Where the Jihad Lives Now

Most of the people commenting here are Pakistanis, that is true but the rest who are comminting here blame people in pakistan are "ill informed" or ignorant of facts, on the contrary i think the people who are not pakistanis how could they claim to be better informed about the FACTS about Pakistan.
I am a Karachiite and i have seen things and have witnessed political scenario since 1999 myself. My view of this article published here is that it is nothing but Western propaganda to defame Pakistan.
The bhutto welcome blast in Karachi aparently was only a drama prepared by either side (that we will know later) who used "A FEW AVAILABLE" ready to suicide bombers.
These "BOMBERS" could be either
1. Islamic Extremists OR
2. ANYONE SUFFRING WITH POVERTY WHO AGREED TO CARRYOUT SUICIDE BOMBING IN RETURN TO FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND RUPEES
The No. 2 type of people are being completely overlooked that could have been hired by either political side (PPP or Elements in Government).
The propaganda in this particular article against "Nuclear Armed" Pakistan is completely baseless. Comparing Pakistan with Iraq or Afghanistan is funny. The situation in Pakistan is nothing but a temporary political turmoil period that will end after the general elections early next year. The need is to clear pakistan of politicians who could carry out such acts aginst people of pakistan to gain cheap popularity.

Islam is a fanatical cult. Look at the life of it's prophet. a pedophile who raped and pillaged.
Pakistan is ungovernable, there is absolutely no rule of law here (after all only God's law is supreme) , and even the so called educated are ignorant , illogical and basically stupid.
Somebody better secure the nukes before they are let loose on the world.
Khan , Lahore Pakistan

Pakistan the most dangerous country in the world, Why? Dear American let the people of this region safe and secure in their home land. Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan are not enough resourceful to harm American in America go back and let this region in peace. from last 30-40 years Pakistani are fighting american Battle and killing thier own peoples for your safety, that is why Pakistan was now entitle "The Most dangerous country of the world.

Pakistan is dangerous NOTbecause of the nurturing of islamist extremists, but because of the percecution of liberals and academia and secular forces. Unless this outright perseqution stops, Pakistan will become more and more dangerous. The military will never allow this. The feudals will never allow this. It will ONLY happen with outside intervention (unfortunately).

I am testing my blogging.

islam is the only peaceful religion in the world.history is witness to the fact that true muslims have care for all human beings irrespective of their faith and they do not unnecessarily harass any body. a bunch of people doing wrong things should never be taken as an act of whole race. one can get peace of mind and heart only by observing true principles of Islam

Reading some of the comments posted here by some Pakistani citizens, it amazes me on the level of mis information / propoganda they have been exposed to in Pakistan, about India. And I am sure the other way round is also true. Indeed it is sad.

Though the article is not about India but as the immediate neighbours it concerns me as an Indian Citizen. India has been a long suffering victim of terrorism. Irrespective of where it may occour, the key fuel to this phenomenon is young Idealistic men ready to correct the lop-sided world. Unfortunately, the leaders of such organization are usually willy older men, who charms this young energy to further their narrow agenda. the motivating foce can be God, language, race, injustice ect, ideas and concepts which will sell to the youths. Resulting in Extremism

And I noticed that most of us in this forum is against extremism of any kind.

Booth our governments needs to spend more money on modern education and employment to reduce the supply of the fuel of extremism / terrorism. Eliminating the willy older men will help little if, supply of the fuel is not controlled.

We need to have young idols, who represent modern progressive way of life emulate. Hate and Anger in history has never resulted in any positive results

An insensible, forged and conceited article. Ignorance is not the domain of any one and this foolish, brainless, ignorant man is writing this shameful material without any research work about the greatest religion of the world ???Islam???. May be he wants to earn some fame. If the terrorists are killing people, Americans are creating disturbance among Nations and spoiling the minds of people with such type of writings. I think white race is afraid of Islam because Islam is the fastest religion of the world. That is why they are writing against It just to distract Its followers.

