Sharif said Iran and Pakistan enjoy great potential for expansion of mutual cooperation. He then touched on economic conditions in his country, saying extremism and economy are the main challenges facing the country. NNI

Deng Xiaopeng, chairman of the Communist Party of China remarked that it is ‘glorious to get wealthy’. His remark set in motion the events of 1978, when China took steps to de-regulate its command-style economy and the restructuring that resulted in the conversion of the sleepy town of Shenzhen with a population of 5000 people in 1978 to a major world city with a per capita gross domestic product within the city that would compete with Western standards. Shenzhen was the first site of the Chinese experiment with a new form of Chinese communism – one which took some of the tenets of Marxist-Lennism, blended it with Chairman Mao’s desire for self-efficiency, self-reliance and ‘collectivization’, recognized the basic attributes of 5000 years of Chinese culture and psychology, and gave birth to ‘Communism with Chinese characteristics’.

From 1978 onwards, China has liberated over a three hundred million people out of poverty in mainland China. A Chinese middle class has emerged which makes Western multinationals envy the depth of the Chinese consumer’s pocket. While China may have abandoned collective industrial units of Mao or the collective farming societies, China has created a new form of collectivization. Whether this is inadvertent or not is simply not known, but the Chinese Nation thinks with one heart beat when it comes to perceive dangers to Chinese national interest. For example, the typically holier-than-thou patronizing behaviour of the French towards China annoyed the people of China to such an extent that they collectively used the depth and strength of their pockets to ignore French products. This resulted in a downward spiral of profits which were previously being enjoyed by French multinationals in China. At one point, France used to be the #1 destination for Chinese tourists. After the debacle in Paris when the French hosted that imposter the Dalai Lama and dared to intervene in Chinese internal affairs, France’s popularity dropped dramatically amongst the Chinese. The Chinese stood up for their country. France this summer was holding the rotating presidency of the European Union. The Chinese premier rightfully snubbed Sarkozy by calling the E.U-China summit off. President Zardari was able to ‘snub’ Gordon Brown over the illegal Pakistani student arrest issue by refusing to have a joint press conference only to honour Brown’s presence in Islamabad by having our Prime Minister shake hands appear with Gordon Brown in the press conference and Mr.Brown showed neither remorse nor pain for the emotional horror he caused to the families of those ten innocent Pakistani students – a national disgrace for our pride.

Pakistan is not as weak as her civilian leaders make it seem. In the 1970’s, China was surrounded by hostile states. The U.S was considering the possibility of diplomatic relations with the Revolutionary Republic but it remained hostile to China. The Soviet Union and China were increasingly in an estranged relationship and there was a massive military mobilization on their mutual borders and as a consequence there was a genuine split between both countries. China and its neighbour Vietnam were having tensions, while China’s friction with Japan and South Korea remained hot due to both countries hosting American military bases and the conflict in the two Koreas. In between all of this, there was a recalcitrant India under the leadership of Indira Gandhi who had just defeated China’s principal ally Pakistan and she showed signs of wanting to pick a fight with China to avenge the 1962 national humiliation the Chinese delivered to their largest South Asian neighbour in a brief but bitter war. Yet no one could challenge China. China focused on internal development and decided to make itself internally strong.

What began in 1978 transformed the imagination of the Chinese people. In little over a decade, China marched straight to economic progress and technical recovery. By the turn of the millennium, China’s share in global trade took an increasingly upward trend. China averted a South East Asian recession in 2000 when the tech bubble burst in America caused American demand of products from Japan, South Korea, Philippines and Malaysia to decrease significantly. China however in less than 30 years had managed to build up the required capacity to consume those products and hence cushioned the effects of the tech bubble crisis spilling over to South East Asia. Trade and commerce are not just activities for generating employment but should also be used as instruments of foreign policy.

China’s grand stock of over $1.5 trillion in foreign reserves makes it one of the most powerful countries in the world today. While on news we read about Obama announcing stimulus packages, the Chinese are out there too announcing $600billion stimulus packages for their own national economy. While the principal pillar of growth in China since 1978 has been foreign direct investment, in the year 2008 domestic consumption overtook foreign direct investment in size and its totality.

Pakistan needs to learn from China. We cannot just go with a beggars bowl and ask for $500 million every now and then from Beijing. They are our friends and they care for us because they realize the importance Pakistan can play in the emerging world order. But we cannot be part of the new world order that is coming if we remain addicted to peanuts and crumbs because this is making our decadent political elite even more decadent while Pakistanis are unable to realize the Pakistan Ideal.

Pakistan must learn from China. We must focus on developing a holistic trade policy with China. Chinese investment in Pakistan is critical. The technicalities of what China should or should not invest in are a totally different topic, but the main areas need to be mentioned. The need for

• a fibre optic cable connecting Pakistan and China,
• building consumer and cargo railways along the Karakoram Highway,
• enhanced technical partnership,
• enhanced educational partnership,
• and enhanced energy,
• water security, and
• crop production coordination are the areas
• besides defence where China can play an instrumental role.

This will bold well for our national security and help connect Islamabad into a closer orbit with Beijing. The need to promote Mandarin in Pakistan is also needed. While China has instructed many of its institutions to dedicate a certain portion of their staff to learn Urdu (or any other language that would help China), Pakistan has failed to do this. Pakistani officials can sometimes be so insensitive to China that while the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan was gifting medals and presents to special Pakistani participants in the Special Peoples’ Olympics, Pakistani officials were busy asking Chinese journalists to sit in the back so that foreign (read European and American journalists) could sit in the front while Zardari would unleash the inimitable light he withholds within and which no one can sense or feel at a press conference few months ago. This is not just comical but it is also painful. Get over the hangover that the white man is the master. He is not. We are the masters of our own destiny, as China has demonstrated.

Pakistan is today surrounded by hostile states with the exception of China and the on-again, off-again double-mindedness of Iran. Even though most of us believe the current rounds of tensions with India began after the Mumbai tensions and allegations, this is not true – they merely came to the surface.

• Indo-Pak tensions have been building since 2004 when India unilaterally began constructing dams in Indian-occupied Kashmir, unilaterally violating the Indus Water Treaty and as a consequence severely cutting the water flow of Pakistani rivers and effecting our food security, energy security, and water security.
• Our tensions have also been rising because of Pakistani support to Sri Lanka’s War Agaisnt Terrorism. Our neighbour has been very unhappy of Pakistani assistance in training the Sri Lankan Air Force in precision guided aerial-bombing which has in fact been instrumental in the current success of Sri Lanka in stamping out the Tamil Tiger Threat.

We must not waiver in our conviction that we have the sovereign right to manage our relations bilaterally with who ever we chose to do so and however we choose to do so. We also must have the conviction in ourselves that we have the right to choose how we wish to perceive any 2nd country and for that matter President Obama should kindly focus on the appalling failure of the U.S in Afghanistan and not focus in Pakistan bashing.

