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Pakistan News, Pakistani News, Pakistan capital: Islamabad |
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Afghanistan
China
India
Iran
International Disputes: "various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees leaving slightly more than a million, many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan protests construction of a fence and laying of mines along portions of their porous border; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to monitor and control the border with Afghanistan and to stem terrorist or other illegal activities" CIA Factbook #Facts
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PAKISTAN News:
 Barack
Obama -  US
-  Politics
- Afghanistan
-  Police
- Pakistan
"Obama's Afghanistan plan calls for 4,000 more U.S. troops." ... "[Democratic] President Obama announced Friday a proposal to stem the worsening insurgency in Afghanistan by sending 4,000 more [United States] U.S. troops and additional civilian aid workers, while also increasing aid to neighboring Pakistan." ... "Obama said his objective is to suppress the spreading insurgency by placing more emphasis on building local governments, wooing the civilian population with aid and providing more help to the Afghan army instead of a deploying a large number of combat troops." ... "Check out Obama's address [PDF]" ... ""The situation is increasingly perilous," Obama said. "It has been more than seven years since the Taliban was removed from power, yet war rages on, and insurgents control parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan."" ... "Key elements of the plan include:" ... "• Sending the 4,000 new troops, who would train Afghan soldiers and police. The plan includes a goal of having 134,000 soldiers in the Afghan army, up from about 65,000 soldiers now. "That is how we will prepare Afghans to take responsibility for their security, and how we will ultimately be able to bring our troops home," Obama said." ... "Pakistan long sponsored the Taliban regime that ruled Afghanistan and harbored al-Qaeda terrorists until overthrown by U.S. forces in 2001. Many Taliban members remain in the mountainous border region between the two countries." -By David Jackson with contributions by Tom Vanden Brook and John Fritze -USATODAY 
Afghan
- Pakistan
- US
-  Military
-  Intelligence
- Politics
-  History
"Afghan Strikes by Taliban Get Pakistan Help, U.S. Aides Say." ... "The Taliban’s widening campaign in southern Afghanistan is made possible in part by direct support from operatives in Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, despite Pakistani government promises to sever ties to militant groups fighting in Afghanistan, according to American government officials." ... "The support consists of money, military supplies and strategic planning guidance to Taliban commanders who are gearing up to confront the international force in Afghanistan that will soon include some 17,000 American reinforcements." ... "Support for the Taliban, as well as other militant groups, is coordinated by operatives inside the shadowy S Wing of Pakistan’s spy service, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, the officials said. There is even evidence that ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] operatives meet regularly with Taliban commanders to discuss whether to intensify or scale back violence before the Afghan elections." ... "American officials have complained for more than a year about the ISI’s support to groups like the Taliban. But the new details reveal that the spy agency is aiding a broader array of militant networks with more diverse types of support than was previously known — even months after Pakistani officials said that the days of the ISI’s playing a “double game” had ended." ... "Pakistan’s military and civilian leaders publicly deny any government ties to militant groups, and American officials say it is unlikely that top officials in Islamabad [Pakistan's capital] are directly coordinating the clandestine efforts. American officials have also said that midlevel ISI operatives occasionally cultivate relationships that are not approved by their bosses." ... "The ISI helped create and nurture the Taliban movement in the 1990s to bring stability to a nation that had been devastated by years of civil war between rival warlords, and one Pakistani official explained that Islamabad needed to use groups like the Taliban as “proxy forces to preserve our interests.”" ... "Little is publicly known about the ISI’s S Wing, which officials say directs intelligence operations outside of Pakistan. American officials said that the S Wing provided direct support to three major groups carrying out attacks in Afghanistan: the Taliban based in Quetta, Pakistan, commanded by Mullah Muhammad Omar; the militant network run by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar; and a different group run by the guerrilla leader Jalaluddin Haqqani." -By Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt -NYTimes
 Nuclear
-  Science
-  Secrets
- Investigation
- Military
- Intelligence
- History
-  Legal
- Politics
- Pakistan
- Iran
-  Libya
-  North
Korea - US
-  British
-  Italian
-  Switzerland
- 
-  International
"Nuclear Scientist A.Q. Khan Is Freed From House Arrest." ... "Early yesterday, the Pakistani scientist at the center of one of history's worst nuclear scandals walked out of his Islamabad [Pakistan's capital] villa to declare his vindication after five years of house arrest. "The judgment, by the grace of God, is good," a smiling Abdul Qadeer Khan told a throng of reporters and TV crews." ... "Moments earlier, a Pakistani court had ordered the release of the metallurgist who had famously admitted selling nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. Through years of legal limbo, Khan, 72, had never been charged, and now he never will be. "The so-called A.Q. Khan affair is a closed chapter," a Pakistani government spokesman said." ... "Nearly five years after Khan's smuggling operation came to light, the international effort to prosecute its leaders is largely in shambles, yielding convictions of only a few minor participants and no significant prison time for any of them." ... "Khan's international network collapsed in 2003 after U.S. [United States], British and Italian officials halted a Libya-bound ship in the Mediterranean loaded with machine parts used to make enriched uranium." ... "That discovery was the culmination of more than a decade of secret investigation by the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] and other agencies of the business dealings of Khan, one of Pakistan's best-known scientists and the father of the country's nuclear weapons program." ... "U.S. and U.N. [United Nations] investigators ultimately accused Khan of heading a sophisticated network of businesses and front companies that manufactured and sold components needed to make nuclear bombs. But while the factories and shipping offices were dismantled, Khan proved to be beyond Washington's reach. Pakistan's then-President Pervez Musharraf, confronted with evidence of Khan's deeds, persuaded the scientist to make a public confession but then officially pardoned him. Khan would remain under house arrest, but Pakistani officials refused to allow him to be questioned by U.S. officials or investigators of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog." ... "Efforts to prosecute alleged members of the network in Switzerland touched off a series of squabbles between Swiss and U.S. officials. Swiss prosecutors accused the [Republican President] Bush administration of withholding critical evidence needed to put three Swiss businessmen -- a father and two brothers who worked with Khan in the 1980s and 1990s -- behind bars." ... "Last month, one of the brothers confirmed in a Swiss television interview that he had been working undercover for the CIA, prompting the Swiss parliament to ask why Switzerland had not been informed about covert action inside its territory. " -By Joby Warrick -WashingtonPost 
Barack
Obama - Gay
- Politics
- Religion
-  Book
-  People
-  Children
-  Girls
-  Schools
- US
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- British
-  Soviet
- Military
- History
"Three Cups of Tea for Rick Warren." ... "Rick Warren is providing the invocation for the [Democratic President Elect Barack Obama's] presidential inauguration. As a pastor whose books have been read by tens of millions of Americans and whose voice is respected by an equal or larger number, he has tremendous influence and power. And as an open homophobe who aggressively works to wound gay people in this country (as well as pretty much anybody else who doesn’t believe with his own particular and peculiar recently-invented version of Christian theology) he should be the guy with the bull’s-eye on his back for the progressive movement." ... "But consider that metaphor for a moment. In Pakistan there are entire regions filled with people who not only hate gays but hate Americans as well, regardless of religion. We've tried bombing them (as the Soviets did, and the British before them). Three consecutive Western empires have tried threatening them, starving them, poisoning them, infiltrating them, and overpowering them - all without success." ... "And then Greg Mortenson came to one of their villages, had three cups of tea with them (a metaphor for hospitality - they nursed him back to health after a mountain climbing injury - and the title of his best-selling book), and now in dozens of these formerly Taliban-controlled villages the people are rejecting the Taliban, embracing modernity, and openly proclaiming themselves as our friends." ... "His "weapon" for this conversion? He built schools for their children, particularly their previously-banned-from-school girls." ... "We pushed the Palestinians on the West Bank to have open and democratic elections, assuming that because they were using the tool of our culture (the secret ballot) they’d vote in people reflecting the values of our culture. Instead, they voted in Hamas, a group that is openly hostile to us and our allies. Hamas’ “weapon” for winning the hearts and minds of the Palestinians? They supported schools, hospitals, and fed and clothed people." ... "You’d think that we’d have learned from these experiences - particularly those of us who call ourselves “progressives” - that you get your desired results faster when you embrace, engage, and nurture your “enemies” than when you physically or rhetorically bomb them." ... "Barack Obama has learned that lesson, and is applying it in inviting Rick Warren to perform the invocation for his inauguration. In doing so, he is reaching out a hand to those who today are - out of fear and ignorance - pushing away gays the same way their intellectual ancestors pushed away African Americans when anti-miscegenation laws were supported by most of these same “fundamentalist” Christian churches in the 1950s and 1960s." -By Thom Hartmann -ThomHartmann.com
Global
-  Financial
- Crisis
-  Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Nuclear
- US
- Pakistan
- China
- Afghanistan
-  Yemen
"Experts See Security Risks in Downturn: Global Financial Crisis May Fuel Instability and Weaken U.S. [United States] Defenses." ... "Intelligence officials are warning that the deepening global financial crisis could weaken fragile governments in the world's most dangerous areas and undermine the ability of the United States and its allies to respond to a new wave of security threats." ... "U.S. government officials and private analysts say the economic turmoil has heightened the short-term risk of a terrorist attack, as radical groups probe for weakening border protections and new gaps in defenses. A protracted financial crisis could threaten the survival of friendly regimes from Pakistan to the Middle East while forcing Western nations to cut spending on defense, intelligence and foreign aid, the sources said." ... "The crisis could also accelerate the shift to a more Asia-centric globe, as rising powers such as China gain more leverage over international financial institutions and greater influence in world capitals." ... "Some of the more troubling and immediate scenarios analysts are weighing involve nuclear-armed Pakistan, which already was being battered by inflation and unemployment before the global financial tsunami hit. Since September, Pakistan has seen its national currency devalued and its hard-currency reserves nearly wiped out." ... "Analysts also worry about the impact of plummeting crude prices on oil-dependent nations such as Yemen, which has a large population of unemployed youths and a history of support for militant Islamic groups." ... "Annual spending for U.S. intelligence operations currently totals $47.5 billion, a figure that does not include expensive satellites that fall under the Pentagon's budget." ... "U.S. officials are following developments with particular concern because of Pakistan's critical role in the campaign against terrorism, as well as the country's arsenal of dozens of nuclear weapons. Al-Qaeda has appealed directly to Pakistanis to overthrow their government, and its Taliban allies have launched multiple suicide bombings, some aimed at economic targets such as the posh Marriott hotel in Islamabad [Pakistan's capital], hit in September." ... "Economic and social unrest has helped drive recruiting for militant groups that cross into Afghanistan to attack U.S. troops." ... "China already was on track to surpass the United States as the world's largest economy, perhaps as early as 2030. Now, many experts believe the global recession could help it do so faster." (1, 2, 3) -By Joby Warrick -WashingtonPost
Secret
- Military
- Law
- Politics
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
-  Virginia
- US
- World
-  Syria
- Pakistan
"Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda." ... "The United States military since 2004 has used broad, secret authority to carry out nearly a dozen previously undisclosed attacks against Al Qaeda and other militants in Syria, Pakistan and elsewhere, according to senior American officials." ... "These military raids, typically carried out by Special Operations forces, were authorized by a classified order that [Republican President Bush's] Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed in the spring of 2004 with the approval of President Bush, the officials said. The secret order gave the military new authority to attack the Qaeda terrorist network anywhere in the world, and a more sweeping mandate to conduct operations in countries not at war with the United States." ... "In 2006, for example, a Navy Seal team raided a suspected militants’ compound in the Bajaur region of Pakistan, according to a former top official of the Central Intelligence Agency. Officials watched the entire mission — captured by the video camera of a remotely piloted Predator aircraft — in real time in the C.I.A.’s [Central Intelligence Agency] Counterterrorist Center at the agency’s headquarters in Virginia 7,000 miles away." ... "Some of the military missions have been conducted in close coordination with the C.I.A., according to senior American officials, who said that in others, like the Special Operations raid in Syria on Oct. 26 of this year, the military commandos acted in support of C.I.A.-directed operations." ... "According to a senior administration official, the new authority was spelled out in a classified document called “Al Qaeda Network Exord,” or execute order, that streamlined the approval process for the military to act outside officially declared war zones." ... "It was issued after the Bush administration had already granted America’s intelligence agencies sweeping power to secretly detain and interrogate terrorism suspects in overseas prisons and to conduct warrantless eavesdropping on telephone and electronic communications." (1, 2) -By Eric Schmitt and Mark Mazzetti -NYTimes
Barack
Obama -  John
McCain -  Media
- Politics
-  Iraq
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Iran
-  Kuwait
- Britain
- US
- Nuclear
- Military
- Terrorism
-  Gas
- Money
- 2008
Election
"How Obama Became Acting President." ... "The growing [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama clout derives not from national polls, where his lead is modest. Nor is it a gift from the press, which still gives free passes to its old bus mate [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain. It was laughable to watch journalists stamp their feet last week to try to push Mr. Obama into saying he was “wrong” about the surge. More than five years and 4,100 American fatalities later, they’re still not demanding that Mr. McCain admit he was wrong when he assured us that our adventure in Iraq would be fast, produce little American “bloodletting” and “be paid for by the Iraqis.”" ... "Never mind. This election remains about the present and the future, where Iraq’s $10 billion a month drain on American pocketbooks and military readiness is just one moving part in a matrix of national crises stretching from the gas pump to Pakistan." ... "First, on July 7, the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, dissed [Republican President] Bush dogma by raising the prospect of a withdrawal timetable for our troops. Then, on July 15, Mr. McCain suddenly noticed that more Americans are dying in Afghanistan than Iraq and called for more American forces to be sent there. It was a long-overdue recognition of the obvious that he could no longer avoid: both Robert Gates, the defense secretary [of Republican President Bush], and [Admiral] Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had already called for_more American troops to battle the resurgent Taliban, echoing the policy proposed by Mr. Obama a year ago." ... "On July 17 we learned that [Republican] President Bush, who had labeled direct talks with Iran “appeasement,” would send the No. 3 official in the State Department to multilateral nuclear talks with Iran. Lest anyone doubt that the White House had moved away from the rigid stand endorsed by Mr. McCain and toward Mr. Obama’s, a former Rumsfeld apparatchik weighed in on The Wall Street Journal’s op-ed page: “Now Bush Is Appeasing Iran.”" ... "Within 24 hours, the White House did another U-turn, endorsing an Iraq withdrawal timetable as long as it was labeled a “general time horizon.” In a flash, as Mr. Obama touched down in Kuwait, Mr. Maliki approvingly cited the Democratic candidate by name while laying out a troop-withdrawal calendar of his own that, like Mr. Obama’s, would wind down in 2010. On Tuesday, the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, announced a major drawdown of his nation’s troops by early 2009." -By Frank Rich -NYTimes
Barack
Obama - Military
- Police
- US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Iran
- Pakistan
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
-  Government
- Money
- Political
- McCain
-  Arizona
- 2008
Election
"My Plan for Iraq." [By 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Canidate Barack Obama] ... "The call by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki for a timetable for the removal of American troops from Iraq presents an enormous opportunity. We should seize this moment to begin the phased redeployment of combat troops that I have long advocated, and that is needed for long-term success in Iraq and the security interests of the United States." ... "The differences on Iraq in this campaign are deep. Unlike [2008 Election Republican Senator and Arizona] Senator John McCain, I opposed the war in Iraq before it began, and would end it as president. I believed it was a grave mistake to allow ourselves to be distracted from the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban [in Afghanistan] by invading a country [Iraq] that posed no imminent threat and had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks. Since then, more than 4,000 Americans have died and we have spent nearly $1 trillion. Our military is overstretched. Nearly every threat we face — from Afghanistan to Al Qaeda to Iran — has grown." ... "In the 18 months since [Republican] President Bush announced the surge, our troops have performed heroically in bringing down the level of violence. New tactics have protected the Iraqi population, and the Sunni tribes have rejected Al Qaeda — greatly weakening its effectiveness." ... "But the same factors that led me to oppose the surge still hold true. The strain on our military has grown, the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated and we’ve spent nearly $200 billion more in Iraq than we had budgeted. Iraq’s leaders have failed to invest tens of billions of dollars in oil revenues in rebuilding their own country, and they have not reached the political accommodation that was the stated purpose of the surge." ... "The good news is that Iraq’s leaders want to take responsibility for their country by negotiating a timetable for the removal of American troops. Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. [Lieutenant General] James Dubik, the American officer in charge of training Iraq’s security forces, estimates that the Iraqi Army and police will be ready to assume responsibility for security in 2009." ... "Only by redeploying our troops can we press the Iraqis to reach comprehensive political accommodation and achieve a successful transition to Iraqis’ taking responsibility for the security and stability of their country. Instead of seizing the moment and encouraging Iraqis to step up, the Bush administration and Senator McCain are refusing to embrace this transition — despite their previous commitments to respect the will of Iraq’s sovereign government." ... "Ending the war is essential to meeting our broader strategic goals, starting in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the Taliban is resurgent and Al Qaeda has a safe haven. Iraq is not the central front in the war on terrorism, and it never has been. As Adm. [Admiral] Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently pointed out, we won’t have sufficient resources to finish the job in Afghanistan until we reduce our commitment to Iraq." ... "As president, I would pursue a new strategy, and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan. We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there. I would not hold our military, our resources and our foreign policy hostage to a misguided desire to maintain permanent bases in Iraq. " -By Barack Obama -NYTimes |
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"But as McCain greets two breakfast-eating business partners, one from Stamford [Connecticut] and the other from Bridgeport [Connecticut], the topic turns to the presidential race. The two men tell the senator they support [Republican] President George W. Bush, and to that end, McCain says, "(Osama) Bin Laden may have just given us a little boost. Amazing, huh?".... " ... "The two men, who requested anonymity, nod their heads in agreement. Later, while riding with Shays on an RV to a rally at the Stamford Government Center, McCain further explains, "(The video) is helpful to President Bush because it puts the focus on the war on terrorism."""The reference was to a tape of Bin Laden that had emerged a few days earlier. The McCain camp didn't immediately return an email." ... "[McCain's top adviser Charlie] Black also said that the assassination of [Pakistan's Presidential Candidate] Benazir Bhutto had also helped McCain, something the McCain camp also disavowed. But back in December [2007], when the assassination happened, he [McCain] said it could "serve to enhance" his "credentials."" -By Greg Sargent -TPMElectionCentral .TalkingPointsMemo
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R Black Jr - Foreign
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Barack
Obama - John
McCain - 2008
Election - Military
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Israel
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Palestine
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Indiana
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North
Carolina - "Obama:
McCain is 'losing his bearings'." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama chastised [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain Thursday for engaging in
“smear” politics, and defended himself from critics who question whether
he is capable of being commander-in-chief, during a wide-ranging interview
with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer — his first sit-down since the Indiana and North
Carolina primaries." ... "“This is offensive, and I think it's disappointing,”
Obama told Blitzer, when asked his thoughts about McCain’s comments that
the terrorist organization Hamas wants Obama to be president. “Because
John McCain always says ‘I am not going to run that kind of politics,’
and to engage in that kind of smear is unfortunate, particularly because
my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his." ... "“I’ve said
it’s a terrorist organization and we should not negotiate with them unless
they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and unless they are willing to
abide by previous accords between the Palestinians and the Israelis. So
for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing
his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don’t need name calling
in this debate.”" ... "(Related: Obama:
World wants to see U.S. lead)" ... "On the topic of national security,
Obama said that the American people are looking for a leader with “good
judgment” — a trait the Democratic presidential hopeful said he possessed."
... "“Whether it’s my judgment on Iraq and recognizing that that was going
to be a strategic blunder, to my insistence that we need to talk not just
to countries we like, but countries we don’t, to my assessment in terms
of how we had over-invested in the Musharraf government in Pakistan and
that was going to be setting us up for failure later on,” Obama said. “I
think I’ve consistently displayed the kind of judgment that the American
people are looking for in the next president.”" -By
Mark Preston and Alexander Mooney -CNN
US- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- "US
report says al-Qaida gaining strength." ... "Al-Qaida
has rebuilt some of its pre-[September]Sept. 11 capabilities from remote
hiding places in Pakistan, leading to a major spike in attacks last year
in that country and neighboring Afghanistan, the [Republican President]
Bush administration said Wednesday." ... "Attacks in Pakistan more than
doubled from 375 to 887 between 2006 and 2007, and the number of fatalities
jumped by almost 300 percent from 335 to 1,335, the State Department said
in its annual terrorism report." ... "In Afghanistan, the number of attacks
rose 16 percent, to 1,127 incidents last year, killing 1,966 people, 55
percent more than the 1,257 who died in 2006, it said." ... "The report
said attacks in Iraq dipped slightly between 2006 and 2007, but they still
accounted for 60 percent of worldwide terrorism fatalities, including 17
of the 19 Americans who were killed in attacks last year. The other two
were killed in Afghanistan." -By Matthew Lee
-AP via -SeattleTimes
US
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Global
- Usama
bin Ladin
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- "Country
Reports on Terrorism 2007." ... "Chapter
1 -- Strategic Assessment." ... "AL-QA’IDA AND ASSOCIATED TRENDS:
Al-Qa’ida (AQ) and associated networks remained the greatest terrorist
threat to the United States and its partners in 2007. It has reconstituted
some of its pre-9/11 operational capabilities through the exploitation
of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), replacement of
captured or killed operational lieutenants, and the restoration of some
central control by its top leadership, in particular Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Although Usama bin Ladin remained the group’s ideological figurehead, Zawahiri
has emerged as AQ’s strategic and operational planner." ... "AQ and its
affiliates seek to exploit local grievances for their own local and global
purposes. They pursue their own goals, often at large personal cost to
the local population. These networks are adaptive, quickly evolving new
methods in response to countermeasures. AQ utilizes terrorism, as well
as subversion, propaganda, and open warfare; it seeks weapons of mass destruction
in order to inflict the maximum possible damage on anyone who stands in
its way, including other Muslims and/or elders, women, and children." ...
