Media is reporting that the US has moved hundreds of new troops to the Afghan area bordering Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region along with heavy artillery and helicopter gunships. It has sealed movement on the border. North Waziristan is an insurgent infested area and is always on the boil. US drones come and bomb this area at several times a day and kill the civilians and the militants, at its whims and fancy. US troops have occupied vantage heights at hilltops. House to house search has been undertaken in the border area to identify troublemakers and militants. The main road connecting the tribal area to the nearby town has been closed. What do all these things signify?

Capture of Haqqani network on the cards?

One possibility is that the American troops are preparing a bloody war to eliminate the dreaded Haqqani network spread across Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The Haqqani network is hiding along with the tribal people and the Talibans. It is very difficult to identify them. US may be preparing to kill massive number of people, including innocent tribals, in order to eliminate its enemy. The Sri Lankan military adopted the same tactic while trying to finish off the LTTE leader Prabakaran in 2009 May in Mullivaikal. Prabakaran was hiding in the company of thousands of innocent Tamils. Sri Lankan army pounded the Tamils and killed almost all of them including Prabakaran. USA may be doing exactly the same thing now, taking a cue from the Sri Lankan Army.

Capture of Pakistan nuclear weapons ruled out at least now

Another possibility is that the US may be preparing to capture the nuclear weapons that are under the custody of the Pakistan Army. US feel that these weapons may be dropped on its own soil by the terrorists, who may acquire these weapons from the willing Pakistan Army. If this is the case, the question arises as to why the US troops are stationed in the Northern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan instead of being present in the Southern and Eastern part of the country. Pakistan has stationed almost all its nuclear weapons (there may be around 200 weapons in its custody) along its border with India. Pakistan perceives India as its biggest enemy and so all its nuclear weapons find a place near the Indian border. But there are no US troops found in this area. Therefore one can dismiss the conclusion that the US troops are planning to grab the nuclear weapons in Pakistan.

Mullah Omar

Mullah Omar living near a Pakistan Army cantonment near Peshawar?

That leaves only one other possibility for the activities of the US troops. US might have secured reliable information about the whereabouts of Mullah Omar and wants to capture him alive or dead. There are rumours in India that the whereabouts of Mullah Omar has been found out. It is speculated that Hamid Karzai government passed on the information to USA, which is now indulging in action to finish its bitterest enemy once for all. US also feel that slaughtering of Mullah Omar could weaken Taliban fight and so is beneficial to the US soldiers and NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan. A successful capture or murder of Mullah Omar will catapult Barack Obama to White House for the second term successfully. It is rumoured that Mullah Omar has been given safe shelter by the Pakistan Army and the ISI for over a decade in Pakistan. It is also rumoured that Mullah Omar is living near a Pakistani Army Cantonment in the northern part of Pakistan near Peshawar.

Beginning of end of war on terrorism?

Whatever be the truth, one thing is clear. USA is not taking anything for granted with regard to Pakistan. It wants to assert its authority sternly and strongly. This could be the beginning of the end of its cooperation with Pakistan on war on terrorism.

Pakistan army is a main and the biggest division of the Pakistan arm forces whose prime action to defend the country in the land based attack. It is headed by the four star general known as chief of army staff. Headquarter of Pakistan army is in the Rawalpindi. Currently it is headed by the General Ashfaq Parveez Kayani. Pakistan army consist of the 612,000 active personal and about 510,000 as reserved force which is massive army in the world. Pakistan army came into existence right after the independence in 1947.

Since 1947 the Pakistan army has fought four wars with the neighbor India and many skirmishes with Afghanistan and the India. Pakistan army is an active participant of UN peace keeping mission.  International they play key role on several occasions. During Arab Israel war Pakistan army brigades were stationed in many Arab countries as the gesture of the support. They plays important role in the first gulf war. In 1993 they conduct operation gothic serpent in the Somalia Mogadishu in rescuing the Americans troops who were trapped their. Pakistan army has great influence in the countries politic they have came into the power four time and ruled the government more years than the any political government has done.    

