MetaFilter posts tagged with Pakistan

The Intelligence Factory

smoke — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:36:17 -0800

A journalist tries to track down the truth about a recent terror detainee.

Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan

Burhanistan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:18:28 -0800

Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan - by Jeremy Scahill [via]

Are nuclear weapons safe in Pakistan?

homunculus — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:44:09 -0800

Defending the Arsenal: In an unstable Pakistan, can nuclear warheads be kept safe?

David Rohde: Held by the Taliban

Merik — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:05:46 -0800

On a reporting trip to Afghanistan in November of 2008, New York Times reporter David Rohde and two of his colleagues were kidnapped by the Taliban. After being held captive for seven months in the mountains of Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan, David and one of his colleagues escaped in the middle of the night and made their way to freedom. He recounts the story in a five part series: Held by the Taliban. Part One: Kidnapped Part Two: The New Islamic State Part Three: Understanding the Captors Part Four: Through the Eyes of Jihadists Part Five: Escape Epilogue The intro for the series includes video summaries narrated by David Rohde. (previously)

Obama's War

kliuless — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:24:43 -0800

Frontline in Afghanistan
In a war that has lasted eight years, what is the way forward now? BONUS

On The Front Lines With Frontline - "Pakistan is more an enemy of the United States"
Exum vs. Bacevich - "my fundamental contention is that we have better things to do than to try to transform Afghanistan into something it has never been"
On the chain of command - "the time to adjust the strategy is as new evidence comes in"
Obama On Afghanistan - "doesn't sound like a major counter-insurgency"
To Beat the Taliban, Fight From Afar - "American and NATO military forces themselves are a major cause of the deteriorating situation"
Nation building - "for some reason we believe that American policy is capable of accomplishing things in Pakistan and Afghanistan that we would never dream it could do in Mexico"
Lessons Learned - "the ongoing debate within the Army between those who say the service must prepare for major combat operations and those who argue irregular wars are the future is a false one... war is art, not science... trying to prevail in current conflicts and preparing for other contingencies, between institutionalizing capabilities such as counterinsurgency and foreign military assistance and maintaining the United States' existing conventional and strategic technological edge"

lastly, to give my personal opinion, after watching this i'm pretty convinced that escalation in afghanistan would be a debacle...

Food for the Soul

adamvasco — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:31:05 -0800

The other side of Islam - Abida Parveen (last.fm) sings verses by the Sufi saint Bulleh Shah. and here is Main Nara-E-Mastana and Mast Qalandar. She is sometimes called the natural sucessor of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan though there is also his nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
Begum Abida is associated most closely with the verses of the Sufi saint Shah Abdul Latif, (wiki) some of whose illustrated veses are shown here. She has also sung the verses of other Sufi saints, including Amir Khusrau, Bulleh Shah, Sachal Sarmast, Sultan Bahu, and others such as Kabir and Waris Shah.
More about Qawwali (Related: - kosem's outstanding post Disclaimer: I speak none of the languages here. It is just that the feeling and emotion is something that is no longer found in the west. Listening to this music makes the hairs stand up on my arms and my eyes fill with tears and I feel a deep peace.

Sex, bribes and videotape

ryoshu — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:01:17 -0800

FBI whistleblower, Sibel Edmonds, has gone on record with her allegations of government corruption and treason. (previously)

Morenatti, a conflict photographer

nickyskye — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:40:17 -0800

Some recent photographs by the renowned photojournalist Emilio Morenatti, Newspaper Photographer of the Year in 2009, who recently lost his foot in a bomb blast in Afghanistan. He was present at the 2007 assassination in Pakistan of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and barely escaped injury in that explosion. More of his recent work, a few duplicates, mentioned previously. He is recovering.

La - La; Can't hear you.

adamvasco — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:12:40 -0800

Tariq Ali writes in the LRB: - This is now Obama’s war. He campaigned to send more troops into Afghanistan and to extend the war, if necessary, into Pakistan. These pledges are now being fulfilled. On the day he publicly expressed his sadness at the death of a young Iranian woman caught up in the repression in Tehran, US drones killed 60 people in Pakistan.
Tariq Ali discusses the views of Graham Fuller an ex CIA Kabul station chief who thinks Obama's Policies are Making the Situation Worse in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The further view from Asia is that Pakistan wields a double-edged sword and that although the Pakistan-US plan are falling into place the militants, too, have their mechanisms in place, and they don't plan to deviate. A mighty collision is inevitable.
Meanwhile Kalashnikov demand soars.

Fatima Bhutto explains what the US is doing wrong in Pakistan

Lame_username — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:56:26 -0800

A thought provoking interview on the state of Pakistan in Guernica. Fatima Bhutto is the granddaughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and niece of the recently assasinated Benazir Bhutto. She is sharply critical of US policy in Pakistan and describes the death of her father in a way that would shame Machiavelli. Some say that she and George Clooney are an item.

