23 replies to this topic

[noxiouspython]

Aoa


In the light of the recent developments in the Middle East, the prospects of a regional war have increase dramatically. In your opinion, what would/should be the position of Pakistan incase of a regional conflict?

Also, thou very unlikely, incase of a nuclear strike by the Israelis [on say Saudi/Iran], what should be the stance of Pakistan?


w/salaam

[1Pakistani]

WELL VERY SIMPLE ANSWER: attack on SUADI whether it be nuclear or non-nuclear it would mean bye bye bye bye israel and trust me as soon as israel even gives slighest hint that it is going for suadi arabia than that would automatically bring pakistan in to conflict.

If im not getting it wrong pakistan does have pact to protect or send tropps if need being somewhat similar to uae beside pakistan was meant to base its troops there as well. Now SUADI GOVERNMENT mite be american lap dog but the position of sudai as holy land doesnt change and it will not only bring pakistan but almost all muslim world into conflict.

NOW U srsly believe israel would dare using nukes with out taking out pakistan first. SUADI is covered by pakistan nuclear umberlla thats y they fund our program and any hint of such attack would mean another genocide against jews this time far worst than what hitler did and that too in minutes.

[aziqbal]

SUADI is covered by pakistan nuclear umberlla thats y they fund our program and any hint of such attack would mean another genocide against jews this time far worst than what hitler did and that two in minutes.

Now that is a interesting point my friend.

[CounterPunch]

well i see it a bit differently.

i blame it squarely on ARABS themselves..

they have intentionally tried to keep this whole issue an -ARAB-ISRAEL- issue and they have kept the major players out of it. and i call pakistan and iran major players.

had they included pakistan and iran right from the beginning things cud have been a bit different. IRAN and PAKISTAN are not like arabs..they have got the guts and the skills..not just emotions stored to cry out when they have bombed ur homes.

but  instead they relied and are still relying on there so called arab league..while sending OIC in the rear.

this is an issue for the whle muslim ummah..and not that of just arabs.  if arabs want to solve it all by themselves.....then i dont see they being able to solve it in the next 100 years at least.


the first step shud be finish this arab league..and start talking this issue on oic platforms.
(about pakistans role..coming soon..sorry got to go:) )

[maglomanic]

Saudi Arabia has it's own Missiles that can reach Israel. Pakistan doesn't need to retaliate from it's soil. Pakistan can provide them with warheads. All in all i don't expect a very cohesive reply from muslim world. Likes of Jordan, Egypt and Saudia and their suspicions of Syria, Iran with Iraq a very confusing case, M.E is the last place Pakistan should get involved in.
However Israel has a tendency to act in utter paranoia and might read too much into Pakistan's nuclear ability and try to create a nexus with India. We simply need means to assure Israel that there will be no wailing wall for their generations to come if they take the liberty of attacking us or taking part in it.

[GreenBeret]

PA has stationed some forces to protect Saudi family however in order to save Kaaba,Pakistan will send forces however wat have saudis done for our issue: Kashmir??????????????????????

[1Pakistani]

PA has stationed some forces to protect Saudi family however in order to save Kaaba,Pakistan will send forces however wat have saudis done for our issue: Kashmir??????????????????????

they have done enough to keep our country running while we were under sanctions isnt that something. just imagne we had to pay $1billion per year for oil from our pocket.

[CounterPunch]

PA has stationed some forces to protect Saudi family however in order to save Kaaba,Pakistan will send forces however wat have saudis done for our issue: Kashmir??????????????????????

i dont think pakistan does all this to expect something back from them ..its our religion duty..and as we have the power to perform it...we shud not hasitate..

moreover the thing is we shud stand shoulder to shoulder in safeguarding each others interests...
there are clearly two blocks at the moment..and pakistan can really bridge them..

saudi,jordan
syria,iran

and the rest siding with either of the two or staying indifferent. pakistan holds good relations with both blocks..we need to bridge them together....

[GreenBeret]

i dont think pakistan does all this to expect something back from them ..its our religion duty..and as we have the power to perform it...we shud not hasitate..

moreover the thing is we shud stand shoulder to shoulder in safeguarding each others interests...
there are clearly two blocks at the moment..and pakistan can really bridge them..

saudi,jordan
syria,iran

and the rest siding with either of the two or staying indifferent. pakistan holds good relations with both blocks..we need to bridge them together....

its all give n take yaar,pakistan has its own problems,they should b sorted out first before plunging somewhere else.

