?? ? Pakistan COUP ? ??greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread |
Uh-oh. Nukes? Use it or lose it?
-- Ashton & Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999
Coup? What Coup? Links, names, adresses? ANYTHING Whats goiing on there A&L?
-- Billy Boy (Rakkasn@yahoo.com), October 12, 1999.
Pakistan Army Moves Raise Coup Fears
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
Pakistan Coup Attempt
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
Folks, watch this carefully. Watch their tactics, their first targets. We'll see this here in January, same moves. Only it will be a blackout against the people, against Y2K truth.This is happening right now. It's real.
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
Latest update from Fox Newswire:U.S. concerned by military movements in Pakistan 1.23 p.m. ET (1730 GMT) October 12, 1999
WASHINGTON (AP) The State Department expressed concern today over troop movements in Pakistan following the dismissal by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of the army chief of staff.
"We believe the constitution should be respected,'' spokesman James P. Rubin said, adding that the situation was too fluid to speculate on the meaning of what he called a "genuine political crisis.''
"If there has been a coup, we would obviously seek the earliest possible restoration of democracy in Pakistan,'' Rubin said.
A military coup also would make it impossible for the United States "to carry on business as usual in Pakistan,'' he said.
White House spokesman Joe Lockhart, noting that "clearly there is a political crisis unfolding,'' said U.S. officials still were working to ascertain the extent of the crisis.
Asked if the situation in Islamabad had raised concerns about control of nuclear weapons technologies in Pakistan, Lockhart said: "No concern like that has been raised to me.''
-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), October 12, 1999.
It's happened. Very bad situation, the government has been replaced by the military leadership. Not a good thing.Mike
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-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), October 12, 1999.
Oops, looks like the USA was/is/will be involved *sigh*
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
thanks for the update...(I think) Great. Isn't that General considered a "radical Islamic" as well? Not to dump on him and no disrespect intended, but the Radicals are the ones who do the really bad stuff in Allahs name. This kinda frightens me...Hezbollah anyone?Got KI?
-- Billy Boy (Rakkasn@yahoo.com), October 12, 1999.
Sounds like a coup to me...Pakistan Army Chief Says Sharif 'Dismissed'
1.19 p.m. ET (1727 GMT) October 12, 1999 LONDON The fired chief of the Pakistani general staff, General Pervez Musharraf, has announced that the government of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been ''dismissed,'' Pakistani satellite television reported.
"The Nawaz Sharif government has been dismissed'' read the English report, attributed to Musharraf. Another report said Musharraf would make a television address to the nation shortly. The broadcast was monitored in London.
-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), October 12, 1999.
Look at the pictures. Not everyday life as usual.
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
Roland, thanks for that update. We must have posted at the same time. Not a lot of news out yet...argh...what the heck is going on over there?How much of our oil comes from that area?
Mike
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-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), October 12, 1999.
We're very interested in India's well-being, so sorta keep an eye on that area ...http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpne0c.htm
Pakistan TV: Government Dismissed
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Cabinet have been dismissed, army-controlled television said today. Troops took control of airports and government buildings throughout the country.
A message scrolled across the television screen announcing that Sharif's government had been ousted. It said Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf, who had been fired hours before by Sharif, would address the nation in a broadcast speech.
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
If you're within 5 miles of a 7-11, go run ask the Pakistani employees what's up with this. They keep track of the homeland.
-- lisa (lisa@work.now), October 12, 1999.
"It seems the army is not accepting this sacking and they may now be determined to take over .. which part of the army we don't know" ... "The electorate support the democratic government in Pakistan and opposition parties have stated that they would not back a military takeover" ..." ... there have been tensions between the government and General Musharaf ever since the Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, ordered the withdrawal of Pakistani-backed forces from the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kashmir in July ... The withdrawal came after the United States intervened to end some two months of fighting in the disputed territory ... Three weeks ago, a senior US State Department official said that Washington would oppose any attempt by political and military officials to overthrow the Pakistani government through extra-constitutional means
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
Check out the BBC reader's comments page at:http://news1.thls.bbc.co.uk/low/english/talking_point/newsid_472000/47 2723.asp (sorry, no link)
Some very interesting comments about the background and state of affairs in Pakistan.
-- Mr. Details (Details@detail.com), October 12, 1999.
Military Intelligence. Oxymoron.
The coup should have waited till March, when the starvation could have been blamed on the current regime.
-- K. Stevens (kstevens@ It's ALL going away in January.com), October 12, 1999.