However, the emerging dente in America is to de-hyphenate the Western World’s relationship with India and disregard Pakistani and Kashmiri sensitivity with regard to the ongoing occupation in Indian-occupied Kashmir. This emerging dente is the most dramatic change in the South Asia power equation since decades. The only other changes which occurred were the dismemberment of East Pakistan in 1971 and the creation of a Pakistani atomic weapon which had such a profound implication on the regional security of Pakistan. Who does Washington think it is to firstly decide for the entire Western World and also to stab Pakistan in the back once again? Washington is strong in international affairs, but not as strong as it used to be. This creates a creative dynamic in the corridors of world power and Pakistan can manoeuvre smartly if we took the right steps.

What does Pakistan do in the face of a rising pro-India sentiment in Washington? When in doubt, look to Beijing. While we look to Beijing, we should not expect that the Chinese will always be there. Hence we must introspect. While we introspect, we should take Chinese ideas on the sort of actionable change they were able to bring and then we would make the defence of Pakistan impregnable. For now, Pakistan must deeply search its soul and we must all collectively ask ourselves why our parliamentary democracy has failed in living up to the expectations and zeal of the Pakistan Movement. The answer to this is the ‘FM’ word, and feudalism is bad. But the feudal mentality of Pakistan’s decadent political elite reeks of backwardness and is not going anywhere soon. They would rather meet foreign politicians, foreign leaders, and foreign envoys while compete against other feudal-minded personalities’ on how much they are willing to sell our dignity and our sovereignty for a wink (read chance) to sit in the seat of power in Islamabad and the four provinces. Pakistan is in need of a Pakistani Deng Xiaopeng. A man or woman who will display the courage, the audacity, the credentials, and the eloquence needed to march Pakistan to the path of technical capacity, economic prosperity, and intellectual wealth. This will also ensure that a strong sovereign Pakistan emerges which is capable of standing up for its strategic interests externally in this region and beyond. If Pakistan could banish forever the corruption of the feudal mentality, provide some semblance of stability, and adopt ‘Deng Xiaopeng Thought’, then we could really ensure that rooti, kapra, makan would be more than just rhetoric and make it a reality. We could then also aspire for Gari, tahleem, and an avaaz. This voice would be strong and would reflect the imagination of the Pakistani people. Even the moon would be within our reach – as China has demonstrated.

The meeting was the follow up of the agreement reached between the heads of the three neighbours in March this year on the sidelines of the 10th ECO summit in Tehran, said a spokesman of Pakistan’s Foreign Office. The meeting took place in a warm and cordial atmosphere.

The Foreign Ministers reiterated the importance of trilateral political dialogue and cooperation on regional and international issues of mutual interest. They expressed their strong commitment to redouble their efforts, utilizing the potentials of the three countries, in addressing these challenges for the welfare and prosperity of their peoples. They reaffirmed the importance of expansion of economic and trade cooperation among the three countries.

They agreed to exchange and promote trade and transit facilities among the three countries, with due regard to the special needs of the land-locked countries, in accordance with the ECO recommendations, particularly the joint declaration of the 10th ECO summit as well as relevant regional and international conventions.

All the sides recognized the need to facilitate and expedite customs transactions to ensure effective and efficient delivery of goods and services. They also agreed to promote preferential trade arrangements between the three countries, and to further strengthen the existing regional agreement and frameworks and remove trade imbalances.

They underlined the need to construct in an expedited manner, railways and roads as link networks for enhancing trade, economic growth and strengthened regional cooperation. They affirmed the need to operationalize designated projects for transfer of electricity from Central Asia to Iran and Pakistan through Afghanistan.

They reiterated the importance of joint cooperation in the field of agriculture. The Foreign Ministers emphasized joint cooperation to facilitate investment in various fields, in conformity with the national legislation of the three countries, for voluntary participation in relevant actions.

They agreed to establish joint training centers aimed at achieving a proficient labour force for formulation of relevant projects among the three countries. They highlighted the importance of consolidating relations among the three countries, including people to people contact, as an important measure to bring to an end trafficking of human beings and, in that regard, agreed to identify additional measures to ensure safe and legal movement of their citizens.

They emphasized enhanced cooperation and coordination of activities in fields of culture, education, higher education, health and scientific research. The Foreign Minister acknowledged with great importance the need to enhance cooperation for controlling the spread of transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis and hepatitis.

They agreed to hold periodic meeting of Foreign Ministers of the three countries. They also agreed to hold the Second Trilateral Summit in Tehran within one month.-APP

“So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future.”

Apparently, the strategy was more of an escalation of Bush policy than a policy shift. However, foreign policy experts like Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski remain skeptical of the goals set for, what Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called, “long slog” war.

Not long before President’s announcement, Secretary Gates was lowering nation’s expectations for winning the war. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, he cautioned against setting unrealistic goals, “This is going to be a long slog, and frankly, my view is that we need to be very careful about the nature of the goals we set for ourselves in Afghanistan”. He warned, “If we set ourselves the objective of creating some sort of central Asian Valhalla over there, we will lose, because nobody in the world has that kind of time, patience and money”. Considering, no power has ever been able to hold Afghanistan for too long, his warning was right on the money.

Despite bipartisan approval of Obama Af-Pak Strategy, experts believe the policy is fraught with unrealistic optimism, unattainable goals and erroneous calculations. Even worst, it fails to meet the tenets of the Powell Doctrine. Many analysts hail the doctrine to be the Holy Grail of modern warfare. According to the Doctrine, before America takes a military action its tenets would have to be answered affirmatively:

1. Is a vital national security interest threatened?

2. Do we have a clear attainable objective?

3. Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?

4. Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted?

5. Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?

6. Have the consequences of our action been fully considered?

7. Is the action supported by the American people?

8. Do we have genuine broad international support?

Coincidently, with the exception of the first tenet, Obama policy falls short of affirming every other tenet. However, before glancing over the negations, a retrospective accounting of genesis of the Af-Pak crisis might assist in understanding the crisis.

Roots of the current mess can be traced back to the political and administrative vacuum left by the CIA, when it suddenly left Afghanistan without even saying bye to its wartime partners, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Mujahideen – who used to frequent White House as state guests. Its premature departure was resented by the abandoned, which gave birth to equally cold-hearted phenomenon of Talibanization. They controlled over 80% of Afghanistan; hence, they became its default government. In exchange for financial support, the cash-strapped Taliban provided safe heavens to terrorist organizations, like Al Qaeda.

At least initially, Al Qaeda’s core was made up of the CIA funded and trained Mujahideen; who should been rehabbed after the Soviets withdrawal. Unsupervised and forsaken by Americans and their native countries, these fighters who knew no other trait but guerrilla warfare searched for new causes. When none found, they invented their own.

Similarly, Pakistanis also found themselves deserted and heavily sanctioned by their allies. On its Eastern borders India was still as hostile as ever. Pakistanis decided to defend themselves by creating a buffer through a proxy. Pakistanis diverted thousands of idle guerrilla fighters from Afghanistan to Kashmiri. The buffer kept India engaged in an asymmetrical warfare.

After the 9/11 attacks, instead of seeking assistance of the patrons of Taliban and its time tested partner ISI, America aligned itself with a pro Indo-Iran-Russian mercenaries, the Northern-Alliance (NA). Soon after the American lead invasion, the Taliban dispersed into the civilian population. By placing an ethnic minority NA government (Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks) in Kabul, the allies further alienated the Pushtoon majority.

If things weren’t already complicated enough, Bush team made the worst possible mistake; it allowed a massive Indian influx into Afghanistan. Indians who were itching to settle scores with Pakistan wasted no time in opening at least 11 consulates on the western borders of Pakistan. Pakistanis viewed these consulates as launch pads for the subversive elements tasked to destabilize Pakistan. The Pakistanis felt entrapped by what they interpreted as a hostile Indian encirclement. They countered the move by reassembling the Taliban proxy.

That is when an Afghanistan, which was apparently turning to normalcy, took a turn for the worst. It became the shooting gallery for many; including the NATO, India, Iran, Pakistan, and non-state elements like Al Qaeda, Pakistan Sponsored Taliban (PST) and RAW/CIA Sponsored Taliban (RCST). The RCST were primarily tasked to infiltrate PST and to conduct subversive activities inside Pakistan. Additionally, it was meant to erode public support for the PST and to generate anti-Taliban sentiments among the global community. The risky strategy runs a too realistic danger of destabilizing nuclear armed Pakistan to a point of no return. Pakistan may end up fracturing into multiple unmanageable pieces, each with its own share of extremists. Clearly the strategy violates tenets 2 and 3 of the Powell Doctrine.

While analyzing President Obama’s European (G20) trip with Charlie Rose, both Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski offered their criticism of Af-Pak review. Henry Kissinger warned of an unmanageable mess, if something is not done soon to stabilize deteriorating conditions in Pakistan. He called Af-Pak policy a “fluid military strategy.” Mr. Brzezinski was more specific with his criticism. He asked, “how do we really get Pakistan to help us?” Then he answered, “Pakistanis are convinced they are under threat from India.” But Af-Pak policy does exactly the opposite. It recommends a greater role of India in Afghanistan, which only adds to Pakistan’s fears and goes against the prevailing wisdom of stabilizing Pakistan. A contradiction of the 3rd tenet.

President’s special representative, Richard Holbrooke announced Af-Pak exit strategy,

“The exit strategy includes governance, corruption, but above all, and this is the single most difficult aspect of what we are talking about today, it requires dealing with Western Pakistan.”

The unattainable and ambiguous exit strategy stood in stark contrast of the 5th tenet of the Powell Doctrine. He explained,

“If the current situation in Western Pakistan continued, the instability in Afghanistan will continue.” Meaning, success in Afghanistan is tied to the threats in the ‘Western Pakistan’.

An interdependent strategy gives birth to a range of new complexities: either, the US will have to depend on Pakistan’s resolve and capacity to deal with the extremists, or it will have to root them out itself.

America has already voiced its mistrust of Pakistan’s resolve to fight the extremists. If Pakistan cannot be trusted then US will have to do it itself. It will have to: either divert the resources from Afghanistan, or send additional troops to Western Pakistan. But the resources from Afghanistan cannot be diverted, until Afghan National Security Forces are first brought up to a level where they could function independently; an ambitious goal, considering Afghan president still can’t leave his Kabul palace without the protection provided by the US Navy SEALS. The other option is equally impractical, because it will require pumping-in additional American troops – paralleling the numbers deployed during the ‘Gulf War’.

Since American allies are already fatigued from the long drawn Afghan war, they want to leave Afghanistan altogether. Allies, like Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup (head of Britain’s armed forces), also expressed their reservations over the practicality of the American strategy. He advised, “Just as in Afghanistan, that kind of insurgency cannot be defeated by conventional military means. It can only be dealt with, in the long term, through politics.” An obvious negation of tenet 8 of Powell Doctrine.

US will have to dip into its own pool to exercise the second option, because no amount of covert/shoot & scoot missions can stem the militancy. No Pakistani government will be able to ignore populous’ demands to fight the invaders. It will be compelled to fight with any or all means at its disposal. Naturally, a Pakistani reaction cannot be calculated, without invoking the forbidden phrase of ‘nuclear exchange’. Much to be desired to affirm the 6th tenet.

Reportedly, even Vice President Joseph Biden argued against the troop surge in Afghanistan. Moreover, American public is not in mood to embark on another never-ending war. Besides, neither the US nor its allies’ economies are hardly in a shape to be able to afford yet another trillion dollar war. Cardinal sins, per 7th and 8th tenets.

Despite thumbs up from the Afghan and Pakistani presidents, the public remains extremely suspicious and resentful of the American policy. Reportedly, between January 14, 2006 and April 8, 2009, 60 UAV hits in Pakistan killed 14 Al Qaeda men, 687 innocent civilians, including women and children. Fairly or unfairly, an ordinary Afghan or a Pakistani believes, West is in there to destroy their faith, their country and the Muslim world altogether. If the war is to be won, then Obama’s team will have to reevaluate and reform its strategy.

The emphasis should be on winning hearts and minds of Afghans and Pakistanis. Before exercising the military option, a really heavy dose of diplomacy, political and financial support will have to be thrown in the mix. Above all, US will have to win back the trust and goodwill of their Pakistani counterparts. Suspension of UAV attacks and phenomenal reduction of Indian presence in Afghanistan would be good starting points in generating goodwill and normalcy in the region.

Secretary Gates was prophetic when he said, “If we set ourselves the objective of creating some sort of central Asian Valhalla [in Afghanistan], we will lose, because nobody in the world has that kind of time, patience and money”. Listen to him!

The meeting observed that since India, the third country involved in the proposed gas pipeline has withdrawn, Pakistan will execute the project to import one billion cubic feet of gas. It was decided to conclude gas purchase agreement.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Qamar Zaman Kaira said as the price of Iranian gas would be comparatively higher, it would mainly be used for power generation by those plants that are currently run on furnace oil.

He emphasized that government is striving to reduce its dependence on imported energy and intends to exploit local resources. He said the cabinet also discussed the new educational policy and decided to take the provincial governments on board before its approval. Ministry of Education has been directed to send copies of the draft policy to the chief ministers for their input as implementation is mainly the domain of the provinces.

The Information Minister said that government is giving top priority to the education and health and would seek foreign assistance including that from Friends of Pakistan for the purpose and would gradually enhance the allocations for education and health up to ten percent of the GDP.

