This sort of news report can only add to the view (possibly conspiracy theory) that Pakistan’s military has a hand in helping these Taliban militants stage what look like an advance on the country’s capital.
Islam News @ NYT- Swedish Artist Says Sketch of Prophet Aimed to Mock All Religions: A man who prosecutors say was the target of a murder plot says his caricature of the Prophet Muhammad was intended to poke fun at all sacred symbols.
- Nigerians Recount Night of Their Bloody Revenge: This week dozens of herdsmen slaughtered hundreds of people in a brutal act of sectarian retribution in Jos.
- Views of ‘JihadJane’ Were Unknown to Neighbors: The ex-husband of the woman who called herself “JihadJane” said she “was just like anyone else.”
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PI.info 10:16 am on April 25, 2009 Permalink |
This is one of the reasons, in part, that I am so interested in what happens at the GIK Institute in Swapi district on the edge of the takeover. The GIKI is a top institution in the country – Zunnoor Tarique is GIKI’s first Rhodes scholar (‘02). Changes (or lack thereof) may be an early warning of what’s to come.
Changes at the college might indicate whether the Taliban takeover is a feint or the real thing. It also might indicate whether the Taliban will be handing out “you may be excused” passes to the country’s elite, and whether the Islamic revolution it’s bringing is intended for the rich, connected and accomplished too.
I’ve queried the new president and vice president of the college’s alumni association as well as Mr. Tarique to ask them to respond to my two posts so far about the fate of the college under Taliban control. So far, silence.
Despite the money the US government is throwing around in Pakistan, the GIKI alumni association appears to be intensely focused on attracting donations, especially international corporate donations. I can’t imagine that they’re going to have much success getting such entities to donate to something that may soon be able to be described as a “Taliban institution.” It could also affect the institute’s ability to place its students in international internships, and taint their liklihood of even being considered for awards such as the Rhodes’ scholarship in the first place.
Also, it seems like the government and military have gotten as much as they’re going to get from the current round of discussions with Obama, so I don’t see any more advantage to be gained from further brinksmanship, so I have serious doubts about this theory from that angle, though the idea that the military wants to setup another military coup still has merit.
PI.info 10:35 am on April 25, 2009 Permalink |
(Note: I’m posting a version of this comment without links now because the version that has the links is sitting in the “pending approval” box waiting for the post author to approve it. The Wordpress anti-spam software sends any comment that has multiple links to anti-spam purgatory – which makes wordpress a really poor choice for blog hosting in my opinion.)
This is one of the reasons, in part, that I am so interested in what happens at the GIK Institute in Swapi district on the edge of the takeover. The GIKI is a top institution in the country – Zunnoor Tarique is GIKI’s first Rhodes scholar (‘02). Changes (or lack thereof) may be an early warning of what’s to come.
Changes at the college might indicate whether the Taliban takeover is a feint or the real thing. It also might indicate whether the Taliban will be handing out “you may be excused” passes to the country’s elite, or whether the Islamic revolution it’s bringing is intended for the rich, connected and accomplished too.
I’ve queried the new president and vice president of the college’s alumni association as well as Mr. Tarique to ask them to respond to my two posts so far about the fate of the college under Taliban control. So far, silence.
Despite the money the US government is throwing around in Pakistan, the GIKI alumni association appears to be intensely focused on attracting donations, especially international corporate donations. I can’t imagine that they’re going to have much success getting such entities to donate to something that may soon be able to be described as a “Taliban institution.” It also may affect the willingness of corporations to to offer GIKI students international scholarships and may make it less likely that GIKI students would even be considered for awards such as the Rhodes scholarship.
Also, it seems like the government and military have gotten as much as they’re going to get from the current round of discussions with Obama, so I don’t see any more advantage to be gained from further brinksmanship, so I have serious doubts about this theory.