Could this be the end of Musharraf? From UPI, :
The southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan has turned into a battlefield with both government and armed tribesmen preparing for a major clash that could cause hundreds of deaths and start a rebellion that would be difficult to put out.Journalists who visited the area Tuesday reported that civilians had already fled a 40-mile area in and around the small tribal town of Dera Bugti.
"All one could see were hundreds of heavily armed Bugti tribesmen. Other than that, there were only signs of the heavy ordnance used -- perhaps from both sides -- in the shape of shrapnel and spent rocket shells," said BBC's Zafar Abbas in a report....
The Bugti tribe, especially its chief Nawab Akbar Bugti, demand a greater share in gas revenue and more administrative control over their area. The government says it already gives millions of dollars to the Bugti chief who uses the money to buy weapons instead of development....
Pakistan heading toward an armed rebellion while Karachi Stockmarket crashes
And the US has just approved the sale of F-16s to Pakistan:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4382735.stm
What dangerous lunacy.
JTF, I was going to post the same thing. It seems we "owe" Pakistan for helping us in the WOT. I wish our government would REALLY represent the people.
Musharaff is no ally of the US, in fact Pakistan is a safe house and safe haven for Islamists (aka Terrorists).
The Peshawar region of Pakistan (Northern part) is for all intents and purposes Afghanistan reconstituted, only the "civilian" police play the role that the beared matawain (religious police) played in Afghanistan, beating women who expose flesh, enforcing Shari'a, confiscating audio and video tapes and forbidding Music, women in Peshawar wear Burqa's.
I think JW and DW posters should invest in Sattelite TV and watch programs on link Tv such as Al Qaida's Comeback in Afghanistan
or Against My Will Honor Killings in Pakistan
The end of Musharaff will mean inevitably the necessity for Bush to confront the fact that Pakistan is not an ally, but is a conduit and enemy that has been playing both sides of the coin and acting as a conduit for Islamists, and also has been responsible for helping Iran develop it's nuclear bomb.
The Secrets of Dr Kahn
I support the view that Khan was "scapegoated" simply because he was so swiftly pardoned by Musharaff.
If Musharraf goes (either by assassination or exile) it will represent the biggest blows to U.S. foreign policy since the Iranian revolution of 1979. America's presence in the ME and central Asia is enormously dependent on Mr. Musharraf's political survival. The bad guys are very aware of this and know that America's soft underbelly is Pakistan, NOT Iraq as the leftists and appeasers here in the West claim. The war in Iraq has been a disaster for Islamic insurgents and have even fewer options as the Sunnis attempt political accomodation with the current regime. However if one switches to Pakistan, the outlook considerably brightens for the likes of al-Qaida. A very dangerous situation this is, and no doubt has Washington's full and undivided attention.
Let India take them out.
They were ready to two years ago, then the US intervened. Give India a chance to clean up....they will do a great job.
Sadly, western governments had this bizarre nudge-nudge wink-wink policy towards nuke proliferation during the cold war and with sly Chinese assistance Pak now has the Bomb.
India would dearly love to balkanize puke-istan but the Bomb changes all plans at overt military action.
Personally, methinks best case scenario is that mush falls to jihadi bullets (O yes, they're out to get him for selling out to the great satan), chaos erupts, long-suppressed nationalities {like the Baluch, the pushtuns, the shias in the Northern territories, the Kashmiris in paki Kashmir, the mohajirs, the Sindhis...You get the drift....} claim trrue self-governance and sovereignity, the Bomb is secured by waiting marines outta Diego Garcia, Chinese moves in the region are effectively checkmated, Iran goes even more unstable...
Won't be long, methinks.
I think that sometimes US don´t do good things, the best would be being an ally of India because in these lands, there aren´t people to trust, all are bad and false goverments, but US don´t do these things, why? I don´t know