Thanks, Mr. Details. ~~ scroll down ~~
Pakistan In Turmoil: ReactionsUm, what with all the talk of, you know, terrorism, back trap doors, hackers, techno-envy-rage-blame-disgust, Big Stick putting Nose Where Not Appreciated ...
*** OCTOBER 1999 *** this might be significant
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 12 A Pakistani army general who was fired early Tuesday said on national television that he had dismissed the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The broadcast on state-run television came after Pakistan army troops stormed the residences of government officials and took control of key installations throughout the country.
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
Is Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan or Afghanistan?
-- David Lee Roth (Diver Down@Van Halen.ou812), October 12, 1999.
David, this is on the "Reaction" page: " ... harbouring the Taliban and Islamic extremists like Osama Bin Laden and organisations committing extremist activities ..."Does that mean he's in Pakistan or works/organizes thru Pakistan as base or satellite? Isn't he the one the US is worried about? As in, Y2K "T" attacks?
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
OT, but....
With our current leadership in D.C. this is scarey. Knowing Blubba, he could "try" to make friends with India and drive Pakistan into the arms of the Iranians. And don't you just know the Russians would just love us for that.....
Foot still hurting from the pollies, John
-- John Galt (jgaltfla@hotmail.com), October 12, 1999.
Lots of interconnected & ominous ties in this report from CNN:[ Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only ]
http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/south/9910/12/pakistan.04/
Pakistan government 'dismissed' by military takeover
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's state-run TV reported that the nation's army dismissed elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his government Tuesday after the Pakistani leader announced he was sacking his powerful military chief.
Television resumed broadcasting Tuesday after a three-hour blackout, announcing that "the government of Nawaz Sharif has been dismissed."
* Indian military on alert amid Pakistani uncertainty
* Bhutto says Pakistan appears in 'civil war'
Playing patriotic music, the station announced that Gen. Parvaiz Musharraf, the man Sharif had tried to fire, would address the nation.
The Pakistani prime minister was apparently under house arrest Tuesday after Pakistan's military shut down radio and television broadcasts and surrounded key public facilities in the Islamic country.
The army made its move two hours after Sharif announced he had dismissed Musharraf. Musharraf was in Sri Lanka at the time, but he quickly returned to Karachi and immediately went into a meeting with top generals.
The army shut down Islamabad's airport and reportedly arrested Information Minister Mushahid Hussein.
Troops also surrounded the home of Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz and were said to have taken over a number of other important buildings in Islamabad, Sharif's hometown of Lahore, and Karachi.
After the television building in Islamabad was seized, hundreds of Pakistanis gathered in the street outside, singing, "Long live the army."
Rift between Sharif, military over Kashmir
Musharraf's dismissal, announced on state-run television as an early retirement, came as a surprise. Musharraf's term as army chief was to have ended in April 2000.
Defense sources said Sharif also dismissed Chief of General Staff Mohammed Aziz.
Rumors of a military coup had flown since Sharif's decision to order militants to withdraw this summer from Indian territory in the Kargil region of disputed Kashmir. The move ended a bitter two-month border dispute with India, but prompted demonstrations calling for Sharif's resignation.
Sharif's order apparently began a rift between the prime minister and Musharraf, who had reportedly been involved in organizing the incursion into Indian territory.
The summer border dispute in Kashmir nearly erupted into full-scale war between nuclear neighbors Pakistan and India. Two of three wars the two countries have fought in their 52-year history have been over Kashmir.
Indian military on alert
India's military was on high alert along its border with Pakistan Tuesday after the developments in Pakistan were reported.
"This is a serious development for ... Kashmir," said a senior officer in the disputed Himalayan region Kashmir, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee called a crisis meeting Tuesday night after reports of the military action surfaced. The Cabinet Committee on Security was to meet Wednesday, immediately after Vajpayee was sworn in for another term as prime minister.
Vajpayee was reelected prime minister in elections completed earlier this month. One of his promises was to restart stalled peace talks with India's nuclear neighbor Pakistan.
In Washington, State Department spokesman James Rubin said it was clear the government of Pakistan was in "crisis." He said if the government was being overthrown, the United States would push for the restoration of democracy as soon as possible.
"We were not aware of this move in advance," said Rubin. He said the United States believes Pakistan's constitution "must be respected.
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-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
When Bill Clinton sent cruise missles into Sudan to punish goat-herders and asprin-manufacturers for CIA-trained terrorist attacks on our African embassays, one of the CMs landed in Pakistan - a dud. They promptly turned it over to the Chinese, who gleefully back-engineered it and are probably manufacturing their own right now. Walmart will probably sell them to the U.S. military.We were doing basically the same thing with Japan. Before they attacked us.
