Clutching a glass of distinctly un-Islamic whisky, a retired senior Pakistani official explains at a drinks party in Islamabad, the capital, that his country has no choice but to support the jihadist opposition in Afghanistan. The Indians are throwing money at their own favourites in Afghanistan, he says, and the Russians and Iranians are doing the same. So Pakistan must play the game too. "Except we have no money. All we have are the crazies. So the crazies it is."
Saturday, October 08, 2011
QOTD
The first paragraph from an article about Pakistan in last week's Economist:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
The Great Game continues.
Fascinating para.
At least he is honest enough to admit that Pakistan is backing the jihadis in Afghanistan. His honesty only goes so far.
Back in the 1990s, who was more involved in Afghanistan, India or Pakistan? Pakistan, by a long shot. The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in the mid 1990s with substantial Pakistani assistance, and Pakistan continued to assist the Taliban.
IIRC, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were only two of 3 governments in the world that recognized the Taliban government.
Facts which the retired Pakistani official glosses over.
The more I read about Pakistan, the more disgusted I get with the ISI. We should start targeting ISI officials with our rockets, not just Taliban or Osama.
An interesting analysis by Walter Russell Mead:
The Pakistani Perplex
Post a Comment