Pakistan Can't Get a Break

In its 60 years of existence, Pakistan has been through quite a lot, including three wars with India. However, this past week probably tops all others when it comes to bad news coming from so many different directions. It is almost enough to scientifically prove the idea of synchronicity.

On the diplomatic front, Pakistan has been buffeted by the hot air of British Prime Minister David Cameron. With an exquisitely tin ear, the new PM said that Pakistan must not "look both ways" on terrorism, and he did so from India. For Americans to get a sense of what this means, imagine if he had attacked American policy from Toronto (and America hasn't fought Canada three times in the last 6 decades). Now the fact is that the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence organization did set up the Taliban as a counterweight to the Northern Alliance, and some of the ISI is Muslim fundamentalist. So, in a sense, Mr. Cameron was merely pointing out the divisions in the Pakistani security community. However, one doesn't do that in world diplomacy. President Asif Ali Zardari resisted rather intense pressure to cancel his trip this week to Britain, but he was grossly embarrassed by the remarks.

Then, there is the weather, or to be more accurate, the floods. The monsoon rains will continue for a few more days according to meteorologists, but they have already done huge amounts of damage. Current guesses put the death toll at 1,500, with bridges and roads wiped out. That means that rescue workers can't get to where they need to be and more will die. Medical officials say there are cases of cholera in the flood areas. Once the immediate needs get addressed, though, the suffering will continue because the rains have wiped out a lot of the coming harvest. Of course, President Zardari could not cancel his trip to Britain because of the floods since he kicked up a fuss about going in the first place. It would have been interpreted as a diplomatic U-turn by Whitehall, the international media and the Pakistani political classes.

Adding to that is the assassination of Raza Haider, a leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), an opposition political party and member of the legislature in Sindh province. The government blamed Taliban insurgents, and the banned militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), for his killing. Riots followed in Karachi, and the body count is around 63. Things in Karachi seem to be simmering at the moment.

And if that weren't enough, the Pakistani cricket team got the bejesus beaten out of them in the First Test in England at Trent Bridge. While the tourists showed some bowling talent, their batsmen looked like a weak public school's second eleven. England's first innings of 354 set a pretty tough pace, and Pakistan's 182 run reply barely avoided the follow-on. England ran up another 262 runs in its second innings before declaring. Pakistan were all out for 80 in their second innings. This was less of a Test Match for England than an Open-Book Quiz. Things don't look very good for the tourists at Edgbaston in Birmingham for the Second Quiz that starts Friday.

To this journal's Pakistani readers, and those who count themselves friends of Pakistan, this too shall pass, but right now, it is not very much fun.

© Copyright 2010 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.

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