The cabinet also decided to organize the education system in religious schools to bring them in mainstream. The education minister said we don’t want to impose curbs on religious education but want Madaris to teach comtemporary education so that the students of these institutions may also join other services including appearance in competitive examination.

The Cabinet directed the ministry of finance to give briefing to it about the financial position every month so that the nation is kept informed of the situation.

It also decided that special incentives would be given to export processing zone at Gwadar to give a fillip to economic activities in Balochistan. A ministerial committee comprising of Minister for Industries, Advisor on Finance and Minister for Port and Shipping has been set up to recommend incentives.

The Minister for Information said that the government wants to bring the backward areas of Balochistan at par with the developed parts of the country.

The Information Minister said that the cabinet has taken important decision for resolving electricity crisis in Karachi and rid the city of load shedding. For this purpose the cabinet decided to accept liability of thirty-one billion loan, out of a total of over forty billion loans owed by KESC. He informed that the loan is due to differences between purchase and selling rates of power by the Corporation.

He said the new management of KESC has pledged an investment of three hundred and sixty million dollars in power generation and improvement of system in Karachi. The loan would be adjusted in accordance with this investment. A committee comprising of Advisor on Finance, Minister for Water and Power, Advisor on Petroleum and Minister for Overseas Pakistanis has been constituted to look after the KESC performance.

The cabinet also decide to review Afghan transit trade with a view to meeting the requirements of Afghanistan and at the same time warding off any loss to Pakistan. The Information Minister said it was also decided at today’s meeting that legislation would be made through bills and parliament instead of ordinances.

A National University of Law and Social Sciences would establish in Islamabad with campuses in the four provinces to cater to the higher education needs of those seeking to pursue law. It was also decided to advance clocks by an hour from 15th of this month to make the maximum use of day light and save the electricity. He said a similar decision last year helped saved 250 MW of electricity daily.

The Cabinet decided to impose 25% regulatory duty on molasses to help meet needs of the local Ethanol producing industry. The Information Minister said the country will have to import sugar in view of less than targeted production of the sugarcane.

Replying to questions Mr. Qamar Zaman Kaira said the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security would be presented in the National Assembly tomorrow and before the Senate on 17th of this month. These would be implemented by the government after finalization by the parliament.

To another question he said drone attacks constitute attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty and these are counter productive to the objectives of fight against terrorism.-SANA

The US president released a video message with Farsi subtitles that urged the two countries to resolve their long-standing differences. Obama released the video to coincide with the major Iranian festival of Nowruz, a 12-day holiday that marks the arrival of spring and the beginning of the new year in Iran. In the video, which has Farsi subtitles.

In the video, Obama said:

“In this season of new beginnings I would like to speak clearly to Iran’s leaders. We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the US, Iran and the international community.”

Obama has signaled a willingness to speak directly with Iran about its nuclear programme and hostility towards Israel, a key US ally.

While Iran played down President Barack Obama’s new video message to the Iranian people on Friday, saying it welcomed the overtures but warned that decades of mistrust could not easily be erased.

But in the first government reaction to the video, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s press adviser said “minor changes will not end the differences” between Tehran and Washington.

“Obama has talked of change but has taken no practical measures to address America’s past mistakes in Iran. If Obama takes concrete actions and makes fundamental changes in US foreign policy toward other nations including Iran, the Iranian government and people will not turn their back on him,”

Ali Akbar Javanfekr said.

But Iranian leaders have been not been as eager. Ahmadinejad has said Iran would welcome talks with the US but only if there was mutual respect. Iranian officials say that means the US needs to stop accusing Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism, charges Tehran has denied.

On Friday, Javanfekr blamed the United States’ “hostile policy toward Iran” for the tense ties between the two countries. He said Iranian’s “will never forget” Washington’s past actions including the US-backed coup that toppled the elected government of Prime Minister Mohamed Mossadegh in 1953, its backing of Saddam Hussein during Iraq’s war with Iran in the 1980s and the downing of an Iranian airliner in 1988 by a US naval ship.

But in Europe, the EU’s policy chief urged Iranian officials to accept Obama’s outstretched hand. “It is a very constructive message,” Javier Solana said at an EU summit in Brussels. “I hope that will open a new chapter in relations with Tehran.-SANA

The three leaders who had a meeting here on the sidelines of the 10th ECO summit agreed to have a meeting of their foreign ministers every month while the three heads of states will meet every three months to discuss regional situation and coordinate efforts for closer ties.

The three foreign ministers will announce the dates, venue and agenda for the first foreign ministers level trilateral meeting by Wednesday, paving way for enhanced closer cooperation between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

During the trilateral meeting which was held on the proposal of resident Zardari, who also had exclusive as well as the delegation level talks with the Iranian and Afghan Presidents separately, the three leaders identified war on terror, border issues and trade and economic cooperation as major areas of focus.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Syed Sumsam Ali Bukhari, Advisor on Petroleum Dr. Asim, MNA Farah Naz Isfahani and senior Pakistani officials assisted President Zardari, while the Presidents of Iran and Afghanistan were aided by their respective delegations.

After the trilateral meeting, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Syed
Sumsam Ali Bukhari and MNA Farah Naz Isfahani told the Pakistani media that the decision to hold triangular consultations on regional issues was a step in right direction and will send a positive signal to the world.

Sumsam Bukhari said President Zardari took the lead in suggesting a triangular increased cooperation between the three brotherly and Muslim neighbors for tackling the challenges faced by this region through a collective approach, which was highly appreciated by President Ahmadinejad and President Karzai.

During the meeting President Ahmadinejad and President Karzai appreciated the vision and leadership of President Zardari and they were confident that the three countries can work together to tackle the issues facing the region.

To a question about the IPI gas pipeline project, the Minister said that there was a progress on this subject, as the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister has been given the task of working on a new formula.

Member National Assembly Farah Naz Isfahani described as a “breakthrough” the decision in the trilateral meeting and said the cooperation between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan for increased socioeconomic development and in facing the challenges jointly is good news for the region.

She said during the meeting President Ahmadinejad made a strong point by saying that if Soviet Union can be forced to leave Afghanistan with the cooperation and support of Pakistan and Iran, then why these neighbors cannot succeed in tackling the current challenges including terrorism and militancy.-SANA

President Zardari said the democratic government in Pakistan has made a promising beginning with Afghanistan and the two brotherly countries are making steady progress in building a relationship of deeper trust and understanding. “We have revived the Jirga process and set the directions of future cooperation”, he remarked.

The President said the ECO family bears a special responsibility towards Afghanistan, adding, Pakistan has been at the forefront of ECO’s efforts for the reconstruction of this brotherly country. “Let us give these efforts a strong impetus”, President

Zardari said and announced that Pakistan will shortly be remitting an additional US $ one million to the ECO fund for Afghanistan. President Zardari said with important strides being made across the world, the ECO has yet to realize its potential to the fullest measure. “We have to fashion ECO to the specifications of our region and the demands of our times”, he said.

