cHindu slams Gilani's history lesson

cHindu's repudiation of Pakistan PM Gilani's rant on the history of bin Laden of the facts presented was shocking for any reader of the newspaper.

But as a reply to why bin Laden was discovered living in relative comfort in the heart of Pakistan, not by the country’s own military or intelligence agencies but by the U.S., Prime Minister Gilani’s account falls far short of an adequate explanation. His characterisation of this failure as that of “all the intelligence agencies in the world” comes across more as an attempt to deflect blame than as a response born out of honest introspection by the Pakistan state. Even as a history lesson, Mr. Gilani’s statement was incomplete. No one pushed Pakistan into the first Afghan war; Pakistan’s military under General Zia ul Haq made a calculated choice to participate in it. Aside from the U.S. support, Saudi Arabia generously poured money into Pakistan to create a culture of jihad. After the war, the same military and its intelligence agencies decided to deploy some of those jihadists to establish a pro-Pakistan regime in Afghanistan, while others were despatched for the task of ‘liberating’ Kashmir from India. No Pakistan army chief has ever made an attempt to institutionally repudiate the Zia legacy.

cHindu goes on to beat up the Pakistani military for keeping silent on how OBL was found in the suburbs of Islamabad.

The agreement is said to have been renewed in 2008, when the present Army chief, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, was in charge. While the full truth about how OBL managed to hide in Abbottabad may never come out, it is time for the Pakistan military to face up to some truths about itself — and about its role in bringing the country to its present state.

This is quite different from the cHindu we've read in recent times. One which would've put the blame on India and US for why Pakistan was in such poverty. So to balance this editorial cHindu publishes another "editorial" which details sabre rattling by Indian Army and diplomats against "peace-loving" Pakistan.

Future LiC SV wants talks with Pak

The killing of Osama Bin Laden has exposed Pakistan to the world as the epicenter of world terrorism. It has covertly/overtly/subvertly/extravertly/supervertly created, nurtured, enhanced, sustained many of the leading terror groups like Al Qaeda, Taliban, LeT, JuD and many others. However the future LiC of cHindu SV has deemed it fit that India should continue talking to Pakistan. He has been a rabid supporter of talks to a terrorist nation even when it kills citizens of India. But that should not affect him as he's not an Indian citizen.

India is unlikely to make the mistake of allowing Osama bin Laden to sabotage this win-win process from his watery grave in the Indian Ocean. Apart from economic gains, greater trade will gradually enlarge the constituency of those in Pakistan who have a stake in the normalisation of relations with India.

That really made sense as his other nugget

What the U.S. did on Monday may have been effective but it remains a second-best solution to tackling terror on Pakistani soil. The fight against the entire syndicate of terror has to be waged by the Pakistani police and security forces, acting under the complete control of the civilian government there. This is a message India needs to emphasise to the U.S. and other allies and friends of Pakistan and it will be most effective if delivered with tact and restraint.

Only problem is that is likely to happen if Kayani has dropped all his nukes on India or sometime in the year 4000AD. Reading this rubbish from Siddharth Varadarajan seems to many as what paid news means.

cHindu defends Pakistan on hiding Osama

Everyone and their dog knows that Pakistan knew Osama bin Laden was hiding their country not in some mountain but in plain sight in a suburb near Islamabad. A place a stone's throw (literally) away from a Military academy. If it were ever proved that Pakistan did not know that Osama lived within its borders they should shave their head and jump off a bridge. However cHindu defends Pakistan by a series of articles today.

Pakistan laments ‘unilateral' U.S. action

Pakistan said it wasn't sure whether Osama was alive or dead

Osama financed the fall of Benazir's government, says Zardari

Kayani: ‘It is unjust to criticize Pakistan' for not locating Osama

Operation caught ISI “by surprise”

cHindu should change its name to National paper of Pakistan. Even Dawn has not offered a stirring defense of Pakistan.
Here's a headline from Dawn:
US feared Pakistan might ‘alert’ Bin Laden about raid: CIA

cHindu stands up for women's rights in Pakistan

The story of Mukhtaran Mai of Pakistan is a tragic tale showing to the world the pitiable conditions of women there and morass of cultural problems. That is just the tip of the iceberg. The lack of political will and judicial backbone to take this case and punish the rapists has exposed what Pakistan really stands for.

