Guest blogger Roy Kamphausen is the director and vice president for political and security affairs of the Washington Office of the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR).

An issue that came up often in Monday’s NBR-sponsored debate on U.S.-Asian relations in the next administration was the question of instability in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Both campaigns talked about the importance of addressing the terrorist haven that has developed in the tribal areas of Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan. This would allow the United States to reduce the number of cross-border attacks into Afghanistan and the accompanying danger posed to the United States and to the Pakistan by the presence of these terrorists. There was agreement that more funding for infrastructure projects, training for Afghan security forces and more U.S. and NATO troops are needed in Afghanistan, although they differed on how many and what type, and on what compromises might have to be made in U.S. military commitments in Iraq.

The Obama/Biden camp argued Bush and McCain had not taken the Afghanistan problem seriously several years ago, and that the Bush administration is now making a last attempt to kill or capture Bin Laden by attacking targets within Pakistan, an action that has drawn Pakistani fire. These actions, they argued, threaten to undermine the new civilian government in Pakistan as well as the larger U.S.-Pakistan relationship. Read more »

The bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on 20 September 2008 has hit Pakistan hard. The reputation of the hotel as a meeting-point and social hub for the capital’s political and diplomatic class ensured that the attack - which killed fifty-three people and wounded 250 - would receive the maximum worldwide publicity that the assailants doubtless wanted. But the effect of the enormous blast involving around 600 kilograms of explosives also reinforced the insecurity of the working-class Pakistanis who were its principal victims. Even more, the incident has intensified serious concerns over the political future of Pakistan itself.

In assessing the country’s predicament at this critical juncture, three elements that often fail to get the attention they deserve need to be borne in mind: the role of Washington and the way it is perceived by Pakistanis; the distinction between the country’s ostensible (or political) government and its real (or shadow) one; and the role of class and its changing dynamics in Pakistan’s economy and society. Read more »

One of my favorite blogs is Haq’s Musings. Riaz Haq has posted an interesting piece on using renewable energy for Pakistan’s electricity crisis. Good reading and info for us all to understand.

Faisal Qureshi is an anchor on a TV show on Samaa - his show, Ankahi, discusses topics of social awareness and civic responsibility. ‘Loose Ends Pakistan’ was a show he anchored on another channel, similar to Ankahi, but with larger groups of people at a time.

This evening, he had Samina Peerzada (respected filmmaker in Pakistan) on the show, discussing whether an individual can make a difference in the world. So much of what was said on the show mirrors what we want to say with Take Back Pakistan, I had to post about it. First, hats off to Samina Peerzada. I don’t think I admire or respect any of our media personalities as much as I do her. She said some beautiful things on the show tonight (and earlier, with Jasmine Mansoor on The Pulse), and left Faisal Qureshi speechless (quite rare) by the end - he was frank enough to sit back and simply applaud her fervor.

Perhaps the most important thing she said was that Pakistan was home. We are Pakistani, and every blade of grass, every tree, every road, every building was HOME. Our property extends beyond our front door, and outside the main gates. Until we all start believing this, until we take this to heart, and start cleaning house, this country goes nowhere.

The fact is that our government is a failure, our leaders are a joke. Leave them to lining their own pockets and collecting their family jewels. Change for the better will only come when we change, and it’s our turn to bat.

I encourage everyone who reads this post to head over to ankahi.tv (where they also put up Ankahi episodes for online viewing, so look for this show), to www.looseendspakistan.com and to http://groups.google.com/group/looseendspakistan. Sign up NOW. Join the discussion, join the silent revolution of a silent majority, and take back your country.