NATO Pulls A Rehman Malik, Blames ‘Taliban’ :)

U.S. suspects forces lured into Pakistan raid

(AP)  WASHINGTON – NATO forces may have been lured into attacking friendly Pakistani border posts in a calculated maneuver by the Taliban, according to preliminary U.S. military reports on the deadliest friendly fire incident with Pakistan since the Afghanistan war began.

The NATO airstrike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers over the weekend in an apparent case of mistaken identity, The Associated Press has learned.

A joint U.S.-Afghan patrol was attacked by the Taliban early Saturday morning. While pursuing the enemy in the poorly marked border area, the patrol seems to have mistaken one of the Pakistan troop outposts for a militant encampment and called in a NATO gunship and attack helicopters to open fire.

U.S. officials say the reports suggest the Taliban may have deliberately tried to provoke a cross-border firefight that would set back fragile partnerships between the U.S. and NATO forces and Pakistani soldiers at the ill-defined border. Officials described the records on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters.

Of course they too cannot lie straight! This talk of “poorly marked border area” and “the patrol seems to have mistaken one of the Pakistan troop outposts for a militant encampment” is utter BULL SHIT (see this where it  states “There are four Pakistan and Isaf Afghanistan joint coordination centres, and the attack took place despite procedures being in place, they said. They said there had been no violation by Pakistan on the Mohmand Agency border. Nato and Isaf were aware  of the border check posts in the area and had fired on them from 12:05am to 2:15am.“)

That this is all bullshit is also clear from the statement: “Officials described the records on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters”

BTW: In telling this lie, they for the first time admit it was a JOINT U.S.-AFGHAN patrol — so U.S. TROOPS WERE ON THE GROUND AT LEAST A MILE IN. And how does a foot patrol march that far in by mistake in that nasty mountain area at midnight is itself a mystery (actually it is not; here I believe the Pakistan Army that the attack was deliberate, no question about it. Why? Anyone’s guess!)

 

Enemy Within: An Open Letter to Roedad Khan

I fully agree with your main argument from today’s article titled The Enemy Within:

Pakistan’s greatest enemy today is the enemy within. “Ameer,” Quaid-e-Azam told Raja Sahib of Mahmudabad in 1948, “You have no idea of the situation here. I am surrounded by traitors”. The situation we face today is much worse. Traitors and foreign agents have captured political power with foreign support.

BUT there are a few things I’d like to mention where I don’t think you are going far enough. Good that you mention Zardari and that takes no rocket science to figure out he is one of the main problems. But how did he manage to become the President? Was it not Gen Kiyani negotiated NRO that made his return possible? Was it not your parliamentarians (PPP and “opposition”) voting unanimously to make him President? Has he not had the unwavering support of Gen. Kayani and Nawaz league that has kept him in office? Let’s not forget here that had it not been for the manipulations of both Nawaz and Kayani and Aitzaz Ahsan & Co. he would have been dragged out of the presidency had the Long March made it to Islamabad. We have “Tragedy aplenty: no drinking water, no electricity, no gas, no jobs, no cash, rampant corruption, no hope, and Zardari” because all have colluded to make it so and picking on Zardari is simplistic (let’s not forget the role bureaucracy and “free” judiciary itself has played in getting us here; they are EQUALLY as guilty).

Coming to Memogate, you state:

And to cap it all, the Memogate scandal: a dark, sinister, high-level conspiracy directed at the armed forces, a dastardly, cowardly, despicable criminal conspiracy designed to emasculate and destroy the army as a fighting force, the only shield we have against foreign aggression and the only glue that is keeping the federation together. It was an unsuccessful attempt to undermine the army’s much cherished independence and make significant changes in its decision-making system. The plan was to sweep away the existing system of command and raft of unpalatable generals and merge political and military power.

Agreed it was “a dark, sinister, high-level conspiracy directed at the armed forces, a dastardly, cowardly, despicable criminal conspiracy designed to emasculate and destroy the army as a fighting force” but tell me how is it any different from Haqqani’s previous acts? For an example, how is it any different from what he tried in Kerry-Lugar? Why wasn’t he fired right then and there? And even Kerry-Lugar was no surprise having followed his writings before he was installed Ambassador so I was baffled when the army raised no bones about that appointment. Of course I am sure you are also well aware of the visa-to-foreign-agents-without-background-checks scandal that brought here people like Raymond Davis (and care to tell me WHO was instrumental/which parties were instrumental in getting him out of jail, paying off the families of the victims and disappearing them, and putting him on a plane to US?). Let’s also not forget here the attempt made by Rehman Malik to put ISI under him. Did his head roll?

The talk of “army’s cherished independence” is of course laughable. “Independent” only if you ignore the Mullens, the Panettas, the Hillarys, the Panettas, the Holbrookes, the Pattersons, the Powells, the Munters, the Negrapontes, etc., etc., etc. And did you really forget about that phone call to Gen Musharraf back in 2001 that has directly let us here? And who was it that gave Mush a Guard of Honor and a send-off fit for a king? Isn’t it your army and the government that then covers up for them by claiming all the dead were militants (or ‘miscreants’ — Mushy’s term still popular with your independent army)? Is it not true they told every possible lie they could invent about Shamsi and are doing the same EVEN TODAY? Is it not true they told the “This is our war” lie and used to attack and kill thousands of their fellow citizens (don’t tell me you believe most of the dead are “foreign fighters”)? Have they not been constantly lying about there being “no military operation in Balochistan”?

"Indepent" head of an "independent" army, the "most powerful guy in Pakistan"

While on the subject, let’s not forget the latest calamity to befall your independent army: the NATO attack from a couple of days ago that killed some 28 soldiers. I really fail to understand what is the big deal there. Pakistanis get killed by NATO attacks EVERY DAY and no one sheds a tear. What is so special about these 28? Are they not made of the same ‘khak'(earth)? Is wearing khaki somehow turns them into some special form of humans?

