Troubles facing Pakistan

Sadly, Pakistani establishment lacks credibility among international community and all assurances in being firm against terror will make little difference to it.

Pakistan faces the spread of Taliban and Al Qaeda elements southwards into the settled areas as CIA drones operate in the Tribal Areas. There is insurgency in Balochistan which is steadily killing persons suspected of being against Baloch nationalism. Equally there is the calamity of an earthquake in the province which Pakistan is finding it difficult to tackle. Relations with the US are tense over the drone attacks and Pakistan needs cooperation with its regional neighbours to avoid becoming isolated while its economy needs to be helped out of its current trough of depression. Above all, it needs understanding from India while it stands ready to share intelligence with it on the latest Mumbai bombing.

Recent events have not helped. India has been accusing Pakistan’s intelligence of having attacked the Indian embassy in Kabul with a suicide-bomber while Pakistan has alleged Indian hand in the Balochistan insurgency and even terrorism emanating from the Tribal Areas. This has been a blind continuation of allegations that began in 2001 when the Indian parliament was attacked, triggering Indian troop deployment along the border with Pakistan. This kind of “jurisprudence” is being pulled out again to explain the latest attack. “Analysis” emanating from the West about the Mumbai attack having the signature of Al Qaeda in combination with some Pakistani Islamic group has not helped either.

Pakistan needs to activate friendly diplomacy instead of “replying” to the allegations being made by upset Indians over the media. The past may have been problematic but the present clearly shows both countries afflicted by the same disease. Both need to cooperate and must stop their “proxy” war in Afghanistan. The cue for this must come from the friendly statements made earlier by President Zardari, expressing Pakistan’s willingness to move rapidly on a course of normalisation with India.

Lahore is Lahore.... indeed!

Hats off to Pirzadas for organizing the world's 3rd biggest performing arts festival in Lahore, "the cultural capital of the world's most dangerous country" in such times.

Celebrated British stand-up comedienne Shazia Mirza, whose parents were born in Pakistan, had a packed hall roaring with laughter at her politically incorrect, bawdy lines delivered with deadpan confidence. She has been to Pakistan before, but this was her first time
performing here.

She told IPS she had been apprehensive about coming to Pakistan “given the state it’s in” but all her fears were unfounded. “I was also worried about whether they’d laugh at themselves. I was really surprised. It’s been a fantastic experience.

They understood all the references and laughed and weren’t offended.”