Protesters in Pakistan rallied against the United States yesterday as leaders in Parliament discussed a new US aid package that one official called crucial in the fight against terrorists. (Khalid Tanveer/ Associated Press)
At least they had it displayed properly as in distress.
"Pakistani official calls US aid crucial; Military wary of influence tied to money" by Foster Klug, Associated Press | October 8, 2009
WASHINGTON - Pakistan’s foreign minister said yesterday that a proposed multibillion-dollar US aid package is crucial to Islamabad’s efforts to fight terrorists.
Related: The Pinnacle of Propaganda, Part II
Also see: Pakistan Plan in Place
Shah Mahmood Qureshi played down a statement by Pakistan’s military that it had serious concerns about US aid that is seen by many in his country as a sign of American meddling. He called the assistance the “first, very strong signal of a long-term commitment with the people of Pakistan.’’
Related:
Aid Package From U.S. Jolts Army in Pakistan
The Pakistani Army expressed public anger Wednesday at the terms of a large American aid package, saying it interfered with Pakistan’s national security, a posture that set the military at loggerheads with the American-backed civilian government....
The section of the legislation that has outraged the army says the secretary of state must report to Congress every six months on whether the government is exercising “effective civilian control over the military.”
The secretary must assess the extent to which the civilian government has oversight over the military chain of command, promotion of generals and the military budgets, provisions that even Pakistani politicians have taken strong exception to as meddling in Pakistan’s business....""US Scrambles to Save Pakistan Aid Package
The bill, which passed through the US Senate last week, pledges billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan but issues a series of harsh statements and demands, including giving the US formal oversight over the nation’s court system and military. The onerous strings attached have led some in Pakistan’s government to term it a “treaty of surrender.”
Pakistan’s military, in an unusual public statement yesterday, expressed serious concern about the bill - comments that could bolster opponents of the weak US-backed civilian administration in Islamabad.
That is certainly not they way I'm seeing or reading about it, and one of those was a NYT piece.
The aid bill, US officials say, is meant to alleviate widespread poverty.
Oh, so MANY PAKISTANIS are POOR and SUFFERING, 'ey?
Well, I'm sure the PREDATOR MISSILES are not helping at all.
But many Pakistanis see it as a sign of unwanted US influence....
And THEY ARE NOT the ONLY ONES!!! I see the SAME THING!
***************
On US worries that Pakistan would not spend huge amounts of aid properly, Qureshi said it is in his country’s interest to make sure the money goes where it is supposed to go.
Like our war looters (and others) are all responsible, right?
Pakistan must have strong infrastructure and education, he said, to destroy terrorists and become a stable, peaceful country.
First of all, I am SO SICK of the "terrorists" canard, and as far as the infrastructure and education, ours are falling apart.
Maybe we could DO BOTH if we ENDED the DAMN WARS, huh?
Qureshi has met with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other top US officials during his trip to Washington, which comes as President Obama reviews whether to accept a push by US military commanders for more troops in Afghanistan....
I'm sure that was the height of his trip.
Related: Clinton Chooses Sides For WWIII
She never went, did she?
Yesterday, Pakistan’s powerful military, preparing for a new offensive against Taliban and Al Qaeda militants, expressed “serious concern’’ about the aid package that some consider an avenue to American meddling.
Yeah, they always prepare a new offensive before the old offensive ends -- sort of like one long offensive.
Don't you love the deceptive word games of my newspaper?
The statement opens a rift with the weak US-backed civilian administration in Islamabad and bolsters opposition leaders. It also appears intended to show the Pakistani people that their army is not taking orders from Washington. To many here, the conditions attached to the aid are a sign of growing, and unwanted, US influence in Pakistan.
Would YOU want them messing around in YOUR COUNTRY?
The worries are burnished by a media-fueled backlash over US plans to add hundreds more embassy staff in Islamabad....
Oh, look at the paper blame the PAKISTANI MEDIA for the problem!!!
