Target Pakistan?

The battle for Afghanistan and Iraq may be heading for stalemate and a quagmire. The Americans are now targeting Pakistan on almost a daily basis as unmanned drones crisscross into Pakistani territory and strike targets deep inside sovereign Pakistani airspace. While the Government in Islamabad keeps mum amidst allegations that they have allowed the Americans to strike inside Pakistan but do not have the courage to tell their people for fear of a certain political death.
For over seven years American and NATO forces are on the brink of a major military defeat and have squandered hundreds of billions of dollars worth of bombs and missiles on Afghanistan, needless to say many of which have wreaked havoc amongst poor ordinary Afghan citizens across the length and breadth of that nation. A strong re-emergent Taliban in Afghanistan under the leadership of Mullah Omar has now a grip on vast stretches of the territory and have denied the Afghan Government its writ.

Faced with a dangerous situation the Americans are now intensifying their attacks inside Pakistan which tantamount to a declaration of war and which is also prompting the threat of reprisals. A fact that is already evident from the increase in attacks on supply convoys that pass through Pakistan to keep the American led campaign in the so-called war on terror.

With all that in mind one has to question why India is now beatings its drums of war after what was clearly a massive Indian Maritime and security failure to prevent a bunch of young men armed with AK 47 Assault rifles. New Delhi blamed Pakistan. The initial knee jerk response from the Indian media about Pakistani involvement has polluted the air and obscured the truth. Many here are convinced that the group has an internal Indian dimension to it and may even be staged by the Hindu right wing BJP party which has been spitting venom against the Muslims and is directly involved in the massacre of thousands of Muslims in Gujarat State, besides covering up the role of extremist Hindu groups who have now been able to penetrate the Indian intelligence and military setup.

Islamic fundamentalism may be one thing but extremist Indian groups like the RSS, Shive Sena and the larger BJP is for all to see and gauge. So what are we to make of it and why is India now bent upon demanding the handover of 20 people that India alleges are involved in destabilizing that country. A list that goes back to 1981 and includes even Sikh freedom fighters who were at the time struggling for the independence of their homeland Khalistan. But India is not the main worry. For the people of Pakistan it appears the worst may be yet to come and there are apprehensions even in concerned quarters that Americans and even the Israelis are shaping un alliance or what is now called a nexus to target Pakistan.

Written by http://www.daily.pk

Monday, 08 December 2008 17:30

Hoax call fuels Pakistan-Indian tensions

AP – Pakistani people are seen next to a building on fire at the site of an explosion in Peshawar, Pakistan, …

By MUNIR AHMED, Associated Press Writer Munir Ahmed, Associated Press Writer – Sat Dec 6, 7:15 am ET

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A man pretending to be India’s foreign minister called Pakistan’s president and talked in a “threatening” manner during the Mumbai terror attacks, prompting Pakistan to put its air force on high alert, a security official and a news report said Saturday.

Dawn newspaper said authorities were investigating the circumstances of the hoax, which occurred as tensions spiked between the nuclear-armed neighbors during the attacks.

The atrocity, which began Nov. 26, is being blamed by India on Pakistani extremists.

Indian officials were not immediately available to comment on the telephone call.

The call by a man identifying himself as Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee was put through to President Asif Ali Zardari on Nov. 28, said the security official, who declined to be identified, citing the sensitivity of the issue.

“India through diplomatic channels has informed the Pakistani Foreign Ministry that Pranab Mukherjee made no such call,” he said. “Now what still needs to be checked is who made this threatening call.”

Dawn newspaper said the country’s air force was put on high alert in response to the telephone call. It said it came from a New Delhi number, but that Indian officials believed the caller ID could have been manipulated.

A day after the call, two Pakistani security officials warned the government would pull its troops from the anti-terrorism fight along the border with Afghanistan in order to respond to any Indian military mobilization.

During a briefing, one of those officials said someone from the Indian Foreign Ministry had called “a top Pakistani personality” and threatened military action if Pakistan did not cooperate with New Delhi.

The rising tensions between the two rivals prompted an intense round of international telephone diplomacy that night and into the next day. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to Zardari and Mukherjee.

Dawn reported that Rice asked Mukherjee why he took such a threatening tone with Zardari. He replied he had had no contact with the president, the newspaper reported, in what apparently led to the hoax being uncovered.

Dawn reported that none of the normal checks on establishing callers’ identities before putting them through to the president were carried out because of the urgency of the situation during the attacks.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars in 60 years, two over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Despite improved relations since 2004, mistrust on both sides remains high.

Indian authorities say the Mumbai attackers were members of a banned Pakistani militant group that was set up by Pakistani intelligence officials to battle Indian rule in Kashmir.

