Pakistan, the next target :)

Speaker and majority leaders of both chambers of the US Congress have sent a letter to President George W. Bush asking him to disengage the United States from Iraq and refocus on Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The letter, also signed by chairpersons of a dozen congressional committees, outlines the policies of the Democratic Party towards the war on terror.

It urges President Bush to acknowledge that his policies have gravely damaged America’s security and offers him a four-part strategy to change course in Iraq:

First, the US must urgently seek political accommodation among Iraqis and transition the US mission in Iraq.

Second, the US must restore the highest state of readiness to its army and marine corps, weakened by repeated and extended deployments in Iraq.

Third, the US must refocus on fighting Al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Fourth, the US must also address two key security challenges – the nuclear dispute with Iran and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

But the point that is repeatedly emphasised in the letter is the need to seek a political reconciliation in Iraq in order to refocus US resources on fighting Al Qaeda in Pakistan’s tribal zone, which is described by one lawmaker as ‘the most likely real, near-term security threat to the United States’.

The lawmakers remind Mr Bush that to defeat Al Qaeda, the United States will have to ‘dedicate sufficient resources to secure Afghanistan and Pakistan’.

They claim that Al Qaeda’s senior leadership – including Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri – has reportedly reconstituted to pre-9/11 strength in safe havens along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The letter also mentions a truce Pakistan signed with the militants in 2006 and President Bush approved after discussing it with President Pervez Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at a White House dinner in September that year.

The scourge of terrorism ‘exacerbated when your administration supported a Pakistani peace deal in the tribal areas giving Al Qaeda’s senior leadership time to regroup in this border area’, the letter claims.

The lawmakers urge the Bush administration to ‘refocus US attention on this grave and growing Al Qaeda threat, increasing its military, diplomatic, and economic development efforts in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, instead of tying up the bulk of US resources in Iraqi internal sectarian violence’.

After releasing the letter to the media, senior US lawmakers also addressed a news conference, reminding Mr Bush that the United States needs to fight Al Qaeda along the Pak-Afghan border and not in Iraq.

“Thousands of Americans died as a result of the efforts from Al Qaeda, the terrorists in the Afghanistan and, of course, the Pakistan area,” said Congressman Ike Skelton, chairman, House Armed Services Committee. “It should be our number one priority, and sadly, it’s not.”

Pressure on Bush to refocus on Pakistan -DAWN - Top Stories; April 07, 2008

:) dekha hamara waqar kitna buland huaa... dekha hamara image kitna behtar hua... dekha mush ne pakistan ko bacha liya... dekha ab amreeka hamara kuch nahi bigaray ga... dekha hum nay danishmandi ka saboot detay huay kaisay dushman ki pakistan ko tabah kernay ki chaal nakaam ki... dekha hum nay apnay logon ko amreeka ki khaatir maar ker mulk bacha liya... dekha hum amreeka kay gehray dost hain... dekha amreeka hamein kitni importance deta hai... dekha yeh hamari jang hai... dekha hamara defence kitna strong hai... dekha hamari foreign policy ghairat per mabni hai... dekha hum kitni ghuyyur qom kay baashinday hain...

the day is not far, we'll soon b bombed friends... lets prepare... lets return to Allah... lets stop following western ways of spendin life... lets get back to islamic teachings... lets seek Allah's help... lets resist them with full power... lets sit alone n think if we r doing right? is it wht Allah asked from us? in my opinion NO...

we must atleast change our lifestyle n priorities in life... lets stop considering money a god...  lets recognize our true God... lets obey His orders... lets do our duties... may Allah help n guide us...

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‘Americans to attack Fata if Musharraf steps down’ -DAWN - Top Stories;

President Pervez Musharraf thinks that if he steps down as head of state the United States will go for direct military attacks on tribal areas and will also take away Dr A. Q. Khan for interrogation.

Official sources told Dawn on Sunday that the president was also of the view that Gwadar port project would be adversely affected if he left the scene and consequently the country’s time-tested relations with China could suffer a setback.

Similarly, the president believes that in his absence no leader or party will be able to maintain cordial relations with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

In view of the likely negative fallout, the sources said, the president had no intention to quit the post to which he had been elected for five years.

Moreover, they claimed the president’s decision to stay in office was more in the ‘national interests’ than in his own.

The sources said it was President Musharraf who was keeping the United States away from Dr Khan.

They said the US had been seeking access to the nuclear scientist for interrogation but it was the president who resisted all pressures and kept Dr Khan in a safe custody at home.

It was also because of Pesident Musharraf’s strong personal links with US President George Bush, the sources claimed, that the US was not attacking tribal areas. However, they said, the situation would change if the president resigned.

The sources said the US and many other countries were opposed to the deep-sea Gwadar port project and they did not like to see it functional mainly because of China’s role in the project.

President Musharraf, the sources claimed, was determined to get the project completed without any foreign interference. In case Pakistan gave in to foreign pressures, its relations with China would be adversely affected.

The sources said the MQM had brought about a positive change in its outlook and role in national issues because of the behind-the-scenes role played by President Musharraf.

It was because of the president’s influence that the MQM was supporting the PPP in Sindh, they said, adding that no party or leader would have such relations with the MQM as the president.

The sources also said the president had been keeping a low profile for a few weeks under advice from his friends in the establishment.

They claimed that political developments were taking place in accordance with the president’s calculations and nothing ‘unexpected’ had happened so far.

According to sources the ‘worst’ was over and the situation will soon take a favourable turn for the president.

“Thus, there is no possibility of the president stepping down the demands or the wishes of his adversaries notwithstanding.”

‘Americans to attack Fata if Musharraf steps down’ -DAWN - Top Stories; April 07, 2008

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