An insensible, forged and conceited article. Ignorance is not the domain of any one and this foolish, brainless, ignorant man is writing this shameful material without any research work about the greatest religion of the world ???Islam???. May be he wants to earn some fame. If the terrorists are killing people, Americans are creating disturbance among Nations and spoiling the minds of people with such type of writings. I think white race is afraid of Islam because Islam is the fastest religion of the world. That is why they are writing against It just to distract Its followers.

It is a very irresponsible piece of journalism. Whatever you have said indicates your total lack of awareness of the real issues. The "militants", as you call them, were never "trained by Pakistan but by US who were then named "mujahideen"or freedom fighters since they were fighting your war against USSR. This has always been the demise of third world Muslims countries that they have been fighting so called supoer powers'wars in their land. Now the least America can do is to stop meddling further in the internal politics of Pakistan and supporting dictators like Musharraf for their own benefit and staging deals between the so called "moderate forces". Extremism was never a problem in Pakistan. Pakistanis have been fully capable of handling the right wing religious elements until the US supported dictator Musharraf brought Amarica's so called war against terror home.

I do not expect respected journals like Newsweek to post such irresponsible pieces of 'pseudo' journalism. I would gladly receive anyone of you at Islamabad and take you to all the unsafe cities that have been listed in the article and you will find out yourself that it is not even half as bad as cited in the article. Yes, we have trouble in the tribal areas but those militants were not trained or grown by Pakistan; they were financed, trained and equipped by USA during the Afghan war against the former USSR.
It is such articles that confirm that there are idiots in all parts of the world!!!

This is a highly irresponsible piece of journalism whose purpose is clearly fear mongering. There seems very little attempt to balance or authenticate some frankly very bizarre comments about pakistanis supporting the militants just in case they are needed in the fight for kashmir??? Asif Zardari is the only source cited and that in itself makes the piece read more like fodder for comedic satire.

Continued from below: Lets not also forget about why the mujahideen came into existence. In a nation which is struck by poverty, where did they raise the funds required to finance their war against the Russians in the eighties. The funds and military supplies were clearly originated by the US of A, routed through Pakistan's western provinces. In order to restrict the Russian forces' progress southward, the US clearly needed to pump weapons and ammunition to the Mujahideen, and this was accomplished through the land routes in Pakistan, ably supported by the then administration of Zia ul Haque. However, we are forgetting that post the withdrawal of the Russian forces, the mujahideen suffering from over ten years of carnage and war ravage, were left to fend for themselves and to gather the pieces, abandoned by the very forces which were foremost in fueling their struggle. Left to their own devices, the afghan people quickly settled into a system of anarchy and chaos, lorded over by tribal leaders doing what they had known for the last decade, fighting for land.
It was only post 9/11 that the realisation of the monster that was festering in the hills of Afghanistan emerged. The world sat up and took notice and Musharraf walked into the limelight as the man that would help the world eliminate terrorists from the region. And so he did. Some of the most highly prized arrests in the War against Terror happened with the aid of Pakistan including the top lieutenants of Al Qaeda. The accomplishments that this established has cannot be denied. Musharraf has twice been the target of attempted suicide attacks himself. He is a soldier and has the courage to take on militants and extremists in his own backyard, something that none of the past leaders had had. The war raging in Waziristan is a result of the direct action that Musharraf has authorised. The kidnappings and bombings happening there are in retaliation by the militants. That is another proof of the commitment that this current establishment is exhibiting in fighting extremism and terrorism.
Pakistan has come a long way in the last seven years. The Pakistan of today is economically stronger, safer, more aware, and progressive. Lets not ignore history. Lets not base our opinions on hearsay, which is what most of this article is based on. Lets look at facts, evaluate them objectively and recognise progress.

