Pakistan media ridicule army for attack

[Guest guest]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/05/201152414039841809.html

Pakistan media ridicule army for attack

In an unexpected move, some media outlets have accused the military of

complicity in the Karachi naval base attack.

Last Modified: 24 May 2011 15:48

Pakistan's military has come in for unexpectedly stinging criticism from the

country's media following an attack by Taliban fighters on key naval base in the

southern port city of Karachi.

Editorials in both the English and Urdu-language press on Tuesday ridiculed the

army and accused them of complicity in the attack, which saw a small group of

fighters lay siege to the PNS Mehran naval base.

" Political rhetoric and a Cabinet Defence Committee meeting are not going to

solve this one, " read an editorial in the English-language daily, The News.

" This is an epic failure exposing an existential threat that will need epic

leadership to countervail. "

An editorial in the usually pro-military Urdu-language Jang, said that the

attacks illustrated " a weakness of security measures " .

" In very polite words, it can be called worrisome negligence, " the paper said.

The English-language Dawn newspaper questioned whether the attackers had

received help from within the military, asking: " Did the Taliban raiders have

information inside the naval base? "

" Such a possibility cannot be ruled out, because the involvement of serving

personnel in several previous attacks has been well-established, " the paper

said.

National hero

At least six gunmen infiltrated the naval base in Karachi late on Sunday,

killing 13 security forces and wounding 20 others.

The base is the headquarters of Pakistan's naval air wing and the fighters were

able to destroy two P-3C Orion aircraft from the United States, crucial assets

for Pakistan's anti-submarine and maritime surveillance capability.

It took about 100 commandos, rangers and marines to kill four of the attackers

and recapture the base.

Despite the criticism of the military, the country has embraced as a national

hero Lieutenant Yasir Abbas, a young navy officer who was killed leading the

counter-attack against the Taliban fighters.

Yusuf Raza Gilani, the Pakistani prime minister, travelled to the base on

Tuesday to pay tribute to the security forces who died.

" We are proud of these brave men " , Gilani said, singling out Abbas for

particular praise.

But the attack has been a further humiliation for Pakistan's military, already

on the back foot following the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda

leader, by US special forces on Pakistani soil, where bin Laden had been in

hiding.

[Guest guest]

There may well have been some complicity there. The intelligence service has a lot of support for the Taliban in its ranks and the regular military is made of people who's loyalties lie more with their tribe than to the nation of Pakistan. Then again, most Third World militaries aren't very good, which could also explain their lack of aggressive response to the attack.

In a message dated 5/24/2011 1:21:34 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

In an unexpected move, some media outlets have accused the military of complicity in the Karachi naval base attack.