What Holbrooke Knew

When he was alive, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke was effectively gagged, unable to comment on what he saw as missteps of the Obama administration that he served. But as we face a crisis in Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin Laden, it’s worth listening to Holbrooke’s counsel — from beyond the grave.

As one of America’s finest strategic thinkers and special envoy to the Af-Pak region, Holbrooke represented the administration — but also chafed at aspects of the White House approach. In particular, he winced at the overreliance on military force, for it reminded him of Vietnam.

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No Country for Old Professionals

Pakistan’s treatment of Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the under-pressure DG of the Inter Services Intelligence agency/directorate, reflects how Pakistani heroes are usually vilified while dubious characters are celebrated as assets to society

“The fear that we cannot live without America has taken away our self respect. Are we to live in humiliation out of US fear forever?”

- Gen Pasha to the in-camera session of Parliament

Pakistan is a country with no shortage of heroes. But Pakistan is also a country with no shortage of divisions. Islam, a unifying religion, has become a divisive issue with sects and practice systems causing violent tussles within society. Politics is also divisive – rather than letting people come together on different issues, it perpetuates the social divides between various groups just so that the powers-that-be can continue to benefit and dupe the poor, ignorant and angry masses. So, one man’s hero is another man’s villain. Nobody exemplifies this case more evidently than Mumtaz Qadri, the Elite Force security guard who murdered Governor Salmaan Taseer (instead of performing his professional obligation and religious duty in protecting him) – he has been berated by progressive and liberal segments of society, while the religious elements, the right wing, and even lawyers have come out in support of this heinous murderer, who is being compared to a colonial hero “Ghazi Ilm-ud-Din Shaheed”.

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Osama Bin Laden and Pakistan – Pinocchio’s in the White House

BY OMAR FAROOQUE, ON MAY 11TH, 2011 In my previous article (Osama Bin Laden and Pakistan – Buried Alive?) on the OBL fiasco I had asked a number of questions on how the events of the night of May 2ndmight have played out. Even though a week has gone by since the assassination of Bin Laden but still the fog has not cleared and no clear evidence has come out from the whole episode. Most of the questions still remain unanswered and certain new developments on the case; such as changing statements of the US establishment regarding the operation have confounded even the most prolific analysts.

The questions on whether certain elements of the Pakistan establishment were involved? Was it a joint operation by the CIA and the ISI? Why was Bin Laden’s body thrown out in the water? Why the pictorial evidence is not being released? Where is the live video feed of the operation? Why was the sea-burial done so hastily?

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Join peace talks or face Laden’s fate, Kabul tells Taliban

The Afghan government on Tuesday called on Taliban leaders to join peace talks initiated by the government or face the same fate as Osama bin Laden, who was killed by elite US commandos last week.

Opening a two-day conference discussing efforts to broker peace, Afghan vice president Mohammad Karim Khalili said the talks were an opportunity for the Taliban to embrace peace. "The peace programme initiated by the Afghan government is a good opportunity for the Afghan armed opposition, specially their commanders, to stop destruction," he said. 

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STREET BUZZ ON OBL

By Fatima Rizvi
According to the White House spokesman OBL was not armed but he resisted the armed men who shot their way into his room. Exactly how he resisted is not clear but this resistance was the reason that he was shot by a precision shot above his left eye while he was resisting. OBL’s body was buried according to Muslim rites at sea. No real explanation for the hurry. Photographic evidence is being studied because it is very gruesome and may be released later.

The street is asking questions. Was OBL really there? If he was then why was he shot and killed? Why bury him at sea in a hurry unless it was not OBL at all or because he is alive and in custody and being water boarded. Is the gruesome photographic evidence being manufactured?

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Alex Jones exposes the hoax “Bin Laden Dead”

Bin Laden was dead and on ice since 2002, will be used at a “politically expedient” time.

Bush already considered “rolling Osama out” for 2004 election.

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The Slave America!

Its a simple puzzle, and the pieces are in plain sight, only shrouded in deceit. It is forbidden knowledge that America is an occupied country.

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Obama's Strategy: The Politics of Bin Laden

Shortly after hearing confirmation on Sunday that Osama bin Laden was dead, President Barack Obama walked down to chief of staff Bill Daley’s West Wing office to discuss what he would say in his address to the nation.

The President had already mapped it out, even if his speechwriter had yet to start typing. The speech would begin by recalling the images of Sept. 11, 2001. It would run through the events of the night. And it would end with a call to American greatness, a celebration of the idea that the U.S. can do anything. In short, he wanted to revisit the refrain from his 2011 State of the Union: “We do big things.”

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Sea burial of OBL could cause waves

SUNBURY — While glad to hear Osama bin Laden was dead, Sobhi Ammar said he was a little worried to hear the United States gave the terrorist mastermind a burial at sea.

“According to our religion, people are supposed to be buried in the ground,” said Ammar, the president of the Sunbury Islamic Center. “I’m hoping people don’t use that as a fuel.”

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The curious case of Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden, the figurehead king of al Qaeda, is gone. His hosts are still rubbing their eyes and wondering how it all happened. Although scooped up from Pakistani soil, shot in the head and then buried at sea, the event was not announced by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani or by President Asif Ali Zardari. Instead, it was the president of the United States of America who told the world that bin Laden’s body was in the custody of US forces.

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Bajaur’s heroes die fighting for Pakistan

To the rest of the world, they were just four names, but Bajaur will pay a heavy price for them. The deaths of the four Maliks and a lashkar chief in the blast that occurred this week in the area was the death of Fata’s voice against terrorists. For the good of their youth, their tribes and ultimately, for Pakistan, the tribal chiefs willingly sacrificed themselves.

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