Bin Laden Gets A Pass From Pakistan

[Wahid]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/...den_gets_.html

Osama bin Laden, America’s most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a “peaceful life,” Pakistani officials tell ABC News.

The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a “peace deal” with the Taliban.

If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden “would not be taken into custody,” Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, “as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen.”

Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, but U.S. officials say his precise location is unknown.

In addition to the pullout of Pakistani troops, the “peace agreement” between Pakistan and the Taliban also provides for the Pakistani army to return captured Taliban weapons and prisoners.

“What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan,” said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.

The agreement was signed on the same day President Bush said the United States was working with its allies “to deny terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world.”

The Pakistani Army had gone into Waziristan, under heavy pressure from the United States, but faced a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.

“They’re throwing the towel,” said Alexis Debat, who is a Senior Fellow at the Nixon Center and an ABC News consultant. “They’re giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a blan
k check and saying essentially make yourselves at home in the tribal areas,” Debat said.

[Woodrow]

The main significance of that is what impact will it have on US-Pakistan relationships. There are a significant number of Pakistani's living and flourishing in the USA, most of them are doing bettet than the average American who was born here.

Nationwide, Pakistanis appear to be prospering. The census calculated that mean household income in the United States in 2002 was $57,852 annually, while that for Asian households, which includes Pakistanis, was $70,047. By contrast, about one-fifth of young British-born Muslims are jobless and many subsist on welfare.

Hard numbers about how many people of Pakistani descent live in the United States do not exist. But a forthcoming book on charitable donations among Pakistani-Americans, "Portrait of a Giving Community," by Adil Najam of Tufts University, puts the number around 500,000, with some 35 percent or more of them in the New York area. Chicago has fewer than 100,000, while other significant clusters exist in Washington, D.C., Texas and California

source:http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/...pakistanis.php

In the event of severed relationships between the US and Pakistan, the most logical out come would be that those people would be extradited back to Pakistan. Which would result in a lose of income for their families, as many of the successfull Pakastanis here send a large part of their income to their families in Pakistan.

[brainiac]

If this is indeed the case, the U.S. needs to reevaluate their relationship with Pakistan. And if the U.S. ever does pinpoint Bin Ladens location, I suggest they take the shot without notifying the Pakistanis.

[Woodrow]

If this is indeed the case, the U.S. needs to reevaluate their relationship with Pakistan. And if the U.S. ever does pinpoint Bin Ladens location, I suggest they take the shot without notifying the Pakistanis.

I am quite certain both Pakistan and the US will be re-evaluating relationships over the next few days or longer. Ever since 1947 we have enjoyed a close and peacefull relationship, that has been of benefit to both countries. It would be a shame to loose that relationship over a single incident.

[waji]

i don't think it's true because what army has created the pic of him and taliban in Pakistan and sent the army in tribal areas where since 1947 no army or police had entered and now after so many of people killed of both sides it will be hard to give him green signal to live here and it also gives the USA to have a reason to raid Pakistan as what they did to Afghanistan

[Wahid]

Here is a smiliar story from another source, this is amusing to be honest

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5315564.stm

[Woodrow]

Of course nobody has even thought of the fact that with Pakistan pulling all of it's troops out of the area leaving behind only Taliban and Taliban supporters, will in effect make a nice single target for saturation bombing.

The pass to freedom can be a double edged sword.

[Isaac]

An excellent point and analysis brother. Yes, pull away, leave area which is then to be known as a Taliban/Al-qaeda strong hold with great support from its people, and you have a min-afghanistan. US intelligence claims Osama Bin Laden and his associates are in the area, call for people to evacuate, send in the bombers and job done. No ground force, just bombers.

This way Pakistan gets rid of the probelms in Waziristan area, bush gets trophy, and supposedly the world a safer place. So they would like it to be that way.

[Woodrow]

An excellent point and analysis brother. Yes, pull away, leave area which is then to be known as a Taliban/Al-qaeda strong hold with great support from its people, and you have a min-afghanistan. US intelligence claims Osama Bin Laden and his associates are in the area, call for people to evacuate, send in the bombers and job done. No ground force, just bombers.

