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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (46214)	5/20/2004 3:37:15 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

Ike on bombs and nukes and peace .... in my region ...circa Wednesday, May 13, 1998 4:40 AM again a line that was very much in minority.. On bomb and Nukes.. Message 4435517 Wednesday, May 13, 1998 4:40 AM Will only speak for Pakistan. I think it will be economic suicide for Pakistan to opt for retaliatory response. I have since yesterday twice on national television on talk shows trying to give reasons to withhold to otherwise hyped up populace which demands counter-action. Every one seems to be charged up like a raging bull to display new found puberty in weapons of mass destruction. However, we need to forego response and build our economy and infrastructure. I take lessons from USSR, they have more then ample share of nuclear weapons but a common man was suffering even denied of basic amenities. Real strength in geo-politics in my opinion comes on back of economic strength, muscle flexing does not pay in present environment, I have seen Saddam and his power decimated to nil overnight. Super power status or membership of exclusive club of nuclear threshold states is illusory and meaningless until we remain dependent on World bank and IMF for our deficits and developments. We need to break our 'begging bowls' before we look for strategic parity in this world. A nuclear detonation can bring lot of 'jingoist bull shit' but reality on ground stays that once sanctions are imposed life of a poor person will become more difficult. I hope we in Pakistan show political maturity and address our real problems that are poverty and eradication of mass illiteracy. India is a sovereign nation and is capable of making kind of decisions they have made, I hope we will not and shall not follow suit. Yes by the way, Dom-B,some of my best friends being Indian I thought for a while to respond as not to hurt sensitivities of my friends. I overcome my ambivalence to reply by restricting my response to action which PAKISTAN NEEDS TO TAKE AND NOT THE REACTION. As you see in my profile politics as one of my hobbies and Pakistan my country it would be hypocritical to avoid your question. Presently, I feel good to be amongst minority voices calling for 'no knee jerk reaction'. Pakistan will surely show exemplary restraint. siliconinvestor.com Unfortunately Buddha will smile and Shiva will dance once again in the region. No one in the west has any leverage left on India or Pakistan-- external help for India is restricted to 1 percent of their GDP and for Pakistan 5% of GDP, some time nations overlook common sense when it comes to selection between economy or strategic implications. Economy or sanctions for that matter is now on the back burner, euphoria and excessive jingoism is in place, 91% Indians think this was a step in right direction so does 92% of Pakistanis demand. It is exactly what happened on inception of the First World War, their were celebrations on streets of Paris and London, as soldiers embarked on what was to be the real destruction of mankind for nearly five long years. If common sense in land of Voltaire and Byron can take backstage just fifty years back, I can see why this commodity is not readily available in Pakistan? Euphoria and possibilities of obtaining weapons of mass destruction intoxicates nations. The line of reason and logic gets blurred and eventually disappears. Europeans learnt it hard way, so would I think people of this region. Unfortunate but true. We are ensuing in this region on a triangular race between India, Pakistan and China and this is something world will not be able to ignore the misery of nearly 2.5 billion people of the region in face of sanctions and loss of leverage of US to play any kind of role is the most disturbing aspect of futre events to unfold. Many rich crooks would not mind a new combination of three fully sanctioned rogue states who not only are ready to take each other on but preparing war fighting and war winning strategies. The cheap nuclear technology is road to destruction for our region, life is not going to be the same for innocent children of this region they will live under the shadow of a heightened risk and real possibility of nuclear exchange. Zamir-off topic If we are able to show restraint that will be PAKISTAN'S finest hour. I pray that we may be bestowed with common sense so as not to sign on our collective 'economic' death warrant. If we don't respond, I would be amply satisfied with my fringe but very active role during this period. siliconinvestor.com The biggest tragedy is when 'pain and fatalism' becomes a way of life. Nothing else matters, it basically stems from accommodation with poverty. In our region we nations I can safely say are at the bottom of the 'human development index' pit, the 10% privilege population rules the destiny of other 90% impoverished people by suggesting 'lets give sacrifices even if we have to eat grass. That is exactly what people will eat if ounce of common sense does not over take this mass streak of destruction. Detonations are like 'orgasms' nation feel the ultimate pleasure of power. I hope that best will come out of this stand off. Ike Message 4480811

