Funny bodybuilders of pakistan
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Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Heroin addiction on the rise in Pakistan
Epidemic of drug addicts in pakistan
Pakistani government may be appearing to make a steady progress in its battle against the Taliban in the tribal territories.
But it seems the country has already lost the battle against the growing menace of heroin addiction, which is on the rise.
Christians under increasing pressure in #pakistan #Jesus #Islam #Christianity
Christians have faced persecution in Pakistan for years but the climate has deteriorated in recent months with the murders of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti.
Last Saturday, the Sarhadi Lutheran Church in Mardan, Khyberpakhtunkhwa province, was targeted in a bomb attack.
It is believed that Islamic militants planted the bomb that caused considerable damage to the building.
The day before, a Muslim man entered a church in Lahore and tore the Bible in retaliation for the Koran burning.
According to Assist news, Lahore archdiocesan vicar general Andrew Nisari urged Christians not to seek revenge.
“Promise me you won’t riot,” he said during mass at Lahore’s Sacred Heart Cathedral last Sunday.
“Promise me you won’t fight. It is another trial for Christianity in Pakistan. Be patient in suffering and follow the passion of Christ.”
We are deeply concerned with growing anti-Christian sentiments.
One of Pakistan’s most outspoken advocates for the rights of Christians, Joseph Francis, has received death threats in recent months.
Francis is the director of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), which provides persecuted Christians in Pakistan with free legal support and has lobbied hard for the repeal of the controversial blasphemy laws.
CLAAS has appealed to Christians to pray for his safety.
In a message to the ministry’s supporters, Mr Francis vowed to continue speaking up for the rights of Christians in spite of the death threats.
“Even though I am receiving threats to my life, as a soldier of Christ I am willing to stand up for the rights of those persecuted and pressed down by these unjust laws, even if the ultimate goal demands my blood too,” he said.
“I know I have opposition from the religious extremists who want to stop me from defending my brothers and sisters in Christ from all kinds of persecution, but I will continue my struggle for the repeal of blasphemy and other Islamic discriminatory laws.”
The British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) is appealing to Christians in Britain to stand by their brothers and sisters in Pakistan. It is planning to hold a protest on July 2 to call for reform of the blasphemy laws and the Pakistani constitution.
Wilson Chowdhry, of the BPCA, said many of the atrocities faced by Christians in Pakistan had “gone rather unnoticed” by the world.
“Historically in the UK, the largest protest we have managed to organise through our community has been limited to around 250 people.
“Without wider Christian support, we are doomed to failure,” he said.
This Wednesday, the Masih Foundation is asking Christians around the world to light a candle and say prayers for Asia Bibi, a Christian mother-of-five sentenced to death for blasphemy last November. She remains in prison awaiting an appeal against her sentence.
Bibi is reportedly continuing to fast and pray for other Christians despite being ill in prison with chicken pox.
Last Saturday, the Sarhadi Lutheran Church in Mardan, Khyberpakhtunkhwa province, was targeted in a bomb attack.
It is believed that Islamic militants planted the bomb that caused considerable damage to the building.
The day before, a Muslim man entered a church in Lahore and tore the Bible in retaliation for the Koran burning.
According to Assist news, Lahore archdiocesan vicar general Andrew Nisari urged Christians not to seek revenge.
“Promise me you won’t riot,” he said during mass at Lahore’s Sacred Heart Cathedral last Sunday.
“Promise me you won’t fight. It is another trial for Christianity in Pakistan. Be patient in suffering and follow the passion of Christ.”
We are deeply concerned with growing anti-Christian sentiments.
One of Pakistan’s most outspoken advocates for the rights of Christians, Joseph Francis, has received death threats in recent months.
Francis is the director of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), which provides persecuted Christians in Pakistan with free legal support and has lobbied hard for the repeal of the controversial blasphemy laws.
CLAAS has appealed to Christians to pray for his safety.
In a message to the ministry’s supporters, Mr Francis vowed to continue speaking up for the rights of Christians in spite of the death threats.
“Even though I am receiving threats to my life, as a soldier of Christ I am willing to stand up for the rights of those persecuted and pressed down by these unjust laws, even if the ultimate goal demands my blood too,” he said.
“I know I have opposition from the religious extremists who want to stop me from defending my brothers and sisters in Christ from all kinds of persecution, but I will continue my struggle for the repeal of blasphemy and other Islamic discriminatory laws.”
The British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) is appealing to Christians in Britain to stand by their brothers and sisters in Pakistan. It is planning to hold a protest on July 2 to call for reform of the blasphemy laws and the Pakistani constitution.
Wilson Chowdhry, of the BPCA, said many of the atrocities faced by Christians in Pakistan had “gone rather unnoticed” by the world.
“Historically in the UK, the largest protest we have managed to organise through our community has been limited to around 250 people.
“Without wider Christian support, we are doomed to failure,” he said.
This Wednesday, the Masih Foundation is asking Christians around the world to light a candle and say prayers for Asia Bibi, a Christian mother-of-five sentenced to death for blasphemy last November. She remains in prison awaiting an appeal against her sentence.
Bibi is reportedly continuing to fast and pray for other Christians despite being ill in prison with chicken pox.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
#fact Rampant use of child labour in #pakistan HT @Gawaahi
The problem of child labour is painfully obvious in the streets, markets, workshops and factories.
Children work roam the streets of Karachi in Pakistan, as trash pickers, collecting paper, metal shavings, bottles and anything else for which they can make a pittance off contractors. On Sundays, they spend the day at Karachi’s Sunday Market, where they carry the shopping load of those visiting the market.
These children are either the sole earners for their families, or work and act as supplemental collaborators to their family’s income pool. They are all between the ages of 8 to 14 years.
Child labour and abuse of domestic child workers remained widespread.
1,154 juveniles were detained in the prisons across the country.
170 juveniles committed suicide across Pakistan and another 76 attempted suicide but their lives were saved.
Over one million child labourers between the ages of 10 to 14 were working in the country.
As child welfare falls in the provincial domain following the 18th constitutional Amendment, all child protection bills introduced at the federal level have been halted in different phases of legislative process.
Children work roam the streets of Karachi in Pakistan, as trash pickers, collecting paper, metal shavings, bottles and anything else for which they can make a pittance off contractors. On Sundays, they spend the day at Karachi’s Sunday Market, where they carry the shopping load of those visiting the market.
These children are either the sole earners for their families, or work and act as supplemental collaborators to their family’s income pool. They are all between the ages of 8 to 14 years.
Child labour and abuse of domestic child workers remained widespread.
1,154 juveniles were detained in the prisons across the country.
170 juveniles committed suicide across Pakistan and another 76 attempted suicide but their lives were saved.
Over one million child labourers between the ages of 10 to 14 were working in the country.
As child welfare falls in the provincial domain following the 18th constitutional Amendment, all child protection bills introduced at the federal level have been halted in different phases of legislative process.
#pakistan should cooperate, not obstruct #terrorism
The Pakistanis have often seemed to be a reluctant participant in the venture. The choice to cooperate with the U.S. has seemed more like a self-preservation tactic than a true desire to rid their country of terrorist elements.
The Pakistanis have shown a more porous defense against terrorists sneaking across the border from Afghanistan than the Denver Broncos.
President George W. Bush made it very clear after 9/11 that we would attack terrorists and those who support them no matter where in the world they hide. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the western, mountainous parts of the country is where many terrorists have chosen to take refuge.
Drones have been an effective means of hitting the terrorists where they live without risking U.S. lives. The program has been highly successful.
The CIA-led drone program has worked under a secret arrangement with Pakistani intelligence officials, according to the Wall Street Journal. Pakistani officials are supposed to deny involvement in the drone hits and criticize them in public while Pakistani intelligence personnel secretly relay targeting information to the CIA.
The solution for the Pakistanis is simple. If you don't want the U.S. to use drone attacks on terrorists and militants in Pakistan, stop harboring terrorists. The Pakistan government's cooperation in the war on terror has been marginal at best. They have been unable to rid their territory of key terrorist targets while not allowing U.S. military personnel to cross the Pakistan border and take of the problem ourselves.
If Pakistan had taken this attitude back in late 2001 they may have become a target instead of a partner. Pakistan's attitude is key to making any progress in Afghanistan.
The choices for Pakistan remain the same as they did on Sept. 12, 2001. Work with us, work against us or get out of the way and let us do the job ourselves. Either way, Pakistan is going to have drones flying overhead until the terrorists are gone.
The Pakistanis have shown a more porous defense against terrorists sneaking across the border from Afghanistan than the Denver Broncos.
President George W. Bush made it very clear after 9/11 that we would attack terrorists and those who support them no matter where in the world they hide. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the western, mountainous parts of the country is where many terrorists have chosen to take refuge.
Drones have been an effective means of hitting the terrorists where they live without risking U.S. lives. The program has been highly successful.
The CIA-led drone program has worked under a secret arrangement with Pakistani intelligence officials, according to the Wall Street Journal. Pakistani officials are supposed to deny involvement in the drone hits and criticize them in public while Pakistani intelligence personnel secretly relay targeting information to the CIA.
The solution for the Pakistanis is simple. If you don't want the U.S. to use drone attacks on terrorists and militants in Pakistan, stop harboring terrorists. The Pakistan government's cooperation in the war on terror has been marginal at best. They have been unable to rid their territory of key terrorist targets while not allowing U.S. military personnel to cross the Pakistan border and take of the problem ourselves.
If Pakistan had taken this attitude back in late 2001 they may have become a target instead of a partner. Pakistan's attitude is key to making any progress in Afghanistan.
The choices for Pakistan remain the same as they did on Sept. 12, 2001. Work with us, work against us or get out of the way and let us do the job ourselves. Either way, Pakistan is going to have drones flying overhead until the terrorists are gone.
#pakistan indulging in illicit nuclear trade?
Pakistan's illicit nuclear trade is now coming under the scanner. A leading US thinktank has warned Barack Obama to wake up to Pakistan's nuclear designs before its too late. Research done by the Washington based thinktank -- Institute for Science & International Security -- has marked out Pakistan for indulging in illicit nuclear trafficking.
Obama has been warned that Pakistan is using sophisticated networks to subvert its international obligations on nuclear proliferation. It goes on to say that the onus of stopping Pakistan's illicit nuclear trade rests with the United States.
"Pakistan remains an active procurer of nuclear dual-use goods and utilizes highly sophisticated networks to obtain what it needs. As an ally, the United States should insist that Pakistan stop its illicit nuclear trafficking activities and prove it is truly committed to global non-proliferation norms and laws," says the thinkthank.
In the past, Barack Obama has been warned about Pakistan's nuclear ambitions but all he has said is that the US is keeping watch.
But there are enough reasons to worry over Pakistan's shady deals. First concern is the rogue Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan, who developed Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme. But he is also the man, who is seen as leading an international cartel in trading nuclear secrets and knowhow.
Second concern is the recent case of Pakistani businessman Nadeem Akhtar based in the US. Akhtar has been charged for exporting dual use nuclear applications to nuclear installations in Pakistan.
Obama has been warned that Pakistan is using sophisticated networks to subvert its international obligations on nuclear proliferation. It goes on to say that the onus of stopping Pakistan's illicit nuclear trade rests with the United States.
"Pakistan remains an active procurer of nuclear dual-use goods and utilizes highly sophisticated networks to obtain what it needs. As an ally, the United States should insist that Pakistan stop its illicit nuclear trafficking activities and prove it is truly committed to global non-proliferation norms and laws," says the thinkthank.
In the past, Barack Obama has been warned about Pakistan's nuclear ambitions but all he has said is that the US is keeping watch.
But there are enough reasons to worry over Pakistan's shady deals. First concern is the rogue Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan, who developed Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme. But he is also the man, who is seen as leading an international cartel in trading nuclear secrets and knowhow.
Second concern is the recent case of Pakistani businessman Nadeem Akhtar based in the US. Akhtar has been charged for exporting dual use nuclear applications to nuclear installations in Pakistan.
USA orders #pakistan to take action against Lashkar-e-Tayyaba #terrorism
A top United States’ counter- terrorism official has said the Obama administration continues to press Islamabad for “increased action” against militant groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba [LeT].
U.S. continues to ask Pakistan to take action against LeT. “We continue to press Pakistan for increased action against Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terrorist groups.”
U.S. continues to ask Pakistan to take action against LeT. “We continue to press Pakistan for increased action against Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terrorist groups.”
European Union criticises #pakistan for support to terrorists: may cut financial aid #Afghanistan
The European Parliament has rebuked Pakistan for the slow progress in the fight against Taliban militancy in the country and directed the European Commission to appropriate financial aid to Islamabad based on its sincere efforts to eradicate terrorist groups.
The European Parliament issued two declarations on Friday reprimanding Pakistan about the dangers posed by the Taliban and calling for urgent measures for the security of the European Union (EU).
It instructed the Commission to "re-evaluate the size and objectives of its financial aid, depending on the sincere efforts of the Pakistani government to eradicate terrorist groups".
It expressed concern about Taliban sympathizers infiltrating into Pakistani military, intelligence and other security establishments.
"Taliban militants are continuously attempting to gain control over nuclear warheads, which clearly poses a threat for Europe and the world," it said on Friday.
All EU operations and missions in the region must be manned by trained personnel equipped with handling chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear terrorism, it said.
Terrorism and extremism are not just threats to the stability of Pakistan, but also to the rest of the world, it said noting "the Pakistani intelligence and security services are suspected of giving practical and financial support to terrorist groups".
The European Parliament issued two declarations on Friday reprimanding Pakistan about the dangers posed by the Taliban and calling for urgent measures for the security of the European Union (EU).
It instructed the Commission to "re-evaluate the size and objectives of its financial aid, depending on the sincere efforts of the Pakistani government to eradicate terrorist groups".
It expressed concern about Taliban sympathizers infiltrating into Pakistani military, intelligence and other security establishments.
"Taliban militants are continuously attempting to gain control over nuclear warheads, which clearly poses a threat for Europe and the world," it said on Friday.
All EU operations and missions in the region must be manned by trained personnel equipped with handling chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear terrorism, it said.
Terrorism and extremism are not just threats to the stability of Pakistan, but also to the rest of the world, it said noting "the Pakistani intelligence and security services are suspected of giving practical and financial support to terrorist groups".
plea for calm after Bible is destroyed in #pakistan
The Christian community in Lahore were reportedly outraged when a man ripped up a copy of the Bible at the church gates last Friday.
But Lahore's Archdiocesan Vicar General Andrew Nisari used his address to the Lahore church's congregation to call for calm.
"Promise me you won't riot," he said. "Promise you won't fight. It is another trial for Christianity in Pakistan. Be patient in suffering and follow the passion of Christ."
The retired Archbishop of Lahore, Lawrence Saldanha, urged Christians to leave the state legal system to deal with the suspect – though he did express concerns over what he saw as "growing anti-Christian sentiment".
But Lahore's Archdiocesan Vicar General Andrew Nisari used his address to the Lahore church's congregation to call for calm.
"Promise me you won't riot," he said. "Promise you won't fight. It is another trial for Christianity in Pakistan. Be patient in suffering and follow the passion of Christ."
The retired Archbishop of Lahore, Lawrence Saldanha, urged Christians to leave the state legal system to deal with the suspect – though he did express concerns over what he saw as "growing anti-Christian sentiment".
pakistani-origin Minister Baroness Warsi uses taxpayer-funded official visit to #pakistan to slip off for family wedding #Britain #UK
She was on an official visit to Pakistan, supposedly to discuss immigration and see the devastation wrought by last year's floods.
But pakistani immigrant Cabinet minister Baroness Warsi astonished her hosts by slipping away in the middle of the day to attend a family wedding – with her security entourage in tow.
The Tory party chairman did not pay for the cost of this security when they made a 160-mile round trip to a luxury hotel to join her nephew and 350 guests for a lavish party.
Extensive security arrangements were put in place ahead of her arrival, with a senior Pakistani police officer inspecting the hall and scrutinising the guest list.
Hotel insiders said guests were woken early on the morning of the wedding and told to move their parked cars in preparation for her arrival.
But the Foreign Office made no official mention of her attendance.
A hotel source said the security demands caused chaos.
He added: 'There were no parliamentarians from the area at the wedding. It was solely a family function. She came all the way from Islamabad and went back in the evening.'
Lady Warsi and several armed guards were driven from Islamabad, the capital, to Mir Pur for the wedding during a four-day trip to Pakistan in February.
She joined her husband Iftikhar Azam for the event at the plush Regency Hotel, where rooms cost nearly £100 a night, before being driven back to Islamabad.
The groom, Chaudhry Mohammad Afzal, is the son of Lady Warsi's brother-in-law.
The Foreign Office published extensive details of the official visit to Pakistan on its website, including pictures of Lady Warsi attending a briefing on the flood relief effort.
It also showed her riding in a helicopter over flood-affected areas and visiting a girls' school taking part in a project linking it with a school in Bury, Greater Manchester. But no mention was made of Lady Warsi attending the wedding.
Labour MP John Mann said: 'It is outrageous if taxpayers were forced to pick up any part of the tab for the Conservative party chairman to attend a family wedding.'
A spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance said: 'When it's a Government trip there will obviously be a bill passed on to the taxpayer but extra costs shouldn't be racked up by using a security team for personal events.
'At a time when the Government has to find big savings, it's crucial that the costs of foreign trips like this are kept down.'
Although she is a member of the Cabinet, Lady Warsi's official role is 'Minister without Portfolio' – meaning she does not have any specific policy responsibilities.
The hotel source said: 'Security were told that guests were asleep, but did not listen and told us to wake them up and ask them to take out their cars from the hotel.
'Lady Warsi came here before 1pm when about 350 guests were inside the hall. Most knew that she was coming and were waiting to take lunch with her. She stayed there till 3.30pm.
'The security from the British High Commission accompanied her. The ladies in the hall rushed to receive her. She kissed both the bride and the groom and went to meet the elders of the family in the hall.'
A spokesman for Lady Warsi admitted that the minister did not contribute to the cost of her security during the wedding trip.
But pakistani immigrant Cabinet minister Baroness Warsi astonished her hosts by slipping away in the middle of the day to attend a family wedding – with her security entourage in tow.
The Tory party chairman did not pay for the cost of this security when they made a 160-mile round trip to a luxury hotel to join her nephew and 350 guests for a lavish party.
Extensive security arrangements were put in place ahead of her arrival, with a senior Pakistani police officer inspecting the hall and scrutinising the guest list.
Hotel insiders said guests were woken early on the morning of the wedding and told to move their parked cars in preparation for her arrival.
But the Foreign Office made no official mention of her attendance.
A hotel source said the security demands caused chaos.
He added: 'There were no parliamentarians from the area at the wedding. It was solely a family function. She came all the way from Islamabad and went back in the evening.'
Lady Warsi and several armed guards were driven from Islamabad, the capital, to Mir Pur for the wedding during a four-day trip to Pakistan in February.
She joined her husband Iftikhar Azam for the event at the plush Regency Hotel, where rooms cost nearly £100 a night, before being driven back to Islamabad.
The groom, Chaudhry Mohammad Afzal, is the son of Lady Warsi's brother-in-law.
The Foreign Office published extensive details of the official visit to Pakistan on its website, including pictures of Lady Warsi attending a briefing on the flood relief effort.
It also showed her riding in a helicopter over flood-affected areas and visiting a girls' school taking part in a project linking it with a school in Bury, Greater Manchester. But no mention was made of Lady Warsi attending the wedding.
Labour MP John Mann said: 'It is outrageous if taxpayers were forced to pick up any part of the tab for the Conservative party chairman to attend a family wedding.'
A spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance said: 'When it's a Government trip there will obviously be a bill passed on to the taxpayer but extra costs shouldn't be racked up by using a security team for personal events.
'At a time when the Government has to find big savings, it's crucial that the costs of foreign trips like this are kept down.'
Although she is a member of the Cabinet, Lady Warsi's official role is 'Minister without Portfolio' – meaning she does not have any specific policy responsibilities.
The hotel source said: 'Security were told that guests were asleep, but did not listen and told us to wake them up and ask them to take out their cars from the hotel.
'Lady Warsi came here before 1pm when about 350 guests were inside the hall. Most knew that she was coming and were waiting to take lunch with her. She stayed there till 3.30pm.
'The security from the British High Commission accompanied her. The ladies in the hall rushed to receive her. She kissed both the bride and the groom and went to meet the elders of the family in the hall.'
A spokesman for Lady Warsi admitted that the minister did not contribute to the cost of her security during the wedding trip.
#pakistan still proliferating & smuggling #nuclear goods from U.S.A
A top Washington think tank has argued that recent examples of nuclear industry goods being smuggled from the United States to Pakistan highlight the need for closer monitoring and raise questions about how an ostensible “ally” of the U.S. could be involved in this illicit trade.
Reflecting upon an ISIS paper that examined the case of Pakistani Nadeem Akhtar, Mr. Albright said, “The U.S. government should simply ask Pakistan to stop this trade, if they want to be our allies,” adding that the recent cases in which smuggling rings were caught they ultimately lead back to supply orders originating in Pakistan.
Akhtar's case made news last month when U.S. prosecutors charged him with “running a smuggling operation that shipped materials and equipment to the agencies operating Pakistan's nuclear program,” according to media reports.
Akhtar (45) was said to have operated an export firm in Maryland, which obtained items such as radiation-detection devices, calibration equipment and nuclear-grade resins from a company based in North Dakota and passed them on to “agencies that are on a U.S. Commerce Department blacklist.” The orders made to the U.S. company dated back to 2005 and 2006.
Specifically the two Pakistani entities that received goods through Akhtar's alleged illicit procurement operation were the Chashma nuclear power plant and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission. ISIS reported that in 2006 and 2008 Akhtar purchased equipment from a Massachusetts company used to control electrical circuits in nuclear power and fuel reprocessing plants and shipped them to the Chashma plant.
Reflecting upon an ISIS paper that examined the case of Pakistani Nadeem Akhtar, Mr. Albright said, “The U.S. government should simply ask Pakistan to stop this trade, if they want to be our allies,” adding that the recent cases in which smuggling rings were caught they ultimately lead back to supply orders originating in Pakistan.
Akhtar's case made news last month when U.S. prosecutors charged him with “running a smuggling operation that shipped materials and equipment to the agencies operating Pakistan's nuclear program,” according to media reports.
Akhtar (45) was said to have operated an export firm in Maryland, which obtained items such as radiation-detection devices, calibration equipment and nuclear-grade resins from a company based in North Dakota and passed them on to “agencies that are on a U.S. Commerce Department blacklist.” The orders made to the U.S. company dated back to 2005 and 2006.
Specifically the two Pakistani entities that received goods through Akhtar's alleged illicit procurement operation were the Chashma nuclear power plant and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission. ISIS reported that in 2006 and 2008 Akhtar purchased equipment from a Massachusetts company used to control electrical circuits in nuclear power and fuel reprocessing plants and shipped them to the Chashma plant.
Christian in #pakistan falsely accused of ‘Blasphemy’ & illegally detained #Jesus #Islam #Christianity
Police in Punjab Province, Pakistan have illegally detained a Christian on a “blasphemy” accusation, even though one officer said he was certain an area Muslim falsely accused 40-year-old Arif Masih because of a property dispute.
“Some identified person has desecrated the Holy Quran and has tried to incite sentiments of the Muslims,” Bajwa wrote in the FIR. Clearly stating that he did not know who had done it, he wrote, “It is my humble submission to the higher authorities that those found guilty must be given exemplary punishment.”
He said initially local Muslims were very angry and suggested that Christian homes be set ablaze.
Some Muslims began saying that because Arif Masih lived on this street, he would be the person who could have done this crime.
Because Masih was the only Christian who lived on the street, only he could be suspected of the crime.
Bajwa’s brother Abdullah Bajwa called Masih to the Siyanwala police station, where he was arrested; Masih’s family members were unaware that he had been arrested.
According to Section 61 of Pakistan’s Criminal Procedure Code, an arrested person must be produced within 24 hours before a court; Masih has been detained at an undisclosed location without a court appearance since April 5, with police failing to register his arrest in any legal document, making his detention illegal. Investigating Officer Qaisar Younus denied that Masih was in police custody, but Superintendent of the Police Abdul Qadir told Compass that Masih had been detained for his own safety.
Younus told Compass that he was sure Masih was innocent, but that he had been falsely accused because of a land dispute.
According to Chaudhry, about two years ago Masih bought a plot next to his house that another villager, Liaquat Ali Bajwa (no relation to Shahid Yousuf Bajwa) wanted to buy – and who despised Masih for it, telling the previous owner, “How come a Christian can buy the plot that I wanted to buy?”
Arif Masih subsequently filed a civil suit against Ali Bajwa to evict him from his property. Chaudhry said Arif Masih was about to win that case, and that Ali Bajwa thought he could retain that property and obtain the one Arif Masih had purchased by accusing him of blasphemy with the help of police officer Shahid Yousuf Bajwa.
Ali Bajwa had been threatening Masih, saying, “You will not only give me this plot, but I will even take your house,” Chaudhry said.
Chaudhry said he had learned that Shahid Yousuf Bajwa felt badly after villagers criticized him for falsely accusing an innocent man of blasphemy, but that Bajwa feared that if he withdrew the case he himself would be open to blasphemy charges.
Arif Masih’s family has remained steadfast throughout the case, refusing to flee the area in spite of the possibility of Muslim villagers being incited to attack them, Chaudhry said.
When police arrived at the scene of the Muslims who had gathered with the pages and the threatening letters, the villagers told officers that they had not seen who threw them on the street.
After Masih was arrested, at midnight police came to his house and began beating on the main gate, Chaudhry said. When Masih’s wife, Razia Bibi opened the door, the officers rushed into the house and searched it.
“They were looking for some proof, but thank God they could not find anything that could even be remotely linked with the incident.
“Some identified person has desecrated the Holy Quran and has tried to incite sentiments of the Muslims,” Bajwa wrote in the FIR. Clearly stating that he did not know who had done it, he wrote, “It is my humble submission to the higher authorities that those found guilty must be given exemplary punishment.”
He said initially local Muslims were very angry and suggested that Christian homes be set ablaze.
Some Muslims began saying that because Arif Masih lived on this street, he would be the person who could have done this crime.
Because Masih was the only Christian who lived on the street, only he could be suspected of the crime.
Bajwa’s brother Abdullah Bajwa called Masih to the Siyanwala police station, where he was arrested; Masih’s family members were unaware that he had been arrested.
According to Section 61 of Pakistan’s Criminal Procedure Code, an arrested person must be produced within 24 hours before a court; Masih has been detained at an undisclosed location without a court appearance since April 5, with police failing to register his arrest in any legal document, making his detention illegal. Investigating Officer Qaisar Younus denied that Masih was in police custody, but Superintendent of the Police Abdul Qadir told Compass that Masih had been detained for his own safety.
Younus told Compass that he was sure Masih was innocent, but that he had been falsely accused because of a land dispute.
According to Chaudhry, about two years ago Masih bought a plot next to his house that another villager, Liaquat Ali Bajwa (no relation to Shahid Yousuf Bajwa) wanted to buy – and who despised Masih for it, telling the previous owner, “How come a Christian can buy the plot that I wanted to buy?”
Arif Masih subsequently filed a civil suit against Ali Bajwa to evict him from his property. Chaudhry said Arif Masih was about to win that case, and that Ali Bajwa thought he could retain that property and obtain the one Arif Masih had purchased by accusing him of blasphemy with the help of police officer Shahid Yousuf Bajwa.
Ali Bajwa had been threatening Masih, saying, “You will not only give me this plot, but I will even take your house,” Chaudhry said.
Chaudhry said he had learned that Shahid Yousuf Bajwa felt badly after villagers criticized him for falsely accusing an innocent man of blasphemy, but that Bajwa feared that if he withdrew the case he himself would be open to blasphemy charges.
Arif Masih’s family has remained steadfast throughout the case, refusing to flee the area in spite of the possibility of Muslim villagers being incited to attack them, Chaudhry said.
When police arrived at the scene of the Muslims who had gathered with the pages and the threatening letters, the villagers told officers that they had not seen who threw them on the street.
After Masih was arrested, at midnight police came to his house and began beating on the main gate, Chaudhry said. When Masih’s wife, Razia Bibi opened the door, the officers rushed into the house and searched it.
“They were looking for some proof, but thank God they could not find anything that could even be remotely linked with the incident.
The great rotten education system of #pakistan
First it was a freeze on university spending and now it is the derailing of the entire higher education system in Pakistan. In a recent development, the Pakistani government has decided to devolve the "Higher Education Commission," which formulates policies and regulates universities in Pakistan.
There are also concerns about foreign scholarships as the HEC is running a successful merit-based program where it has sent thousands of students abroad for PhDs. Scholarships will remain a federal subject under the new arrangement but will be prone to political manipulation and nepotism.
Leaving the higher education aside, which remains an elusive dream for most Pakistanis, a major storm is brewing in elementary education. While there is a brouhaha on higher education, there is hardly any discussion on elementary and high school education in Pakistan. Education statistics paint a grim picture where only 60% of children are able to finish primary school. Under the devolution plans, this rate may plummet further as provinces have been allowed to raise fees in public schools, which educate an overwhelming number of Pakistanis and charge nominal fees.
While provinces are contemplating fee hike, public schools in Islamabad, the federal capital, have already taken a stance. A 700% increase in fees has been implemented with the start of the new academic year. Parents of an elementary school student now have to cough up 300 Rupees, or $3.5, in monthly fees. Those in high schools have to pay 500 Rupees, or $5.9 a month. One does not need be an expert to think of the outcome: a massive dropout. With one-fourth of the population earning less than $2 a day, the fee hike is nothing short of a death sentence for education.
No one in Pakistan is talking about this great disaster in the making. And that is the real tragedy.
There are also concerns about foreign scholarships as the HEC is running a successful merit-based program where it has sent thousands of students abroad for PhDs. Scholarships will remain a federal subject under the new arrangement but will be prone to political manipulation and nepotism.
Leaving the higher education aside, which remains an elusive dream for most Pakistanis, a major storm is brewing in elementary education. While there is a brouhaha on higher education, there is hardly any discussion on elementary and high school education in Pakistan. Education statistics paint a grim picture where only 60% of children are able to finish primary school. Under the devolution plans, this rate may plummet further as provinces have been allowed to raise fees in public schools, which educate an overwhelming number of Pakistanis and charge nominal fees.
While provinces are contemplating fee hike, public schools in Islamabad, the federal capital, have already taken a stance. A 700% increase in fees has been implemented with the start of the new academic year. Parents of an elementary school student now have to cough up 300 Rupees, or $3.5, in monthly fees. Those in high schools have to pay 500 Rupees, or $5.9 a month. One does not need be an expert to think of the outcome: a massive dropout. With one-fourth of the population earning less than $2 a day, the fee hike is nothing short of a death sentence for education.
No one in Pakistan is talking about this great disaster in the making. And that is the real tragedy.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Christians fear growing Muslim hatred in #pakistan #Jesus #Islam #Christianity
Muslims desecrate bibles, bomb churches, and kill Christians with impunity. Christians are refused accomodation for religious beliefs and their work hours increased during Lent. Fears of Muslim retribution for supposed desecretion of the Koran.
Waris Masih, a resident of Multan, has been working for the Multan Development Authority in Pakistan as a sanitary worker. After the burning of the Quran by Protestant pastor Terry Jones in the US, despite condemnations emanating from the Catholic Church and other sectors, Christians across Pakistan face Muslim persecution. Waris Masih is among the Christians facing the the wrath of Muslims working at MDA.
Since March 21 there was discussion among the sanitary workers. While Masih had condemned the burning of the Quran, he also condemned attacks on the Christians and their churches. This turned into a furious debate as other sanitary staff glorified the attacks on the churches. On April 8, the 24 year-old Akhtar Hussain desecrated the Bible at the gates of Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church in Multan, Waris Masih condemned the desecration. On April 8, a heated discussion ensued between Masih and a senior MDA official. The official threatened Masih with termination for condemning Akhtar Hussain or attacks on Christians.
On April 13, a group of fanatics assaulted Masih and demanded that he leave Multan or will have to face an exemplary punishment for condemning Akhtar Hussain. Masih then learned that his family had also been told to leave their home. On the evening of April 13, Masih fled with his family from Multan and is now in hiding.
Other Christians and religious minorities are facing severe penalties for supposed blasphemy, under Muslim law, in Pakistan, Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, has been held in prison for more than a year and is facing a death penalty for alleged blasphemy. Another Christian, also imprisoned for blasphemy, recently died under suspicious circumstances.
Masih's case is the seventh Christians have faced since the notorious burning of the Quran on March 21. In March 2011, Christian sanitary workers in Lahore were abused and assaulted by the Assistant Director of the Sanitation department when they went to plea for relaxing their working hours during the Lenten season. Muslim workers work only 4-5 hours per day during their fasting season of Ramadan. In the response, the Assistant Director insulted them and increased their working hours from 8 hours to 10 hours.
Father Joseph Xavier, a Catholic priest, said, " The growing hatred towards the Christians is becoming a serious problem in Pakistan, the March 21 incident added fuel to the fire, the innocent and the suppressed Christians are facing the consequences, although the Christians have been condemning the incident, still there are labeled as the American Agents, this is totally wrong. The Christians in Pakistan are born here, we are all patriotic Pakistanis, we have not link with any other country, we have been condemning the hideous act by Terry Jones. The West must think before any action about the innocent Christians that face the reaction of their act."
on Saturday, April 9, 2011, Lutheran Church in the Mardan City of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was targeted by extremists. According to Rev. Ghulam Shad, the pastor in-charge at the Lutheran Church an explosive was placed on the outer wall. The low intensity explosive device shattered windows at the church and could be heard for miles away.
Waris Masih, a resident of Multan, has been working for the Multan Development Authority in Pakistan as a sanitary worker. After the burning of the Quran by Protestant pastor Terry Jones in the US, despite condemnations emanating from the Catholic Church and other sectors, Christians across Pakistan face Muslim persecution. Waris Masih is among the Christians facing the the wrath of Muslims working at MDA.
