Bin Laden payback
It was common knowledge that Osama Bin Laden enjoyed a good reputation in Pakistan. People looked up to him as one who stood against the policies of the west, especially the US, even though the methods he used are easily questionable to everybody. He was a hero in Pakistan. And the all powerful military of Pakistan dared not touch him, fearing a backlash from the fanatics in the region, which could throw the already 'failed state' into a worse crisis which could destroy the country and most likely, the civil society of the country.
But the USA wanted their pound of flesh. At least to please the public and give the first black President of the country a chance to successfully run for a second term, after the economy did not become as rosy as he had promised during he election campaign.
And so, after confirming the presence of Osama with help from Dr. Shakil Afridi, the US made short work of Osama and his guards, not to mention disposing his body the way they sought was fit, and were celebrating as if the world had been saved from armageddon. Only they forgot about Dr. Afridi.
Not one person in Pakistan was happy about the covert operation by the US. and it is surprising that the most powerful country in the world thought its Asian 'ally' was incapable of expressing its anger.
Guess Pakistan were waiting for the US to let their guard down on Dr. Shakil, and when they did, they nabbed him and produced a sentence to their satisfaction without second thoughts.
It is clear that the US and Pakistan have no similar interests in any field whatsoever. USA continues to support the Pakistan military to prevent radicals from over taking the country, while Pakistan misuses that support for whatever pleases them. When US lawmakers want ed Osama dead or alive, Pakistan were never going to comply, and when Pakistan wanted Osama to live in peace, the USA saw no logic in it.So much for being 'allies in war on terror'.
Being fined for carrying out judgement in national interests
As mentioned above, Pakistan cherished the presence of a living, breathing Osama in their country, in contrast to USA, which wanted him dead. Its a very funny situation when we are told they are 'allies in the war on terror'. This has to be the biggest joke of the century!!!!!!!!
A technically correct decision by the USA would be to include Pakistan in the axis of evil- with Iraq, Libya, Iran and North Korea and just invade them with the pretext that Osama lived there. They did the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq. Why not try it against Pakistan when they had the intel that he was in Abbotabad? Or where they afraid of the consequences of going against a more potent army with weapons in the present decade? They had conducted wars against countries who's arsenal had weapons most likely from the previous century. Guess that was the real reason for playing the cat and mouse game with Pakistan till they got confirmation of Osama's presence.
Anyway, there is no doubt that Dr Afridi went against hos country's interests while assisting the US in their hunt for Osama. There can be no doubt that he saw this day coming, when he would be behind bars in Pakistan. He definitely was waiting for the US to get him out of the country, but for once, Pakistan surprised US.
And the USA also expressed their displeasure at Pakistan's actions. the truth is they are not happy that what Dr. Afridi now captured, a number of US assets in Pakistan are at risk. And to ensure their safety they have to arm twist Pakistan. hence the 33 million dollar cut in Pakistan's aid, which is a joke, as it is a fraction of the 1 billion dollar annual aid by the US to Pakistan.
International Police
So once again we have USA play the International Police, a role it has been playing so religiously since the split of USSR left it as the single most superior military power in the world. At the same time, they are afraid of creating a situation in Pakistan where the military and so called democracy will be crushed by the wave of religious fanaticism, which has existed in the country since its inception. Hence the USA is caught between the devil and the deep sea. To use force or not to use force? How much force would be excessive in the case of Pakistan/ Can they afford to lose Pakistan? Is Pakistan that valuable?
Conscience or self righteousness
The question for Pakistan now remains is whether they want this so called friendship with USA to get uglier or leave matters as they are and carry on. A majority of the educated, moderate class are happy that someone got rid of Osama. But unfortunately they do not form the majority of the population. The decision to punish Dr. Afridi shows that Pakistan treasures religious leaders who spread hatred and anger and shows scant respect for the educated class, who help the poor and want to see a better world for their family at least, if not for others. This decision puts Pakistan at cross roads. The country was born over 50 years ago under the pretext to give muslims a right to live, something they thought impossible in neighboring India. After all these years, the only thing they have succeeded in providing is a right for muslim fanaticism to spread to neighboring countries and make use the best use of violence to prove a point, rather than dialogue.