Liberty
-- Liberty (liberty@theready.now), October 12, 1999.
That is, trading heavily with them, giving them military data and hardware, building up their infrastructure.Pakistan is a satellite of China. Their nuclear program is made-in-China.
Liberty
-- Liberty (liberty@theready.now), October 12, 1999.
If you're within 5 miles of a 7-11, go run ask the Pakistani employees what's up with this.Oh, Lisa, that was prime.
We'll have to see on this.
-- Dog Gone (layinglow@rollover.now), October 12, 1999.
Looks like the Pakistani military is chaffing to unleash some of their nukes on India over Kashmir. My vote is this is related to use it or lose it. Y2K is a factor.
-- h (h@h.h), October 12, 1999.
Pakistan at a glance
A brief look at Pakistan:HISTORY - Created in 1947 as a separate homeland for Muslims of the Asian subcontinent. More than 95 percent of its 140 million people are Muslims.
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SOCIAL PROBLEMS - Extreme poverty and the world's eighth-largest population combine to create staggering social problems. Annual income averages barely $400. The overall literacy rate is about 30 percent, and about 15 percent for women. Many children never go to school or see a doctor. The population growth rate is more than 3 percent a year - one of the highest in the world.
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GEOGRAPHY - Bordered by Afghanistan to west and India to east. Pakistan has fought and lost three wars with India; current relations are uneasy with Islamic rebels fighting Indian troops over control of the northern Kashmir region. Karakoram Mountains form northern border with China, Arabian Sea to south.
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ECONOMY - Troubled cotton-based economy. Years of loose fiscal policies have caused the rupee's value to fall more than 35 percent against the U.S. dollar. Inflation continues to rise and public debt to mount. Defense spending accounts for roughly a third of $13 billion annual budget, debt servicing another third. Trade sanctions imposed after last year's nuclear tests have exacerbated economic troubles.
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WEAPONS - Pakistan carried out its first nuclear tests in May last year, and has insisted it will maintain a nuclear arsenal to defend itself against India, which also conducted its first nuclear tests last year.
-- sniff trouble (hot@spot.there), October 12, 1999.
And, just as a reminder, here's what the State Dept. and Foreign Office had to say about Pakistan and Y2K:Pakistan is not heavily reliant on computerized systems and appears to be somewhat prepared to deal with the Y2K problem. It established a national-level Y2K task force with a national coordinator in November 1998. Both government and private entities, however, came to focus on Y2K only in late 1998 or early 1999. A late start and inadequate funding to address the Y2K problem suggests that Y2K disruptions are likely.
Pakistan continues remediation efforts and contingency planning to reduce the risk of potential Y2K disruption. However, despite these efforts, there is significant risk of Y2K disruption in the key sectors, including low to moderate for banking, finance and telecommunications and high risk for electric power and health care. Information is not available to judge the scope and duration of these disruptions. U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Pakistan in late 1999 or early 2000 should be aware of potential difficulties.
General
The Government of Pakistan set up in 1998 a National Task Force to co- ordinate work on the problems which might occur at the end of 1999. It is now chaired by a Federal Government Minister reporting to the Prime Minister.
Energy
Both electricity generator/distributors, WAPDA (which has had a Y2K cell since March 1998) and KESC (for Karachi), are working with their suppliers to ensure compliance by November in generation and distribution. Transmission systems are less reliant on computer technology.
Feedback has been difficult to obtain from the fuel supply industries (coal, gas, oil etc), though most claim not to rely heavily on computer technology. In practice preparations probably vary: the Directorate General of Petroleum Concessions established a Y2K committee in 1997 while other industry managers appear to have adopted a wait-and-see attitude. The Oil and Gas Development Corporation has set a target date of September for compliance.
Water
Computer technology is not used extensively in the water industry. So the sector is not particularly vulnerable to computer- related problems.
Communications
The telecommunications regulator (PTA) has set a 30 September deadline for compliance. The operator (PTCL) hopes to be compliant, working with suppliers, by the deadline. Audits are being carried out. Postal/parcel services use little IT-reliant technology, and are therefore unlikely to be seriously affected.
Transport
An air traffic control plan is being drawn up. Contracts have been awarded for work on communications and flight information systems. The Civil Aviation Authority are aiming for compliance by 30 November. There are manual alternatives for immigration and baggage handling, so any disruption in these areas will probably be minimal. Pakistan Railways use mostly manual systems with a low level of computerisation. The Karachi Port Trust has installed new equipment.
