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Document - Pakistan: Honour killings of women and girls
PAKISTAN
Introduction
"The right to life of women in Pakistan is conditional on their
obeying social norms and traditions."
Hina Jilani, lawyer and human rights activist
Women in Pakistan live in fear. They face death by shooting, burning
or killing with axes if they are deemed to have brought shame on the
family. They are killed for supposed 'illicit' relationships, for
marrying men of their choice, for divorcing abusive husbands. They are
even murdered by their kin if they are raped as they are thereby
deemed to have brought shame on their family. The truth of the
suspicion does not matter -- merely the allegation is enough to bring
dishonour on the family and therefore justifies the slaying.
The lives of millions of women in Pakistan are circumscribed by
traditions which enforce extreme seclusion and submission to men. Male
relatives virtually own them and punish contraventions of their
proprietary control with violence. For the most part, women bear
traditional male control over every aspect of their bodies, speech and
behaviour with stoicism, as part of their fate, but exposure to media,
the work of women's groups and a greater degree of mobility have seen
the beginnings of women's rights awareness seep into the secluded
world of women. But if women begin to assert their rights, however
tentatively, the response is harsh and immediate: the curve of honour
killings has risen parallel to the rise in awareness of rights.
Every year hundreds of women are known to die as a result of honour
killings. Many more cases go unreported and almost all go unpunished.
The isolation and fear of women living under such threats are
compounded by state indifference to and complicity in women's
oppression. Police almost invariably take the man's side in honour
killings or domestic murders, and rarely prosecute the killers. Even
when the men are convicted, the judiciary ensures that they usually
receive a light sentence, reinforcing the view that men can kill their
female relatives with virtual impunity. Specific laws hamper redress
as they discriminate against women.
The isolation of women is completed by the almost total absence of
anywhere to hide. There are few women's shelters, and any woman
attempting to travel on her own is a target for abuse by police,
strangers or male relatives hunting for her. For some women suicide
appears the only means of escape.
Abuses by private actors such as honour killings are crimes under the
country's criminal laws. However, systematic failure by the state to
prevent and to investigate them and to punish perpetrators leads to
international responsibility of the state. The Government of Pakistan
has taken no measures to end honour killings and to hold perpetrators
to account. It has failed to train police and judges to be gender
neutral and to amend discriminatory laws. It has ignored Article 5 of
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women, which it ratified in 1996, which obliges states to
"modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women"
to eliminate prejudice and discriminatory traditions.
Some apologists claim that traditional practices as genuine
manifestations of a community's culture may not be subjected to
scrutiny from the perspective of rights contained in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Against this, the 1993 World Conference
on Human Rights in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
stated: "All human rights are universal, indivisible and
interdependent and interrelated" and asserted the duty of states "to
promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms". The United Nations
General Assembly in 1993 adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of
Violence against Women which urges states not to "invoke custom,
tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligation" to
eliminate discriminatory treatment of women.
While recognizing the importance of cultural diversity, Amnesty
International stands resolutely in defence of the universality of
human rights, particularly the most fundamental rights to life and
freedom from torture and ill-treatment. The role of the state is to
ensure the full protection of these rights, where necessary mediating
'tradition' through education and the law.
This report is the fourth in a series issued by Amnesty International
on the rights of women in Pakistan; it is the first to look at abuses
of women's rights by private actors.
Killings in the name of honour
Ghazala was set on fire by her brother in Joharabad, Punjab province,
on 6 January 1999. According to reports, she was murdered because her
family suspected she was having an 'illicit' relationship with a
neighbour. Her burned and naked body reportedly lay unattended on the
street for two hours as nobody wanted to have anything to do with it.
Ghazala was burned to death in the name of honour. Hundreds of other
women and girls suffer a similar fate every year amid general public
support and little or no action by the authorities. In fact, there is
every sign that the number of honour killings is on the rise as the
perception of what constitutes honour -- and what damages it --
widens, and as more murders take on the guise of honour killings on
the correct assumption that they are rarely punished.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3
Often, honour killings are carried out on the flimsiest of grounds,
such as by a man who said he had dreamt that his wife had betrayed
him. State institutions -- the law enforcement apparatus and the
judiciary -- deal with these crimes against women with extraordinary
leniency and the law provides many loopholes for murderers in the name
of honour to kill without punishment. As a result, the tradition
remains unbroken.
The methods of honour killings vary. In Sindh, a kari (literally a
'black woman') and a karo('a black man') are hacked to pieces by axe
and hatchets, often with the complicity of the community. In Punjab,
the killings, usually by shooting, are more often based on individual
decisions and carried out in private. In most cases, husbands, fathers
or brothers of the woman concerned commit the killings. In some cases,
jirgas (tribal councils) decide that the woman should be killed and
send men to carry out the deed.
The victims range from pre-pubescent girls to grandmothers. They are
usually killed on the mere allegation of having entered 'illicit'
sexual relationships. They are never given an opportunity to give
their version of the allegation as there is no point in doing so --
the allegation alone is enough to defile a man's honour and therefore
enough to justify the killing of the woman.
According to the non-governmental Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
(HRCP), 286 women were reported to have been killed for reasons of
honour in 1998 in the Punjab alone. The Special Task Force for Sindh
of the HRCP received reports of 196 cases ofkaro-karikillings in Sindh
in 1998, involving 255 deaths. The real number of such killings is
vastly greater than those reported.
Pakistani women abroad do not escape the threat of honour killings.
The Nottingham crown court in the United Kingdom in May 1999 sentenced
a Pakistani woman and her grown-up son to life imprisonment for
murdering the woman's daughter, Rukhsana Naz, a pregnant mother of two
children. Rukhsana was perceived to have brought shame on the family
by having a sexual relationship outside marriage. Her brother
reportedly strangled Rukhsana, while her mother held her down.
Two main factors contribute to violence against women: women's
commodification and conceptions of honour. The concept of women as a
commodity, not human beings endowed with dignity and rights equal to
those of men, is deeply rooted in tribal culture. Dr Tahira Shahid
Khan of Shirkatgah, a woman's resource centre worker, explains: "Women
are considered the property of the males in their family irrespective
of their class, ethnic or religious group. The owner of the property
has the right to decide its fate. The concept of ownership has turned
women into a commodity which can be exchanged, bought and sold..."[1].
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They
are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards each
other in a spirit of brotherhood.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1
Ownership rights are at stake when women are to be married, almost
always in Pakistan by their parents. A major consideration is the
property or assets that the young woman has a right to inherit one
day. A woman is handed over to her spouse against payment of a bride
price to her father; sometimes that bride price includes another woman
given to the father as a new wife. Some men accept a low bride price
on condition that the as yet unborn daughter of the couple will be
returned to them to be married off for another bride price. The
commodification of women is also the basis of the tradition of khoon
baha(blood money) when a woman is handed over to an adversary to
settle a conflict.
Women are seen to embody the honour of the men to whom they 'belong',
as such they must guard their virginity and chastity. By being
perceived to enter an 'illicit' sexual relationship, a woman defiles
the honour of her guardian and his family. She becomes kariand
forfeits the right to life.
In most communities there is no other punishment for a kari but death.
A man's ability to protect his honour is judged by his family and
neighbours. He must publicly demonstrate his power to safeguard his
honour by killing those who damaged it and thereby restore it. Honour
killings consequently are often performed openly.
The perception of what defiles honour has become very loose. Male
control extends not just to a woman's body and her sexual behaviour,
but to all of her behaviour, including her movements and language. In
any of these areas, defiance by women translates into undermining male
honour. Severe punishments are reported for bringing food late, for
answering back, for undertaking forbidden family visits. Standards of
honour and chastity are not applied equally to men and women, even
though they are supposed to. Surveys conducted in the North West
Frontier Province and in Balochistan found that men often go
unpunished for 'illicit' relationships whereas women are killed on the
merest rumour of 'impropriety'.
A man's honour, defiled by a woman's alleged or real sexual
misdemeanour or other defiance, is only partly restored by killing
her. He also has to kill the man allegedly involved. Since a kari is
murdered first, the karooften hears about it and flees.
To settle the issue, a faislo(agreement, meeting) or jirga is set up
if both sides - the man whose honour is defiled and the escaped karo-
agree; it is attended by representatives of both sides and headed by
the local tribal chief (sardar), his subordinate or a local landlord.
The tribal justice dispensed by the jirga or faislo is not intended to
elicit truth and punish the culprit. Justice means restoring the
balance by compensation for damage. The karowho gets away has to pay
compensation in order for his life to be spared. Compensation can be
in the form of money or the transfer of a woman or both.
Official claims that women's rights are not understood in backward
rural areas ignore the fact that there are many urban honour killings
and considerable support for them among the educated. For example,
Samia Sarwar's mother, a doctor, facilitated the honour killing of her
daughter in Lahore in April 1999 when Samia sought divorce from an
abusive husband (see below). Shahtaj Qisalbash, a witness during the
killing, reported that Samia's mother was "cool and collected during
the getaway, walking away from the murder of her daughter as though
the woman slumped in her own blood was a stranger."
The frequency of karo-kari killings and the unexpectedness with which
women are targeted contributes to an atmosphere of fear among young
women. The poet Attiya Dawood quoted a pubescent girl in a small
Sindhi village: "My brother's eyes forever follow me. My father's gaze
guards me all the time, stern, angry... We stand accused and condemned
to be declared kari and murdered."[2].
International support for women fleeing abroad when they fear for
their lives from their families' death threats has been hesitant. The
threat to the lives of women who refuse to accept their fathers'
decision relating to their marriages has only recently been recognized
as grounds for granting asylum to such women [3].
Honour killings for choosing a marriage partner
Expressing a desire to choose a spouse and marrying a partner of one's
choice are seen as major acts of defiance in a society where most
marriages are arranged by fathers. They are seen to damage the honour
of the man who negotiates the marriage and who can expect a bride
price in return for handing her over to a spouse.
Frequently fathers bring charges of zina (unlawful sexual relations)
against daughters who have married men of their choice, alleging that
they are not validly married. But even when such complaints are before
the courts, some men resort to private justice. According to local
press reports, Sher Bano, for example, was murdered outside a court in
Peshawar. She had earlier eloped with a man she wanted to marry but
was arrested on charges of zina. On 6 August 1997, when she emerged
under police guard from the court room after submitting her bail
application, her brother shot her dead.
Women who are disowned by a family over a marriage are cut loose from
their social moorings and become vulnerable to exploitation. R. [name
withheld] told Amnesty International that at the age of 15 or 16 she
married a man from another tribe against her family's wishes. Three
years later her husband verbally divorced her. Her family had
threatened to kill her for marrying a man of her choice, so she had
nowhere to go. She took up begging. Eight years later she married
another man but one day was recognized by her first husband who wanted
her to work for him as a beggar. He threatened to bring charges of
zina against her for living with another man as he denied having
divorced her. She was arrested by police. The local wadera (landlord)
intervened and had her brought before a magistrate who sent her to the
Hyderabad Darul Aman, a government-run women's shelter. She does not
know what will happen to her next.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race,
nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a
family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during
marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent
of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society
and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16
Satta-wattamarriages, which involve exchange of siblings, put an
additional burden on women to abide by their father's marriage
arrangements. Shaheen was allegedly set on fire by her husband Anwar
in Gujjarpura in December 1998 in asatta- wattacontext. Their marriage
had run into trouble. Anwar wanted to send Shaheen back to her
parents, Shaheen's brother, married to Anwar's sister, refused to send
his wife home as well. Anwar found no other way to remove his shame
than to kill his wife [4].
Often women choosing a spouse are abducted and not heard of again. At
the time of writing this report, the whereabouts of Uzma Talpur who
had married Nasir Rajput against her father's wishes in November 1998
were unknown. Police arrested the couple in November on the charge of
Nasir Rajput's abduction of Uzma and charges ofzina[fornication]
against both partners despite their being validly married. In
December, police handed the young woman over to her family but when
her husband filed a constitutional petition in the Sindh High Court
for the release of his wife from parental custody, they claimed that
she had been abducted by unknown men from the court premises. In June
1999, police stated before the High Court that such an abduction had
not taken place. The High Court ordered a general search for her.
Honour killings of women seeking divorce
Women who have sought divorce through the courts have been attacked,
injured or killed. Seeking divorce is seen as an act of public
defiance that calls for punitive action to restore male honour within
the traditional setting.
On 6 April 1999, 29-year-old Samia Sarwar, a mother of two young sons,
was shot dead in her lawyer's office in Lahore. She was murdered
apparently because her mother and her husband's mother are sisters and
Samia's attempt to divorce a husband she described to her lawyer as
severely abusive, was seen to shame the family. In the 10 years of her
marriage, Samia had suffered high levels of domestic violence. In 1995
she returned to her family home after her husband had thrown her down
some stairs when she was pregnant.
Samia fled to Lahore on 26 March 1999, seeking help in the law firm
AGHS and taking refuge in the women's shelter Dastakrun by AGHS
lawyers. The lawyers included Hina Jilani and Asma Jahangir, who is
currently UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, arbitrary and
summary executions and then chairperson of the HRCP. On 6 April, when
Samia Sarwar was at her lawyer's office, Samia's mother arrived
accompanied by Samia's uncle and a driver. The driver shot Samia in
the head, killing her instantly.
The fact that the killing was carried out in the presence of well-
known lawyers indicates that the perpetrators were convinced they were
doing the right thing, were not afraid of publicity and felt no need
to hide their identity as they felt sure that the state would not hold
them to account. They were right. Despite a First Information Report
(FIR, the report filed by the complainants with police which initiates
a police investigation) filed the same day, nominating Samia's father,
mother and uncle for murder, no one has yet been arrested.
Newspapers in the North West Frontier Province reported that the
public overwhelmingly supported the killing, with many arguing that
since it was in accordance with tradition it could not be a crime.
The Chamber of Commerce in Peshawar, of which Samia's father is
President, and several religious organizations demanded that Hina
Jilani and Asma Jahangir be dealt with in accordance with "tribal and
Islamic law" and be arrested for "misleading women in Pakistan and
contributing to the country's bad image abroad". Fatwas [religious
rulings] were issued against both women and head money was promised to
anyone who killed them. In April 1999 Asma Jahangir lodged a FIR with
police against those who had threatened her and her sister with death.
Simultaneously, she called on the government to set up a judicial
inquiry headed by a Supreme Court judge to investigate almost 300
cases of honour killings reported in 1998 in Pakistan. No action is
known to have been taken on either issue.
On 11 May, Samia's father lodged a complaint with Peshawar police
accusing the two women lawyers with the abduction and murder of Samia.
They obtained bail before arrest. A month later, the Peshawar High
Court admitted their petition to quash the case and ordered police not
to take any adverse action against the lawyers on the basis on this
complaint.
Honour killings for rape
For a woman to be targeted for killing in the name of honour, her
consent -- or the lack of consent -- in an action considered shameful
is irrelevant to the guardians of honour. Consequently, a woman brings
shame on her family if she is raped.
In March 1999 a 16-year-old mentally retarded girl, Lal Jamilla
Mandokhel, was reportedly raped several times by a junior clerk of the
local government department of agriculture in a hotel in Parachinar,
North West Frontier Province. The girl's uncle filed a complaint about
the incident with police who took the accused into protective custody
but handed over the girl to her tribe, the Mazuzai in the Kurram
Agency. A jirga of Pathan tribesmen decided that she had brought shame
to her tribe and that the honour could only be restored by her death.
She was shot dead in front of a tribal gathering.
Nafisa Shah reports that women who expose rape and thereby dishonour
their men are particularly vulnerable. Arbab Khatoon, raped by three
men in a village in Jacobabad district, reportedly lodged a complaint
with police. She was murdered seven hours later. According to local
residents, she was killed by her relatives for bringing dishonour to
the family by going to the police [5].
Fake honour killings
In honour killings, if only the kari is killed and the karoescapes, as
is often the case, the karo has to compensate the affected man -- for
the damage to honour he inflicted, for the woman's worth who was
killed and to have his own life spared.
This scheme provides many opportunities to make money, obtain a women
in compensation or to conceal other crimes, in the near certainty that
honour killings if they come to court will be dealt with leniently.
Nafisa Shah speaks of an "honour killing industry" involving tribes
people, police and tribal mediators.
In November 1997 Mussarrat Bibi, a mother of three children, pregnant
and married for 11 years, was beaten to death by frenzied villagers in
Chehel Khurd near Qilla Deedar Singh in Sheikupura district after
rumours of her immoral behaviour spread. Inquiries revealed that the
real reason for her death was that she had refused to work for the
local landlords without payment. Two people were reported to have been
detained briefly.
Reports abound about men who have killed other men in murders not
connected with honour issues who then kill a woman of their own family
as alleged kari to camouflage the initial murder as an honour killing.
The lure of compensation has in some cases led to publicly known
distortions of truth. In Ghotki, a man reportedly vouched for his
wife's innocence after she had been attacked by his brother who
alleged that she was guilty of an 'illicit' relationship. The husband
took her to Karachi for treatment but when told that she would be
permanently paralysed from the waist down, he reneged, declared her a
kari and took a woman in compensation from the supposed karo's family.
The fact that women are often given in compensation when illicit
relations are alleged has led to further perversions of the honour
system. If a woman refuses to marry a man, he may declare a man of her
family a karoand demand her in compensation for not killing him. In
some cases, he may even kill a woman of his own family to lend weight
to the allegation. Attiya Dawood cited an incident in Moorath village,
related to her by the sister of the alleged karo. Her brother
Amanullah had married a woman who had earlier been fond of her cousin
Nazir, a married man with eight children. Unable to obtain her
family's consent to marry her, Nazir murdered Amanullah, then killed
his own innocent sister and declared both karoand kari. After a brief
prison term, he was given Amanullah's wife, now a widow, in
compensation for the supposed infringement of his honour.
Punitive domestic violence against women
Honour killings are but an extreme form of violence against women.
Domestic violence is also frequently intended to punish a woman for
any perceived insubordination supposedly impacting on male honour.
Sabira Khan, for example, who was married at 16 to a man more than
twice her age, was shortly after her wedding in 1991 told by her
husband that she must never see her family again. When in December
1993 she tried to break this rule, she said that he and his mother
poured kerosene over her and set her on fire. She was three months
pregnant. Despite 60 per cent burns she survived, badly scarred. She
has fought since then to bring charges against the perpetrators -- so
far in vain. The magistrate in Jhelum upheld her husband's argument
that Sabira was insane and had set herself on fire. An appeal is
pending in the Rawalpindi High Court bench.
Shahnaz Bokhari of the Progressive Women's Association in Islamabad
says that since March 1994, when the organization was set up, it has
monitored 1,600 cases of women burned in their homes in Rawalpindi and
Islamabad alone. These are only the reported cases.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5
HRCP's 1998 annual report states bluntly: "Woman's subordination
remained so routine by custom and traditions, and even putatively by
religion, that much of the endemic domestic violence against her was
considered normal behaviour... A sample survey showed 82 per cent of
women in rural Punjab feared violence resulting from husbands'
displeasure over minor matters; in the most developed urban areas 52
per cent admitted being beaten by husbands."[6].
Few places to hide
Girls and women who fear punishment for alleged breaches of
traditional norms of honour have few places to hide. They rarely know
their way about in the world outside the home, they are unused to
public transport, usually have no money and are vulnerable to further
abuse if moving around alone. The high proportion of karis killed in
relation to karosalso reflects this sheer inability of women to move
in the outside world. Many of the women who run are caught and killed.
All are equal before the law and entitled without any discrimination
to equal protection of law.
All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in
violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such
discrimination.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 7
One of the few places where a kari is safe is in the home of a tribal
sardar, a pir(holy man) or in a religious shrine. Here women can
obtain protection against murder. However, they are still expected to
abide by strict social roles. In many cases, women remain for years as
unpaid servants in the house of the sardars and are sometimes abused.
A few women reach state-run or private shelters of which there are
simply too few. These women often seek to pursue their rights through
legal channels -- but may not be aware that by approaching the state
system they block their return to their communities. Such shelters
have recently become targets of attacks.
Unable to escape violence or forced marriage, some women resort to
suicide. Police have not paid attention to family members or the
community abetting such suicides. No official figures of women's
suicides exist and many women are quietly buried to cover up the
possible damage to the family's honour. Occasionally, however, such
cases come to light. On 29 March 1999 an 18-year- old college girl,
Qaisrana Bibi, committed suicide in Khanpur when her parents put
pressure on her to marry a man she did not want. She lay across a rail
track and was crushed by a train.
Honour killings and the state
The international understanding of state responsibility for human
rights violations has significantly widened in recent years to include
not only violations of human rights by state agents but also abuses by
private actors which the state ignores. If the state fails to act with
due diligence to prevent, investigate and punish abuses, including
violence against women in the name of honour, it is responsible under
international human rights law. This view of state responsibility is
established in all the core human rights treaties. The Declaration on
the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted by the UN General
Assembly in 1993 affirmed that states must "exercise due diligence to
prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation,
punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are
perpetrated by the State or by private persons".
The Government of Pakistan has failed to take measures to prevent and
end honour killings. It has not sought to eradicate traditions which
prescribe honour killings nor ended the virtual impunity of
perpetrators of such killings. Discriminatory laws making full redress
difficult persist. Police and the judiciary have applied the law in a
biased manner as a result of which perpetrators have not been held to
account for honour killings and the practice has been perpetuated.
Government indifference to honour killings
The Government of Pakistan has not shown any determination to bring
violence against women on grounds of honour to a halt, thus virtually
signalling official indifference if not approval of the system.
Government inaction received more public exposure after the honour
killing of Samia Sarwar in Hina Jilani's office in April 1999. A
representative of the government condemned the killing before the UN
Human Right Commission in Geneva. But in Pakistan, where attitudes
need to be changed, the government three weeks after the killing
declared it a 'dishonourable' act without ensuring that adequate
action would be taken. The accused have not been arrested and no
action has been taken against those who issued death threats against
Asma Jahangir and Hina Jilani for protecting women's rights.
The government's disregard for its obligations to take measures to
alter public perceptions involving gender bias, to which it committed
itself when ratifying the UN Convention on the Elimination on All
Forms of Discrimination against Women, is partly responsible for the
persistence and indeed increase of honour killings. When the 1998
annual report of the HRCP was released in March 1999, Information
Minister Mushahid Hussain reportedly said about allegations of
violence against women and of child labour: "These are a feature of
Pakistan feudal society, they are not part of any government policy or
a consequence of any law..."[7].
State Parties shall take all appropriate measures: (a) To modify the
social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view
to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other
practices which are based on the idea of inferiority or the
superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and
women.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women, Article 5
The present government has taken no effective steps to change gender
bias in Pakistan with a view to ensuring equality to all citizens. The
comprehensive recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry for
Women set up on the direction of the Senate of Pakistan have not been
implemented. As long as such inaction goes on, honour killings and
other violent abuse of women will continue.
Gender bias in law
The status of women in Pakistan has been described as defined by the
"interplay of tribal codes, Islamic law, Indo-British judicial
traditions and customary traditions ... [which have] created an
atmosphere of oppression around women, where any advantage or
opportunity offered to women by one law is cancelled out by one or
more of the others" [8].Traditional norms, Islamic provisions (as
interpreted in Pakistan) and statutory law diverge in many areas
relevant to women's lives, including control of assets, inheritance,
marriage, divorce, sexual relations, rape and custody. The Government
of Pakistan has failed to ensure that women are aware of their legal
and constitutional rights and to ensure that these rights and freedoms
take precedence over norms which deny women equality. The lives of
women who are by and large confined to the private sphere do not
benefit from constitutionally secured fundamental rights.
Among statutory laws, it is particularly two laws which disadvantage
women in Pakistan, both introduced in the name of the Islamisation of
law. The 1990 law of Qisas and Diyat covers offences relating to
physical injury, manslaughter and murder. The law reconceptualized the
offences in such a way that they are not directed against the legal
order of the state but against the victim. A judge in the Supreme
Court explained: "In Islam, the individual victim or his heirs retain
from the beginning to the end entire control over the matter including
the crime and the criminal. They may not report it, they may not
prosecute the offender. They may abandon prosecution of their free
will. They may pardon the criminal at any stage before the execution
of the sentence. They may accept monetary or other compensation to
purge the crime and the criminal. They may compromise. They may accept
qisas[punishment equal to the offence] from the criminal. The state
cannot impede but must do its best to assist them in achieving their
object and in appropriately exercising their rights."[9].
This reconceptualization of offences has sent the signal that murders
of family members are a family affair and that prosecution and
judicial redress are not inevitable but may be negotiated.