But this extraordinarily brave woman, unlettered at the time of the monstrous crime, decided to defy societal taboos to take her attackers to court. It is disappointing that Pakistan's highest court has ruled against her. On April 21, a three-judge bench upheld, by a majority of two to one, the Lahore High Court's acquittal of five men accused of the rape (while confirming the life sentence to a sixth) on the ground of insufficient evidence. The verdict is unsettling for several reasons. In most of South Asia, for reasons that are well known, it is never easy for a woman to make a formal complaint of rape.

It is a good sign to see cHindu expose the soft underbelly that passes for Pakistan's judicial system.
The same system which beats up minorities for blasphemy:

This verdict sets the bar for evidence so high — in contrast are the evidentiary requirements in a blasphemy case — that it can only act as further discouragement to rape victims seeking justice.

We expect to see more such pieces of investigative journalism by cHindu and see it in action with NGO's in Pakistan to fight for the rights of those who deserve more than the Islamic tinpot bestows.

Afridi exposes true colours bashes India

After the India-Pak World Cup semifinal match where India thoroughly thrashed Pakistan, the post-game statements of Pak captain Shahid Afridi was met with praise by Pak and Indian media.
Now as reported by both Indian Express and Times of India, Afridi upon reaching the safe shores of Pakistan exposed his true colours bashing Indians.

In my opinion, if I have to tell the truth, they (Indians) will never have hearts like Muslims and Pakistanis. I don't think they have the large and clean hearts that Allah has given us," Afridi said during a talk show on Samaa news channel when he was asked about relations between the two countries.
"The Indian media has a very negative approach and very negative thoughts. The people may not be like that but I think the media had a very dirty role in spoiling relations between us and India."

Its interesting that cHindu has not yet posted an article on this and is probably waiting for an apology of sorts to comment on the whole issue.
However the larger point of this is that Pakistanis have this annoying habit of speaking one thing while in India and other outside. While Indian media and celebrities continue to fall for this double act. When can we get enough cojones to tell Pakistanis to go to hell (or in their case stay in Pakistan)?

Exposing how the UN is becoming a puppet

In what is surely a marked change from the past vivid censorship of opposing opinions towards minorities, its rather interesting to read cHindu writer Madanjeet Singh's article Blasphemy laws and their serious implications .

The 57 states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, led by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt, have proposed a United Nations resolution, “On Combating Defamation of Religions.” It is but a Trojan horse to promote a fundamentalist agenda and enforce blasphemy laws and other discriminatory pieces of legislation. It is intended to legalise threats and violence against minorities and other vulnerable groups, as Human Rights Watch of Pakistan has pointed out.

What this does clearly mean is the narrow agenda being promoted by the various Islamic nations to demonstrate their clear agenda of intolerance towards other religions, faiths. It clearly exposes the direct vision of Islam, contrary to its supporters in the media, as a religion of bigots. If 57 countries all following a particular religion can pass such ridiculous laws then where are the so called 'moderates' of Islam who outnumber the 'few' radicals?

Attackers kill and wound Christians and Ahmadis, in particular, and burn down their homes and businesses. The authorities arrest, jail, and charge members of minority communities, heterodox Muslims and others with blasphemy and related offences because of their religious beliefs. In several instances, the police have been complicit in harassing, and framing false charges against, members of these groups, or have stood by as they were attacked.

To Shah Rukh Khan, Sidd Varadarajan and all supporters of Pakistan, is this the "great neighbour" you have wet dreams about?
Perhaps you should give up the Tiranga and head over and spend time on the "Paradise on Earth" called Pakistan.

Comparing Suu Kyi and Benazir

Some wise person said, "History is written by the winners". cHindu proves that a very insane short sighted media in the modern age is redefining how history is being written. Nirupama Subramanian in her piece Two daughters of the East, their different flight paths details a weird comparison of Nobel winner Suu Kyi and former Pak PM Benazir.
The larger context is vague, since anyone could make a comparison between two people like for example George Bush with Abraham Lincoln or Nehru with Lee Kuan Yew and so on. This article intends no disrespect to the dead but one should look at facts.
Nirupama has portrayed a very favorable impression of Benazir as a leader who tried to transform Pakistan into a vibrant democracy belied by the Army. She seeks to conveniently forget that this is the same Benazir who ordered the support for Kashmir militancy and increased funding to the ISI and growth of the Taliban in the 90s. Or the fact that her husband and current PM Zardari, has by most accounts, been the alleged lynchpin of corruption in the Pakistani Government (think his nickname was Mr. Ten Percent or something).