Economic
An audit is in progress to ensure that financial institutions do not face Y2K problems. Most foreign-owned banks and some domestic institutions already have certificates of compliance. Some Automatic Teller Machines may fail, though these are not widely used at present. Problems may also arise if there are runs on the banking sector owing to precautionary withdrawals. But banks are already aware of the possibility, and likely to stock up in anticipation.
Health
With the exception of life-support systems, few medical facilities depend heavily on computer technology. It is not known how well prepared the health sector is overall.
-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), October 12, 1999.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani troops staged an apparent coup against the democratically elected government Tuesday, seizing state-run media and confining the prime minister to his home in a lightning move that raised tensions in the world's newest nuclear region.A message that scrolled across the television screen said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government had been ousted. It said the powerful army chief, Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf, whom Sharif had fired hours earlier, would address the nation early Wednesday.
Troops cordoned off the prime minister in his residence in Islamabad, took over the houses of several other top ministers and seized other government buildings.
As troops moved through the main cities, many Pakistanis danced in the streets and waved flags, celebrating the apparent ouster of a government that had become increasingly unpopular because of its heavy-handed rule.
Word of the apparent coup led the army of nuclear rival India to go on high alert along the border between the two countries, a senior officer in India's northern command in Kashmir said.
In New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee held a crisis meeting with his top security and foreign policy advisers. The reports from Pakistan ``are causing grave concern,'' said Vajpayee's spokesman, Ashok Tandon.
Tuesday's developments followed reports in recent weeks of a yawning rift between the military and the civilian government in this impoverished and overwhelmingly Muslim country of 140 million people.
The army has ruled Pakistan for 25 of its 52-year history, and army takeovers have happened repeatedly. But democratically elected governments have been in place since 1985.
Sharif fired Musharraf while the military leader was on a visit to Sri Lanka. Musharraf flew back to Pakistan and was met by a large contingent of soldiers at the airport in the southern city of Karachi.
The conflict between the two men developed this summer after the prime minister ordered militants to withdraw from Indian territory in the Kashmir region, ending two months of bitter fighting with India.
Musharraf reportedly orchestrated the incursion into Kashmir, and the withdrawal of the militants was considered humiliating to Pakistan's military.
President Clinton had negotiated the withdrawal with Sharif amid fears the border dispute would escalate into an all-out war between the world's two newest nuclear powers.
Pakistan carried out its first nuclear tests in May last year, and has insisted it will maintain a nuclear arsenal to defend itself against India, which also conducted its first nuclear tests last year.
Asked if the situation in Islamabad had raised concerns about control of nuclear weapons technologies in Pakistan, White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said: ``No concern like that has been raised to me.''
Before the televised announcement of a military takeover, U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin said it was not yet clear if a coup had taken place. However, ``if there has been a coup we would obviously seek the earliest possible restoration of democracy in Pakistan,'' he said.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, speaking with BBC World TV in London, said she doesn't support coups but was sympathetic to the army's desire to get rid of Sharif.
``My message to the army is that if you were provoked into this action the world will understand, if you give a firm date for fair elections and go back to the barracks.''
The military takeover came after Sharif announced Musharraf's removal and appeared on national television shaking the hand of his named replacement, Gen. Zia Uddin, head of the secret service. Within hours, the army was fanning out in the capital and other cities. Soldiers jumped the fence around the central TV building in Islamabad and seized it, witnesses said.
Troops surrounded and closed Islamabad International Airport, while others were seen taking over the houses of several top ministers - including Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz and Information Minister Mushahid Hussein.
International phone lines out of the capital were cut, while television began broadcasting nationalistic songs and footage of Pakistani troops and heavy armor in parades. A bank holiday was declared for Wednesday, apparently to prevent a run on the currency.
In Lahore, soldiers in jeeps and trucks took up positions on the main road and at government buildings as people celebrated and waved colored flags. There also were reports that army trucks were moving toward the airport in Lahore, the Punjab provincial capital.
Outside the seized television building in Islamabad, more than 400 people danced, waved flags and shouted, ``Long live the army.''
``Nawaz Sharif tried to divide the army. This was very dangerous. We hope the rot ends here,'' said one Islamabad resident, 60-year-old Ghulam Nabi Abbasi.
Sharif has become increasingly unpopular - accused by many of trying to consolidate his power by weakening institutions like the judiciary, provincial governments and the opposition. He was also accused of using heavy-handed tactics to quell opposition protests throughout the country in recent weeks.
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-- well well well (lessons@to.learn), October 12, 1999.