THE arrest of Brig Ali Khan, among others, from the army HQ for suspicion of his affiliation to my old Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) are necessarily about far more than merely ‘fighting militancy’ in Pakistani society or within the army.

Army spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas has stated that the army follows a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards such recruitment.

Despite the many grave errors the army has made of late, here they deserve praise for having done the right thing. However, these arrests must be seen as indicative of a wider intellectual malaise in Pakistani society surrounding the civilisational direction the nation should take.

When a nation suffers from such intellectual paralysis, the solution involves the painstakingly slow process of creating an intellectual consensus that can form the fabric of society — like a social contract, redefining the nation’s image at home and abroad, and reclaiming Islam from the extremists who seek to monopolise its interpretation. Just as it took years for us to get into this mess, it will take years to get out. As far back as 2003, journalist Ahmed Rashid reported on another purge of such elements by Musharraf. Regrettably, I had helped to recruit some of these officers while they were studying at the famous Sandhurst military academy in the UK.

Indeed, the particular problem of HT infiltration inside the Pakistan Army was exported to Pakistan from Britain. HT advocates violent overthrow of democratic states through illegal military coups in order to enforce a single interpretation of Islam. I call this ideology ‘Islamism’, and they have hijacked the term ‘caliphate’ for their utopia.

Recruiting from the world’s Muslim-majority armies is a fundamental tenet of their call. And though groups like HT are not terrorists, this only makes them even more able to recruit from the Pakistani elite for their paralysing call.

So whilst the media focuses on the high drama of terrorist attacks carried out by groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and others of their ilk, there is another non-terrorist but equally dangerous war raging in Pakistan. Enter the intellectual warfare of ideas and narratives. Winning this struggle is far more crucial in the long term. The ideology that fuels this struggle portrays Muslims and the West — both perceived simplistically as monolithic entities — as eternal enemies and competitors for world domination in a zero-sum game.

Muslims are encouraged to unite and rise up in order to attack the West and impose a single interpretation of Islam on the entire world. But in order to do this they must first overthrow their existing governments, for which they have a very particular plan.

Groups such as HT do not seek to launch a mass movement; rather they specifically target the intellectual elite and the
military apparatus of the countries in which they operate. For years, leading journalists and the intellectual elite of Pakistan have been targeted by highly educated English-speaking Islamists. They have been seeking to convert prominent opinion shapers to their supremacist ideology. Once this sector is taken, a military coup can be staged by key officers sympathetic to the cause, who would in turn face minimal resistance from society.

As one of HT’s texts from Britain reads, this would “normally be done by the Party seeking to access the military in order to take the authority … After this the military would be capable of establishing the authority of Islam. Hence a coup d’état would be the manifestation of a political change….”

The work of groups like HT is being made easier by other Islamist groups, who have long planned to dominate civil society and government institutions in order to normalise their hate-filled ideology and narrative. It is also being made easier by current events in the region like the war in neighbouring Afghanistan and instability within Pakistan. But brave civil society figures and groups in Pakistan are staging a fight-back against extremist propaganda, although the battle ahead is long and hard.

Ultimately, peace and stability in Pakistan can only come about once democratic culture takes root in Pakistani society.

Democratic culture is not just about holding elections every few years but rather a sustained commitment to values such as the freedoms, equality, human rights, pluralism and respect for the rule of law.

Just as Islamist social movements have for years been preaching their ideology to the grass-roots in Pakistan, counter-narratives are needed to spread the values of democratic culture and reclaim Pakistan and Islam. Who are the leaders of democracy in Pakistan today? What are the symbols of democracy? Where are the social movements working hard to reverse the drift towards Islamism and to create ‘buy-in’ for democratic culture on the ground?

Islamist leaders, symbols and movements exist in abundance, but one struggles to think of more than a handful for genuine democratic activism. This much-needed change will not come about automatically or overnight. It requires a
concerted campaign by individuals and organisations that are prepared to work together, promote each other (not drag each other down) and stand up to the forces of disorder and chaos.