The President in this respect made some vital proposals which include the creation of ECO free trade area, development of an ECO, Energy Ring of pipelines and electricity grids, economic partnership, greater connectivity through road, rail, air and sea links and forging of closer links with adjoining regions particularly SCO and SAARC.-SANA

Zardari, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also decided Tuesday to hold quarterly meetings among themselves to discuss topics including terrorism, trade and development, Zardari spokesman Sarfraz Hussain told CNN.

The three leaders met in Tehran, where they plan to attend a summit Wednesday of the Economic Cooperation Organization — a group of 10 nations, including Turkey and Kazakhstan, established in 1985. The agenda and venue for the first foreign ministerial meeting would be announced Wednesday, Hussain said. There was no immediate comment from Iranian or Afghan officials.-SANA

President Zardari said that during his stay in Iran he will push for progress in the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline project. President Asif Ali Zardari will leave for Tehran tomorrow.-SANA

Speaking to a security conference here on Saturday, he said that this strategy should bring together US civilian and military resources in order to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants and help Afghans develop the capacity to secure their own future. He said also that no strategy for Afghanistan can succeed without Pakistan.

“We must all strengthen our cooperation with the people and government of Pakistan, help them stabilize the Tribal Areas and promote economic development and opportunity throughout the country.”

On Iran a “new tone” in foreign policy under Barack Obama
Joe Biden said Washington was prepared to offer the Islamic republic incentives to stop uranium enrichment but stressed it faced isolation if it did not comply.

“We will be willing to talk to Iran, and to offer a very clear choice: continue down the current course and there will be continued pressure and isolation; abandon the illicit nuclear programme and your support for terrorism and there will be meaningful incentives,”

He said that the new US administration is “reviewing” Iran policy. He said that the Iranian people are a great people, and Persian civilization is a great civilization, but Iran has acted in ways that are not conducive to peace in the region or to the prosperity of its own people; its illicit nuclear programme is but one of those manifestations.-SANA

Previously NATO’s vital supply link through the Northwest Frontier Province has been shut down as the Pakistani military launched an operation to clear the Taliban from the area. The move comes as Taliban attacks have increasingly targeted NATO columns and shipping terminals in Khyber and Peshawar. More than 300 NATO vehicles and containers have been destroyed in a series of attacks on shipping terminals in Peshawar as well as attacks on convoys moving through the region.

The NATO logistical chain through Pakistan stretches from the port city of Karachi to Peshawar, through the Khyber Pass to Kabul. More than 70 percent of NATO supplies move through Peshawar.

Options of Alternative routs:
It has been enormously difficult task of supplying troops in landlocked, mountainous and with few good roads, Afghanistan. For Washington Post it is Achilles’ heel of foreign armies here, most recently the Soviets. U.S. officials are seeking alternatives routes, including the prospect of beginning deliveries by a tortuous overland journey from Europe, Iran or Russia.

Kyrgyzstan has Closed a route
However recently Kyrgyz government is planning to close a strategically important U.S. military base that Washington uses as a route for troops and supplies heading into Afghanistan on its territory after Russia offered $2bn of emergency aid to the impoverished central Asian country, Russian media reported Tuesday. The base, located at Manas outside Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, was established with Russia’s support in 2001 to support US coalition forces’ campaign to overthrow the Taliban in Afghanistan. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said at a news conference in Moscow that “all due procedures” were being initiated to close Manas Air Base, the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported.

U.S. President Barack Obama has made it clear that fight against militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan is more important than in Iraq. War on terror has become his top priority. His administration is expected to send as many as 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in the coming months as Commanders in the field, led by U.S. Gen. David McKiernan has demanded more troops. Obama’s administration is also hoping that other NATO members, which were repeatedly pressed by the Bush administration for more support, will provide more troops – for both combat and accelerated training of Afghan forces. More troops more worrisome for U.S. when movement of Sensitive military goods, such as weapons and ammunition is considered; Torkhum is shortest and easiest route.

Iran as an Option
According to other news NATO would not oppose individual member nations who are interested in making deals with Iran to supply their forces in Afghanistan as an alternative to using increasingly risky routes from Pakistan, the alliance’s top military commander Gen. John Craddock’s commented.

“NATO is looking at flexible, alternate routing. I think that is healthy, Options are a good thing, choices are a good thing, flexibility in military operations is essential, what nations will do is upto them”

Craddock said, when he was inquired about the possibility of the nations with good relations with Iran such as France, Germany and Italy may try to set up an alternate supply route to western Afghanistan via Char Bahar, a port in southeastern Iran.

Iran has a long history of opposing Taliban rule; however for U.S. its role in Afghan war is deemed suspicious. U.S. analytics have been criticizing Iran for supporting militants in Afghanistan such criticism has been muted recently as President Barack Obama’s administration tries to set a new tone in relations with Iran. Bush administration has been claiming that elements in Iran was involved in supplying advanced roadside bombs, other munitions and training to insurgents in Iraq. Even Bush Administration declared Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps or its Qods Force a terrorist organization in Iran. Furthermore Iran has similar elements that can create enormous trouble for the supply chains via Iran.

Air Transport System
Air transport systems are considered best to elude supply route problems because air transportation is certainly difficult to attack; however non-combat goods is prohibitively expensive and also logistically difficult.

Why alternative route is required:
In past one year Pakistan has become increasingly dangerous as militants attack convoys that supply the foreign troops in Afghanistan, recent attack is a clear example. Several times these routs have been closed or operations and militants have been reportedly been killed but seepage remain continued from Pak-Afghan Boarders so it becomes difficult for U.S. to provide troops with necessary things from bullets and bombs to fuel to lettuce.

War on terror is on its end:
Since all the options are diminishing for U.S. for delivering goods to troops in Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan would shut its military base that was established with Russian support; even if they do not that route is difficult and expensive. Since Russia and U.S. have not been in very friendly relationships. Ideological dichotomous history along with an era of cold war spreading over years; compel world to assume that Russia would not easily keep its support on for U.S.

U.S. new administration though changing its tone towards Iran but still extremist elements exist in Iran who certainly can be troublesome for transporting convoys. There are other antagonistic factors that has agonized segments in Iran; such as rising demands of closing its uranium enrichment activities; a strong attempt to stop Iran from seeking atomic power for peaceful purposes. It is deemed U.S. would seldom consider going to Afghanistan from Iran.

The war in Afghanistan has its ramifications in Pakistan too. Pakistan is a strongest alley in war on Terror with U.S but it is expected from a democratic government not to support U.S. in its war in manner that harms its national Interest. Drone attacks in tribal areas of Pakistan are aggravating situation and the influence of local Taliban is increasing among tribesmen. However it becomes difficult to measure who is behind these attacks however these can not be localities who would ultimately harm civil population of Pakistan. Taliban have a very clear mandate behind these attacks to pressurize government of Pakistan to stop its assistance to U.S. After attacking the major bridge; an eminent supply line to NATO forces has been disrupted and reconstruction of this line calls for ten days work. This has certainly effected the supply to allied forces. Thus Increased number of attacks on convoys have left U.S. with no options other than to discontinue its war on terror in Afghanistan.

can be effected.

