After yesterday's deadly bombing of the convoy carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani government and citizens have a difficult choice to make. They have three options, they can try to maintain the status-quo, give in to Al-Qaeda, or eliminate the extremists in their midst. For too long, President Musharraf has tried to placate the tribes in the north. An uneasy truce with the extremists was shattered earlier this year after the take-over of the "Red Mosque" in the capital, Islamabad. Al-Qaeda in the north declared jihad on Musharraf and attempts have been made on his life.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Bhutto has returned from a self-imposed 8 year exile in Dubai. It was widely expected that Bhutto would be elected Prime Minister for the third time and a power-sharing arrangement was rumored to be in the works. The attack on her convoy that killed over 100 people and injured hundreds more should be a unifying event in the history of this Secular Muslim nation.
What Pakistan needs is a George Bush "photo-op" moment. I think everyone remembers President Bush, standing in the ruins of the World Trade Center after 9/11, bull-horn in his hand, his arm around a firefighter/rescue worker saying, "I hear you ... and the people who brought these buildings down will hear all of us soon." Now that was a motivational moment. It made the entire country feel together, and feel safer in that togetherness. It might have started as just another photo-op (as some Democrats claim), but it became so much more ... and it was needed. What Musharraf and Bhutto need is to show solidarity with each other, and with their citizens. They need to unite the country and exterminate the vermin in the populace.
So far, they are having mixed results. Initial reactions on both sides were to condemn the terrorists, but later on came the finger-pointing. The Bhutto camp criticized President Musharraf for not providing enough security (and obviously they didn't), and the Musharraf camp has criticized Bhutto for failing to heed their warning that it was too dangerous to drive to Karachi, saying that Bhutto should have accepted the helicopter transportation that Musharraf had offered (and judging by the results, she probably should have). But the blame game has to end, otherwise they will have a divided country and the terrorists will have succeeded.
Yes, Pakistan is at a cross-road ... what they decide will influence the entire region as well as the Global War On Terror.
19 comments:
Paul
Good post. In ref to the latest events inside Pakistan, score another one for the Islamo Fascist Warriors [IFWs] but mission was not accomplished as their primary target was able to escape the assassination attempt. This is the 2nd significant incident in Pakistan in two weeks [sad to say this but more will follow as this is good PR for the IFWs]. One of the objectives on a terror act is to put fear in the minds of the citizens and now the Pakistanis are living in fear [IFW mission accomplished on the FEAR factor]. This could become a defeat for the IFWs, on my old crystal ball I see the Pakistani leadership [in the not so distant future] giving the president of the US a green light authorizing our troops to engage the IFWs inside Pakistani territory. Have a fine Texas evening.
cfs
I couldn't even escape news of this on my vacation. Hopefully Pakistan will choose the good path. Good to see you, especially since I am in my super stealth mode as my new identity!
Another complicated twist in a region of the world that is growing hot spots like no other...
Great post. I was shocked when I saw the news on TV! So many innocent people are dead and there will be more terrorist acts. One Manila Mall was bombed yesterday. Gosh. Dangerous world we're living in.
too many casualities!!
the media in my country says she is not so popular like she used to be.
hopefully pakistan will reamin same.
She has a lot of questionable baggage, but I see a big following for her. Perhaps she is what the country needs now.
An appalling and unjustifiable attack against a peaceful democratic gathering. My sympathies are with the families of the victims and with the people of Pakistan.
It is clear that in Pakistan, as elsewhere, the forces of extremism are threatened by democratic processes.
I hope they manage to come together Paul, otherwise they may wind up as divided as we are! It is a shame that we cannot unite the way we should and that conservatives and liberals are at each others throats. It really concerns me because that old adage,"together we stand, divided we fall" is entirely true.
Pakistan is at a cross-road ... what they decide will influence the entire region as well as the Global War On Terror....very true my friend.........at least the izlamos are showing their true colors..AGAIN!
Im sorry to say this but this only proves how Anti-western muslim countries still r!
Keshi.
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Paul, Excellen layout and analysis, I have included you on my links to view....stay well.....
No matter the mistakes that Bush has made since 9/11, that photo will remain in the minds of all that were there and all that were watching. It brought a temporary sense of security. I dislike parroting, but have to agree that Pakistan definitely could use a "photo-op".
oh yes! forgot to mention that I like the 'banner' you've added to your sidebar....Gen. 12:3!!
tlrb ... God, I hope so, or if not a greenlight for US troops, at least they can unleash their rather formidable army into Warziristan and wipe out al-Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban themselves. And if the tribesmen there don't like it, tough.
revolution ... super stealth mode enabled, who could this be? Gee, I have no idea. Yeah, this was huge news, hope you had a good vacation.
buffalo ... you got that right ... it's hard to find a place in that region that is not "hot". Though, it seems like the border scirmashes between India and Pakistan have calmed down a bit ... though that could just be because it is not being reported on as much because of all the other troubles.
eastcoastlife ... this is turning into a very dangerous world. It will take many years to root out all the terrorists. But unless we get them all, we won't be safe. The Philipines have been doing a pretty good job of hunting the terrorists ... too bad they missed some.
niki ... actually, President Musharraf is more popular than she is. She actually represents a time in Pakistan when corruption ran rampant (her father was an ex-prime minister that was executed for his corruption), but her followers are those that benefited from that corruption and it is a substantial following.
debbie ... "questionable baggage" is an understatement. She called it "Voluntary Exile", some would call it "On The Lam".
AI ... democracy has to be the most frightening thing to the islamofachist terrorists. In a true democracy, their movement can not survive.
gayle ... There are too many "dividers" in Washington DC. It is bad for the country, but good for fund-raising. Guess which one most of our politicians are picking.
angel ... The Islamofaschists never mis-represent who they are. Their true colors are always on display. It's just that some Liberals chose not to see.
keshi ... Not all Muslim countries are anti-western. Where we see most of this are in "poor" countries where the radical clerics can twist the word of God to a receptive audience. When you are living in poverty, it is very easy to slip into the sin of jealousy ... especially when a religious leader points out how the infidels don't deserve the blessings that God has bestowed.
tapline ... thanks, if I could figure out how to do that blogroll thing, you'd be on there ole buddy.
inspired ... I have a copy of that photo hanging on my wall in the entranceway of my house, along with a couple others I picked up on my "Holy Pilgrimage" to ground zero on the 1st anniversary. I promised my wife we would return when it is re-built ... still waiting. There is an old church right outside ground zero. St Paul's Chapel, Trinity Church may have been an Episcopalian Church, and one of the oldest in the country (George Washington worshipped there). But even though it was not Roman Catholic, my wife and I felt drawn to it ... lit a couple of candles and prayed. It is amazing what faith can do for our spirits during our darkest days. If you click on the banner, it will give you a code and you can place it on your blog. Make sure you get the special code for blogger, or the banner will cover part of your navigation bar and you will be unable to post a new comment.
Fox is reporting a new Bin Laden take is expected. I'm wondering (if it is actually NEW), if he will say anything about Butto
It is just never a dull moment over there...
The blame game is such a waste--just what everyone needs--more civil unrest. :(
--snow
debbie ... I doubt that the tape will make reference to Bhutto. It usually takes about a month for a Bin Laden tape to make it up from the deepest pit of hell.
snow ... in case you haven't noticed, the world has been far from dull since September 11th 2001. Well actually it never was dull, we in the USA just chose to ignore it.
I hope that country sees some peace soon.
I dont remember clearly because I was too young to care but there were a lot of controversies about her.Maybe my mom will remember
I love the Israel banner and the pres vote poll on the side.
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