"Despite the efforts of both Afghan and Pakistani security forces, instability,
coupled with the Islamabad [Pakistan's capital] brokered cease-fire agreement
in effect for the first half of 2007 along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier,
appeared to have provided AQ leadership greater mobility and ability to
conduct training and operational planning, particularly that targeting
Western Europe and the United States. Numerous senior AQ operatives have
been captured or killed, but AQ leaders continued to plot attacks and to
cultivate stronger operational connections that radiated outward from Pakistan
to affiliates throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe." -State.gov
Barack
Obama
- John
McCain
- US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Pakistan
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Osama
bin Laden
- North
Carolina - 
Illinois
- Arizona
- 2008
Election - "Obama
says Iraq war has hurt U.S. security." ... "[2008
Election Democratic] Presidential hopeful Barack Obama traveled Wednesday
to a community college near Ft. Bragg [North Carolina], home of the 82nd
Airborne Division and the Army Special Operations Command, to argue that
the Iraq war had opened a "security gap" for the United States." ... "Speaking
on the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, the Illinois senator
said it had emboldened enemies such as Iran and Al Qaeda while weakening
U.S. support in the Middle East." ... "And Obama teased [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain, a supporter of the war
and the presumptive Republican nominee for president, for a mix-up Tuesday
during a visit to the Middle East." ... ""Just yesterday, we heard [Arizona
Senator] Sen. McCain confuse Sunni and Shia, Iran and Al Qaeda," Obama
said. "Maybe that is why he voted to go to war with a country that had
no Al Qaeda ties. Maybe that is why he completely fails to understand that
the war in Iraq has done more to embolden America's enemies than any strategic
choice that we have made in decades."" ... "Likewise, Obama targeted McCain's
frequent vow that as president he would pursue Osama bin Laden "to the
gates of hell." Obama argued that the promise was meaningless given McCain's
focus on the conflict in Iraq rather than devoting greater military resources
to Afghanistan and the Pakistani border regions, where Bin Laden is believed
to be hiding." ... ""We have a security gap when candidates say they will
follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell but refuse to follow him where
he actually goes," Obama said." -By Mike Dorning
-ChicagoTribune via
-LAtimes
Pakistan
- People
- Politics
- "Musharraf
'obstacle to stability' By Jill McGivering BBC News:
A majority of Pakistanis say stability and security in Pakistan would improve
if President Pervez Musharraf resigned, according to a BBC World Service
poll." ... "The survey of more than 1,400 people across Pakistan suggested
support for Mr Musharraf has fallen dramatically." ... "Pakistanis are
preparing to vote in parliamentary polls on Monday that many fear could
be rigged." ... "Mr Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, has promised
that the elections will be fair." ... "Pakistanis polled by the BBC World
Service were divided about whether the general elections scheduled for
18 February would be free and fair." ... "The results of the latest poll
found a particularly low approval rating for his [Musharraf's] performance.
Only 15% of people asked said they approved of the job he was doing, while
72% disapproved." ... "That compared with an approval rate of 30% at the
end of last year. Three-quarters of the people asked said they would like
him to resign." ... "In recent months, a series of events have helped to
change the political landscape. The murder of [former Prime Minister Benazir]
Ms Bhutto on 27 December created a wave of sympathy for the opposition."
... "Her widower and the new co-chair of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP),
Asif Zardari, has so far managed to keep his party unified and opinion
polls suggest that the PPP may have strengthened its position."
-BBC/News
Food
- Oil
- Money
- Poverty
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- "A
New, Global Oil Quandary: Costly Fuel Means Costly Calories."
... "Rising prices for cooking oil are forcing residents of Asia’s largest
slum, in Mumbai, India, to ration every drop. Bakeries in the United States
are fretting over higher shortening costs. And here in Malaysia, brand-new
factories built to convert vegetable oil into diesel sit idle, their owners
unable to afford the raw material." ... "This is the other oil shock. From
India to Indiana, shortages and soaring prices for palm oil, soybean oil
and many other types of vegetable oils are the latest, most striking example
of a developing global problem: costly food." ... "The food price index
of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, based on
export prices for 60 internationally traded foodstuffs, climbed 37 percent
last year. That was on top of a 14 percent increase in 2006, and the trend
has accelerated this winter." ... "In some poor countries, desperation
is taking hold. Just in the last week, protests have erupted in Pakistan
over wheat shortages, and in Indonesia over soybean shortages. Egypt has
banned rice exports to keep food at home, and China has put price controls
on cooking oil, grain, meat, milk and eggs." ... "According to the F.A.O.,
food riots have erupted in recent months in Guinea, Mauritania, Mexico,
Morocco, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Yemen." ... "A startling change is unfolding
in the world’s food markets. Soaring fuel prices have altered the equation
for growing food and transporting it across the globe. Huge demand for
biofuels has created tension between using land to produce fuel and using
it for food." ... "Cooking oil may seem a trifling expense in the West.
But in the developing world, cooking oil is an important source of calories
and represents one of the biggest cash outlays for poor families, which
grow much of their own food but have to buy oil in which to cook it." (1,
2,
3)
-By Keith Bradsher with contributions by Andrew Martin,
Anand Giridharadas, and Michael Rubenstein
-NYTimes
John
Edwards
- US
- Pakistan
- 2008
Election - "More
on Edwards' Chat With Musharraf." ... "After reiterating
his insistence that Pakistan [leader Pervez Musharraf] "continue on this
path to democratization with free and open elections," [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate John] Edwards expressed some skepticism." ... ""He
assured me he'd do it," said Edwards. "But we have to hold his feet to
the fire because he's made those kind of promises before."" ... ""What
the president and the presidential candidates need to be doing is not talking
about politics and the political advantage supposedly this gives somebody
or somebody else," said Edwards. "This is a crucial, important issue that
presidential candidates need to show some calm and strength and leadership
on."" -By Aaron Lewis
-CBSNews
Pakistan
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Police
- Religious
- Female
- History
- "Benazir
Bhutto assassinated." ... "Pakistan's former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in the wake of a suicide
bombing that killed at least 14 of her supporters, doctors, a spokesman
for her party and other officials said." ... "Bhutto suffered bullet wounds
in the aftermath of the bomb attack, TV networks were reporting." ... "Police
warned citizens to stay home as they expected rioting to break out in city
streets as a shocked Pakistan absorbed the news of Bhutto's assassination."
... "Bhutto, who led Paksitan from 1988 to 1990 and was the first female
prime minister of any Islamic nation, was participating in the parliamentary
election set for January 8, hoping for a third term." ... "A terror attack
targeting her motorcade in Karachi killed 136 people on the day she returned
to Pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile." -Contributed
to by Mohsin Naqvi -CNN
US
- Pakistan
- Emergency
- Law
- Journalists
- Human
Rights - 
Del
- 
Joseph
R Biden
- 2008
Election - "Bush
More Emphatic In Backing Musharraf: He Says Leader
'Believes in Democracy'." ... "[Republican] President Bush yesterday offered
his strongest support of embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf,
saying the general "hasn't crossed the line" and "truly is somebody who
believes in democracy."" ... "Bush spoke nearly three weeks after Musharraf
declared emergency rule, sacked members of the Supreme Court and began
a roundup of journalists, lawyers and human rights activists. Musharraf's
government yesterday released about 3,000 political prisoners, although
2,000 remain in custody, according to the Interior Ministry." ... "Several
outside analysts and a key Democratic lawmaker expressed incredulity over
Bush's comments and called them a sign of how personally invested the president
has become in the U.S. relationship with Musharraf." ... ""What exactly
would it take for the president to conclude Musharraf has crossed the line?
Suspend the constitution? Impose emergency law? Beat and jail his political
opponents and human rights activists?" asked [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate] Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del. [Delaware]), chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a presidential candidate.
"He's already done all that. If the president sees Musharraf as a democrat,
he must be wearing the same glasses he had on when he looked in Vladimir
Putin's soul."" ... "Bush was asked in the interview if there is any line
Musharraf should not cross. "He hasn't crossed the line. As a matter of
fact, I don't think that he will cross any lines," Bush replied, according
to an ABC transcript." -By Michael Abramowitz and
Robin Wright -WashingtonPost
Pakistan
- Military
- Police
- Politics
- History
- "Chief
justice orders Musharraf to release opposition activists:
· Government ordered to give reason for crackdown · President
awaits key court ruling on re-election bid." ... "Pakistan's chief justice
ordered the release of hundreds of opposition activists yesterday as [Pakistan]
President Pervez Musharraf pushed ahead with controversial plans for re-election
in eight days' time. Muhammad Iftikhar Chaudhry ordered government officials
to free the activists, mostly from Nawaz Sharif's PML-N party, whom the
police had been rounding up since the weekend. The interior minister said
200 people were in custody; the opposition put the figure in the thousands."
... "The judge, who scored a historic court victory over General Musharraf
in July, also demanded an explanation for a security crackdown across the
capital, Islamabad. Hundreds of riot police flooded on to the streets at
dawn and main roads were blocked to prevent expected protests." ... "But
the president may have to cross his greatest hurdle today, when the supreme
court is expected to rule on a major challenge by opposition parties, who
claim that Gen Musharraf's re-election bid is illegal and unconstitutional."
... "Analysts say that if Gen Musharraf loses the court battle he may resort
to emergency rule or impose martial law. He has tried to assuage concerns
by promising to resign from the army - but only if he is re-elected." -By
Declan Walsh -Guardian.co.uk
Pakistan
- Military
- Police
- Politics
- "Musharraf
arrests opposition leaders: Police raids round up
politicians planning demonstrations against the President; politicians
fear democratic process has broken down." ... "Opposition leaders were
arrested over the weekend in Pakistan as General Pervez Musharraf extended
his crackdown on dissent ahead of a presidential election." ... "Heavy
police raids rounded up politicians, who had been planning to spearhead
demonstrations in the [Pakistan] capital of Islamabad this week against
Gen. Musharraf's re-election plans. Leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League,
the party of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and some religious
party chiefs were taken away. All were members of an opposition coalition,
the All Parties Democratic Movement, that has vowed to end the rule of
Gen. Musharraf, who is both president and head of Pakistan's military."
... "Imran Khan, the cricketer turned politician, warned that democratic
process has broken down in Pakistan." ... ""This is descending into a complete
banana republic," he said in an interview. "Whatever obstacles come into
Musharraf's way, he is determined to remove them. And all for one reason:
to stay in power," he said." ... "Similarly to this weekend's pre-emptive
crackdown, the government took no chances when Mr. [Nawaz] Sharif tried
to return from seven years of exile earlier this month. He was deported
immediately on landing at Islamabad airport. His party activists were arrested
and all roads leading to the airport were sealed off to ensure that no
crowds turned out to greet him." -By Saeed Shah
-TheGlobeAndMail.com
United
States - Afghanistan
- Pakistan
- Osama
bin Laden
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
- "Intelligence
officials contradict White House on bin Laden." ...