Since March 21 there was discussion among the sanitary workers. While Masih had condemned the burning of the Quran, he also condemned attacks on the Christians and their churches. This turned into a furious debate as other sanitary staff glorified the attacks on the churches. On April 8, the 24 year-old Akhtar Hussain desecrated the Bible at the gates of Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church in Multan, Waris Masih condemned the desecration. On April 8, a heated discussion ensued between Masih and a senior MDA official. The official threatened Masih with termination for condemning Akhtar Hussain or attacks on Christians.
On April 13, a group of fanatics assaulted Masih and demanded that he leave Multan or will have to face an exemplary punishment for condemning Akhtar Hussain. Masih then learned that his family had also been told to leave their home. On the evening of April 13, Masih fled with his family from Multan and is now in hiding.
Other Christians and religious minorities are facing severe penalties for supposed blasphemy, under Muslim law, in Pakistan, Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, has been held in prison for more than a year and is facing a death penalty for alleged blasphemy. Another Christian, also imprisoned for blasphemy, recently died under suspicious circumstances.
Masih's case is the seventh Christians have faced since the notorious burning of the Quran on March 21. In March 2011, Christian sanitary workers in Lahore were abused and assaulted by the Assistant Director of the Sanitation department when they went to plea for relaxing their working hours during the Lenten season. Muslim workers work only 4-5 hours per day during their fasting season of Ramadan. In the response, the Assistant Director insulted them and increased their working hours from 8 hours to 10 hours.
Father Joseph Xavier, a Catholic priest, said, " The growing hatred towards the Christians is becoming a serious problem in Pakistan, the March 21 incident added fuel to the fire, the innocent and the suppressed Christians are facing the consequences, although the Christians have been condemning the incident, still there are labeled as the American Agents, this is totally wrong. The Christians in Pakistan are born here, we are all patriotic Pakistanis, we have not link with any other country, we have been condemning the hideous act by Terry Jones. The West must think before any action about the innocent Christians that face the reaction of their act."
on Saturday, April 9, 2011, Lutheran Church in the Mardan City of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was targeted by extremists. According to Rev. Ghulam Shad, the pastor in-charge at the Lutheran Church an explosive was placed on the outer wall. The low intensity explosive device shattered windows at the church and could be heard for miles away.
#fact Despite growing illiteracy & dwindling forex reserves, perpetally indebted #pakistan increase defence budget by 18%
pakistan home to over 50 million illiterate people: UNESCO
Pakistan's forex reserves sustainability a cause for concern
Pakistan plans to hike its defence budget by 18 per cent to Rs. 582 billion during the upcoming fiscal year, according to a media report today.
The Defence Ministry has sent a proposal to the federal government for allocating Rs. 582 billion for the defence budget for 2011-12.
The outlay for defence during the current financial year was Rs. 442 billion.
The Defence Ministry has sought Rs. 127 billion for the “progress and security” of the atomic programme and Rs. 147.42 billion for import and custom charges of the military and defence equipment, maintenance of military farms and allowances for officials.
It has sought Rs. 200 billion for salaries of military officials and Rs. 45.89 billion for various construction projects, the report said.
The standing committee on defence of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament recently endorsed the proposed defence budget.
However, major political parties are yet to be taken into confidence on the defence budget, the report said.
Pakistan's forex reserves sustainability a cause for concern
Pakistan plans to hike its defence budget by 18 per cent to Rs. 582 billion during the upcoming fiscal year, according to a media report today.
The Defence Ministry has sent a proposal to the federal government for allocating Rs. 582 billion for the defence budget for 2011-12.
The outlay for defence during the current financial year was Rs. 442 billion.
The Defence Ministry has sought Rs. 127 billion for the “progress and security” of the atomic programme and Rs. 147.42 billion for import and custom charges of the military and defence equipment, maintenance of military farms and allowances for officials.
It has sought Rs. 200 billion for salaries of military officials and Rs. 45.89 billion for various construction projects, the report said.
The standing committee on defence of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament recently endorsed the proposed defence budget.
However, major political parties are yet to be taken into confidence on the defence budget, the report said.
Foreign aid & loan fuelled #pakistan's forex currency reserve unsustainable
Sustainability of those reserves are a cause for concern in the medium term, analysts said on Friday.
Out of the reserves nearly $8 billion is the amount we have borrowed from IMF (International Monetary Fund) and then there are other foreign loans, so we can say around 55 percent of the reserves are Pakistan's, the rest is on loans.
Pakistan entered into an IMF loan programme in November 2008 to avert a balance of payments crisis and so far about $8 billion has been lent to the country.
"If one were to take the IMF reserves out of the equation, it (Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves position) is not that solid," said Rune Stroem, Country Director of Asian Development Bank to Pakistan last week.
Analysts said it is important to note that the value of exports has gone up due to a rise in cotton prices but not the quantity. Once cotton prices decrease that may lead to a decrease in exports as well.
The narrowing of the trade deficit is "mainly due to transitional reasons," according to the central bank.
"Another factor to worry about is the increase in international oil prices which comes with a lag to Pakistan," said Asif Qureshi, director at Invisor Securities Ltd.
"Why on earth would remittances grow by 23 or 24 percent? What is happening around the world?" asked Ashfaque Hasan Khan, Director General at NUST Business School in Islamabad, in regards to the global slowdown in economic activity.
Out of the reserves nearly $8 billion is the amount we have borrowed from IMF (International Monetary Fund) and then there are other foreign loans, so we can say around 55 percent of the reserves are Pakistan's, the rest is on loans.
Pakistan entered into an IMF loan programme in November 2008 to avert a balance of payments crisis and so far about $8 billion has been lent to the country.
"If one were to take the IMF reserves out of the equation, it (Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves position) is not that solid," said Rune Stroem, Country Director of Asian Development Bank to Pakistan last week.
Analysts said it is important to note that the value of exports has gone up due to a rise in cotton prices but not the quantity. Once cotton prices decrease that may lead to a decrease in exports as well.
The narrowing of the trade deficit is "mainly due to transitional reasons," according to the central bank.
"Another factor to worry about is the increase in international oil prices which comes with a lag to Pakistan," said Asif Qureshi, director at Invisor Securities Ltd.
"Why on earth would remittances grow by 23 or 24 percent? What is happening around the world?" asked Ashfaque Hasan Khan, Director General at NUST Business School in Islamabad, in regards to the global slowdown in economic activity.
#pakistan home to over 50 million illiterate people: UNESCO
Over 55 million people in Pakistan are illiterate, according to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The number of uneducated people in Pakistan has mounted to over 55 million and counting.
Over 41 per cent people have never attended school in Pakistan, and over two-third of the female population has no idea about education in pakistan.
Pakistan needs to concentrate on education and human capital if it really wishes for economic growth.
It was also pointed out during the conference that the lowest literacy rate in Pakistan was recorded in Balochistan, where the pakistan Army is carrying out a brutal and systematic campaign of genocide & deprivation against the Baloch freedom fighters, opposing the pakistani occupation of their land - 45 per cent- while the literacy rate in Punjab and Sindh was 59 per cent and 50 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The number of uneducated people in Pakistan has mounted to over 55 million and counting.
Over 41 per cent people have never attended school in Pakistan, and over two-third of the female population has no idea about education in pakistan.
Pakistan needs to concentrate on education and human capital if it really wishes for economic growth.
It was also pointed out during the conference that the lowest literacy rate in Pakistan was recorded in Balochistan, where the pakistan Army is carrying out a brutal and systematic campaign of genocide & deprivation against the Baloch freedom fighters, opposing the pakistani occupation of their land - 45 per cent- while the literacy rate in Punjab and Sindh was 59 per cent and 50 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
#pakistan’s Perpetual Identity Crisis
The reconsideration of partition is a critical, current existential question not only for South Asians, but also for Americans who watch the continuous outrages from Taliban and CIA sanctuaries inside Pakistan. It’s a question on many levels — terrorism, geopolitics, ethnicity and religion — but, “it’s fundamentally the question of the identity of pakistan as a country.”
Contemporary reality of Pakistan grew out of a failure to answer a core challenge of creating a nation-state: how do you protect a minority? The framers of the modern subcontinent — notably Gandhi, Jinnah & Nehru — never imagined a stable solution to this question. 2 shortcomings are to be blamed of the political discourse at the time of India’s independence:
Reagan and his CIA-Mujahideen military complex were indeed powerful players in the rise of Islamic extremism in Pakistan, but the turn began first during a national identity crisis precipitated by another partition, the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
Suddenly, Pakistan could no longer define itself as the unique homeland for Muslims in the subcontinent. In search of identity, and distinction from its new neighbor to the east, Pakistan turned towards a West Asian brand of Islam, the hardline Saudi Wahhabism that has become a definitive ideology in today’s Islamic extremism.
Contemporary reality of Pakistan grew out of a failure to answer a core challenge of creating a nation-state: how do you protect a minority? The framers of the modern subcontinent — notably Gandhi, Jinnah & Nehru — never imagined a stable solution to this question. 2 shortcomings are to be blamed of the political discourse at the time of India’s independence:
Reagan and his CIA-Mujahideen military complex were indeed powerful players in the rise of Islamic extremism in Pakistan, but the turn began first during a national identity crisis precipitated by another partition, the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
Suddenly, Pakistan could no longer define itself as the unique homeland for Muslims in the subcontinent. In search of identity, and distinction from its new neighbor to the east, Pakistan turned towards a West Asian brand of Islam, the hardline Saudi Wahhabism that has become a definitive ideology in today’s Islamic extremism.
Foreign Direct Investment in #pakistan drops 28% in just 9 months
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Pakistan fell sharply by 28 percent to $1.08 billion during July-March period of the current fiscal year, according to the figures released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Thursday.
In the same period last year, the country received $1.5 billion FDI, the figures showed. The net foreign investment saw a marginal decline by 0.3 percent to 1.318 billion dollars during the period under review against $1.321 billion in July-March FY10.
Analysts said that the foreign investment has been declining due to uncertain economic situation in the country. The slipping law and order situation, coupled with the deepening energy crisis impede foreign investment in the country, said Khurram Schehzad, analyst at Investcap Securities.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its latest report on Pakistan also cited these problems and painted a bleak picture of economic reforms.
“Adverse security developments continue to hurt domestic and foreign investors’ confidence, while electricity shortages continue to prevent the economy from achieving its potential,” the IMF said in its report.
Major fall in the FDI was seen in inflows from developed countries as their investment plunged by 66 percent to $289.9 million during nine months of current fiscal year. Compared to the same period of previous fiscal year, the foreign investment by developed countries showed a decline of over 34 percent.
Among the developed countries, sharp decline was seen in inflows coming from Western Europe falling by 76.8 percent. The decline in investment from North America was 52 percent while from other developed countries, including Australia and Japan, the fall was 75.9 percent.
In the same period last year, the country received $1.5 billion FDI, the figures showed. The net foreign investment saw a marginal decline by 0.3 percent to 1.318 billion dollars during the period under review against $1.321 billion in July-March FY10.
Analysts said that the foreign investment has been declining due to uncertain economic situation in the country. The slipping law and order situation, coupled with the deepening energy crisis impede foreign investment in the country, said Khurram Schehzad, analyst at Investcap Securities.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its latest report on Pakistan also cited these problems and painted a bleak picture of economic reforms.
“Adverse security developments continue to hurt domestic and foreign investors’ confidence, while electricity shortages continue to prevent the economy from achieving its potential,” the IMF said in its report.
Major fall in the FDI was seen in inflows from developed countries as their investment plunged by 66 percent to $289.9 million during nine months of current fiscal year. Compared to the same period of previous fiscal year, the foreign investment by developed countries showed a decline of over 34 percent.
Among the developed countries, sharp decline was seen in inflows coming from Western Europe falling by 76.8 percent. The decline in investment from North America was 52 percent while from other developed countries, including Australia and Japan, the fall was 75.9 percent.
#pakistan switches on to Islamic radicalism peddled by TV stars
Wearing shoes with green soles can make you lose a cricket match. So goes the logic of a prominent Pakistani religious scholar, Aamir Liaquat, in comments he made on a leading private TV channel.
He was analysing the reasons behind the defeats suffered by Pakistan's cricket team. Apparently this is because green is the colour of Islam - and also the colour of the national flag.
It's worth noting Mr Liaquat is not a small-time scholar with a fringe following. Rather he is one of the most recognised religious figures in the country thanks to his TV shows. He has even served as minister of state for religious affairs under ex-dictator Pervez Musharraf.
The popularity of such a figure on mainstream Pakistani TV, who many also consider to be a "moderate" voice, raises troubling questions regarding the kind of material being allowed to air by the "free" media in Pakistan.
Certainly he is not the only one. Perhaps the most polemic is Zaid Hamid, a charismatic TV analyst who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan. While he is not allowed his own programme, he still gets invited on and off to mainstream talk shows as a guest analyst to talk about political affairs and foreign policy. Often seen with a red beret on his head, Mr Hamid is an ultra-nationalist who believes the Mumbai attacks were conducted by "Hindu Zionists" and has spoken of his desire to see the Pakistani flag flying in Delhi. While he condemns al-Qaeda he also believes - as a lot of others in Pakistan - that the 9/11 attacks were conducted by the US itself.
For example, there is a clip doing the rounds on the internet where a morning show host Farah Hussain, roughly the equivalent to Lorraine Kelly, talks about a "deliberate" conspiracy to malign Islam. To illustrate, she displays a toilet mat with an abstract design on which she claims to make out the name "Allah" in Arabic. "This is definitely not accidental," she tells her viewers. "This is a planned effort."
The success of radicals and loonies like Mr Hamid and Mr Liaquat in appealing to youngsters and other vulnerable elements in society can only be understood in the context of the failure of the more liberal elements to stand up for issues of justice and against state corruption. There is a very superficial definition of liberal as someone who wears jeans and watches MTV.
He was analysing the reasons behind the defeats suffered by Pakistan's cricket team. Apparently this is because green is the colour of Islam - and also the colour of the national flag.
It's worth noting Mr Liaquat is not a small-time scholar with a fringe following. Rather he is one of the most recognised religious figures in the country thanks to his TV shows. He has even served as minister of state for religious affairs under ex-dictator Pervez Musharraf.
The popularity of such a figure on mainstream Pakistani TV, who many also consider to be a "moderate" voice, raises troubling questions regarding the kind of material being allowed to air by the "free" media in Pakistan.
Certainly he is not the only one. Perhaps the most polemic is Zaid Hamid, a charismatic TV analyst who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan. While he is not allowed his own programme, he still gets invited on and off to mainstream talk shows as a guest analyst to talk about political affairs and foreign policy. Often seen with a red beret on his head, Mr Hamid is an ultra-nationalist who believes the Mumbai attacks were conducted by "Hindu Zionists" and has spoken of his desire to see the Pakistani flag flying in Delhi. While he condemns al-Qaeda he also believes - as a lot of others in Pakistan - that the 9/11 attacks were conducted by the US itself.
For example, there is a clip doing the rounds on the internet where a morning show host Farah Hussain, roughly the equivalent to Lorraine Kelly, talks about a "deliberate" conspiracy to malign Islam. To illustrate, she displays a toilet mat with an abstract design on which she claims to make out the name "Allah" in Arabic. "This is definitely not accidental," she tells her viewers. "This is a planned effort."
The success of radicals and loonies like Mr Hamid and Mr Liaquat in appealing to youngsters and other vulnerable elements in society can only be understood in the context of the failure of the more liberal elements to stand up for issues of justice and against state corruption. There is a very superficial definition of liberal as someone who wears jeans and watches MTV.
illegal immigrants from #pakistan arrested in UK
The UK Border Agency has arrested over 30 Pakistani nationals, in a series of enforcement operations across the UK.
Steps are now being taken to remove the majority of the illegal workers from the UK. According to a press release from the British High Commission, Carol Doughty, Regional Director, UK Border Agency Pakistan and the Gulf, said.
In March, raids in Castleford and Luton led to the arrest of six immigration offenders who were caught working illegally in the UK. Two males, a 23-year-old Bangladeshi and a 51-year-old Pakistani national, were arrested for working illegally in separate takeaways in the Castleford area.
In Luton, four Pakistanis men were caught by the UK Border Agency, working illegally at two takeaways in Luton. Immigration checks at the first premises revealed one staff member – a 36-year-old Pakistani man who was working as a cook – had overstayed his visa. At the second business, three members of staff – all Pakistani men – were found to be working illegally. A 54-year-old and a 48-year-old had both overstayed their visas, while another 48-year-old man was found to have entered the country illegally.
Specially trained officers from the UK Border Agency, who conduct immigration checks on staff, carried out both raids. All four businesses were served with civil penalty notices worth a total of up to £10,000 for each person found working illegally unless they can prove that the correct pre-employment checks had been carried out.
A vast majority of immigrants to UK, both legal though mostly illegal, come from pakistan. They seek to escape their lives of misery in pakistan, seeking to enjoy a more comfortable life elsewhere. Yet, despite leaving pakistan & settling elsewhere, they refuse to integrate with the society they have settled in, ending up form ghetto communities, predominantly inhabited by pakistanis. Their continued insistence on abiding by their customs & practices, often lead to friction and antagonism with the local, indigenous population of the place, who view these practices contrarian to their own. Places inhabited by pakistani immigrants, also witness an unusual spurt in violence and crimes against the local, indigenous population.
pakistani immigrants inability/refusal to blending and peacefully co-habit with others & their propensity to indulge in crimes & violence, makes pakistani immigrants unwelcome in most parts of the world, making it very difficult for them to travel.