The law of Qisas and Diyat prescribes that the death penalty may not
be imposed for murder as either qisas[punishment equal to the offence
committed] or tazir[discretionary punishment, when the evidence is
insufficient to impose qisas] when the wali[heir] of the victim is a
direct descendant of the offender. In such cases the court may only
impose a maximum of 14 years' imprisonment. Thus, if a man murders his
wife with whom he has a child, who then is the victim's heir and the
descendent of the offender, he can at most be sentenced to 14 years'
imprisonment.
Men who have killed their wives or daughters for bringing shame on
them could also in the past find relief under the provision of "grave
and sudden provocation". Section 300(1) of the Pakistan Penal Code
(PPC) read: "Culpable homicide is not murder if the offender, whilst
deprived of the power of self-control by grave and sudden provocation,
causes the death of the person who gave the provocation..." The
punishment for manslaughter is imprisonment, for murder it is death.
In its interpretation by the courts, the law provided men who have
killed their wives or daughters for allegedly bringing shame on them
with mitigating circumstances not available to women. Courts opined
that if the provocation - to a man's honour - is grave and sudden as
when someone tells him that his wife has an 'illicit' relationship, he
loses all power of self-control and is not fully responsible for his
actions.
This provision was omitted when the Qisas and Diyat law was introduced
in 1990 but judicial practice still allows such mitigating
circumstances (see below).
(1) State Parties shall accord to women equality with men before the
law.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women, Article 15
The 1979 Zina law has also contributed to restricting women's rights
[10].The gender discrimination inherent in it sent an affirmative
signal to those intent on treating women as second class human beings
with fewer rights than men. It has also provided a handy tool with
which to detain women who take any initiative with respect to their
choice of a spouse, as fathers often bring zinacharges against such
women.
Gender bias of the police force
Often police act or allow themselves to be used as guardians of
tradition and morality rather than impartial enforcers of the law.
Frequently, fathers use police to recover or unlawfully arrest and
detain their adult daughters who have married men of their choice.
Despite numerous judgments asserting that adult women have the right
to marry without their male guardians' consent, police continue to
register complaints of abduction and zinaagainst women making use of
this right, even though police could easily ascertain if couples were
married and thus not guilty of either abduction or zina.
When women are seriously injured by their husbands or families, police
still discourage them from registering complaints and advise them to
seek reconciliation with their husbands or families.
In karo-kari cases, when husbands appear in police stations declaring
that they have killed a girl or woman of their family, police often
fail to take action, reflecting their unwillingness to enforce the law
over custom.
Financial corruption also seems to contribute to police inaction
before such crimes. Nafisa Shah quotes villagers in Kashmore as saying
around 1993: "The police in Kashmore charge 7,000 Rupees to keep
silent about karo-kari murders... They never record cases and so we
have a zero per cent crime rate". She reports that "police stations in
Jacobabad district are considered goldmines in police circles because
of the high incidence of karo-kari murders there. A conservative
estimate puts the number of karo-kari murders in Jacobabad at between
55 and 60 a month." Given the lucrative aspect of honour killings,
police are not interested in ending the practice.
Police also appear to cover up fake honour killings. A housewife,
Khadeja, and a bank officer were shot dead on 19 January 1999 in
Jampur city, Rajanpur district in southern Punjab by Khadeja's
husband, Ameer Bukhsh. He then turned himself in, acknowledging the
killings and alleging the victims' illicit relationship. Khadeja's
brother, Abdul Qadir, registered a complaint of murder against Ameer
Bukhsh. Six days later, Abdul Qadir received a copy of the FIR which
he said had distorted his complaint. He reported that police
threatened to involve him in a murder case if he did not sign a false
statement. Abdul Qadir alleged that Ameer Bukhsh had killed the bank
officer for some other reason before killing his wife as a cover up
and that he had bribed police to distort the complaint.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent
national tribunal for acts violating the fundamental rights granted
him by the constitution or by law.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 8
Similarly, burn cases are rarely investigated by police. Of the 183
women reported to have died of burn injuries allegedly caused in
cooking accidents in Lahore in 1998, only 21 complaints were
registered with police and only three people finally arrested, despite
a High Court ruling three years earlier that all burn cases be
investigated fully by police. The HRCP report added that at least 70
of the victims were not even cooking when the supposed accident took
place.
Gender bias of judges
Pakistan's judges, particularly at the lower level of the judiciary,
tend to reinforce discriminatory customary norms rather than securing
constitutionally secured gender equality. For example, women recovered
after alleged abductions and women whose marriage to men of their
choice was challenged by their fathers are usually placed in the
custody of state-run institutions until the courts have decided the
issue -- and are treated by the court as "crime property". "Courts
have been known to refuse issuance of the writ of habeas corpusseeking
the liberty of a woman on the grounds that her right to liberty is
subject to conformity to social norms, and any suspicion that she may
not abide by the standards of morality can disentitle her from
receiving relief in equity."[11].
Parts of the judiciary appear convinced that any interference in the
patriarchal structure of society will disrupt society and that it is
its duty to guard against such upheaval. However, this attitude
ignores that the existing structure of society perpetuates a
discrimination on gender grounds which deprives one half of the
population of basic rights.
In dealing with honour killings, the courts have usually accepted the
mitigation contained in section 300(1) of the Pakistan Penal Code
(before its removal in 1990), despite the fact that such killings are
usually premeditated, not committed under sudden and severe
provocation. Moreover, they continue to place a low threshold on what
constitutes provocation.
In some cases, courts have found extenuating circumstances even when
the murderer did not claim to have been suddenly and severely
provoked. Muhammad Younis killed his wife, alleging that he had caught
her committing adultery. Although all the circumstances, including
medical evidence, spoke against this assertion, the court accepted
mitigating circumstances: "The appellant had two children from his
deceased wife and when he took the extreme step of taking her life
giving her repeated knife blows on different parts of her body, she
must have done something unusual to enrage him to that extent." [12].
After 1990, which saw the formal removal of the right to plead
mitigating circumstances, the courts have gradually reintroduced this
provision in their interpretation of the law and sentenced men charged
with crimes of honour to lighter sentences than for similar acts of
violence not involving honour.
The Lahore High Court in 1994, while hearing the bail application of
Liaqat Ali who had gravely injured his sister and stabbed to death a
man he allegedly found with her, was told by the petitioner's counsel
that in an Islamic society a person found to indulge in zina in public
deserved to be "finished" there and then. Indeed, such murder was more
of a religious duty than an offence. The judge is reported to have
said: "Prima facie, I am inclined to agree with the counsel."
Marriages contracted by women against the wishes of their fathers are
perceived by many courts to impact on the father's honour and to
justify a man losing control and killing the offender. Mohammad Riaz
and Mohammad Feroze were sentenced to life imprisonment for killing
their sister who had married a man of her choice. The Lahore High
Court reduced the sentence to the imprisonment already undergone -- 18
months -- saying that "in our society nobody forgives a person who
marries his sister or daughter without the consent of parents or near
relatives."[13].
State Parties shall....undertake: ....
(c) to establish legal protection of the rights women on an equal
basis with men to ensure through competent national tribunal and other
public institutions the effective protection of women against any sort
of discrimination; ......
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women, Article 2
Amnesty International believes that penal sanctions commensurate with
the gravity of the offence should apply to honour crimes. However, it
opposes unconditionally the imposition of the death penalty, which it
regards as a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel,
inhuman and degrading punishment. Accordingly, Amnesty International
does not think that men murdering female relatives should be sentenced
to death but welcomes all commutations of death sentences. At the same
time, it is concerned at the message the judiciary sends when it
treats such murders as less serious than other murders. The acceptance
of family honour as a mitigating circumstance by judges in Pakistan
leading to reduced sentencing of perpetrator of honour killings is by
many observers in Pakistan seen to contribute to an increase of such
crimes.
Amnesty International's recommendations to the Government of Pakistan
Amnesty International calls on the Government of Pakistan to take
urgent measures in the following three areas in fulfilment of its
obligation to provide effective protection to women against violence
perpetrated in the name of honour and to end the impunity currently
enjoyed by its perpetrators.
1. Legal measures
1.Undertake a review of criminal laws to ensure equal protection of
law to women.
2.Adopt legislation which makes domestic violence in all its
manifestations a criminal offence. The UN Special Rapporteur on
violence against women developed a framework for model legislation on
domestic violence [14] which Amnesty International recommends be used
when drafting legislation against such crimes.
3.Make the sale of women and girls, the giving of women in marriage
against financial consideration and as a form of compensation in lieu
of a fine or imprisonment a criminal offence.
4.Provide women victims of violence with access to the mechanisms of
justice and to just and effective remedies for the harm they have
suffered.
5.Ensure that the provincial home departments, commissioners, deputy
commissioners and senior police staff take notice of all reports of
honour killings and ensure that every single case is investigated and
brought to prosecution.
6.Abolish the death penalty and commute all death sentences.
2. Preventive measures
7.Undertake wide-ranging public awareness programs through the media,
the education system and public announcements to inform both men and
women of women's equal rights.
8.In particular, provide gender-sensitization training to law
enforcement and judicial personnel to enable them to impartially
address complaints of violence in the name of honour.
9.Ensure that data and statistics are collected in a manner that makes
the problem visible.
3. Protective measures
10.Ensure that activists, lawyers and women's groups can pursue their
legitimate activities without harassment or fear for their safety by
providing adequate police protection and pursue all such threats with
a view to punishment.
11.Expand victim support services provided by the state or non-
governmental organizations; they should be run as places of voluntary
recourse for women and their purpose should be only protective; they
should be available all over the country, adequately resourced, and
linked to legal aid, vocational training and with adequate provisions
for children.
(1)Tahira Shahid Khan: "Chained to custom" in: The Review, 4-10 March
1999, p.9.
(2) Attiya Dawood, "Karo-kari: A question of honour, but whose
honour?", in: Feminista, 2 (3/4), April 1999.
(3) See a recent Canadian decision: CRDD M97- 06821et al., Michnick,
Arvanitakis, July 14, 1998.
(4) Dawn, 16 December 1998.
(5) Nafisa Shah: A story in black: Karo-kari killings in upper Sindh,
Reuter Foundation Paper 100, Oxford, 1998, p. 56.
(6) The State of Human Rights in 1998, 1999, p.216 and p.10.
(7) Reuter, 10 March 1999.
(8) Simi Kamal, Asma Khan: A study of the interplay of formal and
customary laws on women, vol.I, 1997, p.ii.
(9) Federation of Pakistan through Secr. Min. of Law vs. S. Gul Hassan
Khan, PLD 1989 SC 633
(10) For a detailed discussion see: Women in Pakistan: Disadvantaged
and denied their rights, AI Index: ASA 33/23/95.
(11) Hina Jilani, Human rights and democratic development in Pakistan,
Lahore, 1998, p.143-144.
(12) Muhammad Younis vs. the State, 1989 Pcr LJ 1747.
(13) Mohammad Riaz and Mohammad Feroze vs. the State, Lahore High
Court, 1998.
(14) E/CN.4/1996/53/Add.2
...and I am Sid Harth
bademiyansubhanallah
'India is very secular, but not in the western sense'
2 October 2009, 12:00am IST
Dominic Emmanuel , spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, was
given the National Communal Harmony award recently. Emmanuel, a
founding member of the Sarvadharam Sadbhav Sansad (Parliament of
Religions), has been involved in promoting inter-faith dialogue
through articles, books, radio programmes and films. Dominic
Emmanuel , spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, was given
the National Communal Harmony award recently. Emmanuel, a founding
member of the Sarvadharam Sadbhav Sansad (Parliament of Religions),
has been involved in promoting inter-faith dialogue through articles,
books, radio programmes and films. Michel Lemme spoke to Emmanuel:
As a priest, what is your experience of communal harmony in India?
Being a priest in India is very exciting, challenging and fascinating.
I've always been interested in inter-religious dialogue. I feel it is
an urgent need in this country.
Religious conversion is a sensitive issue here. Do you think
Christianity in India needs to find a balance between inter-religious
dialogue and spreading of the gospel?
Dialogue within Indian culture is a very old story. The ground reality
of India itself takes us automatically into dialogue with other
religions; there is no escape from that. Right-wing fundamentalist
groups have raised the issue of conversion in the recent past. Their
argument is we are luring the poor into conversion. That's an
unacceptable argument. Tell me one country in the world where
Christians are not working with the poor and the oppressed? Also
people get converted not only from Hinduism to Christianity, there are
thousands of Christians who have become followers of Hindu gurus.
Conversion is a natural process that has gone on in human society all
the time. Helping the poor and the needy is the most important mission
of the Church. That's why we should not be scared of people who blame
us for conversions, because for all you know they may be only trying
to stop us from working for the poor.
During the 2008 communal violence in Orissa, India was chided on the
international stage for the inadequacy of its response to the riots.
What's your perspective on Indian secularism?
India is very secular, but not in the western sense, where religion
has no place in state affairs. For us, secularism is defined as equal
respect for all religions. I feel that in India secularism is in
practice both in the government and society. As for Orissa, it has to
be said that law and order issues are the responsibility of the
states, not the Centre. However, the central government could have
been a little more serious about the riots there.
Relating to the politics of secularism in India, do you support the
demand of SC reservations for non-Hindu Dalits?
Yes. I've been part of the campaign of Christians asking for Dalit
status, so that they can obtain some advantages from the government.
They say Christianity doesn't believe in the caste system, and yes it
is true, we don't believe in the caste system. But you can't just wish
away something that has existed for the past 3,000 years.
bademiyansubhanallah
Hindu holocaust museum
Written by (Author ) Editorials Oct 3, 2009 A fundraiser in New
Jersey, USA on August 16, 2009 raised $50,000 for a “Hindu Holocaust”
museum to be built in Pune, India. The museum is the brainchild of a
Frenchman, Francois Gautier, and is under the auspices of the Viraat
Hindu Sabha (VHS), The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), a sister
organization of the fanatic Hindu militant outfit Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
They claim that over the past thousand years, millions of Hindus were
killed, with the intention to wipe Hindus off the map. It is to be
“dedicated to the many millions of Hindu lives lost, to the loss of
cultural and spiritual institutions, temples and burning of scriptures
by Islamic and Christian invaders to Bharatvarsha (India) who even
today, and with government sanction, seek to finally convert every
last Hindu and prays for the complete extinction of the oldest
religion known to mankind, Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism).”
The perpetrators of the Hindu Holocaust Museum claim that the genocide
suffered by the Hindu Community at the hands of the Muslim occupying
forces in India for a period of 1100 years is as yet formally
undocumented. They reiterate that the only similar genocide in the
recent past was that of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis;
and of the Africans during the slave trade perpetrated by the Arab
Muslim slave traders and later by the European colonialists as also
the almost total wiping out of native populations like the Maoris in
Australia and the Red Indians, (Aztecs, Incas, etc.) in North and
South America. It has been estimated that in all, millions of African
men, women and children died throughout the trade and more than 75% of
the native Americans were wiped out. They assert that the holocaust of
the Hindus was of similar proportions, the only difference was that it
started in the year 715 C.E. with the Arab Muslim invasion of Sindh
and continued for 1100 years, i.e. for more than a millennium, till
the brutal Muslims were effectively overpowered by the Hindu Marathas
in 1720 C.E. The extremist Hindu historians declare that since times
immemorial India had been invaded by many people from different parts
of the globe. But what contrasted the pre-Muslim invaders from the
Muslims was that after their initial clash with Hindu military power,
the pre-Muslim invaders merged into the general mainstream and even
the memory of their having come as invaders itself disappeared. They
do not consider Emperors like Kanishka (a Ku Shan or Kushana), Milinda
(an Indo-Greek), Rudradaman (a Shaka or Scythian from pre-Muslim Iran)
to be non-Indians.
These invaders have merged into today’s general Hindu population. But
the Muslims with their barrack like lifestyle and their contempt for
everything non-Islamic have left a wounded civilization in India. The
brutal Muslim tyranny has till today left a split in India’s national
character, even after the country was vivisected into two parts – to
create Pakistan as a state for Indian Muslims. But in spite of the
division of this country to create a separate homeland for the Muslims
in 1947, many of them preferred to stay back and today account for the
recurrent communal riots, the killings of Hindus and Sikhs in Kashmir
and the renewed demand for special status and for the Islamization of
India. The question here arises why Francois Gautier has been
professing The Hindu Holocaust Museum and earning his bread and butter
by flaming hatred for Indian Muslims? Professor Vijay Prashad,
Professor of South Asian History Trinity College Hartford,
Connecticut, in his article ‘Hindu holocaust’ (News India Times, Sept.
25, 2009) sheds some light on Gautier’s rationale for purporting the
idea of a Hindu holocaust museum. He says that Gautier came to India
from France about 30 years ago, and settled in Pondicherry. His work
reads like another European apologist for extreme Hindutva, Koenraad
Elst. Both went to strict Catholic schools and now hold a deep animus
against Christian missionaries, but seem to take their venom out
mainly against Islam. Gautier and Elst want to make plain the “Muslim
genocide against Hindus.”
But neither is a serious student of history, with little idea of how
to read historical texts. They draw more from a misplaced passion than
from a real, sober scientific exploration of the facts. That they are
taken seriously is a sign of the degradation of reason in the world of
Hindutva. The idea of the Hindu Holocaust casts the Hindu as history’s
victim, who should now become history’s aggressor to avenge the past.
But the Hindu was not always the victim. If you read the historical
records carefully, you will find that many Hindus participated in the
slaughter of other Hindus, and that the Hindu-Buddhist battles of the
ancient world were perhaps more bloody than anything that comes
afterward. Or indeed, that the systematic violence against Dalits and
other subordinate castes should hold our attention far more than it
does. Between Hindus and Muslims there has not been an endless rivalry
for social power.
When Islam enters the subcontinent, it does not come in the saddlebags
of the Ghaznis or the Ghouris, but amongst the rumble of goods brought
by traders. Early conversions are not by the sword but by the
merchants. There was killing, but that was as much for reasons of
warfare and plunder as for reasons of God and tradition. An interested
reader might want to look at the distinguished historian Romila
Thapar’s superb book “Somnatha: The Many Voices of a
History” (Penguin, 2005). There, Professor Thapar shows us that Mahmud
Ghazni’s destruction of the Shiva temple in 1026 was driven not so
much by a fanatical religious belief but because his father,
Subuktigin, needed money to sustain his faltering kingdom in Central
Asia. It is heartrending that one of the worst butchers of humanity,
who showed their true colors during the partition of the sub-continent
in 1947 by planned genocide of the Muslims, later, massacred hundreds
of thousands of innocent Kashmiris and Muslims in Gujarat and Mumbai
should be talking of a “Hindu holocaust museum”. Sultan M Hali
bademiyansubhanallah
Mine, mine
The Indian Express
Posted: Saturday , Oct 03, 2009 at 0314 hrs
Iron Man, we know, is a profitable superhero franchise that has been
re-imagined several times over, to suit the changing times. India’s
own Iron Man, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is turning out to be a pretty
malleable cultural icon, made over by the BJP and fought for by the
Congress.
Patel, that doughty crusader for a unified India, would be entirely
surprised at the kind of political war raging over him. BJP
politicians from L.K. Advani to Narendra Modi like to trace their
genealogy back to him — in the popular imagination, he combines a
tough-guy image with an inflexible nationalism and cultural
conservatism. His legendary differences with Jawaharlal Nehru make it
easier to pitch Patel as the man whose vision the Congress failed to
understand, and for the BJP to appropriate. Patel, of course, can no
longer protest this ahistorical hostile takeover of his image. After
the flap over Jaswant Singh’s book, the Gujarat government rushed to
ban it, citing injury to Patel’s reputation — “he is considered the
architect of the modern India, no one can show him in bad light.” They
had to climb down from that position after court orders, but Modi
soldiers on in the effort to wrest Patel’s legacy. Meanwhile, the
Congress has belatedly learnt to guard its turf — sanctioning Rs 17
crore to spruce up the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in
Ahmedabad and lavish attention on Patel through a book and artwork.
Modi stole the thunder, claiming that Sardar Patel should have been
India’s first prime minister. He freely fantasised: had Sardar Patel
been the first prime minister of the country, farmers would not have
committed suicide in Karnataka and Maharashtra. There would have been
no terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. He also hit the Congress where it
hurts, claiming that Patel had predicted the Chinese threat, writing
to Jawaharlal Nehru in 1950 and asking him to revise defence policy.
Sonia Gandhi hit back, saying that to “claim that there were
unbearable disagreements between Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru is to
distort history.” And indeed, despite their well-known differences,
there was no personal animus between Patel and Nehru — Sardar Patel
remained a Congress anchor till the end. But then again, historical
fact is hardly likely to get in the way of Modi’s grandiose self-
fashioning project.
bademiyansubhanallah
Jamaat-e-Islami condemns 'Shastra Poojan' on Dusshera
Agencies
Posted: Friday , Oct 02, 2009 at 2058 hrs
Bhopal:
The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has condemned the
'Shastra Poojan' (worship of weapons) by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan and some academic institutions in the state on Dusshera.
Jamaat spokesmen, Anwar Safi in a statement, said that this was not
the first time when the BJP government was promoting the agenda of the
RSS.
Anwar said the state government had already created controversies by
introducing Surya Namaskar, Vande Mataram and 'Bhojan Mantras' in
schools since it came to power.
He said that while the RSS had claimed all these practices as
religious, Education minister Archana Chitnis maintained that it was a
social tradition.
A vast Hindu population disliked the RSS-BJP agenda as it "disturbs"
social fabric, he claimed.
Chouhan had performed a 'Shastra Poojan' on September 28, on the
occasion of Dusshera, in the CM house. A couple of educational
institutions, including RSS-run Saraswati Shishu Mandir, too performed
a similar pooja on their premises.
Comments (1) |
Hindu puja
By: Harsh Patel | 02-Oct-2009
Jamat e whatever your name is you keep your business towards you only
there is no need to tell hindus how to perform our puja,
bademiyansubhanallah
BJP govt best friend of Minorities- Qureshi
Assures Chairman of Minority commission
By Team Mangalorean
Pics: Rajesh Shetty
MANGALORE, October 3, 2009: The Chairman of the State Minority
Commission Mr. Khusro Qureshi has assured the minorities in the
Dakshina Kannada district not to worry too much on the insecurity as
the government was trying hard to give them all the security through
police and the security agencies in the state.
Mr. Qureshi speaking to the presspersons here today stated that it is
true that there were some issues between the two communities, but all
that has been more or less based on hearsay, deep inside the society
both communities were together and living harmoniously. He said the
B.S. Yeddyurppa government had taken so many decisions that would
favour the minorities in the state. One of them was the socio-economic
and educational development of the minorities.
For the Dakshina Kannada district the Yeddyurappa government had given
five times more budget for spending on minority welfare which was
unprecedented in the history of the district under any government.
He said he did not believe that two communities are at war in the
district, it was only few persons running loose from the law that were
creating problems to secure their own ends. He said Mr. Yeddyurappa
had assured that all the outstanding issues between the two
communities will be sorted out in time and in totality and Dakshina
Kannada will be a model district for communal harmony.
Mr. Qureshi said he shared the views expressed by the Chief Minister
and wanted the district to be safe for everybody and the BJP
government at the state and every official and politician will work
for it.
Mr. Qureshi said that the colleges are free to impose their dress
codes and everyone of us should try to keep politics and religion away
from the field of education. He said this when one of the reporters
sought clarification on the Burkah issue that had rocked the district
sometime back.
Sid Harth
Opposition claim of BJP being anti-minority baseless: Quraishi
TNN 5 October 2009, 11:01pm IST
MANGALORE: The state government has found an able ally in Karnataka
State Minorities Commission to bat for its pro-minority credentials.
It was an assertive Khusro Quraishi, chairman of the commission who
while reeling out statistics on budgetary support given by the BJP
government to the minorities launched a diatribe against the
opposition particularly the Congress questioning their role in
upliftment of the minorities.
Quraishi, making his fifth visit to Dakshina Kannada since taking over
as head of the commission, told reporters here on Saturday that the
opposition's claim of the BJP being anti-minorities in general, and
anti-Muslim in particular is baseless. "While the highest ever
budgetary support for welfare of minorities during previous
governments was Rs 23 crore, it has risen to Rs 167 crore in 2008-09,
and Rs 172 crore in 2009-10," he said.
The Congress government under S M Krishna had six ministers, a dozen
MLAs and six MPs, all from minority communities. Yet these elected
representatives did nothing to uplift the socio-economic conditions of
the minorities in Karnataka, Quraishi observed. The BJP government
despite having no sizable minority representation has gone out of its
way to help the socio-economic empowerment of all six-minority
communities in the state.