The expectation was that she and Gen. Musharraf would rule Pakistan together, she as the Prime Minister and he as President. That would have eased the world's conscience as it supported a military ruler seen by the West as essential to its plans in the region. He had become extremely unpopular in Pakistan but Benazir's democratic credentials were to come to his and the world's rescue.

Whats next Nirupama, comparing Rahul with Obama?

Dancing with the devil - Indo-Chinese meeting

Every Indian Chink meeting is given an aura similar to a teenage girl reviewing a Twilight movie by cHindu's writers. Case in point, Ananth Krishnan's love fest detailing the recent meeting.
With a flourish of a drunken geezer, he quotes some dolt in a Chink think tank.

“This meeting is very significant, as it has become increasingly important for both sides to better communicate their interests,” Rong Ying, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), an influential think tank, told The Hindu on Thursday.

Really and I thought the Indian Chinese meetings were to exchange dinner recipes.
He then goes on banally to detail the problems between the 2 nations,

Officials here acknowledge that a lack of trust has been particularly evident in recent months, as the year designated to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties became marked by a series of diplomatic disputes.

The article goes on to perpetuate a set of views by diplomats and provides no insight barring this last douche. Shen Dingli, a leading strategic analyst at Fudan University who stated,

“I hope China, Pakistan and India would have maturity in developing win-win-win relationships.” On suggestions that China itself was concerned over increasing U.S. influence in Pakistan, and hence recently accelerated its engagement there, he said: “Some people may have that concern, but I think there are positives out of the U.S. relationship with Pakistan, too.”

Win-win-win relationship between a disorganized democracy, an Islamic terrorist fundamentalist and a pseudo Communist dictatorship? Keep dreaming Ananth, perhaps you will develop some writing skills out of thin air as well.

cHindu celebrates American sponsorship from benefactor Pakistan

Many hypocritical Indian media outlets have claimed a holier than thou attitude on the paid news scandal. Now this news release US gives $2 billion aid to Pakistan to fight terror.

The United States on Friday announced that it would provide a whopping $2.29 billion as military aid to Pakistan to bolster its army's anti-terror capabilities, notwithstanding India's concerns that Islamabad has been diverting a portion of such assistance against it.

You might ask why is this important here. But a careful observation of cHindu's editorial and news policies clearly expose it as THE main outlet in India which exposes Pakistan's cause.
It has continued to support Pakistan even when it sponsored terror attacks on Indian citizens, fomenting troubles in numerous Indian states. Is this anything to do with ideology?
cHindu's Communist loving ideology has nothing to do with the Islamic fascist state. Then logically the only scenario is that of money. cHindu not only supports Pakistani ideology within its editorials, but also its views on Kashmiri separatism.
At least the Americans showed some sensibility in portraying it as a Indian-Pakistani issue rejecting calls for intervention by Pakistan.

Meanwhile, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, addressing journalists at the Foreign Press Center here on Friday, rejected fresh calls by Pakistan seeking Washington's intervention on the Kashmir issue. The U.S. made it clear that it was for India and Pakistan to find a resolution through “additional dialogue.” The American position was affirmed after Mr. Qureshi insisted earlier in the day that the U.S. played an active role in the resolution of Kashmir and other disputes in the South Asian region.

Who is Sonia cheering for in the CWG?

cHindu has a snap of Sonia and Prince ignorant Rahul cheering on someone in the CWG.


Wonder who they are cheering for? India or Pakistan?

India tells Pakistan to f!&% off

In response to Pakistan's "resolutions" passed on J&K, India responded strongly telling that it had no locus standi in J&K. Finally showing backbone the Foreign ministry told

Pakistan should instead tackle the issues of constitutional safeguards, democracy, extremism, terrorism and human rights violations in the part of Jammu and Kashmir that was under its “illegal occupation.”