"Contradicting [Republican] President Bush's counter-terrorism adviser,
U.S. intelligence and law enforcement chiefs and a Cabinet member said
Monday that Osama bin Laden remained the most dangerous terrorist threat
to the United States six years after the 9-11 attacks." ... "Eliminating
the threat that the al Qaida leader and his inner circle pose from their
sanctuary in Pakistan's remote tribal region bordering Afghanistan "is
our number one priority," Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell
told a Senate committee." ... "The assessments by McConnell, Homeland Security
Secretary Michael Chertoff and FBI Director Robert Mueller came a day after
White House homeland security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend called bin
Laden "a man on the run from a cave who is virtually impotent other than
these tapes."" ... "Townsend was commenting on the release of the first
bin Laden video in nearly three years, which surfaced Friday on the Internet."
... "McConnell recalled that a comprehensive U.S. intelligence assessment
issued in July warned that the gravest terrorist threat to the United States
for the next three years is bin Laden and the plots to attack American
targets that he and his lieutenants are hatching in their sanctuary in
Pakistan." -By
Jonathan
S. Landay -McClatchyDC.com
Australia
- India
- Fuel
- Money
- Pakistan
- Israel
- International
- Law
- Politics
- "Report:
Australia OKs Uranium to India." ... "Australia will
not sell uranium to Pakistan even if sales begin to its nuclear-armed rival,
India, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Wednesday." ... "Downer declined
to confirm media reports that the Cabinet's National Security Committee
has accepted his proposal to sell uranium to India despite its refusal
to sign an international nonproliferation treaty." ... "But he said it
would not signal that Pakistan and Israel - two other nuclear powers that
have not signed the nonproliferation treaty - would also acquire nuclear
fuel from Australia, which holds 40 percent of the world's known uranium
reserves." -AP
via Forbes
US
- Pakistan
- Military
- Intelligence
- Politics
- "Sources:
U.S. assessing Pakistan nukes if Musharraf falls."
... "U.S. military intelligence officials are urgently assessing how secure
Pakistan's nuclear weapons would be in the event President Gen. Pervez
Musharraf were replaced as the nation's leader, CNN has learned." ... "Key
questions in the assessment include who would control Pakistan's nuclear
weapons after a shift in power." ... "Three U.S. sources have independently
confirmed details of the intelligence review to CNN but would not allow
their names to be used because of the sensitivity of the matter." ... "The
sources include military officers and intelligence community analysts."
... "The assessment is part of a broader review of the military and security
situation in Pakistan." ... "Officials say that Pakistan and its nuclear
weapons are always a high intelligence priority for the United States."
-CNN
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Pakistan
- Military
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Ill
- "Rep.
Schakowsky: Petraeus hints at decade-long Iraq presence."
... "[General] Gen. David Petraeus told a congressional delegation visiting
the Middle East that success in Iraq will require a U.S. military presence
there for about a decade, [Illinois Democratic Representative] Rep. Jan
Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said Friday." ... "The commander of U.S. troops in
Iraq, who will deliver a highly anticipated progress report next month,
said the U.S. “will be in Iraq in some way for 9 or 10 years,” according
to Schakowsky. The general also highlighted progress in Anbar province,
where former Sunni insurgents have turned against Al Qaeda extremists in
recent months." ... "Schakowsky said she came away from the trip convinced
that the United States was fighting the wrong war, calling Iraq “a huge
distraction from the real war on terror” in Afghanistan and Pakistan."
... "“Because of our engagement in Iraq we can’t afford to give [fighting
al Qaeda leaders and a resurgent Taliban] the kind of attention that we
need to,” she said. “We know what the mission is there.”" -By
Patrick Fitzgerald -TheHill.com
Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- "PM
admits Taliban uses territory." ... "Pakistan's prime
minister, Shaukat Aziz, acknowledged that the Taliban uses Pakistan as
a base from which to mount attacks inside Afghanistan but denied the state
was secretly supporting them." ... "Mr Aziz was addressing more than 600
tribal elders from Pakistan and Afghanistan at the start of a four-day
jirga, or tribal council, that hopes to help end the bloody insurgency.
The jirga is the brainchild of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai." ...
"But critics say its effectiveness is stunted by the absence of elders
from Waziristan, a major Taliban hub in northern Pakistan, and of President
General Pervez Musharraf, who dropped out at the last minute." -By
Declan Walsh -Guardian.co.uk
India
- Pakistan
- 
Bangladesh
- 
Nepal
- 
Weather
- 
Floods
- History
- UN
- People
- Children
- 
Homes
- "Millions
flee 'worst ever' floods." ... "Monsoon rains in
South Asia have driven millions from their homes and caused what the United
Nations says is the worst flooding in living memory." ... "More than 1,000
people have been killed or injured by rising waters, but aid agencies say
the figure is expected to rise sharply." ... "U.N. children's body UNICEF
said it had lost track of how many people had been affected by the floods
across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal." ... "So far about 20 million
people are known to have fled their homes or trapped in villages at risk
from landslides, snakebites and disease." ... ""Hundreds of thousands have
lost their homes, their possessions, livestock and fields and will have
to begin their lives from scratch when flood waters recede," UNICEF said."
-CNN
US
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- 2008
Election - Illinois
- "Obama
says he would target Pakistan." ... "[2008 election
Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Barack Obama on
Wednesday said he would not hesitate to order military strikes against
al-Qaeda targets on Pakistani soil with or without the permission of General
Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler." ... "His remarks follow a
US national intelligence estimate that says al-Qaeda has reconstituted
itself in havens along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. "Let me make
this clear," said Mr Obama. "There are terrorists holed up in those mountains
who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. If we
have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President
Musharraf won't act, we will."" ... "The 45-year-old senator criticised
the Bush administration's support for Gen Musharraf, who faces general
elections later this year. "We must not turn a blind eye to elections that
are neither free nor fair – our goal is not simply an ally in Pakistan,
it is a democratic ally," he said. "Pakistan needs more than F16s to combat
extremism."" -FT.com
via -MSN
Pakistan
- Justice
- Military
- Politics
- "Chief
Justice Is Reinstated in Pakistan." ..."The ground
beneath Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s feet unsettled considerably today, as the
Supreme Court ruled that his suspension of the country’s chief justice
earlier this year was “illegal.”" ... "The seemingly abstruse constitutional
case over the fate of the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, is
a watershed for the nation. Mr. Chaudhry’s very challenge to the president,
who summoned him to Army headquarters on March 9 and pressed him to resign,
had come to be seen as a proxy protest against nearly seven and a half
years of military rule." ... "The case also bears on the fate of General
Musharraf, one of Washington’s most enduring allies in the war on terror.
The general, who took power in a coup in 1999, is likely to be challenged
in the Supreme Court if he seeks re-election as president while continuing
to hold the title of army chief of staff. He is also likely to face a legal
challenge if he insists on being re-elected by the sitting parliament before
his term expires this year." ... "General Musharraf’s critics had accused
him of sidelining Mr. Chaudhry so he could install a judge who would be
more likely to bend to his authority." -By Somini
Sengupta with contributions by Salman Masood
-NYTimes
US
- Pakistan
- Afghan
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Politics
- "U.S.
threatens action in Pakistan." ... "An ambush of
a military convoy that killed 17 troops near the Afghan border Wednesday
pushed the death toll in a series of attacks to at least 101 Pakistanis
in the past five days — and brought President Pervez Musharraf, according
to a local newspaper headline, to a "Moment of Truth."" ... "The [Republican
President] Bush administration, after publicly demanding that Musharraf
rein in militants linked to al Qaida, on Wednesday threatened to launch
attacks into Pakistani territory if it sees fit." ... "Facing domestic
political pressure for staying in power while in uniform — he is also the
nation's top general — Musharraf has relied heavily on the Bush administration
as a source of political support. But with Washington now demanding that
Musharraf use force in tribal areas, he is struggling to appear decisive
while avoiding a civilian bloodbath or more military carnage." ... "Musharraf
recently moved thousands of Pakistani troops to volatile tribal strongholds
like North Waziristan, where a Taliban council said earlier this week it
was abandoning a peace deal with the government." ... "The latest U.S.
intelligence reports say the border regions have become a sanctuary for
al Qaida and Taliban leadership planning future attacks against the United
States and its allies." -By Tom Lasseter
-McClatchyDC.com
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Pakistan
- Osama
bin Laden
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Political
- Analysis-
"Intelligence
Puts Rationale For War on Shakier Ground." ... "The
White House faced fresh political peril yesterday in the form of a new
intelligence assessment that raised sharp questions about the success of
its counterterrorism strategy and judgment in making Iraq the focus of
that effort." ... "Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush
has been able to deflect criticism of his counterterrorism policy by repeatedly
noting the absence of any new domestic attacks and by citing the continuing
threat that terrorists in Iraq pose to U.S. interests." ... "But this line
of defense seemed to unravel a bit yesterday with the release of a new
National Intelligence Estimate that concludes that al-Qaeda "has protected
or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability" by reestablishing
a haven in Pakistan and reconstituting its top leadership. The report also
notes that al-Qaeda has been able "to recruit and indoctrinate operatives,
including for Homeland attacks," by associating itself with an Iraqi subsidiary."
... "These disclosures triggered a new round of criticism from Democrats
and others who say that the administration took its eye off the ball by
invading Iraq without first destroying Osama bin Laden's organization in
Afghanistan." ... "Some terrorism analysts say Bush has used inflated rhetoric
to depict al-Qaeda in Iraq as part of the same group of extremists that
attacked the United States on Sept. 11 -- noting that the group did not
exist until after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. These analysts
say Bush also has overlooked the contribution that U.S. actions have made
to the growth of al-Qaeda in Iraq, which has been described as kind of
a franchise of the main al-Qaeda network headed by bin Laden." -By
Michael Abramowitz -WashingtonPost
US
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Osama
bin Laden
- Military
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Money
- 
Communications
- Politics
- 
Nev
- "U.S.
Warns Of Stronger Al-Qaeda: Administration Report
Cites Havens in Pakistan." ... "Six years after the Bush administration
declared war on al-Qaeda, the terrorist network is gaining strength and
has established a safe haven in remote tribal areas of western Pakistan
for training and planning attacks, according to a new Bush administration
intelligence report to be discussed today at a White House meeting." ...
"The report, a five-page threat assessment compiled by the National Counterterrorism
Center, is titled "Al-Qaida Better Positioned to Strike the West," intelligence
officials said. It concludes that the group has significantly rebuilt itself
despite concerted U.S. attempts to smash the network." ... "Although the
officials declined to discuss the assessment's content because it is classified,
the CIA's deputy director for intelligence, John A. Kringen, told a House
committee yesterday that al-Qaeda appears "to be fairly well settled into
the safe haven in the ungoverned spaces of Pakistan."" ... ""We see more
training. We see more money. We see more communications," Kringen said."
