Posted on 12/27/2008 11:34:52 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's president promised on Saturday to rid the country of terrorism and his prime minister said the military would not take action first in any face-off with India.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have deteriorated after India blamed Islamist militants based in Pakistan for the last month's attacks on Mumbai that killed 179 people.
In a sign of mounting tension, Pakistan has cancelled army leave and shifted some troops from its western border with Afghanistan to the eastern border with India.
Pakistan has condemned the Mumbai attacks and has denied any state role, blaming "non-state actors."
President Asif Ali Zardari, speaking at ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the assassination of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, said dialogue was the best way forward.
"Yes, we have none state actors...yes, they are forcing an agenda on us. But please don't fall victim because you will be the victim, we will be the victim, the region will be the victim," Zardari said.
The South Asian neighbours both tested nuclear weapons in 1998. They have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 and came to the brink of a fourth after gunmen attacked the Indian parliament in December 2001.
Although many analysts say war is unlikely, international unease is growing and the United States has urged both sides not to raise tension further. China and Iran have also tried to calm things down.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...
A somewhat strange headline.
they’ve been inflitrated
He's going to nuke the entire western half of his own country?
Well, that would be a pretty good start I suppose.
L
Pakistan's Prime Minister sounds rather like German leaders just before their invasion of Poland. In fact all of their actions are eerily reminiscent of that episode in history.
Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Pakistan was creating "war hysteria" . . . "The issue is not the defense of Pakistan, the issue is not war, the issue is the terrorist attack on Mumbai," the news agency quoted Mukherjee as saying.
Something which has somehow been lost in the bombast and polemics of the Muslims.
Do the Pakistanis actually think they can "win" a nuclear exchange? Do they think anyone can win in such an exercise?
The government has placated internal groups by supporting international terrorism. Musharraf should have taken the dozens of assassination attempts as a clue that his program wasn't working.
.....by the way, I've got a hundred bucks on the Indians if this thing heats up.
President Asif Ali Zardari would be very knowledgable about non-state actors since they represent a sizeable fraction of his own countrmen.
“non-state actors”
Just the catch phrase for terrorists. Thomas Barnett once said something like “transnational terrorists” now got a promotion and are “non-state actors”.
I will have to find the actual quote.
Pakistan's president promised on Saturday to rid the country of terrorism and his prime minister said the military would not take action first in any face-off with India... Pakistan has cancelled army leave and shifted some troops from its western border with Afghanistan to the eastern border with India... President Asif Ali Zardari, speaking at ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the assassination of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, said... "Yes, we have none state actors...yes, they are forcing an agenda on us. But please don't fall victim because you will be the victim, we will be the victim, the region will be the victim," Zardari said... They have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 and came to the brink of a fourth after gunmen attacked the Indian parliament in December 2001.Any word on who won all three of those wars? ;') After the parliament attack, it was foolish of India not to clean out its infestation of Moslems. This latest attack may be (although I kinda doubt it) enough to convince the Paki gov't that the NGOs operating within its borders (terrorist groups) need to be wiped out, and gov't control restored over the border areas with Afghanistan and Iran. They already have de facto control over the border with India, because it's Paki policy to undermine Indian control over Kashmir (which is Indian territory). Thanks Ernest!
Alright I messed up his quote:
It was:
“Down here, everybody got a promotion, ‘I’m not just a terrorist, I’m a transnational actor’ “.
Non-state actor is still a catch phrase for terrorists as being used in the article (although it can apply to other entities as well).
Pakistan could show some good will toward India by killing a few thousand radical Islamist every month for say a year or two.
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