PAK::AFFAIRS

US CIA Spy Drone Shot Down?

Nasir Aziz
nasiraziz@pakaffairs.com

Initial Reports are coming in from Pakistani media claiming that a US Spy Drone crashed near Angoor Adda in South Waziristan Agency. This is the same village where US Chinook Helicopters were shot at as warning by Pakistan Forces and Tribesmen during alleged potential incursion on the night of Septemer 13th, 2008.

PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces and Wazir tribesmen Tuesday shot down a CIA-operated US Predator plane near Angoor Adda, in South Waziristan Agency (SWA) but AFP reported that the plane crashed.

Official and tribal sources informed this correspondent from Angoor Adda - a border town between Pakistan’s South Waziristan and Afghanistan’s Paktika province — that Pakistani security forces and armed Wazir tribespeople fired at the US spy plane and downed.

“Yes, the security forces and Wazir tribesmen fired at the plane and shot it down,” said a security official based in the border town, but wished not to be named.The wreckage of the drone was reportedly lying scattered in a border village.

The official said the drone had been constantly flying over Pakistani border villages since Tuesday morning.Also, tribal sources from Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan, said they received reports from their fellow Wazir tribesmen living in the border town that a US plane had been shot down.

Read more from this source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17465

Yeh Hum Nahi [This is NOT us]

This Pakistani Song “Yeh Hum Nahi” [This is NOT us] depicts the true sentiment of Pakistanis who are the victims of imposed international terrorism against them. Pakistanis are getting hammered from all sides and this song says it all:

Here is the translation:
“Not who we are

What has been spread in our name is nothing but a lie
Others have marked our forehead with death just to vilify
The name by which you know us is not who we are
And what you perceive us to be is not who we are

That’s not who we are
That’s not who we are
That’s not who we are, not who we are
That’s not who we are, not who we are

As darkness approached
we desperately sought our way
Scared, we torched our home
just to keep the night away

But what’s in the air around us is not going to fly
What’s been spread in our name is nothing but a lie

That’s not who we are
That’s not who we are, not who we are

The name by which you know us is not who we are
And what you perceive us to be is not who we are

That’s not who we are
That’s not who we are, not who we are

Somewhere along the way we lost what unites us
We’re a little scared, ’cause some of us feed what bites us
Granted, your pain is as vast as the sea
Our wounds are even deeper, the pain greater, has to be

That’s not who we are
That’s not who we are
That’s not who we are, not who we are
That’s not who we are, not who we are”

Pakistani Forces and NATO Forces clash against each other

Nasir Aziz
nasiraziz@pakaffairs.com

It now appears that Pakistani Forces and NATO forces had their first official encounter against each other on Monday, September 15th 2008 at the Pakistan-Afghan border near the village of Angoor Adda.

It appears that the Pakistani Forces repelled the NATO ground attack, a re-run of what NATO(?) had pulled off a week ago in the same place. But this time they were encountered by Pakistani Forces and Tribesmen who joined in repelling their attack. According to sources, the last weeks “Helicopter Attack” was conducted by US SEALs. NATO forces said they were not a part of this raid and had no knowledge nor have any future plans to conduct surgical strikes inside Pakistani Tribal belt. But this last incident contradicts their official statements or stance, which is not surprising. Also Pakistani Fighter jets scared the CIA drones away when they were detected approaching Pakistani border.

General Kiyani has made it clear a few days ago that “the country’s borders and sovereignty will be protected at all costs”, and it appears that he means what he says unlike our mentally ill elected politicians.

NATO/US forces and their official statements are just that, “official” and can not be trusted as we have learned from recent history and their misadventures. All this happens on the same day when the bankrupt super power is having a yet another financial meltdown today! Lehman Brothers that owes $615 Billion to other banks is calling it quits and filing for bankruptcy. Dow is crashing as I type this. The super power will face irrecoverable losses for a long time and will either probably put its war machine in retreat or full force. This yet has to be seen. The next few months are going to be decisive (geo)politically, militarily and otherwise.

