WikiLeaks' Fallout for U.S.-Pakistan Ties [audio], Council on Foreign Relations, 30 July 2010
EXCERPT: "The classified U.S. military documents related to the war in Afghanistan leaked by WikiLeaks.org paint a grim picture of collusion between Pakistan's intelligence service, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and members of the Afghan Taliban. While the allegations laid out in the documents--that the ISI supports Taliban insurgents fighting U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan--may not be new, they exacerbated strains in U.S.-Pakistan relations. In Pakistan, the allegations feed a growing paranoia that the leaks are part of a 'conspiracy aimed at damaging the Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship, which is in a nascent stage, as well as the U.S.-Pakistan relationship,' says Shuja Nawaz, director of the South Asia Center at the Washington-based Atlantic Council. In the United States, the allegations will raise 'new question marks in the American public, the American media, and the American Congress about the reliability of our Pakistani partner,' says Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution. However, the Obama administration understands 'this relationship is absolutely vital not just to the stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan but to the stability of all of South and Central Asia,' says Riedel, who also chaired the review of U.S. policy on Pakistan and Afghanistan for the administration in 2009."
Read the full story.
Related articles:
Despite vast US aid, Pakistan likes Al Qaeda more than America, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 July 2010
Leaks highlight Pakistan’s Afghan quest, The Financial Times, 30 July 2010
Get tough on Pakistan, Newsweek, 30 July 2010
The AfPak War via WikiLeaks, OpenDemocracy, 29 July 2010
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Pakistan Aids Insurgency in Afghanistan: Leaked Reports, 26 July 2010
Pakistan in the danger zone: A tenuous US-Pakistan relationship, 29 June 2010
Negotiating with the Taliban: Issues and prospects, 28 June 2010
ISI trains, funds, and supplies Taliban: Report, 14 June 2010
US praises Pakistan's "excellent cooperation"; Security pledge made, 19 May 2010
Targeted Karachi Killings Lead to Calls to Disarm City, Central Asia Online, 28 July 2010
EXCERPT: "Disarming Karachi is essential to control the city’s skyrocketing rate of assassinations, analysts say. Worried about increases in targeted killings, political observers are demanding that the government de-weaponise the city and divert funds into economic policies, such as reducing poverty and increasing job opportunities, to curb the violence. The government has formed a committee to look into implementation of a de-weaponisation programme, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said, adding the government has ordered a judicial enquiry into the increase in targeted killings from January 2010 until the present. About 42 people were killed July 21-26. Some of the dead were affiliated with the Awami National Party (ANP), the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Punjabi Pashtun Ittehad (PPI); most were not political activists. The MQM and ANP have blamed each other for the recent violence, but Federal Home Minister Rehman Malik rejected accusations of either party’s involvement and instead denounced the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). 'People from different castes, creeds and backgrounds live in the city in harmony, but terrorists want to spark violence on an ethnic basis in order to achieve their dirty motives,' Malik said. [...] 'In the first six months of this year, 889 people have been murdered, of which some 260 were targeted in the city,' Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) data indicate. "
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SHC demands comment on target killings, The Express Tribune, 30 July 2010
Sindh govt establishes tribunal to investigate Karachi killings, DAWN, 27 July 2010
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Following a "spate of targeted killings", Karachi begins crackdown on "criminal elements", 27 July 2010
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200
arrested after political killings in Karachi, 20 May 2010
Targeted
killings, ethnic violence plague Karachi, 25 January 2010
Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Growing International Focus and Its Links with al-Qaeda, The Jamestown Foundation //
Terrorism Monitor, 29 July 2010
EXCERPT: "Recent revelations that several so-called 'home-grown militants' connected to terrorist plots in Europe, North America and Australia had passed through camps controlled by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have generated growing concern that the group may be emerging as a new global actor working in collaboration with al-Qaeda. Compounding these fears is evidence that LeT’s ideological and operational focus is now going well beyond the liberation of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the foment of an Islamist revolution in India. However, while ties with al-Qaeda cannot be fully discounted, LeT’s close relationship with the Pakistani state combined with its fabled discipline and tight organizational cohesion would seem to suggest that it is not (yet) morphing into another affiliate of Bin Laden’s global Islamist enterprise. [...] Although the LeT has always promoted an international agenda (promising, for instance, to plant the Islamic flag in the capitals of the United States, Russia and Israel), it has mostly focused its activities on local and regional theaters. Today, there is as much emphasis given to fighting Washington and allied governments supportive of the global war on terror as on staging attacks in India and J&K. [12] This shift in focus is arguably supported by LeT’s alleged involvement in the aforementioned attacks and other plots in the UK, Australia and Bangladesh."
