Pakistan's Chips in a Shady Game

Los Angeles Times ^ | May 13, 2005 | Bernard-Henri Levy

[Saberwielder]

Let's recap: The Pakistani special forces squad arrested Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Al Qaeda's third in command, on March 1, 2003, a few hours before informing the Americans that Pakistan would not back a resolution in favor of the war in Iraq.

They arrested Yasser Jazeeri, another key Al Qaeda operative, in March 2003, a few months before Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf visited Camp David, where he was promised foreign aid to the unprecedented tune of $3 billion.

In March 2002, they collared Abu Zubeida, Al Qaeda operations chief, and they did this during a big U.S. congressional debate on the question of foreign aid to Pakistan, as well as on delivering the F-16 fighter jets that had been held back by the Pentagon because of Pakistan's nuclear ambitions. (The delivery of the jets was even more hotly debated because it was at the top of the list of demands made by Daniel Pearl's kidnappers.)

Months later, on Sept. 11, the Pakistanis chose the first anniversary of the destruction of the twin towers in Manhattan to announce the arrest of Ramzi Binalshib — one of the conceivers and coordinators of the 9/11 attacks — in a residential neighborhood in Karachi where he had been living almost openly.

And now it's Abu Faraj Farj, also known as Abu Faraj Libbi, another high Al Qaeda commander. He was captured under mysterious circumstances, but at a time charged with meaning. It is the moment, according to the Pakistani media, when the Americans have decided to make delivery of the F-16s contingent on American agents getting the right to interrogate Abdul Qadeer Khan, father of the Islamist bomb and godfather of a whole network of nuclear weapons trafficking that involves Iran, North Korea and, perhaps, Al Qaeda's laboratories near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

[Saberwielder]

Interesting piece. BHL is not your usual anti-American Frenchman, BTW.

[Saberwielder]

Ping

[razoroccam]

Thanks for the ping. Timing is everything, and Pakistan seems to have mastered that.

[Rockingham]

Good article. Part of the problem is that until recently, with the State Department run by Powell, Armitage, and liberal careerists and a weak ambassador in Pakistan, the old motto of State controlled: "hostile toward our friends, neutral toward our enemies, and friendly toward the neutrals."

[Arjun]

I am glad we have a voice of sanity out there. Mush is a chameleon and and arming him with f16's is the stupidest mistake US is making.

[Qaz_W]

Quote :

In each case, we can find a reason for this series of coincidences between the lightning-raid operations of the Pakistani armed forces and the political needs of the U.S. president.

Unquote.

Hmmm.........interesting paragraph.

[Gengis Khan]

You should read what (former minister in the Indian cabinet) Arun Shourie has to say about Pakistan. He knows Pakistan and Islam like the back of his hand and is among the very few who has a clear idea on how to take on Pakistan.

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=46723
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=70311

Or try reading his book.