[noxiouspython]

Saudi Arabia has it's own Missiles that can reach Israel. Pakistan doesn't need to retaliate from it's soil. Pakistan can provide them with warheads. All in all i don't expect a very cohesive reply from muslim world. Likes of Jordan, Egypt and Saudia and their suspicions of Syria, Iran with Iraq a very confusing case, M.E is the last place Pakistan should get involved in.
However Israel has a tendency to act in utter paranoia and might read too much into Pakistan's nuclear ability and try to create a nexus with India. We simply need means to assure Israel that there will be no wailing wall for their generations to come if they take the liberty of attacking us or taking part in it.

Aoa


nice!

I just herd Kasuri say that we cannot take military action against Israel, for the obvious reason, our forces can't just fly to Israel. And i think he has got a point there.

But what we can do is help and actively help, icase of a middle eastern war. But for now we should try and hold a OIC session and try to get a united stance out of the Muslims.

w/salaam

[CounterPunch]

its all give n take yaar,pakistan has its own problems,they should b sorted out first before plunging somewhere else.

talking of greater ummah? and how on earth can we solve any of the problems confronting muslim states everywhere.... together we stand..divided we Fall.

moreover i want a greater role to be played by O.I.C and not by these regional useless powerless organisations..like Arab league.. its time that we start owning all the issues rather than saying arabs can solve it for themselves..and arabs wud say non-arabs can solve it for themslves.

"pakistan first" is a slogan almost contrary to greater ummah concept...and when i say greater ummah i dont mean i m talking of GREATER UMMAH rising and conquering the whole world..but that...the greater Ummah shudnot be treated with hypocrisy/grudge/revenge.

Pakistan,Iran,Syria,Saudi arabia,egypt can come forward as a block..strongly and jealously standing by our rights.

we cant wait for ever..something has to happen now.

[thunderinaction]

I think that unless the Arabs develop a better thinking, your plan of GREATER UMMAH can never be formed. The arabs think that they are superior to others. That is a plague that has been infecting their thinking.But you dont see non-arabs willing to be more interested in OIC. Like only our President has been calling for the strengthening of OIC, i have never read or heard of any other muslim country dignitary emphasizing so many times on the strengthening of OIC.The formation of anyother kind of joint military force seems like a far cry. This i think will only happen once a real shift in the thinkning of people occurs.
And believe me BYOB by system of a down is to some extent based on these party sheikhs.

[wiseking]

Repositioning Pakistan


By Shahid Javed Burki

WITH the insurgency in Iraq moving towards a civil war and with the Israelis and Hezbollah locked in a battle that shows no sign of ending, Pakistanis have begun to fear that they may once again begin to lose the attention of American policymakers. They need not be concerned. The recent events in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, in southern Afghanistan and in Mumbai, have shifted the spotlight from terrorism towards Islamic radicalism in the West’s ongoing war. Once again, Pakistan is being cast in a role that it does not wish to play. Nor should it.

A number of groups — the Indians, the Afghans, and a section of policy analysts in the United States — have very deliberately decided not so much to make a scapegoat goat of Pakistan as to pressure it to reposition itself. While Iraq and Lebanon and the Gaza Strip were going up in flames, The Washington Post found enough space on its front page on July 24 to write a story under the title “Pakistan Expanding Nuclear Programme.” The arguments and assumptions behind all this pressure run as follows. The Muslim world has splintered into two distinct halves; one prefers mayhem in order to humble the West, the other would like to see it well integrated with the West and move towards modernisation and globalisation. There is a danger that a Muslim state equipped with a large nuclear arsenal would find it difficult to keep these highly destructive weapons from leaking into the hands of those who manage and command the Muslim street that favours mayhem. Pakistan should not be made to worry about the street but to unambiguously support the moderate Muslim states.

Why the sudden focus on Pakistan? The reason for this unwanted attention is simple. It is to force Islamabad to reposition itself on the side of what some policymakers now see as the moderate Sunni states in the Muslim world. Seemingly, these countries are threatened by the “stateless people”, mostly Shia, who have now begun to openly challenge the United States and its unflinching support for Israel.