An addition of 23 pre and post-metric hostels for the minorities, 48
Morarji Desai residential schools, with 75 per cent reservation for
Muslim students in each of these institutions is a testimony to the
government's resolve to aid this community. Effective utilisation of
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan funds of the Centre, and state government
funding for the above two institutions should address educational
backwardness among Muslims, he said.
Lack of economic empowerment and illiteracy are the driving forces,
which lead youths from minority communities to get into anti-social
activities, he said. If one checks the credentials of youths involved
in acts of communal strife in recent past, it is found that most are
unemployed and illiterate, he said.
bademiyansubhanallah
Top LeT militants among 5 ultras killed in Kashmir
STAFF WRITER 13:8 HRS IST
Srinagar, Oct 7 (PTI) Three top Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were among
five ultras killed in three separate encounters with security forces
in Kashmir Valley today.
Acting on a tip off, police assisted by army cordoned Satkoji near
Zachaldara in Kupwara, 80 kms from here.The militants hiding in the
forest opened fire at the joint search party and in the ensuing
encounter, three foreign militants owing allegiance to LeT were
killed, a police spokesman said.
One of the slain militants has been identified as Abu Hamza, a top LeT
Pakistani militant.
Another militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces at
Trikanjan in Baramulla district, 90 kms from here, this morning, the
spokesman said.
Security forces also resumed operation this morning to flush out
militants hiding in Khrew forests in Pulwama district of South Kashmir
and recovered body of a militant, a defence ministry spokesman said.
bademiyansubhanallah
India still the greatest threat for Pak: Petraeus
STAFF WRITER 12:18 HRS IST
Lalit K Jha
Washington, Oct 7 (PTI) Despite the fact that their military is
fighting tough battle against Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists, the
Pakistan leaders and the ISI still believes India is the greatest
threat to them, a top US military official said today.
"It is important to note that India is still seen as the greatest
threat, greater than the Taliban, greater than even al-Qaeda. So there
are still some dynamics there that are challenging," US Central
Command Commander Gen David Petraeus said at the Association of the US
Army annual meeting.
Commending Pakistani military in taking successful action against the
terrorists in the Swat Valley, Petraeus said they have cleared the
vast majority of the Swat Valley.
The US General said the operations have resulted in the death and
capture of significant number of senior Taliban leaders.
bademiyansubhanallah
Vibes from India are positive: Qureshi
STAFF WRITER 10:5 HRS IST
Washington, Oct 7 (PTI) Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi said that he got positive vibes from India and there was
nothing to "disagree" between the two countries.
"Being a politician, I can read between the lines and I can tell you I
got positive vibes, because my message was positive, my engagement was
positive, my intentions are positive," Qureshi said.
"I have suggested a way forward, and I saw nothing in him (Krishna)
where he could disagree with me," Qureshi said when asked about his
meeting with India's External Affairs Minister S M Krishna in New York
on September 27 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
Accompanied by their respective foreign secretaries and other top
officials, the two ministers met for more than an hour in a New York
hotel on September 27.
bademiyansubhanallah
No condition imposed on Pak for USD 7.5 aid: Kerry
STAFF WRITER 8:9 HRS IST
Lalit K Jha
Washington, Oct 7 (PTI) A key US Senator and architect of the
Congressional bill, which doles out USD 7.5 billion to Pakistan in the
next five years, said that "no conditions" have been imposed on
Islamabad in lieu of the non-military aid.
"There is no conditionality whatsoever in this legislation (Kerry-
Lugar bill) with respect to civilian assistance and the economic
assistance that is provided. No conditionality. It is unfortunate the
bill has been characterised in some quarters in ways that are just not
accurate," Senator John Kerry said.
Kerry, Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and its Ranking
member Richard Lugar have authored a bill that pledges USD 7.5 billion
of civilian aid to Pakistan for the next five years.
bademiyansubhanallah
Afghanistan situation deteriorating: Clinton
STAFF WRITER 9:44 HRS IST
Lalit K Jha
Washington, Oct 7 (PTI) With the top American military commander in
Afghanistan seeking an additional 40,000 troops, the US has
acknowledged that the situation in the war-torn country is
deteriorating and Taliban have the momentum now.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed with the report of General
Stanley McChrystal, Commander of the US and NATO forces in
Afghanistan, on the situation in the war-torn country.
"I think that certainly as we have now seen, General McChrystal's
assessment was that it (situation) is deteriorating, that the Taliban
have the momentum, that they are much more aggressive, they are better
equipped, they are moving more broadly in the country than they had
been before," Clinton told the CBS news yesterday.
McChrystal, in a recent report to President Barack Obama, had said the
situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating.
chhotemianinshallah
Pak's 'jail or jihad' ploy against India
7 Oct 2009, 0822 hrs IST
Reports, which are bound to raise concerns in India, have surfaced
with claims that Pakistan is planning to push as many as 60
"surrendered" Taliban into Jammu and Kashmir to become part of the
"jihad" against India.
The ISI is said to have offered the extremists the option of either
going to jail or crossing the Line of Control (LoC). Highly placed
sources said BSF and the Army had been alerted about the developments
after intelligence intercepted talk about infiltration bids in the
next 15 to 20 days.
Officials have claimed that although the Taliban is yet to
successfully infiltrate into India, the coming days will pose a
challenge as their attempts to sneak in are expected before the onset
of winter.
The official added that though the Indian forces are fully alert to
thwart Pakistani designs, the next 15-20 days are quite crucial as
this is the period when they will do everything to infiltrate as many
terrorists as possible.
TIMES NOW had earlier reported on how the new and resurgent Taliban is
now working on a multi-pronged strategy; after losing ground in the
north of Pakistan, they are now moving to the central part of the
country. At the same time, they are trying to move Taliban leader
Mullah Omar to Karachi - a densely populated city that will be
difficult for the US to attack.
The Taliban also plan to decrease the number of suicide attacks, and
instead hit strategically. Most significantly for India, the Taliban
according to intelligence sources, are working to plot a 26/11-style
attack in India in return for favours from Pakistan’s ISI.
chhotemianinshallah
Foreign Secy lashes out against Pak
7 Oct 2009, 1724 hrs IST
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has lashed out against Pakistan and
urged the international community to step up pressure on the country.
Rao warned that Pakistan has to implement its commitment to deal with
terror groups within its territory including the Al-Qaeda, Taliban,
Hizd-e-Islami and the LeT.
She has called for the shuting down of support provided to terrorist
groups active across the Af-Pak border. She said that the challenge
from a resurgent Taliban and Al-Qaeda is real and is one that
threatens us all.
chhotemianinshallah
Pak's ISI bumps off fake money kingpin
7 Oct 2009, 1633 hrs IST
The recovery of the dead body of Majid Manihar, ISI's prime link in
the Fake Indian Currency Business in the sub continent, in a Nepal
Hotel has started fuelling specualtion about an immensely jittery
Pakistan attempting to cover up its role in the fake currency racket.
Majid Manihar, originally an Indian, was found dead with multiple gun
shot wounds in a hotel in Nepalgunj in Nepal on Monday evening.
Ironically, Majid had been the key ISI operative in Nepal for years.
He headed the fake Indian currency note business and was the key
person to the supply route of these notes from Nepal to India.
Majid, a native of Behraich district of Uttar Pradesh, had several
cases against him in up ever since he went absconding. Intelligence
agencies had these inputs that he was the key person involved in
supplying fake Indian currency in India.
The pressure had been building on him since the Uttar Pradesh police
arrested his son, Vikky Manihar, from Bahraich in the Nepal UP border
with a consignemtn of fake notes.
Majid, it is believed has worked both for the ISI and Dawood Ibrahim
over the last two decades, and both were worried that the Indian
authorities would get their hands on him with an Interpol Red Corner
Notice about to be issued in his name.
chhotemianinshallah
Pak army irked by US aid bill
Islamabad, Oct. 7 (Reuters): Pakistan’s army today expressed “serious
concern” about a US aid bill that critics say contains conditions that
amount to a humiliating violation of sovereignty as parliament began a
debate on US aid.
The US Congress last week approved a bill tripling aid for Pakistan to
$1.5 billion a year for the next five years and sent it to President
Barack Obama for signing into law.
The legislation is part of a bid to build a new relationship with
Pakistan that no longer focuses on military ties but on Pakistan’s
social and economic development.
But in an effort to address US concerns that Pakistan’s military may
support militant groups, the bill stipulates that US military aid will
cease if Pakistan does not help fight “terrorists”, including Taliban
and al Qaida members.
The bill, co-authored by Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar, also
provides an assessment of how effective the civilian government’s
control is over the powerful military.
Pakistan’s army chief met his top commanders at army headquarters in
Rawalpindi and reiterated that Pakistan was a sovereign state and had
the right to respond to threats in accordance with its interests, the
military said.
“The forum expressed serious concern regarding clauses impacting on
national security,” the military said.
The army, in a rare public comment on a diplomatic issue, did not
elaborate but said it was providing the government, which supports the
US bill, with “formal input”.
It acknowledged it was parliament that would debate the issue and
enable the government to respond.
President Asif Ali Zardari earlier rejected suggestions that the
bill’s conditions undermined sovereignty.
The controversy comes as the US, Pakistan’s biggest aid donor, is
pressing the army to expand its operations against Pakistani Taliban
fighters to include Afghan Taliban and Qaida militants in lawless
border enclaves. Plans by the US to expand its embassy in Pakistan
have also raised suspicion, as has speculation about the embassy’s use
of private security contractors.
bademiyansubhanallah
Members of the Afghan fire brigade try to extinguish an oil tanker set
on fire by Taliban militants. PTI Photo Photograph (1)
Suicide bomber strikes near Indian Embassy in Kabul; 12 killed
STAFF WRITER 12:40 HRS IST
Kabul, Oct 8 (PTI) A suicide bomber today blew up his car outside the
compound of the Indian Embassy in the Afghan capital killing at least
12 people and leaving 83 wounded, including three ITBP jawans, in a
fiery blast that had all the hallmarks of Taliban.
The powerful blast blew up the mission watch tower, destroyed vehicles
and left a trail of death and destruction with Indian Ambassador
Jayant Prasad saying, "Indian Embassy was the target."
"A suicide car bomb took place near the Indian Embassy in which 12
people were killed and 83 wounded. Most of the wounded are civilians,"
Interior Ministry spokesman Zemaral Bashry said.
The Indian Ambassador said, "we have confirmed reports of nine killed,
four critically injured and 12 others severely wounded. The toll may
go up.
bademiyansubhanallah
Kabul: 7 dead, 67 hurt in Indian embassy bombing
Afghan soldiers carry body of a victim after a blast in Kabul,
Afghanistan on Thursday. (Photo: AP)
IANS
First Published : 08 Oct 2009 10:29:45 AM IST
Last Updated : 08 Oct 2009 12:58:26 PM IST
KABUL: At least seven people were killed and 67 injured in a suicide
bombing outside the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital Thursday. No
Indians were killed but some Indian security personnel were wounded in
the blast that damaged the outer wall of the embassy and shattered
windows.
The explosion occurred at about 8.27 a.m. on the heavily fortified
road in downtown Kabul where the Indian embassy and the Afghan
interior ministry is located.
A police source, who asked not to be named, said at the site of the
attack that the blast was triggered by a suicide attacker in a car.
The powerful suicide blast targeting the Indian embassy left at least
seven people dead, Xinhua reported.
Sayed Kabir Amiri, an official at the public health ministry, told DPA
that 67 people were wounded in the blast.
TV visuals showed massive destruction in the area with several cars
extensively damaged and rescue workers carrying away the injured and
the dead.
Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Jayant Prasad said no Indians had
been killed but some security personnel posted at the outer perimeter
of the embassy had been injured.
He described the explosion as being "of the same intensity" as the
July 7, 2008 bombing in which 44 people, including two Indian
diplomats, had been killed.
"The explosion that I heard at my residence was exactly the same that
I heard at my home (in July 2008)," Prasad told CNN-IBN news channel.
"No Indian has been severely injured or killed in the attack," Prasad
said.
There was damage to the "watch tower and some of the security
personnel on the outer perimeter" had been hurt, but the injuries were
not serious.
Prasad said that there was damage to chancery premises "with doors and
windows blown off" and added that the embassy wall took the impact of
the blast.
On July 7 last year, 44 people, including high-ranking Indian embassy
officials, were killed in the suicide attack at the Indian embassy
that also wounded 147 people. The attack had marked the deadliest
suicide bombing since the fall of Taliban regime in 2001.
Defence Attache Brigadier R. Mehta and political counselor V. Venkat
Rao were killed, along with two Indo-Tibetan Border Police security
personnel - Ajay Panthia and Roop Singh. An Afghan national employed
at the Indian mission also died.
Kabul has seen a series of suicide attacks in the past two months.
Sid Harth
Taliban claims responsibility for Kabul suicide blast
Story Highlights
Bomb goes off, as offices and shops were opening for the day
Blast damages a security checkpoint outside Indian embassy, staffer
says
Karzai's office called attackers "vicious terrorists who killed
innocent people"
Blast comes year after similar suicide attack that killed 58, wounded
more than 100
updated 13 minutes agoNext Article in World »
Read VIDEO
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A suicide car bomb attack near the Indian
Embassy in Afghanistan's capital killed 17 people and wounded at least
63 Thursday, Afghan officials said.
The bomb exploded in the center of Kabul on the corner of Passport
Lane and the Indian Embassy.
1 of 3 The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying an
Afghan national in a sport utility vehicle carried out the attack.
Indian officials said the bomber had intended to strike the embassy.
"The suicide attack(er) ... attempted (to go) through one of the
embassy gates," Vishnu Prakash, spokesman for India's external affairs
ministry, told CNN on Thursday. "The embassy was the target."
The bomb went off about 8:30 a.m., just as offices and shops were
opening for the day. The force of the blast shattered some of the
embassy's windows, according to Prakash.
A similar attack last year killed at least 58 people outside the
Indian Embassy.
Interior Ministry spokesman Ezmary Bashary said 17 were killed -- most
of them civilians -- and 63 were wounded.
The Taliban said the attack killed 35 people, including high-ranking
Indian Embassy officials, as well as international and Afghan police
officers.
The blast damaged a security checkpoint outside the the embassy, said
staffer J.P. Singh, but "there were no casualties on the Indian side."
The embassy is in the center of Kabul, in a shop-lined street across
from the Interior Ministry and several other government buildings.
The explosion shattered car windows and toppled restaurant walls.
Paramedics dug through twisted metal and debris, looking for
survivors.
A statement from President Hamid Karzai's office called the blast an
obvious assault on civilians and said "the perpetrators of this attack
and those who planned it were vicious terrorists who killed innocent
people for their malicious goals."
About a year ago, another suicide car bomb detonated outside the
embassy. Among the 58 people killed in the July 7, 2008, attack were
two Indian diplomats and 14 students at a nearby school.
More than 100 were wounded in that blast.
Afghan and Indian officials accused Pakistan's spy agency of
involvement in that attack. Pakistan denied the accusation.
India is the sixth largest donor to Afghanistan, providing millions of
dollars to help with reconstruction efforts there.
Sid Harth
Nearly 1 in 4 people worldwide is Muslim, report saysStory Highlights
There are about 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, according to the
report
Report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Nearly 2 out of 3 of world's Muslims are in Asia, report says
Roughly 9 of 10 Muslims worldwide are Sunni, report says
October 8, 2009 -- Updated 0316 GMT (1116 HKT)
By Richard Allen Greene
CNN
(CNN) -- Nearly one in four people worldwide is Muslim -- and they are
not necessarily where you might think, according to an extensive new
study that aims to map the global Muslim population.
Nearly two out of three of the world's Muslims are in Asia, stretching
from Turkey to Indonesia.
India, a majority-Hindu country, has more Muslims than any country
except for Indonesia and Pakistan, and more than twice as many as
Egypt.
China has more Muslims than Syria.
Germany has more Muslims than Lebanon.
And Russia has more Muslims than Jordan and Libya put together.
Nearly two out of three of the world's Muslims are in Asia, stretching
from Turkey to Indonesia.
The Middle East and north Africa, which together are home to about one
in five of the world's Muslims, trail a very distant second.
There are about 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, according to the
report, "Mapping the Global Muslim Population," by the Pew Forum on
Religion & Public Life. That represents about 23 percent of the total
global population of 6.8 billion.
There are about 2.25 billion Christians, based on projections from the
2005 World Religions Database.
Brian Grim, the senior researcher on the Pew Forum project, was
slightly surprised at the number of Muslims in the world, he told CNN.
"Overall, the number is higher than I expected," he said, noting that
earlier estimates of the global Muslim population have ranged from 1
billion to 1.8 billion.
The report can -- and should -- have implications for United States
policy, said Reza Aslan, the best-selling Iranian-American author of
"No God but God."
Fact Box
Report: Top 10 Muslim countries, by population
1. Indonesia: 202,867,000 (country is 88.2 percent Muslim)
2. Pakistan: 174,082,000 (country is 96.3 percent Muslim)
3. India: 160,945,000 (country is 13.4 percent Muslim)
4. Bangaldesh: 145,312,000 (country is 89.6 percent Muslim)
5. Egypt: 78,513,000 (country is 94.6 percent Muslim)
6. Nigeria: 78,056,000 (country is 50.4 percent Muslim)
7. Iran: 73,777,000 (country is 99.4 percent Muslim)
8. Turkey: 73,619,000 (country is about 98 percent Muslim)
9. Algeria: 34,199,000 (country is 98 percent Muslim)
10. Morocco: 31,993,000 (country is about 99 percent Muslim)
Source: "Mapping the Global Muslim Population," The Pew Forum on
Religion & Public Life. "Increasingly, the people of the Middle East
are making up a smaller and smaller percentage of the worldwide Muslim
community," he told CNN by phone.
"When it comes to issues of outreach to the Muslim world, these
numbers will indicate that outreach cannot be focused so narrowly on
the Middle East," he said.
"If the goal is to create better understanding between the United
States and the Muslim world, our focus should be on south and
southeast Asia, not the Middle East," he said.
He spoke to CNN before the report was published and without having
seen its contents, but was familiar with the general trends the report
identified.
The team at the Pew Forum spent nearly three years analyzing "the best
available data" from 232 countries and territories, Grim said.
Their aim was to get the most comprehensive snapshot ever assembled of
the world's Muslim population at a given moment in time.
So they took the data they gathered from national censuses and
surveys, and projected it forward based on what they knew about
population growth in each country.
They describe the resulting report as "the largest project of its kind
to date."
It's full of details that even the researchers found surprising.
"There are these countries that we don't think of as Muslim at all,
and yet they have very sizable numbers of Muslims," said Alan
Cooperman, the associate director of research for the Pew Forum,
naming India, Russia and China.
One in five of the world's Muslims lives in a country where Muslims
are a minority.
And while most people think of the Muslim population of Europe is
being composed of immigrants, that's only true in western Europe,
Cooperman said.
"In the rest of Europe -- Russia, Albania, Kosovo, those places --
Muslims are an indigenous population," he said. "More than half of the
Muslims in Europe are indigenous."
The researchers also were surprised to find the Muslim population of
sub-Saharan Africa to be as low as they concluded, Cooperman said.
It has only about 240 million Muslims -- about 15 percent of all the
world's Muslims.
Islam is thought to be growing fast in the region, with countries such
as Nigeria, which has large populations of both Christians and
Muslims, seeing violence between the two groups.
The Pew researchers concluded that Nigeria is just over half Muslim,
making it the sixth most populous Muslim country in the world.
Roughly nine out of 10 Muslims worldwide are Sunni, and about one in
10 is Shiite, they estimated.
They warned they were less confident of those numbers than of the
general population figures because sectarian data is harder to come
by.
"Only one or two censuses in the world ... have ever asked the
sectarian question," said Grim.
"Among Muslims it's a very sensitive question. If asked, large numbers
will say I am just a Muslim -- not that they don't know, but it is a
sensitive question in many places," he said.
One in three of the world's Shiite Muslims lives in Iran, which is one
of only four countries with a Shiite majority, he said. The others are
Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain.
Huge as the project of mapping the world's Muslim population is, it is
only the first step in a Pew Forum undertaking.
Next year, the think tank intends to release a report projecting
Muslim population growth into the future, and then the researchers
intend to do the whole thing over again with Christians, followed by
other faith groups.
"We don't care only about Muslims," Grim said.
They're also digging into what people believe and practice, since the
current analysis doesn't analyze that.
"This is no way reflects the religiosity of people, only their self-
identification," Grim said. "We're trying to get the overall picture
of religion in the world."
Sid Harth
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/09/30/first.blasphemy.day/index.html
Taking aim at God on 'Blasphemy Day'
Story Highlights
Wednesday marks first organized observance of Blasphemy Day
Leader is devoted to protecting a person's right to ridicule,
criticize, lambaste God
Painter aghast someone could be punished, killed over blasphemous
remarks
September 30, 2009 -- Updated 2158 GMT (0558 HKT)
By Moni Basu
CNN
(CNN) -- In his youth, Ronald Lindsey planned to enter the priesthood,
so fervent was his devotion to God. But these days, Lindsay is devoted
to protecting a person's right to ridicule, criticize -- even lambaste
God.
Super Bowl Sunday Praying for a Hail Mary was painted by Dana Ellyn.
You might say he is a blasphemer's savior.
The devout Catholic turned non-believer leads a movement that is all
about protecting people's rights to speak irreverently about religion.
Criticizing God is an act punishable by death in several nations. In
America, blasphemy laws remain on the books in six states, though they
are largely arcane and not enforced.
But everywhere, it seems to Lindsay, scoffing at God is not socially
acceptable.
People are willing to tolerate the harshest statements about the
president of the United States, he said. But talk about Jesus or
Mohammed -- that's a whole different ball game.
"We think religious beliefs should be subject to examination and
criticism just as political beliefs are," said Lindsay, 56, who heads
the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York, an organization that
claims about 100,000 followers worldwide. "But we have a taboo on
religion."
Outraged by nations that want to execute blasphemers and propelled by
a deep belief in the freedom of expression, Lindsay is forging ahead
with his "nothing is sacred" movement. Wednesday marks the first
organized observance of Blasphemy Day, a series of events, exhibits
and lectures unfolding in a host of mostly North American cities that
are part of a larger Campaign for Free Expression.
The day coincides with the fifth anniversary of a Danish newspaper's
publication of controversial cartoons about Mohammed. The depictions
of the prophet wearing a bomb as a turban with a lit fuse sparked
protests by Muslims worldwide and prompted media outlets to censor
themselves.
But to Lindsay, a society is not truly free unless people can freely
air their views on any subject -- including God.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, when asked about the day on
Wednesday, declined to comment.
Blasphemy Day even includes a contest that invites participants to
come up with slogans that might be judged blasphemous by society. And,
yes, the winner gets a T-shirt heralding the prized slogan.
Lindsay offered this sample: "There's nothing wrong with God that a
dose of reality won't cure."
Some of the entries are so crude they can't be published by CNN. But
since the Center for Inquiry is all about freedom of expression, it
can't reject any of them.
Lindsay has made it clear that expletive-ridden, crass slogans are not
the type of entry that is destined to win, but he makes no apologies
for statements that might offend a devout person's sensitivities.
Neither does artist Dana Ellyn, 38, of Washington D.C., who is showing
her provocative paintings of God and religion in a special Blasphemy
Day show Wednesday evening.
Ellyn grew up as a non-believer but later studied religion on her own
to understand it. After all, she said, it's such an important part of
society.
She found the concept of faith fascinating. It was an unknown to her.
She painted a scene from Noah's Ark with a black child sitting under
the table. How did the races evolve, her art asks those who believed
in the Biblical tale? She portrayed Jesus painting his crucifixion
nails after she noticed a church group using space next to a nail
salon in a shopping mall stung by recession.
She said she realizes her work makes people uncomfortable, though her
intent is not to disrespect.
"Even to say, 'I don't believe in God' is enough to knock someone out
of their chair and then to see it in a picture ... I've had a lot of
hate come my way."
And even though she doesn't believe in hell, she feels a bit uneasy
hearing that she is going straight to it.
"I am in no way trying to be a poster child for atheism," Ellyn said.
"But I don't want to be punished for not believing in God."
Ellyn said she never means to harm anyone, so she finds it frightening
that someone could be punished -- or lose their life -- over remarks
or actions considered blasphemous. An Afghan student journalist was
sentenced to death for distributing a paper that allegedly blasphemed
Islam. A British schoolteacher spent time in a Sudanese jail after she
allowed her students to name teddy bears after Mohammed.