Is it not a FACT that it is your independent army that provides the bases, the logistical support INCLUDING providing intelligence and targets to NATO/ISAF as to where to bomb? Is it not a FACT that the helicopters that strafed them, the fuel they burned, the bullets, the bombs, the missiles they fired, the pilots that flew them, ALL came through or flew over Karachi with the blessings of that very independent army? Is it not a FACT that the top echelon of your Army is whetted by the powers that be in U.S. and guys like Kayani would never make general (let alone COAS) if they don’t get approval from abroad? Isn’t it time we cut the bullshit and pick-and-choose “truths” we want to tell? Aren’t the biggest of lies told by telling half-truths? So either “speak up” the whole truth or shut up “since keeping silent” — and worse — telling half-truths makes you as much an “accomplice” in this sorry state we find ourselves in.

So I hope you understand why this gave me the giggles:

For people would have to speak up, since keeping silent would make them accomplices.

Ah, the irony of it all! But the sad thing is that was not the only thing. You added:

I realise what storms it is going to stir up, but truth and justice are sovereign over all else, for they alone make a nation great.

Reminded me of the oft-repeated “Let justice be done, may the heavens fall” that is popular with our supreme court justices. Well the heavens have been falling but there has been no sign of justice anywhere. CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry is happy prancing around in his bullet-proof BMW (so what if it costs people their lives) and the VVIP protocol he so much desired. Justice Ramday is happy breaking law, acquiring extensions and plots in Islamabad and is visiting Dehli right now (funny thing is the only “plot” he sees is the “plot to malign judges”. Justice Javaid Iqbal promised decision on “Missing Persons in two weeks” but that was like TWO YEARS AGO! He has since retired and that promised decision has gone missing too (but retired is a misnomer for no one ever leaves does he? He feels no shame in now getting himself installed as the head of the “Judicial Commission for the Recovery of Missing Persons” and feels no shame in stating “Number of missing persons on the rise“, that too after having stated in January that “2011 to be the year of missing persons’ recovery” (His honesty can be well gaged from the fact that before being installed to head this commission, his name was proposed by Zardari to head NAB and it was only the objection of PML-N that it did not happen. (Side Note: Interesting too is the fact that the bench comprising Justice Javaid Iqbal was the one that “disqualified the appointment of Deedar Hussain Shah as the NAB chairman” — maybe he wanted the job for himself :)). And let’s not forget about “Hai, Bhagwandas!” (though “retired” too, I am sure he has been “adjusted” somewhere too. Could be he is still the FPSC chief)

Regards!

And the Nishan-e-Haider Goes To…

…certainly NOT this bozo who came out to investigate what was going on after hearing explosions and got his ass fried (12 others died too who probably were killed in action but were ordinary soldiers and not sexy enough). Sure they are trying this exercise to create our own Jessica Lynch myth (or did he die like Pat Tillman from friendly fire?), our own Rambo, and cover their asses and trying to pretend their was some bravery shown by our armed forces (and FC and Police and Rangers who all combined to “fight” the six attackers and yet managed to kill only four, letting two escape. Yes, with hundreds of “soldiers” from four of your top security forces working jointly were engaged by the six attackers for OVER 16 HOURS and two of them still managed to escape.

So of course the choice as to who deserves the medals is simple really. I nominate for Nishad-e-Haider the four attackers who got killed and I nominate for Hilal-i-Ju’rat the two who got away.

But of course that won’t happen…Yes, that bozo WILL get the Nisha-e-Haider for army has been exposed once again as being good at only taking it up their rectom and loving it and no matter how exposed these emperors are, pretenses must be kept. Time is ripe for them to create another Rashid Minhas….

Official Stories:
Oh what a joke they have been…The Naval Chief’s press conference was hilarious. He not only stated “This was not a security failure” but tried his behind in a novel way by singing songs of praise for the attackers and their excellent training and how successful the security forces were in limiting damage (it was only Rs. 8 Billion’s worth of damamge and destroying Pakistan’s 80% anti-sub, anti-mining capability).

In another one, the Air Force blamed the navy for the lapse (that wasn’t there according to the Naval Chief) and the Navy guy blamed the Air Force (remember this base is run by both Air Force and Navy).

Rehman Malik of course had his clown hat on as usual and proudly proclaimed they got four of the six so no worries. He of course blamed every one — Taliban, Al-Qaida, foreign forces, etc. and excused the intrusion because “there was a 35-degree blind spot in the security camera coverage which the attackers used to trespas” (Hmmm….if they knew there was a such a HUGE blindspot, why didn’t they cover it with another camera? Hardly would have made a dent in the monstrous defense budget that easily pays for a Rs 85 million bulletproof BMW for the naval chief).

Interesting, seeing that the nuber of attackers being only six looks really bad, they have tried to divert blame by now raising that number to twelve (that’s the number they put in the FIR) as if that justifies the failure of the base security. Hardly. In fact it makes them look even worse because that means not two but eight attackers got away. Wht bloody morons!

What the Army/FC/Police/Rangers are good at:
Shooting unarmed citizens….Please watch EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE. You owe it to the victims….











And one just to expose another lie:

Indict ‘Em? I Say Honor ‘Em!

While the case against two accused in the attack on Musharraf has fallen apart, nn anti-terrorism court has found yet another man to indict for the attack back in 2003. That Musharraf was a traitor, there is no doubt, so how can trying to get rid of the bastard be  a crime?

Note: Last night all the news channels were running a strip quoting Nawaz Sharif calling those to helped Musharraf escape as “traitors” as well. Curiously today I can not find a single story mentioning the same.