| Pakistan: Antagonist or Peacemaker? |
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Fear of India is the driving force behind Pakistan's pursuit of these relationships, however, in a dramatic turn of events, the Pakistani government has reportedly announced that it had proscribed some 25 terror organizations, support groups and radical religious entities in the last nine years. But ironically, Pakistan remains silent over some of the members of these terror outfits who are still free to carry out their activities in Pakistan and beyond. Pakistan has banned the Islamic charity which fronted for the LeT in December 2008, following the Mumbai terror attack, however, its leader Hafiz Saeed is a free man now after detained for six months following ‘lack of evidence’ against the Mumbai attack mastermind. Pakistan is a pivotal lever for stability in the region; on the one hand a strategic launch pad for Western agencies in the war against terror and on the other, cultivating relationships with organisations possibly responsible for instability in the Kashmir a long drawn out thorn in the side of its biggest rival, India. Pakistani politics are an extremely complex problem. The problem goes deeper than announced policies and interacting regional dynamics; it is the spark plug for either stability or upheaval in the region, which has a knock on affect onto business interests across the Indian Sub-Continent. About PascoPasco is a multi-faceted and highly specialised, global risk consulting company. We provide our clients with the necessary breadth of services required by them to operate successfully and safely within frontier markets and high risk environments throughout Africa, Central Eastern Europe, CIS, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. With a solid reputation built up over more than a decade for understanding clients' specific needs, Pasco assists clients to manage their risks and gain a competitive advantage in such settings by providing an in-depth, informed perspective of what is happening on the ground and its likely impact. Pasco offers country risk assessment reports as well as specific reports providing; in-depth analysis of key political issues and trends, analysis of political risks associated with business ventures and the development of strategic plans to counter existing and anticipated risks. Pasco also provides specialist briefings and advisory services for corporate clients on security related matters in specific countries and regions. About Aysha PatelAysha Patel holds a master degree, is a Pasco analyst and a contributor to Pasco's Asia-Pacific region. |
“Pakistan is unpredictable and full of surprises, resulting from a complex heritage and deepening divisions within the country”, reasons Pasco analyst Aysha Patel. Pakistan is regarded by the West as both a major victim of terrorism and, possibly equally, a major sponsor of terrorism. It has been the scene of large scale acts of terror, such as the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and has maintained ties to militant groups based on its soil. Patel explains, “over the passage of time since the Gulf oil boom, Pakistan has built a complex network of relationships with numerous jihadist terror groups, including the Taliban, and with terrorists like Osama bin Laden. Pakistan supported Bin Laden and the Afghan resistance against the Soviets in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Pakistan’s government supported the Taliban’s rise in Afghanistan in the hope of having a friendly government in Kabul. More recently, shivers passed down public spines when the world realised that elements of al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, along with other terrorist groups, have made Pakistan’s tribal areas (the semi-autonomous region along the Afghan border) their base”. In recent years, CoFR's Jayshree Bajoria reported that “many new terrorist groups have emerged in Pakistan, several existing groups have reconstituted themselves, and a new crop of militants have taken control, more violent and less conducive to political solutions than their predecessors”.
