US weapons in TTP hands

The Frontier Post
In an interview with the CNN army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas has claimed that many of the Pakistan Taliban’s arms are coming from Afghanistan. He replied in the affirmative when asked whether that included NATO weapons as suggested in recent reports. He said Washington was too focused on the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal whereas the US should stop worrying about the nukes and start worrying about the weapons lost in Afghanistan. A US government report last month warned that the Pentagon did not have “complete records” for about one-third of the 242,000 weapons the United States had provided to the Afghan army, or for a further 135,000 weapons other countries sent. “The Afghan army cannot fully safeguard and account for weapons”, the Government Accountability Office had stated. The US has to understand that those weapons are landing in the hands of Pakistani Taliban, and it is happening under the US/NATO watch. It is in fact their responsibility to stop smuggling of arms to Pakistan. ISPR spokesman Athar Abbas also stated that Taliban fighters in Pakistan were getting weapons and support from foreign intelligence agencies; he however did not mention the names of the countries. People of Pakistan do not understand that despite Pakistan’s cooperation in fighting the war on terror and having lost many members of the security forces the US and India are accusing Pakistan of aiding and abetting Taliban. On the other hand, Pakistan government has at number of times claimed that it has incontrovertible evidence that India is funding and supplying arms to Balochistan rebels and militants in FATA but it does not expose India and its strategic partner the US. Recently, Times of India reported that Baitullah Mehsud is working for the ISI, which is travesty of the truth. In fact, he is in cahoots with India and the US, which is why the US has not seriously tried to take him out. In a recent report, the ISI had provided information to the military commanders about Baitullah Mehsud’s exact location but CIA-operated drones refrained to knock him down. This is reflective of CIA/RAW’s involvement in creating disturbances in Pakistan with the help of people like Baitullah Mehsud. Unfortuately, Pakistan is feeling shy in exposing both India and the US. On the other hand, India concocts stories to malign Pakistan. Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor has alleged that women terrorists are being trained at camps inside Pakistan and along the border with Afghanistan for executing subversive activities. Given the social set up and structure of Pakistani society, can any one even imagine that Pakistan would indulge in such activities? In fact it is India and Israel that can stoop so low to achieve their pernicious designs. After the army started Swat operation, the US has taken some ‘respite’ in accusing Pakistan that it has links with the militants, otherwise earlier the CIA has been trying to make Pakistan/ISI a scapegoat for their failures in Afghanistan. Now, US generals and other government functionaries are appreciating military operation in Malakand division, which they should not do because that conveys an impression that Pakistan has taken the decision at the US’ behest. Whatever the reasons behind the increase in insurgency and whose war it was, the fact of the matter is that now it is very much Pakistan’s war and it has to be won to rid the people of thugs and their thuggish activities.