It is sad to see that a magazine, the stature of Newsweek is glorifying the return of a former leader who very clearly propelled Pakistan towards the brink of bankruptcy. It was Benazir and Zardari, the husband and wife duo, which were singly responsible for squandering billions of dollars of Pakistan's reserves and revenue. The nineties were times when the Bhutto and Nawaz regimes, in tandem, resulted in a consistent decline in the nations' economic conditions, simultaneously enhancing their own wealth.
I agree with the comment that Zia was responsible for supporting the mujahideen, but it is also true that the taliban flourished during the Bhutto and Sharif regimes. Musharraf is and was first and foremost a soldier, burdened with following the orders of the nations' leaders, whatever the outcome. The mujahideen and the taliban flourished during a time when the General Musharraf was not part of the policy making engine of the country. His part was primarily that of implementation.
However he became part of the policy making body in the late nineties and realising that the long term outlook for Pakistan would only be positive if the religious elements within the policy making bodies are eliminated. Following his takeover in 1999, Pakistan has experienced an era of 'enlightened moderation' (a phrase that Musharraf is particularly proud of). The nation has experienced accelerated economic growth, resulting in per capita income increasing by 500% in a span of just four years.
If anyone were to compare Musharraf's Pakistan with Bhutto's Pakistan, it wouldn't take longer than mere moments to realise the level of prosperity, stability and growth that the nation enjoyed in the last eight years, as compared to the decline experienced during the Bhutto and Sharif period. Pakistan is about to experience the first full term of an elected Government in more than 3 decades. That is a long time. We have experienced political stability for a period longer than this current generation, quick to criticise, has been alive. Lets give credit where it is due.
It is disappointing to also note Mr '10%' Zardari (the percentage that he claimed from all transactions entered into by the government) being quoted as a credible source for opinion. The tycoon was convicted and jailed for a period of eight years for cases involving massive bribery, embezzlement, corruption and murder. There are still various cases pending in the Pakistani courts which name Zardari as the defendant, including a case for the murder of Murtaza Bhutto, his brother in law.

First of all, we must not forget who aided and abetted the Taliban. It was the government of Benazir Bhutto who allowed the Taliban to flourish at that time. It was in Pakistan's interest to pursue such a peaceful policy then with a neighboring country, but not today. This is why more than nintety five percent of the Pakistani people oppose the Taliban and the results will be clear in the January elections where every extremist party will suffer a resounding blow. There are religious parties on social issues in Pakistan, just like the Republicans in the US, but it doesn't mean they are pro-Taliban or extremists.

Secondly, 9/11 changed the foreign policy of Pakistan and Pakistan has done its utmost by sending more 90,000 troops at the western borders and rooting out these extremists. More than 1,000 have lost their lives. Now, if Americans quite frankly want to rile the Pakistan nation, all they would have to do is send their troops in Pakistan and there they would meet the professionalism of the Pakistani army and the sheer ire of the 160 million Pakistanis.

The extremists are in every society and it will take time to root them out, but to blame Pakistan so overtly for its incompetence in dealing with this militancy is reprehensible. This peice of journalism is jaundiced in tone and approach. I wonder why some of the folks (western officials or security experts) whom you quote speak on the condition of anoynimity. The fact is that they don't have the balls to acknowledge the truth and recongnise Pakistan's successes of the past in bringing these terrorists to justice. It was the works of the Afghan-Soviet war, whom America so enthusiastically backed that the country is facing such a situation today and it can't be rooted out in a fort night. It is the making of more than 2 decades, so one must give it atleast a decade to come under control.

Also, Pakistanis are aware of the violence brought by suicide bombers. We don't need lessons from abroad to know the carnage brought about by a few maniacs. Pakistanis have suffered 33 suicide bombings this year and about more than 500 deaths because of that. We don't need outside lessons in that. It is a lesson in living for us and we don't require any special direction in combatting such a threat.

So, I fail to understand the motives of publishing this story at all and that too as a cover story of NEWSWEEK, but if it is to build up a public anxiety in America about Pakistan, or to provoke a diologue to invade Pakistan, it will fail miserably and must be dismissed by the American Public. Pakistanis are proud people, they are good people and will refuse to countenance any denigration of the country at the hands of a few war mongerors in the Editor's office at NEWSWEEK.

First of all, we must not forget who aided and abetted the Taliban. It was the government of Benazir Bhutto who allowed the Taliban to flourish at that time. It was in Pakistan's interest to pursue such a peaceful policy then with a neighboring country, but not today. This is why more than nintety five percent of the Pakistani people oppose the Taliban and the results will be clear in the January elections where every extremist party will suffer a resounding blow. There are religious parties on social issues in Pakistan, just like the Republicans in the US, but it doesn't mean they are pro-Taliban or extremists.