These are cases that worry Lindsay and the members of his
organization. He is most distressed by the U.N. General Assembly
considering next month a binding resolution on the defamation of
religion.
All this did not come easy to Lindsay, the son of Catholic parents who
bared his soul in a confession booth each week. Later, he studied
religion and philosophy in at Georgetown University. The more he read,
the more he questioned beliefs that had been ingrained from childhood.
Slowly, the would-be-priest turned into an atheist lawyer -- and a
21st-century defender of time-worn sacrilege
Sid Harth
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/10/08/bergen.pakistan/index.html#cnnSTCText
Commentary: U.S.-Pakistan goals coming into alignment
Story Highlights
Peter Bergen, CNN national security analyst: Pakistanis turning
against militants
The strategic interests of U.S., Pakistan are growing closer, Bergen
observes
Bergen: Pakistani public, military, government potent force against
Taliban
Bergen cautions Pakistanis still very wary of U.S. influence, motives
October 8, 2009 -- Updated 1147 GMT (1947 HKT)
By Peter Bergen
CNN
Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst, is a fellow at the New
America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank that promotes
innovative thought from across the ideological spectrum, and at New
York University's Center on Law and Security. He's the author of "The
Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader."
Militant attacks, such as this one in Islamabad on Monday, are turning
the Pakistani population against jihadists.
(CNN) -- It hasn't been too often in the past couple of years that
you could write about good news from Pakistan. But if there is a
silver lining to the atrocities that have plagued the country in the
past several years, it is the fact that the Pakistani public,
government and military are increasingly seeing the jihadist militants
on their territory in a hostile light.
The Taliban's assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the country's most
popular politician; al Qaeda's bombing of the Marriott hotel in
Islamabad; the attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in
Lahore; the widely circulated video images of the Taliban flogging a
17-year-old girl; and multiple large-scale attacks on Pakistani police
and army installations by the Taliban have provoked real revulsion
among the Pakistani public.
In fact, historians will likely record the Taliban's decision to move
earlier this year from Pakistan's Swat Valley into Buner District,
only 60 miles from Islamabad, as the tipping point that finally
galvanized Pakistan to confront the fact that the jihadist monster it
had helped to spawn was now trying to swallow its creator.
The subsequent military operation to evict the Taliban from Buner and
Swat was not seen by the Pakistani public as the army acting on behalf
of the United States as was often the case in previous such
operations, but something that was in their own national interest.
Support for Pakistani army operations against the Taliban in Swat has
increased from 28 percent two years ago to 69 percent today.
In fact, arguably not since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979
have American strategic interests and Pakistani strategic interests
been so closely aligned.
This month it looks virtually certain that the Pakistani military will
launch an operation into the tribal regions of Waziristan against the
militants based there, who have long provided a haven to al Qaeda.
That comes on the heels of an aggressive American drone campaign in
the Waziristan region that Pakistani leaders have privately
encouraged.
And the militants are losing the war of ideas in Pakistan. Support for
suicide bombing has dropped from 33 percent to 5 percent in Pakistan
over the past several years. The number of Pakistanis who feel the
Taliban and al Qaeda operating in Pakistan are a 'serious problem" has
risen from 57 percent to 86 percent since 2007.
When Baitullah Meshud, the Taliban leader who had unleashed his
suicide bombers across Pakistan in the past two years, was killed two
months ago in a U.S. drone strike, the tone of the Pakistani media
coverage was celebratory. "Good Riddance, Killer Baitullah" was the
lead headline in the quality Dawn newspaper.
The changing attitudes of the Pakistani public, military and
government constitutes arguably the most significant strategic shift
against al Qaeda and its allies in the past several years. It will
have a direct impact on the terrorist organization and allied groups
that are headquartered in Pakistan.
What does this mean for Obama's "Af-Pak" plan? Well, the newly hostile
attitude of the Pakistanis to the armed religious zealots on their
lands has not translated into any great love for the United States,
which is consistently viewed unfavorably by large majorities of them.
As the debate about Afghanistan in the White House moves forward, one
important factor in that discussion must be the hostility of the
Pakistanis to a large additional troop deployment in neighboring
Afghanistan. This is particularly important in light of the fact that
the Pakistani military is doing what the U.S. government has hoped for
for several years, which is taking newly aggressive steps against
important elements of the Taliban in Waziristan.
However, changing attitudes in Pakistan do not mean, for the moment,
that the Pakistani military will do much to move against the Taliban
groups based on their territory that are attacking U.S. and other NATO
forces in Afghanistan, such as Mullah Omar's Quetta shura, the Haqqani
network and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezbi-Islami.
Every silver lining in Pakistan must also have a cloud.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter
Bergen.
Sid Harth
Pakistan seeks long U.S. commitment
Story Highlights
U.S. debates whether to send more troops to Afghanistan or scale back
mission
Congress just passed an aid package for Pakistan worth $1.5 B a year
for five years
Clinton, Gates: U.S. in Afghanistan for long haul
October 7, 2009 -- Updated 0147 GMT (0947 HKT)
By Elise Labott
CNN Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
met with U.S. Secretary Hillary Clinton and urged the United States to
articulate a long-term vision for the region, amid debate over U.S.
involvement in Afghanistan.
Pakistani For. Min. Shah Mehmood Qureshi and U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton meet in Washington.
"The people of the region have to be assured that the United States
has a long-term vision," Qureshi told reporters after his meeting on
Tuesday in Washington. "Not just for Afghanistan and Pakistan but the
entire region."
Qureshi wouldn't comment on the debate in Washington about whether the
U.S. should send up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan or scale back
the mission, with Qureshi calling it a judgment for "military
commanders on the field."
He said that Pakistan has made great strides in combating terrorism on
its soil, but still needed U.S. support, and he urged Washington not
to abandon the region as it did after helping Afghan fighters drive
Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1989.
"You have to keep in mind history," he said. "The inconsistency of the
past has to be kept in mind and we have to build on learning from the
mistakes of the past."
When asked how long he thought the U.S. should stay in Afghanistan,
Qureshi said "until the job is done. A peaceful, stable Afghanistan. A
peaceful, stable region."
Secretary Clinton said the U.S. and Pakistan enjoyed a "broad
strategic partnership" which is "critically important for the security
and prosperity of both of our nations."
"This is a commitment that we feel very strongly about and which we
are evaluating to determine the best way forward to achieve the
results and get the outcomes that we both share," Clinton told
reporters.
Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in a rare joint interview,
said Monday that the United States is committed to a regional strategy
to build long-standing relations with both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"We're not leaving Afghanistan," Gates told CNN's Christiane Amanpour
and former CNN Washington Bureau Chief Frank Sesno, "There should be
no uncertainty in terms of our determination to remain in Afghanistan
and to continue to build a relationship of partnership and trust with
the Pakistanis. That's long term. That's a strategic objective of the
United States."
Congress just passed an aid package for Pakistan worth $1.5 billion a
year for the next five years to help combat extremism in the country
and foster social and economic development.
Sid Harth
Commentary: Where's Osama bin Laden?
Story Highlights
Peter Bergen: Osama bin Laden still inspires al Qaeda
He says 8 years after 9/11, the "war on terror" has failed to capture
him
He says law of averages suggests bin Laden will eventually be caught
or killed
September 11, 2009 -- Updated 1132 GMT (1932 HKT)
By Peter Bergen
Special to CNN
Editor's note: Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst, is a
fellow at the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank
that promotes innovative thought from across the ideological spectrum,
and at New York University's Center on Law and Security. He's the
author of "The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's
Leader."
Peter Bergen says Osama bin Laden is still alive and still significant
eight years after September 11.
HELMAND, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Eight years after September 11, the
"war on terror" has gone the way of the dodo. And President Obama
talks instead about a war against al Qaeda and its allies.
What, then, of al Qaeda's enigmatic leader, Osama bin Laden, who has
vanished like a wisp of smoke? And does he even matter now?
The U.S. government hadn't had a solid lead on al Qaeda's leader since
the battle of Tora Bora in winter 2001. Although there are informed
hypotheses that today he is in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province
on the Afghan border, perhaps in one of the more northerly areas such
as Bajaur, these are essentially guesses, not "actionable"
intelligence.
A longtime American counterterrorism analyst explained to me, "There
is very limited collection on him personally."
That's intelligence community shorthand for the fact that the usual
avenues of "collection" on a target such as bin Laden are yielding
little or no information about him. Those avenues typically include
signal intercepts of phone calls and e-mails, as well as human
intelligence from spies.
Given the hundreds of billions of dollars that the "war on terror" has
consumed, the failure to capture or kill al Qaeda's leader is one of
its signal failures.
Does it even matter whether bin Laden is found? Yes, it does. First,
there is the matter of justice for the almost 3,000 people who died in
the September 11 attacks and for the thousands of other victims of al
Qaeda's attacks around the world.
Second, every day that bin Laden remains at liberty is a propaganda
victory for al Qaeda.
Third, although bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri aren't
managing al Qaeda's operations on a daily basis they guide the overall
direction of the jihadist movement around the world, even while they
are in hiding.
Those messages from al Qaeda's leaders have reached untold millions
worldwide via television, the Internet and newspapers. The tapes have
not only instructed al Qaeda's followers to continue to kill
Westerners and Jews, but some also carried specific instructions that
militant cells then acted on.
In March 2008, for instance, the al Qaeda leader denounced the
publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper
as a "catastrophe" for which punishment would soon be meted out. Three
months later, an al Qaeda suicide attacker bombed the Danish Embassy
in Islamabad, killing six.
Some reading this may think: But what's the proof that the al Qaeda
leader is still alive? Plenty. Since September 11, bin Laden has
released a slew of video and audiotapes, many of which discuss current
events. After a nine-month silence, for instance, bin Laden released a
22-minute audiotape on March 14, sharply condemning the recent Israeli
invasion of Gaza.
Are these tapes real? Not one of the dozens of tapes released by bin
Laden after 9/11 has been a fake. Indeed the U.S. government has
authenticated many of them using bin Laden's distinctive voiceprint.
And what about the persistent reports that he is ill? In 2002,
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said bin Laden had kidney
disease, for which he required a dialysis machine, and was therefore
likely dead. But the stories of bin Laden's life-threatening kidney
problems are false, judging by his appearance in videos that he
released in 2004 and again in 2007, in which he showed no signs of
illness.
On the 2007 tape, the al Qaeda leader had even dyed his white-flecked
beard black, suggesting that as the Saudi militant entered his fifth
decade, he was not immune to a measure of vanity about his personal
appearance.
In fact, bin Laden looked much better in those videos than he did in
the video he released shortly after the battle of Tora Bora in late
2001, where he had narrowly escaped being killed in a massive American
attack.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that bin Laden and al-
Zawahiri are almost certainly hiding out in the tribal areas of
Pakistan, on the Afghan border.
Arthur Keller, a CIA officer who ran a spy network in Pakistan's
tribal areas in 2006, told me the problems of working in the region:
"It's an incredibly remote area. They're hiding in a sea of people
that are very xenophobic of outsiders, so it's a very, very tough nut
to crack."
An additional factor operating in bin Laden's favor is the personal
popularity he has long enjoyed in Pakistan. Three years after the
September 11 attacks, for instance, a Pew poll found that al Qaeda's
leader had a 65 percent favorability rating among Pakistanis.
However, it is clear from the videos of bin Laden and al-Zawahiri that
aired in the years since the attacks that they are not living in
caves.
In those tapes, both men's clothes were clean and well-pressed. Caves
generally don't have laundry facilities. And the videos that they have
released are well-lit and well-shot productions, suggesting access
either to electrical outlets or to generators to run lights. Al-
Zawahiri is often filmed in a library setting, and on one of his
videos from March 2006, there are curtains clearly visible behind him,
suggesting that the tape was shot in a house.
By early 2008, the Bush administration had tired of the Pakistani
government's unwillingness or inability to take out al Qaeda's
leaders, and in July, the president authorized Special Operations
forces to carry out ground assaults in the tribal regions without the
permission of the Pakistani government.
But in the face of the intense Pakistani opposition to American boots
on the ground, the Bush administration chose to rely instead on drones
to target suspected al Qaeda and Taliban leaders. Bush ordered the CIA
to expand its attacks with Predator and Reaper drones.
Between July 2008 and this month, U.S. drones have killed dozens of
lower-ranking militants and at least 10 mid- and upper-level leaders
within al Qaeda or the Taliban.
This strategy seems to have worked, at least in terms of combating the
ability of al Qaeda to plan or carry out attacks in the West. Law-
enforcement authorities have uncovered no serious plots against U.S.
or European targets that were traceable to militants who had received
training in Pakistan's tribal regions after the drone program had been
dramatically ramped up there.
The increased pace of the American drone attacks in Pakistani's tribal
areas was motivated in part by the hope that it would increase
panicked communications among the militants, which might help pinpoint
the locations of the top leaders in al Qaeda or the Taliban, but that
approach has not paid off when it comes to bin Laden.
If killing bin Laden with a drone has proved difficult, so too will be
capturing him alive.
His former bodyguard Abu Jandal told Al Quds al Arabi newspaper,
"Sheikh Osama gave me a pistol. ... The pistol had only two bullets,
for me to kill Sheikh Osama with in case we were surrounded or he was
about to fall into the enemy's hands, so that he would not be caught
alive "
Should bin Laden be captured or killed, that would probably trigger a
succession battle within al Qaeda.
While al-Zawahiri is the deputy leader of the terror group and
therefore technically bin Laden's successor, he is not regarded as a
natural leader. Indeed, even among his fellow Egyptian militants, al-
Zawahiri is seen as a divisive force, and so he is unlikely to be able
to step into the role of leader of al Qaeda and of the world jihadist
movement that is occupied by bin Laden.
By the law of averages, eventually, bin Laden will be captured or
killed. Yet the ideological movement that he helped spawn --
"Binladenism" -- will live on long after he is gone. That is bin
Laden's legacy.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter
Bergen.
...and I am Sid Harth
Sid Harth
Commentary: Al Qaeda's support is fading
Story Highlights
Audrey Cronin: Terror arrests and Afghan debate make it seem al Qaeda
is gaining
She says the reality is that the terror group is losing support
Cronin: U.S. should encourage the disillusionment with al Qaeda in
Muslim world
October 6, 2009 -- Updated 1937 GMT (0337 HKT)
By Audrey Kurth Cronin
Special to CNN
Editor's note: Audrey Kurth Cronin, a professor at the U.S. National
War College and research associate of the Changing Character of War
program at Oxford University, is the author of "How Terrorism Ends:
Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist
Campaigns" (Princeton University Press, September 2009). This article
represents her views only, not necessarily those of any U.S.
government agency.
Audrey Kurth Cronin says recent events have raised new concerns about
terrorism and al Qaeda.
(CNN) -- President Obama entered office hoping to displace the global
war on terrorism with a new age of engagement, thereby replacing fear
with hope and relinquishing terrorism as the centerpiece of U.S.
foreign policy.
Yet terrorism is once again in the center of the bull's-eye for
Washington policymakers.
The war in Afghanistan is at a watershed. Having been relatively
neglected in favor of the intervention in Iraq, the administration
must now decide whether to recommit to a full-fledged counter-
insurgency, perhaps with an additional 40,000 U.S. troops on top of
the more than 60,000 already slated for the conflict. Alternatively,
some argue for a strategy that focuses on the original problem -- of
al Qaeda and its extremist associates rather than more ambitious state-
building.
The former would appear to be more costly and perhaps a slippery slope
to a protracted war that might not be winnable; the latter could be
ineffective in halting the potential resurgence in an unstable region
of an al Qaeda threat to the United States and its allies.
Meanwhile, in the past few weeks it seems clear that the United States
has foiled a series of terrorist plots that collectively constituted
the gravest threat to the American homeland since 9/11. Najibullah
Zazi, a 24-year-old Afghan immigrant, has pleaded not guilty to
conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in New York, while a
Jordanian has been arrested, accused of attempting to destroy a
Dallas, Texas, skyscraper.
In addition, charges have been made against three men in North
Carolina for plotting to attack a Marine Corps base and another man
has been charged with conspiring to blow up federal buildings in
Illinois.
Is al Qaeda resurgent? Is the United States under threat because of
the failure to capture or kill Osama bin Laden? Americans need to take
a deep breath, because the answer to both questions, while requiring
some caveats, is no.
Al Qaeda is facing more negative trends than what international forces
are facing in Afghanistan, although it is always possible that U.S.
missteps could rekindle the extremist terror narrative and
organization. Similarly, killing bin Laden will not end al Qaeda, but
neither will his fugitive status sustain it.
To answer the question of how al Qaeda will end, we can draw upon
decades of experience with how other terrorist campaigns have fizzled
out.
The history of terrorist groups points to various ways they may
decline and end: the destruction of leadership, failure to transition
between generations, achieving their stated cause, negotiating a
settlement, succumbing to military or police repression, losing
popular support and transitioning to other malignant activities such
as criminality or war.
Not all of these pathways are probable for every group, and they are
not all relevant to al Qaeda. For example, it is clear that al Qaeda
will not end if Osama bin Laden is killed. Groups that have ended this
way such as Japan's Aum Shinrikyo or Peru's Shining Path have been
hierarchical, reflecting to some degree a cult of personality and
lacking a viable successor, none of which describes al Qaeda.
It also will not die out between generations, as did many of the left-
wing groups of the 1970s. Al Qaeda has transitioned beyond its
original structure and is a multigenerational threat. Likewise,
achieving the cause or reaching a negotiated settlement does not apply
to al Qaeda.
Groups that have achieved their ends have had limited goals. Al Qaeda
seeks maximalist goals: Using violence to mobilize the global Muslim
community, throw off the influence of the West, eliminate support for
Arab regimes and establish a new world order (sometimes called a
Caliphate) is hardly realistic.
The remaining pathways deserve greater scrutiny. Although the campaign
against al Qaeda has yielded gratifying results, the limits of driving
the core into hiding and reducing its capacity to operate have been
demonstrated. Democracies find it hard to sustain policy of repression
at home or abroad, as it can undermine civil liberties and strain
domestic support.
American use of military force signified Western resolve, killed al
Qaeda leaders and prevented attacks, all of which were vital; but
force alone cannot drive this group to its end.
A loss of popular support has ended many terrorist groups, and it is a
plausible scenario for al Qaeda. Support can be compromised through
miscalculation, especially in targeting, and popular backlash. The
Real Irish Republican Army and India's Sikh separatists come to mind.
Or a campaign can fail to convey a positive image or progress toward
its goals, which amply applies to al Qaeda.
While the group continues to be dangerous, the faltering popularity of
this campaign with most Muslims provides clear evidence of this
dynamic underway.
For instance, a Pew Global Attitudes Project poll released in
September showed a remarkable drop in support for suicide bombing and
Osama bin Laden in key Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan,
Egypt, Turkey and Jordan. In Pakistan, whereas some 41 percent
approved of suicide terror attacks five years ago, that number has
fallen to a mere 5 percent today.
Finally, groups can transition from terrorism to other kinds of
violence, escalating to insurgency or even conventional war, for
example -- especially if there is state sponsorship. Some argue that
this may already have happened in the case of al Qaeda and link the
current debate over Afghan strategy to this concern.
In this regard, it is counterproductive to consider al Qaeda as a
global insurgency. This concept bestows legitimacy, emphasizes
territorial control, encourages our enemies to join forces and puts
the United States into an us-versus-them strategic framework that
precludes clear-eyed analyses of the strategies of leverage that are
being used against the United States and its allies.
In short, if we are thinking about classic pathways to the end, the
secret to undermining this campaign is not "winning hearts and minds"
but enhancing al Qaeda's tendency to lose them.
More terrorist attacks will be attempted and a few will no doubt
succeed in parts of the world, conceivably even in the United States.
But it makes a significant difference whether such attacks are
undertaken by a few recruits without proper training or support or by
those who have managed to visit an al Qaeda training camp in a safe
haven with full support. Thus far, the trends are heading in a
favorable direction.
Even in its diminished state, al Qaeda and its franchises remain armed
and dangerous. This group can still hurt us. But appreciating how
terrorist campaigns actually end offers the greatest promise for
removing ourselves from the strategic myopia that currently grips much
of Western counter-terrorism efforts and for clarifying our political
objectives.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Audrey
Kurth Cronin.
Sid Harth
Islam in the New Afghan Public Sphere
A public lecture by Nushin Arbabzadah, UCLA held on Thursday, January
22, 2009 in Bunche Hall 10383, UCLA.
Download Podcast
Duration: 57:48
Nushin Arbabzadah was brought up in Kabul during the Soviet occupation
of Afghanistan. She has graduate degrees in German and Spanish
literature and linguistics from the University of Hamburg and in
Middle Eastern Studies from Cambridge University, where she was a
William H. Gates scholar. Nushin's first book, From Outside In:
Refugees and British Society, was published in London by Arcadia in
April 2007. She has also edited an anthology of contemporary
journalistic writing from Muslim majority countries called No Ordinary
Life: Being Young in the Worlds of Islam (London: British Council,
2005). Before coming to UCLA, Nushin worked for the BBC, where she
specialized on social and political issues in contemporary
Afghanistan.
This lecture is part of a series on Islam in Central Asia co-sponsored
by the Center for European and Eurasian Studies and the Center for
Near Eastern Studies.
Date Posted: 2/20/2009
Asia Institute • 11288 Bunche Hall • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1487
Campus Mail Code: 148703 • Tel: (310) 825-0007 • Fax: (310) 206-3555
Email: as...@international.ucla.edu
Sid Harth
Afghanistan's ethnically split ballot box
Ethnic voting shows Afghans do not view the state as a service
provider and loyalty to ethnic groups comes before the country as a
whole, writes Nushin Arbabzadah
By Nushin Arbabzadah
AsiaMedia Contributing Writer
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The BBC's Afghan desk recently asked the three leading candidates of
the presidential election the following question: "What would you do
if you were to lose the election?" All three -- Hamid Karzai, Abdullah
Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani -- came up with the standard response: "We
would respect the people's verdict." In other words, Afghanistan is
now a democracy ruled by the will of the people. Such humble words
delivered with humility are just what's expected from politicians of
developing countries whose survival relies mainly on foreign aid. In
the motto of the benevolent international community: no ballot, no
aid. Or in the case of Afghanistan, no pots of paint flown specially
from Dubai to decorate the president's office.
Be that as it may, the truth is that not all Afghans have been able to
deliver their verdict in this election. The Taliban, in contrast to
the mavericks in Kabul, are sticking to the traditional bullet-not-
ballot style of governance, successfully managing to frighten the
people in the south into non-participation. Although small voter
turnout was expected in the restive south, the people were not free
from threat even in relatively calmer regions. In Herat, the local
strongman Ghulam Yahya Akbari reportedly threatened to fire rockets if
the people dared to venture out and greet Karzai on his campaign trip
to their city. In sum, the security that is an absolute must for a
fair election was not felt even in relatively calmer regions of
Afghanistan. It is this condition of high risk for questionable reward
that is making many Afghans wonder whether the 2009 election was an
exercise in true democracy.
Be that as it may, Afghan and international observers were quick to
point out that the fact that at least 35 percent of the population
ventured out to cast their votes in spite of threats of violence shows
that ordinary Afghans have matured politically and a democratic
culture is taking root in the country. A comparison between the
conditions in the 2004 and 2009 elections explains this view. In
contrast to 2004, when the public mood was optimistic, the Taliban
were on the run and neighboring countries Iran and Pakistan were well
disposed towards Kabul, voters this year had little reason to believe
in democracy -- let alone risk their lives to cast their votes. After
all, 2009 turned out to be a much more violent year, with Taliban
attacks reaching the heart of the capital and the Kabul administration
and its international allies having lost credibility both in terms of
delivering peace or improving the people's living conditions. And yet
millions of Afghans risked their lives, ventured out and cast their
votes fully aware that voting meant taking a serious risk and knowing
very well that the election would be fraudulent and the candidates
most probably either lying or making empty promises. Afghan and
international observers celebrate this as evidence that Afghanistan
has moved forward and is no longer an essentially tribal society upon
whom the West has imposed democracy by sheer force of military. In
brief, a success story.
The recently published preliminary results based on a random sample of
one million votes tell a different story. According to the sample, the
people's verdict has given rise to two leaders: Karzai, closely
followed by Abdullah. In other words, a Pashtun leader followed
closely by a half-Tajik leader with a majority Tajik support base.
