Pakistan may be source of anthrax attacks

The Times Of India ^ | November 7th,2001 | CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

[pumacan]

TIMES NEWS NETWORK WASHINGTON: The finger of suspicion for the anthrax attack on America points to terrorists in Pakistan.
US officials disclosed on Tuesday that a letter to the American consulate in Lahore that tested positive for anthrax in preliminary checks was mailed locally in Pakistan. Hitherto, all anthrax-tainted letters have originated in the United States.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher confirmed that the Lahore letter was mailed from within Pakistan. "It came in the local mail. They had an off-site mailroom facility and it was checked, bagged, isolated there and then sent on to us for further testing," he said.

Samples from the tainted letter have since arrived in the United States for further testing by the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

Several American consulates and facilities across the world have reported receiving anthrax-tainted letters. But all of them have come via diplomatic pouches from the United States. If further tests on the Lahore letter confirm anthrax contamination, it will be the first piece of such mail not to have originated in the U.S.

That could go a long way in determining whether the anthrax attacks are the work of the domestic disaffected or international terrorist, a question that has been vexing US authorities since the first tainted letters were detected soon after the September 11 carnage.

Officials however cautioned that it was still too early to come to any conclusions. Many preliminary confirmations of anthrax presence have turned out to be negative in later tests. For US authorities to make a linkage between the Lahore letter and the anthrax attack in the US, the strain would have to be identical.

Despite the growing indications that extremist elements in Pakistan may have penetrated facilities handling weapons of mass destruction, administration officials, particularly from the state department, appear sanguine about the security aspects, and have repeatedly certified that General Musharraf has things under control.

[Gracey]

Now what I meant here to say was that without the support of government how can terrorist breed on their soil

By your calculations, the United States is one of the largest terrorist nations. We have more of them here and they've done the largest amount of damage here, some having "bred" on our soil. Does that mean they have the support of our government.???? I don't understand your rationale.

[dirtboy]

Now what I meant here to say was that without the support of government how can terrorist breed on their soil.

And this article proves that? What a crock. Once again, if the fact that a single anthrax letter was mailed in Pakistan somehow implicates the Pakistani government, then the many letters mailed in the United States must really implicate our government.

When I see someone, whether it be the Times of India or yourself, engaging in such absurd logic to implicate an entire country, my general instinct is that both of you are engaging in propaganda. And your half-baked efforts to backtrack on this thread haven't altered my impressions one bit.

[arm958]

Thanks , everytime I say this I get flamed. Aw heck I shall say it anyhow , there are no moderate Muslims and folks agree with me.

I know exactly how you feel. However, I must disagree. Although I have big problems with Islam, there are moderate Muslims out there. I spent a night on duty with a Muslim, Turkish Air Force officer last week. I know this guy and we spent a lot of time talking about what's going down in Afghanistan. This guy's on our side, and he is absolutely disgusted with the radical elements who have hijacked his religion. That being said, in my previous position, I worked closely with a native Pakistani, now a U.S. citizen and uniformed U.S. soldier, who is also a devout Muslim. Although I liked the guy, I was never certain of where his sympathies lay.

Islam is an aggressive religion which has a hard time coexisting with non-Muslims. That's a generalization, but I believe it's a correct one. Not all Muslims are haters of Christans, Jews, and Americans though.

[pumacan]

Then say that clearly, instead of insinuating that there is some kind of state-sponsorship to the anthrax attack - because by that logic, since most of the anthrax letters were mailed in the United States, the United States must therefore be sheltering the terrorists. Do you see how absurd that "logic" really is?

Looks like you got it all wrong.
Let me clarify. Pakistan is under military coup. It is not represented by peoples mandate. So now when we refer to Pakistan it doesn't mean that we are referring to all the peoples of Pakistan.

However I do agree with you that it's kinda misleading in one way. I should have said Pakistan government rather than Pakistan.

[Bigg Red]

Man! Now those right wing extremists are hanging out in Pakistan!

[dirtboy]

I should have said Pakistan government rather than Pakistan.

Ya just proved my point. Once again, tell me how a single letter mailed in Pakistan implicates the government of Pakistan of state-sponsorship of bioterrorism. After all, we've had several letters mailed from the United States, so is the U.S. a major sponsor of terrorism upon itself? Usually, absurd logic is the tool of the propagandist.

[Dog Gone]

Pakistan has done a great deal to help us in our effort against bin Laden. I fully understand the animosity between India and Pakistan which goes back for years.

But I am getting sick of the anti-Pakistan propaganda which is posted here on a daily basis. General Musharraf has a difficult challenge in keeping his population under control. So far he has done a commendable job and the steps he has taken so far in support of the United States deserve praise, not this kind of propaganda smear.

