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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan Touts Control of Border |
| 2003-09-02 |
| EFL MOHMAND AGENCY, Pakistan -- Until recently, this remote tribal region on the Afghan border was the last of Pakistan’s "no-go" areas, a lawless realm of parched mountains and mud-walled villages where not even the army dared to tread. Smugglers operated with impunity here, and so, some say, did the Taliban and al Qaeda. Wonder if the army feared going there or just saw no need to... But this June, Pakistani soldiers moved into Mohmand Agency, one of seven tribal areas that have been brought under government control for the first time in Pakistan’s history. The situation is now so tranquil that the army recently organized a helicopter tour for Western journalists, showcasing a well-digging project and smiling villagers bearing trays of ice-cold Pepsi-Cola. hiding the ZamZam and Mecca Cola in the back for the "good customers" "We don’t allow Taliban here," said Mohammed Shah, 45, a wiry-looking laborer who was among the well-wishers in the village of Faqir Wala. "If they come, we will throw them out." he said, reading from the script The army organized the tour to counter charges by the U.S.-backed Afghan government that Pakistan is allowing Taliban fighters to use its border areas as a base for stepped-up operations against U.S. and Afghan forces in southern and southeastern Afghanistan. Such attacks, including recent large-scale assaults on police posts, have forced aid groups to curtail some relief and reconstruction efforts and raised doubts about plans to hold national elections next year. They also are a cause of growing concern in Washington. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said after a visit earlier this month to Kabul, the Afghan capital, that Pakistan was "not doing as much as it can" to secure its border with Afghanistan. Pakistani officials deny they are aiding the Taliban, saying they are committed to helping the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai while emphasizing the challenge of preventing illegal movement across the rugged frontier, much of which is not even marked. Some analysts and Western diplomats, however, are skeptical of Pakistan’s assurances. They cite In particular, Pakistani officials accuse India of using newly reopened consulates in the Afghan cities of Kandahar and Jalalabad to stir up tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially along the border. "I would not say the policy has gone to overt or covert support for the Taliban, but there could be a process of benign neglect," said retired army officer Ikram Majeed Sehgal, who retains close links to Pakistan’s security establishment as the head of the country’s largest private security firm. Of course, it’s the Indos....Mossad/Jooooos too, I bet "Given the fact that the Northern Alliance has taken over, [Pakistani security forces] would not crack down [on the Taliban] with the same enthusiasm they would have a year earlier," he added. "Now their worst fears have come true. The Indians have planted themselves in Kandahar and in Jalalabad." A Western diplomat suggested that Pakistani intelligence agents still maintain "lines of communication" with fugitive Taliban leaders, who share Pakistan’s hostility toward India and the Northern Alliance. If nothing else, the diplomat added, Pakistani officials perceive such contacts as "an insurance policy" in the event that Karzai’s government fails and the Taliban returns to power in some form. So, the Paki paranoia justifies keeping the Taliban around as a countermeasure? Riiiggghhttt. Pakland is our enemy. Time to play friendly with India |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #1 When even The Post doesn't appear to buy it, you got ... ummmmmmm... credibility problems. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-9-2 11:04:04 PM |