Long term Implications of Lal Masjid Siege in Pakistan

Like I discussed on my blog this week that things in Pakistan are not looking too great as the Lal Masjid students had fought with the Pakistani Army right there in the capital itself.

Now the things are getting worse.  Yesterday, as Musharraf took off in a plane from a Military base, his plane was shot at!  This was another attempt at his murder.

"It was an unsuccessful effort by miscreants to target the president’s plane," a senior security official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the record. "They fled quickly, and our security agencies are still investigating."

Security forces quickly surrounded a house in Rawalpindi, a garrison city south of the capital. Three other officials told the AP that two anti-aircraft guns and a light machine gun were found on the rooftop.

Meanwhile the siege of Lal Masjid is continuing into the 3rd day.  The people at the helm seem defiant and a bloodbath – reminiscent of Operation Bluestar – seems imminent.  Those in the masjid are in no mood to surrender completely and the authorities – under Musharaf’s command, at least – are also hell bent on eliminating them.

"We will not surrender. We will be martyred, but we will not surrender," Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the mosque’s senior cleric, told GEO television, a private channel. "We are more determined now."

The government was keen to avoid a bloodbath that would further damage President Gen. Pervez Musharraf‘s embattled administration and said troops would not storm the mosque while women and children were inside.

"For the Pakistan army to go in is no problem, but safely is our foremost objective," government spokesman Tariq Azim said. "We don’t want to harm any innocent lives. We already know that these people are being kept as hostages."

Troops surrounded the mosque on Wednesday, a day after tensions between government security forces and mosque followers who have sought to impose Taliban-style rule in the city erupted into deadly street clashes. The violence has killed 19 people.

Pakistan is now headed to chaos and possible takeover by the extremist – Taliban style.  In fact, I would venture out to say that all these years that US had abandoned Taliban-hunt and gone to pursue the useless war in Iraq, these forces from Afghanistan were strengthening themselves within Pakistan!

So, while US was off to pursue WMD in a place they weren’t.. they left the main flank open where they WERE!!  For the Jehadis there could NOT be a better diversion for the enemy.  Now they are closer to the takeover in Pakistan and its WMDs.

It would therefore make sense for India, being its neighbor, to disassociate with the nonsensical and quixotic "strategies" of the US in this region and pursue its own national agenda.  For, if the nukes fall into the hands of the jehadis, which – to me – looks pretty imminent, then we in India are in major trouble!!  US or no US in tow!