The West, including India, the latest recruit in the “coalition of the willing”, finds Pakistan’s position in this latest divide ambiguous. On July 27, The Washington Post, drawing inspiration from the story about Islamabad’s expanding nuclear programme, published a cartoon that shows a mushroom cloud, produced by an atomic explosion, with the inscription, “Pakistan’s New Plutonium Reactor: An Axis of Ambiguity.”

Islamabad should see this pressure on Pakistan in a broad perspective. I will argue today that the initial purpose of the war against terrorism has morphed into a war between two ideologies and some of its protagonists are following a set of objectives Islamabad would find difficult to pursue.

This is particularly the case in the way the Indians are handling Muslim discontent in their country, the way the United States is dealing with the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the growing discontent of the large segments of the population in a number of Muslim countries, and the presence of Israel in the midst of the Muslim world. Israel is being encouraged to use extreme force to reorder the Muslim world. There is a suggestion that force could also be used by a surrogate — perhaps India — to properly position Pakistan. According to this line of thinking, Pakistan needs to be repositioned to advance the West’s agenda in many parts of the Muslim world.

According to Robert D. Kaplan, the national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly and the author of Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islamabad has left the coalition assembled by President George W. Bush to fight terrorism. “The United States and Nato will not prevail unless they can persuade Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf, to help us more than he has. Unfortunately, based on what senior Afghans have explained in detail to American officials, Pakistan is now supporting the Taliban in a manner similar to the way it supported the Afghan Mujahideen against the Soviets two decades ago.”

This charge was levelled in an article contributed to the pages of The New York Times on July 20. But it is not only Kabul that is pointing an accusatory finger at Pakistan. New Delhi has joined the chorus of accusers. The way India is seeking to involve Pakistan in the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai should be instructive for Islamabad’s policymakers. What is also interesting and troubling is the response of several influential analysts in the West — in particular the US — to the Mumbai incident. The impression is being created that India — compared, say to Israel — has shown remarkable tolerance against Pakistan’s atavistic behaviour. According to Sebastian Mallaby, a highly respected columnist who writes in The Washington Post on economic issues, “we’re going to need something dramatic to reward India whose response to terrorism last week was exemplary.”

Why was the Indian reaction exemplary? According to Mallaby: “Coordinated bombings in Bombay commuter trains kill 182 people and wound hundreds. On the same day a grenade attack at a bus station in Kashmir injures at least six tourists. The Indians announce that a new incarnation of a Kashmir independence group called Lashkar-e-Taiba is the main suspect in the Bombay attacks. Just as Hezbollah is a part of a Lebanon’s ruling coalition, the group operates openly in Pakistan and is said to be backed by the country’s intelligence services.”

The implication is clear: Indians could have acted the way the Israelis did who carried out weeks of punishing bombing and artillery barrage of more than a thousand targets, mostly civilian, in Lebanon. Instead, what was the “Indian’s response?” asks Mallaby. “No reprisals, no bombings. No threat to cut off diplomatic communications with Pakistan and no massing of troops on the India-Pakistan border. Instead, the Indians tell Pakistan that a forthcoming meeting of foreign ministers must be postponed. And they seek support from the Bush administration and the United Nations to get Pakistan to clamp down on the terrorists.”

Having determined that there was perhaps a link between the Mumbai bombings and the groups that have a presence in Pakistan, serious thinkers in the West — in particular in the United States — are prepared to support all kinds of belligerence against Pakistan. This line of argument reminds me of what has come to be called in Washington’s policy circles the “one per cent doctrine.” This doctrine is spelled out in chilling detail by Ron Suskind in his most recent book, The One Per Cent Doctrine: Deep Inside America’s Pursuit of its Enemies since 9/11.

The doctrine was laid down by Dick Cheney, the American vice-president, in a conversation with senior policymakers in Washington. Interestingly, Suskind writes that that conversation took place with reference to a report that some Pakistani scientists may have tried to help Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda organisation acquire weapons of mass destruction. “If there is one per cent chance that Pakistani scientists are helping Al Qaeda build a nuclear weapon, we have to treat it as a certainty in terms of our response,” Cheney is quoted as having told his senior colleagues. “It is not our analysis, or finding a preponderance of evidence. It is our response.”

