Monday, September 26, 2011

Sen. Graham: Broad Bipartisan Support for US Attack on Pakistan

PM Calls Emergency Conference to Discuss Threats 

by Jason Ditz, Antiwar.com, September 25, 2011
 
US politicians continued with the condemnation of Pakistan today, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R – SC) saying that that was broad bipartisan support in Congress for a military attack on Pakistan and that “all options are on the table” against the nation.

The most direct threat yet, it prompted a quick response from the Pakistani government, with Prime Minister Gilani recalling his Foreign Minister from a visit to the United States and ordering an emergency “all-parties” conference to discuss the prospect of a US invasion.

Gilani insisted it was important for the coalition government to establish political consensus with the opposition about handling the US threats, and called a number of opposition leaders. A unity statement is expected to be released soon.

The US has accused the Pakistani government of funding the Haqqani network as well as ordering them to attack the US embassy in Kabul. Pakistan has denied the allegation.

2 comments:

William deB. Mills said...

Greetings, Nasir. What a horrible topic to have to discuss! But you are quite correct that the senator's ravings cannot be ignored. Juan Cole also has an excellent post on the topic, and your views would be of interest...

"All options"?!? The brilliant senator has just threatened a nuclear attack upon a nuclear power. Now, what ways of defending Pakistani national security might the Pakistani military/intelligence establishment start thinking about, given this astounding threat?

Pakistan's history of nuclear proliferation is, one hopes, not forgotten. Pakistan's close military ties to Saudi Arabia, another U.S. ally that seems somewhat disenchanted with Washington's decade-long policy of aggression toward the Islamic world, should also not be forgotten.

Pakistan has an infinite range of options. And someone might inform the senator that it is larger than Gaza or Somalia or Lebanon, not to mention Afghanistan or Iraq.

The list of American military defeats is getting too long to mention in polite company, I am afraid. But the Washington tough guys have the answer: when war fails, the solution is more war.

Nasir Khan said...

Dr. William deB. Mills,

Thank you for your comment where in a few lines you have conveyed much to think about.

As far as the present US threats to Pakistan are concerned, my views are akin to yours. The United States war-machine keeps bloggers like me too busy, making it difficult to find time to reflect on the hectic activities of warmongers and their deceptive propaganda. I will try to focus on the matter, as you suggest.

Best regards
Nasir