The fight-back has begun but it will require a lot more energy and resources to rescue Pakistan from its current downward trajectory. Crucially, it will require courage.

THE arrest of Brig Ali Khan, among others, from the army HQ for suspicion of his affiliation to my old Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) are necessarily about far more than merely ‘fighting militancy’ in Pakistani society or within the army.

Army spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas has stated that the army follows a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards such recruitment.

Despite the many grave errors the army has made of late, here they deserve praise for having done the right thing. However, these arrests must be seen as indicative of a wider intellectual malaise in Pakistani society surrounding the civilisational direction the nation should take.

When a nation suffers from such intellectual paralysis, the solution involves the painstakingly slow process of creating an intellectual consensus that can form the fabric of society — like a social contract, redefining the nation’s image at home and abroad, and reclaiming Islam from the extremists who seek to monopolise its interpretation. Just as it took years for us to get into this mess, it will take years to get out. As far back as 2003, journalist Ahmed Rashid reported on another purge of such elements by Musharraf. Regrettably, I had helped to recruit some of these officers while they were studying at the famous Sandhurst military academy in the UK.

Indeed, the particular problem of HT infiltration inside the Pakistan Army was exported to Pakistan from Britain. HT advocates violent overthrow of democratic states through illegal military coups in order to enforce a single interpretation of Islam. I call this ideology ‘Islamism’, and they have hijacked the term ‘caliphate’ for their utopia.

Recruiting from the world’s Muslim-majority armies is a fundamental tenet of their call. And though groups like HT are not terrorists, this only makes them even more able to recruit from the Pakistani elite for their paralysing call.

So whilst the media focuses on the high drama of terrorist attacks carried out by groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and others of their ilk, there is another non-terrorist but equally dangerous war raging in Pakistan. Enter the intellectual warfare of ideas and narratives. Winning this struggle is far more crucial in the long term. The ideology that fuels this struggle portrays Muslims and the West — both perceived simplistically as monolithic entities — as eternal enemies and competitors for world domination in a zero-sum game.

Muslims are encouraged to unite and rise up in order to attack the West and impose a single interpretation of Islam on the entire world. But in order to do this they must first overthrow their existing governments, for which they have a very particular plan.

Groups such as HT do not seek to launch a mass movement; rather they specifically target the intellectual elite and the
military apparatus of the countries in which they operate. For years, leading journalists and the intellectual elite of Pakistan have been targeted by highly educated English-speaking Islamists. They have been seeking to convert prominent opinion shapers to their supremacist ideology. Once this sector is taken, a military coup can be staged by key officers sympathetic to the cause, who would in turn face minimal resistance from society.

As one of HT’s texts from Britain reads, this would “normally be done by the Party seeking to access the military in order to take the authority … After this the military would be capable of establishing the authority of Islam. Hence a coup d’état would be the manifestation of a political change….”

The work of groups like HT is being made easier by other Islamist groups, who have long planned to dominate civil society and government institutions in order to normalise their hate-filled ideology and narrative. It is also being made easier by current events in the region like the war in neighbouring Afghanistan and instability within Pakistan. But brave civil society figures and groups in Pakistan are staging a fight-back against extremist propaganda, although the battle ahead is long and hard.

Ultimately, peace and stability in Pakistan can only come about once democratic culture takes root in Pakistani society.

Democratic culture is not just about holding elections every few years but rather a sustained commitment to values such as the freedoms, equality, human rights, pluralism and respect for the rule of law.

Just as Islamist social movements have for years been preaching their ideology to the grass-roots in Pakistan, counter-narratives are needed to spread the values of democratic culture and reclaim Pakistan and Islam. Who are the leaders of democracy in Pakistan today? What are the symbols of democracy? Where are the social movements working hard to reverse the drift towards Islamism and to create ‘buy-in’ for democratic culture on the ground?

Islamist leaders, symbols and movements exist in abundance, but one struggles to think of more than a handful for genuine democratic activism. This much-needed change will not come about automatically or overnight. It requires a
concerted campaign by individuals and organisations that are prepared to work together, promote each other (not drag each other down) and stand up to the forces of disorder and chaos.