According to this view “even if there was one per cent chance of the unimaginable ... act as if it is a certainty.” In other words, going back to the argument offered by Mallaby, a suspicion that a group based in Pakistan — or with origins in Pakistan — may have been involved in the incident in Mumbai is enough to justify action against Islamabad. Not military action initially but aggressive and no holds barred diplomacy. “So the challenge in the Middle East and beyond is to show that diplomacy can function. In the wake of the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan is a good place to start: China, a traditional Pakistani ally, should join the United States in telling Pakistan to close down its jihadi network. Until now, of course, China has regarded India-Pakistan tensions as a strategic plus. But it needs to update its worldview. Trade and investment between China and India are growing, and China depends on imported oil. War in India, or the emboldening of Pakistani jihadists with links to the Middle East, is not in its interest.” In other words, China should join the group — an anti-Pakistan coalition — to punish the country and bring Islamabad’s policymakers to their senses.

India has succeeded in cornering Pakistan in a position that is popular in the West. It has portrayed its Muslim neighbour as a country active in the terrorism axis — a part of the global Islamic plot to play havoc in the modern world. We should look at the Indian approach in the context of the way the West is viewing its conflict with the Muslim world.

There is an active debate in policy circles about the motives that have persuaded so many people in the Muslim world to take up arms against the West. Are they participants in a global war, a clash of civilisations between a Christian, modernising and caring West and a backward Muslim world that shows little respect for life, its own and that of other people? Pakistan, according to the way the Indians have portrayed a number of terrorist acts on its territory, is a supporter, perhaps an ambiguous one, of the Muslim war against economic modernisation and social advance. If there is a problem in India, Pakistan must be behind it.

The other way of looking at what is going on currently in the Middle East, in Kashmir, in Chechnya and in several other places is that disparate and desperate people are fighting against foreign oppressors and against their own governments that seek to advance the narrow interests of the small establishments. For Israel in the Middle East, the Russians in Chechnya and the Indians in Kashmir it is convenient to portray the struggle of the people they wish to control as part of a large conflict between backwardness and modernity. This is the conflict predicted in 1996 by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington. His book, The Clash of Civilisations, has become a bible for those who want the West’s leaders to aggressively and resolutely confront the Muslim world.

It is, of course, convenient for New Delhi to cast not only the resistance in Kashmir but also the alienation of its large Muslim population in this light. In this way, the Indian authorities can find an alibi for some of the actions they are taking in Kashmir and the way Muslim discontent is being handled in their country.

How should Islamabad act as a participant in what promises to be a long-enduring conflict? To begin with it should define its own strategic interests rather than follow those of other players in the game. But for national interests to be advanced they must have the support of all major segments of society. They should not reflect the interests of small elites. Policies for protecting national interests must be devised with the help of fully representative public institutions.

-Dawn

[Sharif Smuggler]

Pakistan should stand back, allow Arab leaders to seek refuge in Pakistan then torture the ###### out of the idiots! The fact that these countries with all the money and resources in the world to this day cannot even make their own bullets or anything of their own!!

Its their fault that they are soo weak! NOT pakistans!
Just imagine how powerful a country Saudi could become if they just had the brains and the balls!

[1Pakistani]

i think we shud do 24 style here. any1 here can get access to OIC meeting main audio system so at least we ppl can knock some sense into these leaders and make them realise wat is happening but than again these are the signs for Day of Judgement approaching so Allah has decided the best and we got these crupt leaders.

SORRY GUYS IM GONNA TURN IT TO RELIGIOUS THREAD FOR LITTLE BIT.

Well the article above is just amphisisng the point that we muslims are in an era which is not good for us and guys this might just be the begning for us and much worst is to come. As has been pointed out by Prohpet Mohammad (PBUH) that these wars will be very bad for muslims and it will be such that out of every 100, 99 will lose their lives and still there will be enogh muslims to beat these evils.

Guys i like to point out one major thing here DEJAL. What is Dejal, we dont know and who is Dejal we dont know but throh Hadiz we do come to realsie that It could be a political system and wat system could it be and if im not wrong in pointing out it is non other than DEMOCRACY. West is trying to spread democracy in muslim land and which is resulting in death of thousands of muslims.
Now in spreading the following is happening.

