What role is Pakistan playing?

[AFDAL]

Not all "Indians" fought the white man

Your statement should be " Not all Hindus fought the british colonial power "

Simple example is the Phyco Mr A. B. Vaspayee - the fomer PM of india gave the names of the resistance fighter of india to the British colonial Power in 1942

 

[Keltoi]

Your statement should be " Not all Hindus fought the british colonial power "

Simple example is the Phyco Mr A. B. Vaspayee - the fomer PM of india gave the names of the resistance fighter of india to the British colonial Power in 1942

lol...sorry. The use of the term "Indian" in that sense was referring to Native Americans. Unfortunately, since Columbus thought he discovered a new route to the West Indies, he named the inhabitants "Indians"...so our people have been called that for 500 years.

 

[Geronimo]

lol...sorry. The use of the term "Indian" in that sense was referring to Native Americans. Unfortunately, since Columbus thought he discovered a new route to the West Indies, he named the inhabitants "Indians"...so our people have been called that for 500 years.

lol right. I don't know about other people but my family prefer to say we are Shawano (or Shawnee) versus saying we are Indian or Native American.

 

[Keltoi]

To get back on topic. Pakistan hasn't been totally helpful in the War on Terror. Mushareff has given in to the demands of his people by not allowing US forces to enter Pakistani soil, at least not in large numbers. Which I don't blame him for.

 

[KAding]

Since he came to power through a coup and is a dictator...how can we be sure that the poll was a fair one and not influenced in anyway?

We are not. In fact, most Western countries, including the US, put in place sanctions after his coup in protest. But eventually we had to deal with him, just like we had to deal with all these dictators that are produced by muslim countries. The process of acceptance by the international community was speeded up because of his help in the so-called 'war on terrorism'.

 

[KAding]

I don't think of Pakistan at all except in terms of negotiations. I would say we can take all the Jews here in the US from Israel and give that land to the Arabs only if all muslims leave the West and give Pakistan back to India.

And don't forget, 'we' also want back Constantinople! At least, I want it back, it is so nice :grumbling

 

[Woodrow]

I believe the Pakistani Government is going to have to get off the fence and choose a side. Bangladesh has just pledged two Battalions to be used as UN forces in South Lebannon. (ie Remove Hizbullah and keep them out). To me I view this as backing Pakastan into the posistion it will either have to be against Bangladesh and visibly support Hizbullah, or it will have to show solidarity with Bangladesh and pledge troops to the UN.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Nearly 50 countries that could contribute the 13,000 new troops needed to expand the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon met Thursday amid concern over the ground rules and firepower the soldiers could use.
Bangladesh pledged up to 2,000 troops and France offered 200 new troops in addition to 200 already in the force, a disappointment to some who expected more from the country likely to lead the force.

In an opening speech, Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown said at least 3,500 troops are needed to deploy within 10 days to expand the 2,000-strong U.N. force trying to help maintain an uneasy truce between Israel and Hezbollah militants.

"Every moment we delay is a moment of risk that the fighting could re-erupt," he said.

Malloch Brown told diplomats from the 49 countries invited to the meeting that details on how the expanded force will operate and the rules of engagement will make clear that "this will be a strong, robust force, equipped and authorized to take all necessary action in its key tasks."

The U.N. resolution that led to Monday's cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah after a brutal 34-day war authorized up to 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help 15,000 Lebanese troops extend their authority throughout south Lebanon, which Hezbollah controls, as Israeli troops withdraw. The aim is to create a buffer zone free of Hezbollah fighters between the Litani River and the U.N.-drawn border, about 18 miles to the south.

Malloch Brown said the draft rules of engagement call for the use of force to prevent hostile activities in the buffer zone and to resist attempts to prevent the U.N. force, known as UNIFIL, from discharging its duties. The rules also allow UNIFIL to use force in assisting the Lebanese government if asked to secure its borders to prevent foreign forces, weapons and ammunition from entering the country, he said.