... "Citing news reports about the intelligence assessment, Senate Majority
Leader [Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said in a statement
that "it is a travesty that Osama bin Laden remains at large . . . and
appears to have found new sanctuary to operate freely in the Afghanistan-Pakistan
border regions." Several House" (1, 2)
-By Spencer S. Hsu and Walter Pincus with contributions
by Dan Eggen, Joby Warrick and Alice Crites
-WashingtonPost
 HavenWorks.com/world/pakistan/#weblog
Pakistan Weblog: Pakistani Weblog: Pakistan Blog: |
Google Search: Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
| HavenWorks.com/world/pakistan/#facts
Pakistan Facts: |
|
Economy
Afghanistan
- China
- India
- IranReligion
Languages
Education
From the U.S. Department of State, Background Note: Pakistan (22 June 2007 - information may have changed. For informational purposes only)
OFFICIAL NAME:
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Pakistan Geography
Area: 803,943 sq. km. (310,527 sq.
mi.); almost twice the size of California.
Cities: Capital--The city of
Islamabad (pop. 800,000) and adjacent Rawalpindi (1,406, 214) comprise
the national capital area with a combined population of 3.7 million. Other
cities--Karachi (11,624,219) (2005 est.), Lahore (6,310,888) (2005
est.), Faisalabad (1,977,246) and Hyderabad (1,151,274).
People
Pakistan People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Pakistan(i).
Population (2007 est.): 164,741,924.
Annual growth rate (2006 est.): 2.09%.
Ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushtun,
Baloch, Muhajir (i.e., Urdu-speaking immigrants from India and their descendants),
Saraiki, and Hazara.
Religions: Muslim 97%; small minorities
of Christians, Hindus, and others.
Languages: Urdu (national and official),
English, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushtu, Baloch, Hindko, Brahui, Saraiki (Punjabi
variant).
Education: Literacy (2004 est.)--48.7%;
male 61.7%; female 35.2%.
Health: Infant mortality rate
(2006 est.)--68.84/1,000. Life expectancy (2006 est.)--men 62.73
yrs., women 64.83 yrs.
Work force (2004 est.): Agriculture--42%;
services--38%;
industry--20%.
Government
Pakistan Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Independence: August 14, 1947.
Branches: Executive--president
(chief of state), prime minister (head of government). Legislative--Bicameral
Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora (100-seat Senate, 342-seat National Assembly).
Judicial--Supreme
Court, provincial high courts, Federal Islamic (or Shari'a) Court.
Political parties: Pakistan Muslim
League (PML), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Muttahid Majlis-e-Amal (umbrella
group) (MMA), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Political subdivisions: 4 provinces
(Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Northwest Frontier); also the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (composed of 7 tribal agencies--Bajaur, Mohmand,
Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan) and the
Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region
(Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas).
Economy
Pakistan Economy
GDP (2005 est., current U.S. $): $110.7
billion.
Real GDP growth rate (2005): 7.8%.
Per capita GDP (2005 est., current
U.S. $): $690.
Natural resources: Arable land, natural
gas, limited oil, substantial hydropower potential, coal, iron ore, copper,
salt, limestone.
Agriculture: Products--wheat,
cotton, rice, sugarcane, eggs, fruits, vegetables, milk, beef, mutton.
Industry: Types--textiles &
apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, shrimp,
fertilizer, and paper products.
Trade (2005 est.): Exports--$14.85
billion: textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, and yarn), rice,
leather goods, sports goods, carpets, rugs, chemicals & manufactures.
Major
partners--U.S. 22.6%, United Arab Emirates 8.9%, U.K. 5.8%, China 5.4%,
Germany 4.7%. Imports--$21.26 billion: petroleum, petroleum products,
machinery, plastics, paper and paper board, transportation equipment, edible
oils, pulses, iron and steel, tea. Major partners--China 14.0%,
Saudi Arabia 10.5%, United Arab Emirates 9.0%, Japan 6.2%, U.S. 5.1%, Kuwait
5.1%, Germany 4.9%.
People
Pakistan PEOPLE
The majority of Pakistan's population
lives in the Indus River valley and in an arc formed by the cities of Faisalabad,
Lahore, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and Peshawar. Although Urdu is an official
language of Pakistan, it is spoken as a first language by only 8% of the
population; 48% speak Punjabi, 12% Sindhi, 10% Saraiki, 8% Pushtu, 3% Baloch,
and 3% other. Urdu, Punjabi, Pushtu, and Baloch are Indo-European languages.
English is the other official language, and is widely used in government,
commerce, the officer ranks of the military, and in many institutions of
higher learning.
History
Pakistan HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Pakistan, along with parts of western
India, contains the archeological remains of an urban civilization dating
back 4,500 years. Alexander the Great included the Indus Valley in his
empire in 326 B.C., and his successors founded the Indo-Greek kingdom of
Bactria based in what is today Afghanistan and extending to Peshawar. Following
the rise of the Central Asian Kushan Empire in later centuries, the Buddhist
culture of Afghanistan and Pakistan, centered on the city of Taxila just
west of Islamabad, experienced a cultural renaissance known as the Gandhara
period.
Pakistan's Islamic history began with the arrival of Muslim traders in the 8th century in Sindh. The collapse of the Mughal Empire in the 18th century provided an opportunity for the English East India Company to extend its control over much of the subcontinent. The Sikh adventurer, Ranjit Singh, carved out a dominion that extended from Kabul to Srinagar and Lahore, encompassing much of the northern area of modern Pakistan. British rule replaced the Sikhs in the first half of the 19th century. In a decision that had far-reaching consequences, the British permitted the Hindu Maharaja of Kashmir, a Sikh appointee, to continue in power.
Pakistan emerged from an extended period of agitation by Muslims in the subcontinent to express their national identity free from British colonial domination as well as domination by what they perceived as a Hindu-controlled Indian National Congress. Muslim anti-colonial leaders formed the All-India Muslim League in 1906. Initially, the League adopted the same objective as the Congress--self-government for India within the British Empire--but Congress and the League were unable to agree on a formula that would ensure the protection of Muslim religious, economic, and political rights.
Pakistan and Partition
The idea of a separate Muslim state
in British India first emerged in the 1930s. On March 23, 1940, Muhammad
Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, formally endorsed the "Lahore
Resolution," calling for the creation of an independent state in regions
where Muslims constituted a majority. At the end of World War II, the United
Kingdom moved with increasing urgency to grant India independence. The
Congress Party and the Muslim League, however, could not agree on the terms
for a Constitution or establishing an interim government. In June 1947,
the British Government declared that it would bestow full dominion status
upon two successor states--India and Pakistan, formed from areas in the
subcontinent in which Muslims were the majority population. Under this
arrangement, the various princely states could freely join either India
or Pakistan. Accordingly, on August 14, 1947 Pakistan, comprising West
Pakistan with the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and the Northwest
Frontier Province (NWFP), and East Pakistan with the province of Bengal,
became independent. East Pakistan later became the independent nation of
Bangladesh in 1971.
The Maharaja of Kashmir was reluctant to make a decision on accession to either Pakistan or India. However, armed incursions into the state by tribesman from the NWFP led him to seek military assistance from India. The Maharaja signed accession papers in October 1947 and allowed Indian troops into the state. The Government of Pakistan, however, refused to recognize the accession and campaigned to reverse the decision. The status of Kashmir remains in dispute to this day.
Independence
With the death in 1948 of its first
head of state, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the assassination in 1951 of its
first prime minister, Liaqat Ali Khan, political instability and economic
difficulty became prominent features of post-independence Pakistan. On
October 7, 1958, President Iskander Mirza, with the support of the army,
suspended the 1956 Constitution, imposed martial law, and canceled the
elections scheduled for January 1959. Twenty days later the military sent
Mirza into exile to Britain, and Gen. Mohammad Ayub Khan assumed control
of a military dictatorship. After Pakistan's loss in the 1965 war against
India, Ayub Khan's power declined. Subsequent political and economic grievances
inspired agitation movements that compelled his resignation in March 1969.
He handed over responsibility for governing to the commander in chief of
the army, General Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan, who became President and Chief
Martial Law Administrator.
General elections held in December 1970 polarized relations between the eastern and western sections of Pakistan. The Awami League, which advocated autonomy for the more populous East Pakistan, swept the East Pakistan seats to gain a majority in Pakistan as a whole. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), founded and led by Ayub Khan's former Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, won a majority of the seats in West Pakistan, but the country was completely split with neither major party having any support in the other area. Negotiations to form a coalition government broke down. On March 26, 1971, following a bloody crackdown by the Pakistan Army, Bengali nationalists declared an independent People's Republic of Bangladesh. As fighting grew between the army and the Bengalis, an estimated 10 million Bengalis sought refuge in India. On April 17, 1971, Bengali nationalists formed a provisional government in an area bordering India, and in November 1971, India sent its military into East Pakistan to intervene on the side of the Bangladeshis. On December 16, Pakistani forces surrendered in Dhaka, and East Pakistan became the new nation of Bangladesh. Yahya Khan then resigned the presidency and handed over leadership of the western part of Pakistan to Bhutto, who became President and the first civilian Chief Martial Law Administrator.
Bhutto moved decisively to restore national confidence and pursued an active foreign policy, taking a leading role in Islamic and Third World forums. Although Pakistan did not formally join the Non-Aligned Movement until 1979, the position of the Bhutto government coincided largely with that of the non-aligned nations. Domestically, Bhutto pursued a populist agenda and nationalized major industries and the banking system. In 1973, he promulgated a new Constitution accepted by most political elements and relinquished the presidency to become prime minister. Although Bhutto continued his populist and socialist rhetoric, he increasingly relied on Pakistan's urban industrialists and rural landlords. Over time the economy stagnated, largely as a result of the dislocation and uncertainty produced by Bhutto's frequently changing economic policies. When Bhutto proclaimed his own victory in the March 1977 national elections, the opposition Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) denounced the results as fraudulent and demanded new elections. Bhutto resisted and later arrested the PNA leadership.
Muhammad Zia ul-Haq
With increasing anti-government unrest,
the army grew restive. On July 5, 1977, the military removed Bhutto from
power and arrested him, declared martial law, and suspended portions of
the 1973 Constitution. Chief of Army Staff Gen. Muhammad Zia ul-Haq became
Chief Martial Law Administrator and promised to hold new elections within
3 months.
Zia released Bhutto and asserted that he could contest new elections scheduled for October 1977. However, after it became clear that Bhutto's popularity had survived his government, Zia postponed the elections and began criminal investigations of the senior PPP leadership. Subsequently, Bhutto was convicted and sentenced to death for an alleged conspiracy to murder a political opponent. Despite international appeals on his behalf, Bhutto was hanged on April 6, 1979.
Zia assumed the presidency and called for elections in November. However, fearful of a PPP victory, Zia banned political activity in October 1979, and postponed national elections. This same year Zia also passed into law the Hudood Ordinance, which provides for harsh Quranic punishments for violations of Shari'a (Islamic law).
In 1980, most center and left parties, led by the PPP, formed the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD). The MRD demanded Zia's resignation, an end to martial law, new elections, and restoration of the Constitution, as it existed before Zia's takeover. In early December 1984, President Zia proclaimed a national referendum for December 19 on his "Islamization" program. After non-party based polls were held for the National and Provincial Assemblies in 1985, President Zia appointed Muhammad Khan Junejo as the Prime Minister. He implicitly linked approval of "Islamization" with a mandate for his continued presidency. Zia's opponents, led by the MRD, boycotted the elections. When the government claimed a 63% turnout, with more than 90% approving the referendum, many observers questioned the figures.