1. Muslims are getting killed through relentless bombardment (flames from sky)
2. Muslims are helpless, despite being in greater numbers we are nothing less than Hay in ocean which does not have powere where it will flow.
3. Romans (allies) will invite each other to come and attack muslims countries as if they are passing some good dish to each other on a dinning table.
4. Take a look in west ppl really dont have life, the meaning of life has changed, u go to work 9-5 and than when u get home u are tried enough u go to sleep and the same process is repeating and futhermore mothers are not longer responsible of their kids they too are involved in this process thus the low level of birth rate in west is quite good proof.

these above mentioned facts are happening today and these are wat we have been foretold by Prophet MOhammed (PBUH) and now these are steps being taking by preacher of Democracy thus showing is the strenght of Dejal (possible Democarctic system). Now furter we are told that Dejal will have one eye can it be USA the biggest preacher of democracy and its spying system it is able to keep track of wat is happeining all over the world, though im quite wrong but only time will tell us abt these things.

Now to address the point of Gog and Magog who are they well as far as i know they are the other two childrens Jews are the main one but GOG MaGOG are from same blood but they moved in to the mountains and wat could this mean are these ppl chinese as as pointed out to us once again these ppl will come from mountains and u will see rivers flowing of these ppls now considering the strength of China and its grwoing power could China be the ppl of GOG and Magog or else CAS states are other ppl and as mention these ppl will come over the mountains well china has big mountain range in between it and pakistan and other muslim nations.

Now this could go on and on.. So what can we do and what can pakistan do....

once again i will point out one thing abt pakistan

Pakistan came into being on August 14, 1947. As the Creator willed it, the date corresponded with the empowering night of Ramadan 27 of the year 1366 after the Prophet’s Hijra. Its great destiny was thus set from the start..

the above is very important point abt pakistan and if we trace the history since our birth and wat we had to put up with and considering how abt our political system, the currption and so one. So what has kept us still going despite all this happenign to us we are still there and with considerable strength to worry any enemy of Pakistan. SO one can question who is protecting pakistan, if we compare other countries who have been through similar time we can see these countries are devisated but pakistan is still there and it is grwoing day in day out so who is it that is keeping this country going and the only thing that comes into ones mind is ALMIGHTY ALLAH. We were given birth on the best possible date and have been protected by Allah for so long and will be protected by Allah. So what does this tell us abt Pakistan well as we know from Hadiz that the final army will rise from this and could this creation and strengthing of PAKISTan be the CREATION OF THAT FINAL ARMY. COULD IT BE THE STAGE FOR THE BIRTH OF THIS FINAL ARMY HAS BEEN SET BUT THERE IS STILL SOMETIME TO GO B4 THIS ARMY IS BORN AND RAISES ITS BLACK FLAG AND MOVES TOWARD HOLY LAND.

NOW as i have pointed out pakistan has very important role to play and there is some power behind pakistan which has kept it going for such long time despite facing difficulties. Now wat can pakistan and muslims do. Well to me and shud be to all u guys this is the test of our religion and our believe this is the test which we will have to pass to prove our self worhty of being called muslims and when pakistan does intervene in these conflicts than to me perosnally it will be with joint efforts of pakistan and Iran which would mean the final army has born and is abt to move off toward holyland. So we have to be patient and not lose our hope and our faith as allah will test us and there is further tests to come. So rather than us being saddened, annoyed and lose hope we shud try to strength our religion and get our ppl 2gehter. we can not survive this onslaught until we are one and if pakistan now takes steps which i doubt it would, we could become a mince meat for this power (maybe Dejal), so now we have to be patient and go through this time by standing arm with arm and that is our only hope.

[noxiouspython]

Pakistan should stand back, allow Arab leaders to seek refuge in Pakistan then torture the ###### out of the idiots! The fact that these countries with all the money and resources in the world to this day cannot even make their own bullets or anything of their own!!

Its their fault that they are soo weak! NOT pakistans!
Just imagine how powerful a country Saudi could become if they just had the brains and the balls!

Aoa



I know brother, you didn't mean it in that way, but this struck me and i wanted to point it out.

I would rather have them realize the fallacy of there "alliance" with the West, and pay more attention ot the Muslims...

And Insh-Allah they, and all, should seek refuge in Allah swt, for no one else is better a protector and helper.