The fight-back has begun but it will require a lot more energy and resources to rescue Pakistan from its current downward trajectory. Crucially, it will require courage.

The writer, a former member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, is director of the UK-based think tank Quilliam.

There are a lot of patriots, actually, every single person is a patriot when it comes to the dignity and honor of one’s country. People always like their nation and country to stand first in the world in every field. Surely, Americans stand better in the world for their technology, infrastructure, influences, etc. Also, we can include Great Britain and many other Western Countries who have contributed a lot in every field whether it is science and technology, literature, infrastructure, aids, support,etc. But sometimes, there are some fields which we can not equally excel as the other nation or country does and it is no shame but, it is kind of learning process which can make one the best by modifying or correcting the things.

When it comes to the question, which army is the best in the world? We can’t just look at the certain facts and neglect the others. For example, being an atomic power surely doesn’t make you the best army or nation in the world but these are the tactics and intelligences which play a key role in upbringing the reputation.

The contest for the best army or brave army was held in UK. The competition Cambrian Patrols was the test for different army personnel ( The teams) to prove to be the best and highly skilled army in the world. And Pakistan army got declared for being the best Army in the world.

“An eight-member team comprising strong soldiers of Infantry Corps of Pakistan Army participated in the exercise, where 85 teams of 15 nations military including the United States, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand and India participated.”

USA could fetch silver medal while the Indian army could only lay the hands on Bronze.

The UK Army’s Commander 12 Mechanized Brigade, Brig. General J C Maciejewski while giving away the medal to Pakistan Army’s team said “Pakistani Soldiers are the best – their role in war against terror is commendable.”

This is no surprise as Pakistani men are tested over the years for their patience as well as bravery. These people belong to a nation whose Intelligence Agency, ISI, stands first in the world for Intelligence.

    The five CIA informants arrested by Pakistan’s secret services include a Pakistani Army major serving as a doctor and the owner of the safe house rented to the CIA to observe bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, an army town not far from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. But the fate of the arrested group is unclear. Both in the U.S. and Pakistan, the ISI is considered a sinister agency and there are genuine fears by American officials that the group most likely may never be seen again. Washington-based U.S. officials also described that Pakistan’s “paranoia about the CIA” and that the ISI doesn’t want the agency operating here out of fear that it may uncover the depth to which the Pakistani secret services support extremist groups like the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda.

    Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service fiercely denied the arrest of the army major, saying the story was false and baseless, but that’s because the army is desperate to defend its deeply tarnished reputation created by the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

     The CIA had tipped off the Pakistanis about a bomb-making factory used to attack NATO troops in Afghanistan. But when Pakistani soldiers turned up soon after, the militants had suddenly vanished. The CIA believes the extremists moved too quickly without having been informed by elements within the ISI who had knowledge the Americans had discovered their operation. The arrests of the CIA informants will only add to the widening rift between the U.S. and Pakistan. The arrests also will add weight to arguments in Congress that the U.S. should cease $2 billion in annual funding to Pakistan’s military and the government amid accusations of top-level corruption.

                                                                   CIA CAMP  PEARY PHOTO

Consequent to American commando action and shooting down of the dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden of Al Qaeda, Pakistani establishments have hardened their attitude towards USA. Many people have been dismissed, arrested and cases filed against them for being CIA Informers. There is no doubt that there are informers in the Pakistan Army and its intelligence wing ISI. Without the assistance of an inside informer, USA would never have sent its commandos in helicopters to the exact place of Abbotabad, where bin Laden was hiding and eliminated him. Without the assistance of the informer in Pakistani army and ISI, USA would never have precisely attacked and killed Ilyas Kashmiri in Waziristan. America may be a mighty power and technologically a well equipped country. But these things alone are not sufficient to pinpoint an individual in a remote corner of a far away nation. For this to happen, some informer’s assistance should have been available to USA.