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Related articles:
Lashkar-e-Taiba has become global threat: Admiral Mullen, Times of India, 25 July 2010
India fears LeT strike at Commonwealth Games: Report, The Hindu, 25 July 2010
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LeT seeks to destabilise South Asia, ISI-Taliban links a problem: Holbrooke, 22 July 2010
Pakistan bans 23 Militant outfits, 6 July 2010
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US
worries LeT might trigger India-Pakistan war, 11 March 2010
Lashkar-e-Taiba:
One year after Mumbai, 26 November 2009
EXCERPT: "Combating militant violence—particularly within South Asia and the Middle East—stands at the top of the international security agenda. Despite the extensive literature on the determinants of political attitudes, little is known about who supports militant organizations and why. To address this gap we conducted a 6000-person, nationally-representative survey of Pakistanis that measures affect towards four important militant organizations. We apply a novel measurement strategy to mitigate social desirability bias and item non-response, which plagued previous surveys due to the sensitive nature of militancy. Our study reveals key patterns of support for militancy. First, Pakistanis exhibit negative affect toward all four militant organizations, with those from areas where groups have been most active disliking them the most. Second, personal religiosity does not predict support, although views about what constitutes jihad do. Third, wealthy Pakistanis and those who support core democratic rights are more supportive of militant organizations than others. Longstanding arguments tying support for violent political organizations to individuals’ economic prospects or attitudes towards democracy—and the subsequent policy recommendations—may require substantial revision."
Read the full report [pdf].
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Development vital to eliminate extremism: Zardari, The Daily Times, 20 July 2010
Education and militancy, DAWN, 18 July 2010
Analysis: Terrorism and religious identities, The Daily Times, 6 July 2010
Sufi teachings can counter extremism: Zardari, DAWN, 16 March 2010
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Beyond madrasas: Assessing the links between education and militancy in Pakistan, 23 June 2010
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Pakistan: The next generation, 25 November 2009
Lack of basic education fuels rise in Taliban, extremism, 9 November 2009
Pakistan Furious about Cameron's Terrorism Allegations, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 29 July 2010
EXCERPT: "A diplomatic row has broken out between the United Kingdom and Pakistan after U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron accused elements of Pakistan's security and intelligence services of promoting the export of terrorism. Pakistani officials are reportedly furious about Cameron's remarks and say they have damaged the prospects for regional peace. Speaking in Bangalore on July 28, Cameron opened a diplomatic rift between Islamabad and London when he suggested that Pakistan is 'looking both ways' on exporting terrorism while demanding respect as a democracy. [...] With his visit aimed at improving economic links between India and the United Kingdom, Cameron named several terrorism groups that, according to India, are sponsored by Pakistan -- including the Taliban, the Haqqani network, and Lashkar-e Taiba. [...] Meanwhile, Afghan President Hamid Karzai entered into the diplomatic fray on July 29, questioning why, with so many intelligence reports about links between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and the Taliban, NATO does not carry out more attacks against militants who have 'sanctuaries, sources of funding, and training' in Pakistan. [...] Pakistani lawmaker Khurshid Ahmad, vice president of the Islamist Jamaat-e Islami party, said 90 percent of the reports alleging Pakistani links with militants were 'attributed to Afghan intelligence agencies, whose reports are totally unreliable and fabricated.' Ahmad said it was 'unacceptable' for Cameron to make his statements about Pakistan on the basis of such reports.
Read the full story.