Nice weather for protests.

shii — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:59:51 -0800

June has been a good month for political upheaval and mass protest. Peru (update), China, and Iran were discussed here previously. But how many of the following were you aware of: Canada, Thailand, Honduras, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Kashmir, Pakistan, and India? The latter four reflect a quite serious electricity shortage throughout the Indian subcontinent, during a record-breaking heat wave that has caused over 100 deaths. But don't worry, not everyone is dealing with life-threatening problems. In Israel 30,000 turned out to protest a parking lot. Meanwhile, Indymedia continues to cover all the bourgeois first-world protests you've never really wanted to know about.

Cry havoc and let loose the Dogs of War.

adamvasco — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:21:23 -0800

Nearly 2.4 million displaced; mostly in refugee camps where it's about 45 degrees Celsius with no wind. Their economy is devastated."The numbers of people who have moved in that last three and half weeks is the highest rate of movement we have seen for more than 20 years anywhere in the world."
Your tax dollars at work?

Frontline on the frontline.

gman — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:11:35 -0800

Children of the Taliban. More info on the homepage, including this slideshow on women's issues in Afghanistan.

Beneath the burqa

tavegyl — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:36:43 -0800

Shuttlecock burqas to fetish wear. Some snapshots of Pakistan's struggles with its sexual identities. Sex, love, dating and marriage* in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. In Peshawar, a vibrant porn scene coexists with conservative Islam and tribal traditions. Writers talk about being gay in Pakistan. In Lahore, where the Mela Chiraghan festival celebrates a Muslim sufi poet's love for a Hindu man, openly gay women have just launched Chay, the country's first magazine dealing with sexuality. Begum Nawazish Ali, a bisexual transvestite TV host, uses her transgressive persona to throw politicians off balance on air (previously). Meanwhile, there is a long history of hijras belonging to the third gender in Pakistan and neighbouring countries (photographs) (previously). This is also the country where Mukhtaran Mai was gang raped to punish her brother for a sexual transgression, the historical sex trade is no longer a respectable occupation, the Taliban flog a teenaged girl on film (warning: graphic), bans a Bollywood movie for "propogating homosexuality" and women are still killed for honour and subject to acid attacks. * Alys Faiz, the foreign wife of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, on marrying a Pakistani, just before the Partition

Rejoice for it is Spring

adamvasco — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:23:29 -0800

Joshi (a slideshow).
High in the Hindu Kush, north of troubled Swat and just South of Chitral are three valleys where the last of the Kalasha people live, and the legend of Alexander is strong. No census has been performed since 1998, but most experts put the current Kalasha population at about 3,000. ( wiki ).

As Heaven turns to Hell

adamvasco — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:41:09 -0800

The Swat Valley In NW Pakistan has been inhabited for over 2,500 years. Alexander the Great defeated Persia, thenceforth, he entered Swat via Kunar in 326 BC. In those days it was Buddhist. Described by many as Heaven on Earth; and as a land of story tellers it is now rapidly heading towards Hell on Earth. The Northern Areas of Pakistan must rate among some of the most beautiful in the world

Pakistan: We're into repeat here

adamvasco — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:51:09 -0800

Pakistan is complicated as Nicholas Schmidle explains. (His take on Zadari). Fatima Bhutto describes her late Aunt's widower as Obama's murderous guest and has previously called for the West to Stop Funding My Failing State. Of course one aim of the US-Afghan-Pakistani summit is a parade for aid. Another Pakistani politician, Imran Khan gives his views on how to clear the mess. The author Ahmed Rashid states Pakistan is on the brink of chaos. A note to foreign journalists.

A whole movie in one image

filthy light thief — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:31:38 -0800

Movie posters carry the movie in one still image. But they're also a great overview of trends, both artistic and popular. Modern major film posters are common enough, and if you're looking for some discussion of modern posters, Movie Poster Addict might be your scene. But dig deeper and you come across quality versions of foreign films, such as Mexican posters (deep link to a section of Pulp Morgue) or hand painted posters from Russia, India and Pakistan, even the US. MeFi's own flapjax at midnite shared a collection of recent finds from the 1960s and '70s on in this Flickr set. [flapjax at midnite's collection via mefi projects] Some-what pre-vious-ly on Me-ta-Filter. And not from MetaFilter, but from our favorite list site: 20 baffling foreign movie posters.