Steps are now being taken to remove the majority of the illegal workers from the UK. According to a press release from the British High Commission, Carol Doughty, Regional Director, UK Border Agency Pakistan and the Gulf, said.
In March, raids in Castleford and Luton led to the arrest of six immigration offenders who were caught working illegally in the UK. Two males, a 23-year-old Bangladeshi and a 51-year-old Pakistani national, were arrested for working illegally in separate takeaways in the Castleford area.
In Luton, four Pakistanis men were caught by the UK Border Agency, working illegally at two takeaways in Luton. Immigration checks at the first premises revealed one staff member – a 36-year-old Pakistani man who was working as a cook – had overstayed his visa. At the second business, three members of staff – all Pakistani men – were found to be working illegally. A 54-year-old and a 48-year-old had both overstayed their visas, while another 48-year-old man was found to have entered the country illegally.
Specially trained officers from the UK Border Agency, who conduct immigration checks on staff, carried out both raids. All four businesses were served with civil penalty notices worth a total of up to £10,000 for each person found working illegally unless they can prove that the correct pre-employment checks had been carried out.
A vast majority of immigrants to UK, both legal though mostly illegal, come from pakistan. They seek to escape their lives of misery in pakistan, seeking to enjoy a more comfortable life elsewhere. Yet, despite leaving pakistan & settling elsewhere, they refuse to integrate with the society they have settled in, ending up form ghetto communities, predominantly inhabited by pakistanis. Their continued insistence on abiding by their customs & practices, often lead to friction and antagonism with the local, indigenous population of the place, who view these practices contrarian to their own. Places inhabited by pakistani immigrants, also witness an unusual spurt in violence and crimes against the local, indigenous population.
pakistani immigrants inability/refusal to blending and peacefully co-habit with others & their propensity to indulge in crimes & violence, makes pakistani immigrants unwelcome in most parts of the world, making it very difficult for them to travel.
#pakistan Army using fighter jets & helicopter gunships to attack poorly-equipped Islamic freedom fighters #genocide
Pakistani jet fighters on Thursday pounded suspected hideouts in a Taliban-infested tribal district, killing at least 18 Jihadis [Warriors of Islam].
The air strikes targeted fighters in the Baizai area of Mohmand on the Afghan border, local official Maqsood Amin told AFP.
"Jets and helicopters pounded Soran Darra town on Thursday and destroyed two hideouts," Amin said.
A senior military officer in the northwestern city of Peshawar confirmed that military planes participated in the attack.
Speaking on condition of anonymity he said the aircraft carried out several sorties and destroyed militant hideouts. "We have reports that 15-20 freedom fighters died in these attacks," he said.
Independent verification of the casualties was not possible because access of journalists and aid workers is banned to the area.
The pakistan Air force uses its Nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets, that it has received from USA to conduct these attacks against the poorly equipped, rag-tag bunch of individuals - believers and protectors of Islam.
The air strikes targeted fighters in the Baizai area of Mohmand on the Afghan border, local official Maqsood Amin told AFP.
"Jets and helicopters pounded Soran Darra town on Thursday and destroyed two hideouts," Amin said.
A senior military officer in the northwestern city of Peshawar confirmed that military planes participated in the attack.
Speaking on condition of anonymity he said the aircraft carried out several sorties and destroyed militant hideouts. "We have reports that 15-20 freedom fighters died in these attacks," he said.
Independent verification of the casualties was not possible because access of journalists and aid workers is banned to the area.
The pakistan Air force uses its Nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets, that it has received from USA to conduct these attacks against the poorly equipped, rag-tag bunch of individuals - believers and protectors of Islam.
hundreds of #Christian girls in #pakistan forced to convert to #Islam #Christianity
Citing several examples, the Fides news agency reports that hundreds of Christian girls in Pakistan have been abducted, forced to convert to Islam, and raped or forced into marriages.
“The Christian girls are the weakest and most vulnerable, because their communities are poor, defenseless and marginalized, therefore easily exposed to harassment and threats,” said a nun who hides girls who have escaped their captors. Often they do not even have the courage to denounce the violence.”
“The trend is worrying,” she added. “There are hundreds of cases a year registered, and those that come to light are only a fraction.”
“The Christian girls are the weakest and most vulnerable, because their communities are poor, defenseless and marginalized, therefore easily exposed to harassment and threats,” said a nun who hides girls who have escaped their captors. Often they do not even have the courage to denounce the violence.”
“The trend is worrying,” she added. “There are hundreds of cases a year registered, and those that come to light are only a fraction.”
Will #pakistan put its national interest first?
If there is any country in the world that is a poster child for dictatorship, it is Pakistan. Over the last two and half decades at least, Pakistan seems to have been more stable and more prosperous under its military dictators than its “democratically” elected leaders.
Pakistan is the way it is because it doesn’t have enough merchant castes and has too much peasant castes. While it is hard to disagree with this too, the fact remains that large numbers of Baloch, Sindhis, Pashtuns and Punjabis were traders, merchants and money lenders. Religion was how they prayed to God; profit was the motive behind their business.
You cannot divorce Pakistan from the man who drove its creation. It seems unfathomable why Jinnah, a wine drinking, pork eating atheist and a man who believed in the European mode of secularism, would want a country based on religion. And when he got it, declared he wanted a secular state. It is also quite inexplicable that Jinnah, an urbane constitutionalist who otherwise believed in the rule of law—and found Gandhi’s mode of non co-operation contrary to this—would find it convenient to unleash hordes when he did not get his way on things.
One common reason given, rather uncharitably, was that he wanted to be head of state and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. The reason was almost certainly far more complex: Jinnah wanted Pakistan out of ideology, but that ideology was not Islam.
Jinnah was a capitalist. He had a certain disdain for the masses, and found his calling as the candidate of the zamindars. The Muslim League was the party of the zamindars, the Talukdars and the Rais. Had Jinnah been honest about the fact that he wanted a non-socialist state, he would not have gotten popular support. Islam was a decoy for continuing with the land-owning status quo. And today, it is this status quo that has come back to bite the state. Any nation that is feudal will go through this churn: It will be replaced by either communism or religion—both promise equality and both follow similar methods of ‘converting’ the disenchanted with promises of a better tomorrow.
The fact remains that the part of Pakistan that India speaks to is the feudal part. These by no stretch of imagination, can be called liberals. They speak English, they appeal to our sense of nostalgia, but they are responsible for a lot of what is wrong with Pakistan. It is a patriarchal feudal state where a few families own the bulk of the land; the rest are dispossessed. Militant Islam is a reaction to this inequity in society.
So, is Pakistan as a nation doomed? It is still not too late, but for that its ruling elite will have to put national interest first. Land reforms will have to happen, education has to be imposed, women have to be given rights, and the rule of law has to be paramount. Too many splintered interests in Pakistan—the land owners, the Army, the secret service, the political class—are looking at their own narrow self interest. In all this, their nation is crumbling.
Pakistan is the way it is because it doesn’t have enough merchant castes and has too much peasant castes. While it is hard to disagree with this too, the fact remains that large numbers of Baloch, Sindhis, Pashtuns and Punjabis were traders, merchants and money lenders. Religion was how they prayed to God; profit was the motive behind their business.
You cannot divorce Pakistan from the man who drove its creation. It seems unfathomable why Jinnah, a wine drinking, pork eating atheist and a man who believed in the European mode of secularism, would want a country based on religion. And when he got it, declared he wanted a secular state. It is also quite inexplicable that Jinnah, an urbane constitutionalist who otherwise believed in the rule of law—and found Gandhi’s mode of non co-operation contrary to this—would find it convenient to unleash hordes when he did not get his way on things.
One common reason given, rather uncharitably, was that he wanted to be head of state and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. The reason was almost certainly far more complex: Jinnah wanted Pakistan out of ideology, but that ideology was not Islam.
Jinnah was a capitalist. He had a certain disdain for the masses, and found his calling as the candidate of the zamindars. The Muslim League was the party of the zamindars, the Talukdars and the Rais. Had Jinnah been honest about the fact that he wanted a non-socialist state, he would not have gotten popular support. Islam was a decoy for continuing with the land-owning status quo. And today, it is this status quo that has come back to bite the state. Any nation that is feudal will go through this churn: It will be replaced by either communism or religion—both promise equality and both follow similar methods of ‘converting’ the disenchanted with promises of a better tomorrow.
The fact remains that the part of Pakistan that India speaks to is the feudal part. These by no stretch of imagination, can be called liberals. They speak English, they appeal to our sense of nostalgia, but they are responsible for a lot of what is wrong with Pakistan. It is a patriarchal feudal state where a few families own the bulk of the land; the rest are dispossessed. Militant Islam is a reaction to this inequity in society.
So, is Pakistan as a nation doomed? It is still not too late, but for that its ruling elite will have to put national interest first. Land reforms will have to happen, education has to be imposed, women have to be given rights, and the rule of law has to be paramount. Too many splintered interests in Pakistan—the land owners, the Army, the secret service, the political class—are looking at their own narrow self interest. In all this, their nation is crumbling.
Human Rights Commission Critical of #pakistan
Pakistani Human Rights group has issued its annual report, which criticizes the government for its human rights record. While other groups came under scrutiny, it was the authorities and official organizations in Pakistan that bore most of the criticism.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said the government in Islamabad is failing to protect its citizens from abuses, most notably persecution of minorities in the mostly Muslim nation.
The commission also said killings, kidnappings and other violence carried out by terrorists and criminals is further eroding the human rights situation.
But commission Chairman Mehdi Hassan says the government of Pakistan bears the greatest responsibility for human rights abuses in the past year.
"The problem is that most of the violations of human rights are from government functionaries or government agencies.
The commission also attacks against minorities, notably religious minorities, appear to be on the rise. In the past year there have been several attacks against Christian, Sikh and Hindu Pakistanis as well as minority groups such as Ahmadis and Balochis.
In the current political climate those elected officials are more interested in making political gains in the short term, instead of solving long-term issues facing the country.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said the government in Islamabad is failing to protect its citizens from abuses, most notably persecution of minorities in the mostly Muslim nation.
The commission also said killings, kidnappings and other violence carried out by terrorists and criminals is further eroding the human rights situation.
But commission Chairman Mehdi Hassan says the government of Pakistan bears the greatest responsibility for human rights abuses in the past year.
"The problem is that most of the violations of human rights are from government functionaries or government agencies.
The commission also attacks against minorities, notably religious minorities, appear to be on the rise. In the past year there have been several attacks against Christian, Sikh and Hindu Pakistanis as well as minority groups such as Ahmadis and Balochis.
In the current political climate those elected officials are more interested in making political gains in the short term, instead of solving long-term issues facing the country.
#terrorim The riddle of #pakistan
U.S. relations with Pakistan have been premised on the idea that Pakistan shares U.S. interests in South Asia and is willing and able to cooperate with us. The first idea -- that we share interests -- is patently wrong. The second is increasingly doubtful. What then? What should U.S. policy towards Pakistan be?
For 60 years Pakistan has defined its national interest as the ability to compete with India, retain its hold on part of Kashmir, and advance its standing in the Muslim world. To that end it fought three wars (four if you count the Kargil conflict in 1999) with India since 1947, sought hegemony over Afghanistan as "strategic depth," developed nuclear weapons, and supported a range of militants as proxies against Afghanistan and India. None of this is in America's interest.
In the last ten years we have given billions of dollars of aid and military training to Pakistan to increase its ability to counter militants in the tribal areas-premised, again, on the idea that Pakistan is both willing and able to do so. Here the picture is complex. Thousands of Pakistani soldiers have been killed in conflict with al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban, and Pakistan has facilitated the arrest or death of more al Qaeda members than any other country. But the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-I Taiba-the group responsible for the 2009 Mumbi attacks -- seem to remain almost unhindered inside Pakistan.
Now, if the New York Times report is true, Pakistan has signaled that it is no longer willing to tolerate what limited action the United States has allegedly taken against militants in Pakistan. That leaves very little common ground on which the two countries can meet. Almost everything Pakistan does, outside of cooperation against al Qaeda, hurts regional stability and undermines U.S. security.
Our Pakistan policy is hostage to the legacy of alliance and our lack of unilateral capabilities in the region. We would have a freer and stronger hand in South Asia if we built a more independent intelligence capability there. Until that happens (since that takes decades), the United States should gradually complement our Pakistani ties with ties to other countries in the region-which means (sotto voce) India and Afghanistan. Strengthening these relationships-or strengthening them faster than we already are -- would make the United States less reliant on Pakistan, enabling us to develop a clearer, more consistent, and effective policy on nuclear proliferation and terrorism.
Another of our key interests is to prevent state failure in Pakistan.
For 60 years Pakistan has defined its national interest as the ability to compete with India, retain its hold on part of Kashmir, and advance its standing in the Muslim world. To that end it fought three wars (four if you count the Kargil conflict in 1999) with India since 1947, sought hegemony over Afghanistan as "strategic depth," developed nuclear weapons, and supported a range of militants as proxies against Afghanistan and India. None of this is in America's interest.
In the last ten years we have given billions of dollars of aid and military training to Pakistan to increase its ability to counter militants in the tribal areas-premised, again, on the idea that Pakistan is both willing and able to do so. Here the picture is complex. Thousands of Pakistani soldiers have been killed in conflict with al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban, and Pakistan has facilitated the arrest or death of more al Qaeda members than any other country. But the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-I Taiba-the group responsible for the 2009 Mumbi attacks -- seem to remain almost unhindered inside Pakistan.
Now, if the New York Times report is true, Pakistan has signaled that it is no longer willing to tolerate what limited action the United States has allegedly taken against militants in Pakistan. That leaves very little common ground on which the two countries can meet. Almost everything Pakistan does, outside of cooperation against al Qaeda, hurts regional stability and undermines U.S. security.
Our Pakistan policy is hostage to the legacy of alliance and our lack of unilateral capabilities in the region. We would have a freer and stronger hand in South Asia if we built a more independent intelligence capability there. Until that happens (since that takes decades), the United States should gradually complement our Pakistani ties with ties to other countries in the region-which means (sotto voce) India and Afghanistan. Strengthening these relationships-or strengthening them faster than we already are -- would make the United States less reliant on Pakistan, enabling us to develop a clearer, more consistent, and effective policy on nuclear proliferation and terrorism.
Another of our key interests is to prevent state failure in Pakistan.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Foreign investment in #pakistan reduces in 9 months
Net foreign investment in Pakistan fell 0.3 per cent to $1.318 billion in the first nine months of the 2010/11 fiscal year, due to a decrease in foreign direct investment, the central bank said on Thursday.
Foreign investment totalled $1.321 billion in the same period last year.
Foreign direct investment fell 28 per cent in the July-March period to $1.08 billion from $1.50 billion in the same period last year, the State Bank of Pakistan said.
Pakistan’s unstable security situation, a Taliban insurgency in the country’s northwest and chronic power shortages have put off long-term investors, some analysts say.
Pakistan has struggled with a troubled economy. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) emergency loan package agreed to in November 2008 helped Pakistan avert a balance of payments crisis and shore up reserves.
It received the fifth tranche of $1.13 billion of the $11 billion loan in May 2010. Pakistan and IMF authorities are scheduled to meet before June 30 to discuss the release of the sixth tranche.
Foreign investment totalled $1.321 billion in the same period last year.
Foreign direct investment fell 28 per cent in the July-March period to $1.08 billion from $1.50 billion in the same period last year, the State Bank of Pakistan said.
Pakistan’s unstable security situation, a Taliban insurgency in the country’s northwest and chronic power shortages have put off long-term investors, some analysts say.
Pakistan has struggled with a troubled economy. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) emergency loan package agreed to in November 2008 helped Pakistan avert a balance of payments crisis and shore up reserves.
It received the fifth tranche of $1.13 billion of the $11 billion loan in May 2010. Pakistan and IMF authorities are scheduled to meet before June 30 to discuss the release of the sixth tranche.
#fact 12,580 people murdered in #pakistan in 1 year #fail
As many as 12,580 people were murdered, 581 kidnapped for ransom and 16,977 were abducted during last year in the country, said annual report of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) launched here on Thursday.
The report also maintained that the provincial governments did not hold local government elections in 2010 using delaying tactics.
It was also pointed out that domestic violence (Prevention and Protection) bill lapsed because it could not be submitted to the senate in time. Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010 was adopted but on the contrary not a single women parliamentarians was part of the committee formed to draft 18 Amendment Bill.
The report mentioned that 791 women were killed in the name of honour during last year while 2,903 were sexually assaulted with the maximum number of cases i.e. 2,903 in Punjab.
719 women committed suicide. The report also claimed that one women died every 30 minutes in Pakistan due to pre, neo- or post natal problems. 1,047,948 cases of tuberculosis were registered in the country.
According to it there were 18 million registered hepatitis patients whereas over 1.6 million malaria cases were reported annually.