This is what analysts call "identity voting". The preliminary results
show that Karzai's attempt at nation-building has failed, and most
Afghans' loyalty lies first with their ethnic group and then the
nation as a whole. Karzai's critics have repeatedly pointed out that
his nation-building attempts have been largely superficial, consisting
on throwing dinner parties for discredited leaders of ethnic and
religious minority groups. In the words of presidential candidate
Ramazan Bashardost, making a Hazara leader sit next to nomadic Pashtun
leader at dinner is not exactly nation-building. The many mass graves
scattered around the country bear witness to the ethnic rivalries that
followed the Soviet army's withdrawal from Afghanistan and led to the
civil wars of the early 1990s. During the presidential election
campaign, ex-Taliban commander turned candidate Mullah Rocketi was the
only contender to openly admit that ethnic mistrust was the only
reason why Afghans so easily became tools in the service of foreign
powers and hence carried on fighting. Nation-building has a long way
to go in Afghanistan but as economist Paul Collier argues, leaders
must build a nation before they can build a state.
This pattern of identity voting is the natural outcome of the
ethnicized politics that has thrived over the last three decades. And
ethnicized politics creates lazy politicians who are automatically
given support by members of their ethnic communities regardless of
their performance, personal integrity or even education. The fact that
voters in Afghanistan have opted for identity voting shows that the
idea of the state as a service provider has still not taken root in
Afghanistan and ethnic loyalties override loyalty to Afghanistan as a
whole. To put it bluntly, apart from a small group of educated young
people, most Afghans haven't moved on from the ethnicized politics
that led to the civil wars of the early 1990s. The only difference
between then and now is that ballots are used instead of bullets. But
this, in itself, is a kind of progress.
This article was published originally in The Guardian.
The views expressed above are those of the author and are not
necessarily those of AsiaMedia or the UCLA Asia Institute.
Date Posted: 9/1/2009
Sid Harth
INDIA: Magazine office in Prabhadevi ransacked
Six men barge into 'Society' magazine's office, throw computers off
tables, break windows, and shout slogans about Shiv Sena chief Bal
Thackeray
The Times of India
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
By Nimish Sawant
Mumbai --- The office of Society magazine at Prabhadevi was on Monday
ransacked by a group of six unidentified men, ostensibly because they
were upset with an article about Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in
its August issue.
This is the second instance of a publishing house being attacked by
workers of a political party this year.
According to the Dadar police, two men entered the premises of Magna
Publishing house, which publishes the magazine, at 3.45 pm under the
pretext of meeting the editorial staff. Soon, around four more persons
joined them.
"They barged into the office on the fifth floor and threw computers
off the table, broke the windows glass panes. Then they came
downstairs and took out some saffron flags shouting slogans such as
'Jai Shivaji, Jai Bhawani', saying something to do with Balasaheb
before fleeing," said an employee of Magna. While fleeing, they again
threw a huge flower pot on the glass wall of the reception hall. No
officials of Society magazine were available for comment as they were
busy recording their statements at the Dadar police station.
Zonal deputy commissioner of police (Zone 5) Milind Bharambe said,
"The identity of the accused is not yet established. Prima facie, it
appears that they were Sainiks. We are just recording the statements.
We have registered a case of rioting, trespassing and wrongful
assembly and causing damages."
chhotemianinshallah
Pak sends a message via Kabul bomber
Attacks, outside and inside
K.P. NAYAR
A damaged building at the site of the blast in Kabul on Thursday. A
car bomb blew up outside the Indian embassy, killing two policemen and
15 other Afghans. Three Indo-Tibetan Border Police guards were wounded
and their watchtower damaged. (AP picture)
Washington, Oct. 8: A powerful but fortuitously aborted attack on the
Indian embassy in Kabul today was Pakistan’s message to India that its
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) can hit Indian interests anytime,
anywhere with impunity.
It came exactly four days after Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shah
Mahmood Qureshi, who has stayed back in the US after his testy meeting
with external affairs minister S.M. Krishna in New York on September
27, publicly warned that Indians “have to justify their interest” in
Kabul.
Qureshi concluded his US tour with a meeting with secretary of state
Hillary Clinton at the same time terrorists in Kabul were preparing to
drive out the explosives-packed sports utility vehicle to be detonated
near the side wall of the embassy today. At least 17 people, mostly
bystanders, were killed and three Indian embassy guards injured in the
explosion.
In his blunt public warning four days ago, Qureshi said India’s “level
of engagement (in Kabul) has to be commensurate with” the fact that
“they do not share a border with Afghanistan, whereas we do.… If there
is no massive reconstruction (in Afghanistan), if there are not long
queues in Delhi waiting for visas to travel to Kabul, why do you have
such a large (Indian) presence in Afghanistan? At times it concerns
us,” Qureshi told the Los Angles Times.
The second suicide attack on the Indian mission in Kabul in 15 months
will strengthen a partisan view at the CGO Complex off New Delhi’s
Lodhi Road, the seat of India’s external intelligence agency, that the
terrorist attack on Mumbai last November was actually Pakistan’s
answer to India for regressing on the progress made over several years
towards resolving Kashmir in detailed talks with General Pervez
Musharraf, both by the NDA and UPA governments.
Such a view is based on an assessment that Pakistan considerably
dismantled its terrorist infrastructure against India, particularly
across the Line of Control in Kashmir, during the Musharraf years, but
has not been rewarded in any significant way by the political process
in New Delhi aimed at redressing Islamabad’s perceived grievances on
bilateral relations.
Between November last year and now, the establishment at the Research
and Analysis Wing (RAW) and elements in the Prime Minister’s Office
and the cabinet secretariat with intelligence backgrounds have
strenuously tried to put the lid on this view, which has serious
ramifications for New Delhi’s Pakistan policy.
Today’s attack in Kabul will, however, reinforce this view, albeit in
whispers in intelligence circles. Because it has come 10 days after
Krishna took a tough line at his meeting with Qureshi, the suicide
bombing will be seen as a warning to India not to go back, once again,
on the process started by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his
Pakistani counterpart in Sharm-el-Sheikh in July to restart their
bilateral dialogue.
Pakistan clearly sees Krishna’s stand at his meeting with Qureshi as
tantamount to rolling back the Sharm-el-Sheikh process.
When Qureshi emerged with Clinton yesterday to speak to reporters, he
was almost fatalistic about India and had low expectations. “The
meeting that I had with Mr Krishna... was, in my view, a positive
meeting, a constructive meeting. And being a politician, I can read
between the lines and I can tell you I got positive vibes, because my
message was positive, my engagement was positive, my intentions are
positive.... Obviously, he is going to go back and consult with the
leadership in Delhi and we will take it from there. But I have
suggested a way forward.”
The attack in Kabul, which has all the hallmarks of an ISI-inspired
plot, is also a warning to Pakistan’s civilian leadership not to
compromise its interests in Afghanistan and in bilateral relations
with India amid signs of a deterioration in cordiality between the
Pakistan army and the government of President Asif Ali Zardari.
The attack was executed a day after foreign secretary Nirupama Rao
made a policy speech on Afghanistan at a meeting in New Delhi
outlining India’s priorities in Kabul.
chhotemianinshallah
Kabul blast finger at ‘outside bases’
A damaged building at the site of the blast near the Indian embassy in
Kabul on Thursday. (AP)
Kabul, Oct. 8 (Agencies): A car bomb blew up outside the Indian
embassy here today, killing two policemen and 15 other Afghans on the
street in an attack Delhi said was aimed at its mission, a claim that
is certain to direct suspicion at Pakistan.
The 8.27am blast comes 15 months after two Indian diplomats and 56
others died in a car bomb attack on the embassy, which India and US
intelligence blamed on Pakistani spy agency ISI, pointing to its
resentment at India’s growing influence in Afghanistan.
Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said none of the embassy staff was
among the 76 injured today, but three Indo-Tibetan Border Police
guards were wounded and their watchtower damaged.
“The suicide bomber came up to the outside perimeter wall of the
embassy with a car loaded with explosives, obviously with the aim of
targeting the embassy,” Rao said in Delhi.
She said the blast was similar in size and pattern to the July 2008
attack but the security measures taken since then had “worked
effectively” in protecting embassy staff.
The Afghan interior ministry is just down the street but if the
embassy was the target, Pakistan is the obvious suspect although India
didn’t name the neighbour.
Only yesterday, however, Rao had linked the growing violence in
Afghanistan with support from across the border. Asked who might be
behind the attack, the Indian ambassador in Kabul, Jayant Prasad,
said: “What do you think of the fact that the international community
is regularly targeted? It’s the same answer.”
The Afghan foreign ministry spokesman pointed to “enemies of the
relations between the two countries (India and Afghanistan)” and said
their “bases are outside of Afghanistan”. Sayed Abdul Ghafar, a senior
Kabul police officer, bluntly said Pakistani militants were involved.
Islamabad as well as Pakistani militants are alarmed that India has
given $1.2 billion in aid to Afghanistan, where it’s building highways
and new consulates. Pakistan fears being squeezed between India on the
east and a Delhi-backed Afghanistan in the west.
News agencies said a Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahed, had owned
up to the blast, which happened when an SUV driver slowed down near a
side wall of the embassy and detonated his payload, partially
destroying the watchtower and an outer protective wall.
“We are really heartbroken,” ambassador Prasad said. He said the huge
concrete wall put up around the embassy after last year’s attack had
helped protect the building, but some doors and windows were still
blown out. An armoured UN Landcruiser was damaged but its driver was
unharmed.
Ahmad Farid, a shopkeeper who still bears an angry red scar on his
face from last year’s bombing, said: “Look at my face — this is from
the last Indian embassy bombing and now here we have another
explosion.”
One of today’s injured, Mohammad Arif, was leaving the embassy when
the explosion hurled him against a concrete barrier, leaving him
bloodied on the left side of his head.
Most of the dead were ordinary Afghans, many of them merchants. The
bomb left a large crater in the road, and the scene was littered with
burnt-out vehicles, body parts and scraps of clothing.
The heavily guarded area had only recently been reopened to traffic
after being closed for months following the previous bombing.
The Swedish and Indonesian embassies too are nearby. An employee at
the Indonesian embassy said that during the July 2008 bombing, his
office window was shattered and glass cut his left arm. “We are really
not safe here next to the Indian embassy,” he said.
chhotemianinshallah
Blast can’t intimidate’
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, Oct. 8: India today said it wouldn’t be intimidated by the
kind of attack targeting its embassy in Kabul today and promised to
continue working for Afghanistan’s reconstruction.
“India will not be intimidated by these criminal killers. We will take
all steps to protect Indian lives and installations in Afghanistan,”
minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor said. Foreign
secretary Nirupama Rao is expected to travel to Kabul tomorrow.
India has pledged over $1.26 billion in aid to war-torn Afghanistan,
making it the fifth-largest donor after the US, Britain, Japan and
Canada. Sources said those behind today’s attack were against the
Indian presence in Afghanistan.
chhotemianinshallah
HIDDEN DEPTHS
Transforming Pakistan: Ways out of Instability By Hilary Synnott,
Routledge, Rs 1,100
Hilary Synnott is a former diplomat in India (1993-6) and Pakistan
(2000-3), and the author of a perceptive book, The Causes and
Consequences of South Asia’s Nuclear Tests. His new book will reach an
influential audience in Britain and in the US, and should be mandatory
reading in Pakistan. According to him, India sees no advantage in
promoting anarchy in Pakistan; Siachen has little or no strategic
importance; Zardari and his party are deeply unpopular; Urdu as a
national language is not an “entirely successful” device; the
“strategic depth” that the Pakistan military craves for in Afghanistan
is “a baffling idea”; the Pakistanis failed to create a pliable
government in Kabul after the Soviet pullout; and there are limits to
the ISI’s control over militants.
Synnott accuses the army of deforming democracy, making judgments
divorced from national interest, and “double dealing and dangerous
adventurism”. It has never ceded control on key foreign policy issues.
After 9/11, the army was “showered” with assistance, and the ISI was
courted because of its “expertise” about militants. It was never clear
how Pakistan was spending the funds given to it.
Synnott describes the internal separatism in every province (except
Punjab) as the result of resentment against what tantamounts to
internal colonialism. Baluchistan, for example, with a high
concentration of natural resources, has had its desire for autonomy
and development brutally suppressed by the army in a “slow-motion
genocide”.
In the border areas, there is increased influence of clerics as
opposed to traditional tribal maliks, who continue to profit from both
sides. The tribes prefer the status quo to moving closer
administratively to Pakistan. None of the agreements between local
leaders and militants in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and
the North-West Frontier Province has succeeded. The politicians have
left the problem to the army, but its deployment in Fata since 2004
meets with popular opposition to Pakistan’s efforts to tackle
militancy.
Pakistan, notes Synnott, is deeply unpopular in Afghanistan, a
hostility with its roots in the Durand Line. Attempts by Pakistan to
influence Kabul are to ensure a pliant western neighbour to counter
India in the east. Pakistan’s objectives in the tribal areas and
Afghanistan have never been those of the US. Politicians and the army
create, co-opt and support militant religious groups to serve their
purposes, and Pakistani agencies encourage terrorists to get into
India. When LeT and JeM were banned in 2002, Synnott confirms they
promptly regrouped under aliases because they are regarded as military
assets.
Synnott doubts if any Indo-Pak agreement for modus vivendi can be
delivered politically. The army’s dominance has to be transformed if
Kashmir and the Durand Line are to be resolved: meanwhile both
disputes need to be rendered “less salient”. Synnott’s conclusions —
advocating more investment by the US, EU, China, and other nations for
the transformation of the Pakistani body politic — are contestable. He
calls for external assistance over multiple sectors and, in the long
term, with US in pole position. But few third-world countries will
accept unreservedly that friendship with the US brings real benefits.
Synnott is surprisingly cautious about incriminating the ISI in the
terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament, the 2008 bombing of the
Indian Embassy in Kabul, or the 26/11 tragedy. Indian readers will be
astonished by a reference to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as the “architect of
India’s nuclear programme”, and a comparison of Kalam with A.Q. Khan.
But this book provides a superb overview of the volatile situation in
Pakistan today, and tells a complicated story lucidly.
KRISHNAN SRINIVASAN
bademiyansubhanallah
Huge blast rocks Pakistan's Peshawar city: police
Associated Press
Peshawar, October 09, 2009
First Published: 12:18 IST(9/10/2009)
Last Updated: 12:53 IST(9/10/2009)
A car bomb ripped through a crowded bazaar in the northwestern
Pakistani city of Peshawar on Friday leaving at least 10 people dead
and 40 wounded, police and the government said.
The blast hit a shopping area close to the city’s main Khyber Bazaar
and ambulances were rushing to the scene, said local police official
Asghar Hussain.
“Eight to 10 people were killed and 40 wounded in the blast,” minister
for information in the North West Frontier Province Government Mian
Iftikhar Hussain said.
“The bomb was planted in a car parked in the market,” he said.
It was not immediately clear if it was a remote-controlled device or a
suicide attack.
“We are investigating whether it was a suicide blast or the device was
planted in the vehicle,” the minister told reporters.
Peshawar is the main city in the northwest and has been a frequent
target of militants linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda who are waging
war.
bademiyansubhanallah
Obama gets 'comprehensive update' on situation in Pakistan
Press Trust Of India
Washington, October 08, 2009
First Published: 09:54 IST(8/10/2009)
Last Updated: 09:58 IST(8/10/2009)
US President Barack Obama on Thursday received a comprehensive update
on the situation in Pakistan at his "situation room" meeting with top
intelligence, defense and security aides.
"The President received a comprehensive intelligence and
counterterrorism assessment as well as an assessment of the political
and diplomatic situation," a White House official said after the
meeting which lasted for more than three hours.
Obama continues to look for ways to improve cooperation, and to
continue disrupting, dismantling and defeating al-Qaeda, the official
told PTI.
The meeting was held amids uproar inside Pakistan on the US aid
through the Kerry-Lugar bill with the Pak Army and opposition parties
expressing concerns over the conditions imposed on it in lieu of the
military aid.
The meeting was attended by Vice-President Joe Biden; Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton; Defense Secretary Robert Gates; US Ambassador
to the UN Susan Rice; Special US Representative for Pakistan and
Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Admiral Mike Mullen; and Central Command Commander General David
Petraeus.
National Security Advisor General (rtd) James Jones, his Deputy Tom
Donilon; Director of National Intelligence Admiral (rtd) Dennis Blair;
CIA Director Leon Panetta and John Brennan, Assistant to the President
for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, also participated in the
deliberations.
General Stanley McChrystal, US Commander in Afghanistan; Karl
Eikenberry, US Ambassador to Afghanistan and Anne Patterson, US
Ambassador to Pakistan, attended the meeting through video
conferencing.
Though there was no immediate official reaction after the meeting, the
top leaders of the Obama administration is believed to have brain
stormed all aspects of the US posture and policy towards Pakistan and
its link to Afghanistan.
Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the
primary focus was on groups that can strike US and its allies, or
groups who would provide safe haven for those that wish to do that.
"I think we'll get into a firm analysis of where we are in Pakistan,
the steps that have been taken by the Pakistani government through
greater cooperation, but obviously progress that has to continue to
happen in order to continue to confront extremists in their country,"
Gibbs said before the start of the meeting.
Gibbs said it has not been determined yet how many such meetings would
take place – with the next one being scheduled for Friday – to discuss
the Af-Pak strategy. This might take several weeks.
bademiyansubhanallah
Nirupama Rao heads to Kabul; India demands global terror treaty
Agencies
New Delhi, October 09, 2009
First Published: 09:33 IST(9/10/2009)
Last Updated: 12:04 IST(9/10/2009)
Taking a serious view of the incident, India has called for an
international terror treaty to tackle the growing menace even as
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao visits Afghanistan on Friday. She will
take stock of the situation in the aftermath of the suicide attack on
the Indian embassy in Kabul, in which 17 people were killed.
Expressing concern over the terror attack on Indian embassy in Kabul,
India's envoy to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri has asked the
world leaders to negotiate an international treaty to tackle terrorism
expeditiously.
"Our Embassy in Kabul was again subjected to yet another terrorist
attack, which has resulted in injury of Indian
security personnel as well as death of large number of Afghan
civilians," Puri told the committee of the General Assembly
that handles a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights
issues.
"While it is important for the international community to condemn
terrorism and these attacks in an unequivocal manner,
it is also critical that we strengthen the legal framework in the
fight against terrorism," he noted.
Earlier, the UN Chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks at the Indian
embassy. The Security Council also deplored the "reprehensible" attack
demanding that those responsible be brought to justice.
On its website, the Taliban write that one of their "martyrs" carried
out suicide car bomb attack in a heavily
fortified diplomatic area and added that the Indian embassy "was the
main target".
At least 17 people were killed and 76 injured, some seriously, when a
Taliban suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives near the
Indian embassy in Kabul Thursday morning. This was the second such
terror attack since July 2008.
Barring three Indian paramilitary personnel who were injured, all the
other casualties in Thursday's attack were Afghans. The dead included
two police officers and 15 civilian visa seekers.
The deafening 8.27 am blast extensively damaged the embassy's
fortified outer wall and blew off windows and doors of the building.
The injured Indians were from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
deployed outside the mission.
The explosion, the fifth suicide strike in Kabul in two months, was
heard across a large area. Scores of people outside the embassy fell
bleeding and others ran for cover crying for help. It left a large
crater in the ground outside the embassy.
bademiyansubhanallah
A reminder of India’s burden and stake in Afghanistan
Siddharth Varadarajan
New Delhi: The suicide attack on the Indian embassy compound in Kabul
underlines a curious irony about the situation in Afghanistan: Despite
playing no direct role in the American-led war against the Taliban and
Al-Qaeda, India is rapidly becoming one of the most highly favoured
targets of terrorists in that country.
In 2008, a suicide bomber believed to be linked to the Haqqani network
blew himself up outside the embassy, killing 58 people, including
three Indian officials. And workers and engineers on Indian-led
projects have been kidnapped and killed by the Taliban in the past,
forcing India to limit its assistance to projects not involving its
own manpower.
Barely 24 hours before Thursday’s deadly attack in Kabul, Foreign
Secretary Nirupama Rao had expressed her government’s frustration at
the “sense of defeatism” which has begun to overwhelm international
public opinion about the situation in Afghanistan and which serves no
purpose other than to encourage insurgent groups to step up their
activities. She also warned against “facile attempts to strike
Faustian bargains with terrorists,” a thinly veiled message to those
in the United States who might find a quick pullout linked to a
Pakistani-brokered political settlement with the Taliban a viable or
tempting option.
The timing of the embassy bombing was obviously a coincidence but the
Taliban – which has claimed responsibility in a statement on its
website, shahamat.org – would like nothing better than to have the
same defeatist spirit take hold of New Delhi, one of the largest
providers of development assistance to the Afghan government.
Last year, India was told by U.S. officials that the embassy bombing
had been sanctioned at the highest levels of the Pakistani
intelligence establishment. This time, too, the Indian government is
likely to conclude the suicide attack was scripted in Rawalpindi,
presumably as a part of the “countermeasures” America’s top military
commander in Afghanistan recently warned India about.
General Stanley A. McChrystal’s assessment, contained in an official
report prepared by him a month ago, was schizophrenic. He said India
was “exacerbating regional tensions” and encouraging “Pakistani
countermeasures” by its increasing political and economic influence in
the beleaguered country. But he also said Indian activities “largely
benefit the Afghan people.”
At the root of this American ambiguity about the Indian role in
Afghanistan is the division within Washington about virtually every
aspect of the Obama administration’s AfPak policy. Should more U.S.
soldiers be sent to Afghanistan, as Gen. McChrystal has demanded, or
not? Should the war be expanded to Pakistani territory or not? Is it
possible to reach an understanding with the Taliban if the latter
breaks its ties with the Al-Qaeda? Is the Pakistani military part of
the problem or the solution?
On the last question, Gen. McChrystal minced his words. Senator John
Kerry was a little more direct, noting in Senate hearings earlier this
month that “it has been difficult to build trust with Pakistan’s
military and intelligence services over the years because our
interests have not always been aligned and because ties between the
ISI and Taliban remain troubling.”
Ms. Rao drew attention to those ties when she told a seminar here on
Wednesday that the international community needs to put “effective
pressure on Pakistan to implement its stated commitment to deal with
terrorist groups within its territory, including the members of the Al-
Qaeda, Taliban’s Quetta Shura, Hizb-e-Islami, Lashkar-e-Taiba and
other like-minded terrorist groups.” Without this, she said, it would
be “difficult to forestall the restoration of status quo ante, to a
situation similar to what prevailed prior to 11 September 2001.”
Unfortunately for India, none of the options currently being
considered by the U.S. is very palatable. Much as New Delhi fears
American defeatism, it also knows any expansion in U.S. military
operations in Afghanistan will likely make the situation worse, not
better. Both scenarios, in any case, will increase American dependence
on the Pakistani military, something India sees as fundamentally wrong-
headed.
Preoccupied with finding the optimal military strategy, President
Obama has done little to take forward his promise of seeking a
regional solution. As a target of terror in Afghanistan, India has a
right and an obligation to be more assertive in the quest for a more
rational approach to the Afghan problem.
Sid Harth
Indian arrested with Rs 47 crore worth White Heroin
STAFF WRITER 11:58 HRS IST
Kathmandu, Oct 9 (PTI) In one of the largest drugs seizures in Nepal,
an Indian has been arrested for allegedly possessing 19 kg of White
Heroin worth Rs 47 crores.
Ravikumar Kethandapatti Rangasamy, a resident of Tamil Nadu was
yesterday arrested by Nepal police with the Heroin as he was about to
board a Thai Airways flight on his way to Jakarta via Bangkok from
Tribhuvan International Airport.
White Heroin is the most refined and expensive type of heroin,
according to experts.
Rangasamy had hidden the contraband drug by making false compartments
inside three 15 litre steel flasks, police said.
Further investigation in the matter is on.
Sid Harth
Gilani wants early resumption of Composite Dialogue
STAFF WRITER 19:7 HRS IST
Islamabad, Oct 9 (PTI) Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today said
Pakistan wants early resumption of the Composite Dialogue process with
India for the resolution of all core issues, including Kashmir and
differences over sharing of river waters.
Gilani made the remarks as he wound up a visit to Muzaffarabad, the
capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Talking to reporters, he reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to good
relations with all its neighbours, including India and Afghanistan.
Replying to a question, he said the Kerry-Lugar bill is not a
bilateral agreement with the US and it is thus not binding on Pakistan
to accept it.
The US aid bill is being discussed in parliament and all public
representatives will be given time to air their views on it, he said.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who has returned from a visit
to the US, will brief parliament on the bill.
chhotemianinshallah
Agencies
Posted: Tuesday , Dec 22, 2009 at 0956 hrs
Jammu:
Pak troops opened firing at around 2240 hrs at Kandral border outpost,
drawing retaliation from Indian side.
