs out FATA or somewhere, which is where one of the decisive battles against fundamentalist terrorism will be fought. This would have been a prudent strategy.

I suppose, sanity goes out of the window when two ideologues settle their scores. I cannot believe that Musharraff or Pakistan is so weak that either respond to every whim of the west, or east ( = China) as many are now pointing.

Isn’t there anything called Pakistani interest, Pakistani dream, or Pakistani identity? I do wonder.

#629 by tahmed32,

Your arrogance sends shudders down my spine. You can`t even see a war when it`s in front of your eyes.

#626 by tahmed32,

tahmed, look. Are you aware of all the terms negotiated last night? It was agreed with the delegation that everyone inside would be given safe passage to wherever they wanted to go EXCEPT Abdul Rashid who would be placed under house-arrest in his native Rojhan Jamali, Dera Ghazi Khan, and the due course of law would be followed. Ghazi had agreed to the due course of law for himself as well as screening of the rest for any proclaimed offenders, but had insisted on the rest being let go free.

Musharraf changed that to safe passage for ONLY Abdul Rashid and not the rest. This, he rejected and hung up the phone saying the talks were over. There were some minor points changed as well like it was agreed the Jamia would be handed over to the federation of madrassas, which was changed to the Auqaf Deptt of the Govt.

There was a press conference of the Ulema delegation today headed by the 80 years old Mufti Rafi Usmani who had arrived in a wheelchair from NY just for this. He blamed the Govt for sabotaging the talks and said all of Jamia Hafsa were `Shaheeds`.

Google.com please.

Mahatma Ghazi Amar ho gaye!