Op Ed From The President Of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto's Widowed Husband

[WillyT]

Pakistan did its part
By Asif Ali Zardari
Monday, May 2, 4:53 PM

<snip>

Pakistan, perhaps the world’s greatest victim of terrorism, joins the other targets of al-Qaeda — the people of the United States, Britain, Spain, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Turkey, Yemen, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Algeria — in our satisfaction that the source of the greatest evil of the new millennium has been silenced, and his victims given justice. He was not anywhere we had anticipated he would be, but now he is gone.

Although the events of Sunday were not a joint operation, a decade of cooperation and partnership between the United States and Pakistan led up to the elimination of Osama bin Laden as a continuing threat to the civilized world. And we in Pakistan take some satisfaction that our early assistance in identifying an al-Qaeda courier ultimately led to this day.

Let us be frank. Pakistan has paid an enormous price for its stand against terrorism. More of our soldiers have died than all of NATO’s casualties combined. Two thousand police officers, as many as 30,000 innocent civilians and a generation of social progress for our people have been lost. And for me, justice against bin Laden was not just political; it was also personal, as the terrorists murdered our greatest leader, the mother of my children. Twice he tried to assassinate my wife. In 1989 he poured $50 million into a no-confidence vote to topple her first government. She said that she was bin Laden’s worst nightmare — a democratically elected, progressive, moderate, pluralistic female leader. She was right, and she paid for it with her life.

Some in the U.S. press have suggested that Pakistan lacked vitality in its pursuit of terrorism, or worse yet that we were disingenuous and actually protected the terrorists we claimed to be pursuing. Such baseless speculation may make exciting cable news, but it doesn’t reflect fact. Pakistan had as much reason to despise al-Qaeda as any nation. The war on terrorism is as much Pakistan’s war as as it is America’s. And though it may have started with bin Laden, the forces of modernity and moderation remain under serious threat.

<snip>

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pakistan-did-its-part/2011/05/02/AFHxmybF_story.html

:shrug:

[seabeyond]

1. i was listening to someone today and is good to remember, they have gotten more terrorists hands

down, significantly than any other country. they have put forth the effort at great expense.

[sasha031]

2. Amy Goodman had a good show on today

http://www.democracynow.org/
Jeramey Scahill along with other journalist including one from Pakistan.
What was being discussed was how the government would help the US and deny it for political reasons. They were saying it was highly improbable that the event that happened yesterday, there is a very good chance that the Pakistani authority would have known and possibly secretly participated.
I suppose everything is just speculation.

[riderinthestorm]

3. Great Op-Ed by Zardari but unfortunately, I believe he can say one thing and his ISI team

can be doing another (or members of his ISI forces, operating behind his back).

[WillyT]

4. I Don't Doubt That At All...

:shrug:

:hi: