Pervez Musharref: deposed
General and former (and future?)President.
Robber : “Give me all your money!”
Zardari : “Don’t you know who I am? I am
Asif Ali Zardari.”
Robber : “OK. Give me all my money”
Q: How many zardari jokes are there on the Internet?
A: Only one. The rest are all true.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVsHt
UrhGS8
Military leader Musharraf was forced out and an election with ex Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto was to be held. She was assassinated by Islamic extremists and her husband, Zardari took over. Bhutto was running on an anti Taliban platform
She was Western leaning
Maintains a weak hold over government.
The military and secret service, the ISI, maintain much of the power
Thought by many to be corrupt.
Population is 181 million, more than half of the United States.
2 nd Largest Muslim country in the world, behind Indonesia.
43% of the population is under 15.
U.S. 20% under 15.
95% Muslim (75% Sunni; 20% Shiite)
Punjabi 44%,
Pashtu 15% (mostly in West, near
Afghanistan (Tribal reserve, Swat Valley,
Taliban),
Balance made up of various smaller ethnic groups.
Capitol Islamabad, northeast of country, very close to tribal lands bordering Afghanistan and
Kashmir. Dominated by Punjabis
Parliamentary democracy with huge military influence, with routine coups . (might say the military really rules the country, with the ISI, the
Pakistani security forces)
Many believe much of government run by secret service, the ISI who has close ties to
Islamic extremist.
Inflation rate 14%,
National debt 50% of GDP (U.S 100%)
They have no oil.
Growth 4.8%, largely because of U.S. aid
Underdeveloped , huge inflation rate, dependent on foreign aid.
In 2008 U.S. gave them 12 billion in aid about ½ their budget.
GDP: $2600 ($U.S.: 46000)
Life Expectancy: 65 years
Below poverty: 24%
Unemployment: 15%
Literacy rate: 50% (63% male, 36% females)
In the early 16 th C. the Moguls, Muslims from central
Asia (Kabul, Samarkand) conquered northern India
(Delhi) and established a Muslim empire there, in what was, at the time, India.
Moguls was a catch all group of descendants of the Mongols,
Arabs and Central Asians
Akbar the Great was the first Mogul ruler of Northern India
They built the Taj Mahal, the hanging gardens and other wonders.
They also built mosques on top of Hindu temples. Still a
GREAT deal of resentment between Hindus and Muslims in
India and between India and Pakistan.
Taj Mahal, built as mausoleum to Mogul leader
Shah Jahan’s wife. ca 1631
The British Raj took over the region in the 18 th and 19 th century.
Became the Northern most frontier of the “Jewel of the
Empire.”
Where the opium from Opium War came from.
After World War II, Britain began to dismantle it’s empire.
Imperialism was on the way out
Expensive to maintain.
Wide scale fighting between Muslims and
Hindus began after independence from Britain
Britain partition parts of Northern India into two separate states, India (Hindu, with 1 million
Muslims) and Pakistan (99% Muslim).
Punjabi was divided into two parts .
The possession of the Northern state of
Kashmir and Jammu, with a majority Muslim population, but with Hindu leader has been hotly contested ever since.
India and Pakistan have been at each others throats, mainly over Kashmir.
Both India(1974s) and Pakistan(1980-90s) developed nuclear weapons.
Many believe the next nuclear war will be between these two nations.
Whenever discussing Pakistan, remember that
India, not the Taliban, are their true enemy and who they worry about.
Wars:
1947
1965
1971 (after which India gets the bomb)
Clashes: 84, 85, 87, 95 (Pakistan builds its (Sunni) Islamic
Bomb
1999
2001: after Pakistani extremist took over Indian Parliament, with help of ISI, 500K Indian troops massed on border.
If nukes launched 12 million would have died immediately, many more from radiation.
Pakistan could not win without nukes.
This is the big internal issue in Pakistan.