The NATO attack and retreat is initially being reported by PRESS TV:

Pakistani forces clash with NATO troops
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=69498&sectionid=351020401

Pakistani security forces have repulsed a ground attack by the NATO troops at Pakistan-Afghanistan border in South Waziristan, sources say.

Local officials and tribal elders told reporters that the fight between Pakistani forces and the NATO troops started late on Sunday at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border village Angoor Adda and continued for four hours but caused no casualties.

The tribesmen along with the security forces responded to the NATO attack and their fire power prevented the foreign forces from entering Pakistan territory to hunt for the wanted militants.

CHINE VIEW
Pakistani forces clash with coalition forces along Pak-Afghan border
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/15/content_10020150.htm

BBC NEWS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7396366.stm

REUTERS
Pakistan says troop fire turns U.S. helicopters back
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSISL14941720080915

This is about to get crazy….

Karzai, bring it on: And then go to hell!

Nasir Aziz
nasiraziz@pakaffairs.com

Karzai’s audacity to blame Pakistan for every problem he has in Afghanistan is mere childish and incompetent on his part - You’d say DUH! Incompetent that he is has forgotten a lot of recent history already. Pakistan, that gave Afghani’s the refuge after Russian aggression has the nerve to send his meager and worthless Afghan Army into Pakistan? Afghan refugees polluted Pakistan with drugs, mafia, guns, and not to mention the negative envrionmental and social impact that they caused deserves a revisit, and this is his way of thanking us?

Afghanis have been refugees for over 30 years now in Pakistan and now have decided to pay us back our goodwill and not to mention our sacrifices on their behalf with a tiny square hat army! Unflipping believable! And the Taliban militants who he blames Pakistan for are his own country’s product. “His” country that he just inherited, thanks to NATO and UNICOL. Ungrateful bastards! We should have left them there in the hands of Russians, they would have taken care of them thoroughly… And where was this chicken hawk when Russians were walking all over “his” country? Maybe hiding in Pakistan or in Europe like most of his countrymen did while the Mujahideens turned Taliban were liberating Afghanistan from Russia? Yeah, bring it on you coward!

I hate to say this but now I am of the opinion that let him send his crap army over to Pakistan. They will suffer a double whammy, first by the Talibans themselves who are blood hungry for Afghan “National” Army, and then whoever survives through them will be shot and bombed again by mighty Pakistan Army. What does this joker think, he can just send his square hats into Pakistan as if we are some banana republic?

I say Karzai, you go to hell! I tried my best to like you but you are one coward SOB that doesn’t deserve an ounce of respect. Plus now you are making Afghans look bad in our eyes too… Good going you piece of shit!

Tags: afghanistan, karzai, pakistan

BIO/AGRO FUELS HOAX - Pakistan needs a new energy policy…

Nasir Aziz
nasiraziz@pakaffairs.com

I have always been a big proponent of Hydrogen Power and can’t dream or play enough with it. It always made sense to me, an abundantly available source and eco-friendly at the same time. Although it requires cracking of water into Hydrogen and Oxygen through electrolysis, which requires other forms of energy to do just that; a premise used by many other alternative energy enthusiasts as negative about Hydrogen as an energy source. But what they forget, or maybe are unaware of the recent advancements in metallurgical sciences, possible use of existing Nuclear Plants and in addition “Hydrogen on Demand” kits installed in the car engines makes it economically viable and practically realistic. They are stuck in their philosophy so lets not worry and leave them there to make their BioFuels all they want.

The BioFuels philosophy is full of flaws and defeats the actual purpose of cheaper and environmentally friendly energy. The amount of water wasted to grow these crops, farming equipment burning gasoline, and other processing related pollution that adds to our ecosystem usually is ignored in their arguments. The Hydrogen Club takes the water and breaks it apart economically for consumption as an energy source, all the water that will go into crop growing otherwise!