Also needling our beloved neighbor on its lack of support for human rights,

Crucially, Pakistan must fulfil its stated commitment of not allowing territory under its control to be used for terrorism directed against India in any manner. This would be an important contribution towards safeguarding the welfare of the people of J&K who suffer the consequences of terrorism fomented from across the Line of Control and the International Border,

This will not stop Pak from fomenting trouble, but hey its a nice start.

cHindu welcomes alliances with despotic nations

In what is a clear exhibition of lack of vision or even rabid insanity, cHindu reiterates its vision for India to have close friendly diplomatic ties with nations like Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan while warning against ties with democratic nations. It laments the fact that India was not invited to a tea party organized by four nations which had a little get together and did not invite India.
However the author does not realize that the whole exercise while touted did little in actual value.

In Sochi, Mr. Medvedev renewed Russia's offer to rebuild about 140 industrial and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, which the Soviet Union set up during its 10-year military intervention. The deals may be worth over $1 billion, and may entail further Russian investments in Afghanistan's oil, gas and minerals. Russia's comeback will also encourage many of the 2,00,000 Soviet-educated Afghans, who fled the Taliban to Russia, to return to their homeland.

There were no deals signed and even if realized the value is quite small. The whole NATO investment is about 50 times that amount spent every month.
Of course no Vladimir Radyuhin being the usual Ruskie stooge takes potshots at the US stating,

The Barack Obama administration has “a regional strategy for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Russia can play an important role along with other countries in the region,” Assistant Secretary of State Philip J. Crowley was quoted as saying in a comment on the Sochi summit. Russia is giving considerable support to the U.S. in Afghanistan in line with the broader “reset” in their bilateral ties, but Washington of course is overly presumptuous to think that Moscow will toe its “strategy” in the region, assuming, of course, that the White House has one.

Long story short, the author's POV that this meeting is like the second coming of Magna Carta is simply ridiculous and any Indian diplomat reading this would laugh it off. There is probably significant value for India to discuss with the individual nations separately and sign agreements than deal with all these monkeys together.

Turning a blind eye to the WikiLeaks release

In what can be termed as predictable by cHindu standards, the editorial Probe the policy, not the leak was quick to blame the US Govt's policy in Afghanistan and missed the bigger picture. India's interests of national security in the region lie firmly with a stable democratic Afghanistan which is unlikely to happen until Pakistan (and its ISI minions) stop interfering in the Afghan war by supporting the Taliban.
Wonder how long it will take Sid V and his boss LiC to talk about the real issue, how Pakistan is stabbing the US in the back while setting up India to fight the terrorists from Af-pak?

S.V. calls for making borders irrelevant

Siddharth Varadarajan seems to have dropped his inhibitions and stepped out of the closet -- he is nakedly espousing a position which has no logical justification and calls it the only option! Disingenuous, stupid, frustrated, conniving or whatever you call it, this is a preposterous position to take. I wonder if Varadarajan, being the American citizen, will ask for U.S. making borders irrelevant with Mexico.
The Hindu : Today's Paper / OPINION : Building trust, one step at a time

The truth is that there are no other cards. The ‘make borders irrelevant' approach is the only game in town and sooner or later all stakeholders in Pakistan will have to be reconciled to it.

The enemy within

The kind of strategic intent that America is displaying to protect its interests and the safety of its citizens is precisely what India should be emulating. Instead, N.Ram suggests that America should follow the miserably failed policies of New Delhi although it has not yielded any results over the past few decades. It is N.Ram who needs to clear his vision and stop jumping to conclusions based on blind love for islamists and hatred for capitalists.
The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : The enemy within

A military strike by the U.S. on Pakistan, reported to be under contemplation should a terrorist attack on American soil succeed, is no solution. Any such action would be extremely foolhardy, and New Delhi should oppose it.

More of the usual stuff from S.V.

Siddharth Varadarajan comes back with more of the usual stuff. Talk to Pakistan even if they wont dismantle their terror network. Talk to them even if they Pakistan wont stop killing Indians through terrorist attacks. Keep talking even if it hurts.

