The Marriott Bombing: ‘Pakistan’s 9/11’?

You are either withus or against us? oh the irony!!! LOL!

Pakistan let in the Taliban and AlQaida by not reinforcing their control over the border areas as the terrorists were chased out. The Taliban and AlQaida are naturally violent organizations. Now the primary targets of terrorists are clamping down on them, such as the US and UK. This cuts off the 'food supply' for their agression. When you let a wild animal in your house and the food supply runs out then the animal looks to the home owner as food.
I think this fight is beyond Pakistans capacity to handle as it is being hit on all sides and the military is not trained or willing to take on a terroist group as lethal as the Taliban, Al Qaeda and ignorant barbarian Pakistani Taliban.A dog doesn't bark in Islamabad without prior authorization from the ISI.
The death of so many people is immensely tragic.I beg to urge Pakistan's new rulers to make a sharp break with the past and join those who are fighting against terrorism. The current phase of terrorism is the result of the process of Islamization begun by Zia-ul Hua (president 1977-1988) and, significantly, continued by all his successors. May all of the victims of this senseless act rest in peace. And I would also like to offer my condolences to the families and friends of the victims.Taliban fanatics are ignorant,they even can't write their names,Pakistani society should get up raise voice aginst these stne age mentality Taliban and Govt should crush them with heavy arm.
Mwaqar

gwynne dyer is an interesting writer, whom i read quite a bit......he is an expert on military affairs:

"The senior officers who now command the US armed forces should know that this is not just wrong but hugely counter-productive. They were all taught in staff college that the best way to counter terrorism is by police work, intelligence gathering, and defensive security measures. Using military force just plays into the terrorists' hands. Indeed, it's the reaction that the terrorists are usually hoping for.

As part of their military education, American generals have even read the various memoirs, manuals and manifestos in which leading practitioners of "urban guerilla warfare" and international terrorism laid down their strategies -- and they almost always wanted to get the other side's army involved in the fight against them. Senior US officers know that, and yet with a few brave exceptions who resigned, they have swallowed their professional pride and gone along with the Bush administration's unthinking belligerence." (GD)

...i think people are hugely underestimating al-qaeda and taliban etc.......these guys are not simply a bunch of ideological nutcases who are out to indoctrinate hamidm......

they are seasoned guirella warriors and terrorists, who are working through a well-organized plan.....which seems to be working......i.e. get as many armies involved in this war as possible.....resulting in as many civilian casualities as possible....and then utilize that mayhem and the opposition to the govts. of the population, to achieve certain political and military goals......

the only hope now is that obama will get elected and (setting aside his rhetoric on afghanistan) will have a much better world-view than bush (and mccain and republicans) and will be able to unwind the mistakes made by bush......

i think the recent economic crises has taken the wind, totally, out of bush....it has done, what the defeat in iraq was unable to do......

Can we finally wake up now?

Beena,
We have actually read all this before and I don't see the point of this article at all unless you intend to say based on some TV anchor's evidence that they want to be part of Pakistan.

This is funny. Aren't the Taliban their kin? Don't these people from Bajour know who the Taliban are? Why these people never cooperated with the authorities before?

They are displaced now but I seriously doubt that they want to be part of Pakistan. They would rather live the way they have lived for centuries. As soon as things settle down they will go back and start supporting the same taliban.

So help them but please don't buy in and sell this right wing stories from the Pakistani media that is trying to blame their plight on Pakistan and is not even ready to call taliban criminals.

The friends of fundamentalists are trying to sell us fantasy. Find out what the truth is and then write about it. You are a recognized columnists/ public Intellectual and you don't need to write half baked articles.

Once upon a time it was Called Holiday Inn and it has remained my favourite eating spot for long. I held a number of seminars in the Hall where the Thai cafe now was. Then I also installed the non chemical water treatment sytems on their air conditioning system. Recently, a new cafereria Dum Pukht had opened with traditional Mughal Food. Yesterday, after the evening Mass I debated whether to go there or not. Finally I decided to stay at home and the kids left for Islamabad.

My family had barely turned the corner at 5 minutes distance when the blast took place. Thank God they were outside the range.

The spot of the explosion is so familiar. I always stopped there for a moment to pat two Labradors (golden) called Dodo and Lucy. They were sniffers and always recognised me and my daughter. Very playful indeed!

I also remember the big moustached security guard who used to hold their leash. An ex-soldier, and a veteran of 1971 and an ex-prisoner of war.

God knows how many more that I knew are no more. The tall concierge dressed in red, the Valet drivers, page boys and the scanning machine staff.

I remember that young girl at the entrance next to the Chinese Restaurant Dynasty. She must have been right next to where the big crater is now. She always had that typical greeting smile across her face. I am sure she died with it.

The gentleman waiving with a small child from the fourth floor has turned out to be the ambassodor of Czech Republic. He burnt to death.

Rescue services for high rise bulidings were inadequate. No helicopters came on the roof top. Though the rescue services and Edhi were on the dot, they lacked the expertise to handle a disaster of such propotions.

The explosion has the tell tale signatures of the FIA building in Lahore and is most likely to be the work of a home grown organisation. This organisation is now known for double crossing