Those of us that grew up in the sixties will remember that Paki bashing was a national pastime in those days. Then we got used to seeing them everywhere and them having a shop on every corner, so we accepted them as part of the national landscape.
Nothing wrong with that. The vast majority are law abiding, hard working citizens - so it's a good thing that the bigotry has gone.
Also, the Pakistanis in this country are a damn sight safer than they would be in their country of origin. It should be remembered that until recently, Pakistan was a military dictatorship which is about as far from a democracy as it is possibe to get! And old habits die hard...
Pakistan nominally allys itself with the United States in the global war on terror. However, terrorism is rife in the country mainly due to reactions to General Zia ul-Haq's controversial "Islamization" policies and his involvement in the Soviet-Afghan War, which led to greater influx of ideologically driven Afghan Arabs in the tribal areas and the explosion of kalashnikov and drugs culture. The state and the CIA encouraged the "mujahideen" to fight the proxy war against the Soviet Union, most of these groups were never disarmed after the war and were later encouraged by the Taliban to achieve the state's agenda in Kashmir and Afghanistan. The same groups are now taking on the state itself.
Between 2007 and 2009, more than 5,500 people were killed in terrorist attacks on civilians. These are attributed to a number of sources: sectarian violence - mainly between Sunni and Shia Muslims, the easy availability of guns and explosives of a "kalishnikov culture" and influx of ideologically driven "Afghan Arabs" based in or near Pakistan, Islamist insurgent groups and forces such as the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba, and secessionists movements blamed on regionalism problematic in a country with Pakistan's diverse cultures, languages, traditions and customs.
So Pakistan has a double problem. It needs to be seen to support the US in its war in Afghanistan, and at the same time is being terrorised at home by sectarian and separatist terrorists. But on the other hand, it has been manouevred by the Taliban to support actions in disputed areas such as Kashmir. So at the same time it is trying to both fight and support the Taliban.
This would seem to make David Cameron's remarks about them trying to look both ways highly pertinent...
7 comments:
Let India do something for all the "aid" it is getting.
"You don't sort out Pakiland by next week, NO more space programmes paid for by us, for YOU Patel!"
It's hard to make out what you're saying, but it seems like you think India is getting foreign aid from the UK or US? You'd be wrong on that. And definitely not for the space program.
http://www.indianchild.com/foreign_aid_india.htm
And do you DENY that whilst recieving this aid, India HAS, in fact, a space programme?
http://www.isro.org/
Up yours xmeyx
India is in fact set to recieve £385m from the UK in aid over the next few years.
And I think the point is they should put their own people above a space program.
I am doing a piece on Indian aid next week so watch this space
Someone actually wasted an hour of their life writing this complete trash. But then I suppose when ur living off benefits u have plenty of time to kill. :p
Almost right. I'm retired, I do have plenty of time, and one man's trash is another man's treasure!
XX Anonymous said...
Someone actually wasted an hour of their life writing this XX
Yes. But at least it did not take an hour for a mere 28 words. Oh! And go and ask your nurse about "You are" and "you". Maybe she can take you to a teacher that has experience with dyslexics.
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