If it is in Pakistan's DNA, can anything change it? But Siddharth Varadarajan is talking like a paid mercenary of Pakistani establishment. And N.Ram is publishing this stuff in his paper, keeping in line with the promise he made to Pakistan to take care of its interests in India. This is the reason why you dont see chindu even obliquely mentioning that Pakistan should dismantle its terror network.
The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Time to end the impasse with Pakistan

Of course, the dialogue did not end cross-border terrorism or extinguish the links between the Pakistani security agencies and violent extremism as some on the Indian side might have hoped. But that was always an improbable shot given the DNA of the Pakistani establishment.

Pakistani cricketer attacked on the field at WACA

Going alongside with the series of attacks on Indians, now a Pakistani cricketer has been attacked during the fifth one day international between Pakistan and Australia at WACA, Perth. The first part of the below video also shows Shahid Afridi's ball tampering. The second part shows Khalid Latif being taken down by a fan(?).

Shahid Afridi EATING A CRICKET BALL .. !!

Absence of dialogue is hurting Pakistan, not India

The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Absence of dialogue is hurting India

Using the recent auction of players in IPL 3, Siddarth Varadarajan is arguing that the absence of dialogue is hurting India. Evidence? Sidd said so.

In the IPL 3 auction, of the 66 players on offer, only 11 players were sold. None of the 11 Pakistani players was grabbed. IPL is a windfall for the cricketers who have managed to get a contract. It is a huge money spinning machine for the BCCI, an advertising bonanza for the corporates, a fillip to our economy, and a great entertainment source to the public. Apart from the Pakistanis (and by extension, our jhollawallas) whom nobody will be missing, it is hurting none.

There were security concerns surrounding IPL 2 as it was identified as a prime target for terrorist attacks. IPL tournament coincided with the 2009 General elections. The Centre refused to commit additional paramilitary forces to enhance the security at the games. So the venue was shifted out of India to South Africa.

IPL2, just like the IT sector in Bangalore, represented the economic success of India. This is what made it a prime target for the terrorist attacks most of which were originating in Pakistan. BCCI had the option to invest in its own security arrangements or cancel the IPL2. Or shift the venue out of India in a short span of time and incur a huge cost and manage a logistical nightmare. That it chose to do so indicates that the decision was dictated by sports, business and common sense. It was not aimed at enhancing India's soft power or brand or bilateral relations with South Africa. Being a commercial entity responsible to its stakeholders, it took a decision that was in the best interest of all its stakeholders. Was it a snub on India? Did it suggest an inability by India to provide security to it citizens and guests? No.

If IPL 3 auction is a snub on Pakistan, by the same logic shifting the IPL 2 was a snub on India. But there was no hysteria then. We understood it as a decision driven by sports, business and common sense, just as the IPL 3 auction is. No need to get all worked up into a frenzy, Sidd.

Pakistan is a pariah in international cricket. All countries have canceled their tours to Pakistan citing security concerns. Over the past 3 years, South Africa played 2 matches in 2007 and Sri Lanka played 2 matches in 2009. The Sri Lankan tour was abandoned mid-way because of a deadly attack on the cricketers in which several players were injured. If countries have stopped touring Pakistan, it is not construed as a snub. It is plain common sense. Pakistan must understand that it cannot reap the commercial or diplomatic benefits of cricket if it indulges in terrorism, whether within or outside its borders.

If Pakistani cricketers had to be selected in order to promote people-to-people contact or for some diplomatic reason, next there will be demands to specially accommodate them in Indian reality shows. Before we know, there will be talks of reservations for Pakistanis. Thanks, but no thanks. Private enterprises are better left alone. We have seen the effects of 50 years of state intervention during the Nehruvian Stalinist era. Private enterprises in the hands of Indian government are disastrous tools of coercive diplomacy.

IPL auction is not a result of lack of official contact between the two governments. It is because Pakistan has pushed itself to irrelevance in cricket. Pakistan, along with West Indies and Bangladesh, is at the bottom of the rankings. And Pakistani players are notorious for their mercurial performance. Now, India vs Australia rivalry is considered bigger than the rivalry with Pakistan. Put simply, nobody is dying to see Pakistani players in IPL 3. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, the IPL auction decision was influenced by the middle class who form the bulk of the consumer base. And they did not like the idea of gifting their money to Pakistanis. Or atleast that is what the club owner thought.