Secondly, 9/11 changed the foreign policy of Pakistan and Pakistan has done its utmost by sending more 90,000 troops at the western borders and rooting out these extremists. More than 1,000 have lost their lives. Now, if Americans quite frankly want to rile the Pakistan nation, all they would have to do is send their troops in Pakistan and there they would meet the professionalism of the Pakistani army and the sheer ire of the 160 million Pakistanis.

The extremists are in every society and it will take time to root them out, but to blame Pakistan so overtly for its incompetence in dealing with this militancy is reprehensible. This peice of journalism is jaundiced in tone and approach. I wonder why some of the folks (western officials or security experts) whom you quote speak on the condition of anoynimity. The fact is that they don't have the balls to acknowledge the truth and recongnise Pakistan's successes of the past in bringing these terrorists to justice. It was the works of the Afghan-Soviet war, whom America so enthusiastically backed that the country is facing such a situation today and it can't be rooted out in a fort night. It is the making of more than 2 decades, so one must give it atleast a decade to come under control.

Also, Pakistanis are aware of the violence brought by suicide bombers. We don't need lessons from abroad to know the carnage brought about by a few maniacs. Pakistanis have suffered 33 suicide bombings this year and about more than 500 deaths because of that. We don't need outside lessons in that. It is a lesson in living for us and we don't require any special direction in combatting such a threat.

So, I fail to understand the motives of publishing this story at all and that too as a cover story of NEWSWEEK, but if it is to build up a public anxiety in America about Pakistan, or to provoke a diologue to invade Pakistan, it will fail miserably and must be dismissed by the American Public. Pakistanis are proud people, they are good people and will refuse to countenance any denigration of the country at the hands of a few war mongerors in the Editor's office at NEWSWEEK.

First of all, we must not forget who aided and abetted the Taliban. It was the government of Benazir Bhutto who allowed the Taliban to flourish at that time. It was in Pakistan's interest to pursue such a peaceful policy then with a neighboring country, but not today. This is why more than nintety five percent of the Pakistani people oppose the Taliban and the results will be clear in the January elections where every extremist party will suffer a resounding blow. There are religious parties on social issues in Pakistan, just like the Republicans in the US, but it doesn't mean they are pro-Taliban or extremists.

Secondly, 9/11 changed the foreign policy of Pakistan and Pakistan has done its utmost by sending more 90,000 troops at the western borders and rooting out these extremists. More than 1,000 have lost their lives. Now, if Americans quite frankly want to rile the Pakistan nation, all they would have to do is send their troops in Pakistan and there they would meet the professionalism of the Pakistani army and the sheer ire of the 160 million Pakistanis.

The extremists are in every society and it will take time to root them out, but to blame Pakistan so overtly for its incompetence in dealing with this militancy is reprehensible. This peice of journalism is jaundiced in tone and approach. I wonder why some of the folks (western officials or security experts) whom you quote speak on the condition of anoynimity. The fact is that they don't have the balls to acknowledge the truth and recongnise Pakistan's successes of the past in bringing these terrorists to justice. It was the works of the Afghan-Soviet war, whom America so enthusiastically backed that the country is facing such a situation today and it can't be rooted out in a fort night. It is the making of more than 2 decades, so one must give it atleast a decade to come under control.

Also, Pakistanis are aware of the violence brought by suicide bombers. We don't need lessons from abroad to know the carnage brought about by a few maniacs. Pakistanis have suffered 33 suicide bombings this year and about more than 500 deaths because of that. We don't need outside lessons in that. It is a lesson in living for us and we don't require any special direction in combatting such a threat.

So, I fail to understand the motives of publishing this story at all and that too as a cover story of NEWSWEEK, but if it is to build up a public anxiety in America about Pakistan, or to provoke a diologue to invade Pakistan, it will fail miserably and must be dismissed by the American Public. Pakistanis are proud people, they are good people and will refuse to countenance any denigration of the country at the hands of a few war mongerors in the Editor's office at NEWSWEEK.