Pakistan's Government Gave Swat Valley To Taliban Now Say They Won't Let Al Qaeda In (yeah right)

There really isn't an appropriate word to describe the Pakistani government other than ... "clowns." I mean, I thoroughly expect the leaders of the Pakistani government to show up at their next meeting all piled into a tiny little car. After bending over and signing a peace agreement with the Taliban that literally let the Taliban install sharia law in the Swat Valley area of NW Pakistan, now the government is trying act all tough like they are still in control - well, everyone knows that is complete bullshit. Here's some of the details from Gulf Times:

Pakistan’s foreign minister vowed yesterday his government would not tolerate Al Qaeda in its Swat Valley despite accepting a peace deal that includes imposition of Shariah law. The West has voiced fears that the scenic valley, just 100 miles from Pakistan’s capital, will turn into a safe haven for militants much like nearby Afghanistan during the 1996-2001 reign of the Taliban. But Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in Washington for a three-way strategy review with the United States and Afghanistan, said the presence of Al Qaeda in the Swat Valley was “negligible if any.” “The Taliban will not be in charge. The government of Pakistan will be in charge there. We are not compromising with the Taliban,” Qureshi told PBS public television. “We have pushed Al Qaeda out ... of Swat and we are going to drive them out of the tribal belt,” he said.

In another section of this article, the Pakistani government continues to whine about the use of predator drones in the area by the U.S. and even goes so far to suggest this:

“If they are a necessity, then ... we are suggesting that the technology be transferred to Pakistan and that will resolve quite a few issues with the people of Pakistan,” he said, adding he had not received a reply to the request.

Can you believe that? The Pakistanis can't even ensure the safety of a NATO convoy of supplies through the country but we're supposed to hand over a couple of dozen predator drones to them? Can't you just see al Qaeda with half a dozen predators in the air with Achmed at the controls?

The Pakistani government's ability to keep al Qaeda out of Swat is like President Obama's ability to do anything without spending money. The fact of the matter is this - the Taliban negotiated the peace agreement in Swat SO THEY COULD protect al Qaeda. This is absolute madness - I'm starting to wonder if the Iranians have been surpassed by the Pakistanis in the innate ability to lie like a rug.

Qaeda won’t be allowed ‘in Swat’

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s foreign minister vowed yesterday his government would not tolerate Al Qaeda in its Swat Valley despite accepting a peace deal that includes imposition of Shariah law. The West has voiced fears that the scenic valley, just 100 miles from Pakistan’s capital, will turn into a safe haven for militants much like nearby Afghanistan during the 1996-2001 reign of the Taliban. But Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in Washington for a three-way strategy review with the United States and Afghanistan, said the presence of Al Qaeda in the Swat Valley was “negligible if any.” “The Taliban will not be in charge. The government of Pakistan will be in charge there. We are not compromising with the Taliban,” Qureshi told PBS public television. “We have pushed Al Qaeda out ... of Swat and we are going to drive them out of the tribal belt,” he said. The Pakistani government has accepted the ceasefire with militants in the Swat Valley who waged a bloody two-year campaign that included forcibly shutting girls’ schools and curbing entertainment. Qureshi said Pakistan wanted girls’ schools to reopen but stood by his stance that the Shariah deal was a local agreement aimed at better administering justice. “What people have not understood is that we have taken the wind out of the sail of extremists,” Qureshi said. Swat was an independent state before 1969 and until the insurgency was one of Pakistan’s main tourist draws as a ski resort. Pakistan also wants the United States to rethink its use of drones to attack militant targets and has asked Washington to transfer the pilotless aircraft to Islamabad. Qureshi said he told US officials that “they have to review the strategy vis-a-vis drones.” Pakistan’s civilian government, elected a year ago, believes the US missile strikes are counterproductive and have fanned an Islamist insurgency across northwest Pakistan, he said. “They have carried out some successful strikes and taken out some high-value targets,” Qureshi told the PBS network’s “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.” “At the same time, there is a collateral damage that is linked to the drones and that has alienated people there,” he added. Qureshi told PBS he had asked the United States to share drone technology. “If they are a necessity, then ... we are suggesting that the technology be transferred to Pakistan and that will resolve quite a few issues with the people of Pakistan,” he said, adding he had not received a reply to the request. Qureshi and Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta are among delegations visiting Washington this week to take part in the review of US policy on the region. The meetings in Washington follow President Barack Obama’s decision last week to send an additional 17,000 troops to Afghanistan to battle Taliban insurgents, bringing US forces there to 55,000 by this summer.