India-Pakistan: October 25, 2002

Archives

Indian troops have begun moving away from the Pakistan border and returning to their bases. This movement is expected to take two months to complete. But after 500,000 troops are sent back to their barracks, another 150,000 will stay at the border. This means that many of the minefields the troops laid down on the border will not be lifted. but will remain and guarded (from enemy attempts to mark or clear them) by the remaining troops. 

A police search in the Pakistani city of Karachi found eleven 10 ounce bombs. One exploded, wounding a policeman. The bombs were dropped off by terrorists in a hiding place for later placement near terrorist targets. 

Pakistan is still under a lot of pressure from the US to crack down on Pakistani religious conservatives and pro-terrorist organizations. But these groups are quite popular in Pakistan. It has become fashionable to believe that the West is planning to make war on the Islamic world and try to convert everyone to Christianity. As absurd as this sounds to Westerners, it is believed by a majority of Pakistanis. Newspapers write stories with this belief as a given. It's a very strange situation.