Pakistan Tries To Avoid New Battlefront

Leaders Try To Craft Response To Mumbai Attack, Diffuse Tension On Border With India

(CBS)  This story was written by CBS News' Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad.

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Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has called a meeting of leaders from all of the country's main political parties to discuss a unified Pakistani response to the terror attacks in Mumbai.

The conference will take place in Islamabad as Pakistan's leaders try to avoid embroiling their relatively new government in a reinvigorated confrontation with India along the two nuclear-armed countries' shared border.

Indian security officials have said the one gunman arrested in the 60-hour siege has admitted to membership in a Pakistan-based terrorist group and is of Pakistani nationality.

For Pakistan, the confrontation threatens to open another battle front as the country's security forces continue to wage an ongoing fight against al Qaeda and Taliban militants in the mountains along their border to the west, with Afghanistan.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, in a passionate appeal to India on Monday, called for a reduction of tensions so that his government is able to continue focusing on the battle with the militants.

"The architects of this calamity in Mumbai have managed to raise a threat on our other border. As we have these people (militants) on the run along our western border, our attention is being diverted at this critical time," Zardari said in an interview published in the Financial Times.

A top Indian police official said over the weekend that the only suspect to have been captured in the attack admitted to being a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group once supported by Pakistan's military intelligence service.

Zardari disputed that charge in the interview, but hinted that even if L-e-T is behind the attack, that is one of the groups his forces are fighting.

"Even if the militants are linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, who do you think we are fighting?"

Western diplomats based in Islamabad tell CBS News Zardari's offer of complete support to India as it investigates the Mumbai carnage was a significant step forward by Pakistan to change the underlying tenor of its relationship with its much larger adversary.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes during their 61 year history as independent states - largely driven by tension over the division of the mountainous border state of Kashmir.

On Monday, a senior Western diplomat based in Islamabad told CBS News fears of an Indo-Pakistan encounter were so great that the U.S. had become drawn in to try and manage the conflict and prevent it from getting out of control.

"After Iraq and the situation in Afghanistan, the India-Pakistan situation poses the greatest challenge," said the diplomat, who spoke to CBS on condition of anonymity.

President Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to India later this week to work with New Delhi in the wake of the attacks.

[afmca]

What Pakistan has to do is start acting like a responsible country and start to rid itself of the radicals that are entrenched in the government and in the hinterlands. If they cannot then allow others to do it for them. Carpet bimbing the Pakistani badlands near Afghanistan would be good for all parties involved. The inhabitants have little to offer a civilized world. As for the supporters of the terrorists that attack India, they need to be removed from government and these groups destroyed.

It is time Pakistan realize that they harbor terrorists causing death on both sides of their country.

[impeach___w]

...admitted to being a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group once supported by Pakistan''s military intelligence service (ISI). ISI were supported by the US and the CIA. You see where this is going?

Just blame support from Iran and let''s get this over with once and for all. All we need is the thinnest link we can find between this group and Iran. Just keep beating on this guy until he says whatever you want him to...

[matrixrx2003]

Pakistan needs to wake up and take care of these tribal areas that are breeding terror and hate.

[pensacola98]

The real root cause of the problem is socio-economics. When a group of people become disestablished for any reason, and fall below their peer group for an extended period of time, crime will dominate the group. If they have access to weapons, they eventually commit acts of agression on their neighbors. We see that here in the USA with gangs, organized crime, and various extremist political groups. When you mix a disestablished person with a weapon, you get criminal....with a group, you get a gang...etc.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is pursuing the best move - leadership. It takes leadership to unify, attract and pull the disestablished citizens back into the family of community and country.

Resistant rebels and other under-educated citizens need time to outgrow their life of under-achievement. When they see government working for them, they usually come around. Pakistan and India have severe economic problems. Force rules in poverty.

[impeach___w]

MatrixRX2003, Pakistan IS taking charge. The ISI is linked to and supporting the extremests. Much like the CIA is suporting the MEK in Iran.

