U.S. military operations crossed another threshold in Pakistan this week when a Predator ‘drone’ aircraft fired missiles into Bannu area in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), away from the seven Federally Administered Tribal Areas where it has conducted raids with impunity.
Attacking the self-governing and semi-autonomous FATA on the Afghan border, considered a haven for al Qaeda and Taliban, is one thing. Targeting the North West Frontier Province, or settled areas as Pakistanis call it, is quite another.
This is a province governed by the national assembly - unlike the tribal areas which are not subject to the national assembly - and therefore represents an expansion of U.S. operating area into Pakistan proper.
Pakistanis are worrying that if the United States can attack deep inside the North West Frontier Province, then what stops them from raining down missiles on Pakistani cities in pursuit of al Qaeda, according to a report in The Hindu. They are wondering just how far will the United States go in its battle against the militants.
At the moment, though, the raid in Bannu in which the five people including an al Qaeda operative were killed, is a signal that there are no limits to targets in Pakistan for the United States.
At this rate and if they are not stopped, the U.S. military may end up attacking Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province, the Daily Times said, quoting unnamed government and military officials.
Pakistanis had led themselves to believe that the Predators would remain confined to the unsettled tribal areas and the leave the rest of the country alone, wrote columnist Ayaz Amir in The News. “Our American friends have surprised us once again…,” he wrote.
Amir argued that President Asif Ali Zardari was doing exactly what his predecessor Pervez Musharraf promised to the Americans but didn’t deliver. While Musharraf put the army -the only thing he had - at the disposal of the Americans, Zardari, on the other hand, had placed the country, its democratic institutions at the service of the United States.
It was a far cry from the hopes that voters came with at the polling stations in the February election that gave Zardari’s party the highest number of seats in parliament. “The people of Pakistan, chumps as ever, thought they were knocking at the gates of a new redemption. Little could they have realised that they were merely tinkering with the old and giving it a new facelift.”
“The people of Pakistan haven’t been betrayed. That would be to put too apocalyptic a meaning on current events. They have merely been used to lend the semblance of popular backing to an unpopular cause. Pakistan’s democracy is now hitched to America’s war chariot which is not quite what the people of Pakistan were expecting when they marched to the polling booths on Feb 18,” Amir wrote.
Zardari told CBS earlier this month that the United States should at least inform Pakistan that it was launching missile strikes. Many people in the gathering gloom of Pakistan took this statement as acquiescence to missile strikes
Where does Pakistan go from here? U.S. cross-border strikes have increased sharply in the past few months and indeed as Rahimullah Yusufzai, the respected resident editor of The News said, the more Pakistan protests, the more are the raids. The Pakistani government really must come clean on the war and reveal the terms of engagement with the United States, he said.
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Bilal,
If you think you will take hostage & then seek negotiation, it will not happen. Islamic terrorism will nto get at Hindu nation. We will see dharam yudh with Jihad.When 100 Billion hindus turn against you no body can save you, you will forget allah.
- Posted by VijayIf you think that the U.S. will continue to allow terrorists to stream over the border, killing U.S. soldiers and Afhghans, you are sadly mistaken. The U.S. has given Pakistan every opportunity to cooperate and given it billions of dollars and other support. In return, it has received treachery from the ISi and elements of the Pak. military.
- Posted by g millerVijay,
Motherindia is calling you to bed she has a busy night tonight in heera mundi with pakistani politicians please wait till tommorow
Lol India cowardice is the definition for it 1 billion fighting against 100 million you have a 10 to 1 advantage and still your dirty coward tactics hasnt managed to squat me let alone pakistan.
Pakistan Zindabad
- Posted by BilalMother India woooooh woooooh
Billal,
India will come very hard on this sort of behaviour.Be completely assured your cowardice will not win.We will squat you like flies.
- Posted by VijayThe bottom line is that Pakistan is a failed myth. India is Global Grade in terms of its economic power, technology it provides the world, and especially its military power. Pakistan would not stand a real chance against the full might of Indias’s vastly superior military power. India held back in taking Pakistan, during the Kargil crisis.
In short, Pakistan has provided mankind with nothing, only terrorism, failed leaders, extremism. A country built on hate cannot survive. Pakistan exists only due to Saudi and U.S. free handouts into their food bowl for the last 50 years.
Pakistanis often forget that Islam is a religion that is foreign to the indian subcontinent and was brought there by genocide and force. The Indian spirit rose above islamic and english oppression, by being peaceful, remember Gandhi. India should not ever suffer humiliation ever again.
Pakistan should disintegrate. And recent news, another Islamic Terrorist attack on the Secular and Inclusive India. India has been much too nice for its own good.
- Posted by RickScott we are not afraid of any consequences.The drone attacks must be stopped at every cost. And if the Drones do again then gunned them down. The Viet Nam have screwed US like a bee under the feet.
The war on terror is basically US own mess which he is cleaning now. First they have made mujahadeen by supporting them at every level to fight soviet. The war on terror which is started after 9/11 which was the big drama that US have played to coup the Iraq oil. For the reference do see Farenheit 9/11 which is made by Michael Moore and lot of things will be revealed.
- Posted by Muhammad KhurramThe drone attacks must continue in order to take out the militants in Pakistan. The U.S. made a major mistake in Viet Nam by not going after the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos and Cambodia. This allowed the enemy to resupply their forces in South Viet Nam. The Paksitani air force will not shoot down our drones because this would lead to serious consequences for them from us. I am familiar with the mentality of these militants having been part of one of these mujahideen groups in the 1980’s fighting the Soviets. They only understand force. Any lack of force is understood as weakness and will be taken advantage of.
