Pakistan: The Jackals Rule

Pakistan has received billions in U.S. aid. Where is that money? Much of it has gone missing. The jackals rule in Pakistan. A series of venal military and civilian leaders have devastated and looted the country. Historically, the U.S. has used Pakistan as a strategic asset. Its backing of fundamentalist dictator Zia ul-Haq had disastrous consequences. It was General Zia who greatly expanded Islamic law and religious schools. And he was a conduit for arming the mujahideen. Pakistan’s current head of state is Asif Ali Zardari, who was married to Benazir Bhutto. Zardari was touring London and Paris and staying at $ 11,000-a-night hotels while much of his country was underwater during catastrophic floods. Zardari is deeply unpopular and his regime teeters between the ineffectual and the criminal.

Recorded at Town Hall.