"The Pentagon is bypassing official US intelligence channels and turning to a dangerous and unruly cast of characters in order to create strife in Iran in preparation for any possible attack, former and current intelligence officials say.
One of the operational assets being used by the Defense Department is a right-wing terrorist organization known as Mujahedeen-e Khalq (MEK), which is being %u201Crun%u201D in two southern regional areas of Iran. They are Baluchistan, a Sunni stronghold, and Khuzestan, a Shia region where a series of recent attacks has left many dead and hundreds injured in the last three months.
One former counterintelligence official, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the information, describes the Pentagon as pushing MEK shortly after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The drive to use the insurgent group was said to have been advanced by the Pentagon under the influence of the Vice President%u2019s office and opposed by the State Department, National Security Council and then-National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice.

[impeach___w]

Continued...
According to all three intelligence sources, military and intelligence officials alike were alarmed that instead of securing a known terrorist organization, which has been responsible for acts of terror against Iranian targets and individuals all over the world %u2013 Rumsfeld under instructions from Cheney, began using the group on special ops missions into Iran to pave the way for a potential Iran strike.
%u201CThey are doing whatever they want, no oversight at all,%u201D one intelligence source said.
The below is one example of a policy to support terrorists for use as proxy groups:
"Bomb blasts struck Iranian government buildings in the capital of an oil-rich border province, followed within hours by two other bombs in central Tehran, killing nine people, days before presidential elections."
It%u2019s believed that the attacks by MEK had been halted in March of last year. If this attack is shown to be tied to MEK terrorists or any other "group" we are funding, arming, and training in the region, then the US will be implicated - even if we had nothing to do with the bombing directly.

[mabangash]

to all the know-alls on this forum - no one except ganghez khan has been able to subdue that part of the world. give pakistan a break. where alexander, the mughals, the british raj, the soviets failed - u cannot expect pakistan to claw its way out of this....give it a break

[mnm421]

Just 6 words: World should ask Pakistan to stop EXPORTING terrorists. pure and simple.

[impeach___w]

mabangash Pakistan has been a problem ever since it was carved out of other countries. It seemed to be fine when we were fighting the Japanese...

[mnm421]

Pakistan is like a Cancer of the Earth, the country exporting terrorists to Afghanistan, London, Spain, USA, India, and all over the world. ISI and it military wing should stop exporting terrorists to other nations.

[yongamerica]

Pakistan''s government is doing very little to control terrorism within its own boarders. It has turned a blind eye to the decades of many extremists and international terrorist organizations using the country as a launching point for Iranian sponsored terrorists.

For Pakistan to accept it has "lawlesss boarder lands" is ridiculous. In Pakistan saying it has no control of a large area of its land, in reality has surrendered these lands to outlaws, criminals and terrorists.

The neighbors of Iran must come together and face the threat from Iran''s murderous regime who thinks nothing of using terrorists to commit murderous acts in order to destabilize the region.

[brianp55]

It is interesting to note that the word "Pakistan", literally translated, means a "clean place". Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Pakistan is a stinking cesspool, overflowing with deluded Islamic maniacs who have nothing better to do than kill innocent women and children in the name of their religion. If ever a country deserved to be nuked, this is it.

[centerfall94]

It is interesting to note that the word "Pakistan", literally translated, means a "clean place". Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Pakistan is a stinking cesspool, overflowing with deluded Islamic maniacs who have nothing better to do than kill innocent women and children in the name of their religion. If ever a country deserved to be nuked, this is it.

Posted by brianp55 at 12:30 PM

Clearly there are many things to dislike about Pakistan.

But... have you ever been there? I thought not. Fat ol troll sitting in front of your pc making judgements about a great many people you know mostly nothing about. Your depth of knowledge is limited to a news headline or a radio show.

Go there, live there, then speak. Otherwise, do the rest of us a favor and just shut up.

[endpcnow]

To Centerfall94:

Have you ever been there? The amount of militant islamsist support is staggering. And it is a cesspool, dirty, filled with medrasas producing brainwashed muslims that are ignored or supported by the government and intelligence service. And muslims breed like flies so the problem will noly get worse. Why don''t you venture to the the tribal areas or a large Pakistani city? If you are a westerner, I''ll give you just days before you''re beheaded.

[haijosek]

Pakistan is the worst and dangerous nation on earth. Their ISI supports all these terrorists and making terrorism allover the world. The fact is that eventhough the pakistan government wants peace, the military and ISI wont allow it. Government is scared of ISI and military. They have no control over them, and infact military rules the govt.