Pakistan says it has yet to see any proof of New Delhi’s allegations but is prepared to cooperate with India. It has denied any of its state agencies were involved in the attacks, noting it too is a victim of terrorism.

In the latest attack, a car bombing Friday in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed 29 people and wounded 100 more. The blast wrecked a Shiite Muslim mosque and a hotel, but the motive and culprits were not immediately known.

Further adding to the tension in Pakistan, a suspected U.S. missile strike reportedly killed three people in a stronghold of the Taliban and al-Qaida near the border with Afghanistan, intelligence officials said.

There have been more than 30 suspected U.S. missile strikes since August, including the one Friday in the North Waziristan region, part of Pakistan’s wild tribal belt viewed as possible hiding place for al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden.

The missiles are apparently fired from drone aircraft that take off from Afghanistan. U.S. officials rarely confirm or deny responsibility, although American leaders have said the attacks have killed several militant leaders this year.

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081206/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan

Israel willing to go it alone on Iran attack

Israel is drawing up plans for an attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure that does not require America’s support, it has been claimed.

By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem
Last Updated: 7:07PM GMT 04 Dec 2008

Defence sources told the Jerusalem Post they were considering going it alone in a strike on Iran.

Conventional military thinking states that Israel would need America’s backing if only to allow Israeli warplanes to reach Iran by overflying Iraq, where the airspace is controlled by the United States Air Force.

But the paper said Israeli planners had come up with ideas that did not require support from the United States.

This comes after Ehud Olmert, the outgoing Israeli prime minister, failed to persuade President George W Bush to support an Israeli air attack in the last few months of his presidency.

It is always better to co-ordinate,” a source, described by the Jerusalme Post as a top Defense Ministry official, said.

“But we are also preparing options that do not include co-ordination.”

Israeli officials have said it would be difficult, but not impossible, to launch a strike against Iran without clear support from America.

One option would be to use Israeli submarines firing cruise missiles from off the Iranian coast in the Gulf.

Another might be to use Israel’s close links with Turkey to persuade Ankara to allow Israeli attack aircraft, air refuelling jets and pilot rescue helicopters to use Turkish airstrips.

“There are a wide range of risks one takes when embarking on such an operation,” the Jerusalem Post said.

In September, an article in ‘Defense News’ said America had recently agreed to supply an improved early warning radar system to Israel precisely because this sent a signal to Iran about Washington’s close military links with Israel.

“First, we want to put Iran on notice that we’re bolstering our capabilities throughout the region, and especially in Israel,” the article said.

“But just as important, we’re telling the Israelis, ‘Calm down, behave.

We’re doing all we can to stand by your side and strengthen defences, because at this time, we don’t want you rushing into the military option.'” In a related article at about the same time, TIME magazine raised the possibility that through the deployment of the radar, America wants to keep an eye on Israeli airspace, so that the US is not surprised if and when the IAF is sent to bomb Iran, a scenario Washington wants to avoid.

Last week, Iran’s nuclear chief Gholam Reza Aghazadeh revealed that the country was operating more than 5,000 centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz and would continue to install centrifuges and enrich uranium to produce nuclear fuel for the country’s future nuclear power plants.

“At this point, more than 5,000 centrifuges are operating in Natanz,” said Aghazadeh, who is also the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

This represents a significant increase from the 4,000 Iran had said were up and running in August at the plant.

The Islamic republic has said it plans to move toward large-scale uranium enrichment that will ultimately involve 54,000 centrifuges.

Source : http://www.telegraph.co.uk

India puts air defence on high alert Indian’s want WAR

Saturday, 29 November 2008 18:28

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the Director General of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) met here on Saturday to discuss the situation prevailing due to the recent incidents of terrorism in Mumbai.
Geo News senior correspondent Hamid Mir has said that Pakistan army officials held an important briefing session with a group of senior journalists. The military officials said that after Mumbai attacks, the Indian External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee called senior Pakistani officials and gave threats. The officials said that it seems as if Indian authorities wanted to ‘escalate’ the already fragile situation.

Considering the gravity of situation, Pakistan has made it clear to the United States of America and its allies in Europe that if India keeps blaming Pakistan for Mumbai attacks, Pakistan would have no option but to pull back its troops from the Western border to Eastern border. India has also put its air defence on high alert, they added.

According to well-placed sources, it has been made clear to the US and European Union (EU) that in case of any eventuality, India will have to suffer more than Pakistan. Mir said there are indications suggesting that Pak army is being pulled out from the Western border. Military sources also said that instead of pointing fingers at neighbours, India should address the root causes of terrorism inside its own territory.

Source : pakistan daily