Sharif and Bhutto Civilian Governments
On August 17, 1988, a plane carrying
President Zia, American Ambassador Arnold Raphel, U.S. Brig. General Herbert
Wassom, and 28 Pakistani military officers crashed on a return flight from
a military equipment trial near Bahawalpur, killing all on board. In accordance
with the Constitution, Chairman of the Senate Ghulam Ishaq Khan became
Acting President and announced that elections scheduled for November 1988
would take place. Elections were held on a party basis. On one side was
an eight-party alliance and on the other, the PPP. The PPP won 94 seats
out of 207 and the Islamic Democratic Alliance (IJI) won 54. Muhammad Khan
Junejo lost from his home constituency. The president was bound to invite
the PPP to from the government, but he delayed doing so for two weeks in
order to give the IJI time to muster the support of other groups. Ultimately,
the president asked PPP Co-chairperson Benazir Bhutto to form a government.
The PPP, under Benazir Bhutto's leadership, succeeded in forming a coalition government with several smaller parties, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
Differing interpretations of constitutional authority, debates over the powers of the central government relative to those of the provinces, and the antagonistic relationship between the Bhutto administration and opposition governments in Punjab and Balochistan seriously impeded social and economic reform programs. Ethnic conflict, primarily in Sindh province, exacerbated these problems. A fragmentation in the governing coalition and the military's reluctance to support an apparently ineffectual and corrupt government were accompanied by a significant deterioration in law and order.
In August 1990, President Khan, citing his powers under the eighth amendment to the Constitution, dismissed the Bhutto government and dissolved the national and provincial assemblies. New elections, held in October 1990, confirmed the political ascendancy of the IJI. In addition to a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, the alliance won control of all four provincial parliaments and enjoyed the support of the military and of President Khan. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, as leader of the PML, the most prominent party in the IJI, was elected prime minister by the National Assembly.
Sharif emerged as the most secure and powerful Pakistani prime minister since the mid-1970s. Under his rule, the IJI achieved several important political victories. The implementation of Sharif's economic reform program; involving privatization, deregulation, and encouragement of private sector economic growth, greatly improved Pakistan's economic performance and business climate. The passage into law in May 1991 of a Shari'a bill, providing for widespread Islamization, legitimized the IJI government among much of Pakistani society.
However, Nawaz Sharif was not able to reconcile the different objectives of IJI's constituent parties. The largest religious party, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), abandoned the alliance because of its antagonism to what it regarded as PML hegemony. The government was weakened further by the military's suppression of the MQM, which had entered into coalition with the IJI to contain PPP influence, and allegations of corruption directed at Nawaz Sharif. In April 1993, President Khan, citing "maladministration, corruption, and nepotism" and espousal of political violence, dismissed the Sharif government, but the following month the Pakistan Supreme Court reinstated the National Assembly and the Nawaz Sharif government. Continued tensions between Sharif and Khan resulted in governmental gridlock and the Chief of Army Staff brokered an arrangement under which both the President and the Prime Minister resigned their offices in July 1993.
An interim government, headed by Moeen Qureshi, a former World Bank Vice President, took office with a mandate to hold national and provincial assembly elections in October. Despite its brief term, the Qureshi government adopted political, economic, and social reforms that generated considerable domestic support and foreign admiration.
In the October 1993 elections, the PPP won a plurality of seats in the National Assembly, and Benazir Bhutto was asked to form a government. However, because it did not acquire a majority in the National Assembly, the PPP's control of the government depended upon the continued support of numerous independent parties, particularly the PML/J (Pakistan Muslim League-Junejo). The unfavorable circumstances surrounding PPP rule--the imperative of preserving a coalition government, the formidable opposition of Nawaz Sharif's PML/N (Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz) movement, and the insecure provincial administrations--presented significant difficulties for the government of Prime Minister Bhutto. However, the election of Prime Minister Bhutto's close associate, Farooq Leghari, as President in November 1993 gave her a stronger power base.
In November 1996, President Leghari dismissed the Bhutto government, charging it with corruption, mismanagement of the economy, and implication in extrajudicial killings in Karachi. Elections in February 1997, resulted in an overwhelming victory for the PML/N, and President Leghari called upon Nawaz Sharif to form a government. In March 1997, with the unanimous support of the National Assembly, Sharif amended the Constitution, stripping the President of the power to dismiss the government and making his power to appoint military service chiefs and provincial governors contingent on the "advice" of the Prime Minister. Another amendment prohibited elected members from "floor crossing" or voting against party positions. The Sharif government also engaged in a protracted dispute with the judiciary, culminating in the storming of the Supreme Court by ruling party loyalists and the engineered dismissal of the Chief Justice and the resignation of President Leghari in December 1997.
The new President elected by Parliament, Rafiq Tarar, was a close associate of the Prime Minister. A one-sided, anti-corruption campaign was used to target opposition politicians and critics of the regime. Similarly, the government moved to restrict press criticism and ordered the arrest and beating of prominent journalists. As domestic criticism of Sharif's administration intensified, Sharif attempted to replace Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf on October 12, 1999, with a family loyalist, Director General of the Interservice Intelligence Directorate, Lt. Gen. Ziauddin. Although General Musharraf was out of the country at the time, the army moved quickly to depose Sharif.
Pervez Musharraf
Following the October 12 ouster of
the government of Prime Minister Sharif, the military-led government stated
its intention to restructure the political and electoral systems. On October
14, 1999, General Musharraf declared a state of emergency and issued the
Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO), which suspended the federal and
provincial Parliaments, held the Constitution in abeyance, and designated
Musharraf as Chief Executive. Musharraf appointed an eight-member National
Security Council to function as Pakistan's supreme governing body, with
mixed military/civilian appointees; a civilian Cabinet; and a National
Reconstruction Bureau to formulate structural reforms. On May 12, 2000,
Pakistan's Supreme Court unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and
granted Musharraf executive and legislative authority for 3 years from
the coup date. On June 20, 2001, Musharraf named himself as president and
was sworn in.
After the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked on September 11, 2001, Musharraf pledged complete cooperation with the United States in the war on terror, which included locating and shutting down terrorist training camps within Pakistan's borders, cracking down on extremist groups and withdrawing support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. In a referendum held on April 30, 2002, Musharraf's presidency was extended by five more years. The handover from military to civilian rule came with parliamentary elections in November 2002, and the appointment of a civilian prime minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. Having previously promised to give up his army post and become a civilian president, General Musharraf announced in late 2004 that he would retain his military role. In August 2004, Shaukat Aziz was sworn in as prime minister, having won a parliamentary vote of confidence, 191 of 342 votes, in which the opposition abstained.
On October 8, 2005 a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. The epicenter of the earthquake was near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and approximately 60 miles north-northeast of Islamabad. An estimated 75,000 people were killed and 2.5 million people were left homeless. The disaster of such a huge magnitude galvanized an international rescue and reconstruction effort in support of the affected region. The earthquake cost Pakistan $1.1 billion on resettling those affected.
Government
- Political
Pakistan GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL
ORGANIZATION
Pervez Musharraf has been chief of
state since June 20, 2001. A prolonged confrontation over authority between
Parliament and the President ended in December 2002 with a compromise which
permitted passage of the Legal Framework Order (LFO) of 2002, under the
terms of which President Musharraf made his pledge to resign his military
position as Commander-in-Chief in late 2004. However, in 2004 General Musharraf
announced that he would retain his military role.
The Pakistan Constitution of 1973, amended substantially in 1985 under Zia ul-Haq, was suspended by the military government in October 1999. It was restored on December 31, 2002. Selected provisions of the Constitution pertaining to changes that President Musharraf made while the Constitution was suspended remain contested by political opponents.
The president is chosen for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of the Senate, National Assembly, and the provincial assemblies. The prime minister is selected by the National Assembly for a four-year term. The bicameral parliament--or Majlis-e-Shoora--consists of the Senate (100 seats; members are indirectly elected by provincial assemblies to serve four-year terms) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 60 seats reserved for women, 10 seats reserved for minorities; members elected by popular vote serve four-year terms). Each of the four provinces--Punjab, Sindh, Northwest Frontier, and Balochistan--has a Chief Minister and provincial assembly. The Northern Areas, Azad Kashmir and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are administered by the federal government but enjoy considerable autonomy. The cabinet, National Security Council, and governors serve at the president's discretion.
The judicial system comprises a Supreme Court, provincial high courts, and Federal Islamic (or Shari'a) Court. The Supreme Court is Pakistan's highest court. The president appoints the chief justice and they together determine the other judicial appointments. Each province has a high court, the justices of which are appointed by the president after conferring with the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the provincial chief justice. The judiciary is proscribed from issuing any order contrary to the decisions of the President. Federal Sharia Court hears cases that primarily involve Sharia, or Islamic law. Legislation enacted in 1991 gave legal status to Sharia. Although Sharia was declared the law of the land, it did not replace the existing legal code.
The Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) are national political parties, while the Muttahid Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)--an umbrella group of six religious parties, including the Jamaat-il-Islami--gained significant influence during the 2002 election. After those elections, the Pakistani political system remained highly fragmented, with no group winning a substantial majority of seats in the national assembly, and religious groups banding together in the MMA to earn a significant portion of seats for the first time.
According to the constitution, Pakistan is a federation of four provinces: Baluchistan, the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Punjab, and Sindh. Governors appointed by the president head the provinces. There is also the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and the Islamabad Capital Territory, which consists of the capital city of Islamabad. These areas and territory are under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The Northern Areas are administered as a de facto "Union Territory" and are treated as an integral part of Pakistan. The Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region includes Azad Kashmir, a separate and autonomous government that maintains strong ties to Pakistan.
Principal Government Officials
President--Pervez Musharraf
Prime Minister (head of government)--Shaukat
Aziz
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Khurshid
Kasuri
Ambassador to the U.S.--Mehmood Ali
Durrani
Ambassador to the UN--Munir Akram
Pakistan maintains an embassy in the United States at 3517 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-243-6500). It has consulates in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Houston.
Military
- Nuclear
Pakistan NATIONAL SECURITY
Pakistan has the world's eighth-largest
armed forces, which is generally well trained and disciplined. However,
budget constraints and nation-building duties have reduced Pakistan's training
tempo, which if not reversed, could affect the operational readiness of
the armed forces. Likewise, Pakistan has had an increasingly difficult
time maintaining its aging fleet of U.S., Chinese, U.K., and French equipment.
While industrial capabilities have expanded significantly, limited budget
resources and sanctions have significantly constrained the government's
efforts to modernize its armed forces.
Until 1990, the United States provided military aid to Pakistan to modernize its conventional defensive capability. The United States allocated about 40% of its assistance package to non-reimbursable credits for military purchases, the third-largest program behind Israel and Egypt. The remainder of the aid program was devoted to economic assistance. Sanctions put in place in 1990 denied Pakistan further military assistance due to the discovery of its program to develop nuclear weapons. Sanctions were tightened following Pakistan's nuclear tests in response to India's May 1998 tests and the military coup of 1999. Pakistan has remained a non-signatory of the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty.