The security forces, the ISI, trained
Pakistani fundamentalists for attacks in
India and Kashmir, attempting to emulate
Afghan success against the Soviets.
Punjabis are the largest ethnic group in
Pakistan and the majority in Kashmir.
Was the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program, some feel just a publicity hound.
Stole most of his knowledge when working in Dutch nuclear industry
Khan confessed to selling nuclear secrets to Iraq, Libya, Iran
(Shiite bomb) and North Korea
He was released from jail in 2009.
He is a national hero in Pakistan
Helped Iran develop a Shiite bomb.
Wanted to support his opulent lifestyle.
After we were forced to cut of military aid once we knew they had the bomb, they looked elsewhere for money, and all they really had to sell was their nuclear technology.
Remember: From 1948 to 1990 all U.S. foreign policy was about the Cold War
“containment policy” of Truman.
Containing the Soviet Union where ever they went. And
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD): if two competing countries each had the bomb, then no war would occur.
India in the 70s was a leader of non-aligned countries.
They fought skirmishes with China over
Kashmir interests and flirted with the Soviets for protection.
The U.S. allied itself with Pakistan as “our boy” in the region and supplied them with weapons.
The U.S. had to certified countries as nuclear weapon free to continue sending weaponry by
U.S. law.
Pakistan Humiliated in 1971
War with India.
OPEC oil embargo of 73 made U.S. more aware of Middle East oil.
In 1979, the Iranian Revolution gave
Shiite Clerics control of 4 th leading oil producer.
1979 Soviets invaded Afghanistan.
Pakistan was our dog in the hunt.
1980 Regan elected and brought with him Cheney
(leader in house), Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and Gates
(CIA). (
The same group that helped Iran get nuclear materials during the Shah and Gerald Ford’s administration, architects of our
Iraq war.
They wanted to help arm Pakistan as ally against
Soviets in Afghanistan.
Had to certify them as nuclear free.
Took a blind eye to nuclear bomb development of AQ Khan.
Intelligence knew that Pakistan had bomb.
Saddam Hussein and Iraq invades Iran, thinking that the Ayatollah’s regime was weak.
The U.S. sells arms and trains the Iraqi army.
War drags on for ten years, million plus die, ends in a stalemate.
Saddam kills Kurdish and Shiite Iraqi civilian with poison gasses and helicopter gunships.
Pakistan developed the bomb during the mid-1980s, date on when they actually had it unclear.
In one incident, Benzair Bhutto, the Prime Minister
(19881996) didn’t know they had a bomb, but our CIA did.
The “in crowd”, used Bhutto’s assurances, not the intelligence they had, to certify Pakistan nuclear free, so they could continue to sell arms to them.
Besides, MAD was the optimum deterrent.
Bhutto also was told about a nuclear cooperation deal with Iran, but an Iranian who assumed she knew about it. She didn’t.
Saddam Hussein and Iraq invades
Kuwait, whom he claimed should have been an Iraqi province.
His troops line up on the Saudi border
Our fear was that he would take both oil producing countries.
He was broke after Iran Iraq War.
st
Ramzi Yousef and his gang, including a
Pakistani National, attempt to blow up
WTC with a car bomb in the Garage.
Funded by Khalid Sheik Mohammed, admitted to masteminding 9-11 attacks eight years later.
The guy we waterboarded 186 times in a month, Yousef had attended Al Qaeda
Training camps in Afghanistan.
In 1998, Musharraf deposes
Bhutto under cloud of her husband’s corruption. The husband, Asif Zardari is the current P.M.
In 1998, Al Qaeda bombs U.S. embassy in Kenya, killing mostly Kenyans.
Clinton order Cruise missile attacks on Al
Qaeda camps in Sudan and Afghanistan.
Osama Bin Ladin escapes.
Bhutto Deposed by Musharraf after Gulf War and ruled until recently. 1998-2007.
Bhutto came back to run for Prime Minister after we pressured Musharraf to step down.