France and Italy said earlier Thursday that the peacekeeping mandate — partly written by the French — is not explicit enough, and demanded the U.N. set clear rules of engagement for troops that would bolster the force. A key concern, not mentioned by Malloch Brown, is whether the force will be called on to disarm Hezbollah fighters, as called for in a September 2004 U.N. resolution.

Even though the Israel withdrawal and handover to U.N. forces has gone well thus far, some potential contributors are believed to be concerned about avoiding confrontation with Hezbollah or being caught in the middle of a future conflict. Germany — uneasy given its Nazi past of any possible military confrontation with Israeli soldiers — said it wouldn't send any but is expected to provide logistical support.

Before the meeting, French President Jacques Chirac announced

that France will immediately double its 200-strong contingent already in the U.N. force to 400. The announcement said Chirac told U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a phone call that France is prepared to command the strengthened force until February.

Yahya Mahmassani, the Arab League's envoy to the United Nations, said he had been officially informed that Bangladesh is going to contribute two battalions to the force, "and the number will be between 1,600 and 2,000."

"That's good. That will enhance the force," he said. "I hope that France and other countries will be able to beef up UNIFIL to the expected number required by the United Nations resolution 1701."

Italy has said it could quickly send as many as 3,000 soldiers — up from its current contribution of about 50 — but Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi's office said that he was pushing for explicit ground rules. In a telephone conversation late Wednesday with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Prodi called for "a clear mandate, without any ambiguity and with very precise rules of engagement, for the soldiers who will be deployed," the premier's office said.

Malloch Brown said "a rapidly reinforced UNIFIL is key to a historic reassertion of Lebanese sovereignty over the south. And most important of all, it is key to establishing conditions needed for the kind of broader political process required to underpin a permanent cease-fire."

"The key to resolving this conflict and many of the wider challenges faced in the region is not military but political ... and it is very important that the parties to the conflict understand this," he said in the speech to the closed meeting, which was released by United Nations.


Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Posted 8/17/2006 1:18 PM ET

source:http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-17-mideast-un_x.htm?csp=24

 

[therebbe]

Correct me if I am wrong Woodrow, but it seems that in the past Pakistans foreign policy descions have been based on whatever the opposite of Indias foreign policy is.

 

[Woodrow]

Correct me if I am wrong Woodrow, but it seems that in the past Pakistans foreign policy descions have been based on whatever the opposite of Indias foreign policy is.

That is true, but many Pakistanis still have strong family ties in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is ethnically homogeneous, with 98% of the population being Bengalis (as are most in neighboring West Bengal, India), though Bengalis are a heterogeneous and physically diverse ethnic group. They speak Bangla, an eastern Indo-Aryan language. The remainder of the population is comprised mostly of Biharis and various tribal groups (concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts).

The religions practiced in the region have changed significantly through history. At various times in the distance past, Buddhism and Hinduism were each the dominant religions. The 1947 partition of Bengal along religious lines augmented the existing Muslim majority in the region. The 1991 census provides the most recent estimate of the religious makeup, with 88.3% Muslim and 10.5% Hindu.[1] The balance is made up of Buddhists, Christians and animists. About 5% of the Muslims (and most of the Biharis) are Shia.

source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Bangladesh

 

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

lol ive neva understood dis, i hav a few radical sikh mateys yeh (babbar khalsah big up) lol and some really like pakistan & say pakistan helped us, but then the less radical ones that you hear about on the news or summin always hav summin againist pakistan why?

i dunno bout sikhs but my parents tell me shes no good and all fake. Her father wasnt a very good person. i forget what they told me. My uncle used to be a politician and they used to want my dad to lead. But he hated it cuz they were all liars. All talk on the outside and fake inside. The masses in the country are more supportive than its government.

 

[therebbe]

Bangladesh is certainly one of those "cricket" countries. lol.

 

[Dawud_uk]

No the US would have just used India and as a staging ground and would have supplied the firepower to India to spank Pakistan if they would have gotten out of line.

says all we need to know about the US attitude towards others, 'do it our way or die'

nice...

Daw'ud