Iranian Ambassador briefed Mr. Shaukat Tarin on the developments reached by Pak-Iran 17th Joint Economic Commission from 2007 onwards. Both the sides resolved that Pak-Iran JEC shall continue to deliberate on issues of joint economic interest that focus cooperation in energy, oil, trade and other sectors of bilateral interest to the mutual benefit of two countries.

It was appreciated that two Iranian Companies already are working in Pakistan in power generation and distribution projects. Provision of Iranian fuel to Pakistan’s power generation projects as a subject of bilateral cooperation was also discussed. It was agreed that infrastructure development in Pakistan would act as a support factor that would energize Iranian Technical Companies operations in Pakistan.

Mr. Shaukat Tarin stressed the need of a wide-ranging financial cooperation between two brotherly countries that possibly may include joint economic ventures and banking sectors-based cooperation.

He thanked the Iranian Ambassador for delivering him economic-cooperation-specific invitation from Government of Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs, inviting him to participate in forthcoming ECO Conference.

Mr. Shaukat Tarin acknowledged the role and support from Iran as brotherly Muslim country to Pakistan in time of need, adding that all economic initiatives in the pipeline that stand discussed in joint JEC, shall be taken special care of.

He assured that GOP attached special significance to brotherly ties between two Muslim countries, and conveyed his acceptance to join ECO Conference in Tehran (21-23 December, 2008) that would provide an opportunity to the two brotherly countries to diversify areas of regional cooperation.-SANA

President Zardari discussed with Akhundzada ways and means to qualitatively strengthen bilateral relations with Iran. Earlier, Akhundzada also called on the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Nawabzada Malik Ahmed Khan and had useful discussions on global, regional and key bilateral issues of mutual interest.

The Pakistani leadership assured the visiting dignitary of vigorous efforts being made for the safe and early recovery of the kidnapped Iranian envoy.-SANA

Speaking on the occasion, the Iranian Ambassador said that his country was ready to export electricity to Pakistan, adding that Iran was already working on Sahara hydel power project on the river Chenab and had raised its capacity from initially proposed 65 Mega Watts to 130 Mega Watts through IPP. The Ambassador said that the present volume of trade between the two countries showed that the bilateral trade potential was untapped, adding that the volume of trade between Iran and other regional countries is significantly higher than that of Iran and Pakistan.

He pointed out that the main problem was lack of physical as well as institutional connectivity between the two countries and proposed to establish Pak-Iran Joint Shipping Company that would enhance connectivity leading to increase in bilateral trade. He also showed his country’s interest in enhancing the cooperation in banking sector by opening up branches of banks in each other’s countries on reciprocal basis.

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Faruqui told the ambassador that Pakistan was interested in importing electricity from Iran as Pakistan was currently facing power shortage. He suggested bilateral negotiations to work out the modalities related to pricing and transmission and appreciated the proposal to establish a Joint Shipping Company to boost maritime cooperation and mutual trade.

He promised to examine the proposal and said that Pakistan National Shipping Company would be asked to look into this matter. Faruqui also underlined the importance of modern railroad between Quetta and Taftan. For this purpose, he said, funds could be raised together withIran and by using the forum of Economic Cooperation Organization or Islamic Bank.

Both the sides agreed to increase cooperation in health services and pharmaceutical sector as well. Faruqui informed the Ambassador that Planning Commission of Pakistan had good mutual relationships with its Indian and Chinese counterparts and it wanted the same level of institutional interaction with its Iranian counterpart.

The Ambassador appreciated this proposal and assured that Iran would welcome this institutional linkage that would further enhance business to business contacts for regional development. Secretary Planning Division, Suhail Safdar, Member Energy, Pervez Butt, and Member Infrastructure, Akram Malik were also present on the occasion.-APP

Pakistan has become a front for the proxy war being fought by the US and NATO against Al-Qaeda. And in the process, it is in danger of losing its sovereignty. Joseph Biden in his debate with Sarah Palin last Thursday referred to Pakistan as a “dangerous” state along with Iran. The Pakistanis, through no fault of their own, have become victims of senseless crimes, all directed against the innocent. Saman Ali Abbasi, a Pakistani, who was horrified at the events surrounding the Marriott Hotel bombings in Islamabad recently, writes:

“On Sept. 20, 2008, I turned on my TV and switched the channel to my favorite Pakistani channel Dawn. The screen was full of horrific details about the bomb blast at Marriott Islamabad. I froze and watched in horror as the sketchy details became longer.

“I called my family and friends residing in Islamabad to find that they were all fine. I recalled how many times we passed that hotel on our last trip to Pakistan. In the 1990s Muddy’s, the discotheque, at Marriott was the talk of the town where everyone thronged on weekends.

“Last year for our vacation we traveled to America and decided to land at New York. It was that day that I realized that my green and gold passport and the words that ‘I am from Pakistan’ could cause trouble to my family and me. It took us two hours to clear immigration.

While we were sitting and waiting, I saw an old Pakistani lady sitting alone. She was continuously turning her prayer beads. I sat down next to her. She told me that she has come many a time to US but this time she came with her youngest son Osama! It took her son four hours to prove that he was not Bin Laden.

“A few days later while we were in Orlando, the fuel gauge in the car showed nil. I got panicky and stopped the car at a fuel station. It was then that I realized what a pampered life I lead in Saudi Arabia, where we sit in our air-conditioned cars and just nod to the attendant to fill the tank. I was clueless, my eyes searched desperately for an attendant.

“I had the brainwave to walk inside the minimart at the fuel station. I requested the owner to help me out. He asked me where I was from. Very reluctantly I told him that I was from Pakistan but living in Saudi Arabia. To my surprise, his response was in sharp contrast to that of the immigration staff. He asked me a few more questions with a pleasant smile, filled fuel and wished me a good day.

“Last month we decided to travel to Bahrain from Saudi Arabia to watch some movies. Very proudly, I wore one of my new ‘shalwar kamiz’ and decided to take my abaya off once we reached Bahrain. After buying popcorns and nachos, we chose the movie ‘Iron Man’ as Robert Downy Jr. is one of my favorite actors. We were laughing and talking in ‘Urdu’ while others were settling down in their seats. The hall was full with Arabs, Americans, Indians and many other nationalities.

“The lights were dimmed as the movie began. Suddenly, there was a terrorist on the silver screen killing and cursing in ‘Urdu’. I lowered my head feeling a little embarrassed. Please, there is more to Pakistan than terrorism, I wanted to tell everyone. How can we change the tarnished image of our country? As one of the analysts on TV was saying yesterday, ‘not only the government but we all have to play our role in stopping these acts of terrorism and changing the image of our country’.