Polio cases reported during the period were 143. There were more than seven million diabetics and as many as 1.5 million people were blind. There were 150,000 thalassemia patients and over 7,000 patients were infected with the dengue virus and 31 people died of the disease.
Around 114,000 patients of swine flu were reported whereas 97,400 HIV/AIDS cases had been diagnosed while 5,000 AIDS patients had been registered.
The report claimed that 34 percent of the people suffered from a psychological disorder. 2,399 committed suicide in the country and another 1,174 attempted suicide mainly due to stress or anxiety on account of illness, domestic disputes, financial problems or unemployment etc.
The report also maintained that the provincial governments did not hold local government elections in 2010 using delaying tactics.
It was also pointed out that domestic violence (Prevention and Protection) bill lapsed because it could not be submitted to the senate in time. Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010 was adopted but on the contrary not a single women parliamentarians was part of the committee formed to draft 18 Amendment Bill.
The report mentioned that 791 women were killed in the name of honour during last year while 2,903 were sexually assaulted with the maximum number of cases i.e. 2,903 in Punjab.
719 women committed suicide. The report also claimed that one women died every 30 minutes in Pakistan due to pre, neo- or post natal problems. 1,047,948 cases of tuberculosis were registered in the country.
According to it there were 18 million registered hepatitis patients whereas over 1.6 million malaria cases were reported annually.
Polio cases reported during the period were 143. There were more than seven million diabetics and as many as 1.5 million people were blind. There were 150,000 thalassemia patients and over 7,000 patients were infected with the dengue virus and 31 people died of the disease.
Around 114,000 patients of swine flu were reported whereas 97,400 HIV/AIDS cases had been diagnosed while 5,000 AIDS patients had been registered.
The report claimed that 34 percent of the people suffered from a psychological disorder. 2,399 committed suicide in the country and another 1,174 attempted suicide mainly due to stress or anxiety on account of illness, domestic disputes, financial problems or unemployment etc.
#pakistan’s tenets of the faith: Blasphemy law #Islam #religion
Blasphemy laws in Pakistan endanger lives as well as freedom of speech.
The country of Pakistan was created primarily to allow the Muslims of the subcontinent to practise their religious beliefs freely.
Inevitably, though, the rationale for an independent country was translated into making Pakistan a model Islamic state. To date, there is no near-consensus on what that means.
After independence, the ruling elite employed Islam as a central theme for nationhood.
Islamisation naturally empowered the orthodoxy, relegated religious minorities and women to second place, and posed challenges to modern governance. Initially, some compromises were made in the name of religion, many of which were detrimental to the rights of women. All personal laws (family laws and rules of inheritance) were based on religious tenets and a preamble was adopted in the constitution that paid lip-service to the democratisation of Pakistan "as enunciated by Islam".
General Zia-ul-Haq, a dictator and unscrupulous political actor, used Islam as a pretext for waging war in Afghanistan and adopting an aggressive stance towards India. By advancing a more orthodox version of Islam, he was able to hold on to a repressive regime and quell any opposition. Zia's first pieces of legislation were the hudood ordinances, introduced in 1979. Hudood laws made all sex outside of marriage punishable for both males and females, with stoning to death as hadd punishment.
Women were greater victims of this law on two counts. First, the loss of virginity led to a presumption that zina (sex outside marriage) had been committed. Second, rape victims had to prove a watertight case or risk being accused, even where they had pressed charges.
There used to be very few women in prisons, but this changed with the introduction of the hudood laws. Initially, hundreds of women were hauled into prison, until a small but energetic women's movement forced Zia to modify his plans and stop them further degrading the status of women. Instead, he turned his attention to religious minorities to keep the rigid and bloodthirsty mullahs satisfied.
This was not enough to abate the orthodox fervour of Zia's cronies, who began to demand harsher punishments for blasphemy. This led to the addition to the penal code of Section 295C, which prescribes a mandatory death penalty for anyone who, through "either speech, writing" or other visible representation or by way of "imputation, innuendo or insinuation, directly or indirectly", defiles the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
Initially religious minorities were accused of violating the law, but later Muslims were also implicated. The elderly, physically and mentally disabled, women and children were accused and convicted. Very few convictions were upheld, due to a lack of evidence. But in a large number of cases the accused were murdered before arrest or during trial. Some were murdered while in prison and no inquiry has ever been held over these deaths in custody.
Sanction for jihad
The fear of being accused of blasphemy rose, especially among the non-Muslim population of Pakistan. Voices were raised to repeal or at least amend the law. Human rights groups documented incidents of alleged blasphemy and were able to demonstrate that a disproportionately large number of accusations were made by Muslim clergy and that a huge number of them were false. The accused were almost always helpless in the face of intimidation and a frightened or biased judiciary.
The right wing, meanwhile, took up the cause of retaining the law. Successive governments kept both sides hopeful. They promised both to end misuse of the law and to leave it be, as it portrayed true tenets of the faith. This indecision emboldened Islamists, who openly vowed to kill anyone who dared to criticise the law.
It appears that the worst is yet to come as political instability increases. Past experience has shown that the Islamists gain space when civilian authority weakens. The proliferation of arms and official sanction for jihad have made militant groups a frightening challenge for the government. Pakistan's future remains uncertain and its will to fight against rising religious intolerance is waning.
The country of Pakistan was created primarily to allow the Muslims of the subcontinent to practise their religious beliefs freely.
Inevitably, though, the rationale for an independent country was translated into making Pakistan a model Islamic state. To date, there is no near-consensus on what that means.
After independence, the ruling elite employed Islam as a central theme for nationhood.
Islamisation naturally empowered the orthodoxy, relegated religious minorities and women to second place, and posed challenges to modern governance. Initially, some compromises were made in the name of religion, many of which were detrimental to the rights of women. All personal laws (family laws and rules of inheritance) were based on religious tenets and a preamble was adopted in the constitution that paid lip-service to the democratisation of Pakistan "as enunciated by Islam".
General Zia-ul-Haq, a dictator and unscrupulous political actor, used Islam as a pretext for waging war in Afghanistan and adopting an aggressive stance towards India. By advancing a more orthodox version of Islam, he was able to hold on to a repressive regime and quell any opposition. Zia's first pieces of legislation were the hudood ordinances, introduced in 1979. Hudood laws made all sex outside of marriage punishable for both males and females, with stoning to death as hadd punishment.
Women were greater victims of this law on two counts. First, the loss of virginity led to a presumption that zina (sex outside marriage) had been committed. Second, rape victims had to prove a watertight case or risk being accused, even where they had pressed charges.
There used to be very few women in prisons, but this changed with the introduction of the hudood laws. Initially, hundreds of women were hauled into prison, until a small but energetic women's movement forced Zia to modify his plans and stop them further degrading the status of women. Instead, he turned his attention to religious minorities to keep the rigid and bloodthirsty mullahs satisfied.
This was not enough to abate the orthodox fervour of Zia's cronies, who began to demand harsher punishments for blasphemy. This led to the addition to the penal code of Section 295C, which prescribes a mandatory death penalty for anyone who, through "either speech, writing" or other visible representation or by way of "imputation, innuendo or insinuation, directly or indirectly", defiles the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
Initially religious minorities were accused of violating the law, but later Muslims were also implicated. The elderly, physically and mentally disabled, women and children were accused and convicted. Very few convictions were upheld, due to a lack of evidence. But in a large number of cases the accused were murdered before arrest or during trial. Some were murdered while in prison and no inquiry has ever been held over these deaths in custody.
Sanction for jihad
The fear of being accused of blasphemy rose, especially among the non-Muslim population of Pakistan. Voices were raised to repeal or at least amend the law. Human rights groups documented incidents of alleged blasphemy and were able to demonstrate that a disproportionately large number of accusations were made by Muslim clergy and that a huge number of them were false. The accused were almost always helpless in the face of intimidation and a frightened or biased judiciary.
The right wing, meanwhile, took up the cause of retaining the law. Successive governments kept both sides hopeful. They promised both to end misuse of the law and to leave it be, as it portrayed true tenets of the faith. This indecision emboldened Islamists, who openly vowed to kill anyone who dared to criticise the law.
It appears that the worst is yet to come as political instability increases. Past experience has shown that the Islamists gain space when civilian authority weakens. The proliferation of arms and official sanction for jihad have made militant groups a frightening challenge for the government. Pakistan's future remains uncertain and its will to fight against rising religious intolerance is waning.
#pakistan: Vicious circle of fluoride contamination, illness and poverty
Over 80 percent of groundwater unfit for human consumption.
More than 50 percent of the population using water with total dissolved solvents of over 5,000 mg per litre (mg/l). In one village in pakistan, that figure rose to 20,000 mg/l, well over the World Health Organization's maximum limit of 1,500 mg/l.
Two desalination plants set up by AWARE in Sanjwani and Samoo Rind lie abandoned for lack of money to buy the fuel to run them.
The communities here are poor and cannot pool enough money to run these facilities.
Even while the rulers of pakistan are failing to provide even the basic clean drinking water to its citizens, the pakistn Army continues to grab increasing share of the country's meager budget as and when it desires, often taking away money earlier allocated for social development programmes - increasing the wealth of its Generals while the rest of the civilian population is degenerating into abject poverty & destitution.
Although deeper wells are a possible solution, the people lack the resources for digging and maintaining these installations.
Locals say cases of deformities are affecting families.
“My daughters are beautiful girls but they have been rejected multiple times for marriage because they look ill and have bad teeth," said Mohan,* a middle-aged schoolteacher from Malo Bheel, a town 55km from Mithi. "I am ready to give good dowry but before that I wish I could do something about the yellow teeth and weak bones...
"My eldest daughter has given birth to sons both of whom are deformed."
The daughters and grandsons, a local doctor said, suffer from arthritis and are either victims of fluorosis or a genetic disorder.
“No one in my family had such weak bones and hunched shoulders," Mohammad explained. "When the doctors told me that it is the water in our wells that is responsible, I realized it could be something in the water. Over the years, the water has turned more brackish and muddy, and I feel that we are consuming poison knowingly.
"I just hope and pray that no child in my family is ever born with this deformity [again].”
(*not a real name)
More than 50 percent of the population using water with total dissolved solvents of over 5,000 mg per litre (mg/l). In one village in pakistan, that figure rose to 20,000 mg/l, well over the World Health Organization's maximum limit of 1,500 mg/l.
Two desalination plants set up by AWARE in Sanjwani and Samoo Rind lie abandoned for lack of money to buy the fuel to run them.
The communities here are poor and cannot pool enough money to run these facilities.
Even while the rulers of pakistan are failing to provide even the basic clean drinking water to its citizens, the pakistn Army continues to grab increasing share of the country's meager budget as and when it desires, often taking away money earlier allocated for social development programmes - increasing the wealth of its Generals while the rest of the civilian population is degenerating into abject poverty & destitution.
Although deeper wells are a possible solution, the people lack the resources for digging and maintaining these installations.
Locals say cases of deformities are affecting families.
“My daughters are beautiful girls but they have been rejected multiple times for marriage because they look ill and have bad teeth," said Mohan,* a middle-aged schoolteacher from Malo Bheel, a town 55km from Mithi. "I am ready to give good dowry but before that I wish I could do something about the yellow teeth and weak bones...
"My eldest daughter has given birth to sons both of whom are deformed."
The daughters and grandsons, a local doctor said, suffer from arthritis and are either victims of fluorosis or a genetic disorder.
“No one in my family had such weak bones and hunched shoulders," Mohammad explained. "When the doctors told me that it is the water in our wells that is responsible, I realized it could be something in the water. Over the years, the water has turned more brackish and muddy, and I feel that we are consuming poison knowingly.
"I just hope and pray that no child in my family is ever born with this deformity [again].”
(*not a real name)
#pakistan national pleads guilty to immigration fraud charges in US #terrorism
A Pakistani man, who was arrested during probe into the failed Times Square bombing attempt, has pleaded guilty to immigration fraud charges and illegal money transfer and will now be deported to his country.
Aftab Ali , 28, entered the guilty plea under an agreement reached between prosecutors and defense lawyers.
Ali, who was arrested in May 2010, was sentenced yesterday in a US District Court here to time served. He was handcuffed and was flanked by his lawyer and an Urdu interpreter during his court appearance.
Ali, also known as Aftab Khan , had last week agreed to plead guilty to charges of "unlicensed money transmitting and immigration document fraud." He is now in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is expected to be deported to Pakistan within weeks.
He had supplied USD 4,900 to Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, who has been sentenced to life in prison. He had been arrested along with his uncle Pir Khan and Mohammad Shafiq ur Rahman in Watertown near here in May 2010.
Ali had come to the US in August 2009 on a 90-day visa to get married, Assistant US Attorney William Weinreb said.
While he was not allowed to work under the terms of his visa, he got a job at a gas station. He faced charges of immigration fraud as he lied on his application for a longer term visa by saying he was not employed, Weinreb said.
Aftab Ali , 28, entered the guilty plea under an agreement reached between prosecutors and defense lawyers.
Ali, who was arrested in May 2010, was sentenced yesterday in a US District Court here to time served. He was handcuffed and was flanked by his lawyer and an Urdu interpreter during his court appearance.
Ali, also known as Aftab Khan , had last week agreed to plead guilty to charges of "unlicensed money transmitting and immigration document fraud." He is now in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is expected to be deported to Pakistan within weeks.
He had supplied USD 4,900 to Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, who has been sentenced to life in prison. He had been arrested along with his uncle Pir Khan and Mohammad Shafiq ur Rahman in Watertown near here in May 2010.
Ali had come to the US in August 2009 on a 90-day visa to get married, Assistant US Attorney William Weinreb said.
While he was not allowed to work under the terms of his visa, he got a job at a gas station. He faced charges of immigration fraud as he lied on his application for a longer term visa by saying he was not employed, Weinreb said.
"We’ll just remain undeveloped" #pakistan
a pakistan Army Major replying to a query, as to how pakistan would catch up with developed countries if half the country [referring to pakistan's women population] was kept at home by strict Islamic custom and ,unable to help develop the economy.
#Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai Karzai blames ‘Cowardly’ #pakistan for Kunar Bombing #terrorism
Afghan President Hamid Karzai today slammed “cowardly foreign agents hired by our historical enemy,” a clear reference to Pakistan, in comments about Wednesday’s Kunar Province bombing.
The bombing saw 10 tribal leaders allied to the Karzai government killed and a number of others wounded. The talks were part of an ongoing discussion with former mujahideen members, and the latest in a growing number of attacks in the province, which borders Pakistan.
Afghan and US officials have regularly blamed the Pakistani government for attacks in the nation.
The bombing saw 10 tribal leaders allied to the Karzai government killed and a number of others wounded. The talks were part of an ongoing discussion with former mujahideen members, and the latest in a growing number of attacks in the province, which borders Pakistan.
Afghan and US officials have regularly blamed the Pakistani government for attacks in the nation.
Christian girls in #pakistan forcibly converted to #Islam through rape, coersion, abuse & forced marraige #Christianity #Jesus
In Pakistan forced conversions to Islam, rapes and forced marriages are on the rise. The victims are mostly Christian girls, belonging to religious minorities, complain Fides local sources.
The Christian girls are the weakest and most vulnerable in the Islamic Republic of pakistan, because their communities are poor, defenceless and marginalized, therefore easily exposed to harassment and threats. Often they do not even have the courage to denounce the violence.
There are hundreds of cases a year registered and those that come to light are only a fraction.
In a society that tolerates discrimination of religious minorities, especially of women, the dominant religion and related social position are used to impose tyranny.
Sidra Bibi, 14 year old Christian in the district of Sheikhupura in Punjab, is the daughter of a worker in the cotton industry. A Muslim from the village had his eye on her and began to molest her, and eventually abducted and raped her before threatening her with death. Physically and psychologically abused, the girl became pregnant. She managed to escape from her tormentor and is now back, in a state of exhaustion, with her family. Police have refused to accept her complaint.
Tina Barkat, 28 year old Christian, was approached by a Muslim friend who, after being friends with her for several months, asked her to convert to Islam. Her family began to read her verses of the Koran, kidnapped and threatened her, and then gave her in marriage to a Muslim family member.
The same fate has befallen Samina Ayub, Christian, aged 17, who lives with her family near Lahore. Kidnapped by a Muslim, she was forcibly converted to Islam, and renamed Fatima Bibi and was forced to marry in the Muslim rite. Her family reported the abduction but police have not prosecuted those responsible.
Shazia Bibi, a 19 year old Christian from Gujranwala, in Punjab, worked as a maid in the house of a Muslim woman, the owner of a grocery store. The Muslim boy from the shop was in love with Shazia. In agreement with the owner, they held a conversion and forced her into marriage.
Uzma Bibi, 15 years old, from Gulberg, and Saira Bibi, 20, a nurse from Lahore, were taken by force by Muslim neighbours, converted to Islam and then forced to marry in the Islamic rite.
Thus is the life of a Christian in the Islamic Republic of pakistan.
The Christian girls are the weakest and most vulnerable in the Islamic Republic of pakistan, because their communities are poor, defenceless and marginalized, therefore easily exposed to harassment and threats. Often they do not even have the courage to denounce the violence.
There are hundreds of cases a year registered and those that come to light are only a fraction.