--more--"
Also go to the Lounge and hang out a while.
Here is another view of what is occurring there:
Its not a question of mere honor; Its a question of national survival.
My blog covers countless articles about Pakistan for obvious reasons…………the country is in a critical situation, and I want to express my perspective to the people, especially government officers, because I have geniune feelings for the welfare of the country, sometimes expressed in colorful terms, sometimes in more measured tones………And so I am concerned, but not in a voyeuristic vitriolic way. .
I am also concerned about Pakistan because it is an integral part of South Asia. What happens in Pakistan ultimatelly affects ALL South Asia.
The fundamental problem of Pakistan is the Pakistan military………..in fact the fundamental problem of many Third World countries are their military……Indonesia for example, Bangladesh, Myanmar, USA….and soon.
This does not mean that somehow civilian politicians are significantly and starkly better in Pakistan, but because of their power base, civilian politicians are more responsive to the needs of the ordinary people, and therefore the country, then the militarymen.
The top echelons of the Pakistan military are trained and indoctrinated in the USA/UK, and so their perspectives on all matters tend to be from the perspectives and LANGUAGE of the USA/UK. In short they act as proxies of the USA/UK knowingly, or subconciously through their military indoctrination in those countries.
So in very basic terms, civilian politicians are beholden to the people generally, and militarymen to Western geostrategic interests.
So Zardari bhai is responsive to the needs of the Pakistani people?
Zardari bhai unlike MA Jinnah, LA Khan, ZA Bhutto, S Mujib and Nawaz Sharif is an "unique" case……..he is a pure unadulterated criminal whose only goal in life is to make as much money as possible by robbing the public purse and foreign aid, which is why Western powers were happy to murder his wife, and put him in power………..for them he is an "improvement" on MOSSAD Busharaf.
The West needs failed destabilised societies in order for them to "save" them, as with Afghanistan, and Iraq; two countries which are still failed and destabilised under the Wests control.
That is why Zardari bhai needs to be removed asap through impeachment/treason proceedings, where proof is provided that he is acting on the orders of Washington, directly……….or corruption charges……or a vote of no confidence in parliament…..The USA will in the course of such action protect him…..and that should further weaken his dwindling political base in Pakistan, so that he starts planning to move to his mansion in Surrey………the great Pakistani nation, battered and bruised by their trials of history should not dwell on his "rule" any longer…..its an insult to the national IZZAT.
Let me expand in summary why I think the PAKISTAN MILITARY is the primary threat and destabilising force within Pakistan. The USA/UK are gora Christian countries on the other side of the world, run by dastardly demonic Jews, waxing lyrical about saving the world from the perils of "al-Qaeda" and the "Taliban", whilst making huge opium profits in the process, strutting around all self-righteous, lecturing all insundry about virtue, truth and democracy, whilst in addition managing to make the lives of tens of millions in the Third World miserable…………there is a limit to the extent of engaging, "understanding", and rationalising with such a beast.
--source--"
Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of that behavior.
"It is obvious that neither Kerry nor Lugar know anything of the history of the Pakistani people. They are a smart, proud people who understand precisely what this aid package means, if it is accepted by the Pakistani government, which appears to be what is happening. The acceptance of this aid package will lead to the absolute surrender of their military and political sovereignty to the US, and that is not something most Pakistanis are willing to stomach." -- Wake the Flock Up
Pretty obvious given the picture that leads this post.
Also see: Army, People, Parliament On One Side, Zardari and United States On the Other
Pakistan Smells a Rat
A US Counteroffensive In Pakistan
Qureshi also told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations that Pakistan and the United States should strengthen consultations as the Obama administration decides whether to send more troops to Afghanistan.
Tells you all you need to know.
The US aid bill would provide Pakistan with $1.5 billion a year over the next five years to spend on democratic, economic, and social development programs. It also allows “such sums as may be necessary’’ for military aid, subject to special conditions related to Pakistan’s fight against militants who have wreaked havoc in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.