President General Pervez Musharraf has rejected ‘absolutely and totally’ the prospect of a joint US-Pakistan military operation to pursue retreating insurgents inside Pakistan, reports The Pakistan Tribune.
” ‘The whole population of Pakistan will rise against it,’ he told CBS news channel in an interview.”
Is General Musharraf telling the truth…or is it the usual bluff and bluster?
In my earlier post I had mentioned that the Bush administration has been saying that “the US forces have been conducting hot pursuit of terrorists into Pakistani territory and will continue to do so if circumstances demand it.
“Dropping all concern for Pakistani sensitivities and any pretence of shielding General Musharraf from a domestic backlash on the issue, a high-ranking US military official told a Senate committee that American forces on Afghanistan’s eastern border routinely fire upon and pursue Taliban enemies into Pakistan.
� ‘We have all the authorities we need to pursue, either with artillery fire or on the ground, across the border,’ Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“Pakistan had insisted to date that no foreign forces would be allowed to violate its territory.� For more please click here...
Meanwhile General Musharraf said on Friday that Pakistan wants to consolidate its relations with the Russian Federation and to open up new areas of collaboration, reports Pakistan Links.
“The Russian prime minister Mikhail E Fradkov said that Pakistan enjoyed an important place in Russia’s foreign policy. He said that Russia deeply appreciated Pakistan’s endeavours towards peace, amity and prosperity in the region.
“He said he hoped that his visit, the first by a Russian prime minister in 38 years, would go a long way towards improving relations between Russia and Pakistan. He also delivered a written message from President Vladimir Putin to President Musharraf.”
Russia will build new railwaiy lines in Pakistan, including those going toward Iran, says another news report.
To read an informative article on Looming Jihadi Anarchy in Pakistan please click here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.