Gen. Zia Uddin, head of the secret serviceI wouldn't want to trade places with that guy right now.
-- Dog Gone (layinglow@rollover.now), October 12, 1999.
Ah, here it comes, news realization:[ Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only ]
AND NOW, A NUCLEAR-ARMED COUPWorst fears come to pass: Unstable nation, loose nukes
NEW YORK, Oct. 12 Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the man whose finger once hovered above Pakistans nuclear launch button, was a prisoner of his own military on Tuesday, raising the long-dreaded specter of a military coup in a nuclear-armed state. While nothing reported from Pakistan suggests any immediate threat to its neighbor, India, or to the security of its small nuclear arsenal, the coup starkly demonstrates the potential dangers of the spread of nuclear weapons to unstable states.
EVER SINCE the two South Asian neighbors blasted their way into the nuclear club in May, 1998, they have made the case that they are no more likely to use the weapons than the five established nuclear powers, the United States, Russia, France, China and Britain. Both India and Pakistan argue that the world should pay more attention to states unwilling to acknowledge their nuclear capabilities Israel, for instance or North Korea and Iran, which appear to be on the cusp of developing them. As Indias Ambassador to the United States, Naresh Chandra, asserted in an MSNBC chat last month, The probability of use of nuclear arms is next to nothing.
WHOM TO TRUST?
Of course, that is the nature of nuclear deterrence. In this case, India has a deterrent and that offsets any advantage a new Pakistani regime might think theyve gained, said Gen. Bernard Trainor, an NBC military analyst. I would think one of the first things that will take place, if this is a coup, is that Pakistani generals will get on the phone with India to let them know the situation is not a threat.
Given the depth of the enmity between these two states, however, will such assurances be enough? After all, Indias military only last summer inflicted a humiliating defeat on Pakistan in Kashmir after the Pakistanis helped Islamic rebels infiltrate that Indian-controlled region. The two states have fought three wars over that territory since independence from Britain in 1947.
This isnt an automatic doomsday scenario, said Trainor. But this has always been a primary danger of proliferation: that nuclear arms would fall into the hands of an unstable state.
FAILED STATE?
Pakistans coup sets that precedent. Similar concerns were expressed during the breakup of the Soviet Union, which left its huge arsenal dispersed among four successor states: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. But the existence of international arms control treaties governing the status of each and every one of those weapons, plus the highly professional nature of the Soviet military bureaucracy, kept the situation under control.
During the Soviet collapse, we didnt have anarchy or chaos within political subdivisions, said Gary Milhollin, director of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control. There was never any question of Russia, or Ukraine, say, failing as states. In Pakistan, however, there is a very real danger of that. And thats the real danger What happens if a state with nuclear weapons fails?
TROUBLED NATION
Pakistan, while unstable, is not yet a failed state. Yet in spite of its nuclear capabilities, assembled with the help of Indias other regional ally, China, Pakistan is a state that has been coming apart at the seams for a decade. Its recent history, outside the dubious achievement of nuclear test explosions and ballistic missile launches, has been tarnished by foreign miscalculations, domestic instability, economic failure and political corruption.
Sharif vanquished his old rival, the ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, by pressing apparently well-founded corruption charges against her husband, who is now in a Pakistani jail as she lives the posh life of a London exile. Sharif then set about cementing his political control over the country by flirting with Islamic militants, proposing a bill in parliament to make Sharia the Koranic code of law the law of the state. For several years, Sharif managed to play these factions off against the more secular army, business tycoons based in Karachi and the powerful drug barons of the north.
Shiite extremists, Kashmiri separatists and Islamic militants sympathetic to Osama bin Laden surfaced from time to time and spectacular acts of domestic terrorism became mundane. But Sharif seemed, for a while, to float above it all.
Last summer, however, Sharif sanctioned a Pakistani military incursion into regions of Kashmir controlled by Indian troops. For a month and a half, Pakistani insurgents, many found wearing Pakistani army uniforms after their bodies were recovered by Indian forces, held out in the mountainous redoubts they seized in early May. India pushed these forces out in sometimes heavy fighting before international pressure forced Pakistan to pull back.
The army, always the final arbiter of power in Pakistan, has been out to get Sharif ever since. On Tuesday, when Sharif attempted to replace the militarys chief of staff with a pro-Sharif official from Pakistans notorious Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, the ISI, the army apparently had enough.
THE AMERICAN DYNAMIC
In Washington, the demise of Sharif was not completely surprising. Washington had played a back- door role in convincing Pakistan to pull back from its disastrous summer incursion in Kashmir, dispatching Gen. Anthony Zinni to Islamabad to underscore U.S. displeasure.