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (46214)	5/20/2004 4:04:12 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

Mastermind of bid on Musharraf’s life nabbed By our correspondent KARACHI: Police arrested the mastermind of a failed plot to kill President Pervez Musharraf after an encounter in Buffer Zone in the precincts of Tamoria police on Wednesday, police said. They said the CID police raided a house No 1272, Sector 15-A/4, Buffer Zone, on a tip-off that Kamran alias Atif, an activist of banned Harkat-ul-Mujahideen-al-Alami was hiding there. As the police reached the hideout and knocked at the door, two suspects present there, started firing on the police and tried to flee, fearing their arrest. The police chased them, while returning their fire. In the exchange of fire one of the fleeing suspects was injured and arrested, police said. The other fled. Police brought the injured to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. During the cross-fire a passer-by woman also sustained bullet injuries. She died on way to the hospital. The deceased was identified as a housemaid, Sarwar Bibi, wife of Imam Bukhash, while the arrested injured was identified as Kamran alias Atif, an absconding accused involved in several cases of terrorism, the police added. Police said in the light of disclosers of the arrested accused, they seized eight hand-grenades, five rockets (RPG-7) with five initiators, a Klashnikov with three magazines, hundreds of rounds of live bullets of various calibres and five bombs, including four telephone bombs and a video-cassette bomb besides Jihadi literature from the house. The Sindh government had already announced a cash prize of Rs 3 million for the arrest of Kamran. According to the police, he was an activist of banned Harkat-ul-Mujahideen-al-Alami, involved in several terrorism activities. He was the mastermind of the first attempt on President Pervez Musharraf’s life at Sharae-Faisal on April 26, 2002, police sources told The News. Chief minister’s Adviser for Home Affairs Aftab Ahmed Shaikh along with IGP Syed Kamal Shah visited the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and appreciated the police. The IGP termed the arrest a big achievement against terrorists. The body of the deceased woman was handed over to her family after legal formalities. No compensation has so far been announced for her family. The Tamoria police have registered a case FIR No 197/2004 and further investigations were in progress.

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (46214)	5/20/2004 12:43:49 PM
From: malibuca	Respond to of 50167

To demand my credentials on freedom and democracy is nothing but a cheap way to discredit my small contributions, I take pride what I write and one can go back on my thread, it is liivng hisotry of contemporary issues You provided several links dating back to 1999 to reiterate your credentials as a proponent of democracy and freedom - that was several years ago. The point that I was making is that you seem more than willing to condemn other totalitarian regimes but you seem to give your own country a pass when it comes to actions that are undemocratic and downright dictatorial. I have been waiting ever since Sharif was deported in violation of the order of the supreme court in your country for you to say something that showed your disapproval - but there was a deafening silence. Yet, you have been openly condemnatory when it comes to other countries that practice totalitarian rule. You have repeatedly singled out Musharraf for praise with regard to the war against terrorism but are you willing to be critical of him when that is warranted? Have you ever challenged what Bush and the neocons have been repeating ad nauseum that democracy in Iraq would be like a beacon for other countries in the Middle East to also become democratic? Do you believe that this will happen or do you feel that it would be inconvenient to expose it as a flawed approach, given your support of Bush? If you believe that this is a realistic scenario among these Middle East countries, what is it that is so different than the situation in your country which has not been successful with democracy despite the success of your neighbor? You cannot be selective when it comes to demonstrating your credentials on freedom and democracy. Also, highlighting something that you said in 1999 to demonstrate your credentials even as you remain silent when it comes to recent flagrant violations of democracy in your country is not convincing.