Allah is sufficient as a Friend, and Allah is sufficient as a Helper. [Al Quran 4:45]

w/salaam

[postman]

This is my view of how Pakistan should position itself;

Pakistan should use this war to sell more weapons to the Arab nations and build its own military defence industry (along the lines of the USA in World War 2 in its land lease deals with various nations). Pakistan should stand back for as long as possible and use this opportunity to test its weapons and test its manufacturing capability to the limit. Pakistan should also study the tactics of the Israeli war machine and adapt what works into its own operations and look at what does not work and why(although I believe Pakistan’s armed forces probably already do that). Its no secret that the anti tank missiles are Russian made funnelled from Syrian stocks, the question Pakistan has to ask is; why Russian and not Pakistani? Pakistan should at least have its weapons tested in that theatre. There is no better test than a real war.  

Pakistan should also send military delegations to the Arab nations as advisors and planners to help them build their own military manufacturing capacity. Now is the best time for Pakistan to press home its own advantage in the manufacturing and development sphere. With the Arab world on the edge of what could be another humiliation it should be the salesmen of Pakistan’s defence industries that are out their pressing hands and getting orders. Get the Arabs to make firm commitments to themselves and by extension to Pakistan.

Pakistan has minimal stake in Lebanon unlike the UAE or Saudi Arabia who financed the rebuilding and the invested close to $14billion, or Syria who has the Golan heights in dispute with Israel or Iran that is trying to project its power across the region using Hizbollah. Pakistan is not a front line state in the battle with Israel and has no real hostility towards Israel other than the Israel/ Palestinian two state solution.
Pakistan should also use this moment to squeeze more investment into its technology and development fund from Arab states.

Pakistan is Saudi’s strategic ally and there is no danger of an escalation from Israel to open a third front against Saudi. The repercussions of such an action would bring Pakistan directly into the conflict in terms of assets and manpower. With that in mind it, does not mean that Pakistan should underplay an attack on Saudi to its own advantage in terms of weapons sales and investment in Pakistan’s defence industry. Saudi has recently gone on a spending spree by signing deals for the Euro fighter and US helicopters and tanks and armoured personnel carriers, to the tune of billions of dollars, why couldn’t any Pakistani company offer any deal to the Saudi regime ? This question has to be resolved by Pakistan’s defence industry the sooner the better.

With Pakistan soon to be making its own fighter jet (J-17 Thunder) Lebanon would be the ideal first customer having shown itself unable to muster any credible air defence to the Israelis. Pakistan should start rapid manufacturing or at least go out and sell that plane to nations that are at the mercy of bigger stronger neighbours. Pakistan should sell its weapons on its own experiences with a hostile neighbour many times its size.

Pakistan has little influence in the Middle East without the support of the Arab nations and none more than Saudi Arabia influence Pakistan’s position on Middle Eastern matters. Can Pakistan position itself separately to Saudi Arabia? Is it in Pakistan’s interest to be detached from its largest energy provider on matters that impact it directly in its own region? I don’t believe Pakistan should try to muscle into the region, especially when Pakistan’s own region is not fully under Pakistan’s control.

Pakistan and Iran is a more complicated issue. What are Iran’s intentions with its anti Israeli speeches and war mongering noises? Its no secret that both Saudi Arabia and Iran are jostling for leadership of their region and in their eyes the leadership of the Muslims of the world. Does Pakistan proscribe to the views of Iran regarding Israel, I don’t think so. Does Pakistan support Hizbollah? So far no official support for Hizbollah from the Government of Pakistan only the support for the Lebanese people and the Govt of Lebanon. Pakistan has taken the Saudi position of distancing itself from Iran’s policy of goading Israel. Pakistan requires Iran’s gas and has made it clear even without Indian participation. The price is a sticking matter and the project itself is leading the US to make rash judgments in its nuclear apartheid policy by offering India status for testing its nuclear bombs while punishing Pakistan for merely responding to the provocative tests. Iran has made it pretty clear that its energy will go to the best paying market and its fully entitled to make choices in its own strategic interest but that does not mean Pakistan should be brotherly in matters of defence with Iran. Pakistan should push Iran onwards while securing arms and munitions contracts.

