As an increasing number of suicide attacks rock Pakistan's major cities, concerns for the country's security are rising. In recent years, many new terrorist groups have emerged, several existing groups have reconstituted themselves, and a new crop of militants has emerged, more violent and less conducive to political solutions than their predecessors.
content filter

There is no question that the United States and Pakistan should be concerned about seemingly independent Islamic terrorist organizations banning together. The fact that Jaish e-Mohammad and the Pakistani Taliban are starting to cooperate in the tribal regions despite their differing agendas (one is primarily an anti-Indian proxy force used by the Pakistani Government, while the latter is a group totally opposed to Islamabad). An alliance that brings together these various groups will only make the Pakistani Government's job more difficult in the coming months. Likewise, cooperation between numerous Pakistan-based terrorist organizations could have the potential of confusing Washington as to who the real enemy is.

But does it dawn on anyone that perhaps this situation is a product of a common enemy (the United States and Pakistan) rather than a common ideological bond? Granted, all of these groups are vehemently anti-Shia in their orientation, and most are heavily critical (if downright opposed) to Pakistan's current policies. But most of these groups- regardless of their Sunni ethnicity- still have different agendas. Jaish e-Mohammad and Lashar e-Taiba view India as their number one adversary, whereas the Haqqani network and (increasingly) the Pakistani Taliban are directing most of their operations against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

In the long run, these different objectives will overpower any bonds of commonality between them. Once the United States departs from Afghanistan in July of 2011, the fragile alliance that once connected these terrorist organizations will evaporate. Let's not pretend that this new alliance between Pakistan's Islamic extremists is a genuine partnership.

http://www.depetris.wordpress.com

Yeah man Orange like I totally agree with you except you should not expect children to learn both java and .net when we see that web is the next biggest,coolest thing (again !) and they should learn web development and HTML 5, PHP, Javascript and CSS programming.

PEace

i am afraid sikis terror

Good piece Imtiaz sahib. But there's enough room for covering a number of related factors. For example a faction of army and ISI that still consider Taiban as their strategic assets to deal with Indo-Russian forces in a post-NATO Afghanistan as well as to use them against pro-Indian regime whether or not Americans have left this region.

We also need to take into account the escape of Hakeemullah Mehsud from the war zone right in the middle if the war, when Pak Army and intelligence agencies were expected to have at least some kind of picketting grip around the war zone. It raises many questions when we watch videos of Army Investigative Vells generously distributed to social networking sites in which some army personnel were investigating (read beating) some of the pakhtun suspects. Has infilteration in Pak Army gone to that dangerous depth? Or some of the groups / individual from within army wanted to win public sympathies for the suspects? In both the cases, Pak Army's image and credibility is at stake.

Moreover, you probably fumbled while counting the number of terrorist attacks from 1995 to 2002. The number wad, I'm afraid quite high than the trumpeted figure of one (by pro-establishment / Taliban leaders and media persons). My source is Pakistani and international newspapers and hospital records. I'd be interested to know your source. Many thanks.

Nobody forced Pakistani government to facilitate relocation of Osama bin Laden from Sudan to Afghanistan in 1996. Democratic government of Pakistan chose to do so of its own free will.

Ex-CIA official Bruce Riedel said in an interview on 1/29/2009 that ''In Pakistan, the jihadist Frankenstein monster that was created by the Pakistani army and the Pakistani intelligence service, is now increasingly turning on its creators. It's trying to take over the laboratory.'' Pakistani Army and Intelligence Service (ISI) chose to create this ‘jihadist Frankenstein monster’ with full blessings and financing by Pakistan ’s democratic governments in 1990s.

Sandy Berger, Bill Clinton’s national security advisor told 9/11 Commission in March, 2004 that ’Pakistani Army was the midwife of Taliban’.

Declassified DIA Washington D.C., "IIR (intelligence Information Report) Pakistan Involvement in Afghanistan ," dated November 7, 1996 states how " Pakistan 's ISI is heavily involved in Afghanistan ," and also details different roles various ISI officers play in Afghanistan . Stating that Pakistan uses sizable numbers of its Pashtun-based Frontier Corps in Taliban-run operations in Afghanistan , the document clarifies that, "these Frontier Corps elements are utilized in command and control; training; and when necessary combat“.

Declassified U.S. Department of State, Cable "Pakistan Support for Taliban" from Islamabad dated Sept. 26, 2000 states that "while Pakistani support for the Taliban has been long-standing, the magnitude of recent support is unprecedented." In response Washington orders the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad to immediately confront Pakistani officials on the issue and to advise Islamabad that the U.S. has "seen reports that Pakistan is providing the Taliban with materiel, fuel, funding, technical assistance and military advisors. [The Department] also understand[s] that large numbers of Pakistani nationals have recently moved into Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban, apparently with the tacit acquiescence of the Pakistani government." Additional reports indicate that direct Pakistani involvement in Taliban military operations has increased.

So Pakistan is suffering from self-inflicted wounds created by its own military as well as democratic governments and will contonue to suffer as long as it shelters, harbors, supports and nurtures innmerable terrorrist outfits on its soil.