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Alternative Radio (Aust.) PO Box 780 Morwell Victoria 3848 Australia tel. 61-3-5134-8556 mob. 61-413-597-828 inquiries@araustralia.org |
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www.araustralia.org |
Alternative Radio (Aust.) PO Box 780 Morwell Victoria 3848 Australia tel. 61-3-5134-8556 mob. 61-413-597-828 inquiries@araustralia.org |
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Afghanistan and Pakistan, neighbouring states, are both in a precarious situation. In Afghanistan, the leader is Hamid Karzai and in Pakistan it's Pervez Musharraf. They face huge internal problems. Both have been targeted for assassination. In Afghanistan, the Taliban are regrouping. Attacks are on the increase. Drug trafficking, largely curbed during Taliban rule, is way up. Warlords, who operate fiefdoms, challenge Karzai for power. And in Pakistan, Islamic parties have won electoral victories in two of that country's four provinces. Its top scientist and national hero Abdul Qadeer Khan has admitted to selling nuclear secrets to other countries. Khan was immediately granted amnesty. Critics say a deal was struck so that the Pakistan military would not be implicated.
Ahmed Rashid is eminently qualified to analyse Central Asia. He has been described as "the most influential journalist in the world" based on his reporting from the region. He's been a correspondent based in Lahore covering Afghanistan, Pakistan and the five Central Asian republics for more than 20 years. He writes for the London Daily Telegraph, the Far Eastern Economic Review and The Wall Street Journal. His books Taliban and Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia are international best sellers.
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