BSF foiled major infiltration bids by militants to cross into Indian
territory as Pakistani troops fired at two forward posts in the Samba
sector in the wee hours on Tuesday, in the fifth case of ceasefire
violation within a week.
A BSF patrol party noticed some movement of militants at two posts - S
M Pur and S M Pur-one - in Ramgarh subsector of Samba and challenged
the militants, police officials said.
Pakistani troops then opened fire and the BSF retaliated and the
exchange between the two sides continued intermittently for half-an-
hour.The militants later fled.
Inspector General of BSF, Jammu frontier, A K Sarolia said a red alert
has been sounded in the entire border line with Pakistan and
patrolling intensified.
The militants, he said, did not succeed in infiltrating into Jammu and
Kashmir.
Pakistani troops had also opened fire at around 2240 hrs last night at
Kandral border outpost along the international border, drawing
retaliation from BSF personnel.
In a pre-dawn attack on Sunday, border outposts at Londi and Bobiya
were targeted and at a flag meeting held. India had lodged its protest
against ceasefire violation.
On Saturday, a BSF jawan was killed and two others were injured in
cross border firing at Kranti post near LOC in Poonch.
There have been 28 incidents of such ceasefire violations till
November 25 by Pakistan along the Line of Control.
During the last four years there have been 129 incidents of ground
ceasefire and 43 air space violations by Pakistan.
chhotemianinshallah
Thousands cross border to counter U.S. troop surge, commander claims
Top Pakistani Taliban commander Waliur Rehman, left, gives an
interview to the Associated Press in the Shaktoi area of South
Waziristan, Pakistan on Monday.
updated 6:30 a.m. ET, Wed., Dec . 23, 2009
SHAKTOI, Pakistan - Thousands of Pakistani Taliban fighters have been
sent to neighboring Afghanistan to rebuff incoming U.S. troops, a top
Pakistani Taliban commander said. The claim comes as a Pakistani army
offensive is believed to have pushed many of his men to flee their
main redoubt.
Waliur Rehman told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview
Monday night that the Pakistani Taliban remain committed to battling
the army in South Waziristan tribal region, but that they are
essentially waging a guerrilla war.
Rehman is a deputy to Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, and
the man in charge of the group's operations in South Waziristan.
"Since (President Barack) Obama is also sending additional forces to
Afghanistan, we sent thousands of our men there to fight NATO and
American forces," Rehman said. The Afghan "Taliban needed our help at
this stage, and we are helping them."
Col. Wayne Shanks, a U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, called
Rehman's comments "rhetoric" that were not to be believed.
"We have not noticed any significant movement of insurgents in the
border area," he said.
Either stance is nearly impossible to independently verify. Access to
the tribal belt, especially conflict zones, is severely restricted.
Pakistani army spokesmen could not immediately be reached for comment.
First interview
Rehman spoke in a large mud-brick compound in the Shaktoi area of
South Waziristan.
He looked relaxed as a he sat on a carpet surrounded by seven rifle-
toting guards and Azam Tariq, a Taliban spokesman. It was apparently
the first time either he or Hakimullah Mehsud had given an in-person
interview to a journalist since the Pakistani military launched the
ground offensive on Oct. 17.
To meet Rehman, the AP reporter traveled to North Waziristan's town of
Mir Ali and from there was taken by Taliban militants on a six-hour
ride to South Waziristan in a vehicle with tinted windows.
The army sent some 30,000 troops to battle as many as 10,000 militants
in South Waziristan, including hundreds of Uzbek fighters. The
military estimates it has killed around 600 Taliban fighters. Rehman
claimed he'd lost fewer than 20 fighters.
But many of the Pakistani Taliban militants are believed to have fled
to other parts of the tribal belt, a semiautonomous stretch of rugged
territory that runs along the Afghan border. Most were believed to
have gone to North Waziristan, Orakzai and Kurram tribal areas.
The military has launched airstrikes in the latter two regions in
recent weeks, and a full offensive might be in the works there.
Rehman, considered to be the strategic brains behind the Pakistani
Taliban, said most of his fighters had reached Afghanistan and that he
didn't need that many insurgents to take on the military in South
Waziristan.
He said Hakimullah Mehsud was "not far away" and safe. Hakimullah
Mehsud took over the extremist network in August after a U.S. missile
strike killed former commander Baitullah Mehsud.
Claim that bin Laden lives
Earlier this week, fliers signed by Mehsud appeared in North
Waziristan warning Taliban fighters taking refuge there not to cause
problems. It appeared to be an attempt to keep peace with other
militants in that region — some of whom have truces with the
government.
Rehman also said his group would stop attacking Pakistani forces if
Pakistan would sever its ties to the United States.
Since October, militants have launched numerous attacks throughout
Pakistan in a wave of violence that has killed more than 500 people,
many of them civilians.
"We would again become Pakistan's brother if Pakistan ends its support
for America," he said. He claimed that the Taliban only attacked
security forces and disavowed any strikes on civilian targets.
Rehman urged President Barack Obama to focus on shoring up the
beleaguered U.S. economy. "He should know that Americans don't want
war," Rehman said. "He should use this money for the welfare of his
own people."
He further claimed that Osama bin Laden was safe and alive, but that
he had never met the al-Qaida chief in person. Pakistani officials
have long cast doubt on suggestions that bin Laden is hiding in the
tribal belt.
"I know he is in touch with his people and he is communicating with
them to convey his instructions," Rehman said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34570470/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/
chhotemianinshallah
MUZAFFAR RAINA
Srinagar, Dec. 23: A working group appointed by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh has recommended “autonomy to the extent possible” for
Jammu and Kashmir.
“The question of autonomy and its demand can be examined in the light
of the Kashmir accord or in some other manner or on the basis of some
other formula as the present Prime Minister may deem fit and
appropriate so as to restore the autonomy to the extent possible,” the
group headed by former Supreme Court judge Saghir Ahmad has said in
response to a demand from, the National Conference (NC).
Autonomy is the principal demand of the NC, the state’s biggest
mainstream political party that in 2000 passed a resolution in the
Assembly in its favour. The demand was summarily rejected by the NDA
government, saying it was “anti-national”.
State law minister and NC leader Ali Mohammad Sagar said his
department was examining the recommendations. “They have used the term
Kashmir accord and it needs to be ascertained which the pact the group
is referring to,” he said.
The autonomy resolution provided for complete autonomy and only four
segments -- defence, foreign policy, currency and communications –
were to be kept with the Centre. It also sought changing the
nomenclature of chief minister and governor to Prime Minister and
Sadar-e-Riyasat (President), respectively.
Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed these powers and privileges during the early
1950s but there was considerable erosion in the years that followed.
In 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had set up five working groups
to resolve the issues confronting the state on the eve of the second
round table conference on Kashmir. It was then decided to take up
these reports in the third -- yet to be organised -- round table.
The separatists had refused to participate in the conference,
insisting that mainstream parties had no role to play in a Kashmir
solution.
Four working groups had already submitted their reports but the fifth,
which had the most important job of determining New Delhi ’s relations
with Srinagar, was submitted to chief minister Omar Abdullah today
after a long delay because of differences among the political
parties.
The group, in another significant recommendation, has given the people
of Jammu and Kashmir the right to determine the fate of Article 370,
which grants a special status.
“It is for the people of J&K to decide how long to continue Article
370 in its present form and when to make it permanent or abrogate. The
matter being 60 years old, should be settled once an for all,” the
report said, rejecting the demand of the BJP to scrap the provision.
The report, though accepting the demand of autonomy, has left the
options open on the People’s Democratic Party’s self-rule proposal.
“It (self-rule) appears to relate to autonomy in a wider context,
which requires to be considered by the central government if and when
approached with documents containing specific proposals of the self
rule,” the report says, arguing the PDP had not presented the document
containing its various aspects during the course of the proceedings.
PDP’s Muzaffar Baig said they had an impression that more meetings
with the working group were due, the reason they couldn’t submit the
self-rule proposal.
The report has come as a disappointment for several political
organisations in Jammu and Ladakh.
The working group has rejected the demand for Union territory status
for Ladakh. “It is not recommended that the unity and integrity of the
state of Jammu and Kashmir be compromised and the Union territory
status for Ladakh is not recommended,” he said.
The demand for delimitation of Assembly seats raised by Jammu-based
parties, which could have allowed more seats for Jammu has not been
accepted.
“Since there is a constitutional constraint to make any changes till
the year 2026, as a new Delimitation Commission can be set up only
thereafter, the present position may continue,” Justice Saghir has
said.
On the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives unbridled powers
to forces in arresting or killing people, the working group has said
that a group of central and state officials and people’s
representatives may be constituted which will review the application
of the act to various parts of the state regularly to explore the
possibility whether the act can be withdrawn from any part of the
State.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091224/jsp/nation/story_11903574.jsp
chhotemianinshallah
Police said at least three civilians were among those killed in the
attack on Thursday [AFP]
A suicide bomber has killed at least five people and injured many more
in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, after detonating
explosives near an army and police checkpoint, police say.
The blast occurred on Thursday on the city's busy Mall Road, home to
government offices, banks and private companies, an all-girls school,
and a military residential district.
The bomber was targeting the military residences and approached the
checkpoint by foot, Al Jazeera's Imran Khan reported quoting Pakistani
police.
"To get into that area, you have to go through three layers of
security. The bomber got to the first layer of security, where he blew
himself up," he said.
Initial reports said three civilians were among those killed in the
blast, while around 26 people were injured.
"It's very typical of the attacks that we've seen the Pakistani
Taliban claim responsibility for," our correspondent said.
The bomb site is close to a church, where Pakistan's Christian
minority were preparing to celebrate Christmas.
Possible targets
Pakistan has stepped up security during the holy Muslim month of
Muharram, in the run-up to the Shia mourning period of Ashura, and one
of Peshawar's largest Shia mosques is also located nearby.
"There were several targets," Sahibzada Mohammad Anis, the highest-
level Peshawar administration official, said.
"It could have been a Pakistan International Airlines building or a
Shia mosque. There are also several shopping malls in this area."
Hukam Dad Khan, a bomb-disposal expert, said the attacker was wearing
a vest packed with explosives, nails and steel pellets.
"The suicide bomber was trying to cross the checkpoint," Mohammad
Karim Khan, a police officer, told AFP.
"He was on foot. Police stopped him and he blew himself up."
The attack comes two days after a teenage suicide bomber attacked a
journalists' club in the city, killing three people.
Recent attacks
A suicide bomber struck outside a court in Peshawar, killing 11
people, on December 7.
On October 28, a huge car bombing destroyed a market killing 125
people.
Eighteen bomb blasts have struck the city in the last three months,
most of them blamed on Taliban fighters.
A wave of attacks have occurred in Pakistan since October, as fighters
apparently retaliate for an army offensive against the Taliban.
The attacks have killed more than 500 people.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/12/200912246252196392.html
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 14:58 HRS IST
Jammu, Dec 24 (PTI) Criticising Justice (Retd) Sagir Ahmed's report on
Centre-state relations, Jammu and Kashmir BJP today said it has
ignored the sentiments of people of Jammu and Ladakh.
"The report submitted by the Secretary of the commission to Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah has totally ignored the demand of Jammu-based
MLAs seeking an increase in number of Assembly seats, setting up of
delimitation commission and reducing term of assembly to five years to
bring it at par with other assemblies of the country," president Ashok
Khajuria told PTI.
Instead the report says that the Constitutional provision did not
allow any change in number of assembly seats upto 2026, he said adding
this recommendation directly affects the imbalance between Kashmir and
Jammu in terms of representation in the assembly.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/438775_Justice-Sagir-report-ignores-Jammu-and-Ladakh--BJP
Sid Harth
PTI 24 December 2009, 06:42pm IST
LAHORE: A Pakistani court today dismissed a petition seeking asylum in
the name of 'holy war' for five American Muslim youths recently
arrested in the country for allegedly planning terror attacks, saying
that it was not the duty of the judiciary to define 'jihad'.
The Lahore High Court dismissed the petition filed by Khalid Khwaja, a
former Inter-Services Intelligence official now associated with a
rights organisation.
In his petition, Khwaja had contended that the youths came to Pakistan
for 'jihad' (holy war) and since this was not a crime, their detention
is illegal.
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khwaja Mohammad Sharif, who heard the
petition, observed that it was not the duty of the court to define
'jihad'. The judge did not comment further and dismissed the
petition.
Khwaja also asked the court to direct authorities to grant the youths
asylum in Pakistan as the US administration might "not spare them".
He claimed the accused are innocent of any wrongdoing, either through
their actions or intentions.
"They are being suspected of a crime they never committed nor ever
intended to commit. In such a case, the US constitution protects all
its citizens of wrongful accusations and wrongful imprisonment.
We must have faith in our system of laws that they will seek out truth
and deliver justice," Khwaja said in his petition.
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 18:46 HRS IST
Islamabad, Dec 25 (PTI) Pakistani security forces backed by fighter
jets today pounded Taliban hideouts in Orakzai and Swat regions in the
restive north-west killing 14 militants and injuring eight others,
officials said.
Fighter jets bombed militant hideouts in the Orakzai tribal region and
killed 10 militants. Eight others were injured when the jets dropped
bombs, officials said.
Two hideouts and four vehicles were destroyed.
Officials said the aircraft targeted militant hideouts but local
residents claimed women and children were among the dead and injured.
Four militants were killed in fierce clashes with security forces in
the northwestern Swat valley this morning, officials said.
Troops launched an operation in the area after getting intelligence
reports about the presence of militants.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said earlier this month that
security forces could launch an operation in Orakzai Agency.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/440582_Pakistani-security-forces-kill-14-Taliban-militants
Sid Harth
BJP rejects J&K autonomy panel report
Vinay Kumar
The Hindu A file photo of BJP leader Arun Jaitley
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday rejected the report of the
Prime Minister’s Working Group, which has recommended autonomy for
Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was an “improperly prepared” document
intended to convey the government’s willingness to “dilute” its
position on the State.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior BJP leader and
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, who was a member
of the Working Group, said the Centre should not act on the report on
the “sensitive political issue” having bearing on national sovereignty
as it was not based on consensus but “unilaterally authored.”
He said the last meeting of the 21-member Working Group, headed by
former Supreme Court Judge Justice Saghir Ahmed and including leaders
of political parties, was held on September 3, 2007 and the Group was
virtually abandoned since then.
“What was the compulsion to bypass the Working Group and produce the
report? It is surprising that this Group has come out with the report
on various important and sensitive issues,” Mr. Jaitley said.
He contended that it was “improper for a retired judge to have drafted
a report on sensitive political subjects impinging on national
sovereignty, that too two years after the last meeting of the Group
without bothering to discuss it with any member” of the committee.
“I have an uneasy feeling that the government wants to show to some
sections of the international community that it is willing to dilute
the Indian position on Jammu and Kashmir. Is this report showcased for
that purpose?”
Arguing that a “judge by training is not competent” to comment on
sensitive political issues, he said a judge “can only adjudicate
issues that are judicially determinable” and that “it is an improper
practice to drag judges into the political thicket.”
In the Group comprising representatives of the Congress, the BJP, the
National Conference, the PDP, the Panthers Party and groups of various
Kashmiri Pandits, “no consensus could ever be possible,” Mr. Jaitley
said.
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article70649.ece
chhotemianinshallah
Pranava K Chaudhary, TNN 26 December 2009, 12:40am IST
PATNA: Associate professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, Rahul Ramagundam,
was assaulted, abused and branded a Naxalite by Bihar police for
daring to ask the cops why the hutments belonging to Musahars -- among
the most backward of Scheduled Castes -- were being demolished.
Ramagundam, who teaches at Dr K R Narayanan Centre for Dalit and
Minorities Studies at JMI, was thrashed and abused and called a
Naxalite by Khagaria police at Amausi village. His local companion was
also manhandled and beaten up by lathi-wielding police constables and
officers. The incident took place on December 22.
"How could asking just one question lead to such physical violence?
How can one be called a Naxalite and assaulted and humiliated like
this," asked Ramagundam.
Amausi had hit headlines on October 1 when 16 villagers, mostly OBCs
(Kurmi), were killed allegedly by Musahars. The village has some 300
Musahar families who live in thatched huts.
"On December 22, I rode pillion on the motorbike of Varun Choudhry, a
grassroots activist with Khagaria-based NGO Samta, to go to Amausi.
When we reached, the village was in turmoil. The cops were breaking
thatched houses of people who were said to be absconding. Shankar
Sada, whom Varun met in the village, took us to the place where the
police party had camped before taking up the rip-and-strip job,"
Ramagundam said.
"Just as we spoke, a police party arrived and pulled down the thatched
roof and walls of a hut. I couldn't control myself. I asked the cops
if they had any written orders to pull down the houses of the
absconding accused.
"A tall uniformed man stared at me. Instead of answering, he asked me
my identity. I teach in Delhi, I told him. 'Name?' I told him.
'Father's name?' I told him. But even before I could take out my
identity card, he turned hostile. By then, I was surrounded by the
rest of the cops. They roughed me up and thrashed my colleague, Varun,
who suffered a fracture," said Ramagundam.
"They had guns. A constable in green fatigues called me a Naxalite and
moved menacingly to break the cordon around me," he said.
After meeting Khagaria SP Anusya Rannsingh Sodhi, Ramagundam lodged a
complaint asking whether people had the right to ask police for
written orders before dismantling houses of the "poorest of the
poor".
The Khagaria SP said she would conduct an inquiry and take appropriate
action. She added that she would not take action against anyone merely
on the basis of Ramagundam's statement. Ramagundam is author of two
books, 'Defeated Innocence' on the Adivasi struggle for land rights in
Madhya Pradesh in 2001 and 'Gandhi's Khadi: A History of Contention
and Conciliation'.
chhotemianinshallah
Pakistani officials say group wanted to join Al Qaeda
By Shaiq Hussain
Washington Post / December 26, 2009
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Authorities said yesterday that they plan to
recommend criminal charges against the five Virginia men recently
arrested in this country, a development that could delay or prevent
the men’s handover to the United States.
The five have been in detention since their arrest two weeks ago, but
they have not yet been criminally charged. A senior police official in
the city of Sargodha, where the men were arrested, said investigators
had concluded the five intended to join extremist organizations and
“get involved in terrorist acts.’’
Police plan to recommend terrorism charges to the court once their
investigation has concluded, said the official, Tahir Gujar. The
decision on whether to prosecute ultimately will be made by the court.
Terrorism charges, if proven, could lead to lifetime prison sentences.
A US Embassy spokesman in Islamabad declined to comment on the
developments and referred questions to the Justice Department.
US officials have said in the past that the men are likely to be
deported to the United States, where they also could face criminal
prosecution.
The men, who range in age from 18 to 24, left the United States
shortly after Thanksgiving without the knowledge of their parents, who
later alerted authorities that they were missing.
Pakistani police and intelligence officials have said the men - Ramy
Zamzam, 22; Ahmad A. Minni, 20; Umar Chaudhry, 24; Waqar Khan, 22; and
Aman Hassan Yemer, 18 - were in contact for months with a Taliban
recruiter.
Yesterday, a local court in Sargodha granted police 10 more days to
hold the men for additional questioning. A police official, Amir
Abbas, told the judge that the students had mentioned a Pakistani
nuclear power plant in northwest Punjab Province in a saved message in
their joint e-mail account, but said more evidence needed to be
collected.
Officials say the men hoped to join Al Qaeda and work with jihadist
groups to battle US-led forces across the border in Afghanistan, an
aspiration that their D.C.-area friends and religious advisers have
said they never detected.
The detainees are accused of using Facebook and YouTube to try to
connect with extremist groups in Pakistan.
“We have seized maps of a Pakistan air force base in Sargodha and some
sensitive installations at Chashma Barrage outside the town,’’ police
official Nazir Ahmad said yesterday, according to the Associated
Press. The Chashma Barrage includes a major water reservoir and large
power plants that were installed by China.
Ahmad said police are trying to track down a Taliban recruiter called
Saifullah whom they allege was in touch with the five suspects, AP
reported.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
chhotemianinshallah
gunrunning racket
Satya Prakash, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, December 25, 2009
First Published: 21:24 IST(25/12/2009)
Last Updated: 21:28 IST(25/12/2009)
Even as the Defence Ministry acts against senior Army officers in
illegal sale of prohibited weapons and imported arms to criminals,
several Rajasthan government officers allegedly involved in the
gunrunning scandal are roaming free for over two years for want of
sanction to prosecute them.
According to an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court by Sriganganagar
Additional Superintendent of Police Rajan Dushyant, sanction for
prosecution was yet to be obtained against as many as 23 officials,
including former Additional District Magistrates of Sriganganagar
Rajendra Makkar and Lalchand Okha. Dushyant is the officer-in-charge
appointed by the state government in the case.
These officials allegedly connived with gun dealers and criminals and
by taking improper advantage of their official position did the
illegal works pertaining to bore alteration, change of address,
permission for additional weapon without police report and
verification of address.
The affidavit has been filed in response to a public-interest petition
filed in 2007 by advocate Arvind Kumar Sharma seeking a CBI probe into
the gunrunning scandal, allegedly involving army and Rajasthan
Government officials. Sharma alleged that ‘prohibited/Non Service
Pattern (NSP)bore weapons obtained from army personnel through the
Central Ordnance Depot, Jabalpur were being sold to the general public
and criminals in violation of the Arms Act, 1959.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony told the Rajya Sabha on December 3 that
action had been initiated against retired and serving Army officers,
including two Major Generals and two Brigadiers for selling NSP
weapons illegally in grey market. Antony said administrative/
disciplinary action had been initiated against 41 Army officers, a
junior commissioned officer and four retired Army officers for selling
NSP weapons in violation of rules.
Earlier, the Defence Ministry had admitted before the SC that senior
Army officers were involved in the scandal. The headquarters, South
Western Command had ordered the court of inquiry three days after the
Hindustan Times first reported on September 5, 2007 that Indian Army
officers had been selling their personal weapons illegally in the grey
market with the help of a cartel of ammunition dealers in border
districts of Rajasthan.
The Army’s action against its officers was based on a list (of those
involved in the scandal) provided by Sriganganagar District Collector.
Interestingly, the state government has yet to grant sanction to
prosecute its own officers allegedly involved in the scandal.
According to the affidavit, in one of the seven cases (FIR No. 237/07,
P.S. Kotgate, Bikaner), “the original record of Harisharan Vyaparik
Pratisthan, Bikaner has not been available yet and due to want of
same, the records of other gun dealers could not be matched with stock
register and sale register.
The various gun-dealers relating to the…case are yet to be summoned
and investigated/interrogated.” This happened after the file of the
case was handed over to Special and Economic Offence, CID, C.B.,
Rajasthan, Jaipur “as per the directions of higher officials.”
The Rajasthan government has already admitted before the court that
hundreds of illegal arms licences were issued to criminal elements,
including those from Punjab, in the border district of Sriganganagar
in connivance with state officials. In March 2009, the state
government had admitted before SC that irregularities had been found
in 325 cases, out of which 227 licences had been cancelled and 98
cases were under consideration.
In at least 41 cases, arms licences were illegally issued to persons
with a criminal background from Punjab after Ferozepur authorities
refused to issue/renew their licences, the state had admitted.
The Sriganganagar police had registered seven cases in this regard,
wherein two additional district magistrates and employees of the
district collector’s office were made accused and the matter was
probed by the CID (CB). But chargesheets had not been filed in three
of these cases either the investigations were on or for want of
sanction to prosecute the accused.
chhotemianinshallah
ANI Saturday, December 26, 2009 14:34 IST
Lahore: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) Swat chapter has said
that it is ready to accept the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman
Imran Khan as a mediator for talks with the government in order to
restore peace in the region.
In his taped message, Swat Taliban commander Nooruddin Muhammad alias
Abu Akash described Imran as a 'true patriot'. Muhammad said Imran is
a 'pro-Muslim politician', whom the Taliban can trust as an
intermediary.
"Unlike other politicians, Imran hasn't sold out his soul. His Qibla
is still the holy Ka'aba," the commander said in his Pashto language
message. Muhammed said the Taliban's main policy is to stop the
Pakistan government from toeing the US' line.
"We are Pakistanis and we don't want to harm our country. Our
objection is to the government's policy of toeing the US line and
fighting its own people at the behest of America," The News quoted
Muhammed, as saying.
"They (political leaders) should learn a lesson from the fate of
Musharraf who too followed the American agenda. Unfortunately,
Pakistan is ruled by politicians who live in Washington and London
before coming to power and go back to these places after losing
power," he added.
