In February 2008 a CFSOT delegation visited Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The second stop was the Pakistani capital Islamabad (and then Peshawar and the Khyber Agency) where the CFSOT delegation met with the leaders and representatives of all the main Pakistani parties and factions. A series of unique interviews were conducted, some of which appear in this Edition of Islamism Digest.
PAKISTAN’S UNSTABLE POLITICAL CLIMATE: SUMMARY OF EMPIRICAL FIELD RESEARCH
In a concise summing up of the Pakistan research trip’s findings, Islamism Digest presents an informational and analytical overview of all the pertinent points, including the state of Pakistani politics, the situation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Pakistan’s relationship with the United States. It is consistently argued that the unhealthy relationship with the U.S. underpins and aggravates all aspects of Pakistan’s political crisis. While Pakistan’s salvation lies in a decisive breach with the Unites States, the country lacks the cohesion and wherewithal to go down this untested route.
PROFESSOR KHURSHID AHMAD UNRAVELS AMERICA’S FAILING STRATEGY
In this long interview with Islamism Digest, the chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies (a prestigious Islamabad-based think-tank) and the deputy leader of the pan-Islamic Jama’at-e-Islami, demolishes the theoretical foundations of America’s strategy in Afghanistan and the wider south-east Asia region. Professor Khurshid Ahmad argues for a radically different Pakistani policy towards the United States and maintains that in the event of U.S. bombings of Pakistani territory, the country should respond militarily to American aggression.
A NEW FUTURE FOR PAKISTAN: SAADIA ABBASI EXPLAINS THE VISION
Saadia Abbasi is a member of the Pakistani Senate where she represents the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz faction). In this interview Abbasi critiques the Pakistani government’s policies in FATA and Baluchistan and calls for unconditional dialogue with all Pakistani militants.
SIDELINING PARVEZ MUSHARRAF: ENVER BAIG SHEDS LIGHTS
Enver Baig is a member of the Pakistani Senate where he represents the Pakistan Peoples Party. In this wide-ranging interview with Islamism Digest, Baig outlines a post-election strategy where the two main parties work together to gradually squeeze out President Musharraf. Moreover, Baig argues that only a truly civilian government can deal effectively with militancy in FATA and Baluchistan.
THE ISLAMISTS’ DECLINE IN PAKISTAN: DR ZAFAR ESHAQ ANSARI PROVIDES THE BACKDROP
In this candid interview the director of the Islamic Research Institute at Islamabad’s International Islamic University explains the causes behind the political decline of Pakistan’s mainstream Islamist parties. Dr. Ansari locates the origins of this decline in radical differences between the two main Islamist parties, namely the pragmatic Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam And the highly ideological Jama’at-e-Islami.
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