Partly Facetious: the other threats to our government

27 Feb, 2008

"So is Gates right?"
"About what? If he is parroting the same line as before that we are doing enough and that we need to do more and that Musharraf is playing both ends of the..."
"Is he right about the fact that al Qaeda is a threat to the government of Pakistan?"
"Well, that's a new one."
"Indeed it is."
"But the government of Pakistan is President Musharraf."
"So?"
"So my point is, isn't Musharraf facing a bigger threat from the opposition as well as the lawyers' community as well as the civil society and don't forget the people of Pakistan who are suffering from load shedding, from a wheat crisis, from..."
"Oh, I didn't think of that?"
"Obviously you and Gates think alike in that case. I mean to mention a threat to the government of Pakistan and not mention the other threats is kind of being politically naïve, isn't it?"
"I suppose."
"Gates also said al Qaeda is a threat to the security of Europe."
"Isn't Gates a nice guy! Worried about everyone else!" "See Europe is disputing about how many troops to send and he wants the Europeans to do the right thing..."
"To do the right thing by the US?" "Well, yes under American leadership if you will and at the same time to ensure that it is in their interest too."
"There I agree with him but I don't necessarily believe him when he equates Taliban with al Qaeda. I mean the latter is a threat, the former constitutes Afghans sick of foreign forces with their collateral damage, foreign forces who have still not brought development to their country, and yes the remnants of the previous rulers who are suddenly witnessing a rise in recruitment. Courtesy: the Allied forces."
"Mullah Omar said that the Taliban are no threat to other countries."
"That he did and I would believe him - not enough sophistication to go abroad, the al Qaeda are a different matter."
"But harbouring al Qaeda..."
"That must stop."

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