Geopolitical Analysis

By K.N. Pandita,

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has declared former President Pervez Musharraf a proclaimed offender or fugitive for failing to cooperate with investigators probing the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto. The court has been hearing the case of Benazir Bhutto’s murder in 2008 by jihadis. The trial of five suspects, including a would-be suicide bomber, suspected of involvement in Bhutto’s killing has been held up for several months due to Musharraf’s refusal to cooperate with the investigators. Owing to non-existence of extradition treaty between Pakistan and UK, the latter could not help Pakistan in implementing the warrant against Pervez Musharraf who has been living in UK since 2009 and aspired to float a political party and fight election in Pakistan.  Continue Reading…

By K.N. Pandita

Prime Minister is back home after a short visit to Afghanistan.  Earlier, the visit had to be postponed on the behest of the US owing to impending military action against Osama. PM’s visit has come after a gap of more than five years.

Apart from Kashmir, Afghanistan has been one more regional irritant in relations between India and Pakistan ever since the rise of Taliban. Pakistan has been seeking strategic depth westward in Afghanistan because it is the gateway to Central Asia.

After performing crucial role in the mujahideen war against the Soviets, Pakistan has been toying with the idea of Punjabi hegemony over Afghanistan. But as history moved on, other stakeholders also surfaced some of them more formidable than Pakistan in regional strategy.  Continue Reading…

Published on Asia Times, by Syed Saleem Shahzad, May 12, 2011.

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s military and intelligence community was fully aware of and lent assistance to the United States mission to get a high-value target in Abbottabad on May 2. What it did not know was that it was Osama bin Laden who was in the crosshairs of US Special Forces, and what angered the top brass even more was that Washington – in clear breach of an understanding – claimed sole ownership of the operation.

Over the years since Pakistan joined the US in the “war on terror” following the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 to oust the Taliban, the US has conducted numerous covert operations – apart from unleashing the missiles of unmanned Predator drones on militant targets – deep inside Pakistan.  Continue Reading…

By K.N. Pandita

Official circles in Pakistan took their time to react on the US helicopter attack on the hideout of Osama bin Laden culminating in his killing. A meaningless controversy has been blown up in and outside Pakistan about the complicity or not of Pakistan in the lightening operation conducted by the US commandos on Sunday night.

Everybody knows that being a strong ally of the US in war on terror Pakistan had endorsed US’ pledge to eliminate Ben Laden wherever he was. There should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that this sensitive operation could not have been accomplished without weeks and months of preparation and without the full cooperation of Pakistan.  Continue Reading…