Throughout the last decade, Pakistan first under Bhutto, then Sharif has worked hard to convince Washington that Pakistan was still a reliable and valuable ally. The success of this effort is of the utmost interest to the Pakistani military, which once could count on superior military technology supplied by Washington to offset the numerical superiority of Indias air force and army.
During the Cold War, and especially during the Soviet occupation of neighboring Afghanistan, Washington was happy to count Pakistans rotating roster of military dictatorships and venal civilian governments as friends. While this alienated India, it also allowed the CIA to eavesdrop on Soviet Central Asia and China and, later, to pump arms and money to the anti-Soviet Afghan mujahedeen.
India and Pakistan's ballistic missiles
Ties began to wear thin even before the Cold War ended, and the issue driving the trend was Pakistans clear pursuit of nuclear weapons. In 1985, Congress passed a law to require a cutoff of military and economic aid to any country actively pursuing nuclear weapons development. In 1990, the Bush administration could no longer ignore the evidence. Pakistan went from the third-largest recipient (after Israel and Egypt) of American foreign aid to the bottom of the list. Most important to the military, a shipment of 40 F-16 warplanes was frozen and ultimately cancelled.
ITS OWN WORST ENEMY?
Since then, the United States has attempted to build bridges to India, the worlds largest democracy and historically a Soviet ally. This has proven difficult. India rejects the idea that Kashmir should be mediated by a third party, ruling out a role for the United States in the subcontinents most dangerous conflict. It also refuses to acknowledge any recklessness in its own decision in May 1998 to weaponize its nuclear program, a move that prompted Pakistan to do the same only a week later.
India on Tuesday expressed grave concern about its rival to the north. Yet coups in Pakistan are hardly unprecedented, and the existence of factions mad enough to actually deploy nuclear weapons cannot be ruled out. The only new element in what is happening in Pakistan are the nuclear-tipped missiles the next leader of that sad nation will have at his (or her) disposal. And, as admirable as Indias democracy may be, it has no one but itself to blame for the missiles that are keeping its people awake tonight.
------------------------------------------------------------- What a cauldron! Hey folks, you know that terrorist the State Department has been freaking about? He just got ahold of some big nukes.
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
Bold off.
-- wild news (mad@paki.fundamentalists), October 12, 1999.
My comment on the WDCY2K survey is going to haunt me:"War overseas seems increasingly likely, and we need a strong defense to keep danger at a distance. We will see a bloodbath, as countries in turmoil declare wars on neighbors to (1) gain immediate assets, (2) take advantage of the opportunity when "police powers" are distracted, and (3) distract their own citizens from their internal failures (as in Argentina and the Falklands). I expect wars for India/Pakistan, various Southeast Asia, internal wars in China, various African states, Middle East, Balkans, Old Soviet Union. Every longstanding conflict that is simmering today will be in flames next year."
Pollies think being wrong is the worst thing in the world, but I'd really LIKE
-- bw (home@puget.sound), October 12, 1999.
[fatfinger] to be wrong.
-- bw (home@puget.sound), October 12, 1999.
uhhh - should I mention that one interpretation of the Nostradamus prophecies on the King of the Mogols thingie involved Pakistan and nuclear weapons?
-- nostra (nostra@dam.us), October 12, 1999.
The Nostradamus thing is not as OT as it sounds.D'affrieur is "King of Terror" but the original is "daffrieur" which means "paymaster" or, in the medieval French idiom, "appeaser." So you get "In the seventh month of 1999 an appeaser king (i.e., one who GIVES THINGS AWAY TO AN ENEMY INSTEAD OF STANDING UP TO THEIR THREATS) comes from the sky (on Airforce One, perhaps), awakening the King of the Mongols (the Chinese war chief). Journalists have plastered the bogus "King of Terror" translation everywhere, because it sells copy, or because (as the medieval French might say) a Mockingbird told them to.
I would like to see an interpretation having specifically to do with Pakistan. Yet given that Pakistan has the support of China in every way, we can consider the Paks Chinese clients.
-- Dr. Polymorph (Iknowmore@thanyoudo.com), October 12, 1999.
So much news on this now. Seems to be a fairly peaceful coup so far. USA is very nervous though.
-- mongols (making@news.today), October 12, 1999.
From tomorrow's Electronic Telegraph:Pakistan PM ousted in army coup By Ahmed Rashid in Lahore and Christopher Lockwood, Diplomatic Editor Hotlinks to sidebars: Kashmir crisis sowed seeds of conflict; Generals have broken with trend for civilian rule; Vajpayee in crisis talks with advisers Kashmir factfile
THE Pakistani army dismissed the civilian government last night and seized important buildings, including airports and television stations.
Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister, the President and all ministers were placed under house arrest. The coup came hours after Mr Sharif had attempted to dismiss Gen Pervaiz Musharraf, the Army chief of staff, who in turn declared martial law.
The army's action, though prompted by Mr Sharif's move against the general, came amid rising dissatisfaction with Mr Sharif's government, which is accused of large scale corruption and maladministration. Mr Sharif has moved Pakistan closer to Islamic fundamentalism, entrenching sharia - or Islamic law - in the legal system, arresting journalists, harassing his opponents and dismissing judges, presidents and generals.
For several hours confusion reigned as troops loyal to different generals surrounded government buildings in all major cities. Television and radio went off the air and international phone links were cut. In Islamabad, troops surrounded the home of Mr Sharif, President Rafiq Tarrar and all ministers two hours after Mr Sharif had sacked the army chief, who was not in the country at the time.
Observers in the capital suggested that a permanent military regime looked unlikely. Following past military coups, caretaker civilian governments have been installed.
The crisis began at 5pm, when Pakistan television announced that Mr Sharif had sacked Gen Musharraf and replaced him with Lt-Gen Khawaja Ziauddin. Gen Ziauddin, head of Inter-Services Intelligence, deployed a small number of police and troops to secure the television station and other buildings in Islamabad in case troops loyal to Gen Musharraf made a move.
Within 90 minutes thousands of troops loyal to Gen Musharraf had deployed around Islamabad and forced Gen Ziauddin's men to withdraw. Gen Musharraf arrived in Karachi at 7pm from Sri Lanka and left for Islamabad with an armed escort.
By 10pm, State-controlled radio and television were back on the air to announce that the government had been overthrown. In an address, Gen Musharraf said that the armed forces had been forced to act to end "uncertainty and turmoil". But he gave no hint as to what he would do next. Tension between Mr Sharif and Gen Musharraf had been high since Pakistani troops and Kashmiri militants were forced to withdraw from territory in Kargil, Indian Kashmir, which they had occupied.
Both men spent the last two months criticising the other for the debacle. Mr Sharif clearly took a risk by appointing Gen Ziauddin as the new army chief because he was known as a Sharif loyalist. The appointment also went against the grain of army tradition, as no intelligence chief has ever been appointed army chief.
Mr Sharif, who has assumed ever greater powers in the last two years, had already sacked one President and the Chief Justice. Last October, he angered the army by dismissing its chief, Gen Jehangir Karamat, after the general had mildly criticised Mr Sharif's lack of good governance.
Since then, Gen Musharraf had vowed that although he would not pick a fight with Mr Sharif he would not go quietly if dismissed. Any government installed by the military is expected to carry out extensive investigation, and possible prosecution, of politicians, including Mr Sharif, his family and Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister.
However, the new government will face enormous challenges as Pakistan is in the grip of a severe economic crisis, ethnic and sectarian massacres, diplomatic isolation and an explosion in Islamic fundamentalism. America called for the Pakistani constitution to be respected, although this seems unlikely.
James Rubin, State Department spokesman, said: "We believe that the Pakistani constitution must be respected, not only in its letter but in its spirit." In London, the Foreign Office called on British citizens intending to visit Pakistan to cancel their plans and asked those already inside the country to stay indoors and listen to news reports, in particular the BBC World Service.
Pakistan has been ruled by the army for more than half of its political life, the first of its many coups taking place 11 years after independence in 1947. Since 1988 and the death of Gen Zia ul-Haq, who overthrew Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to appoint himself the Chief Martial Law Administrator, the army has let the civilians hold centre stage.
The military, however, has never been far from power. Yesterday's dismissal of Nawaz Sharif marks the fourth time that a Prime Minister has been sacked since then. Benazir Bhutto was removed from office in 1990 and again in 1996: Mr Sharif was dismissed in 1993.
In each previous case, the removal was effected by Pakistan's President, under the broad powers granted to him by the constitution to order fresh elections. In every case, the President was acting at the behest of the army, still the most powerful and effective institution in a country that has been dragged to the brink of chaos by its corrupt and incompetent politicians.
-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), October 12, 1999.
