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| Afghanistan |
| Pak Arms Donation Signals Stake in Afghanistan |
| 2003-02-21 |
| Pakistan's donation this week of arms and ammunition to the Afghan National Army signifies yet another move to strengthen its influence in the post-Taliban government in Afghanistan and ensure it remains friendly to Islamabad, experts in Islamabad say. Pakland makes a donation of arms and ammunition to Afghanistan. They're loading a barge with coal to donate to Newcastle, too. And there's a planeload of chocolate on its way to Hersey, PA... The donation of a large quantity of arms and ammunition to help the government of President Hamid Karzai raise its own army is in addition to the 100 million U.S. dollars that Pakistan has committed for reconstruction activities in its neighbouring country. The weapons include 5,000 submachine guns, 180 mortars, 75 rocket-propelled grenades launchers and 10,000 mortar bombs. "For me? Oh, you shouldn't have!" The official statement said that the Feb. 16 delivery of weapons is part of Islamabad's âcommitment to support and strengthen the central government, including the raising of the national army of Afghanistan''. Pakistan would be also helping train Afghan army personnel, hoping these moves will raise its stock in a country whose Taliban-led government it had backed until after the Sep. 11 attacks, which promoted Islamabad to make a diplomatic U-turn and distanced itself from the Taliban. Former foreign secretary Dr Tanvir Ahmed Khan said Islamabad's latest gestures show Pakistan's resolve to strengthen and consolidate the Karzai government, and help him expand his writ that is now challenged by dozens of warlords. Many of them financed by Pak entities — and some, we suspect, financed by Pak itself... It would be in Pakistan's strategic interest to have beside it a friendly government in Afghanistan, since Islamabad would not like to have other nations, including Iran, Russia and rival India, gain a foothold in the region. It's that "sphere of influence" thing. Pakland has delusions of becoming a great power... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #9 carried on previous comment.... have gone away. Pakistan is a self-styled leader Muslim groups of the world like those in Kashmir or Afghanistan . However, it never touches matters that are not in geographic vicinity like Muslims of Albania, Eritrea, Somalia, Myanmar, Philippines etc(a case of selective-myopia.) The arms aid,copper mining and establishing infrastructure in Afghanistan are all vestiges of a similar psyche and would also help safeguard future interests like the US$3.2-billion natural gas pipeline that will run from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and then into Pakistan. |
| Posted by: ISHMAIL 2003-02-22 04:43:35 |
| #8 Pakistan does not want to be outmatched by the Indians, realizing that the former country has more to give in terms of both economic raw material and technical expertise. Karzai himself is a graduate in Engineering from India and therefore familiar with that country. And the least to say that now Taliban (a group funded and sponsored by Pakistani intelligence agency the ISI) |
| Posted by: ISHMAIL 2003-02-22 02:48:41 |
| #7 I was in Pakistan in '71 - '72 and back then our nations were friendly to each other. Even during the War for Bangladesh we stuck by them. It was only after Bhutto was overthrown by Zia followed by our arming of the mujahaden(sp) that things started going sour. We left all those Islamists around Peshawar fully armed and once the USSR left Afghanistan, these fundamentalists were "all dressed up with no place to go". Glad I'd moved on to greener pastures by then. |
| Posted by: Fleck 2003-02-21 14:26:02 |
| #6 thanks Paul - you got it |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-02-21 13:09:30 |
| #5 Pakistan has realized that they lost big-time by backing the Taliban. Also India's been making lots of friendly gestures towards the new Afghan government. Pakistan can't let Afghanistan become a Indian ally, hence this help. Pretty good for Karzai and company if they play their cards right. |
| Posted by: John Thacker 2003-02-21 12:16:33 |
| #4 Subtile humour, Raptor. Like the "p" in swimming... |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-02-21 10:31:14 |
| #3 gunboats&submarine.I know Murat considers Americans to be Geographically ignorant.But isn't Afganistan land locked. What are they going to do with them,patrol Kabul's sewers. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-02-21 10:17:31 |
| #2 Plus some non-conventonal (and rather confused) forces in the NWFP (???). |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-02-21 09:58:21 |
| #1 they also donated several gunboats and a diesel sub |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-02-21 09:05:23 |