More worrying news from Pakistan

Jim

It's too late. We'll just have to watch it unfold and hope for the best. Still the Pentagon will be happy, finally they'll have a real enemy with nukes.

Hereford

The only answers to this and a nuclear Iran are too unconsionable to verbalise. Thus nobody will voice them and we will be subject to nuclear threat within the next decade.

C Powell

Which is why - as I've said before - we've got to stop all immigration/visitors/student visas etc from Pakistan now. Even if there weren't the Taliban etc., we simply do not need more people from that country here and, given the level of terrorism in that country and its links with the Pakistani community here, the proper defence of our nation requires us to take such steps.

This government is corrupt and incompetent but in failing to do anything, let alone anything sensible about this, it is positively dangerous.

Moraymint

Yep.

I carry 3 big issues around with me at the moment as the ones to watch: Pakistan (collapse of state); the appalling condition of the British economy (collapse of another state) and Peak Oil (collapse of global economy that'll make the credit crunch look like a cakewalk).

We need to be wary of a potential 'convergence of catastrophes' in the coming 5 - 10 years.

So, my preparations for local, community-based self-reliance continues apace. Check out Transition Towns y'all.

Forlornehope

Pre Iraq, a case could have been made to the public to go in and take Pakistan's nuclear weapons. Now any such proposal would be met with hollow laughter and would be politically impossible. The least worst outcome would be for Pakistan to continue its disintegration into constituent states. The Punjab and Sindh together could possibly constitute a stable unit.

Austin Barry

Let's see: the EU has pledged to provide Pakistan with $640m over four years; the US and Japan will gift $1 bn; Saudi is kicking in $700m and the IMF has loaned $7.6b over two years.
Will it stabilise the Islamic Dystopia? Not a chance.

The Taliban will soon be the custodians of nuclear warheads and, as Sec.of State Clinton observed, Pakistan will become a 'mortal threat' to the world.

All together now with the 50's retro-chant, "Duck and Cover. Duck and Cover".

Verity

Not only should all immigration/student visas be stopped, but there has to be a sweep of getting every single illegal out. Town halls should be forbidden to hire Urdu, Bangladeshi whatever translators. The people who were born in Britain should be fluent in English and should be integrated by now. Personally, I would like to see Wahabbi Islam outlawed as a dangerous cult.

I have said before, Pakistanis were infused into Britain to damage the fabric of our society by the Common Purpose/One Worlder/Gramsci/Leninesque Britain haters. We need to slam on the brakes.

Re Pakistan itself, anyone who thinks "insurgents" got within 70 miles of Islamabad without the cooperation of the government is nuts. We should bomb Pakistan's nuclear facility.

Forlornehope

"anyone who thinks "insurgents" got within 70 miles of Islamabad without the cooperation of the government is nuts."

No, they have visited Pakistan and know what the geography of that area is like.

Verity

Are you telling me the Pakistani government has no means of surveillance of the whole country, including planes and satellites?

They should hire the British police to put up CCTVs in every cave in the country.

Tiberius

A discussion of the "what ifs" would be interesting if any one has any specialist knowledge of how this "situation" could play out.

My first question is: are Chinese or Indian forces mobilizing?

David Ossitt

Verity
April 23rd, 2009 2:50pm

I agree entirely; but I could be persuaded to bomb Bradford and Luton (only kidding, just).

toad

Well the New York Times is not exactly a source you trust without verification. Pakistan probably has more foreign agents in it than Vienna use to. Chinese, Indian, Russian, US, Brits, French, Iranians, and etc.
Then there are the Saudi Wahabists. Probably nobody is going to let those nukes change hands without a lot of forewarning and resistance.

Not Quite Hayek

"Are you telling me the Pakistani government has no means of surveillance of the whole country, including planes and satellites?"

No, but the ISI would... That doesn't necessarily mean that the Pakistani government (the executive, at least) has access to it, as any individual familiar with the nuances of the region will tell you.

Austin Barry

David Ossitt

I don't think Bradford or Luton will be bombed, other than by the more agitated members of their estranged communities, but I suspect that internment is a real possibility after the next terrorist atrocity. And if contingency planning for internment has not been discussed at COBRA meetings, then the complacency of our effete masters is criminal.

Dan

The most worrying aspect is at which point the militants cross an Indian 'red line'. Whilst the West are tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan the Indians are not. They won't permit an Islamic militant state on their border.

Dan

And as if by magic just after posting the comment this pops into my feed reader:

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/04/taliban_advance_east.php

David Ossitt

Austin Barry

If only we did not have the stupid human rights law.

Dan

The Indians are the good guys!

Max Kaye

What, exactly, is news here?

Every week it's the same story, the only exception being how much closer Pakistan is to collapse.

Faisal

Another a tale of "Weapons of Mass destruction" being spun for a possible future strike. Has there been any accountability to the last failed US/Nato action in Iraq. Not any that I can recall. Hundreds and thousands of people have been killed and continue to be killed due to the actions of USA and no one is willing to point this out. The threat to Pakistan or even USA is overstated by a large margin from these Talibans. The situation is so complex for the outside world because the CIA and the US continue to interfere in Pakistan tribal area in general and politics in particular. Unless the USA can get its acts together there will always be something for USA to take care of globally.