He blamed the Central Investigation Agency (CIA) and the Indian
intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for the recent
terror strikes in shopping markets and other public places, and said
that the militants only attacked security forces and law-enforcement
agencies in retaliation after their homes were bombed and their family
members were killed in military operations.
Muhammed also rejected reports about Swat Taliban chief Mullah
Fazlullah's death and said is safe and has taken refuge in a secure
place.
Jiten
My campaign in U.K has been going on for over thirty-years, 30+saal.
All are welcome to let the British High & Low commissions know that
our kith & kin (including both my elder brothers, deceased, who held
the King's Commission), put our lives on the line in their World Wars;
but NOT for the host of Jewish/Xtian culprits named:
Below is a copy of what I distribute to the public here in U.K :
Ex-zionist Indian father's 30+years campaign in UK: Jews
prove Hitler right
Let loose dogs of the just COPS Gazette
Editor/publisher (40yrs): Jiten Bardwaj
For all but forty years I have been naming the culprits, mostly Jewish
aka wadjua – white as death juden uber alles – and distributing CG
whether contesting elections to parliament or not. Jews ‘legally’ tore
apart my young family and usurped our house, followed by their leak-
proof cover-up of perverting the course of justice.
Miracles have saved me from legal brutalities: from being certified
insane, ‘life’ in Pentonville prison etc. The court clerks, Tunstall
in Luton, a nameless young fogey in St Albans and Paul Fellingham in
Herts (Stevenage), all excelled each other in colluding with police
and Jews to keep on slapping trumped-up charges on me. [Paul Felli’m
is still going-on].
My last two forays in the parliamentary by-elections were: Brent East
in 2003, Leicester South in 2004.
Gerry Silver was the sole ‘expert finance witness’ in the usurpation
of our house, (otherwise not one witness was on the other side, not
even my wife in the divorce proceedings, I had three witnesses, all
English-born and bred). The nazified legalese was engineered by
lawyers Nathan Miller (apartheid-born and trained South African Jew)
of Miller & Co, then by David Young of Williams & Co of Ampthill Beds,
their counsels were Francis Phillimore and Ms C Miskin -versus- me.
Fast forward to 30+years, I was hauled-up to the Stevenage court (Paul
Fellingham perverts the course of justice as do the magistrates). I
was charged with the alleged offence of doing more than 30mph on the
A505, Letchworth. I appeared at the court on 24 Nov 06. But no police
there, nor any excuse. Magistrates adjourned the hearing despite my
objections. I am no danger to the public, with more than fifty years
of blameless driving.
The next hearing was set for 15 Feb 2007. Again no police in court!
The magistrates postpone the case yet again, the police and they
themselves are above the law. The third go was on 4 June 2007, the
magistrates were threatening me with warnings. A person was already in
the witness box, no name was given and there were no papers or photos
to show, nothing except the continuing warnings to me.
What brand of British justice is this, for I was found guilty. Is it
for such racist nonsense that millions of my kith & kin put their
lives on the line to help Britain win both world wars? I had turned-
out for the Six-day war.
Next stop Crown Court Luton on 19 Oct 07, what a carry-on. No evidence
was taken, nor was there any note from Felli'ham about the 4-June-
fantomime in his court.
I had hired a lawyer who hired a barrister PeHoofer? who advised me to
withdraw the appeal which I did for I could not follow the legalese.
If this was my disqualification for a year, why did the police not
arrest me any day in the next Ten Months? For suddenly am arrested
twice in a few weeks after ten months had gone.
On 29 August 08 I was arrested and hand-cuffed by PC Clawson of
Stevenage, why? Because of driving while disqualified! No court had
sent me a letter to say I was disqualified to drive for a year, nor
the DVLA told me to return my driving license, for I still had it on
me and showed it to the PC, nor did any court inform the motor
insurance world that my car insurance is cancelled forthwith.
I was released later that night and rescued my car after the weekend,
upon paying close to £150. A court hearing date was set.
On 26 Sept 08 I was arrested in Cambridge by PC Kinsey and his
sidekick. I showed them the driving license. Here no hand-cuffs but
Kinsey was chuffed-up, having got a coloured locked-up in police cell.
My car was sent miles away northwards. Kinsey had imposed a special
condition of his own making before I could get my car back, if ever.
That put paid to my car, hope he got a grand-cut from the sale of it.
He is destined to fill the London police top post that is vacant. [No
more]
Verdict of guilty against me in Cambridge court on 10 Nov, Ms C Blower
the clerk was in her element, I was given another year’s
disqualification and fines. This time the DVLA was prompt in demanding
the return of my driving license which I did.
Amazing how lies upon nazi Jews/Xtian British lies can make a small
fortune for liars in the courts, police and the civilian keepers of
the cars seized by the police. It keeps the (skin) colourful in their
place except yours truly, its safer to shout from roof-top.
Here be names of some more strip-, oop, cover-up artistes, of crimes
against me: QCs Leon Britain, Michael Howard & Lord Janner, Rt Hons
Jack Straw, David Blunket, Jackie Smith; MPs Marion Roe, O Heald, P
Lilley, David Howarth,* et al. (Why don’t they haul me up in court to
'clear their names'?)
All the wadjua have given full support to their Semitic kith & kin
like Miller, Miskin, Silver & Co, who perverted the course of justice
so as to satisfy the paedophile among them and having the child's
divorced English mother too. Not to mention the proceeds from the
usurped house and car.
Arrested by PC GR Gasby on 9 Jan 2009 in Stevenage for distributing
CG. Anyone help me sue police for wrongful arrest & detention?
Ex-zionist Jiten Bardwaj, editor COPS Gazette - just an arresting
name- also doer of Yoga & Meditation. The wadjua prove Hitler right.
PS/NB:Beware of lawyers Peter Chong LL.B of Woodhouse-Smith & Co,
Chalfont St Peter, Bucks and Gouri Gupta of HS&A,Wealdstone Harrow,
Middx, both corrupt & liars. Aug 2009, minor amendments: Oct /Nov
2009.
* & beware of Ms Esther Rantzen in Luton, Denis MacShane MP, the
Brothers Miliband (Moribund?) MPs. 'Cover-up' is their motto.
On Dec 25, 7:22 pm, Sid Harth <sharth...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> NEW DELHI, December 26, 2009
> BJP rejects J&K autonomy panel report
> Vinay Kumar
>
> The Hindu A file photo of BJP leader Arun Jaitley
>
> The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday rejected the report of the
> Prime Minister’s Working Group, which has recommended autonomy for
> Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was an “improperly prepared” document
> intended to convey the government’s willingness to “dilute” its
> position on the State.
> on various important and sensitive issues,” Mr. Jaitley said.
>
> He contended that it was “improper for a retired judge to have drafted
> a report on sensitive political subjects impinging on national
> sovereignty, that too two years after the last meeting of the Group
> without bothering to discuss it with any member” of the committee.
>
Sid Harth
Pakistan 'militants' kill official and family members
Militants in Pakistan have blown up the house of a local official,
killing him and five members of his family.
Sarbraz Saddiqi, a government official in Kurram district, his wife
and four children were killed in the attack, a police official said.
Sunday morning's attack came as the family were asleep.
No-one has admitted planting the bomb. But the police spokesman said
it could be linked to a Pakistan army offensive against the Taliban in
the area.
The army has captured territory in South Waziristan, a hotbed of
Islamic militancy, but many insurgents are believed to have fled to
nearby regions, including Kurram.
Small children killed
The attack occurred in Mosu Zai village, about 200km (125 miles) from
the north-western city of Peshawar.
"Unknown miscreants planted dynamite around the house and exploded it
between 0200 (2100 GMT) and 0300 and the house was destroyed," Abab
Ali, a local official told AFP news agency.
"Those killed were aged five to 11," he said.
"We don't know whether the Taliban, terrorists or Shias were
responsible," Mr Ali said.
But police officer Naeemullah Khan said the attack appeared to be
linked to the army's efforts against the Taliban militants in the
area.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8431677.stm
Sid Harth
December 27, 7:25 AM
The five men, U.S. nationals, arrested in Pakistan on December 9, 2009
on charges of planning terrorist attacks in both Pakistan and
Afghanistan, allegedly revealed their intentions to police on Friday.
Reports of the interrogation said that the intended target was the
Chashma Nuclear Power Plant, and that the act would be on the behest
of the Taliban.
The use of the internet in the recruitment of these five suspects
raises the fear that this method of of bringing potential members from
around the world into the fold by terrorist groups has been honed and
perfected. In order to further interrogate the five, the police in
Pakistan won a court order to extend the stay until January 5, 2010.
chhotemianinshallah
Posted On Thursday, December 24, 2009
As the current policy is not working, what is the point in displaying
goodwill gestures to a country that fails to respond despite all
evidence? If Pakistan has to act only after being warned by the US,
there is no point wasting time in drafting bilateral treaties that
remain only on paper -Sushil Vakil
It is becoming increasingly apparent that Pakistan is not inclined to
oblige New Delhi by handing over more than forty terrorists whose
involvement has already been established in many heinous crimes in
India. The way Pakistan is changing its tone and tune each passing
day one is reminded of a game played by children in both the
countries- catch me if you can? More than else it has become a
routine with the Pakistan leadership to first commit on an important
issue and later backtrack on the same. Ironically, instead of taking
steps as desired by India, Government of Pakistan summoned the
Indian deputy high commissioner the other day to its foreign office
and conveyed concerns over last week's violation of Pakistani airspace
by Indian Air Force jets. Pakistan's defiance and changing tactics
is leaving India with no choice except war.
Suggestively, Pakistan is not at all serious about combating terrorism
as the actions taken by it have been no more than an eyewash. The fact
remains that the so called banned or sealed sites are functioning
normally. Besides the Pakistani government is in a defiant mood.
Evidently, the world community cannot expect political action from
it, given the precarious situation it is in.
Zardari's touching narrative on the threat posed by the religious
fanatics gave rise to speculations that Pakistan will dismantle well-
established terrorist groups on its soil. But now, it appears that
his government is not strong or bold enough to go beyond a point. This
fact has been corroborated by Nawaz Sharief former Pakistan
President and an important ally in the government. Pakistan presents
the picture of a failed and ungovernable state and the problems
facing the country can be overcome if the government abides by the
Murree Declaration in letter and spirit, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif said recently.
Whether Pakistan takes any action against terrorists or not yet the
chill has started costing dearly for both the countries. Cricket- the
game which has been uniting the people on the two sides of LoC has
become its first causualty. The Government of India has called off
cricket tour of Pakistan scheduled next month, formally sealing the
fate of the series in protest against the terror attacks in Mumbai.
The next casualty is likely to be peace and bilateral talks between
the two sides.
It is alive in the eyes of the world that after every attack Pakistan
is playing the game of hide and seek. In 1999, when Masood Azhar
walked away from the hijacked IC-814 Air India plane towards the
wilderness of Kandahar desert, Pakistan was asserting that they never
knew him and assured India that if he reached Pakistani soil he would
be arrested and tried. Where is he now and should we believe that the
democratically-elected government in Pakistan will do justice to
India?
As the current policy is not working, what is the point in displaying
goodwill gestures to a country that fails to respond despite all
evidence? If Pakistan has to act only after being warned by the US,
there is no point wasting time in drafting bilateral treaties that
remain only on paper. A country kneeling before the US for funds and
arms needs to be attacked militarily. Moreover, enormous international
pressure is needed for Pakistan to discover that there are higher
priority issues than protecting Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim.
Undoubtedly, India is soft on terror. While the 9/11 attacks led the
US to completely revamp its security systems- internal and external-
despite repeated attacks, we are still pondering over the ifs and
buts with no concrete measures taken. There seems to be only one
option left for India and it is to destroy the terror camps and bases
established in Pakistan. India has deployed naval ships and put
fighter planes on standby across the country. The fighters are fully
armed with different varieties of missiles. All squanders have been
looked into and are now on a high alert. Bangalore, Delhi, Jammu and
Kashmir and Chennai air force have also been on high alert. The
Indian navy has deployed 18 ships capable of playing combat roles in
the western part.
Rightly, it is high time India should start the air strikes in
Pakistan, which is the main station of the terrorists and thereby
destroy the camps and bases where they are being trained.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=22605
chhotemianinshallah
Posted On Saturday, November 07, 2009
We are aware of the fact that many Indian soldiers have lost their
lives in the conflict between the two countries. Battle never becomes
a permanent solution for any problem because it not only involves the
people who are directly participating in the war but also others who
are away from it. The post-war consequences are desperately harmful
making the existence of the people difficult. People never wish to
have wars. Instead they prefer to have silent treaties which leads to
happy lives without any life threatening disturbances. Hence for the
sake of fast development of our country, India we should avoid any war
with Pakistan or in fact any other country. Rather we should opt for
dialogue for resolution of the problems. This is in the interest of
the people of all countries.
Prathyusha P
We have our strong culture which has strong faith in peace and harmony
'Shanti' [Om dyau shanti, antariksha gvan shantih, prithvih shanti,
aaph shanti, aushadhayh shanti vanaspatayh shanti, vishvedeva shanti,
brahma shanti, sarva-a-shanti shantirev shanti sama shantiredhi'].
So these lines indicate that peace should be everywhere. But today we
are suffering from terrorism. Pakistan is promoting terrorism in
India.
In manpower (Army) we are second in the world. But our Army's name is
defense, not attack. It indicates that we love peace. But when any
one tries to destroy our peaceful culture we should fight against it,
and there is nothing harm in it.
`Gita says that if we die in the battle, we will go to heaven and if
we win, we will enjoy the power on earth'. Battle is also necessary to
maintain peace. Battle should be fought to make every body happy and
prosperous.
'Sarve bhavantu sukhinah
Sarve santu niraamayaah'
Mayank Mishra
No. That is not the solution. A war with Pakistan would kill lakhs of
innocent people who had nothing to do with country politics. Because
of the whims of the political leaders' of Pakistan, enmity between the
two countries has been going on since the day united India was
divided. Instead of trying to keep peace and order and find out ways
and means for economic development Pakistan attacked India in the year
1948 to merge Kashmir with that country. India was taken unawares but
drove the Pakistan Army out within few days. The biggest mistake
committed by India at that time was to allow Pakistan to occupy the
attacked portion of Kashmir until the dispute was settled later and
since then it is called Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). Since then
Pakistan has been prodding India off and on. They have been funding
the separatist forces in Kashmir since a long time. We got another
chance to teach Pakistan a 'Lesson' when they tried to destroy the
democratic movement in East Pakistan in the year 1972. India
intervened and around a lakh military personnel including senior
officers were made prisoner in East Pakistan. Ignoring international
pressure Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi could have bargained
with Pakistan President and got back the POK to India. Now POK has
become training centre and hideout of all Muslim terrorists. Just
because of the Muslim terrorists image of Indian Muslims is tarnished.
Even American President Barak Obama is aware that whatever money is
given to Pakistan to maintain that country's poor economy is used for
keeping terrorists who attack India as and when they desire. Mumbai
terrorist attack last November is the latest example. If destroying
Pakistan by force would have solved the problem of Muslim terrorism,
America would have done so long ago, immediately after twin towers in
New York was destroyed, killing more than 6000. Initiating peace talks
with Pakistan is of no use. They have only one agenda for any meeting
- hand over Kashmir. Pressurizing the international community to
desist Pakistan from terrorist activities may help to some extent. At
the same time our country should progress on all fronts and our
defense forces strengthened to the envy of even the developed
countries. Pakistan, China or any other country should think ten times
before making a plan to attack India.
Jyoti Rai
Today our country is facing trouble from almost all of its neighbours,
be it China for its infiltration bids or Bangladesh for its terrorist
activities. But in the eyes of most Indians, Pakistan is the prominent
one among all the trouble makers. May be such a perspective or
thinking may be a result of years of distrust between the two
neighbours. But, battle with Pakistan is in no way key to peace in
India.
Battle and peace are like two opposite poles of a magnet. Battle with
Pakistan can help us in acquiring more land or to impose our
superiority over our neighbours but can never lead to peace.
I think that it is wrong on our part to brand Pakistan as a terrorist
nation. Yes, even if Pakistan is involved in terrorist activities, it
is unjust to brand it as a terrorist nation because the whole of
Pakistan is not responsible for it and neither the whole of Pakistan
is in support of terrorism. That's why I strongly feel that battle
against terrorism is more appropriate and justified than battle
against Pakistan.
Also, one cannot just turn a blind eye on various problems, strifes,
rebellions etc arising in India itself. The threat of Naxalism and
Maoists has become bigger than ever. People are being abducted, cops
beheaded, trains taken control of by the so-called Maoists or
Naxalites. What such people are doing is venting out their
dissatisfaction against the way they have been treated by the society.
For peace to return, the government has to take some very sincere
steps like the ensuring of foolproof security at the borders and at
all entry points to our nation. The government's inability to ensure
this was cruelly exposed in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. In case of
internal problems like Naxalism, the government should find out the
reasons for dissatisfaction among the people and should try to remove
these causes at the earliest. In case of external problems like
terrorism, arising out of foreign lands, the government should firstly
hold diplomatic talks with their counterparts. If the talks fail, then
wage a battle- battle against terrorism and not battle against
Pakistan or for that matter any other country. There lies the key!
Alby Joseph
No. That would trigger off the Third World War and we will be blamed
for the same. History teaches us that at any rate battle is not the
ultimate solution. Remember what happened in Vietnam. After 25 years
of war with that country America had to withdraw from there without
gaining anything, except losing face. America tried in Afghanistan to
destroy the Taliban and could not. The most difficult problems we face
are both Muslim Countries in our neighbourhood could not be trusted.
We helped to create Bangladesh. Now that country harbours terrorists
who attack India. Pakistanis can never be trusted. They would talk of
peace today and about Kashmir tomorrow. Whether it is military
government or democratically elected, they always harp on Kashmir as
if they cannot live without it. Most of the educated new generation in
Pakistan hates India because they were taught that way. A national
newspaper correspondent based in Bhopal was posted to Islamabad some
two decades ago. Once when he went to meet a Pakistan official in his
residence a five-year old granddaughter of the official came into the
room. The elderly man told her that this is his Hindustani friend.
Immediately the girl reacted to the embarrassment of the official:
"Hindustani kutte" (Indians are dogs). The children are taught that
way at that time. This would never happen in our country. At this rate
how can relationship between the neighbours improve? But, then, who
want to improve the relationships? During Bangladesh War the then
Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had said 'We will continue
our war with Hindustan for a thousand years.' Within a few days Bhutto
had to touch feet of Indira Gandhi at the time of Simla Agreement to
save his own skin. Even if India wants to live in peace with every
country, particularly with her neighbours, Pakistan, Bangladesh and
now China have other things in mind. Now that the terrorists have
turned against Pakistan, they are having taste of their own dish. I am
sure the terrorists will teach a 'Lesson' to Pakistan Government who
was their godfather till date. I will be surprised if some disgruntled
elements in Pakistan Government are not supporting the terrorists
through the back door. We cannot expect peace in our country with such
sort of neighbours like Pakistan, China and Bangladesh. Peace in the
sub continent can be brought only if all countries are willing. But
that would never happen.
Rajiv Nair
This is a very delicate and sensitive subject. It's span is very vast
and wide, because, it involves the security of persons more than 100
crores. The decision to wage war against any country can only be taken
by government and any individual cannot take any appropriate decision.
The government has many agencies like Intelligence Bureau, Research
and Analysis Wing, Military Intelligence & other various secret and
international sources. Therefore, the real situation is only known to
government. Hence, it would be better to trust government in the
interest of the nation. No doubt at present position of India is very
critical as the activities of neighbouring countries are very hostile.
India's wise policy is Gandhian policy of non-violence. Recently, our
prime-minister had acted very wisely to diffuse tensions by gaining a
very supportive statement from American President who said 'Manmohan
is part of my family.' The Chinese Prime Minister also gave a very
favourable statement on October 24, 2009, when they met Mr. Manmohan
Singh recently in Thailand. On October 27, 2009 there was a meeting of
Foreign Minister of Russia, China and India at Bangalore and they took
decision to fight terrorism and diffuse tensions.
Hon'ble President and Hon'ble Sonia Gandhi's role is also very
significant and crucial to have cordial relations with U.S.A., China
and Russia. Hence, politicians have succeeded in diffusing tension
considerably.
Pakistan is already at war with terrorists of their own country and
suffering very heavy losses. In the present circumstances, a battle
with Pakistan is not at all feasible and advisable. The politician of
all parties should combine and honestly assist the government to curb
and control anti-social elements and specially terrorists who are very
active in our country. This internal growth of violence is a burning
problem which needs to be curved with an iron hand and so strength of
army and police needs to be raised to an effective level to meet the
current law and order problem. Wiping out corruption and control of
prices is the need of the day to enhance economy and relief to the
poor people.
BB Dubey
Wars and battles never usher in peace. Battles, unless imposed, should
as far as possible be avoided. There is no issue under the sky,
however, contentious it may be, which cannot be sorted out or mutually
agreed upon if there is a will and determination to do so. This logic
applies to India and Pakistan as well as any other country all over
the world.
As we are discussing peace with Pak in this column, Pakistan is
burning of its own creation Taliban and other terrorist outfits were
groomed by Pakistani establishment sometimes clandestinely and
sometimes openly as warring counter-weight against India in Kashmir
and Punjab and against Russia in Afghanistan . Lately it is JEHAD on
all the non-muslim world. Surprisingly even the staunch Islamic
countries of the world are not supporting Pak-sponsored religious
battles with neighbours, as such an ideology is archaic and barbaric.
Yet the democle's sword of a war with Pakistan has always been hanging
over India .
When Pak President Asif Ali Zardari, in one of his speeches, exuded
warmth by saying that Indians and Pakistanis are historical cousins,
it was felt that both the countries would now come closer to each
other emotionally and the cries of war and battle would be deleted
from the dictionaries of the ruling class. But it didn't happen. On
the other hand, the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks further diluted the
bond of relations and since then both the countries are virtually on a
diplomatic battleground which may draw them close to war any moment.
Having said so, to conclude battle or war with nuclear powered
countries like India and Pakistan can never be a key to peace. It
would only end up in a total disaster. There can be no peace between
these nations unless they resume dialogue and sort out gradually all
outstanding issues in an atmosphere of mutual trust and warmth. Would
it ever happen?
Krishna Chander Mouli
The conflict between India and Pakistan started after independence
when India was divided into two as a strategy of the Britishers. Since
then there had been war between both the countries. The main reason
behind the Indo-Pak conflict is the issue of Jammu & Kashmir. As we
all know that after India got independence the Britishers divided the
country into two ie India and Pakistan. When most of the states
started joining either of the two countries but Jammu & Kashmir
decided to be an individual state. But Pakistan later attacked Jammu &
Kashmir.
At this time J&K sought the help of India and India decided to help
J&K on the condition that it would come under the jurisdiction of
India. After J&K agreed, India sent there army and defeated Pakistan.
This led to the breakdown in the relationship of both the countries.
But later the officials of both the countries agreed to talk, but till
now there has been no result.
Saying about the situation in India due to the continuous attack of
Pakistan based terrorist group, it has been a great headache to India.
These groups are causing a great fluctuation to peace in India. The
latest example was the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. In my opinion battle with
Pakistan is not a key to peace in India, because it will only result
in more tension among the countries. Through battle we cannot derive
any result but only waste our money and human resource. Mainly we
don't have to battle but have to take steps and come together and
battle terrorism. At last it would be better to say that betel between
India and Pakistan is not the key to peace but battling with terrorism
is the only key for peace not only in India but to the rest of the
world too.
Priyesh Jhawar
A war or battle is never a good thing. It takes away hundreds of
lives, leaving behind thousands of widows and orphans. The financial
burden due to war affects the economy of the country.
Since independence Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India
and Pakistan . The latter has desired to grab Kashmir, an integral
part of India , fought many wars against India but always lost them
due to excellent bravery of our soldiers. On the other hand, India has
always tried to reconsider and wanted normalcy in the region. The
Indian government has declared, time and again, for maintaining
friendly relations with her neighboring countries. It has no intention
of interfering in the internal affairs of any country. But, after
Pakistan lost every war with India , it started terrorism by sending
intruders into India specially in Punjab and Kashmir , to achieve its
goal.
Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi laid great emphasis for the need
to live in peace with neighbours. Similarly, Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru laid
down five principles for peace called `Panchsheel'.
No war in history has ever brought peace to any of its people. The
victor or the vanquished of war, brings in its trail, untold
sufferings.
Our life on this planet is short. Let us learn to live in peace
together because we are all children of the one supreme God Almighty.
