Comments on Ongoing Debate about ISI in the Afghan War

Fuzair sahib,

Re: #64

I am no military expert nor ever been in Pakistan. But here's m2c.

Yes, the Paki Army men are loathe to fight the havayoons who they have learned to treat over the years as fellow mujahideens. Besdies many of them are Pathans and loathe to fire at fellow Pathans.

But there is something more. Mush deliberately ensured the "defeat" of Pak Army in Nov 2007 to create a climate of crisis wherein he could impose emergency and get his Westerns backers to back him by painting a "apres moi le deluge" kind of scenario. But now that his election has been secured, Pak Army is back to winning ways. Look at the speed with which the havayoons have been beaten in Swat post-emergency.

It is not that it is all hunky dory, the havayoons will continue to occupy large swathe of the mountains and also create havoc by terrorist attacks but the golden days of November where they were occupying one town after another is gone.

Regards

Re: # 64---Quality of the army's leadership has gone down.It is into big deals like real estate etc.In the 1980s and 1990s the army was lucky in not getting into internal trouble.Now when it seems to be on wrong side of Pakistan's so called Islamic ideology it is in trouble.The Malik system in which you could negotiate with a few key persons as well as the trbal Khan system collapsed in both Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1980s and 1990s because of the so called Jihad and Al Qaeda .Now the leadership of the resistance is more ideological and cannot be bought with subsidies.There may also be a superpower design to consolidate all Pashtuns in one country.

The generals of today cannot be compared to Eftikhar etc.Deterioration started after 1971 and is continuing.The army is fast losing its military virtue and this has been seen in Waziristan.I could see this even in 2003 when I wrote Why Waziristan could be conquered.The army has now lost its deterrent value.It no longer inspires that fear and respect that it did as late as 1990.Its alignment with USA against apparent Islamists has severely reduced its stature.

In revolution casualty toll is high.Neverheless the Khalqis and Parchamis are regarded as patriots by a large number of Afghans.I can see it very closely as I travel in all parts of Afghanistan.

An interesting piece. It tends to validate many of the sincere feelings that I have held for the Pakistani khaki leaders except that I have been unable to express the same with such warmth and clarity as the likes of the Nasah sahib possesses. (BTW, where the heck is he?)

where the heck is who ?

where the heck is who ?