12/16/2014

Notations on Our World: On #Pakistan Today

As the World was witness to the tragedy in Sydney and came to grips with it, it is now witness to another horrific attack at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan.    A newsflash was released earlier today in the Outsiders channel earlier this morning.     As we assess this, it is also of profound sadness as we also have just seen reports of another attack in Yemen as 15 Children were killed in a car bomb.  We have decided not to release the images here that is being reported by major news outlets around the world.

The Taliban claim that they attacked because the Pakistan Army attacked them recently.   It seems as if those who claim to operate under the name of the so-called faith they espouse to must at least understand the faith and the view of the Prophet Mohammad on this very subject that could be well found by doing a simple search on the Web.    The Australian Prime Minister called all those who pursue such twisted ideology in his usual direct and eloquent way:  Merchants of Death.     What is also evident, though, is how such an attack continues to underscore the profound challenges Pakistan faces.

The World is with Pakistan today.    We here @ #Outsiders join the World in extending our profound condolences to the people of Pakistan on this trying time as grieved families bury their dead and those who are injured deal with their aftermath of their injuries.  But the leaders in Pakistan have some profound  on a multitude of fronts before them.   Imran Khan, for instance, has been pursuing a campaign to undermine the Government.   Corruption continues to be ever so rampant.   Karachi, Pakistan's commercial hub, is virtually lawless.   Baluchestan (On the border with Iran) is also virtually lawless as competing factions continue to agitate for independence in a province that is rich with natural resources.   It is also a sanctuary for Balchui agitators who periodically attack Iranian forces and kidnapped a squad of Iranian Border Guards.    Someone once said that Pakistan's Army is an institution in search of a viable country.  It holds true even today as it continues to be ostensibly led by a Democratically elected Government.    Yet, it seems as if the priorities are not set as militants continue their campaign in Kashmir and we get periodic reports of infiltrations to undermine the rule of law in Kashmir.

Pakistan is a Country of 200 Million People (almost 3 Percent of the World) with a nuclear weapon--so what happens there matters.  The question is whether the political leaders will have a wake-up call now as they come to grips with this latest in a string of tragedies that seem to have no end in sight.

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