She was assassinated by Islamic Extremists, likely in cahoots with ISI.
Extremist attack Mumbai hotel and several other targets, killing 164.
Turn away if easily disturbed.
Musharraf has recently formed a political party, probably backed by military, and is going to run against
Zardari.
The assassins got right up next to her, even though security knew her life was threatened.
Some suspect that the ISI was behind the assassination or at least knew about it.
In October, Obama asked for and got 7 Billion in aid.
Pakistan didn’t began attack in Waziristan until that money was approved.
Much of the 45 Billion we’ve given Pakistan since partition is unaccounted for.
Some believe money given to fight extremist has been diverted for anti Indian defense.
Economy
Relations with India/Kashmir
Threat of Taliban from West, America’s interest.
Loose Nukes, securing the nukes in case of fundamentalists take over. American military and Pakistani military believe they are secured.
Government instability.
Currently Pakistan controls 1/3 of disputed area and India ½. The rest is divide by line of control established as a cease fire zone in
1965, hotly contested. (China controls parts of the North eastern region.) (3 NUCLEAR armed states and a disputed area.)
Wars fought:
1947: borders established then
1965: UN controlled area
1971
Several incidents in the 1980s
2001-2002: standoff with both sides amassing troops on borders.
Many feel this is the mostly likely place of the next NUCLEAR WAR.
Lashkar-e-Taiba is responsible for attack.
They are a Islamic radical group stationed in Kashmir.
Leader of group placed in loose house arrest and was subsequently released, after India had provided Pakistan with evidence of his involvement in Mumbai attack.
Much of western Pakistan are “federally administered” tribal regions.
Pakistan’s biggest enemy is Hindu India, not Islamic extremist. The secret service of Pakistan has deep connections inside those groups.
Pakistan has been more worried about a pincer attack if Taliban unites with India, than the extremists.
But the U.S. is a major donor to Pakistan and has to walk the fine line between U.S. support and seeming the patsy of the U.S.
India showed great restraint after Mumbai, probably under U.S. pressure.
During the summer, Taliban fighters driven from Afghanistan by U.S. made a major move into previously government controlled territory.
Demanded and got Shariah law in areas formally under govt. control.
People welcomed to a great extent because of corruption in govt courts
However, residents found out Taliban
Shariah law was not benign and people were summarily beaten and executed and a million or so fled to internally displaced person camps, with little support from government.
They are now being FORCED to return, and so may the Taliban.
Pakistan is very poor and
A very religious Muslim (not Arab country)
Pakistan is nuclear armed.
Pakistan’s real enemy is India and has fought several wars over the years, one near nuclear.
Pakistan has trained and used Islamic fundamentalists over the years to fight India and in Kashmir.
Like Afghanistan, they have many ethnic and language groups.
Punjabi is the dominate ethnic groups, sharing power with a couple of others.
There is a split In power between ethnic groups.
Like Afghanistan, their government is notoriously corrupt.
Unlike Afghanistan,
Their government is powerful though the military, courts and
ISI.
Internal power struggles among the ruling elite are common.
Last summer, Taliban from the mountains of
Waziristan and other Tribal areas, moved into greater Pakistan and took over large areas including the SWAT valley.
The government turned a blind eye, as the
Sharia law was implemented over the Pakistani courts.
The more they were given, the more they tried to take, eventually threatening the state itself.
Currently, the Pakistani army has moved into Waziristan taking over the tribal village of the Mehsud’s, the Pakistani
Taliban.
Tensions still remain high between
Pakistan and India over Kashmir and the hostage taking and murders in the
Mumbai attacks.
The U.S. is Pakistan’s main economic and military benefactor, selling them arms and giving them tons of money in humanitarian and domestic aid.
The Pakistani government has to walk a fine line between keeping the U.S. happy and not looking like a stooge of the U.S. There is widespread dislike of the American government in this VERY conservative Islamic country.