The events of September 11, 2001, and Pakistan's agreement to support the United States led to a waiver of the sanctions, and military assistance resumed to provide spare parts and equipment to enhance Pakistan's capacity to police its western border with Afghanistan and address its legitimate security concerns. In 2003, President Bush announced that the United States would provide Pakistan with $3 billion in economic and military aid over 5 years. This assistance package commenced during FY 2005.
Economy
Pakistan ECONOMY
With a per capita GDP of about $690
(current U.S. $), the World Bank considers Pakistan a low-income country.
No more than 48.7% of adults are literate, and life expectancy is about
63 years. The population, currently about 165 million, is growing at 2.09%
annually.
In 2000, the government made significant macroeconomic reforms: Privatizing Pakistan's state-subsidized utilities, reforming the banking sector, instituting a world-class anti-money laundering law, cracking down on piracy of intellectual property, and moving to quickly resolving investor disputes. After September 11, 2001, and Pakistan's proclaimed commitment to fighting terror, many international sanctions, particularly those imposed by the United States, were lifted. Pakistan's economic prospects began to increase significantly due to unprecedented inflows of foreign assistance at the end of 2001. This trend is expected to continue through 2009. Foreign exchange reserves and exports grew to record levels after a sharp decline. The International Monetary Fund lauded Pakistan for its commitment in meeting lender requirements for a $1.3 billion IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility loan, which it completed in 2004, forgoing the final permitted tranche. The Government of Pakistan has been successful in issuing sovereign bonds, and has issued $600 million in Islamic bonds, putting Pakistan back on the investment map. Pakistan's search for additional foreign direct investment has been hampered by concerns about the security situation, domestic and regional political uncertainties, and questions about judicial transparency.
U.S. assistance has played a key role in moving Pakistan's economy from the brink of collapse to setting record high levels of foreign reserves and exports, dramatically lowering levels of solid debt. Also, despite the earthquake in 2005, GDP growth remained strong at 6.6% in fiscal year 2005/2006. In 2002, the United States led Paris Club efforts to reschedule Pakistan's debt on generous terms, and in April 2003 the United States reduced Pakistan's bilateral official debt by $1 billion. In 2004, approximately $500 million more in bilateral debt was granted. Consumer price inflation eased slightly to an average of 8% in 2005/2006 from 9.3% in 2004/2005.
Low levels of spending in the social services and high population growth have contributed to persistent poverty and unequal income distribution. The trends of resources being devoted to socioeconomic development and infrastructure projects have been improving since 2002, although expenditures remain below global averages. Pakistan's extreme poverty and underdevelopment are key concerns, especially in rural areas. The government has reined in the fiscal mismanagement that produced massive foreign debt, and officials have committed to using international assistance--including a major part of the $3 billion five-year U.S. assistance package--to address Pakistan's long-term needs in the health and education sectors.
Reform
The government started pursuing market-based
economic reform policies in the early 1980s. These reforms began to take
hold in 1988, when the government launched an ambitious IMF-assisted structural
adjustment program in response to chronic and unsustainable fiscal and
external account deficits. The government began to remove barriers to foreign
trade and investment, reform the financial system, ease foreign exchange
controls, and privatize dozens of state-owned enterprises.
Although the economy became more structurally sound, it remained vulnerable to external and internal shocks, such as in 1992-93, when devastating floods and political uncertainty combined to depress economic growth sharply. The Asian financial crisis seriously affected Pakistan's major markets for its textile exports. For example, average real GDP growth from 1992 to 1998 dipped to 4.1% annually. Economic reform also was set back by Pakistan's nuclear tests in May 1998, and the subsequent economic sanctions imposed by the G-7. International default was narrowly averted by the partial waiver of sanctions and the subsequent reinstatement of Pakistan's IMF enhanced structural adjustment facility/extended fund facility in early 1999, followed by Paris Club and London Club re-scheduling. After taking power in late 1999, President Musharraf instituted policies to stabilize Pakistan's macroeconomic situation. Pakistan continues to struggle with these reforms, having mixed success, especially in reducing its budget and current account deficits.
Agriculture
Pakistan Agriculture and Natural
Resources
Pakistan's principal natural resources
are arable land, water, hydroelectric potential, and natural gas reserves.
About 28% of Pakistan's total land area is under cultivation and is watered
by one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. Agriculture accounts
for about 21% of GDP and employs about 42% of the labor force. The most
important crops are cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables,
which together account for more than 75% of the value of total crop output.
Despite intensive farming practices, Pakistan remains a net food importer.
Pakistan exports rice, fish, fruits, and vegetables and imports vegetable
oil, wheat, cotton (net importer), pulses, and consumer foods.
The economic importance of agriculture has declined since independence, when its share of GDP was around 53%. Following the poor harvest of 1993, the government introduced agriculture assistance policies, including increased support prices for many agricultural commodities and expanded availability of agricultural credit. From 1993 to 1997, real growth in the agricultural sector averaged 5.7% but declined to less than 3% in 2005. Agricultural reforms, including increased wheat and oilseed production, play a central role in the government's economic reform package. Heavy rains in 2005 provided the benefit of larger than average cotton, wheat, and rice crops, but also caused damage due to flooding and avalanches.
Pakistan has extensive energy resources, including fairly sizable natural gas reserves, some proven oil reserves, coal, and large hydropower potential. However, exploitation of energy resources has been slow due to a shortage of capital and domestic and international political constraints. For instance, domestic gas and petroleum production totals only about half the country's energy needs, and dependence on imported oil contributes to Pakistan's persistent trade deficits and shortage of foreign exchange. The government announced that privatization in the oil and gas sector is a priority.
Industry
Pakistan Industry
Pakistan's manufacturing sector accounts
for about 25% of GDP. Cotton textile production and apparel manufacturing
are Pakistan's largest industries, accounting for about 70% of total exports.
Other major industries include food processing, beverages, construction
materials, clothing, and paper products. As technology improves in the
industrial sector, it continues to grow. In 2005/2006, the manufacturing
sector grew by 8.6%. Despite government efforts to privatize large-scale
parastatal units, the public sector continues to account for a significant
proportion of industry. In the face of an increasing trade deficit, the
government seeks to diversify the country's industrial base and bolster
export industries. Net foreign investment in Pakistani industries is only
0.5% of GDP.
Foreign
Pakistan Foreign Trade and Aid
Weak world demand for its exports
and domestic political uncertainty have contributed to Pakistan's high
trade deficit. In 2004, growth rebounded to approximately 6% with substantial
improvement in public and external debt indicators and remained robust
with 7.8% growth in 2005. Foreign reserves are at an all-time high of $11.5
billion. Pakistan's exports, which grew by 14.4% in 2005/2006, continue
to be dominated by cotton textiles and apparel, despite government diversification
efforts. Major imports include petroleum and petroleum products, edible
oil, wheat, chemicals, fertilizer, capital goods, industrial raw materials,
and consumer products, rising to 38.8% to $25.6 billion. External imbalance
has left Pakistan with a growing foreign debt burden. The fiscal imbalance
is reflected in a high level of total net public debt, which reached an
estimated 92.6% of GDP in 2000-01, more than half involving external liabilities,
but decreased to 72.7% in 2003. The fiscal deficit widened from 5.6% of
GDP in 1994-95 to 7.7% in 1997-98 before declining to 4.5% in 2006. Despite
a rise in tax collection, defense and development expenditure along with
transfers to the provinces all rose in the 2006 budget, widening the deficit.
Support for loss-making, state-owned enterprises and a weak domestic tax
base are critical elements in the recurring fiscal deficits. The Pakistan
Telecommunications Company Ltd. (PTCL) represented the largest of Pakistan’s
privatization programs for 2005. Despite its economic and political difficulties,
Pakistan has taken steps to liberalize its trade and investment regimes,
either unilaterally or in the context of commitments made with the World
Trade Organization (WTO), IMF, and the World Bank. In 2004-2005, efforts
in several crucial areas seemingly intensified, resulting in Pakistan becoming
a more open and secure market for its trading partners.
Pakistan has received significant loan/grant assistance from international financial institutions (e.g., the IMF, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank) and bilateral donors, particularly after it began using its military/financial resources in the war on terror. The United States pledged $3 billion for FY 2005 to FY 2009 in economic and military aid to Pakistan. In addition, the IMF and World Bank have pledged $1 billion in loans to Pakistan. In 2004 to 2007 alone, the World Bank has pledged over $500 million in investment projects.
Foreign
FOREIGN RELATIONS
After September 11, 2001, Pakistan's
prominence in the international community increased significantly, as it
pledged its alliance with the U.S. in the war on terror and made a commitment
to eliminate terrorist camps on its territory. Historically, Pakistan has
had difficult and volatile relations with India, long-standing close relations
with China, extensive security and economic interests in the Persian Gulf,
and wide-ranging bilateral relations with the United States and other Western
countries. It expresses a strong desire for a stable Afghanistan.
India
India
Since partition, relations between
Pakistan and India have been characterized by rivalry and suspicion. Although
many issues divide the two countries, the most sensitive one since independence
has been the status of Kashmir.
At the time of partition, the princely state of Kashmir, though ruled by a Hindu Maharajah, had an overwhelmingly Muslim population. When the Maharajah hesitated in acceding to either Pakistan or India in 1947, some of his Muslim subjects, later aided by tribesmen from Pakistan, revolted in favor of joining Pakistan. In exchange for military assistance in containing the revolt, the Kashmiri ruler offered his allegiance to India. Indian troops occupied the eastern portion of Kashmir, including its capital, Srinagar, while the western part came under Pakistani control.
India submitted this dispute to the United Nations on January 1, 1948. One year later, the UN arranged a cease-fire along a line dividing Kashmir but leaving the northern end of the line not demarcated and the Vale of Kashmir (with the majority of the population) under Indian control. India and Pakistan agreed to a resolution that called for a UN-supervised plebiscite to determine the state's future This plebiscite has not occurred because the main precondition, the withdrawal of both nations’ forces from Kashmir, has failed to take place.
Full-scale hostilities erupted in September 1965, when India alleged that insurgents trained and supplied by Pakistan were operating in India-controlled Kashmir. Hostilities ceased 3 weeks later, following mediation efforts by the UN and interested countries. In January 1966, the leaders of India and Pakistan met in Tashkent, U.S.S.R., and agreed to attempt a peaceful settlement of Kashmir and their other differences.
Following the 1971 Indo-Pakistan conflict, President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi met in the hill station of Shimla, India, in July 1972. They agreed to a line of control in Kashmir resulting from the December 17, 1971, cease-fire, and endorsed the principle of settlement of bilateral disputes through peaceful means. In 1974, Pakistan and India agreed to resume postal and telecommunications linkages and to enact measures to facilitate travel. Trade and diplomatic relations were restored in 1976 after a hiatus of 5 years.
