The NewRaj, Say no to Charity, Ikram Sehgal, Kamran Khan, Shaheen Sehbai and a new defintion for DELUSION or NARCISSISM
Scroll down to get the answer to yesterday's quiz ~~t
True to form the talking heads and danishwars wake up late. While the NewRaj bill is almost fait accompli, everybody and their dhobi is doing the Mexican Beans routine on the Bill. The crux of the issue mostly overlooked and not debated is this: the US needs Pakistan more than Pakistan needs them and their pennies. The feudal robber barons in government and opposition are salivating at the cream they could or would be able to skim off this aid.
If they were capable of thinking this through, they could extract much more than the paltry 1.5b rightfully as Ikram Sehgal suggests below ~~t
One can always depend upon the reliable Dr Farrukh Saleem for correct statistics; he is impeccable about the figures he quotes. His best estimates about US money being pumped into Afghanistan, about $6 billion per month on US and NATO forces and about $1.5 billion per month ($18 billion annually) in support of the Karzai government and the Afghan army. If we take $72 billion annually (for US forces alone), the conservative estimate is that about $50 billion (65 percent) is meant for supplies, like ammunition, fuel and rations. International practices for transit fees range from 15 to 20 percent--i.e., other the actual freight charges within Pakistan. Taking the lower figure of 15 percent, this comes to about $7.5 billion annually. Without resorting to ultimatums, we should negotiate a figure of about $ 6-7 billion annual "transit fees" per year from the US for a period of three years, and renegotiate again if the requirement is still there after three years. In relative terms this would still be about 30 percent of funds doled out to Afghanistan directly and only 6-7 percent of the total outlay annually, in population terms 18-20 times more for each Afghan than for every Pakistani despite Pakistan suffering three to four times more military and civilian casualties and far more material damage than all of Afghanistan annually. Pakistan should rightfully earn "transit fees," and not hold out a beggar's bowl, prosecuting its own "war against terrorism" and fighting counter-insurgency at its own will "on an as-required" basis. Morally speaking, why risk a developing country like Pakistan for the quagmire that is Afghanistan? Say no to charity - Ikram Sehgal
“This is actually an attempt to cripple the Pakistan Army and the ISI and it is not the first or last attempt. There are some elements with clandestine job in all this,” said an informed official, who disclosed that Pakistani security officials were constantly getting information from their sources in Washington that illustrated vast difference between the public and private positions adopted by individuals and organizations representing Pakistan’s national interest in Washington. In Islamabad, security officials have gathered information, supported by telephone intercepts and other secret recordings that showed tremendous eagerness in the holder of an important office that Pakistan military related clauses should remain included in the bill. Kamran Khan
Can you guess who is being singled out here? ~ t
A hint for the query asked above? Here: Whatever the outcome of the storm created by the Kerry-Lugar Bill and the divisions within the political and military establishment would be, sources said that a major shake up in the Foreign Ministry and its foreign set-ups was inevitable because of the failure in protecting national interests. Shaheen Sehbai
And now we have the answer today from Shaheen Sehbai. Dagger anyone?
A new definition in the offing for "delusion" or "narcissism" here -- take your pick ~ t
True to form the talking heads and danishwars wake up late. While the NewRaj bill is almost fait accompli, everybody and their dhobi is doing the Mexican Beans routine on the Bill. The crux of the issue mostly overlooked and not debated is this: the US needs Pakistan more than Pakistan needs them and their pennies. The feudal robber barons in government and opposition are salivating at the cream they could or would be able to skim off this aid.
If they were capable of thinking this through, they could extract much more than the paltry 1.5b rightfully as Ikram Sehgal suggests below ~~t
One can always depend upon the reliable Dr Farrukh Saleem for correct statistics; he is impeccable about the figures he quotes. His best estimates about US money being pumped into Afghanistan, about $6 billion per month on US and NATO forces and about $1.5 billion per month ($18 billion annually) in support of the Karzai government and the Afghan army. If we take $72 billion annually (for US forces alone), the conservative estimate is that about $50 billion (65 percent) is meant for supplies, like ammunition, fuel and rations. International practices for transit fees range from 15 to 20 percent--i.e., other the actual freight charges within Pakistan. Taking the lower figure of 15 percent, this comes to about $7.5 billion annually. Without resorting to ultimatums, we should negotiate a figure of about $ 6-7 billion annual "transit fees" per year from the US for a period of three years, and renegotiate again if the requirement is still there after three years. In relative terms this would still be about 30 percent of funds doled out to Afghanistan directly and only 6-7 percent of the total outlay annually, in population terms 18-20 times more for each Afghan than for every Pakistani despite Pakistan suffering three to four times more military and civilian casualties and far more material damage than all of Afghanistan annually. Pakistan should rightfully earn "transit fees," and not hold out a beggar's bowl, prosecuting its own "war against terrorism" and fighting counter-insurgency at its own will "on an as-required" basis. Morally speaking, why risk a developing country like Pakistan for the quagmire that is Afghanistan? Say no to charity - Ikram Sehgal
“This is actually an attempt to cripple the Pakistan Army and the ISI and it is not the first or last attempt. There are some elements with clandestine job in all this,” said an informed official, who disclosed that Pakistani security officials were constantly getting information from their sources in Washington that illustrated vast difference between the public and private positions adopted by individuals and organizations representing Pakistan’s national interest in Washington. In Islamabad, security officials have gathered information, supported by telephone intercepts and other secret recordings that showed tremendous eagerness in the holder of an important office that Pakistan military related clauses should remain included in the bill. Kamran Khan
Can you guess who is being singled out here? ~ t
A hint for the query asked above? Here: Whatever the outcome of the storm created by the Kerry-Lugar Bill and the divisions within the political and military establishment would be, sources said that a major shake up in the Foreign Ministry and its foreign set-ups was inevitable because of the failure in protecting national interests. Shaheen Sehbai
And now we have the answer today from Shaheen Sehbai. Dagger anyone?
A new definition in the offing for "delusion" or "narcissism" here -- take your pick ~ t
posted by temporal at 10/09/2009
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