By: Abdul Ruff Colachal
Pakistan’s powerful army institution, particularly its spy agency, the ISI, closely linked to CIA and Pentagon networks, has long been accused of destabilizing the country’s civilian governments to pave the way for military coups. Critics indoors and abroad frequently refer to the ISI as a state within the state. But no Pakistani civilian government has ever dared to confront it for fear of losing power.
Pakistani premier Yousuf R. Gilani has accused the country’s powerful spy agency of behaving like a “state within the state” and alleged there is a conspiracy to dislodge his coalition government. This is a sign of growing tension with the army over a secret memo sent to Washington earlier this year asking for help in averting a supposed military coup. Gilani reminded the parliament that his government extended “solid support” to the army and its intelligence agency, the ISI, following the raid. Conspiracies are being hatched to pack up the elected government.
In actual terms, Gilani crossed the ISI bridge, raising tensions between his coalition government and country’s military. Hours after alleging there is a conspiracy to oust his government, Gilani told the national parliament that the military must operate under the control of the government and not to try to control the regime. They have to be answerable to this parliament. All the institutions of this country, they are answerable to this parliament and nobody is above law. “There can’t be a state within the state,” said Gilani.
The conflict between the army and the government intensified this week after the Supreme Court began a hearing into the scandal, which has already forced Pakistan’s ambassador to the US to resign and also threatens the president.
Gilani’s comments are a sharp turn for the prime minister. He rejected the notion of a standoff between the army and the civilian leadership less than a week ago. Since then, the Supreme Court opened its hearing into the scandal and demanded a reply from President Asif Ali Zardari. The government has questioned the need for the court hearing, saying the parliament is already investigating the matter.
Gilani’s criticism is likely to worsen tensions between his increasingly unpopular government and the military. The strained relations stem from a secret presidential memo through Pakistan’s then ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani allegedly asking Washington for help in preventing a military coup following the US raid earlier this year that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison city. Haqqani reportedly delivered the “memo” to the top US military official at the time - Admiral Mike Mullen. Haqqani was subsequently forced to resign as ambassador.
The Zardari regime has rejected links to the memo, calling it a non-issue. Gilani counter-attacked in his speech to parliament, criticizing the military for failing to track down the world’s most wanted man hiding right under its nose. However, the army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and Lieutenant-General Shuja Pasha, the head of the ISI spy agency, both insist the memo is real and have urged the Supreme Court to investigate the matter.
The military/army in Pakistan is considered the strongest institution in Pakistan and has ruled the country for much of its 64-year history after carrying out a series of military coups. Analysts have expressed doubt that a coup is likely at this time, but the memo scandal has exacerbated already strained ties between the army and the government.
From a year now, USA and its terror allies have had a free existence suing entire Pakistan as their terror sanctuary. The raid against bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town enraged the army because it was not told about it beforehand. But it also humiliated the force because it was not able to stop the operation.
There seems to be no other way for peace and prosperity for Islamabad than ending the illegal terror based anti-Islamic ties with USA. The political crisis comes as Pakistan is already facing a failing economy, a violently threatening NATO which weakens sovereignty of the nation, severe tensions with its most important imperialistally, the unilateral and dictatorial USA over NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.
Unless Pakistanis stick to their guns since the NATO airstrikes, NATO rogues would continue to exploit them.
Choice of course is theirs.
Generally speaking, Pakistan seems to suffer from some serious psychological problems tolerating the Obama drone terrorism and the NATO-US terror operations on their soil. There seems to be some fear among the corrupt leaders that USA could harm their interests and life. This explains the mindframe of Gilani who said that negotiating new ties with the US would ensure that the two countries “respected each other’s red lines” regarding sovereignty and rules of engagement along the border. “We really want to have good relations with the US based on mutual respect and clearly defined parameters,” he said in the interview at his residence in the eastern city of Lahore.
Despite Gilani’s gentler rhetoric, the gulf between the two nations remains wide. The Obama regime wants continued terror “engagement” even as Pakistan’s refusal to attack Afghan “insurgents” along the border has fueled criticism in Congress the country is a duplicitous ally unworthy of American aid.