Here is a good article that busts some BioFuel myths: The Great Biofuel Hoax
Here are some highlights:

Myth #1: Agro-fuels are clean and green
Myth #2: Agro-fuels will not result in deforestation
Myth #3: Agro-fuels will bring rural development
Myth #4: Agro-fuels will not cause hunger
Myth #5: Better “second-generation” agro fuels are just around the corner

BioFuels can be looked upon as a good experiment without real hope for globally sustainable energy . The answer really lies in Hydrogen in my opinion.

Even a child can tell you that this argument will not make Oil Companies very happy. No to mention IMF, World Bank, and other oil interest organizations, politicians and governments. They have the power and resources to delay or outright kill the notion of competing alternative energies. Hydrogen usually is targeted by leveraging on its established negative publicity as explosive, highly flammable, hydrogen bomb, etc. This puts both the BioFuelers and Slickers on the same defensive ironically.

Hydrogen can not fully replace crude oil as an energy source. We will still need oil for petroleum based products and some transportation and energy needs. Hydrogen does look promising though, once produced commercially can result in 40-70% (my guestimate) decrease in oil consumption worldwide.

Here are a few ways Hydrogen can be produced economically:

• Heat energy that is wasted by Nuclear Plants can be re-purposed for production of Hydrogen and Oxygen
• Turbines in Dams can be used to generate Hydrogen as both water and electric power are freely available on-site
• Solar and Wind energy can be harnessed to produce and store hydrogen
• Advancements in metallurgy and efficient electrolytes can facilitate “Hydrogen on Demand” cells/kits for safe use in automobiles
• Freely available geo-thermal energy can be used in production of Hydrogen
• Harnessing energy from coastal waves and on-site saline water provides for a good water/electrolyte solution required for hydrogen seperation
• and many more…

Pakistan is a good candidate for such alternatives in many respects. A clear-cut energy mandate can put us ahead of many emerging and developing countries and save us tremendous amounts of money by reducing our oil dependency and its imports. Increase in transportation and resulting pollution in major Pakistani cities is not being addressed beyond stalled discussions and resentments. Forgive my ignorance if such arrangements exist, please do notify me. I have done my research and have not found anything that addresses these issues yet. I guess we are too busy fighting suicide bombers and not addressing the terror we are creating ourselves on daily basis by adding poison to our own air. While by burning Hydrogen, the only by-product you get is water itself for the most part!

Pakistan has all the resources available to go Hydrogen based:

• Consistent Wind Corridors in Northern NWFP, Kashmir, Baluchistan and Sindh Areas (Wind - Based on my meager research)
• Nuclear Power - Yes, we are one (Nuclear)
• Sea Water - south coast (Coastal Wave Energy)
• Snow, fresh water, glacier ice
• Plentiful Sunlight over most of Pakistan (Solar)
• Geothermal energy in the NorthWest

These are far and few, and not to mention all the human skills and resources we can possibly think of. We have all the ingredients available to go forward with this energy source. All we need is a energy policy based on this vision at government level. It can do miracles for the country in many respects - just use your imagination.

Iceland is officially the first country that is moving towards oil free economy by replacing it with Hydrogen. Their advantage is abundant and freely available geothermal energy and a very small population. It’s a good country to watch and learn from. But compared to Iceland, Pakistan by adopting the same path and policy will create a huge impact not just on the country but globally too; we after all rank as one of the most populous nations in the world.

I will lay this out, and I hope that its not true and our hands are not tied down to some crazy IMF, World Bank, or other Oil Cartel policies or vested interests. To my understanding we are done with IMF loans already, so one less beast to deal with. Regardless, such issues should not become a hurdle to our cleaner and sustainable energy future. Masses should be made aware of Hydrogen based economy, sustainability, and working prototypes to create a “democratically” backed vision.

Tags: pakistan energy hydrogen nuclear power politics