The worry about IPL auction being used by Jihadi elements within Pakistan to gain moral high ground is an absurd argument. In fact, it shows a cynical manipulation by the terrorist elements to recruit or motivate its cadre. Such elements do not need a legitimate grievance for it does not take much effort to create imaginary ones. Siddarth Varadarajan wrote articles on Gujarat taking liberties with truth. LeT used material by leftists, seculars and jholawallas to reinforce the message to the terrorists of 26/11 attack that muslims are being persecuted in India.

On using India's soft power to restore normalcy in our relations with Pakistan, there is no strong case for India to enhance its soft power keeping Pakistan in view. In fact, India will better be able to enhance its soft power by ignoring Pakistan. Take the case of Bollywood which is hugely influential. By contrast, Pakistan's film industry has all but shut down. Bollywood's soft power will grow by focusing on India rather than making Urdu films focused on Pakistan. Themes based on Pakistan will not find resonance in many places even in Pakistan because the Islamists will ban them.

BCCI toppled the British and Australian hegemony over cricket by riding on India's economic growth. Take the case of IPL. It is a highly lucrative business model that emerged to cater to the Indian consumer and not targeted at any specific external market. Once again, it is a sign of India's growing prosperity and domestic market potential. India's soft power lies both in its growing financial clout and the access to its domestic market.

Under the given circumstances, denying Pakistanis the use of Indian soft power is as effective a tool as using India's soft power on Pakistan in negotiations. For Pakistanis, India provides a way for redeeming themselves from the ghettos to which the radical Islamists have pushed their society. This is what the IPL auction demonstrates. Pakistani cricketers have been denied access to India's domestic market and it hurt them.

So there is no urgent need for India to get onto the negotiation table. If we have negotiated with Pakistan for decades without conceding an inch, that is no reason to continue doing so. Old strategies do no hold in the changed situation. India and Pakistan are on two different trajectories. While India is rising, Pakistan is on a self-destructive path. Pakistan is bound to look at events from the old prism, but there is no need for India to get hyphenated with Pakistan.

Just as accommodating Pakistani players in IPL provides them an easy outlet from the Islamist ghettos, dialogue with India provides legitimacy to the disintegrating Pakistani democratic establishment. India must stand firm and not get into talks until Pakistan cracks down on the extremist elements within Pakistan.

Should India help Pakistan?

Here is another Pakistani negotiating with a gun held to his own head.

An apparently stable Pakistan waged three wars against India. The failing Pakistani state is sponsoring terrorism in India. It is not much of a choice. But it makes more sense for India to spend its money securing its borders in order to minimize the effects of spillover of a disintegrating Pakistani state. If there is an opportune moment for India to intervene, it is when the civil society revolts against the jihadis.

Today the very idea for the foundation of Pakistan has become its destabilizing factor. The same ideology has been threatening India. If there is a common enemy for India and Pakistan, it is this ideology. The author lectures India on how it should help Pakistan but dare not mention this ideology which masquerades more respectably as religion.

The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : India & Pakistan: case for common defence

India’s best protection is likely to come from its traditional enemy, the Pakistan Army. Therefore, India ought to help now, not fight against it.

America's Afghan policy

Good article by M.K.Bhadrakumar although the prognosis is not presented in its entirety.  The Daily Pioneer article on the same topic has been more forthright.
The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> Freed scribe smashes US policy

I learned that the goal of the hard-line Taliban was far more ambitious... They wanted to create a fundamentalist Islamic emirate with Al Qaeda that spanned the Muslim world.

With Bhardrakumar's article title talking about America and Pakistan, I was expecting a more detailed analysis in that direction. But almost the entire article talks about Afghanistan, apart from an oblique reference to Pakistan at the very beginning and a strange conclusion in the end.
The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : America, Pakistan and the Taliban

But then, no one remembers anymore that it was the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan that in the first instance destabilized Pakistan.

It is hard to conclude that the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan destabilized Pakistan. On the contrary, it could be argued that Pakistan was able to extend its lifeline by extorting aid in return for supporting U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.
I don't remember having read before anyone blaming U.S. for the mess in Pakistan. Now that we have it in print, I predict that very soon we will see the left lib intellectuals getting onto this bandwagon.