The USA has reportedly vacated Shamsi air base in Pakistan used by American drones that target Taliban and al-Qaeda and other Muslims, complying with a key demand made by Islamabad in retaliation for the NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Two key US terror minded senators Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, instead of apologizing to the Pakistani people for NATO crimes, criticized Pakistan’s actions since the NATO attack as “deeply troubling.” They shamelessly argue that the US has been “incredibly patient” with Pakistan and now should do its own review of the relationship. Their lamenting the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers as a “terrible tragedy” is a pure joke.
Obama wants Pakistan to continue to attack Afghan “insurgents” and tribal Muslims, and he does not want Pakistan to use its historical ties to the groups to push them to participate in peace talks. Pakistani troops are stretched too thin battling the US enemy, the Muslims at war with the state.
The western media say that Obama drones are not to stop in Pakistan. The move to shut the airbase is not expected to significantly curtail drone attacks in Pakistan since Shamsi air base in southwestern Baluchistan province was only used to service drones that had mechanical or weather difficulties.
Global fascist media (GFM) promotes state terrorism by US-UK-Israel-India led GST (global state terrorism) emboldening all anti-Islamic opinion makers to thrive on falsehood and collect regularly blood stained coins. Some US nuts say many Pakistanis must be killed along with Afghans. They do not want peace to return to the region or Pakistan or Afghanistan. They oppose Pakistan for refusing to Muslims and now spread rumors though corporate media that Pakistan has refused to target Afghan “insurgents” even on payment basis because it sees them as key allies in new Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.
Some naughty Americans consider the withdrawal of US terrorists from Iraq and Afghanistan and Pakistan as a sign of American weakness which cannot be tolerated. They want their state paid terrorists to kill Muslims. Similarly, the forceful vacation of NATO occupied Shamsi airbase is seen a threat to their terror supremacy.
When USA does not allow any foreign forces to come and occupy their lands, why should their state terrorists invade Muslim nations, occupy their lands, killing Muslims on Sept-11 hoax, fictitious threats and perceptions?
Pakistan’s powerful army institution, particularly its spy agency, the ISI, closely linked to CIA and Pentagon networks, has long been accused of destabilizing the country’s civilian governments to pave the way for military coups. Critics indoors and abroad frequently refer to the ISI as a state within the state. But no Pakistani civilian government has ever dared to confront it for fear of losing power.
Pakistani premier Yousuf R. Gilani has accused the country’s powerful spy agency of behaving like a “state within the state” and alleged there is a conspiracy to dislodge his coalition government. This is a sign of growing tension with the army over a secret memo sent to Washington earlier this year asking for help in averting a supposed military coup. Gilani reminded the parliament that his government extended “solid support” to the army and its intelligence agency, the ISI, following the raid. Conspiracies are being hatched to pack up the elected government.
In actual terms, Gilani crossed the ISI bridge, raising tensions between his coalition government and country’s military. Hours after alleging there is a conspiracy to oust his government, Gilani told the national parliament that the military must operate under the control of the government and not to try to control the regime. They have to be answerable to this parliament. All the institutions of this country, they are answerable to this parliament and nobody is above law. “There can’t be a state within the state,” said Gilani.
The conflict between the army and the government intensified this week after the Supreme Court began a hearing into the scandal, which has already forced Pakistan’s ambassador to the US to resign and also threatens the president.
Gilani’s comments are a sharp turn for the prime minister. He rejected the notion of a standoff between the army and the civilian leadership less than a week ago. Since then, the Supreme Court opened its hearing into the scandal and demanded a reply from President Asif Ali Zardari. The government has questioned the need for the court hearing, saying the parliament is already investigating the matter.
Gilani’s criticism is likely to worsen tensions between his increasingly unpopular government and the military. The strained relations stem from a secret presidential memo through Pakistan’s then ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani allegedly asking Washington for help in preventing a military coup following the US raid earlier this year that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison city. Haqqani reportedly delivered the “memo” to the top US military official at the time - Admiral Mike Mullen. Haqqani was subsequently forced to resign as ambassador.