Pakistan has confidence in its ability to defend itself against a country many times its size armed to the teeth with soviet weapons, surely Pakistan should project that confidence to its fellow Muslim countries by offering them training and weapons that allow them to fight back. Rather than Pakistan pushing into their conflicts directly where the regional players have far less to lose than Pakistan has to gain. Pakistan’s long term view should be of becoming the Muslim world’s arsenal. If the economic benefits of joining the USA’s war on terror are not forth coming quick enough then Pakistan should make it clear that it will (as Kennedy’s famous Inaugural Address Friday, January 20, 1961) “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of Islam (liberty)” Replace Liberty with Islam and voila! Pakistan has its own strategic goal independent from Washington or China but firmly in the Muslim world (Although on a saner note the last OIC meeting in Mecca was meant to be a serious affair. The signatures signed at the holiest of places in Islam in December and when tested during the Lebanon crisis only 18 nations turned up from 57). Depending on how far the regional nations of the Middle East want to take the war with Israel Pakistan should offer maximum support in weapons it makes. The only problem with Pakistan going in full tilt and spending resources and manpower, is that the Arab nations themselves might turn away from the conflict in their own national interests and leave Pakistan holding the can. In which case Pakistan will be extended in the Middle East and pinched from Afghanistan coupled with India looking for its chance to make its presence felt and off course the internal minor conflicts with lashings of traitors singing the democratic tune in bed with the enemy.
Allow the regional nations to exert their forces and Pakistan to back them up with military supplies is the only way to gauge the seriousness of the conflict and to what depth Pakistan is actually wanted and needed. Pakistan should not allow itself to be drawn into this religious emotional blackmail of the other Arab states. Neither Syria nor Iran have engaged directly with Israel or asked Pakistan for military weapons. Even the Lebanese Government is not pitting its soldiers against Israel.  Many nations gain from wars Pakistan should be no different.
Pakistan has learned its lesson from previous encounters with India that weakness is not conducive to peace, why haven’t the members of the Arab league? If Pakistan has to position itself then it should be to the maximum benefit of Pakistan.

[shadowofbeautiful]

My two cents, well i dont think It would ever come to that. Taking on Iran or Syria on its own is not something Israel would be able to do on its own, it cant survive one of them let alone two of them, hence comes Uncle into picture, why should Israeli's go to war, when Uncle can do it on their behalf more effeciently and effectively.

And maglo is right, Pakistan is in no need to fight someone else's war, however i have always been a strong advocate of stronger military and strategic presence of Pakistan on the western and northern end of Saudi. Iran on the other hand needs no one's help, they are strong enough and got balls enough for the israel's

[Yahya]

we have always had the same position, and it will remain as it has always been and always will be:D

[asamih]

This is my view of how Pakistan should position itself;

Pakistan should use this war to sell more weapons to the Arab nations and build its own military defence industry (along the lines of the USA in World War 2 in its land lease deals with various nations). Pakistan should stand back for as long as possible and use this opportunity to test its weapons and test its manufacturing capability to the limit. Pakistan should also study the tactics of the Israeli war machine and adapt what works into its own operations and look at what does not work and why(although I believe Pakistan’s armed forces probably already do that). Its no secret that the anti tank missiles are Russian made funnelled from Syrian stocks, the question Pakistan has to ask is; why Russian and not Pakistani? Pakistan should at least have its weapons tested in that theatre. There is no better test than a real war.  

Pakistan should also send military delegations to the Arab nations as advisors and planners to help them build their own military manufacturing capacity. Now is the best time for Pakistan to press home its own advantage in the manufacturing and development sphere. With the Arab world on the edge of what could be another humiliation it should be the salesmen of Pakistan’s defence industries that are out their pressing hands and getting orders. Get the Arabs to make firm commitments to themselves and by extension to Pakistan.

Pakistan has minimal stake in Lebanon unlike the UAE or Saudi Arabia who financed the rebuilding and the invested close to $14billion, or Syria who has the Golan heights in dispute with Israel or Iran that is trying to project its power across the region using Hizbollah. Pakistan is not a front line state in the battle with Israel and has no real hostility towards Israel other than the Israel/ Palestinian two state solution.
Pakistan should also use this moment to squeeze more investment into its technology and development fund from Arab states.