It was common knowledge that Osama Bin Laden enjoyed a good reputation in Pakistan. People looked up to him as one who stood against the policies of the west, especially the US, even though the methods he used are easily questionable to everybody. He was a hero in Pakistan. And the all powerful military of Pakistan dared not touch him, fearing a backlash from the fanatics in the region, which could throw the already 'failed state' into a worse crisis which could destroy the country and most likely, the civil society of the country.
But the USA wanted their pound of flesh. At least to please the public and give the first black President of the country a chance to successfully run for a second term, after the economy did not become as rosy as he had promised during he election campaign.
And so, after confirming the presence of Osama with help from Dr. Shakil Afridi, the US made short work of Osama and his guards, not to mention disposing his body the way they sought was fit, and were celebrating as if the world had been saved from armageddon. Only they forgot about Dr. Afridi.
Not one person in Pakistan was happy about the covert operation by the US. and it is surprising that the most powerful country in the world thought its Asian 'ally' was incapable of expressing its anger.
Guess Pakistan were waiting for the US to let their guard down on Dr. Shakil, and when they did, they nabbed him and produced a sentence to their satisfaction without second thoughts.
It is clear that the US and Pakistan have no similar interests in any field whatsoever. USA continues to support the Pakistan military to prevent radicals from over taking the country, while Pakistan misuses that support for whatever pleases them. When US lawmakers want ed Osama dead or alive, Pakistan were never going to comply, and when Pakistan wanted Osama to live in peace, the USA saw no logic in it.So much for being 'allies in war on terror'.
Being fined for carrying out judgement in national interests
As mentioned above, Pakistan cherished the presence of a living, breathing Osama in their country, in contrast to USA, which wanted him dead. Its a very funny situation when we are told they are 'allies in the war on terror'. This has to be the biggest joke of the century!!!!!!!!
A technically correct decision by the USA would be to include Pakistan in the axis of evil- with Iraq, Libya, Iran and North Korea and just invade them with the pretext that Osama lived there. They did the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq. Why not try it against Pakistan when they had the intel that he was in Abbotabad? Or where they afraid of the consequences of going against a more potent army with weapons in the present decade? They had conducted wars against countries who's arsenal had weapons most likely from the previous century. Guess that was the real reason for playing the cat and mouse game with Pakistan till they got confirmation of Osama's presence.
Anyway, there is no doubt that Dr Afridi went against hos country's interests while assisting the US in their hunt for Osama. There can be no doubt that he saw this day coming, when he would be behind bars in Pakistan. He definitely was waiting for the US to get him out of the country, but for once, Pakistan surprised US.
And the USA also expressed their displeasure at Pakistan's actions. the truth is they are not happy that what Dr. Afridi now captured, a number of US assets in Pakistan are at risk. And to ensure their safety they have to arm twist Pakistan. hence the 33 million dollar cut in Pakistan's aid, which is a joke, as it is a fraction of the 1 billion dollar annual aid by the US to Pakistan.
International Police
So once again we have USA play the International Police, a role it has been playing so religiously since the split of USSR left it as the single most superior military power in the world. At the same time, they are afraid of creating a situation in Pakistan where the military and so called democracy will be crushed by the wave of religious fanaticism, which has existed in the country since its inception. Hence the USA is caught between the devil and the deep sea. To use force or not to use force? How much force would be excessive in the case of Pakistan/ Can they afford to lose Pakistan? Is Pakistan that valuable?
Conscience or self righteousness
The question for Pakistan now remains is whether they want this so called friendship with USA to get uglier or leave matters as they are and carry on. A majority of the educated, moderate class are happy that someone got rid of Osama. But unfortunately they do not form the majority of the population. The decision to punish Dr. Afridi shows that Pakistan treasures religious leaders who spread hatred and anger and shows scant respect for the educated class, who help the poor and want to see a better world for their family at least, if not for others. This decision puts Pakistan at cross roads. The country was born over 50 years ago under the pretext to give muslims a right to live, something they thought impossible in neighboring India. After all these years, the only thing they have succeeded in providing is a right for muslim fanaticism to spread to neighboring countries and make use the best use of violence to prove a point, rather than dialogue.