The Zardari regime has rejected links to the memo, calling it a non-issue. Gilani counter-attacked in his speech to parliament, criticizing the military for failing to track down the world’s most wanted man hiding right under its nose. However, the army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and Lieutenant-General Shuja Pasha, the head of the ISI spy agency, both insist the memo is real and have urged the Supreme Court to investigate the matter.
The military/army in Pakistan is considered the strongest institution in Pakistan and has ruled the country for much of its 64-year history after carrying out a series of military coups. Analysts have expressed doubt that a coup is likely at this time, but the memo scandal has exacerbated already strained ties between the army and the government.
From a year now, USA and its terror allies have had a free existence suing entire Pakistan as their terror sanctuary. The raid against bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town enraged the army because it was not told about it beforehand. But it also humiliated the force because it was not able to stop the operation.
There seems to be no other way for peace and prosperity for Islamabad than ending the illegal terror based anti-Islamic ties with USA. The political crisis comes as Pakistan is already facing a failing economy, a violently threatening NATO which weakens sovereignty of the nation, severe tensions with its most important imperialistally, the unilateral and dictatorial USA over NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.
Unless Pakistanis stick to their guns since the NATO airstrikes, NATO rogues would continue to exploit them.
Choice of course is theirs.
Generally speaking, Pakistan seems to suffer from some serious psychological problems tolerating the Obama drone terrorism and the NATO-US terror operations on their soil. There seems to be some fear among the corrupt leaders that USA could harm their interests and life. This explains the mindframe of Gilani who said that negotiating new ties with the US would ensure that the two countries “respected each other’s red lines” regarding sovereignty and rules of engagement along the border. “We really want to have good relations with the US based on mutual respect and clearly defined parameters,” he said in the interview at his residence in the eastern city of Lahore.
Despite Gilani’s gentler rhetoric, the gulf between the two nations remains wide. The Obama regime wants continued terror “engagement” even as Pakistan’s refusal to attack Afghan “insurgents” along the border has fueled criticism in Congress the country is a duplicitous ally unworthy of American aid.
The USA has reportedly vacated Shamsi air base in Pakistan used by American drones that target Taliban and al-Qaeda and other Muslims, complying with a key demand made by Islamabad in retaliation for the NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Two key US terror minded senators Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, instead of apologizing to the Pakistani people for NATO crimes, criticized Pakistan’s actions since the NATO attack as “deeply troubling.” They shamelessly argue that the US has been “incredibly patient” with Pakistan and now should do its own review of the relationship. Their lamenting the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers as a “terrible tragedy” is a pure joke.
Obama wants Pakistan to continue to attack Afghan “insurgents” and tribal Muslims, and he does not want Pakistan to use its historical ties to the groups to push them to participate in peace talks. Pakistani troops are stretched too thin battling the US enemy, the Muslims at war with the state.
The western media say that Obama drones are not to stop in Pakistan. The move to shut the airbase is not expected to significantly curtail drone attacks in Pakistan since Shamsi air base in southwestern Baluchistan province was only used to service drones that had mechanical or weather difficulties.
Global fascist media (GFM) promotes state terrorism by US-UK-Israel-India led GST (global state terrorism) emboldening all anti-Islamic opinion makers to thrive on falsehood and collect regularly blood stained coins. Some US nuts say many Pakistanis must be killed along with Afghans. They do not want peace to return to the region or Pakistan or Afghanistan. They oppose Pakistan for refusing to Muslims and now spread rumors though corporate media that Pakistan has refused to target Afghan “insurgents” even on payment basis because it sees them as key allies in new Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.
Some naughty Americans consider the withdrawal of US terrorists from Iraq and Afghanistan and Pakistan as a sign of American weakness which cannot be tolerated. They want their state paid terrorists to kill Muslims. Similarly, the forceful vacation of NATO occupied Shamsi airbase is seen a threat to their terror supremacy.
When USA does not allow any foreign forces to come and occupy their lands, why should their state terrorists invade Muslim nations, occupy their lands, killing Muslims on Sept-11 hoax, fictitious threats and perceptions?
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