Pakistan is Saudi’s strategic ally and there is no danger of an escalation from Israel to open a third front against Saudi. The repercussions of such an action would bring Pakistan directly into the conflict in terms of assets and manpower. With that in mind it, does not mean that Pakistan should underplay an attack on Saudi to its own advantage in terms of weapons sales and investment in Pakistan’s defence industry. Saudi has recently gone on a spending spree by signing deals for the Euro fighter and US helicopters and tanks and armoured personnel carriers, to the tune of billions of dollars, why couldn’t any Pakistani company offer any deal to the Saudi regime ? This question has to be resolved by Pakistan’s defence industry the sooner the better.

With Pakistan soon to be making its own fighter jet (J-17 Thunder) Lebanon would be the ideal first customer having shown itself unable to muster any credible air defence to the Israelis. Pakistan should start rapid manufacturing or at least go out and sell that plane to nations that are at the mercy of bigger stronger neighbours. Pakistan should sell its weapons on its own experiences with a hostile neighbour many times its size.

Pakistan has little influence in the Middle East without the support of the Arab nations and none more than Saudi Arabia influence Pakistan’s position on Middle Eastern matters. Can Pakistan position itself separately to Saudi Arabia? Is it in Pakistan’s interest to be detached from its largest energy provider on matters that impact it directly in its own region? I don’t believe Pakistan should try to muscle into the region, especially when Pakistan’s own region is not fully under Pakistan’s control.

Pakistan and Iran is a more complicated issue. What are Iran’s intentions with its anti Israeli speeches and war mongering noises? Its no secret that both Saudi Arabia and Iran are jostling for leadership of their region and in their eyes the leadership of the Muslims of the world. Does Pakistan proscribe to the views of Iran regarding Israel, I don’t think so. Does Pakistan support Hizbollah? So far no official support for Hizbollah from the Government of Pakistan only the support for the Lebanese people and the Govt of Lebanon. Pakistan has taken the Saudi position of distancing itself from Iran’s policy of goading Israel. Pakistan requires Iran’s gas and has made it clear even without Indian participation. The price is a sticking matter and the project itself is leading the US to make rash judgments in its nuclear apartheid policy by offering India status for testing its nuclear bombs while punishing Pakistan for merely responding to the provocative tests. Iran has made it pretty clear that its energy will go to the best paying market and its fully entitled to make choices in its own strategic interest but that does not mean Pakistan should be brotherly in matters of defence with Iran. Pakistan should push Iran onwards while securing arms and munitions contracts.

Pakistan has confidence in its ability to defend itself against a country many times its size armed to the teeth with soviet weapons, surely Pakistan should project that confidence to its fellow Muslim countries by offering them training and weapons that allow them to fight back. Rather than Pakistan pushing into their conflicts directly where the regional players have far less to lose than Pakistan has to gain. Pakistan’s long term view should be of becoming the Muslim world’s arsenal. If the economic benefits of joining the USA’s war on terror are not forth coming quick enough then Pakistan should make it clear that it will (as Kennedy’s famous Inaugural Address Friday, January 20, 1961) “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of Islam (liberty)” Replace Liberty with Islam and voila! Pakistan has its own strategic goal independent from Washington or China but firmly in the Muslim world (Although on a saner note the last OIC meeting in Mecca was meant to be a serious affair. The signatures signed at the holiest of places in Islam in December and when tested during the Lebanon crisis only 18 nations turned up from 57). Depending on how far the regional nations of the Middle East want to take the war with Israel Pakistan should offer maximum support in weapons it makes. The only problem with Pakistan going in full tilt and spending resources and manpower, is that the Arab nations themselves might turn away from the conflict in their own national interests and leave Pakistan holding the can. In which case Pakistan will be extended in the Middle East and pinched from Afghanistan coupled with India looking for its chance to make its presence felt and off course the internal minor conflicts with lashings of traitors singing the democratic tune in bed with the enemy.
Allow the regional nations to exert their forces and Pakistan to back them up with military supplies is the only way to gauge the seriousness of the conflict and to what depth Pakistan is actually wanted and needed. Pakistan should not allow itself to be drawn into this religious emotional blackmail of the other Arab states. Neither Syria nor Iran have engaged directly with Israel or asked Pakistan for military weapons. Even the Lebanese Government is not pitting its soldiers against Israel.  Many nations gain from wars Pakistan should be no different.
Pakistan has learned its lesson from previous encounters with India that weakness is not conducive to peace, why haven’t the members of the Arab league? If Pakistan has to position itself then it should be to the maximum benefit of Pakistan.

I think you are totally correct. Great post   .