This way Pakistan gets rid of the probelms in Waziristan area, bush gets trophy, and supposedly the world a safer place. So they would like it to be that way.

Sounds about how I see it.

[KAding]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/...den_gets_.html

Osama bin Laden, America’s most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a “peaceful life,” Pakistani officials tell ABC News.

The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a “peace deal” with the Taliban.

If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden “would not be taken into custody,” Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, “as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen.”

Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, but U.S. officials say his precise location is unknown.

In addition to the pullout of Pakistani troops, the “peace agreement” between Pakistan and the Taliban also provides for the Pakistani army to return captured Taliban weapons and prisoners.

“What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan,” said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.

The agreement was signed on the same day President Bush said the United States was working with its allies “to deny terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world.”

The Pakistani Army had gone into Waziristan, under heavy pressure from the United States, but faced a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.

“They’re throwing the towel,” said Alexis Debat, who is a Senior Fellow at the Nixon Center and an ABC News consultant. “They’re giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a blan
k check and saying essentially make yourselves at home in the tribal areas,” Debat said.

Well, that's not good. This is one of the bigger problems in the Muslim world. Another copuntry in which the state does not have the monopoly on violence and thus cannot control its own foreign policy, since it is not the only militarized party.

If Muslims want a united Ummah they should stop cheering for forces that divide Muslim countries. How can people expect these countries to unite on a global level if they can't even exert control over their own territory? If you want a united and strong Ummah you need to bring stability, not internal division and civil strive.

[Joe98]

Pakistan....It would be a shame to loose that relationship over a single incident.

The single incident being 9/11

[Woodrow]

The single incident being 9/11

? I know I have a poor memory, but I can not recall anyplace where Pakastan or Pakastanis have been shown to have had involvesment in 9/11.

[wilberhum]

Pakistan has never looked for OBL. Musharraf does not support the US, he only supports Musharraf. Since extremists have tried to kill him twice. He goes after those factions that want to kill him. Truly this makes the US happy but that is not why he does it. He only plays the US to get what he wants.
Musharraf will back off on the statement, reaffirm his position with the US but leave OBL alone. In a country that I think has more respect for OBL than Musharraf, he has to realize that killing OBL would surly bring about his end.

[Woodrow]

Pakistan has never looked for OBL. Musharraf does not support the US, he only supports Musharraf. Since extremists have tried to kill him twice. He goes after those factions that want to kill him. Truly this makes the US happy but that is not why he does it. He only plays the US to get what he wants.
Musharraf will back off on the statement, reaffirm his position with the US but leave OBL alone. In a country that I think has more respect for OBL than Musharraf, he has to realize that killing OBL would surly bring about his end.

Musharraf gets an A+ for passing "Advanced Politics" what I am seeing is he is basicaly setting up a situation were the US can take military action in an area that will be away from potential damage to Pakistan's infrastructure. Thereby apeasing us Americans. He can show his people that he is being friendly to Osama. In the event the US does take the window of opportunity, he can send a harsh letter to Bush and appease his people.

I believe they call this "Playing both ends against the middle"

[wilberhum]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5320116.stm

Pakistan's top army spokesman has insisted government forces will arrest al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden if they find him in the country.

I thought there would be back-tracking.

[[I:GM] Forum]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/...den_gets_.html

Osama bin Laden, America’s most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a “peaceful life,” Pakistani officials tell ABC News.

The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a “peace deal” with the Taliban.

If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden “would not be taken into custody,” Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, “as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen.”

Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, but U.S. officials say his precise location is unknown.

In addition to the pullout of Pakistani troops, the “peace agreement” between Pakistan and the Taliban also provides for the Pakistani army to return captured Taliban weapons and prisoners.

“What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan,” said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.

The agreement was signed on the same day President Bush said the United States was working with its allies “to deny terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world.”

The Pakistani Army had gone into Waziristan, under heavy pressure from the United States, but faced a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.

“They’re throwing the towel,” said Alexis Debat, who is a Senior Fellow at the Nixon Center and an ABC News consultant. “They’re giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a blan
k check and saying essentially make yourselves at home in the tribal areas,” Debat said.

Subhan'Allaah finally they have come to their sences