I applaud the new relationship we are developing with India as well, and their contribution to the war effort is very significant, too. But it is in OUR interest for these two countries to give their hostility toward each other a rest. This kind of post is NOT in America's interest.

[pumacan]

"Once again, tell me how a single letter mailed in Pakistan implicates the government of Pakistan of state-sponsorship of bioterrorism."

We are not here to prove anything neither are we suppose to. We are here to expess our views.

Please read the header again "Pakistan may be source of Anthrax attacks". It the same way we hear congress men saying IRAQ could be the source. It has not been proved yet. So don't feel offended. Take the forum in the right attitude. BTW thanks for sharing your views.

[constable tom]

But that doesn't mean that the whole Pakistan is involved in this. There is a big difference between pointing people who supports and harbor terrorism against a whole nation who also have peace desiring people.

Considering that the ISI was the prime sponsor of the Taliban, isn't it possible that there are some current/former members of ISI who are not in agreement with Musharraf, who might have had access to anthrax, and who might want to destabilize Musharraf's government?

[gumbo]

General Musharraf has a difficult challenge in keeping his population under control. So far he has done a commendable job and the steps he has taken so far in support of the United States deserve praise, not this kind of propaganda smear.

I haven't seen any "smear" against General Musharraf. Where do you see this?

I do not think it is at all fetched, or even wicked as you imply, for us to question some elements of the government in Pakistan. What do you have to say regarding the alleged betrayal of Abdul Haq by operatives within the Pakistani government?

[dirtboy]

We are not here to prove anything neither are we suppose to. We are here to expess our views.

So in other words, you have absolutely no intention of backing up your premises or defending your logic. Hate to tell you this, newbie, but your views on this forum ain't worth squat if you can't defend them.

Please read the header again "Pakistan may be source of Anthrax attacks".

I wasn't talking about the headline. I WAS TALKING ABOUT YOUR SUBSEQUENT ASSERTIONS. And you have assiduously avoided my challenge to your assertions.

So don't feel offended. Take the forum in the right attitude.

This forum is not an open mike to spread propaganda - don't tell the old-timers how this forum is supposed to work.

BTW thanks for sharing your views.

Well, no thanks to your efforts to spread propaganda on this site, and you're a coward for cutting and running like you just did.

[gumbo]

Make that, "I do not think it is at all far-fetched..."

[pumacan]

Considering that the ISI was the prime sponsor of the Taliban, isn't it possible that there are some current/former members of ISI who are not in agreement with Musharraf, who might have had access to anthrax, and who might want to destabilize Musharraf's government?

Exactly. That was my point. Apart from the terrorist groups there are other members(government,ex-government or non-government officials) who are supporting them to carry out terrorism.

[dirtboy]

Hey, gumbo, pumacan just cut and ran with this lame response without defending his assertions:

We are not here to prove anything neither are we suppose to. We are here to expess our views.

I rest my case. And he tried to pin this attack on the Pakistani government, so my position becomes even clearer. You can defend him if you want, but you're wasting time...

[gumbo]

Hate to tell you this, newbie, but your views on this forum ain't worth squat if you can't defend them.

Sheesh, dirtboy, what did you put in your coffee this morning?

pumacan might have been a little more clear in his comment regarding Pakistan, but he's committed no great crime against humanity or logic.

I've agreed with you on a lot of your posts, but I think you're over the line here.

[dirtboy]

Apart from the terrorist groups there are other members(government,ex-government or non-government officials) who are supporting them to carry out terrorism.

But, once again, the fact that a letter was mailed in Pakistan does not provide any evidence of state-sponsored terrorism by Pakistan. You are now trying to shift the story away from your flawed allegations.

[dirtboy]

I've agreed with you on a lot of your posts, but I think you're over the line here.

So you consider it OK to make a flawed allegation and then refuse to defend it? I don't.

[gumbo]

he tried to pin this attack on the Pakistani government

Well, like I said in post 50, I son't think it is so far-fetched to think there may be some elements in the Pakistani government who ARE involved in state-sponsored terrorism.

You haven't answered my question about Abdul Haq. Do you think some elements of the government in Pakistan weren't complicit in his betrayal and murder?

[Ada Coddington]

hmmmm........Pakistan seems to be more capable than we previously thought.

At one point the Fibbies were seeking a Paki for questioning in the Trenton mailings.

If Pakistan is the souce of the problem, it will be covered over until we don't need them any more.

[dirtboy]

You haven't answered my question about Abdul Haq. Do you think some elements of the government in Pakistan weren't complicit in his betrayal and murder?

I have no idea, as I haven't read up on that matter - in case you didn't notice, I wasn't the one who posted that, Dog Gone did. But, once again, what does that have to do with the assertion that a single anthrax letter mailed in Pakistan somehow implicates the Pakistani government of state sponsorship of terrorism?