From the Times of India:http://www.timesofindia.com/today/13home2.htm
Wednesday 13 October 1999 Posted at 0130 hrs IST India alarmed at events in Pakistan
By Seema Guha
NEW DELHI: India is watching events in Pakistan with growing disquiet. ``We are deeply concerned over developments in Pakistan and are closely monitoring the situation,'' national security adviser Brajesh Mishra said Tuesday. The coup will be doubly dangerous in a nuclear Pakistan where there is no political leadership to rein in a general capable of pressing the nuclear trigger.
``We are certainly not looking forward to a hardline army dictatorship in Islamabad,'' said a senior Indian official. The fact that the final break between the army and the political leadership was a result of the face-off between India and Pakistan on Kargil is even more dangerous. A coming together of the hardline army and religious right-wing political groups may be the perfect recipe for disaster in South Asia.
The Vajpayee government is fully aware of the implications of a military takeover. Immediately after the swearing in of the new government on Wednesday, the Cabinet Committee on Defence will meet to take stock of the situation across the border. Soon after the news of the coup was flashed on the television screen here, Prime Minister Vajpayee went into a huddle with external affairs minister Jaswant Singh, home minister L K Advani and Mishra at 7, Race Course Road. In fact, this is the first major challenge faced by the new Indian government even before taking office.
Indian armed forces were promptly put on full alert to deal with any adventurist bid at intrusions along the Life of Control. New Delhi is aware that the military regime in Islamabad will mean more trouble in Kashmir. Cross-border terrorism will naturally also be stepped up.
The coup cannot have come as a major surprise to India which had been monitoring the situation in Pakistan all along. In fact, worries of a coup were privately expressed by senior members of the Vajpayee government much before the US warning against a military takeover in Pakistan was issued.
Defence minister George Fernandes, who had made an off-the-cuff remark about the Pakistan army chief General Pervez Musharraf ordering intrusions into Kargil without the knowledge of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the ISI, has been amply vindicated by events in Pakistan.
On hindsight the Vajpayee government's faith in Nawaz Sharif seems to have been bang on target. The Pakistan Prime Minister was India's best bet in the circumstances, it's another thing that his efforts at peacemaking came a cropper.
Kashmiri Information Network
http://jammu-kashmir.org/KIN/Terrorism/bulletin.html
Pakistan sinks deeper into instability: Army takes over, detains Sharif US to not carry out "business as usual" with world's top terrorist nation? Lashkar-e-Toiba under imminent threat of being termed "terrorist", acquires land mines from US arms dealers
Pakistan took another step over the edge as the Army led by Gen. Musharraf, who had reportedly orchestrated the Kashmir invasion earlier this year, deposed PM Nawaz Sharif, put him under house arrest, and took over key installations in the country's major cities. Sharif, who had fired the President, Chief Justice and an earlier Army chief during the past year, attempted to replace Musharraf with the head of the ISI intelligence agency, Gen. Ziauddin, triggering the coup today. Pakistan's ISI is well known for its role in coordinating terrorist activities in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir states of India for the last two decades. In a recent amazing development, ISI chief Ziauddin was a guest of the United States a couple of weeks back and apparently met with key US officials. Pakistan, which is easily acknowledged as the main source of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism in the world along with Afghanistan, has been repeatedly overlooked by the US State Department during its annual exercise of listing "terrorist nations", suggesting that the much-ballyhooed list is not much more than a flimsy exercise in international politics. It is not clear if US foreign policy officials realize that their deeply myopic support of a fundamentalist, unstable country over the last two decades has created a serious threat not just in South Asia but to the rest of the world. In this context, a statement by US State Dept. official James Rubin is noteworthy: "We will not carry out business as usual with ... Pakistan". The question is why is the world's most powerful country and a self-styled champion of democracy carrying out business as usual with the world's top terrorist nation?
The US government has apparently finally agreed to declare Lashkar-e-Toiba as a terrorist group. The trigger for this decision appears not to be the number of killings and massacres Lashkar terrorists have carried out in Jammu and Kashmir over the last many years, but the role Lashkar is playing in the growing anti-US global terrorist threat. Lashkar terrorists, are now reported to possess land mines acquired from US arms dealers. Dozens of civilians and security personnel are regularly killed or injured in explosions set off by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Nearly a dozen other international Islamic terrorist groups use Pakistan as their secure base.
-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), October 12, 1999.
Wow, Old Git, more and more about terrorists. They really are getting active. Hope the USA gets smart real fast ...
-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.
Just think of how this must delay the completion of Pakistan's Y2K remediation program...just what they need.(2) First thought...who will be in charge of the nukes? Yosama Ben Laden and friends?
-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), October 13, 1999.
Pakistan's Y2K page:http://www.pcb.gov.pk/y2k.html
-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), October 13, 1999.