Born in violence from the "chopped off shoulders" of India, Pakistan throuhhout its histrory has been awashed in violence. It is Punjabis vs. Sindis; Sunnis vs Shia vs Mohajirs(those muslims who came from India after the partition), with the few Christians under seige; a weak civilian government; a military that is divided between factions; the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with its own agenda,; the Taliban, drawn from the Afghan refugees (mainly Pushtuns) and conditioned in the madrassahs by the ISI to represent its interests in Afghanistan and to fight India in Kashmir; various armed and extreme religious groups in the North-west and Waziristan, remnants of al-Qaida using it as a refuge from its depredations in Afghanistan , drug lords and weapons merchants and used by the Americans as a proxy in its fight against terrorism, Pakistan is on the brink.
Violence is everywhere and there seems to be no end to it. Bombings in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Karachi, the Swat Valley, in markets, in mosques, against the police, the military and each other. Of course it is the civilians that bear the brunt of it. Preached to, critized, condemned , and funded by its American friend who subject it to daily drone attacks, that kill and maim innocent bystanders, who then rail against the government and are radicalised, Pakistan is ungovernable.
The Americans will withdraw again, as they did in the late 80's, when they become tired of the war and the $100 billion a year that it cost. It is just a matter of time, especially as more and more Americans turn against the war (the killing of bin Ladin was a double sided sword, the hated symbolof 9/11 is no more and so "mission accomplished"), as presidential elections come nearer and nearer. The only remaining selling point is Pakistan's nuclear weapons and the risk that it may fall in the hands of the extremists. Once America is able to work out a deal to "secure" these weapons, the war can be fought by drones, Obama can declare victory and the troops can be brought home.
This will result in a final convulsion in Pakistan, civil war and the break up of the country. The 25 million Pashtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan can finally get their own country, the Waziris, and the Baluchis will get theirs and the Punjabis and thSidlis can fight over what is left. There will be years of turmoil and the volitality in the region will be a threat to especially India, that is why they are so closely engaged in the fate of Afghanistan.
Violence is everywhere and there seems to be no end to it. Bombings in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Karachi, the Swat Valley, in markets, in mosques, against the police, the military and each other. Of course it is the civilians that bear the brunt of it. Preached to, critized, condemned , and funded by its American friend who subject it to daily drone attacks, that kill and maim innocent bystanders, who then rail against the government and are radicalised, Pakistan is ungovernable.
The Americans will withdraw again, as they did in the late 80's, when they become tired of the war and the $100 billion a year that it cost. It is just a matter of time, especially as more and more Americans turn against the war (the killing of bin Ladin was a double sided sword, the hated symbolof 9/11 is no more and so "mission accomplished"), as presidential elections come nearer and nearer. The only remaining selling point is Pakistan's nuclear weapons and the risk that it may fall in the hands of the extremists. Once America is able to work out a deal to "secure" these weapons, the war can be fought by drones, Obama can declare victory and the troops can be brought home.
This will result in a final convulsion in Pakistan, civil war and the break up of the country. The 25 million Pashtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan can finally get their own country, the Waziris, and the Baluchis will get theirs and the Punjabis and thSidlis can fight over what is left. There will be years of turmoil and the volitality in the region will be a threat to especially India, that is why they are so closely engaged in the fate of Afghanistan.