As obama quoted last week, ''Pakistan is getting huge funds from USA in the name of War-On-Terrorism and they are doing little towards that. And infact they use all these money to buy deadly weapons to attack India in the future''. And mr.Obama warned pak from doing this in the future. What else do you need to know about Pak ?

Check this link on youtube. It reveals the latest studies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymnjacioEmQ

[haijosek]

Pak is selling nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and many other countries.

[brianp55]

Centerfall94:

As a matter of fact, I have been to Pakistan...more than once, on business. OK, I''ll concede that I may have gotten carried away and the entire country should not be "nuked", per se. How about if they were to say, be forced to endure a severe tongue-lashing for their indiscretions? BTW...I am not fat, nor am I a troll. As a matter of fact, while certainly not without imperfections, most would consider me to be a rather attractive specimen.

[tomflint69]

Pak is selling nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and many other countries.
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Posted by haijosek at 01:34 PM : Dec 01, 2008
+ report abuse


And you are a certified Pakistani nuke dealer! lol.
That''s why only you know. We are sleeping in the U.S.

[matrixrx2003]

Pakistan has been avoiding the biggest issue for years. Pakistan needs to do something major about the tribal areas and get rid of the radicals in the tribal areas & until that happens there will be a never ending supply of terrorists.

Pakistan needs to wake up and take care of the tribal area issue and these terrorists and stop avoiding the main issue.

[missingamerica]

"Indian security officials have said the one gunman arrested in the 60-hour siege has admitted to membership in a Pakistan-based terrorist group and is of Pakistani nationality."

One person? Insufficient proof to blame Pakistan, and particularly insufficient proof to associate any blame with any official or quasi-official Pakistani governmental entity.

Frankly, radical Islam crosses all borders. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this individual would have been just as quick to blow up something Pakistani if those who create the radical agenda so ordered.

Gotta hunt down and chop off the heads of this snake...and the body will dissolve and run away in all different directions.

Like chickens, with their heads cut off...

[tomflint69]

Pakistan is an ally of the U.S in the war against terrorism and our interests comes first before the Indians.
If we would let India attack Pakistan then who will fight against Alqaida on Pakistan''s Western borders (near Afghanistan)? So we must stop India from acting childish and threatening Pakistan. Terrorism is everywhere in the world. If Pakistan moves it''s forces from the Afghan borders, then our security will be compromised (Taliban and Alqaida militants
will not sit quite and it would be equivalent of giving them a chance to flourish in the Northern Pakistan). So we should work with Pakistan for ensuring peace and stability in the region.

I am sure that Mr. Obama will take reasonable measures.

WAKEUP PEOPLE & HELP OUR ALLY PAKISTAN

[haijosek]

Posted by TomFlint69 at 01:48 PM
And you are a certified Pakistani nuke dealer! lol.
That''''s why only you know. We are sleeping in the U.S.

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Mr.Tom I pity on you. You got such lack of knowledge. the news has been telecasted on CNN. Mr.A Q Khan who is known as the father of Pak Nuclear Bomb sold the technologies to many countries. You want a proof on this discussion ? Checkout the video link on youtube regarding this at the end of this conversation.

Pakistan is even collecting money from Islamic countries for the bomb they named as ''Islamic Bomb''. They are telling this nuclear bomb is against all ''Qaafir''. ''Qaafir'' is believed to be son of devil among Islam. Now a days they use the term ''Qaafir'' represent all non-Islams.

Dont forget to check the video for proof

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndpbAyTCdZs

[impeach___w]

As a matter of fact, I have been to Pakistan...more than once, on business. BTW...I am not fat, nor am I a troll. As a matter of fact, while certainly not without imperfections, most would consider me to be a rather attractive specimen.
Posted by brianp55


The FBI thinks you''re a terrorist...I hope you aren''t ex-miliary, ethnic or a gun owner- read here:

The FBI is creating a file on every person (American) and assigning a rating for their potential to cause terror.