- Posted by William Scottbund may nahi jor - aur tati karnay chla lahore….
thats what ur leaders with totis on wanted to do in 1965 remeber the magic number…and ur army guys were crying kirpa kar bagwan kirpa kar lol
u know what tehre is billion of ya n u still cant beat us weather in war, r sport u fools
- Posted by MAAJIDThis country is nothing but trouble, can we just flush it down the toilet or something similar?
- Posted by The CrusaderIn Pakistan we say “SLEEP TIGHT, PAKISTAN AIR FORCE IS AWAKE”.
- Posted by UmairF*uck you Indian.
Umair
- Posted by Indian‘The US better stop this drone drama before Pakistan Air Force has to step in.’
—-LOOK UP ! There’s a drone….whooossshhh a missile on your rooftop…lol, you sound ‘typical’ Paki..bund mein nahin jor tatti karne chala Lahore…
Guys cool down. Pakistan Army had recently conducted exercises in Muzaffargarh, Punjab to shoot down drones using SAM(Surface to Air) short-range missiles and other weapons. Pakistan Air Force chief of staff have given a statement thet PAF has the capability to blow the drones out of sky. The Air Force needs orders from the governemnt and the real action will begin. With round the clock radar monitoring of air space and the Combat air patrol missions, as soon as next time US drones enters Pakistan air space, Pakistani fighters jets will F*uck them straight to hell. Playing with Pakistan Air Force is like playing with firepower. And one who plays with fire will surely burn his fingers. The US better stop this drone drama before Pakistan Air Force has to step in.
- Posted by UmairOM
- Posted by Indian‘Musharaff had sold his motherland to americans.’
–’motherland’ & Pakistan? is an insult to motherhood..
Haraam ka maal kabhi pachta nahin.
For the question posed in the article - where does pakistan goes from here ?
- Posted by OmPakistan has already gone to china and middle east.Now that they understand all the billions that came from US was not a charity but Musharaff had sold his motherland to americans. Americans will now act at their will and poor pakistanis who are now ditched by their corrupt leaders are taking up arms for money in tribal areas as govt is promoting militias to fight Taliban.As incapable paksitani leadership committs another suicide attempt by asking aid money from middle east and china and on the other hand is raising local militias, its just a matter of time that these home grown terrorist create trouble with china and middleeast countries to do the same as america is doing in pakistan now.
The response of a Bilal Kashmiri reflects on the helpless Pakistani’s as they need the American alms for their two square meals, so a few missiles on Peshawar, Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore etc.. is okay for them as long as it’s their ‘Dollar friend’ raining it on them…
- Posted by IndianBilal,
You are absolutely right, You are in the modern era congratulations your clock turned from 6th century AD to 7th century AD. Just wondering Why were you putting Acids on sisters or creating controversies on dress code ?.
- Posted by VijayThe pakistanis are in the modern era india however which can barely feed its 700 million starving people is 500 years behind pakistan with 40% of its children starving on the streets india spends money on big naval vessels to comfort itself from its harsh and horrible reality
- Posted by BilalThe true problem here is the old U.S. regime and the old Paki regime, which spent so much money training and building the mujahadeen against the Sovients. The U.S. is now cleaning up its problem and so it is time that the Paks take care of their problem too, namely dismantling the ISI and all those who sympathize with the Jihadist cause. Pakistanis keep ranting about their sovereignty being compromised. It is too late to talk about Pak sovereignty, given that foreign fighters and terrorist training camps and madrassas and the two faced ISI has been creating World Terrorism for the last 20 years. The sovereignty of Pak is a complete myth. The people of Pak must decide if the they want to live in the Dark Ages or join the rest of the world in the Modern Age. Each and every individual has to take universal morality and universal responsibility for their actions.
- Posted by RickAmerica needs to win the trust of pakistanis in the north while trying to figure out a solution to the kashmir issue mr obama is heading in the right direction by stating azad kashmir issue and indian occupied kashmir issues must be sorted out aswell later on as for indias claim for training camps in azad kashmir going into indian military occupied prison kashmir aka jammu and kashmir its pathetic the world has seen that coward indian soldiers rather use bullets to sort out problems than talking they demand freedom from indian clutches india needs to wake up and stop killing babys in kashmir as the children of kashmir will exact revenge on the indians no matter how harsh it may be india must learn its lesson
- Posted by Bilal KashmiriEven though a geo-political line has been crossed by attacking Bannu, US has been successful in eliminating the top rung leaders of Al-Qaeda.
US has made its intention clears when Mr. Obama said that he will act if Pakistan deosnt have the will or means to take out Al-Qaeda & Bin Laden. It seems there is a lack of will on Pak side to act. Everytime after a missile strike, details are revealed that some senior members and foreign nationals being eliminated. Though Pak has suffered collateral damage in these strikes the best way out for Pakistan from this jihadi mess is to support the war on terror. It shall be a difficult task for Mr. Zardari to convince his citizens to support this war, but the future of pakistan lies in who wins this war.
Post Kargil, India contemplated of eliminating training camps in PoK by cross-border raids. US is now doing the same. What you cannot do as an ememy can be done by being a friend.
- Posted by Srinivasan