May 23, 2008

What Many Expatriates Like Me Would Want to Know

What Many Expatriates Like Me Would Want to Know

Is the beautiful Swat Valley, a popular vacation destination, part of Pakistan or an independent State or region?
Pakistan Government has now agreed to allow Swat to be Talibanized and be run under Sharia Law.

Does this signal the beginning of the Talibanization of Pakistan and Sharia Law for all of Pakistan?
Many Expatriates like me would want to know

May 1, 2008

United States invasion of Iraq is a failure

The United States invasion of Iraq is a failure and a foreign policy setback. It may take more than a few decades to recover the financial losses and repair America’s image in the world.
It has been argued, and perhaps rightly so, that the war on terror is directly responsible for an increase in terror and suicide bombings in Pakistan. It is difficult to win the war by bombing innocent tribesmen on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Only two decades ago these warriors were recruited as Mujahideen by America and they played a heroic role in winning the war against the Soviet Union.
While elimination of the hard-core terrorists cannot be disputed, there should be a foolproof strategy to spare the innocent and the politically unmotivated.
America cannot win the hearts and minds of the Pakistan Tribes by bombing with one hand and giving aid like creating ROZs with the other hand.