“One of my Palestinian friends once told me, ‘Saman we were surprised to see you for the first time as you were wearing trousers and talking in English.’ I turned around and asked her why. To my chagrin, she told me that she always thought that Pakistan was like Afghanistan where women wear shuttlecock ‘burqas’ and never went to school.’ That is how they show your country on CNN, she confided in me.

“Last week my daughter had a school project of a slide show ‘about your country’. We were both excited and searched on Google to get the best pictures. We tried our best to at least convince those 11- to 12-year-olds that not all Pakistanis are terrorists, our women are educated and capable, our villages are still green and children are innocent, not all of them are trained to be suicide bombers. I wish we succeeded in doing so.”

Well said, Saman. We understand your concerns and pains. In the process of helping fight terrorism, the Pakistanis now find themselves unjustifiably wearing that badge. Should we all not help erase such an unwarranted stigma?
Courtesy Arab News

Instead, he said that its focus is squarely on Iran’s nuclear activities, which its officials have stated is for peaceful purposes, but some other countries contend is driven by military ambitions. “We need, however, to make use of all relevant information to be able to confirm that no nuclear material is being used for nuclear weapons purposes,” Mr. ElBaradei told the 35-member Board. “I again urge Iran to show full transparency and to implement all measures required to build confidence in the exclusive peaceful nature of its nuclear programme at the earliest possible date.”

The IAEA has not made substantial progress in verifying Iran’s so-called studies into possible weaponization studies, which remain of “serious concern,” he said. The country alleges that all relevant documents are either fabricated or forged, but the Director General urged the country to boost cooperation with the IAEA. “Unless Iran provides such transparency… the Agency will not be able to provide credible assurances about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran,” he said.

Further, he called on the country to implement the Additional Protocol, which gives the IAEA additional authority to visit sites and access additional documents to ensure that there are no undeclared nuclear activities.

Mr. ElBaradei pointed out that in contravention of the Security Council, Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities. “Although Iran has so far produced only limited quantities of low enriched uranium (LEU), this is still a cause for concern for the international community in the absence of full clarity about Iran’s past and present nuclear programme.” He also briefed the Board on other issues, before the IAEA General Conference of its 145 Member States kicks off next week.

On the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Director General said that the East Asian nation’s authorities asked IAEA inspectors this morning to remove seals and surveillance equipment to be able to carry out tests – not involving nuclear material – at the Yongbyon reactor, which was taken off line last year.

Recently, some equipment that had been removed by the DPRK while the reactor was being dismantled has been brought back. But Mr. ElBaradei said that “this has not changed the shutdown status of the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon.”

He voiced hope that conditions can be created for the country to return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which forms the foundation of the world’s nuclear non-proliferation regime, and that the IAEA can resume its comprehensive safeguards to verify that the country is living up to its commitments not to use nuclear programmes for nuclear-weapons purposes.

The Director General noted that significant progress has been made in Libya by the agency in verifying the non-diversion of declared nuclear material. Meanwhile in Syria, where an installation at Al Kibar was destroyed by Israel last September, the IAEA has asked the country for access to additional information and locations following its June mission to probe allegations that the site was a nuclear reactor.

“Syria has not yet responded on this request but has indicated that any further developments would depend on the results of the samples taken during the first visit,” Mr. ElBaradei said, adding that he hopes Syria will cooperate and provide the agency with the information it needs to complete its assessment.-UN News Service

The idea of “Great game” was floated by the Henry Kissinger who attempted to reveal upon then Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that Pakistan must play its due role in a proxy war. Bhutto simply refused saying Pakistan is too small and can not enter into a super Power rivalry.

Not only Mr. Bhutto refused but he did convince the emperor of Iran not to play any such role. At that time Iran was the major ally of United States in the Middle East. Emperor of Iran paid attention to advise of Mr. Bhutto and avoided entering Kissinger’s proposed proxy war in land-locked Afghanistan.

Two leaders of Pakistan and Iran underestimated the powers of United States and particularly that of CIA.

Bhutto was destabilized and disposed; finally Bhutto hanged. His replacement was Gen. Zia ul Haq who was already a CIA mole according to Bob Woodward. In Iran American game failed when the CIA failed to install Shahpur Bakhtiar and liberal revolution surfaced from Tehran University spread all over Iran.

Imam Khumeinai’s audio cassettes did the rest when the Iranian revolution was hikacked by clergy and Imam Khumeini returned to a new Iran totally controlled by Islamic Pasdaran.

Americans however did prove smart. They derived Iranian revolution into Iran –Iraq war which last for 10 years with no power emerging a winner. But oil resources of two Islamic nations were spent on procurement of best weapons.

In Afghanistan sour revolution having deep rooted germs of Marxism was curtailed by yet another coup detest when HafizUllah Amin took over in 1979.

Brezhnev the strong man of Soviet Union was not satisfied by the performance of the HafizUllah Amin and he so decided to send one million Soviet Troops into Afghanistan with Babrak Karmal arriving in Kabul on Soviet Army’s tank.

This is what exactly men at Langley anted. They wanted to suck Soviets in Afghanistan’s rugged mountains. Their appointed man in Islamabad Gen. Zia-ul-Haq was fully prepared to play the role of an obedient subordinate. He did what Americans told him.

Initially the ISI of Pakistan was created 9 political parties of those Afghans who were opposed to Babrak Karmal regime and considered it a unislamic one. Those Afghan leaders ranging from Gulbadin Hikmatyar to Ahmad Shah Mehmood, Rashid Dostam to Mujaddadi ali joined hands with Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Pakistan with funding from the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Then Mujahi inddeen and later Taliban were afraid of D-Hind gunships of Soviet Army but when CIA agreed to provide stringers to Mujahideen the tide of proxy war turned in favour of Pakistan and United States.

Soviet Union was dismembered. Russia alone emerged after Helsinki Agreement. Meanwhile Pakistan’s Prime Minister Juejo favoured Geneva accord but was not able to save himself from infamous 58-2B and was fired by Gen. Zia-ul-haq. Concept of controlled democracy was introduced in Pakistan with Benazir Bhutto winning majority. She was made Prime Minister with her one hand tied.

Democrates with Clinton remained busy in improvising economy and had perhaps ignored the real objective set by the Nixon-Kissinger and furthered by Reagon and Bush Senior. The objective was control of Central Asian Oil and Gas reserves.

He who masterminded 9/11 had a multi-pronged strategy for the world.

After 9/11 different events were set in motion. Americans bombed bashed Talibans and with same stroke invaded Iraq, plan was successful for Californian Oil and weapon Industrials who are the back bone of Republican party of USA.

This time Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf like Gen. Zia played to the tune of central command of the USA and he too was considered useless by his masters and a new kind of democracy was introduced in Pakistan.

