generalspeaking

Partners In Trust; Trustworthy Partners

The war on terror is a terrible thing. Simply because those who wage terror on others consider it their manifest destiny as a religious duty to their deity. Islam scorned is a terrible thing, for it brings down upon the heads of the unwary the thunder of death. Mind, it is not only those who battle the terrorists who are seen as ripe for sacrifice to the ideal of fanatical Islam, but Muslims themselves.

Those plentiful populations of Muslims who worship Islam as a peaceful tradition and all-encompassing way of life in their culture, their society. They die just as certainly as do the Western targets that are so much more difficult for the Islamists to reach, given the net of security carefully wrapped around the citizens of developed countries. When a terrorist break-through is achieved in the West, invariably the victims also include Muslims.

This is an incendiary war so brutal that almost everyone is seen as legitimate targets in the battle for a greater Islamic presence on the world stage. It's not quite certain that the great Prophet of Islam would wince in pain at this unfettered blood letting, but surely, Allah, he whom his worshippers claim to be a god of peace would?

The West, joined in its struggle against a mortally determined and ever-surging enemy of modernity, moderation and multi-faiths, joins hands with the most amazing partners who claim to be concerned at the abandonment of humanity by Islamists, and who claim that their butchery insults Islam, but who yet are most certainly supporters of terrorism.

Given the fact that fundamentalist Muslims like the Wahhabists in Saudi Arabia have spent inordinate amounts of oil wealth to establish their unbendingly stern Islamic madrassas in countries around the world, wherever Muslims have established themselves in exile from their native lands. To find new lives, discover new opportunities, bringing their sacred religion with them, fitting it into democracy.

Or not. Pakistan is one country where the madrassas raised their educational work to a fine art. And, of course, Pakistan's neighbour, Afghanistan, as well. Pakistan eagerly, willingly, Afghanistan under duress. Since out of Pakistan came the rigid application of Sharia law as practised by the Taliban. Another way to control its neighbour, and at the earliest opportunity, absorb it.

Not all things work out as they're meant to. Al Qaeda pre-empted that plan, exercising their own agenda on 9-11, which brought the United States swooping down upon a governing Taliban refusing to render to the Americans the personage of Osama bin Laden and his cohorts. The U.S. and its UN and NATO-allied forces disturbed those plans, but acquired the helpful acquiescence of Pakistan in their war.

That's Pakistan, angrily aggressive about India's ownership of Kashmir, and certain it deserved a greater share of the Punjab, raging against its nuclear-sharing neighbour, and by extension Afghanistan as well. The land of the pure, is intent on exercising its pure determination to expand its territories. It's also exceedingly generous with its allies, rogue countries like North Korea and Libya with whom it shared nuclear-enabling expertise.

Pakistan continues to encourage bombing raids inside both India and Afghanistan, the government claiming otherwise; its Army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency, well infiltrated with Islamist militants in league with and in sincere sympathy with al-Qaeda and the Pakistan Talibans operating easefully in North Waziristan, on the country's North-West border with Afghanistan.

Easy access to Afghanistan struggling to achieve some semblance of an organized, civil nation to enable its distraught population to plan for a peaceful and prosperous future. Easy access for mounting raids and planting IEDs to target UN and NATO troops attempting to forestall the Talib plans to re-take the country and re-make it once again into their own image.

The Pakistani army - new president aside, meeting in the United States with President Bush to further discuss their amicable relations - has been given firm orders by their military high command to prevent U.S. raids on Pakistani soil. The U.S., out of sheer frustration, has decided to assault the border regions to de-activate North Waziristan's tribal Talib, and their partners in militant Islam.

President Asif Ali Zardari, sending a message to the world of Pakistan's good will toward Afghanistan, even invited Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai to the ceremonies surrounding his election triumph. A solemn occasion of celebration for the Pakistan Peoples Party, that included its friend and neighbour. What a convoluted relationship, not to mention that between surly Pakistan and perplexed America.

The truth on the ground is that the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, who is generally regarded as being responsible for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and the suicide bombing in Spain, is so assured of his personal safety and his strength as a fighter for Islam that he held a recent press conference. Baitullah Mehsud invited journalists to attend a conference in South Waziristan, where he would address them.

The invitation was sent out two full days ahead of the planned conference. And reporters were able to use their satellite telephones to call in news resulting from the conference. The terrorists are nicely ensconced, unfearful of inconvenient interruptions of their activities by Pakistan's Army or security details. Despite that Pakistanis themselves are dying in hordes, through the never-ending work of suicide bombers.

Violence is on the increase both within and without Pakistan. Al-Qaeda is sitting comfortably, as honoured guests of the tribal Taliban. Sending out occasional messages of support for their terror cells all over the world, exhorting them to greater efforts in plying their trade of bloodshed and terror, from Africa to Europe, from the Middle East to North America.

Pakistan most certainly appreciates the billions of dollars in aid funding received from a generous United States' treasury, representing a kindly gift in recognition of Pakistan's invaluable contribution to the war on terror.

Labels: Political Realities, Terrorism, World Crises

posted by Pieface @ Friday, September 19, 2008