11/08/07 Having planned to take out Pakistan's atomic brain in Kahuta, with India's help, Israel made a dangerous mistake when the plans were aborted and Pakistan successfully flexed its nuclear muscle in the Baluchistan hills of Chagaii, in 1998. A more desolate piece of earth could not be found anywhere as some of us who have crisscrossed those volcanic hills can assure you.

Pakistan and Israel (both members of the Nuclear Club) have so much in common, (yes, Israel, not India) it is down right scary. They are the only two modern nations that were created based on religion, and about at the same time too. One has been a democratic state throughout its existence, the other - well you know what's happening in Pakistan, again!

With Condoleezza Rice asking Pakistani President Musharraf to "...take off the uniform…" (wonder what his wife thinks of that), brings back memories of Ronald Reagan asking Gorbachov to "… tear down that wall…" (as if that's what really happened),  one has to wonder, why the "All Knowing" Western world is so anxious to open the Pakistani Pandora's box in the name of democracy.

"As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be," can so aptly be applied to the chaos of life in Pakistan and specifically so to its politics. After coming into existence in 1947 as a token of British Raj towards the Muslims of India who were the bulwark against the majority Hindus, Pakistan, which stands for "Land of the Pure", under its various civilian and military governments, has dragged its masses (not the elites) through pure hell from the beginning.

The first military dictator of Pakistan, General Mohammed Ayub Khan, who declared martial law in 1958, understood all too well that Pakistan had to be ruled with a big stick, was fond of using the term "Basic Democracy" when trying to explain to the West, that Pakistanis (and the Muslim ummah) had no clue what democracy was and never would.

After having undergone five different periods of Martial Law (yes, this current one is disguised as Emergency Procedures), fought and lost three wars with India, the brutal hanging of a Prime Minister (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, father of Benazir Zardari aka Benazir Bhutto), mysterious death of General Zia ul Haq, US ambassador Raphael, and top Pakistani army leaders, (Zia in 1977 declared martial law and executed his benefactor, Zulifikar Ali Bhutto), the mysterious death of General Asif Nawaz, and the disappearance of thousands at the hands of the government and Islamic terrorists, Pakistan has come full circle with its political chaos and miserable conditions

Now America and other Western nations are rightfully terrified of the prospect of  Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Islamic terrorists (aka al Qaeda) hell bent on declaring Islamic law all over the world. Elections in Pakistan will not stop this scary scenario for the near future, only the Pakistani army and President Musharraf can stave off the inevitable a wee bit longer. For that matter only the Pakistani army and the next General to take charge, are our best bet.

Strategically it is time for the U.S. to embrace both the Russian Bear and the Indian Swami and jointly diffuse the Islamic Bomb(s) in Pakistan, Iran, Libya (?), Syria etc, return land that belongs to India (yes, Pakistan is an illegal state) and let oil and gas flow freely from East to West, and South to North Serious consideration needs to be given to realigning this region, see Map 1 and Map 2, if America and its allies are ever to get out of this quagmire, stop Islamic terrorism, and save the world from nuclear annihilation (sounds far-fetched in this politically correct world but here's something to think about!).

Compare the maps below. Map 1 shows the current borders (Durand Line) defined by England. Map 2 shows future borders as we envision they should be in this geopolitically and nuclear sensitive region of the world. The new nation of Afghanistan and Baluchistan (ABistan = land of water) would be an international region where the Super Powers and India (up coming super power) could stop Islamic terrorism, work for the benefit of all nations and maybe stop the doomsday clock! Maybe even China could be invited to be a part of the solution for world peace rather than swallowing up defenseless neighbors such as Buddhist Tibet, which the rest of the world seems so conveniently to have forgotten.

Map 1
Map 2