Hamid Karzai from Adghanistan and Benzair Bhutto from Pakistan were the considered players. But Benazir Bhutto even after agreeing on “power sharing” deal was not trusted by not less then the Dick Chenny who is the main tactician in US policies. New president of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari will also play an unending game designed by the United States.

Placed below is how the US-Led Coalition partners think of Pakistan.

All sides need to help bolster security along the Pakistan-Afghan border, where recent US incursions have strained US-Pakistan ties, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Thursday. Speaking as NATO defence ministers gathered for informal talks, he underlined the need for closer contacts between NATO and the Pakistani government, which is angry at the US military action. “Clearly, it is up to Pakistan to define its own security interests,” he said in an address at a security think-tank shortly before the start of the two-day NATO talks in London.

“We all need to do a better job together of monitoring and controlling the border, and we need to intensify the work of our so-called tri-partite commission,” he added, referring to representatives from the two countries and NATO. “The election of a new Pakistani president gives me hope that this is the right time for a new approach.”

US and Afghan officials say Pakistan’s tribal areas are a safe haven for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants who sneaked into the rugged terrain after the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001. Missile strikes targeting militants in Pakistan in recent weeks have been linked to US-led coalition forces or CIA drones based in Afghanistan, seriously straining ties between Islamabad and Washington.

De Hoop Scheffer added: “Success in Afghanistan also means stepping up our political engagement with her neighbours, notably Pakistan.”We need to establish a permanent dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the international community.” He conceded that Afghanistan seemed to “offer a limitless supply” of bad news stories, but insisted that “we have no reason to be so pessimistic… our key objective of creating a safe and secure Afghanistan that is able to look after itself remains entirely within our grasp.”

He said the Taliban “continue to suffer heavy losses” and “have not been able to strangle Kabul”. “ISAF will not be defeated, neither tactically nor operationally,” De Hoop Scheffer said, referring to the NATO-led multi-national force in Afghanistan.

“And our training of the Afghan National Army is now enabling that new force to engage alongside our own — with increasing success, and with popular support. “As the ANA expands, it will increasingly be able to deny our opponents their freedom of movement, hold the gains we make, and ultimately allow Afghanistan to take responsibility for its own security.”

Of all the challenges which will face the new American administration next January the ongoing war across the Afghan-Pakistan border could be the most difficult and dangerous. It is likely to overshadow the contest with Russia in the Caucasus, the rise of Iran as a major regional power, the search for an honourable exit strategy from Iraq, the impact of the collapsing Arab-Israeli peace process, and even the horrors of global warming, Arab daily AL-Hayat said.

The Durand Line was a British creation. It was demarcated and then signed into a treaty on 12 November 1893 between the ruler of Afghanistan, Amir Abdul Rahman Khan, and Sir Mortimer Durand, foreign secretary of what was then British India.

The tribal areas on both sides of the Durand Line have always been autonomous. Anxious to safeguard this autonomy, the tribes resist control by the central government, whether in Islamabad or Kabul. For centuries, their overriding impulse has been to protect their Muslim religion and their traditional way of life from foreign interference.

They do not want a Western model of society forced upon them. The morality they live by is that of the Pashtunwali Code, which means giving asylum and hospitality to visitors (which today may include members of Al-Qaeda as well as a wide variety of common criminals) and avenging any slight or attack.

A major mistake was the diversion of U.S. military effort from Afghanistan to Iraq in 2003 – a policy largely driven by neo-cons in Bush’s Administration, primarily concerned to destroy Iraq in order to enhance Israel’s security environment. But the switch of focus proved immensely costly in men and treasure. U.S. armed forces are overstretched; deficits have ballooned; the shattering of Iraq has handed Iran a strategic victory; and the Taliban have been able to regroup their forces on both sides of the Durand Line and are now a formidable force.

The U.S.-backed Karzai government in Kabul has a tenuous hold on power. The insurgency has spread to many parts of the country, indeed to Kabul itself. The military situation for the U.S. and NATO is worse today than it has been since 2001. At the same time, neighbouring Pakistan has been destabilized. President Asif Ali Zardari, like his predecessor President Pervez Musharraf, has to face a public which has become fervently pro-Taliban, and as fervently anti-American.

A fundamental rethinking of Western strategy is therefore urgently required. This could include:

* The declaration of a unilateral ceasefire.
* Political negotiations with the Taliban and the Pashtun tribes in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the aim of separating them from al-Qaeda. This would most probably involve guaranteeing the autonomy of the tribal areas, substantial financial subsidies, and offering the Taliban a share in government.
* Winning support from the main regional powers for a peace settlement across the Durand Line – Pakistan and Afghanistan, of course, but also India, Iran and even China.

The Indian-Pakistani conflict over Kashmir and their competition in Afghanistan has contributed to stoking the fires of revolt across the Durand Line. Finding a solution to the Kashmir problem should be a priority for the international community. It would rob Pakistan of a motive for promoting jihadi militancy.

Afghanistan would also greatly benefit since Pakistan has covertly backed jihadis in that country, if only to counter the growing, American-encouraged influence of India. Pakistan’s perennial fear is of being squeezed between India on one flank and an Indian-dominated Afghanistan on the other. The resolution of conflicts, rather than the use of military force – whether in south and central Asia or in the Middle East — is the only way to lessen, and ultimately defeat, the threat from terrorism. But it is not a lesson the United States has yet learned.-SANA

During the meeting, it was decided in the meeting that launching ceremony of transmission line for import of 100 MW power for Gwadar from Iran will be held in next month during the visit of Iranian Minister for Energy to Pakistan on October 15 to 17. It was also agreed to expedite the process of importing 1000 MW power by Pakistan from Iran on fast track basis for its early completion.

The Ambassador offered to invest in the power projects and said that the Iranian companies are also interested for up-gradation projects of transmission lines system in Pakistan on low cost basis. He also offered sizeable investment in hydro power plants and expressed intention to finance power projects in Pakistan. The Ambassador stated that the Iranian government would provide all type of assistance to the new political government in every sector.

While, the minister said that Pakistan values the help and support of Iran and is desirous of expanding bilateral relations in all sectors. He said that currently Pakistan is facing many internal and external challenges and energy deficit is also one of them.

The government is taking necessary measures to generate electricity to bridge the demand and supply gap through fast track projects. The government has planned to bring 35,000 MW by the year 2016 and steps are being taken in this regard. He informed that the government now attaches high priority to exploit the indigenous resources like coal, hydel and wind for power generation. He said that first wind mill in the private sector will be operative next month.

Mr. Ashraf lauded the offer of the Iranian side and said that Pakistan has already signed an MOU to purchase of 1000 Mw from Iran. He also assured his full support and assistance to facilitate Iranian investors to invest in water and power sectors in Pakistan. He also expressed that this meeting would further strengthen and enhance the bilateral and economic relations between the two countries.-SANA