Taliban's Gains in Pakistan Have Washington Worried About Nuclear Security

Can the Taliban Take Control of Pakistan Nuclear Weapons?

The supposed Taliban threat to Pakistan nuclear weapons is a new U.S. propaganda ploy to convince the unpopular Pakistani government to wipe out the Taliban before it falls from power.

No wonder the attack on Taliban was announced by prime minister

Gilani on Pakistani TV in English language while president Zardari was visiting with Baraq Obama. Gilani's speech was directed at the American audience and congress who is considering a $ 7.5 billion aid request by Obama for Pakistan.

But there is already a backlash in Pakistan for the U.S. instigated civil war for the $7.5 billion of aid. The Pakistan Dawn newspaper in an editorial on May 6, 2009, called Obama supposed threat to Pakistan's nuclear weapons "journalistic garbage", and said "the $ 7.5 billion aid will line a few pockets in Pakistan and the U.S. [U.S. contractors handling it],

but it won't trickle down to the common [Pakistani] man." The editorial suggested that "the political and military leadership in Pakistan stop the U.S. meddling by telling the U.S.: No, Thank you [for the aid], but we will resolve our own differences[with the Taliban] without."

That is certainly strong language that shows widening hostility against the U.S. for imposing a civil war on the weak Pakistani government. The U.S. wants the Pakistani Taliban wiped out

because they assist the Afghan Taliban, not because they are a threat to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. The BBC World Focus reported today that the United nations estimates as

1 million the Pakistani refugees that stream out of the Swat Valley to avoid the Pakistani army artillery shelling and helicopter strafing of villages. And the Pakistan Dawn also reported on its online editorial today that the "Fury of refugees is against the Pakistani army for civilian deaths, bombardment, and razing homes in the combat zones. Even China accused the U.S. today for going beyond terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan to expand its influence into Central Asia.

On May 5, 2009, the Times of London [Online] published a headline: "Mistrust of the West [U.S.] is stronger in Pakistan than fear of the Taliban." Now, with Zardari in Washington saying: "The Pakistani democracy will deliver" [to U.S. demands to wipe out the Taliban], and the North areas of Pakistan turned by the Pakistani army into scorched earth, with

a million refugees on the ran that makes it looks like Darfur in Western Sudan, the wisdom of Obama's foreign policy comes into question.

I predict that the current U.S. policy in Pakistan will fail miserably, I predict that Zardari's future as president will be short, and I predict that the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's status will rise and bring him to power again. The U.S. has done everything to isolate him, but Musharraf failed as Bush's viceroy; Zardari will fail as Obama's viceroy, and Sharif will certainly come back as a savior to bring

control of Pakistan back to Pakistanis.

Nikos Retsos, retired professor

The Devil Wants It's Due

God Bless America and Pakistan, for if U deal with the devil, the devil will want its due... Seems like for USA and Pakistan the payback time has come...

Pakistan is the only Muslim country in the world with known nuclear capabilities and America for it's own selfish interests has supported Pakistan over the years...

America used Pakistan as a base when Afghanis were fighting against the then USSR [Soviet Union (Russia)]... All the weapons, money and intelligence that went into supporting Afganis [back then] were sent through Pakistan... Pakistan's ISI and USA's CIA worked hand in hand to support the Afganis [and Taliban was one such Afgani group] against communist USSR...

In return USA supplied Pakistan with money, weapons and intelligence against India... USA always followed the policy of "hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil"... even when it knew that Pakistan was sponsoring and training radical Islamic forces like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Jammat-e-Islamia, Laskar-e-Tayiba etc against India.

Over 500 terrorist attacks in India every year for the past 25 years and more had been either ignored or not taken into account by USA or other Western Countries.

It was only after 9/11 did USA and the developed countries come to realize that the earth is round and the same tiger [Taliban which was a USA creation] that it [USA] was riding high on is now hungry and may end up eating the rider...

The radical Islamic forces which are themselves a creation of USA and Pakistan have now gone out of control... and finally the US of A seems to have woken up from its slumber... However, isn't it ridiculous that even now the so called Taliban terrorists that Pakistan is allegedly at war with currently... are still being funded by Pakistani ISI.

From the emergency $1 Billion spproved by US Congress, I can bet only around 60% will go to the Pakistani Army.... rest 40% will be spent on covert [read sponsoring terrorists] war against India..

Sincerity of approach and honest intentions seems to be something USA is yet to learn, the real threat is not Taliban gaining physical control of the Nuclear Weapons.. rather the real threat is Taliban taking political control of Pakistan and trust me... the same radical Islamic groups that USA and Pakistan so readily supported in the past have now enough sympathy that they may end up winning elections if this so called war on terror fails.... What then????

Its still not too late for the USA and the world to realize that, other Muslim countries like Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia etc along with India and China should be made part of this endeavor to wipe out terrorism from South Asia... in absence of which, forces like Taliban will continue to foster and grow stronger by the day...