Currently, FBI agents need specific reasons - like evidence or allegations that a law probably has been violated - to investigate U.S. citizens and legal residents. The new policy, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press, would let agents open preliminary terrorism investigations after mining public records and intelligence to build a profile of traits that, taken together, were deemed suspicious. Among the factors that could make someone subject of an investigation is travel to regions of the world known for terrorist activity, access to weapons or military training, along with the person''s race or ethnicity.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/03/national/main4229431.shtml

[nincomp]

Pakistan is even collecting money from Islamic countries for the bomb they named as ''''Islamic Bomb''''. They are telling this nuclear bomb is against all ''''Qaafir''''. ''''Qaafir'''' is believed to be son of devil among Islam. Now a days they use the term ''''Qaafir'''' represent all non-Islams.

Posted by haijosek at 03:09 PM : Dec 01, 2008
+
1) There is no word "Qaafir". The closest work is kafir and it means someone who denies the truth.

2) Pakistan shares the technology the same way as US exchanges with Israel/India/European countries. What makes you think all these countries reinvented the wheel.

[yongamerica]

Its hard to ignore a fire in your kitchen when you are standing at the stove. Pakistan has allowed its fires to spread throughout its whole house. And it still won''t admit to itself there is a fire.

[tomflint69]

Here we go. Lets manufacture another war. The good lord know we cant manufacture anything else.
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Posted by sockpuppet4 at 03:42 PM : Dec 01, 2008


I am sure, that Pakistan and India can''t afford to have any war and they''ll not. If India, as it says that the Pakistanis carried out attacks is the truth, then how can India ever imagine to jump into war with such a dangerous militant country? It simply can''t afford. Further the two nations have nuclear weapons and are not responsible at all.

I had been working with the Indians as well as Pakistanis. Generally speaking both Indians and Pakistanis are stupid and foolish nations with little or no maturity.

Have you ever heard some good news from either of the two? They always give bad news full of despair and hatred.

[humanity_101]

And you are a certified Pakistani nuke dealer! lol.
That''''s why only you know. We are sleeping in the U.S.
-------
TomFlint69
-------
Looks like at least you have been sleeping for some time...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8219801/
http://www.dawn.com/2004/02/02/top2.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3343621.stm

sure you can search for more...

[humanity_101]

IMO, Pakistan''s problem is that its military is under control of the religious leaders... Even though the current democratic government wants to make peace with India, not all the elements in Pakistan are in favor of it as with it their importance fades away... probably the latest attack in Mumbai has something to do with this... I can even go one step ahead and guess that this attack was a deliberate attempt of the terrorists who are being sanitized by US and its allies to divert the attention from them so that can get some breathing time...

so if we really want to win the war on terror we need to understand one thing... we first need to stabilize the region and make sure that all the governments are on the same page...

[yongamerica]

The chances of Israel being involved in these attacks are nil. The chances that crazed Muslims bent on killing every non-Muslim doing this is 99.9%.

Anyone who suggests Israel is involved is an agent of Iran''s terrorist network. The world knows Iran is linked.

[tomflint69]

" The chances that crazed Muslims bent on killing every non-Muslim doing this is 99.9%."
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Posted by yongamerica at 04:55 PM : Dec 01, 2008

I make a little correction:

The chances that crazed Muslims bent on killing every non-Muslim and Muslim doing this is 99.9%.

Because, the people who died in Mumbai attacks also included Muslims but that has not been told on media.
Besides finding Brits and Americans, the gunmen killed Hindus, Muslims, Chritians and Jews.

[sk_w]

ok...so if pakistan is to blame, are they also to blame for blowing up the marriott in pakistan? what did they stand to gain by doing so?

[andrew_693]

I don''t know guys, I just read on the cnn website about how the reagan administration went against sanctions from UN against Saddam Hussein''s Iraq for gasing the kurds and how Ronald Reagan and his party of biggots vetoed the UN because the US wanted to sell things to the Iraqis some farm equipment. It seems that the color of good and bad is rather grey, becasue the US also sponsored terrorists.

[toolmangler-2009]

the US wanted to sell things to the Iraqis some farm equipment.
Posted by andrew_693 at 06:01 PM : Dec 01, 2008




And they sold them farm equipment, Fertilizer, (Ammonium Nitrate) and Diesel fuel (for their tractors). Not to mention remote controls for all the Manual TV''s and Stereos in the mid east.