In a society that tolerates discrimination of religious minorities, especially of women, the dominant religion and related social position are used to impose tyranny.
Sidra Bibi, 14 year old Christian in the district of Sheikhupura in Punjab, is the daughter of a worker in the cotton industry. A Muslim from the village had his eye on her and began to molest her, and eventually abducted and raped her before threatening her with death. Physically and psychologically abused, the girl became pregnant. She managed to escape from her tormentor and is now back, in a state of exhaustion, with her family. Police have refused to accept her complaint.
Tina Barkat, 28 year old Christian, was approached by a Muslim friend who, after being friends with her for several months, asked her to convert to Islam. Her family began to read her verses of the Koran, kidnapped and threatened her, and then gave her in marriage to a Muslim family member.
The same fate has befallen Samina Ayub, Christian, aged 17, who lives with her family near Lahore. Kidnapped by a Muslim, she was forcibly converted to Islam, and renamed Fatima Bibi and was forced to marry in the Muslim rite. Her family reported the abduction but police have not prosecuted those responsible.
Shazia Bibi, a 19 year old Christian from Gujranwala, in Punjab, worked as a maid in the house of a Muslim woman, the owner of a grocery store. The Muslim boy from the shop was in love with Shazia. In agreement with the owner, they held a conversion and forced her into marriage.
Uzma Bibi, 15 years old, from Gulberg, and Saira Bibi, 20, a nurse from Lahore, were taken by force by Muslim neighbours, converted to Islam and then forced to marry in the Islamic rite.
Thus is the life of a Christian in the Islamic Republic of pakistan.
UN declares #pakistan insecure for its aid workers #fact
Attacks against humanitarian relief workers have tripled over the last 10 years, with most of the fatalities occurring in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said April 13.
Amos based her remarks on To Stay and Deliver, a UN-commissioned independent study on the risks relief workers face that her office released April 13.
More than 100 humanitarian workers are killed yearly, Amos said.
Relief personnel find ways to serve populations in need, even as attacks on them increase, she said. The study, carried out last year, reviews best practices for humanitarian personnel in complex security environments.
Amos based her remarks on To Stay and Deliver, a UN-commissioned independent study on the risks relief workers face that her office released April 13.
More than 100 humanitarian workers are killed yearly, Amos said.
Relief personnel find ways to serve populations in need, even as attacks on them increase, she said. The study, carried out last year, reviews best practices for humanitarian personnel in complex security environments.
#pakistan Peeved: Sorry, We’ve Got Gripes, Too
Pakistani intelligence officials reportedly swept into CIA headquarters this week with a list of grievances about agency operations in the South Asian state — even threatening to limit prized Predator drone strikes on terrorists in troubled tribal areas.
Let’s hope the CIA responded by pulling out a long list of our concerns about Pakistan.
Impoverished Islamabad also wants to make sure that Washington is reminded — regularly and perhaps not so gently — of its aid needs based on its supporting role in Afghanistan, where America’s been battling for nearly 10 years now.
The White House told Congress this month that, despite unprecedented efforts, it’s very worried about the security situation: “There remains no clear path to defeating the [Afghan] insurgency in Pakistan.”
That Islamabad is unwilling to press Pakistan-based al Qaeda (including Osama bin Laden) and Taliban more is troubling, considering its own brewing internal-security problems and the billions in aid the US has sent over the years.
The availability of an al Qaeda-Taliban safe haven in Pakistan will continue to undermine the fragile progress brave coalition forces have made in fighting the insurgency in Afghanistan.
There are also concerns about continuing contact between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence directorate and insurgent groups that have shed blood in Afghanistan — including the Afghan Taliban, (possibly) al Qaeda, the Jalaluddin Haqqani network and the forces under Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
It’s also widely believed that Pakistani authorities know the location of Taliban leader Mullah Omar — and could apprehend him if they wanted to.
Of course, the ISI is best known for anti-India terror operations, including involvement in the Indian embassy bombing in Kabul and the Mumbai attacks, both in 2008.
America is clearly — and rightly — nervous that Pakistan is involved in a dangerous, high-stakes game that won’t bode well for our counter-terrorism/counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan — or beyond.
Yet, though Islamabad may be hedging, US failure in Afghanistan wouldn’t benefit Pakistan — which would then have to struggle for influence with rising power players India and Iran, requiring resources it can better put to use at home.
Islamabad may believe it can ride the Islamist-extremist tiger to its benefit in both Pakistan and Afghanistan — but that flesh-eater will assuredly turn on its former master.
Let’s hope the CIA responded by pulling out a long list of our concerns about Pakistan.
Impoverished Islamabad also wants to make sure that Washington is reminded — regularly and perhaps not so gently — of its aid needs based on its supporting role in Afghanistan, where America’s been battling for nearly 10 years now.
The White House told Congress this month that, despite unprecedented efforts, it’s very worried about the security situation: “There remains no clear path to defeating the [Afghan] insurgency in Pakistan.”
That Islamabad is unwilling to press Pakistan-based al Qaeda (including Osama bin Laden) and Taliban more is troubling, considering its own brewing internal-security problems and the billions in aid the US has sent over the years.
The availability of an al Qaeda-Taliban safe haven in Pakistan will continue to undermine the fragile progress brave coalition forces have made in fighting the insurgency in Afghanistan.
There are also concerns about continuing contact between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence directorate and insurgent groups that have shed blood in Afghanistan — including the Afghan Taliban, (possibly) al Qaeda, the Jalaluddin Haqqani network and the forces under Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
It’s also widely believed that Pakistani authorities know the location of Taliban leader Mullah Omar — and could apprehend him if they wanted to.
Of course, the ISI is best known for anti-India terror operations, including involvement in the Indian embassy bombing in Kabul and the Mumbai attacks, both in 2008.
America is clearly — and rightly — nervous that Pakistan is involved in a dangerous, high-stakes game that won’t bode well for our counter-terrorism/counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan — or beyond.
Yet, though Islamabad may be hedging, US failure in Afghanistan wouldn’t benefit Pakistan — which would then have to struggle for influence with rising power players India and Iran, requiring resources it can better put to use at home.
Islamabad may believe it can ride the Islamist-extremist tiger to its benefit in both Pakistan and Afghanistan — but that flesh-eater will assuredly turn on its former master.
Should USA Cut All Aid to #pakistan?
The United States gives Pakistan about $3 billion a year in aid. That country has not been a very good friend to us lately. Now, Pakistan is reportedly demanding the CIA cut back its presence there and that President Obama stop the drone attacks designed to kill Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the north of Pakistan.
Pakistan, should we cut all aid to that country, Charles? This is what Trump says. Let's get out of there. I mean, they're not helping us out. Why are we giving them $3 billion? What do you say?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, FOX NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think we're getting very near to that point, but it's not for reasons of petulance. It's for reasons of strategy. This is a very weak and double-dealing, duplicitous ally. One of the reasons that we haven't been giving the Pakistanis information about our drone attacks in advance is because we worry. They give so much covert support through their intelligence services to Al Qaeda and to the Taliban that they will warn the bad guys.
We're giving $3 billion to, and they're not much of an ally. I think it's time to get -- to not cut it off but to give them an ultimatum that we will cut it off unless they cut it out and they join us in a serious war on the bad guys. We gave them an ultimatum two days after 9/11: "You help us to fight the Taliban. You allow us to overfly. You cut relations, or," according to Musharraf, what we said to him two days after 9/11, "we bomb you back to the Stone Age."
They will respond to an ultimatum. And if they don't, what we have to say is the magic word: India. "We're leaving the region. We can't win in Afghanistan if you're not going to help us in Pakistan. This is an Indian problem. We'll turn it over to India." They are scared to death of the Indians. They don't want anything to do with India extending its power over Afghanistan or over them. That, I think, will get their attention. If they still won't help us, I'd say cut them off.
Pakistan, should we cut all aid to that country, Charles? This is what Trump says. Let's get out of there. I mean, they're not helping us out. Why are we giving them $3 billion? What do you say?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, FOX NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think we're getting very near to that point, but it's not for reasons of petulance. It's for reasons of strategy. This is a very weak and double-dealing, duplicitous ally. One of the reasons that we haven't been giving the Pakistanis information about our drone attacks in advance is because we worry. They give so much covert support through their intelligence services to Al Qaeda and to the Taliban that they will warn the bad guys.
We're giving $3 billion to, and they're not much of an ally. I think it's time to get -- to not cut it off but to give them an ultimatum that we will cut it off unless they cut it out and they join us in a serious war on the bad guys. We gave them an ultimatum two days after 9/11: "You help us to fight the Taliban. You allow us to overfly. You cut relations, or," according to Musharraf, what we said to him two days after 9/11, "we bomb you back to the Stone Age."
They will respond to an ultimatum. And if they don't, what we have to say is the magic word: India. "We're leaving the region. We can't win in Afghanistan if you're not going to help us in Pakistan. This is an Indian problem. We'll turn it over to India." They are scared to death of the Indians. They don't want anything to do with India extending its power over Afghanistan or over them. That, I think, will get their attention. If they still won't help us, I'd say cut them off.
Man found not-guilty of blasphemy charges by court in #pakistan killed after release #Islam
Mohamed Imran had been accused, jailed, tried and cleared: if anything, society owed him a debt as a man wrongfully accused.
But his crime was blasphemy. He was meant to have said something derogatory about the prophet Mohammed, so in Pakistan justice worked a little differently.
Two weeks after he returned to his small patch of farmland on the rustic outskirts of Islamabad, his alleged crime caught up with him.
Two gunmen burst into the shoe shop where he was sat talking to a friend. Imran tried to duck, to seek cover behind the man next to him -- terrified so greatly for his own life that he perhaps forgot about those around him.
But the gunmen found their target and Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws claimed another victim.
But his crime was blasphemy. He was meant to have said something derogatory about the prophet Mohammed, so in Pakistan justice worked a little differently.
Two weeks after he returned to his small patch of farmland on the rustic outskirts of Islamabad, his alleged crime caught up with him.
Two gunmen burst into the shoe shop where he was sat talking to a friend. Imran tried to duck, to seek cover behind the man next to him -- terrified so greatly for his own life that he perhaps forgot about those around him.
But the gunmen found their target and Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws claimed another victim.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
#Balochistan : perfect Slaughterhouse of #pakistan Army butchers #genocide
The Baloch land once was a free and sovereign country, on August 11, 1947, the British acceded control of Balochistan to the ruler of Balochistan, Mir Ahmad Yar Khan - the Khan of Kalat. The Khan immediately declared the independence of Balochistan, and Mohammad Ali Jinnah signed the proclamation of Balochistan’s sovereignty under the Khan.
The New York Times reported on August 12, 1947: “Under the agreement, Pakistan recognizes Kalat as an independent sovereign state.
Moslem State in Baluchistan, has reached an agreement with Pakistan for free flow of communications and commerce, and would negotiate for decisions on defense, external affairs and communications. ” The next day, the NY Times even printed a map of the world showing Balochistan as a fully independent country.
On August 15, 1947 the Khan of Kalat addressed a large gathering in Kalat and formally declared the full independence of Balochistan, and proclaimed the 15th day of August a day of celebration.
Jinnah tried to persuade the Khan to join Pakistan, but the Khan and both Houses of the Kalat Assembly refused. The Pakistani army then invaded Balochistan on March 27th, 1948, and imprisoned all members of the Kalat Assembly.
Since the illegal occupation of Baloch land, Pakistan’s military is continuously trying to silent the voices of Balochistan’s freedom by the force of guns, tanks, fighter jets in all the other possible brutal ways. Nawab Babu Nauroz Khan waged an arm struggle along with thousands of Baloch tribesman for the liberation of Balochistan. But on May 15, 1959 the Pakistani wicked rulers betrayed the Babu Nauroz through an oath on the holy Quran that Pakistan will settle all the Baloch grievances. However, when Nawab Nowroz Khan came down from the hills, he and about 150 of his followers, including his sons and nephews, were arrested for armed rebellion against the state. On July 15, 1960 five of the leaders were executed by hanging in Hyderabad Jail. Nawab Nauroz Khan was spared execution on account of his age, but died in Jail in 1964.
The Pakistani state has been using regular troops and paramilitary forces against Baloch civilians. The region has been highly militarized, as Pakistani occupiers established one paramilitary post for every 500 people. There are four mega military cantonments, 52 paramilitary cantonments, five naval bases including Jinnah naval base in Ormara district Gwadar and six missile-testing ranges in Balochistan.
On 17th March 2005, Pakistan's Paramilitary Forces, Started Shelling the town of Dera Bugti, more than 60 Civilians were killed in this indiscriminate Bombardment, among them 33 Hindus killed and 19 were children.
On 17 December 2005, paramilitary forces began aerial bombardment at Kohlu. By mid-June 2006, about 400 to 500 innocent Baloch people were killed in the army operations including in air raids in Balochistan, especially in Marri and Bugti areas. About 80 to 85% of those either killed or injured were women and children. The fighting caused widespread damage to buildings, and 85 percent people of Dera Bugti were forced to flee the town. The Pakistani Air Force chief Tanwir Mahmood Ahmed stated that the air force would continue to be used whenever and wherever the government desired.
According to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that Pakistani soldiers arrested four people on April 5 2008, in the Dera Bugti district of Balochistan, and subjected them to torture. They were asked to identify local supporters of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). After failing to get any names from them, the victims were immersed in scolding hot coal tar. Three of the men were literally boiled and burned to death. A fourth died later from his injuries. Villagers in the area also claim the Pakistan army used a form of chemical gas against them and that some of the gassed survivors were later shot.
About 8000 people, including men, women and children, have been abducted by Pakistani security forces from various parts of Balochistan. Pakistan has used all brutal ways to stop the Baloch freedom movement but Baloch nation is courageously facing all the brutalities of occupying state but not withdrawing from the national cause of independence. Pakistan now using her last method to suppress the struggle like did in Bangladesh by the ‘’Al-Shams’’ &’’Al-Badar’’ now these death squads are re-introduced in Balochistan by new names in order to hide her crimes. Pakistani military intelligence agencies ISI, MI, IB and Frontier Core are abducting the Baloch students, political workers, human right activists, journalists from every corner of Balochistan, like from colleges, houses, hospitals, highways. Pakistan military has kept all abducted persons in secret torture cells, and every week killing 8-10 of the Baloch youths and throwing their brutally tortured bullet riddled bodies in deserts and mountains, most of the deadbodies are not recogniseable as flesh been eaten by wild animals.
Pakistan military fighter jets and gunship helicopters still bombing, shelling the Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Mashkay, Mand town of Balochistan but unfortunately still a ‘’flyzone’’ for Pakistan Airforce, as lives of Baloch are not worthful like the Libyans. It’s the morale duty of all those champions of human rights who are crying for the human lives in Somalia, Egypt, Libya must play their role to save Baloch nation from the Pakistan military butchers. Infact Pakistan is an ally of US in ‘’War Against Terrorism’’ but we Baloch need world support in ‘’War Against Pakistani State Terrorism in Balochistan’.
The New York Times reported on August 12, 1947: “Under the agreement, Pakistan recognizes Kalat as an independent sovereign state.
Moslem State in Baluchistan, has reached an agreement with Pakistan for free flow of communications and commerce, and would negotiate for decisions on defense, external affairs and communications. ” The next day, the NY Times even printed a map of the world showing Balochistan as a fully independent country.
On August 15, 1947 the Khan of Kalat addressed a large gathering in Kalat and formally declared the full independence of Balochistan, and proclaimed the 15th day of August a day of celebration.
Jinnah tried to persuade the Khan to join Pakistan, but the Khan and both Houses of the Kalat Assembly refused. The Pakistani army then invaded Balochistan on March 27th, 1948, and imprisoned all members of the Kalat Assembly.
Since the illegal occupation of Baloch land, Pakistan’s military is continuously trying to silent the voices of Balochistan’s freedom by the force of guns, tanks, fighter jets in all the other possible brutal ways. Nawab Babu Nauroz Khan waged an arm struggle along with thousands of Baloch tribesman for the liberation of Balochistan. But on May 15, 1959 the Pakistani wicked rulers betrayed the Babu Nauroz through an oath on the holy Quran that Pakistan will settle all the Baloch grievances. However, when Nawab Nowroz Khan came down from the hills, he and about 150 of his followers, including his sons and nephews, were arrested for armed rebellion against the state. On July 15, 1960 five of the leaders were executed by hanging in Hyderabad Jail. Nawab Nauroz Khan was spared execution on account of his age, but died in Jail in 1964.
The Pakistani state has been using regular troops and paramilitary forces against Baloch civilians. The region has been highly militarized, as Pakistani occupiers established one paramilitary post for every 500 people. There are four mega military cantonments, 52 paramilitary cantonments, five naval bases including Jinnah naval base in Ormara district Gwadar and six missile-testing ranges in Balochistan.
On 17th March 2005, Pakistan's Paramilitary Forces, Started Shelling the town of Dera Bugti, more than 60 Civilians were killed in this indiscriminate Bombardment, among them 33 Hindus killed and 19 were children.