Faith and Ecstasy

adamvasco — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:51:24 -0800

Pakistan's believers in Islamic mysticism embrace a personal approach to their faith and a different outlook on how to run their country’s government. The BBC asks "Can Sufi Islam counter the Taleban?" The Economist reports "Of Saints and Sinners".
Meanwhile from two in-depth reporters; William Dalrymple : Pakistan is a country staring disaster in the face); and Moni Mohsin: A personal history of Pakistan on the brink.
The counterinsurgency tactics that seem to have worked so well in Iraq could backfire in Pakistan. (more articles from Nicholas Schmidle)

On this land that belongs to God

Abiezer — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:31:29 -0800

On the Militant Trail [Most recent of four articles with links to preceding pieces] Renowned Asia Times correspondent Syed Saleem Shahzad visits Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and takes a journey with the Taliban through the Swat valley. His four-part series of articles examines the differing natures and strategies of various Taliban groups, describes a government counter-insurgency campaign gone seriously awry and finds indications that "a major battle will be fought in Pakistan before the annual spring offensive even begins in Afghanistan this year."

Nuclear Proliferation Has A Home on the Interwebs

brookeb — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:02:04 -0800

One of the kings of nuclear proliferation has his own website. No mention of house arrest though.

Pakistan's Jihadi Problem Worsens

homunculus — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:30:08 -0800

Pakistan in Peril. "The relative calm in Iraq in recent months, combined with the drama of the US elections, has managed to distract attention from the catastrophe that is rapidly overwhelming Western interests in the part of the world that always should have been the focus of America's response to September 11: the al-Qaeda and Taliban heartlands on either side of the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan." [Via]

JOE 2008 examines changes/trends in the geopolitical and military landscape

445supermag — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:39:39 -0800

"Authored by the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM), the Joint Operating Environment (JOE 2008, pdf) outlines a strategic framework and forecasts possible threats and opportunities that will challenge the future joint force." One portion picked out by the media: Mexico and Pakistan are the two countries most likely to undergo "sudden collapse". "In the broadest sense, the Joint Operating Environment examines three questions: * What future trends and disruptions are likely to affect the Joint Force over the next quarter century? * How are these trends and disruptions likely to define the future contexts for joint operations? * What are the implications of these trends and contexts for the Joint Force? By exploring these trends, contexts, and implications, the Joint Operating Environment provides a basis for thinking about the world over the next quarter century. Its purpose is not to predict, but to suggest ways leaders might think about the future."

An Eye for an Eye: Justice or Injustice, Poetic or Barbaric?

davidstandaford — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:23:51 -0800

"At an age at which I should be putting on a wedding dress, I am asking for someone's eyes to be dripped with acid,"

Four years ago, a spurned suitor poured a bucket of sulfuric acid over [Ameneh Bahrami's] head, leaving her blind and disfigured. Late last month, an Iranian court ordered that five drops of the same chemical be placed in each of her attacker's eyes, acceding to Bahrami's demand that he be punished according to a principle in Islamic jurisprudence that allows a victim to seek retribution for a crime. The sentence has not yet been carried out.

If you're not familiar with acid attacks against women, you can start with Wikipedia.

Perpetrators of these attacks throw acid at their victims (usually at their faces), burning them, damaging skin tissue, often exposing and sometimes dissolving the bones. The consequences of these attacks include blindness and permanent scarring of the face and body. These attacks are common in Cambodia, Afganistan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other Asian countries.

Acid attacks are being used in Afghanistan against women and girls to as part of an effort to oppress them. Specifically, girls who attend school are being targeted to prevent them from getting an education. In India, Haseena Hussain, the victim of an acid attack, now works with the Campaign and Struggle Against Acid Attacks on Women (CSAAAW). In Pakistan, a cosmetics company is trying to help women who are the victims of arson and acid attacks. Nicholas Kristof wrote an article about acid attacks last month, "Terrorism That’s Personal" which discusses a Pakistani organization, the Progressive Women's Association: Fighting Against the Horror of Violence Against Women working to stop this sort of violence and an effort being made by the US Congress to pass the International Violence Against Women Act. [Previously on Metafilter, the story of Tat Marina a model/karaoke star who was the victim of a December 1999 acid attack in Cambodia.]

Tear me apart at the seams

infini — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:45:09 -0800

India, as she is today, was carved out of British India, in 1947 when the left and right hand sides of the country became the new nation of Pakistan (East and West) respectively. While the history of Islamic influence and subsequent tolerance and intolerance goes back centuries to the first advent of the Mughal invasion, it has been said that the post Independence troubles of the modern nations of India and Pakistan stem from this sundering. In 1971, war brought forth Bangladesh from the former East Pakistan on India's eastern border. The Partition, as this holocaust is known, embedded in current day Indian memory, history, culture, movies, books, TV serials and music, was an unimaginable horror of slaughter and bloodshed. This separation was not in the plans of the Mahatma, and it is said he was assassinated by Hindu fundamentalists for letting it happen. What future awaits the Hindus and Muslims who have lived side by side for hundreds of years?