Related articles:
Pakistanis irate over PM's 'exporting terror' remark, The Independent, 29 July 2010
Cameron escapes diplomatic crisis with Pakistan, Financial Times, 29 July 2010
David Cameron defends 'frank' comments about Pakistan, BBC News, 29 July 2010
British HC summoned, will demand explanation: Qureshi, DAWN, 29 July 2010
Why David Cameron's words disappoint Pakistan [OpEd by High Commissioner of Pakistan for UK], The Guardian, 28 July 2010
Related posts:
Afghanistan, Pakistan get higher priority at DfID, 26 May 2010
UK to provide £665 million in aid over four years, 9 April 2010
Pakistan's PM denies Bin Laden in Pakistan, UK pledges $83 million, 3 December 2009
Pakistan must do more: UK, 30 November 2009
Pakistanis "Less Wary" of Taliban, Al Jazeera, 29 July 2010
EXCERPT: "Fewer Pakistanis are concerned about armed groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda, according to a new survey from the US-based Pew research centre.Such groups remain deeply unpopular in Pakistan, and a majority of the Pakistani public views them as a threat, but they are viewed slightly more favourably than last year, Pew's results indicated. The survey also found that US drone strikes remain deeply unpopular; that most Pakistanis want the US to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan; and that few expect their country's struggling economy to improve over the next 12 months. Pew polled 2,000 people in Pakistan's four provinces, but it did not poll residents of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which have borne the brunt of the fighting between the government and armed groups. Parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces were not polled because of security concerns. [...] Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they were "very worried" or "somewhat worried" about "extremist groups" taking control of the country, down from 69 per cent last year. More than half of respondents called India their greatest threat, although a vast majority also supported increased trade and better relations with their neighbour to the east. [...] Pew also found widespread dissatisfication with the state of domestic affairs in Pakistan: 84 per cent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the state of the country."
Read the full story.
Read the full report.
Read the report overview.
Related articles:
Public perceptions of Pakistan’s war against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, University of Western Australia, March 2010
Pakistani public opinion: Growing concerns about extremism, Continuing Discontent with U.S., Pew Research Center, 13 August 2009
Related posts:
90% dislike Taliban, most see country in crisis: Survey, 18 June 2010
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Pakistan General Balances All Sides of Conflict, Associated Press, 29 July 2010
EXCERPT: "As the U.S. searches for an exit from Afghanistan, it is increasingly relying on Pakistan's powerful army chief to help pave the way — despite fresh allegations that spies under his command have long aided the Taliban. Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's critical role in the Afghan conflict was reinforced this month when the civilian government extended his term by three years. Kayani, 58, is known to be popular among U.S. and NATO generals who have sought to enlist his help in battling militants along the country's border with Afghanistan. So crucial is Kayani to the American war effort that when classified documents were posted by Wikileaks this week suggesting that Pakistani spies led by Kayani had colluded with the Taliban, the Obama administration didn't utter a word of opprobrium against him publicly. [...] Analysts believe talk of dubious alliances shows Kayani's desire to put Pakistan's interests first, no matter what that means for Washington or Kabul."
Read the full story.
Related articles:
Kayani's gambit, The Economist, 29 July 2010
Stand by your man, The Economist, 28 July 2010
Kayani, a man for many seasons, Foreign Policy // The AfPak Channel, 23 July 2010
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Pakistan's chief spy to stay on another year, 11 March 2010
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The
Pakistan military: Change and continuity, 16 October 2009
EXCERPT: "The US Congress has overwhelmingly rejected a resolution demanding the withdrawal of US troops from Pakistan. The measure, moved in the House of Representatives, was sponsored by two anti-war Republican congressmen — Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) and Ron Paul (Texas) — and was in reaction to reports that the US was running a secret war in Pakistan. The lawmakers argued that any war effort not approved by Congress violated the War Powers Act. It was voted down 38-372. Thirty-two Democrats and six Republicans voted for the measure. Four congressmen voted 'present', three Democrats and one Republican. The vote took place days after newspapers published leaked documents suggesting that Pakistani intelligence had cooperated with extremist groups while simultaneously accepting US aid to fight terror. [...] Mr Kucinich introduced a similar resolution earlier this year calling for immediate withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. It too was rejected overwhelmingly."
Read the full story.
Related articles:
US House defeats resolution for removal of US troops from Pak, Hindustan Times, 28 July 2010
War funding OKd after debate detour, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2010
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US lawmakers want troops out of Pakistan, 26 July 2010
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US forces conducted secret raids into Pakistan, 22 December 2009