On 17 December 2005, paramilitary forces began aerial bombardment at Kohlu. By mid-June 2006, about 400 to 500 innocent Baloch people were killed in the army operations including in air raids in Balochistan, especially in Marri and Bugti areas. About 80 to 85% of those either killed or injured were women and children. The fighting caused widespread damage to buildings, and 85 percent people of Dera Bugti were forced to flee the town. The Pakistani Air Force chief Tanwir Mahmood Ahmed stated that the air force would continue to be used whenever and wherever the government desired.
According to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that Pakistani soldiers arrested four people on April 5 2008, in the Dera Bugti district of Balochistan, and subjected them to torture. They were asked to identify local supporters of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). After failing to get any names from them, the victims were immersed in scolding hot coal tar. Three of the men were literally boiled and burned to death. A fourth died later from his injuries. Villagers in the area also claim the Pakistan army used a form of chemical gas against them and that some of the gassed survivors were later shot.
About 8000 people, including men, women and children, have been abducted by Pakistani security forces from various parts of Balochistan. Pakistan has used all brutal ways to stop the Baloch freedom movement but Baloch nation is courageously facing all the brutalities of occupying state but not withdrawing from the national cause of independence. Pakistan now using her last method to suppress the struggle like did in Bangladesh by the ‘’Al-Shams’’ &’’Al-Badar’’ now these death squads are re-introduced in Balochistan by new names in order to hide her crimes. Pakistani military intelligence agencies ISI, MI, IB and Frontier Core are abducting the Baloch students, political workers, human right activists, journalists from every corner of Balochistan, like from colleges, houses, hospitals, highways. Pakistan military has kept all abducted persons in secret torture cells, and every week killing 8-10 of the Baloch youths and throwing their brutally tortured bullet riddled bodies in deserts and mountains, most of the deadbodies are not recogniseable as flesh been eaten by wild animals.
Pakistan military fighter jets and gunship helicopters still bombing, shelling the Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Mashkay, Mand town of Balochistan but unfortunately still a ‘’flyzone’’ for Pakistan Airforce, as lives of Baloch are not worthful like the Libyans. It’s the morale duty of all those champions of human rights who are crying for the human lives in Somalia, Egypt, Libya must play their role to save Baloch nation from the Pakistan military butchers. Infact Pakistan is an ally of US in ‘’War Against Terrorism’’ but we Baloch need world support in ‘’War Against Pakistani State Terrorism in Balochistan’.
Failing the Baloch of #pakistan-occupied #Balochistan
THE mutilated bodies surface quietly in various parts of the province, and usually without any forewarning. The bodies dumped on unforgiving mountains or on deserted, half-constructed roads.
On some occasions, the arms and legs of these corpses are found to have been snapped; often, their faces are smashed in and swollen. At other times, the flesh shows that severe torture was inflicted on various parts of the body, the wounds indicating the use of knives, electric prods or drills that tore gaping holes into the body. The remains are often unrecognisable. And all of them have a gunshot wound in the head.
This is the situation in the largest province in Pakistan: Balochistan. According to assessments made by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), severe human rights violations have been taking place in Balochistan since the onset of the latest phase of the insurgency.
Of the many incidents of torture reported by the organisation, one is the case of Alam Pirkani Baloch who belonged to the Pirkani tribe. He was arrested and placed in the custody of the Federal Intelligence Unit (FIU). During his incarceration, he was allegedly hung upside down with some sort of sharp-edged tool between his thighs and in his hands.
After his hands and legs had bled for a while, he was taken down. Then chillies and salt were rubbed into his wounds.
In another incident, Ali Beig of the Marri tribe was arrested by personnel of the City Police Station, Quetta, and handed over to the FIU. He was made to stand naked in freezing weather, electric shocks were administered to him and he was beaten with strips of rubber. After two months of being in the custody of the Central Investigation Agency (CIA) and the FIU, he was transferred to a jail where the FIU would, allegedly, take him away at night for further torture. After a year, he was once again transferred to the FIU camp where he was subjected to torture with heavy steel rollers.
In another example of the types of activities taking place in Balochistan, Eid Mohammad, son of Haji Wali Jan, was arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Act. He was kept in custody for three months. At the time of his arrest, Eid was a student of class 8 and was only 14 years old at the time. Although details of what that happened to him during his detention are sketchy, it is reported that Eid can no longer go to school. He regularly suffers nightmares, during the course of which he screams hysterically and pleads that he should not be tortured.
These are just a few of the various incidents of torture recorded by the HRCP in its fact-finding missions over the years by the pakistan-Army controlled province of Balochistan.
Furthermore — and shockingly — these incidents of torture are not considered separate to and distinct from the instances of disappearances that are taking place in Balochistan.
In fact, many reports pouring in nowadays indicate that most of those desolate and mutilated bodies discovered on the uninhabited mountains or empty roads were actually persons reported as missing. Additionally, suspicion is raised by the fact that many such bodies come to light after there has been an attack on paramilitary or government forces that is blamed on nationalist forces.
Despite the seriousness of the situation in Balochistan, which is indicated by the examples given above, these incidents seem to have raised little concern in the rest of pakistan.
As for the people of Pakistan, sadly, they appear more interested in scrounging for national pride on the fields of Mohali rather than resurrecting the same on the shamed mountains and empty roads of Balochistan.
However, whatever the motives behind such dismissive attitudes, and civil society and the state authorities’ lack of reaction to such incidents, it is clear that the said acts have served to perhaps irreparably harm any possibility of the Baloch placing their trust in the state of Pakistan and attempting at reconciliation.In fact, it has unfortunately now come to such a head that the hatred that certain Baloch tribal people have long held for the state of Pakistan is seeping into other segments of society.
The educated classes, students as well as other parts of the middle class are all growing increasingly militant.
As stated by Jamil Bugti, son of the late Nawab Akbar, Bugti, “The next generation is all in the mountains, and they’re not willing to talk to anyone. People like me, and others, like the different nationalist parties that are in parliament, they don’t have any role to play. They look very good on TV. That’s about it.”
On some occasions, the arms and legs of these corpses are found to have been snapped; often, their faces are smashed in and swollen. At other times, the flesh shows that severe torture was inflicted on various parts of the body, the wounds indicating the use of knives, electric prods or drills that tore gaping holes into the body. The remains are often unrecognisable. And all of them have a gunshot wound in the head.
This is the situation in the largest province in Pakistan: Balochistan. According to assessments made by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), severe human rights violations have been taking place in Balochistan since the onset of the latest phase of the insurgency.
Of the many incidents of torture reported by the organisation, one is the case of Alam Pirkani Baloch who belonged to the Pirkani tribe. He was arrested and placed in the custody of the Federal Intelligence Unit (FIU). During his incarceration, he was allegedly hung upside down with some sort of sharp-edged tool between his thighs and in his hands.
After his hands and legs had bled for a while, he was taken down. Then chillies and salt were rubbed into his wounds.
In another incident, Ali Beig of the Marri tribe was arrested by personnel of the City Police Station, Quetta, and handed over to the FIU. He was made to stand naked in freezing weather, electric shocks were administered to him and he was beaten with strips of rubber. After two months of being in the custody of the Central Investigation Agency (CIA) and the FIU, he was transferred to a jail where the FIU would, allegedly, take him away at night for further torture. After a year, he was once again transferred to the FIU camp where he was subjected to torture with heavy steel rollers.
In another example of the types of activities taking place in Balochistan, Eid Mohammad, son of Haji Wali Jan, was arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Act. He was kept in custody for three months. At the time of his arrest, Eid was a student of class 8 and was only 14 years old at the time. Although details of what that happened to him during his detention are sketchy, it is reported that Eid can no longer go to school. He regularly suffers nightmares, during the course of which he screams hysterically and pleads that he should not be tortured.
These are just a few of the various incidents of torture recorded by the HRCP in its fact-finding missions over the years by the pakistan-Army controlled province of Balochistan.
Furthermore — and shockingly — these incidents of torture are not considered separate to and distinct from the instances of disappearances that are taking place in Balochistan.
In fact, many reports pouring in nowadays indicate that most of those desolate and mutilated bodies discovered on the uninhabited mountains or empty roads were actually persons reported as missing. Additionally, suspicion is raised by the fact that many such bodies come to light after there has been an attack on paramilitary or government forces that is blamed on nationalist forces.
Despite the seriousness of the situation in Balochistan, which is indicated by the examples given above, these incidents seem to have raised little concern in the rest of pakistan.
As for the people of Pakistan, sadly, they appear more interested in scrounging for national pride on the fields of Mohali rather than resurrecting the same on the shamed mountains and empty roads of Balochistan.
However, whatever the motives behind such dismissive attitudes, and civil society and the state authorities’ lack of reaction to such incidents, it is clear that the said acts have served to perhaps irreparably harm any possibility of the Baloch placing their trust in the state of Pakistan and attempting at reconciliation.In fact, it has unfortunately now come to such a head that the hatred that certain Baloch tribal people have long held for the state of Pakistan is seeping into other segments of society.
The educated classes, students as well as other parts of the middle class are all growing increasingly militant.
As stated by Jamil Bugti, son of the late Nawab Akbar, Bugti, “The next generation is all in the mountains, and they’re not willing to talk to anyone. People like me, and others, like the different nationalist parties that are in parliament, they don’t have any role to play. They look very good on TV. That’s about it.”
#pakistan: Celebrating defeat!
For all those who know what Pakistan cricket is, it is hard to digest the showers praised on the national cricketers these days.
The team, lost cheaply in the World Cup semifinal and is being greeted as the ‘victorious’.
There is also no doubt that the Pakistan players under performed in the semifinal and gifted away the match.
And the Pakistan government and authorities are praising them as they have won the World Cup final. If we review the performance of the Pakistan team in the most crucial match of their lives, it is evident that they failed to adopt all the cricketing tactics despite that they are the best skilled. They simply exhibited poor fielding, dropped catches, played wrong shots and crumbled under pressure. India exploited all these failings and became the world champions.
But the irony is not that we lost but the way we are celebrating it and awarding the players for their blunders. Instead of making them to explain why the most senior players dropped easy catches, why the batsmen played wrong shots and panicked in pressure and why a most experienced batsman wasted 76 precious balls, the government is awarding them for their ‘blunders’ with cash awards.
If we are celebrating their defeat in the semifinals by showering millions of rupees, giving state receptions and lauding their ‘performance’, we may get down in the quarterfinals in the next event.
The team, lost cheaply in the World Cup semifinal and is being greeted as the ‘victorious’.
There is also no doubt that the Pakistan players under performed in the semifinal and gifted away the match.
And the Pakistan government and authorities are praising them as they have won the World Cup final. If we review the performance of the Pakistan team in the most crucial match of their lives, it is evident that they failed to adopt all the cricketing tactics despite that they are the best skilled. They simply exhibited poor fielding, dropped catches, played wrong shots and crumbled under pressure. India exploited all these failings and became the world champions.
But the irony is not that we lost but the way we are celebrating it and awarding the players for their blunders. Instead of making them to explain why the most senior players dropped easy catches, why the batsmen played wrong shots and panicked in pressure and why a most experienced batsman wasted 76 precious balls, the government is awarding them for their ‘blunders’ with cash awards.
If we are celebrating their defeat in the semifinals by showering millions of rupees, giving state receptions and lauding their ‘performance’, we may get down in the quarterfinals in the next event.
#Balochistan: a slow motion genocide #pakistan [courtesy pakistan Army] #genocide
Balochistan is also the site of what historian Selig Harrison has called “a slow motion genocide” of the Baloch people.
Despite its strategic importance and harrowing human rights scandals, however, the region and its problems go virtually unreported because Pakistani authorities rarely grant journalists permission to travel beyond the capital of Quetta and its intelligence agencies routinely monitor and mistreat those journalists who do enter the province.
When Pakistan was carved out in 1947, British drew lines through tribal lands regardless of the indigenous people who lived there, and the centuries-old Balochistan was tucked into Pakistan with the coerced signing of an accession agreement. The Baloch have been struggling for decades to gain back their independence.
Deprived of education and their own country’s resources, Baloch resistance fighters are made up of youth, farmers, shepherds, traders, salesmen, doctors, and ordinary citizens. The Pakistani government often conflates them with the far more violent extremist Taliban, waging all-out war against the secular Baloch resistance, imprisoning dissidents, abducting not only suspected fighters or sympathisers, but uninvolved citizens and, often, killing them. In February 2011 Amnesty International wrote in a press release: “The Pakistan government must immediately provide accountability for the alarming number of killings and abductions in Balochistan attributed to government forces in recent months.”
Click the title to read the full article and an interview, though highly sanitized & apparently censored, with a leading freedom fighter from pakistan-occupied Balochistan.
Despite its strategic importance and harrowing human rights scandals, however, the region and its problems go virtually unreported because Pakistani authorities rarely grant journalists permission to travel beyond the capital of Quetta and its intelligence agencies routinely monitor and mistreat those journalists who do enter the province.
When Pakistan was carved out in 1947, British drew lines through tribal lands regardless of the indigenous people who lived there, and the centuries-old Balochistan was tucked into Pakistan with the coerced signing of an accession agreement. The Baloch have been struggling for decades to gain back their independence.
Deprived of education and their own country’s resources, Baloch resistance fighters are made up of youth, farmers, shepherds, traders, salesmen, doctors, and ordinary citizens. The Pakistani government often conflates them with the far more violent extremist Taliban, waging all-out war against the secular Baloch resistance, imprisoning dissidents, abducting not only suspected fighters or sympathisers, but uninvolved citizens and, often, killing them. In February 2011 Amnesty International wrote in a press release: “The Pakistan government must immediately provide accountability for the alarming number of killings and abductions in Balochistan attributed to government forces in recent months.”
Click the title to read the full article and an interview, though highly sanitized & apparently censored, with a leading freedom fighter from pakistan-occupied Balochistan.
Increasing poverty & #Japan tsunami causes Car manufacturing to slow down in #pakistan
Rising poverty, unemployment & lowered standards of living in pakistan is making owning a car increasingly unaffordable in the Islamic Republic of pakistan. As a result, auto manufacturers are being forced to cut back on their production.
The recent tragic Tsunami in Japan, is also believed to have compounded to the problem as its industry imports nearly all auto components from Japan, merely joining them together & selling them here in pakistan.
The recent tragic Tsunami in Japan, is also believed to have compounded to the problem as its industry imports nearly all auto components from Japan, merely joining them together & selling them here in pakistan.
International money lender, IMF reprimands perpetual debtor #pakistan for its degenerate reform policies
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has criticised Pakistan’s performance towards economic improvement, saying that the reforms programme initiated in 2008 has moved backwards.
“Structural reforms have been retarded or reversed in 2010 and 2011,” the IMF said in a note to loan programme just ahead of Pakistan authorities visit to Washington to hold talks with the fund for resumption of repayment.
The IMF granted a 34-month $11.3 billion standby arrangement approved on November 24, 2008, augmented on August 7, 2009 and extended by nine months in December 2010.
The IMF board completed fourth review of the programme on May 14, 2010. Since then no tranche has been approved for Pakistan as it failed to meet the IMF conditions.
"Reform has been delayed and its scope has been far narrower than earlier envisaged,” the IMF said. “Moreover, very little progress has been made in reforms in the electricity sector and commodity operations, which are urgently needed to eliminate financial losses that impose a burden on the public finance and pose a threat to the macroeconomic stability,” it added.
The IMF also said that the legislation needed to strengthen bank supervision and the central bank autonomy has not yet been enacted, strengthening of the social safety net is still not complete and the reform of petroleum pricing has been partially reversed in recent months.
The real GDP growth is unlikely to exceed 2.75 percent.
The IMF reminded Pakistan to make progress under the economic reforms need to be reinvigorated. “They are needed to strengthen public finance and improve financial intermediation and to raise economic confidence to stimulate higher savings, investment, growth and employment,” it added.
“Structural reforms have been retarded or reversed in 2010 and 2011,” the IMF said in a note to loan programme just ahead of Pakistan authorities visit to Washington to hold talks with the fund for resumption of repayment.
The IMF granted a 34-month $11.3 billion standby arrangement approved on November 24, 2008, augmented on August 7, 2009 and extended by nine months in December 2010.
The IMF board completed fourth review of the programme on May 14, 2010. Since then no tranche has been approved for Pakistan as it failed to meet the IMF conditions.
"Reform has been delayed and its scope has been far narrower than earlier envisaged,” the IMF said. “Moreover, very little progress has been made in reforms in the electricity sector and commodity operations, which are urgently needed to eliminate financial losses that impose a burden on the public finance and pose a threat to the macroeconomic stability,” it added.
The IMF also said that the legislation needed to strengthen bank supervision and the central bank autonomy has not yet been enacted, strengthening of the social safety net is still not complete and the reform of petroleum pricing has been partially reversed in recent months.
The real GDP growth is unlikely to exceed 2.75 percent.
The IMF reminded Pakistan to make progress under the economic reforms need to be reinvigorated. “They are needed to strengthen public finance and improve financial intermediation and to raise economic confidence to stimulate higher savings, investment, growth and employment,” it added.
#pakistan-based Islamic terrorist groups expanding: U.S. general
A top U.S. general expressed concern to Congress on Tuesday about the expanding reach of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, warning it was no longer solely focused on South Asia.
LeT, one of the largest and best-funded Islamic militant organizations in the region.