But the Pakistan establishment is wasting its time in arresting and dismissing persons in the lower cadre. The informer/s should have been ruling the roost at the higher level of their organisations. Only a person at the highest military hierarchy could have known the secret hiding place of Osama and he could have passed on this information to USA for getting in return millions of dollars in his foreign bank account. The same goes for Ilayas Kashmiri’s elimination also. At the lower level, persons do not know what is happening. There may be CIA informers at the lower level also, but the information that they pass on to the American intelligence is only on routine matters, not much useful to USA in fixing Kashmiri or Osama.

Already element of doubt exists among the Pakistani Army Corps about the integrity of the Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, because of his close relations with USA. New York Times and Washington Post have come out with news stories that Kayani is facing much discontent within Pakistan Army. The 11 Corps Commanders in the Pakistan Army are openly expressing their opposition to Kayani’s continuation. These Corps Commanders want to ensure dignity of Pakistan by reducing relationship with USA, which had violated the sovereignty of Pakistan time and again. The drone attacks are continuing inside Pakistan and everyday, scores of Pakistanis are dying. USA wants Pakistan to do what it wants in Afghanistan without any return favour. The billions of dollars money USA is pouring into Pakistan fills up the coffers of Pakistan’s top leaders and bureaucrats including the military and ISI.

Kayani is also perceived to be the weakest army chief in Pakistan. Pakistani army has witnessed many army chiefs in the past – Ayub Khan, Tikka Khan (during Indo Pakistan war in 1971), Zia Ul Haq, Yahya Khan, Musharraf and many others. During the period of these generals, Pakistan army was a disciplined lot and no open rebellion happened against the Army Chief. That this kind of rebellion is happening indicates the weakness of Kayani. Moreover Pakistan President Zardari was alleged to have expressed his fears that Kayani might topple him at any time to usurp power – according to Wikileaks documents. If this is true, Zardari will be more than happy to instigate the rebellion of Army Corps Commanders against Kayani and ease him out of power. Nawaz Sheriff also might not be happy with Kayani as he is a hand picked general of the discredited former military general and President Pervez Musharraf.

As things become hot for Kayani, he may not have the option of staging a military coup against Zardari as that may not receive any support from his Army Corps. Slowly and steadily, power is slipping out of Kayani’s hands. Kayani has no friends in the ruling party establishment – Zardari is hostile, while Geelani is at best neutral. The opposition headed by Nawaz Sheriff is gunning for his head. He has no friends even within his army. Islamic fundamentalists, all terrorist organisations and Al Qaeda want his head. His only supporter Pervez Musharraff is living in exile in Dubai, unable to step on the soils of Pakistan because of fear of arrest or assassination. In this fluid situation, anything may happen to Kayani and he seems to be distinctly in danger. If American newspaper reports are to be believed, Kayani’s end is nearing. It is better for him to vacate his job, go to some foreign country and settle down there. Very few Pakistan Army Chiefs were able to live a peaceful retired life. Jehangir Karamat was one among them without any controversy. But Kayani may not get such a fortune in his life.

Pakistan was supposed to be a utopia for the Moslems of the sub continent. However that dream remained unfulfilled as after the demise of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Pakistan Army took over command of the nation. This started in 1958 with a military coup by General Ayub Khan. He however forgot that the cardinal work of an Army is to guard the nation and not govern a country. This sowed the seeds of inefficiency and 53 years down the line the Pakistan Army has not much to show as a fighting  force.

The Army has lost 3 disastrous wars with India as well as allowed the country to be dismembered with the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. In addition the Army Generals began to head corporations and housing societies and professionalism was given a go by. But from the eighties the Mullah General Zia ul Haq introduced Islamization in all walks of life in Pakistan as well as the Army. The result was that the common Pakistan army soldier became prey to Islamic thought and chauvinism. At the same time they began to encourage Jihad groups by setting up training camps and open support of terror to ‘finish’India.

But the generals forgot that once a genie is unleashed from the bottle it does not go back.Thus the genie of terror which they encouraged in the form of Jihad groups have now taken a stranglehold over the Pakistan Army.There are umpteen supporters of these groups within the ranks and the Pakistan Army is becoming more and more an appendage to terror groups of Islamic radicals.

