Tell you what! I have seen some jokers in uniform on TV, but this guy is a total clown, he never acknowledges the truth and just speaks rubbish. Duno how people lik ehim become generals, seems lost brother of Shujjat, the way he speaks, Brig cheem ai much better in terms of communicatio and intuition.
Karpov,
Lets not get carried away with this overt criticism. Most people, including myself, have been taking liberties with what little information we have. Maj Gen Waheed Arshad does a credible job of stating what he can disclose (go beyond that and your arse is in the trouble...remember he is representing the Armed Forces of Pakistan). There may be sensitivities around the situation on the ground thus he may not be able to fully disclose them. Military operations and situations are not ones where they should be presented to the public like an open book. The information needs to be vetted before its shared and many a times the whole picture is not even with the local commanders.
The officers and soldiers if found negligent of their duties will be dealt with upon their return. Pakistan Army does not let things like this go by easily. May the following will help in understanding the situation:
ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to give negotiations a chance to secure the release of 240 soldiers including seven officers from the custody of the Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan, a senior government official told a select group of journalists on Thursday.
“It is a difficult situation and a different environment.
We do not want to inflame the whole area ... negotiations are continuing ... we need to give some time to political talks,” the official said, adding that
it had been decided at the highest level that the situation should not be allowed to aggravate. “But we have all options to get the army men released ... the situation cannot be allowed to linger on.”
He said the troops were captured because they “exercised restraint and complacency together”.
He said the Americans and NATO forces were failing in Afghanistan because they had insufficient troops and collusion with those who had stakes in drug trafficking and gunrunning. “NATO forces and the Americans cannot succeed in Afghanistan until they take the Taliban on board,” he said.
Without naming any country, the official did not rule out any foreign hand in the suicide bombings in Pakistan and said
there were “foreign and local” vested interests that were creating a perception that Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies were not capable of handling the internal security situation.
He said that there was cross-border movement, but it had considerably reduced. He linked the suicide bombings with the tribal situation.
“The linkages are mostly in NWFP and also in other parts of the country.” He said the government could choke the supplies to the tribal areas but it would be a last resort.
He said if the army was not present in the area, the Americans or NATO forces would have moved in to attack militants in the tribal areas. “Doing is the main problem. There are people here who supported the Taliban. Money and ethnic linkages are there. If we do not do it, someone else will do it,” the official said, adding that it was a situation where Pakistan could not refuse to handle the militants.
source: Daily Times
So there are no desertions, nobody has gone AWOL...there will be accountability when the troops are released. The situation is already tense in the area...responding with more firepower and military action will act as a catalyst for more bloodshed. This is something that Pakistan does not need right after the Lal Masjid operation and all of the other stuff with CJP, elections etc. going on in Pakistan.
So my suggestion to all is to have a cold one (be that a brewski, or Ice tea or lemonade) and chill out!
