What is the “official” position of Pakistan recognizing the Taliban? They can’t quite make up their mind yet. Mustang then gives us some thoughts on the matter. First:
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Chains of slavery broken’ after Taliban takeover says Pakistan PM Imran Khan | Afghanistan | World
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan appears to be endorsing the Taliban as they take control of Afghanistan. According to Imran Khan, Afghans have “broken the chains of slavery in the country”.
But yesterday this is posted:
Perfidious Pakistan
By Mustang
Not long ago, two retired U. S. Army general officers waxed eloquent about US-Pakistan relations. Both now serve as fellows at the Middle East Institute — a think tank. Well, a tank anyway. Both generals agree that the US and Pakistan have had a love-hate relationship since 1947; both agree that the “hate” has worsened over the past 20 years. And both wonder if it is time for a mutually beneficial and strategically sustainable relationship between the US and Pakistan. Of course, one common denominator between love and hate is that it’s a two-way street.
Why should Americans want or need a mutually beneficial and strategically sustainable relationship with Pakistan? According to these two generals, Pakistan is a nuclear state — that’s why. Never mind that Pakistan is a nuclear state because (a) it stole US nuclear technology, (b) it diverted American foreign aid intended to feed people to help pay for nuclear bombs, (c) it obligated a substantial percentage of the national GDP to pay for nuclear weapons development, and (d) it funneled stolen US technology to the Chinese. This probably explains how the Chinese mysteriously developed a near copy of America’s most advanced stealth aircraft.
Both generals “worry” about Pakistan’s staunchest allies: Saudi Arabia and Turkey — both of which foment Wahhabi radicalism where and whenever they can. Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence Agency (ISI) is that country’s premier intelligence organization. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing information relevant to Pakistan’s national security goals. It is a thoroughly radicalized organization whose involvement with Afghanistan’s Mujahideen dates back to the 1980s. While “cooperating” with the CIA and British SIS, it concurrently works against the interests of both the United States and Great Britain in radical Islamism and funneling money from Saudi Arabia to the Afghan Taliban. ISI also played a significant role in the kidnapping and murder by decapitation of Jewish-American journalist Daniel Pearle.
Both generals want us to know that Pakistan is a global provider of doctors and scientists. Most physicians one consults with in the UK are Pakistani; they are about the only individuals willing to work as medical doctors for low wages. Pakistani doctors are among the most incompetent in the entire medical profession. Still, more than that, they behave toward their captive patients (owing to the British National Health Care System) with insufferable arrogance and disrespect. Their ability to provide adequate medical treatment is also negatively affected by their limited ability to speak English. They make no effort to improve their language skills.
Both generals want us to know that despite how deeply Pakistanis hate Americans and ignoring their dishonesty in ripping off the American taxpayer to help fund nuclear weapons and global terrorism, that living without Pakistan would be far more difficult for the United States than having them slit our throats — literally or figuratively.
How can the United States achieve a better relationship? Both generals think we Americans should provide even more money to help impoverished Pakistanis, even though the Pakistan government has diverted money from the poor to build their nuclear arsenal. Both generals believe we should cooperate with the Pakistanis in such areas as counterterrorism. We should ignore the fact that the Pakistanis are a primary source of global terrorism. Still, both generals think that international working groups might solve this problem.
Maybe marriage counseling will help fix the trust issues, but frankly, not even that would allow me to turn a blind eye to Pakistan’s duplicity.
You can read these retired general’s opinions at The Cipher Brief.
Mustang also blogs at Fix Bayonets and Thoughts From Afar
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