The harboring of Osama Bin Laden in a Military cantonment close to their Military academy and the recent revelations in the terrorist Headley and Rana’s trial in Chicago have brought home the truth that the Pak Army is now a centre of Islamic Jihad. The Army is openly supporting groups like the Laskar and harboring terrorists in safe havens.Unfortunately the USA picked up the trail of Osama bin Laden and it ran straight to the Pak Army.

The future is chilling as the the face of teh terrorist that is emerging is in real terms teh face of the soldier of teh Pak army.this is a disturbing thought and will no doubt agonize the lonf time ally of Pakistan teh United Staes of America. But what is the solution ? A Frankiestien has to be nipped and it is up to the world to act otherwise Nostradamus and his forecast of a war between civiliozatios may turn out to be true.

Last night, well informed and coordinated the team of a dozen Pakistani Taliban gunmen fought their way into the heavily guarded depth Mehran Naval Air Station in the port city of Karachi. Armed with AK-47 rifles, RPGs, hand grenades, and prepared for a long battle with food and water, the attackers destroyed two American-made aircraft, P-3C Orion maritime surveillance. Operating RPG fire, damaged several other planes, rockets firing and compensation columns of smoke rose. The jihadists have persevered Pakistan Navy and commandos of the army for about 16 hours before finally being overwhelmed. At least 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed.

Raid, coming just weeks after U.S. Navy SEAL swept Abbottabad and killed Osama bin Laden, marked the second time this month that the Pakistani army is certainly the most powerful institutions were caught out considerably.

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, based mainly in the tribal area of ​​Waziristan, said the operation was launched to avenge the martyrdom of Osama bin Laden. This makes the third such attack claimed retaliation by Pakistani militants since the death of Bin Laden. A double suicide bombing killed earlier this month about 90 paramilitary recruits in northwestern Pakistan, where they were going, and last week a bomb has wounded at least two Americans who were in an armored vehicle near consulate U.S. in Peshawar.

Mehran the raid, but the psychological impact more. It marks the militant attacks on the most daring since the Pakistani army in October 2009, when about a dozen armed men attacked and seized parts of the headquarters of the Pakistani army near Islamabad for 22 hours. “It is without doubt a major security lapse on the part of the army,” says retired Pakistani Army Lt. Gen. Talat Masood. “It also shows the initiative appears to be in the hands of jihadi elements benefiting from the old security system we have. “

Despite claims by militants that it was revenge, military analysts, Pakistani intelligence officers and even doubt that the Afghan Taliban militants planned and executed this operation is relatively complex, three short weeks. Instead, said an operation like this, all the signs of the end of 2008 against Pakistani militants in India’s financial capital Mumbai, the most likely took more time to prepare.

As in the Mumbai operation, carried out by the organizers and gunmen who have had past links with the Pakistani military, the attackers had a thorough knowledge of the target, were well trained and tested, there was The good radio communications, food and enough fire power and even water and prepare for a long siege. “They had a well thought out and detailed plan,” said Masood. “It was something that just happened ad hoc. [Activism] can say it was in retaliation for the death of Bin Laden, but in reality the plan of this attack appears to have been much earlier.”

The attack does not take the militants of the tribal area, who are mostly suicide bombers, but the veteran of the jihad, which is seasoned with the commando-style operation. “This attack was the detailed design and the intelligence behind it,” says Pakistani intelligence official, who is not authorized to speak to the press. “The attackers became more sophisticated organization.”

“This action is likely to be the connection of product is quite sophisticated groups, such as those who fought in Kashmir and Afghanistan, people who were involved in the case of Mumbai,” said Masood.