India's nuclear test in 1974 generated great uncertainty in Pakistan and is generally acknowledged to have been the impetus for Pakistan's nuclear weapons development program. In 1983, the Pakistani and Indian Governments accused each other of aiding separatists in their respective countries--Sikhs in India's Punjab state and Sindhis in Pakistan's Sindh province. In April 1984, tensions erupted after troops were deployed to the Siachen Glacier, a high-altitude, desolate area close to the China border not demarcated by the cease-fire agreement (Karachi Agreement) signed by Pakistan and India in 1949.
Tensions diminished after Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister in November 1984 and after a group of Sikh hijackers was brought to trial by Pakistan in March 1985. In December 1985, President Zia and Prime Minister Gandhi pledged not to attack each other's nuclear facilities. A formal "no attack" agreement was signed in January 1991. In early 1986, the Indian and Pakistani Governments began high-level talks to resolve the Siachen Glacier border dispute and to improve trade.
Bilateral tensions increased in early 1990, when Kashmiri militants began a campaign of violence against Indian Government authority in Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequent high-level bilateral meetings relieved the tensions between India and Pakistan, but relations worsened again after the destruction of the Ayodhya mosque by Hindu extremists in December 1992 and terrorist bombings in Bombay in March 1993. Talks between the Foreign Secretaries of both countries in January 1994 ended in deadlock.
More recently, the Indo-Pakistani relationship has veered sharply between rapprochement and conflict. After taking office in February 1997, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif moved to resume official dialog with India. A number of meetings at the foreign secretary and prime ministerial level took place, with positive atmospherics but little concrete progress. The relationship improved markedly when Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee traveled to Lahore for a summit with Sharif in February 1999. There was considerable hope that the meeting could lead to a breakthrough.
In spring 1999, infiltrators from Pakistan occupied positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control in the remote, mountainous area of Kashmir near Kargil, threatening the ability of India to supply its forces on Siachen Glacier. By early summer, serious fighting flared in the Kargil sector. The infiltrators withdrew following a meeting between Prime Minister Sharif and President Clinton in July. Relations between India and Pakistan were particularly strained during the 1999 coup in Islamabad. Then, just weeks after the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States, an attack on India's Parliament on December 13 further strained this relationship.
The prospects for better relations between India and Pakistan improved in early January 2004 when a summit meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) permitted India’s Prime Minister Vajpayee to meet with President Musharraf. Both leaders agreed to establish a Composite Dialogue to resolve their disputes. The Composite Dialogue focuses on eight issues: confidence building measures, Kashmir, Wullar barrage, promotion of friendly exchanges, Siachen glacier, Sir creek, terrorism and drug trafficking, and economic and commercial cooperation. The first round of the Composite Dialogue was held in New Delhi on June 27-28, 2004.
Relations further improved when President Musharraf met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York in October 2004. Additional steps aimed at improving relations were announced when Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh visited Islamabad in February 2005 and in April 2005 when President Musharraf traveled to India to view a cricket match and hold discussions. In a further display of improved relations, bus service commenced from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir to Srinagar in April 2005. After a destructive earthquake hit the Kashmir region in October 2005, the two countries cooperated with each other to deal with the humanitarian crisis.
Musharraf and Singh last met in September 2006 at the Non-Aligned Summit in Havana. At this meeting, the two leaders condemned all acts of terrorism and agreed to continue the search for options acceptable to both sides for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of all issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. The foreign secretaries of both nations opened the fourth round of the Composite Dialogue in Islamabad on March 13-14, 2007.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Following the 1979 Soviet invasion
of Afghanistan, the Pakistani Government played a vital role in supporting
the Afghan resistance movement and assisting Afghan refugees. After the
Soviet withdrawal in February 1989, Pakistan, with cooperation from the
world community, continued to provide extensive support for displaced Afghans.
Continued turmoil in Afghanistan prevented the refugees from returning
to their country. In 1999, more than 1.2 million registered Afghan refugees
remained in Pakistan. Pakistan was one of three countries to recognize
the Taliban regime of Afghanistan. International pressure after September
11, 2001, prompted Pakistan to reassess its relations with the Taliban
regime and support the U.S. and international coalition in Operation Enduring
Freedom to remove the Taliban from power. Pakistan has publicly expressed
its support to Afghanistan's President Karzai and has pledged $100 million
toward Afghanistan's reconstruction. Both nations are also working to strengthen
cooperation along their rugged border, including making preparations to
hold joint jirgas in their restive border areas.
China
People's Republic of China
In 1950, Pakistan was among the first
countries to recognize the People's Republic of China (PRC). Following
the Sino-Indian hostilities of 1962, Pakistan's relations with China became
stronger; since then, the countries have regularly exchanged high-level
visits resulting in various agreements. China has provided economic, military,
and technical assistance to Pakistan. Favorable relations with China have
been a pillar of Pakistan's foreign policy. The PRC strongly supported
Pakistan's opposition to Soviet involvement in Afghanistan and is perceived
by Pakistan as a regional counterweight to India and Russia.
Iran
Iran and the Persian Gulf
Historically, Pakistan has had close
geopolitical and cultural-religious linkages with Iran. However, strains
in the relationship appeared following the Iranian revolution. Pakistan
and Iran supported different factions in the Afghan conflict. Also, some
Pakistanis suspect Iranian government support for the sectarian violence
that has plagued Pakistan. However, relations between the countries have
improved since their policies toward Afghanistan have converged with the
fall of the Taliban. Both countries contend that they are on the road to
strong and lasting friendly relations.
Pakistan historically has provided military personnel to strengthen Gulf-state defenses and to reinforce its own security interests in the area.
US
U.S.-PAKISTAN RELATIONS
The United States and Pakistan established
diplomatic relations in 1947. The U.S. agreement to provide economic and
military assistance to Pakistan and the latter's partnership in the Baghdad
Pact/CENTO and SEATO strengthened relations between the nations. However,
the U.S. suspension of military assistance during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan
war generated a widespread feeling in Pakistan that the United States was
not a reliable ally. Even though the United States suspended military assistance
to both countries involved in the conflict, the suspension of aid affected
Pakistan much more severely. Gradually, relations improved, and arms sales
were renewed in 1975. Then, in April 1979, the United States cut off economic
assistance to Pakistan, except food assistance, as required under the Symington
Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, due to concerns about
Pakistan's nuclear program.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 highlighted the common interest of Pakistan and the United States in peace and stability in South Asia. In 1981, the United States and Pakistan agreed on a $3.2 billion military and economic assistance program aimed at helping Pakistan deal with the heightened threat to security in the region and its economic development needs.
Recognizing national security concerns and accepting Pakistan's assurances that it did not intend to construct a nuclear weapon, Congress waived restrictions (Symington Amendment) on military assistance to Pakistan. In March 1986, the two countries agreed on a second multi-year (FY 1988-93) $4 billion economic development and security assistance program. On October 1, 1990, however, the United States suspended all military assistance and new economic aid to Pakistan under the Pressler Amendment, which required that the President certify annually that Pakistan "does not possess a nuclear explosive device."
Several incidents of violence against American officials and U.S. mission employees in Pakistan have marred the relationship. In November 1979, false rumors that the United States had participated in the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca provoked a mob attack on the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad in which the chancery was set on fire resulting in the loss of life of American and Pakistani staff. In 1989, an attack on the American Center in Islamabad resulted in six Pakistanis being killed in crossfire with the police. In March 1995, two American employees of the consulate in Karachi were killed and one wounded in an attack on the home-to-office shuttle. In November 1997, four U.S. businessmen were brutally murdered while being driven to work in Karachi. In March 2002 a suicide attacker detonated explosives in a church in Islamabad, killing two Americans associated with the Embassy and three others. There were also unsuccessful attacks by terrorists on the Consulate General in Karachi in May 2002. Another bomb was detonated near American and other businesses in Karachi in November 2005, killing three people and wounding 15 others. On March 2, 2006, a suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives as a vehicle carrying an American Foreign Service officer passed by on its way to Consulate Karachi. The diplomat, the Consulate’s locally-employed driver and three other people were killed in the blast; 52 others were wounded.
The decision by India to conduct nuclear tests in May 1998 and Pakistan's matching response set back U.S. relations in the region, which had seen renewed U.S. Government interest during the second Clinton Administration. A presidential visit scheduled for the first quarter of 1998 was postponed and, under the Glenn Amendment, sanctions restricted the provision of credits, military sales, economic assistance, and loans to the government. The October 1999 overthrow of the democratically elected Sharif government triggered an additional layer of sanctions under Section 508 of the Foreign Appropriations Act, which include restrictions on foreign military financing and economic assistance. U.S. Government assistance to Pakistan was subsequently limited mainly to refugee and counter-narcotics assistance.
The U.S.-Pakistan relationship changed significantly once Pakistan agreed to support the U.S. campaign to eliminate the Taliban in Afghanistan and to join the United States in the Global War on Terror. Since September 2001, Pakistan has provided extensive assistance in the war on terror by capturing more than 600 al-Qaida members and their allies. The United States has stepped up its economic assistance to Pakistan, providing debt relief and support for a major effort for education reform. During President Musharraf's visit to the United States in 2003, President Bush announced that the United States would provide Pakistan with $3 billion in economic and military aid over 5 years. This assistance package commenced during FY 2005.
Following the region’s tragic October 8, 2005 earthquake, the United States responded immediately and generously to Pakistan’s call for assistance. The response was consistent with U.S. humanitarian values and our deep commitment to Pakistan. At the subsequent reconstruction conference in Islamabad on November 19, 2005, the U.S. announced a $510 million commitment to Pakistan for earthquake relief and reconstruction, including humanitarian assistance, military support for relief operations, and anticipated U.S. private contributions.
President Bush and President Musharraf have affirmed the long-term, strategic partnership between their two countries. In 2004, the United States recognized closer bilateral ties with Pakistan by designating Pakistan as a Major Non-NATO Ally. President Bush visited Pakistan in March 2006, where he and President Musharraf reaffirmed their shared commitment to a broad and lasting strategic partnership, agreeing to continue their cooperation on a number of issues including: the war on terror, security in the region, strengthening democratic institutions, trade and investment, education, and earthquake relief and reconstruction.
The United States and Pakistan concluded the sale to Pakistan of F-16 aircraft in late 2006, further reflecting their deepening strategic partnership. President Musharraf visited Washington in September 2006, where he held a bilateral meeting with President Bush and also participated in a trilateral meeting with President Bush and President Karzai of Afghanistan. The U.S.-Pakistan strategic partnership is based on the shared interests of the United States and Pakistan in building stable and sustainable democracy and in promoting peace and security, stability, prosperity, and democracy in South Asia and across the globe.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--vacant
Deputy Chief of Mission--Peter Bodde
Counselor for Political Affairs--Cecile
Shea, Acting
Counselor for Economic Affairs--Mary
Townswick
Counselor for Public Affairs--James
Williams
Consul General--Kay Anske
Defense Attaché--Col. Mark
Boettcher
Consul General, Karachi--Mary H. Witt
Principal Officer, Lahore--Bryan Hunt
Principal Officer, Peshawar--Lynne
Tracy
The U.S. Embassy is located at the Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad [tel. (92)-(51)-208-2000].
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