Judging by news reports the situation in Pakistan is seemingly becoming more precarious with some believing it’s not a matter of if but when Pakistan collapses under the threat of the fundamentalist Taliban and their allies. It seems the Pakistani Government was ill-advised at best and naive at worst in brokering a peace deal with the Taliban over the Swat Valley – formerly a tourist mecca filled with ski resorts and called “theSwitzerland of Pakistan”, just 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad. What’s followed has been a series of abuses and injustices under the guise of Sharia Law and an emboldened Taliban who have increasingly come to believe that they can take on and defeat Pakistani forces and in doing so gain more land and power within the nation – now almost within sight of their main goal, the capital Islamabad. And, lately it seems that they have been largely successful – despite Army offensives – in doing so.
Photograph depicting a girl being held down and flogged by 3 men in the Swat Valley as punishment for her perceived 'crime'
What’s at stake is too scary to imagine. You’re looking at the sixth most populous nation on Earth with the second largest Muslim population behind Indonesia already in possession of up to 100 nuclear warheads. A nation strategically located in Southwest Asia, next to India to the east, China to the north and Afghanistan and Iran to the northwest and west. Pakistan has long had to deal with fundamentalist minorities within the population, particularly in the North-West Frontier Province and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas, which have long been hotbeds of fundamentalism with loose Government control and known to have housed and sheltered Islamic fundamentalists and militants such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The nation has long clashed with India – three major conflicts have been fought between the two since 1945 – where a shaky peace holds but, should the Taliban gain control, this fragile peace would almost certainly be broken in probably the most violent of fashions.
So, why hasn’t Pakistan done enough in the past to adequately address this problem? Well, it seems to be a case of Pakistan not having enough of any or all of the following: resources, intelligence, conscience, support, courage, stamina and know-how to adequately tackle the problem of fundamentalists within the nation, particularly along its western and northwestern fringes. The result of which has led us to now where if the worse case scenarios are to be believed, we could be just days away from a full-scale civil war and possibly weeks away from nuclear warheads being under the control Islamic fundamentalists.
That’s why the stakes are so high in Pakistan – stakes that make Afghanistan and Iraq pale into insignificance – and why the Governments of the US, India, Russia, Europe and China should be doing all they can to assist the Pakistani Government and its military in its time of need as the risk of this country collapsing under the weight of fundamentalism is a scary prospect indeed and would have widespread and almost instanteous ramifications worldwide, particularly across the Middle East and Indian sub-continent.
Let’s hope Pakistan can get its house in order for there is an awful lot at stake should they fail to do so.
Barack Obama himself gave the order for snipers to take out the three remaining Somali pirates holding captain Richard Phillips and the Maersk Alabama cargo ship hostage. The order was given as the situation was becoming increasingly protracted with the possibility of the captain being killed increasing by the hour. The sharp shooters literally had seconds to execute the pirates on board a lifeboat, also holding the captain, some 30 to 40 metres away from the US naval vessel.
The increasingly armed, cocky and militant Somali pirates have vowed revenge and with over a dozen ships and 200 crewmen under their hostage, this threat can’t be taken lightly. But, given you have the world’s strongest navies in unison against you, including China, for the first time in history your odds of winning in the long run are … well, fucked really!
Came across an interesting documentary just released, entitled ‘The Obama Deception’. It’s directed by American radio talk-show host and documentary filmmaker Alex Jones and takes a very critical, at times completely alarmist, look at Barack Obama with the belief that he is merely the latest puppet of the Global elite, the hidden powers governing the true powers that be – Wall Street and the global economy, under the guise of secret organisations such as the Bilderberg Group and Trilateral Commission. The documentary examines Obama’s pre-election promises and often contradictory decisions once in power with the view that he is merely following the commands of his master, ‘The New World Order’. Early in the documentary it’s mentioned that the last President to defy the commands of his master was none other than JFK and as a result all US Presidents since have been – to varying degrees – compliant as they well know the penalty for dissension. This documentary isn’t pulling any punches – it lays it all out there as you’ll discover if you watch it!
The documentary’s very extreme and over-sensationalised in many sections, but also is very thought-provoking and eye-opening. If 10% of what is said is or turns to be true (that’s if we ever actually will know), then it will be scary enough.
Was I, along with millions of others across the US and world duped into believing Obama is any different from the Presidents before him? Is he a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Is he merely the latest puppet of Wall Street and the global elite? Was this economic downturn manufactured to tailor in widespread panic under which national Governments’ can usher in more restrictions, laws and taxes? Is human-induced Global warming a load of bs? The documentary raises these and many other compelling questions and I guess only time will tell, or perhaps we’ll continue to be too blind to see the truth – whatever it may be?
Not fully sure yet just what to believe and not believe from the nearly two hour documentary, but it was interesting all the same and definitely worth a look at:
Breaking news on CNN and on the BBC is that the Sri Lankan national cricket team has had their bus fired on by armed militants en route to play in the Second Test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. Early word is that eight Sri Lankan players have been injured as a result of the attack, though thankfully it seems most of the injuries are relatively minor at this point in time.
More news is sure to follow and no doubt the much troubled, divided nation of Pakistan is on the brink of complete collapse due to a whole range of conflicts, attacks and struggles amongst terrorists, separatists, the military and rival political factions. This news is bound to not only have strong ripple effects across the cricket world but also the entire region, and indeed the entire world.
Edit: A more recent update including video footage is located here. It seems that Sir Lankan players: Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Ajantha Mendis and Tharanga Paranavithana were amongst those injured during the attack, which involved at least 12 gunmen who came in via auto-rickshaws. More information is also located at Google News.
but I’m more than willing to make an exception for these bastards.
Not only did Imam Samudra, Amrozi Nurhasyim, and Ali Ghufronshow no remorse for their planning and execution of the 2002 Bali bombings but, they defiantly disrespected and mocked their victims and passionately defended their mass-murder corrupting their religion in doing so by calling it ‘God’s work to kill infidels’. I hope they’re laughing in hell is all I can say.
Posted by elcanguro76 