An Afghan intelligence officer of the Taliban, who travels frequently the tribal area of ​​Pakistan and tribal militants know, agrees. “These attacks demand a higher level of ability possessed by tribal militants, weeks or months and responsibilities and planning before moving forward,” he said. In fact, the level of sophistication of attacks that has led some analysts to believe that most wanted linked to Al Qaeda militant leader Ilyas Kashmiri perhaps had a hand in planning the attack. Kashmir has served in the Pakistani army and was trained by the military and intelligence operations to combat Indian Kashmir, before thugs. “Kashmir knows the mentality and habits of the Pak military installations and more than anyone,” said the intelligence officer of the Taliban.

“[The attack] shows the initiative appears to be in the hands of jihadi elements who exploit old security system we have.”

Rehman Malik, Pakistan’s interior minister, said the attackers, who were killed, were dressed in dark trousers and shirts, and uniforms as the army had been informed, and recalled the “Star Wars” characters. He does not explain the reference. Gunmen also has a knowledge base and were able to move quickly towards’, workshop and hangar buildings located on the flight line. Their rapid penetration through the floor to raise the ghost of some cooperation within the Taliban militarymen devoted to the cause.

Equally important, the attack once again calls into question the ability of the army to protect its key assets such as aircraft expensive and maybe even the country’s some 100 nuclear weapons. Shaky Masroor Air Force Base, the largest and reported a repository for some of its air-ground nuclear weapons, is only 15 miles from Mehran. “It’s a huge setback for the army,” Masood said. “They can not be taken lightly and over tenfold to enhance security.”

Mehran attack could be the harbinger of similar operations militant to come. “The situation will only get worse in Pakistan after the death of Osama bin Laden,” predicts the intelligence officer of the Taliban. “Everybody (among activists) are angry. They want to put pressure on all the front lines.”

Pakistani SSG commandos and Pakistani Rangers have been called in to fight the gunmen. One terrorist has been reportedly found injured. No details have been brought out as of now.

One P-3C Orion Maritime reconnaissance aircraft has been destroyed in the blazing fires set by terrorists. A P-3C aircraft costs $36 Million and the ones given to Pakistan is part of US military aid to Pakistan on account of the war on terror.

PNS Mehran is 8 kilometres away from the coast and is situated near Karachi. Karachi International Airport is a mere 10 km away from PNS Mehran.

The Pakistani Ministry of Health has declared a state of emergency in all hospitals of Karachi. There are not many known casualties as of now.

It is not known who the terrorists are or what group or organization they represent. It is too early to speculate too. It is widely believed that this attack is a part of a retaliatory attack after the death of Osama Bin Laden, but nothing as of now can be confirmed until the attack is over.

There has been a blackout in the airbase and there has been fears that it could somehow aid in the escape of terrorists. The area has been cordoned off and the media is reporting about military vehicles going into the base. Surprisingly enough, very few emergency vehicles have been allowed into the compound including fire engines and ambulances. Apparently, the authorities do not wish to risk too many emergency vehicles as the fighting is not over yet.

As the fight rages on, black smoke erupts from the Air base into the Karachi skyline. The city has been put on full alert. Police and the army are doing their best to secure the situation. The press has been kept in the dark about details, especially operational details.

There has been speculation that amongst the 4 dead, one is an American serviceman. The terrorist operation has been considered to be a well-laid out and well planned one considering the fact that the terrorists knew about the targets and where they could cause damage.

It is also speculated that a hostage situation could also be possible. In the interest of National security, none of the operational details are being released to the media so as to not jeopardize the counter-terrorist operation.

There is confusion about facts and figures with the number of blasts and number of terrorists. There has been an estimated 7-9 blasts and 10-15 terrorists. There is confusion about the identities of the terrorists and the 4 people who were killed in the attack. There are no figures about how many are actually dead, though 4 is the confirmed number as of now.

This is not the first time a Pakistani military facility has been attacked. Last year, there was a much bigger attack on the General Head Quarters of the Pakistani Army in Rawalpindi. The attack was much worse and has involved much more casualties. There has also been attacks on Pakistani Police Academies.

The PNS Mehran attack brings out a number of puzzling questions for the Pakistani administration.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

It is believed that the operation will end soon.

Copyright © 2011 Ashwath Komath