The group was nurtured by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency, and analysts say it is still unofficially tolerated even though Islamabad banned the group nearly a decade ago.
The pakistan Army continues to pursue its policy of training, nurturing & supporting global terrorist outfits, even as it continues to accept billions of dollars in aid each year from the United States to defeat these very terrorist outfits. As a result these outfits have found in pakistan, a safe shelter & refuge. Every attack carried out by Islamic terrorists has invariably been traced back to pakistan & has unearthed pakistan Army connections. Yet, inexplicably, the world, or rather its leaders, continues to turn a blind eye to this perfidy by the pakistan Army, even as scores of American & European soldiers in Afghanistan die each week and lies of the people in West are threatened by the diabolical policies of the pakistan Army.
Admiral Robert Willard, head of the U.S. military's Pacific Command, told a Senate hearing the United States was actively working with South Asian governments including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India to contain LeT.
But he cautioned that the group was active elsewhere.
"Unquestionably they have spread their influence internationally and are no longer solely focused in South Asia," Willard told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The United States has evidence of LeT's presence in Europe and the broader Asia-Pacific region, he said.
In the past, LeT has fielded militants in Canada and in the United States.
LeT group has declared holy war against the United States and renewed longstanding concerns in Washington about attacks by LeT militants against U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
There has been increasing attention in Washington on LeT, particularly since the arrest of Pakistani-American David Headley in 2009.
Headley had joined LeT and helped al Qaeda plan a strike in Denmark.
LeT, one of the largest and best-funded Islamic militant organizations in the region.
The group was nurtured by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency, and analysts say it is still unofficially tolerated even though Islamabad banned the group nearly a decade ago.
The pakistan Army continues to pursue its policy of training, nurturing & supporting global terrorist outfits, even as it continues to accept billions of dollars in aid each year from the United States to defeat these very terrorist outfits. As a result these outfits have found in pakistan, a safe shelter & refuge. Every attack carried out by Islamic terrorists has invariably been traced back to pakistan & has unearthed pakistan Army connections. Yet, inexplicably, the world, or rather its leaders, continues to turn a blind eye to this perfidy by the pakistan Army, even as scores of American & European soldiers in Afghanistan die each week and lies of the people in West are threatened by the diabolical policies of the pakistan Army.
Admiral Robert Willard, head of the U.S. military's Pacific Command, told a Senate hearing the United States was actively working with South Asian governments including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India to contain LeT.
But he cautioned that the group was active elsewhere.
"Unquestionably they have spread their influence internationally and are no longer solely focused in South Asia," Willard told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The United States has evidence of LeT's presence in Europe and the broader Asia-Pacific region, he said.
In the past, LeT has fielded militants in Canada and in the United States.
LeT group has declared holy war against the United States and renewed longstanding concerns in Washington about attacks by LeT militants against U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
There has been increasing attention in Washington on LeT, particularly since the arrest of Pakistani-American David Headley in 2009.
Headley had joined LeT and helped al Qaeda plan a strike in Denmark.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Lack of employment oppurtunities & aversion to honest living takes #pakistan's youth to the path of cyber crime
The cyber crimes of multiple kinds in Pakistan have increased by five times over the past four years, investigation officials said Tuesday.
According to the Cyber Crime Unit (CCU), a branch of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), 62 cases were reported to the unit in 2007, 287 cases in 2008 and the ratio dropped in 2009 but in 2010 more than 312 cases were registered in different categories of cyber crimes.
"Instead of making constructive use of information technology ( IT) in today's quick life, users are more interested in its misuse. Most of the young generation is involved in this crime," a CCU official said.
Developed countries have introduced different policies to curb the destructive use of cyber facilities but in Pakistan, lack of proper developed monitoring system is an obstruction to the young generation, officials warned.
Meantime, a number of cyber crime cases are in progress in the lower court of capital Islamabad.
One of such cases is under trial in court of Additional Session Judge (ASJ) Rifaat Sultan Sheikh against Noman Asif, who was working as a computer expert in a private company and had been involve in creating vulgar pictures of four females of a same family on a social website.
Another case is also wielded in his court against Syed Umair and Frahan Shah, who were involved in illegal termination of international traffic using unauthorized Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP) without obtaining any licenses.
There are a number of cyber crimes in Pakistan mainly including cyber pornography, sale of illegal articles, online gambling, intellectual property crimes, email spoofing, cyber stalking, forgery, unauthorized access to computer systems/networks, theft of information contained in electronic form, virus attacks, Trojan attacks, Internet time theft, password cracking and financial cyber crimes (hacking of ATM card numbers and bank accounts).
Official data suggest that the hacking of ATM card numbers and bank accounts are on the rise in Pakistan.
According to the Cyber Crime Unit (CCU), a branch of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), 62 cases were reported to the unit in 2007, 287 cases in 2008 and the ratio dropped in 2009 but in 2010 more than 312 cases were registered in different categories of cyber crimes.
"Instead of making constructive use of information technology ( IT) in today's quick life, users are more interested in its misuse. Most of the young generation is involved in this crime," a CCU official said.
Developed countries have introduced different policies to curb the destructive use of cyber facilities but in Pakistan, lack of proper developed monitoring system is an obstruction to the young generation, officials warned.
Meantime, a number of cyber crime cases are in progress in the lower court of capital Islamabad.
One of such cases is under trial in court of Additional Session Judge (ASJ) Rifaat Sultan Sheikh against Noman Asif, who was working as a computer expert in a private company and had been involve in creating vulgar pictures of four females of a same family on a social website.
Another case is also wielded in his court against Syed Umair and Frahan Shah, who were involved in illegal termination of international traffic using unauthorized Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP) without obtaining any licenses.
There are a number of cyber crimes in Pakistan mainly including cyber pornography, sale of illegal articles, online gambling, intellectual property crimes, email spoofing, cyber stalking, forgery, unauthorized access to computer systems/networks, theft of information contained in electronic form, virus attacks, Trojan attacks, Internet time theft, password cracking and financial cyber crimes (hacking of ATM card numbers and bank accounts).
Official data suggest that the hacking of ATM card numbers and bank accounts are on the rise in Pakistan.
#pakistan's "Counter-terrorism" strategy: impact [or lack of it] of ‘banning’ organisations
pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik inadvertently highlighted the issues with Pakistan’s counter-terrorism strategy.
In response to a question about bans on ‘religious and welfare organisations’, Malik told the Senate that only four groups have been banned over the past three years for their involvement in terrorism.
The answers to other questions revealed what the ‘impact’ of these bans has been. Over 8,000 people were injured and 3,169 were killed in 2,148 terrorist attacks during 2008-2010, excluding the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
Banning organisations does not signal an end to their activities. The government has previously claimed that thousands of activists of banned organisations are being monitored and have been placed on the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
“The bans have had no major impact,” says analyst Imtiaz Gul. “Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad have continued their activities under different names. The government has not banned Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), even though the United Nations has banned it. There is a tacit acceptance of their activities.”
While the government did ban organisations again which had regrouped with new names, this does not appear to be a uniform policy. JuD operates openly as the Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation and has at least seven other aliases. The US added the foundation to its list of blacklisted organisations in 2010, recognising that LeT used the name to evade scrutiny.
Since the bans are not effective, financing and recruitment continues. According to a US embassy cable released by WikiLeaks, LeT’s annual military operations budget was Rs365 million [$4.3 million USD].
Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), Al Akhtar Trust and Al Rashid Trust were enlisted under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 on December 10, 2008, but it is unclear if they are officially banned in Pakistan. According to an old list of banned organisations, JuD was banned in 2003. The UN Consolidated List includes organisations based in Pakistan, or which have/had offices in the country: the alHaramain Foundation, Benevolence International Foundation, Global Relief Foundation, Harkatul Jihad alIslami, Rabita Trust, Jamiat Ihia alTurath alIslamiya, Ummah Tameer-e-Nau and the Wafa Humanitarian Organisation.
While the bans, raids and arrests are loudly touted as Pakistan’s commitment to combating terrorism, analysts believe they are merely for show, given how these ‘banned groups’ work and recruit openly.
In response to a question about bans on ‘religious and welfare organisations’, Malik told the Senate that only four groups have been banned over the past three years for their involvement in terrorism.
The answers to other questions revealed what the ‘impact’ of these bans has been. Over 8,000 people were injured and 3,169 were killed in 2,148 terrorist attacks during 2008-2010, excluding the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
Banning organisations does not signal an end to their activities. The government has previously claimed that thousands of activists of banned organisations are being monitored and have been placed on the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
“The bans have had no major impact,” says analyst Imtiaz Gul. “Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad have continued their activities under different names. The government has not banned Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), even though the United Nations has banned it. There is a tacit acceptance of their activities.”
While the government did ban organisations again which had regrouped with new names, this does not appear to be a uniform policy. JuD operates openly as the Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation and has at least seven other aliases. The US added the foundation to its list of blacklisted organisations in 2010, recognising that LeT used the name to evade scrutiny.
Since the bans are not effective, financing and recruitment continues. According to a US embassy cable released by WikiLeaks, LeT’s annual military operations budget was Rs365 million [$4.3 million USD].
Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), Al Akhtar Trust and Al Rashid Trust were enlisted under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 on December 10, 2008, but it is unclear if they are officially banned in Pakistan. According to an old list of banned organisations, JuD was banned in 2003. The UN Consolidated List includes organisations based in Pakistan, or which have/had offices in the country: the alHaramain Foundation, Benevolence International Foundation, Global Relief Foundation, Harkatul Jihad alIslami, Rabita Trust, Jamiat Ihia alTurath alIslamiya, Ummah Tameer-e-Nau and the Wafa Humanitarian Organisation.
While the bans, raids and arrests are loudly touted as Pakistan’s commitment to combating terrorism, analysts believe they are merely for show, given how these ‘banned groups’ work and recruit openly.
#UK being flooded with drugs from #pakistan, hidden as mail package for #Britain's pakistani immigrants
Heroin worth up to £680,000 was smuggled from Pakistan through the post, a court heard.
The consignment – labelled as a ‘gift’ by the sender – was bound for an address in Bury.
But the drugs were seized by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) after border officials examined the package on its arrival at the Parcelforce International Hub in Coventry.
Once the drugs had been removed, SOCA sealed up the package and allowed it go on to its destination, which they kept under surveillance.
Syed Ahmed, 24, of Napier Street, Oldham and Kashif Khan, 26, of Ilford, east London, deny conspiring to evade the prohibition on the importation of controlled drugs.
It is alleged that Mr Ahmed and Mr Khan arranged for the drugs to be brought into the country.
Mr Khan, who admits attempting to possess the heroin with intent to supply, when SOCA swooped.
A search of Mr Khan’s house uncovered documents linking him to the delivery address and his passport showed he had visited Pakistan months before the delivery.
The prosecution say Mr Ahmed can also be linked to the delivery address, and that he ‘organised and supervised’ the smuggling bid in collusion with Mr Khan.
The consignment – labelled as a ‘gift’ by the sender – was bound for an address in Bury.
But the drugs were seized by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) after border officials examined the package on its arrival at the Parcelforce International Hub in Coventry.
Once the drugs had been removed, SOCA sealed up the package and allowed it go on to its destination, which they kept under surveillance.
Syed Ahmed, 24, of Napier Street, Oldham and Kashif Khan, 26, of Ilford, east London, deny conspiring to evade the prohibition on the importation of controlled drugs.
It is alleged that Mr Ahmed and Mr Khan arranged for the drugs to be brought into the country.
Mr Khan, who admits attempting to possess the heroin with intent to supply, when SOCA swooped.
A search of Mr Khan’s house uncovered documents linking him to the delivery address and his passport showed he had visited Pakistan months before the delivery.
The prosecution say Mr Ahmed can also be linked to the delivery address, and that he ‘organised and supervised’ the smuggling bid in collusion with Mr Khan.
#pakistan-born man sentenced in #USA for planning attacks on DC-Area Metro Stations #terrorism
pakistan-born Farooque Ahmed, 35, of Ashburn, Va., was sentenced today to 23 years in prison, followed by 50 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to charges stemming from his attempts to assist others whom he believed to be members of al Qaeda in planning bombings at Metrorail stations in the Washington, D.C., area.
#pakistan's finance minister leaves for USA for another grovelling session in front of the IMF for aid
Federal Minister for Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and his economic team would leave for US today (Tuesday) for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials for new stand-by programme for next fiscal year.
“The government will start negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for getting fresh stand-by programme for next fiscal year 2011-12 aiming at easing the payments of the payments on the foreign loans in the coming financial year”, said a senior government officer.
The IMF mission would be visiting Pakistan in May this year again to assess the economic performance for the fifth review on the performance benchmarks agreed during the March visit.
The last two tranches of the loan, worth $3.3 billion, were suspended after Pakistan failed to introduce RGST.
“The government will start negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for getting fresh stand-by programme for next fiscal year 2011-12 aiming at easing the payments of the payments on the foreign loans in the coming financial year”, said a senior government officer.
The IMF mission would be visiting Pakistan in May this year again to assess the economic performance for the fifth review on the performance benchmarks agreed during the March visit.
The last two tranches of the loan, worth $3.3 billion, were suspended after Pakistan failed to introduce RGST.
#pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero #Islam #terrorism
The turning point of state formation in Pakistan was General Zia-ul-Haq's perestroika of key institutions and political processes in accordance with Islamic values. No matter Zia's motives, ‘Islamisation' since rendered Islam into a divisive force and created political space for the rise of religious groups, including the violent ones, some of which morphed into dangerous terror machines that destabilise Pakistan — and the region — and threaten international security. The rising tide of ‘anti-Americanism' and the deepening economic crisis radicalised the youth and spawned a large number of extremist groups, while the state's abdication of its responsibility to strike a balance between human capital and physical capital has been capitalised by the Islamists. In the absence of secular ideologies, Islam became the vehicle for political mobilisation.
The result is plain to see — a growing contestation for the state (and civil society) where the Islamists are wresting the initiative to mobilise the masses. In sum, if Zia's ‘Islamisation' aimed at creating hegemony for the state over society was, arguably, a legitimisation process, the opposite has been achieved. Not only is the state not the only patron of Islamic ideology — a plethora of ‘non-state actors' appeared over the decades — but it is in some retreat and consequently the face of Pakistan's political culture itself is radically changing.
A dangerous point is approaching, a point of no return, with Zia's holy warriors situated in the developing civil society and the democratic regimes either not daring or not bothered about challenging them, and at times even hobnobbing with them for reasons of political expediency. There is no inkling how these cascading tides of religious extremism can be rolled back. Actually, the radical groups seem to be seeking even greater legitimacy by stepping into the neglected areas of social life — education, health care, welfare functions, etc. This, in turn, casts the state in even poorer light.
However, paradoxically, Islam is also proving to be insufficient as a force that can hold Pakistan together, as current developments in Baluchistan, the tribal areas in the northwestern region, and in the metropolis of Karachi would show. All this increasingly raises the question of Pakistan's very survivability as a state. The tragedy of Pakistan is that even in the face of this existential challenge, it is the military establishment that continues to define national interest, and that interest is overwhelmingly defined in terms of confrontation with India, exclusion of civilian government from decision-making on core areas of foreign and security policies, and gaining ‘strategic depth' in Afghanistan.
Powerful forces within the Pakistani state that are even today unable or unwilling to comprehend that we are way past the ‘blame game'. It doesn't help to blame the whole world and pretend that all that is going horribly wrong with Pakistan is because of what Americans have done in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Creating myths about terror machines is dangerous enterprise.
The result is plain to see — a growing contestation for the state (and civil society) where the Islamists are wresting the initiative to mobilise the masses. In sum, if Zia's ‘Islamisation' aimed at creating hegemony for the state over society was, arguably, a legitimisation process, the opposite has been achieved. Not only is the state not the only patron of Islamic ideology — a plethora of ‘non-state actors' appeared over the decades — but it is in some retreat and consequently the face of Pakistan's political culture itself is radically changing.
A dangerous point is approaching, a point of no return, with Zia's holy warriors situated in the developing civil society and the democratic regimes either not daring or not bothered about challenging them, and at times even hobnobbing with them for reasons of political expediency. There is no inkling how these cascading tides of religious extremism can be rolled back. Actually, the radical groups seem to be seeking even greater legitimacy by stepping into the neglected areas of social life — education, health care, welfare functions, etc. This, in turn, casts the state in even poorer light.
However, paradoxically, Islam is also proving to be insufficient as a force that can hold Pakistan together, as current developments in Baluchistan, the tribal areas in the northwestern region, and in the metropolis of Karachi would show. All this increasingly raises the question of Pakistan's very survivability as a state. The tragedy of Pakistan is that even in the face of this existential challenge, it is the military establishment that continues to define national interest, and that interest is overwhelmingly defined in terms of confrontation with India, exclusion of civilian government from decision-making on core areas of foreign and security policies, and gaining ‘strategic depth' in Afghanistan.
Powerful forces within the Pakistani state that are even today unable or unwilling to comprehend that we are way past the ‘blame game'. It doesn't help to blame the whole world and pretend that all that is going horribly wrong with Pakistan is because of what Americans have done in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Creating myths about terror machines is dangerous enterprise.
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