PS Pawar
Pakistant is not conducive for talks as its present political leaders
do not have the faith of their people. There is no leadership or
governance and the country is bleeding almost everyday. Pakistan 's
peace is under trouble by Taliban and other terrorist organisations.
Their leaders unable to find solutions show their ire on India through
various irrelevant allegations. While Pak wage a war against Taliban
due to pressure from US they do not want to act against them for
Taliban's activities against India.
But since the time is not for talk with Pak - it does not mean we have
a solution in war with Pakistan . Our war with Pakistan will see raise
of Taliban, LeT and other terrorists organisations, in the name of
helping Pak army to fight us the terrorism activities will be let
loose across our borders. We have to wait and watch the developments
in Pak and at the same time ensure that our borders and internal
security are safe.
KR Anandagopalan
Due to Pakistan indulgence in terrorism, in India we have inexorable
rise in terrorist activities and throughout our nation we notice a
taut
atmosphere. Terrorism has gone to such an extent that in the opinion
of
layman, battle with Pakistan is the only solution for peace and
tranquility
in India.
But, according to Benjamin Franklin "There never was a good war or
bad
peace". So in my opinion it is neck and crop a moth-eaten idea that
battle
with Pakistan is key to peace in India. Successfully we have already
fought
three battles with Pakistan. In spite of defeating Pakistan three
times we
don't have peace in our country. So it is absolutely wrong to say
battle with
Pakistan key to peace.
War is nothing but horror, destruction, pain and suffering. War is
something
that no right thinking person will approve it. War is devastating to
countries and public equally. In war men, women, children suffer
physically, mentally and socially for the rest of their lives. Wars
ruin the
economy and stop the progress of both the countries. After battles in
the
battle fields the scene is very pathetic because of charred bodies,
the
bloodied and deformed corpses there.
If we hark back in the ancient history, Ashoka the great fought a
battle with
Kalinga in which thousands of people were killed in the battle. When
he saw
the bloodshed, Ashoka the great was extremely sorry. He said, for all
these
killings he was responsible. After this battle, he decided not to
battle again
& he adopted Buddhism.
In spite of winning in the battle, Ashoka the Great was not having
peace of
mind. So, we can say firmly that war cannot bring peace by war. For
the
purpose of peace we should try at the international level & try to
have
public opinion throughout the world in our favour so that we can
compel
Pakistan to stop terrorism. All the issues we should resolve on the
table
instead of on the battlefield. We are living in a civilized society we
are not in the barbarian age. So, we should solve all issues by a
negotiations.
S Zia-ul-Hasan Naqvi
Absolutely not! One should realize that the issues between India and
Pakistan can never be settled even with a series of battles,
adorations with candles or processions taken out to settle the
differences.
Even without a battle, we are experiencing the battle situation every
now and then. In this utter chaos battle will be like adding fuel to
the fire causing further devastation and massacre on either side of
the country.
Earlier, people had a misconception that war as the only means for
peace, without giving a second thought for the neighbours' lives. But,
today trends have changed and perspectives different. We need to view
everything in a very meticulous way. At this juncture, we need peace
and harmony in our country and not war. Peace can never be achieved
through violence.
Mahatma Gandhi used non-violence to win-over the people, but in our
contemporary society non-violence is not possible but, negotiations
will do. India is already sodden with darkness of various kinds. Let
us not add one more. Once PM Dr Mammohan Singh made a keen observation
that shutting the door of peace-talk on Pakistan will be counter-
productive. Also, closing the direct conversation and having the third
party as a mediator to settle the matter will look foolish.
Due to the faulty diplomacy of Pakistan, India has suffered a lot of
betrayals and still suffering physically and mentally. By experiencing
betrayals, one becomes aware and cautious in taking a prudent step.
Since these issues won't be settled, we can't be blind to the
atrocities happening to our country. Enough of wars we can't any more
lose lives, each person's life is important for us, and war is not a
feasible means to arrive at peace. Due to the absence of dialogue,
peace-talks and negotiations, religions in the past suffered carnage,
massacre, polarization, domination etc but today, to a certain extent
peace prevails due to the inter-religious dialogue and peace-talks in
our country. Even after many setbacks, Vajpayee government kept up the
dialogue process for a better cause. Hence, we need to realize the
significance of dialogue and promote dialogue to tackle any issue or
crisis and not war. And government should realize that war is not a
feasible step to solve any problems, and a prudent step would be
opting for a peace-talk and having a good and matured dialogue.
H Infant Vinoth
If anyone thinks that war is the only solution for peace, then that
person is wrong in his perception. Peace is possible only when one is
in peace with himself/herself. The problem with this world is that
nobody wants to understand this simple truth. Basically, mankind is in
conflict from within. Every man, without God, the Creator, is in
conflict within. So, peace must start in each individual being first
that then percolate in home, neighbourhood, and the society as a
whole. Leo Tolstoy, the author of "War and Peace" was basically a man
in conflict within his own household. He was never in peace with his
family. There were several nights he had to remain aloof, unbearable
of the domestic troublesome situation. Yes, it is a fact. Mankind will
never find peace unless he/she finds the spring of life, the source
from where the life originates. Every human being has lost sight of
this eternal truth. There are hundreds of thousands of testimonies
where people, after spending all their wealth and resources in search
of peace, couldn't find it anywhere, till they found that well-spring
of peace.
Sadhu Sunder Singh was one in contemporary Indian scenario that
despite being born and brought up in a wealthy family and was boastful
of his own religion's pride, when took cudgels with the Truth of Life,
lost all the peace in his life. He wandered in search of peace that he
lost once and was at the point of taking his own life unless and until
the true living God reveal Himself. Since the Lord loved that servant,
He revealed His pristine light that when called him by name, Sadhu
Sunder Singh removed his foot-wear and walked bare-foot to spread the
Gospel of Christ unto the uttermost parts in Tibet . He is still known
to many faithful as an 'apostle with bleeding feet'. Peace demands a
price and that is the abject surrender of oneself to the Creator God.
India and Pakistan had three major conflicts and in all these Pakistan
failed or rather surrendered miserably. The last one was fought at
Kargil. The picture of abject surrender of Lt. General AAK Niazi in
the 1971 Bangladesh operation is still fresh in many Indians minds.
This time round, perhaps Pakistan is aligning close with another
neighbour of India , which too played a nasty misadventure with India
in 1962. They are perhaps teaming up to open two different fronts -
Eastern and Western, to defeat India, as they know India is right on
the track of development and prosperity, despite the onslaught of
recession that has upset many western developing economies. But, the
resilience in India to unite in diverse circumstances is time-tested
and even if a decisive battle is forced on us, India would surely
emerge victorious, as we are generally a peace-loving community and do
not engage ourselves in interfering/meddling with others' internal
affairs.
RK Kutty
Battle and peace? No, No battle, no war. How can we restore peace
after having war with Pakistan or with any neighbour?
I think our foreign policy is acting in right direction. Our think
tank is moving and acting precisely. There is no doubt that Pakistan
has become the epicentre of terrorism. We will have to handle the
situation diplomatically and carefully. Pakistan will die its own
death sooner or later.
Please remember that before any war, our own internal security is
required to be strengthened. We have Meer Jafars like Madhu Koda in
our own country. Our priority is to have war with our own corrupt
politicians. We need battle to win over poverty. We need battle to win
over inflation. We need battle to bring another green revolution
within 3-4 years. We must win over floods in states like UP and Bihar.
Naxal problem needs to be handled carefully. Let us not give any
chance to the ISI to infiltrate their agents in India.
Yes. Pakistan needs a lesson. I remember Mushaira `Chor ko na maro'
Chori ki ma ko maro. We will have to convince the global society that
whatever help Pakistan is getting from the US as well as from other
countries must be stopped with immediate effect, because Pakistan is
in the hands of ISI and corrupt politicians.
SK Dogra
Is enhanced price of vegetables going to benefit farmers?
The winners of the forum on:
Do people live their lives without considering harmful effects are:
First-SK Dogra
Second: Arunima Rajesh
Third: AB Mehta.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=18675
chhotemianinshallah
Posted On Saturday, September 19, 2009
"When politics and religion are intermingled, a people is suffused
with a sense of invulnerability, and gathering speed in their forward
charge, they fail to see the cliff ahead of them" - Frank Herbert,
American author. Politics aims at maintaining justice in the society
while Religion offers a path of communicating with the Almighty. But
when these unite, it often results in anarchy. Indeed politics and
religion should be as far removed from one another as possible
otherwise such heinous historical bloodbaths as the aftermath of Babri
Masjid Demolition, the Holocaust etc will continue to plague mankind
forever!
Rageshri
No. But you cannot rule the country without involving religion in
politics. Religion never allowed government to work independently and
politics never gave religion a free hand. They need each other's
support. Ours is a democratic country. Here too political leaders
require assistance from the religious leaders so that people vote in
their favour.
Doing politics on the name of religion has also become part of our
governance. Now, people are doing politics in the name of caste, creed
etc. Political parties while giving ticket to contest elections
consider overall population and which caste or community is dominated
in that particular area before fielding their candidates. When it
comes to voting, people are divided on caste and religion basis.
It is generally demanded that a Muslim candidate should be fielded
from Old Bhopal City for Assembly elections because that area is
dominated by Muslim community. People generally think that a person
belonging to their own caste, creed or religion is bound to do good
for the community even though the candidate may be a criminal in
nature. The case is different in foreign countries, particularly in
Muslim countries where religion has an upper hand. In ancient age the
Christian religious heads had a say in the rule of the country in
European countries. Even our own country is no different.
A story from Ramayana shows that religion had an upper hand over the
king. When man from a lower caste started penance, Sage Vashisht, Guru
of Raja Ram ordered him to kill him. Because, such a thing was not
allowed in that age. Reluctantly Raja Ram had to obey his Guru and
religious head. In the modern age the Muslim religious heads issue
orders to their community members what to do on several matters. The
rulers (political leaders) stand helplessly in front of such 'Fatwa'
even though these are against the law of the country.
Jyoti Rai
Politics and religion are basic elements of a county or society. No
country can run without both of them. In a multireligious country like
India, where each state has people following different religions, if
each political party supports any specific religion, then it will be
very hard to count the number of political parties in our country.
As far as I believe each person whether he is a politician or a common
man, has his own religion and family value in his personal life. But
at the time of carrying out political duties, they should think
broadly and think above religious sentiments.
A political party is mean to work for public and not for the
improvement of any religious group. Thus according to me, religion and
politics both have their own areas of operation. Hence we should not
try to combine them together.
Preety Chouhan
To answer yes or no this question, it's very important to understand
what politics and religion actually are? Well, politics to my
knowledge means trying to influence others by using some kind of power
and to do something for satisfying some interests. Every human being,
when he does something for his own benefit or others, he plays
politics. So politics is so important for us that it can't be
separated from our life.
Now, let's understand what religion is. Religion is the system of
belief that suggests the existence of Gods and worship to them. And
hence it restricts people to commit any sin or crime or anything that
harms others. Religion has become an integral part of our culture
today. Therefore I believe every religion plays the role of an
enlightened torch-bearer for human beings to take them to the right
direction and reach enlightenment.
When we see the politics & religion on wide level, we notice that some
narrow-minded so called politicians have misutilised both the things
in a way that most of the people have negative approach towards
involving religion with politics which almost is next to impossible.
We certainly should involve religion with politics but in a healthier
manner. We should study, know and practice the good ideologies of all
the religions in our personal, family, social, professional and
political life so that we lead a happy, peaceful and prosperous life.
The major issue of concern in present context is some politicians are
using religion to misguide innocent people an create rift among
different communities for their personal or party's interest. And we
have seen some consequences of such politics in the form of incidents
that took place at Babri Masjid, Godhra etc.
Ram Awatar Yadav
In the 42nd amendment of our Constitution, a new Article 25(2) was
added for secularism of politics involves religion, then its
consequences will always be negative for our society. This way India
would be divided into various groups or parties depending on their
religions. Some parties and politicians might consider involving
religion with politics for their own benefits. A few months ago we saw
Varun Gandhi trying to take undue advantage through his speech and
created problem for the society. It resulted in clash between
different communities.
India is a multi-cultural nation where we learn to live in love,
respect and appreciate all the religions and cultures. So we should
ensure that religion is not involved in politics; otherwise all the
religions will start fighting with each other an there will be total
chaos.
Sushant Kumar
Politics and religion are two integral part of human life. They can't
be distinct. Politics is done by every individual right from his or
her childhood and religion is an important part of human culture.
Nowadays some narrow minded politicians present consequences of
religion in politics negatively, but as far as my view is concerned, I
believe the positive aspect of every religion should be included in
politics so that the future of the country becomes bright.
Religion as we all know is a man-made institution. Religion was
created by human beings for their own convenience. For a country like
India, it's not possible to practice politics without including
religion into it. Religion is in our blood. So, separating religion
from politics would be like body without blood.
Therefore, they should go hand-in-hand in our society in a
constructive way for the overall development and a brighter future.
Nidhi Modi
India is a land where we find so many diverse cultures and different
religions. Each and every religion has its own customs and rituals.
Every religion has its aesthetic value and a number of followers.
Religion is something that entrusts upon us to have the faith and
believe in the super power Almighty. It is religion which guides us to
the right path. A great many saints took birth on this soil and
preached us to lead a noble life and to be a good Samaritan.
No religion did ever preach evil practices and deeds. Both religion
and politics had their commencement during the earlier vedic period.
But it did not get blend during those times. The people followed their
religions and customs and politics never interfered in it. The king
was the supreme and he took all the decisions regarding the political
issues.
But when we perceive at the modern world and the present scenario, we
get a completely different perspective. The politicians know the best
how and when to use the weapon of religion. A number of riots have
taken place resulting in immense bloodshed and destruction to
property. History is the evidence that when politics and religion have
intervened or mingled together, we have seen nothing but devastating
sights and bloodshed.
So, in my view, these are the two different aspects of society which
should never amalgamate. They should remain parallel like a railway
line because these are the two most indispensable elements in making a
prosperous nation.
Anshu Agarwal
I would say, leave alone the religion. Because our country is a
secular one. And no would feel at home, not to mention minority, to
intertwine religion with politics. The involvement of religion with
politics would impact disastrous consequences in the public and
private life. Religion is a matter of one's private life. Whereas
politics is concerned with public life. Let us not mess up these two.
Religious fundamentalism has led to corruptions in high places,
including the judiciary. In the name of religion, anti-social elements
are advancing. These anti-social elements create evils of various
kinds both to politics and religion. Religion and politics cannot go
hand in hand because, the policies of religion is service to the
humanity and religion of politics is to do with power and influence
the latter deals with shrewdness and diplomacy and not simplicity of
service.
Religion is a private and personal affair of an individual, which
deals with sentiments of faith. While politics is a public affair,
dealing with pragmaticism and reason. If religion involves in
politics, it will loose its meaning. Today foreign tourists and
visitors are attracted to Indian spirituality. When religion indulges
in politics, religion will be exposed to all kinds of nuisance and
corruptions. For this very reason, foreign tourists and visitors will
turn their backs to Indian spirituality and find other means to
satisfy their spiritual hunger.
To sum up, unless the involvement of religion should purify politics,
it should keep itself away from the latter.
H Infant Vinoth
Religion and politics are inextricably interlinked. It was due to this
reason that Gandhiji viewed politics without religion, a dirty game.
Swami Vivekananda had also considered religion as the core of
politics. Papalism pulled the strings in the medieval European
politics.
Islam has been influencing political forces in many countries. But
politicisation of religion is not only an obstacle for national
integration but also harmful to the genuine values of all religions.
Politicisation makes all religions a tool of destruction setting the
followers of one religion in confrontation with another. And so
religion becomes a threat to the secular, democratic and socialist
character of a nation. Religion is a personal affair that should not
have anything to do with public matters, including politics.
Human beings created religions in order to develop regulations in
society and to satisfy their spiritual needs. The origin of democracy,
human rights, civil liberties, science, and everything which we take
for granted can be traced, either in large part or entirely, to the
conception of personal human freedom. Because of our freedom as
individuals, we have the authority to choose our own leaders.
Because of our freedom as individuals, we have basic rights and
liberties in our communities which our leaders either cannot touch or
can only infringe upon in extreme situations. It is awfully heart-
wrenching to see that even though we, as Indians, call ourselves a
rapidly developing country, we are still unable to segregate religion
from politics. Our decisions regarding elections and political parties
still revolve around religious differences and vested interests. What
is the cure for eradicating the ill effects of such involvement? It
still remains a Herculean task. It requires statesmanship, unbending
moral stand, dynamic leadership and above all, unconquerable will to
take up all the communal bulls by their horns.
The articulation of faith in technological age, the quest for life in
the midst of threats of death, and the longing for peace within the
human heart, are the problems of immense dimensions need to be
addressed by the religion not the matters of politics. Religions of
the contemporary society necessitate only committing to their world in
transforming it into a better world, and more humans, marked by love,
fellowship, peace, and harmony.
Robin Joseph
Politics is defined as the profession devoted to governing and to
political affairs the activities and affairs involved in managing a
state or a government. Politics is a process by which groups of people
make decisions
A very comprehensive definition of religion is "A set of beliefs
concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp when
considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually
involving devotional and ritual observances and often containing a
moral code governing the conduct of human affairs."
Unfortunately in our country a large number of people are involved in
politics primarily 'to have a powerful position so that one can take
advantage of it'. If they belong to the ruling party it is to become
minister or at least a chairman of some Federation. If they are in
opposition, they must find fault with all that the ruling party does
and create as much disturbance as possible.
Coming to religion, it is for most a 'tag' to belong to. The fear of
God and not Love of God is the basis. Religion is practised in rituals
and not in seriously pursuing a pious and ethical life. Those in power
or positions of authority tend to misuse religion for personal
advantage. The faithful, again due to fear of God and to condone acts
of sin, visit temples, churches, masjids, gurudwaras and so on and
offer cash or items. Only a few do it for getting peace of mind and
actually serve the needy who are the real replicas of God.
The problem becomes worse when the two are combined not for the good
of the humanity but for showing who is more powerful and who should
decide what is right for everyone. In the current scenario it is
almost impossible to change this and more so in future when the
resources keep on reducing and users keep on increasing. So far, in
our country, we have kept a semblance of non-interference of religion
in politics and vice versa. How long even this will last no one can
say.
AB Mehta
As way back as in Mahabharata era, Lord Krishna in his deliverance of
sermon to Arjuna said that whenever anarchy prevailed in the world, He
would come on the earth in the form of an incarnation to demolish all
the evils and restore virtuous order of Dharma. That was His vision of
Dharma but not religion at all in its real sense. Today however dharma
which really means righteousness has been usurped by the crude and
fundamentalist religious bigotry which attaches importance to the
beliefs, rituals, ceremonies gaudy display of identities, fanaticism
etc. Our politics is now full to the brim in high potions with this
type of Dharma (fanatic religious fundamentalism) or equally fanatic
secularism to the extent that both these ideologies are pursued to
their extreme ends.
It is a fact that no society exists and survives without a thought,
ideology and this can be religion too. But these things are
essentially to keep such society intact and united but not necessarily
to govern. Religion and politics should therefore not be mixed up
because governance is for the whole Nation which is a unit of
diversified people whereas religion only takes care of a particular
segment of the whole society unless such a society is exclusive.
There are any number of examples in our epics, history and modern day
politics that whenever politics was mixed with governance that society
always deteriorated and sometimes extinguished. In the modern day
politics the Khalistan dream in Punjab and the Modi style post-Godhra
Gujarat riots and fake encounters and a few other such instances. Even
the staunch secularists also played up religions sentiments hideously
wherever such governance suited them and the net result was always
disastrous. It therefore seems logical to argue against the
involvement of religion with politics. Politics should strictly limit
itself to the service of the people and governance of a State /Nation.
Similarly religion should also restrict itself to promote, restore
strengthen virtues and righteousness.
Krishna Chander Mouli
India is a country of vast diversities and inhabited by people of
different castes, religions, languages, customs, festivals and food
habits. Sometimes politicians are using religion for their own
selfish interest and political gains which may lead to major
internal problems. They revert to disruptionist tactics to suit
themselves and in turn arouse the people's religious sentiments.
Every rational citizen of India will readily concede that communal
harmony is the urgent need of the hour. Even today British policy of
divide and rule policy still prevails in Indian politics. Such kinds
of tactics should keep away from religion and should work for the
betterment and upliftment of the society. Every politician and
public should be aware that basis of Indian culture is peace.
Brotherhood, amity and its distinctive sign is based on tolerance
has earmarked in every religious books.
Promotion of harmony should be their most important duty as the
country's salvation depends upon it. Politicians should encourage a
continues syntheses even when confronted with contrary philosophies.
If the nation has to make sound progress and consolidate its gains is
the social, economic political and politicians should be in the
spheres of good citizen and ensure harmony and peace in the way of
permanent feature. In India, for the gain of politicians, they are
involving religions and exploiting the weakness of the public.
C Rajendran
No, politics should not involve religion. Religion and politics are
two inseparable institutions in the human social psyche and structure.
Religions, all religions, have no place in modern politics. In fact,
religion should stay the hell out of politics. However, politics and
religion can never be separated.
People of many faiths make up the nation and freedom of religion is
one of the cornerstones of Indian democracy.
Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices which unite into
one moral community. Politics is about the acquisition of power and
the use of such power.
As far as politics is considered, it is completely ridiculous that
people are willing to choose a leader simply because they believe in
the same religion. People vote for candidates based on their own
personal belief system. The candidate that fits best gets the votes.
However, political leaders often rely on both their own personal
values and of their religion.
The election, religion and politics have continued to intersect in
many ways. Politicians, in their quest to acquire power, should
refrain from using religion as a tool of oppression.
At the same time, when religion and politics become entwined the
result is always problematic because over-zealous people will tend to
invoke their religion as a way of governing instead of using their
knowledge and common sense. But the question is how much religion does
influence politics and law-making.
Religious groups also risk distraction from their spiritual mission
when they become deeply involved in politics. Hence, religious groups
should be wary of becoming too involved in politics.
Many people may feel that religion and politics do not or should not
mix, but the reality of the situation is that they usually do become
mixed. Religion influences politics while politics in turn influences
religion. If the two cannot be wholly disentangled, the question
becomes just what sort of relationship they do have and how that
relationship can be prevented from becoming dangerous.
In fact, religion has no place in politics and politics has no place
in religion. In my opinion, in many ways religion is safer at home and
politics in the public domain. Hence, religion and politics should be
allowed to operate separately without one interfering with the other.
Religion mixed politics is mostly likely to imbibe various vices
associated with politics. Also that politics may not be properly and
dispassionately played if mixed with religion. I have generally tended
to conclude that religion should not become too directly involved with
politics. The sacred and secular realms need to be kept separate.
PS Prakasa Rao
Yes. Politics should involve religion.
India is a religious country. It has people following different
religions like Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism,
Jainism, Arya Samaj etc.
Man is a social being. Our life is made possible by forming of
governments. For this we vote people of our liking and of
qualification to high offices of the government. Thus we have the
Congress party, the BJP, the SP, BSP etc. Every party has its
president; also election symbols are allotted to the parties.
Generally politics is not involved in religion. Religion means
religious programmes. It means being sympathetic to human and nature,
going to the temples to call on their maker and to seek His blessings
and His way of life for becoming successful persons.
Whereas politics generally involves big fights- both verbal and duel
at times. There is feeling of enmity. An ordinary man does not know
much about politics as unless he reads the daily newspapers or sees
the television, his knowledge will remain dull. Hence if all believe
in God and follow the same faith, then they would vote for a better
party.
Ramkumar Khare
Politics and religion two different things. Politics involves ruling
the nation whereas religion is following a certain faith like
Hinduism, Islam or Christianity.
Religion should be kept away from politics. The seers, saints who
preach religion should not involve themselves in politics. Religion
helps man lead a better life. It brings peace of mind.
Politics is means for the country's administration and for the
people's welfare and public facilities like housing problems, food,
education, employment.
At present our leaders are taking benefit of religion for winning
elections.
The leaders these days are digging out dead issues. At present there
is no need and necessity for it. What benefits it will give to the
people? At present the nation is facing severe problem of water
shortage, food, shelter. People are suffering various diseases due to
unhygienic conditions. These need to be tackled.
Religion covers each and every aspect of life. Moreover culture is
also through religion only. Religion is main key of politics. It
supports politics also. Selection of politicians for ruling the
country is from religion only.
PS Pawar
The worst tragedy in Indian politics is the involvement of religion in
politics, particularly from the '90s onwards. In fact, the same
involvement of religion was the real cause of the very partition of
this country and that is the reason articles like 'partition, Jinnah
and Jaswant' are hitting in our print media. What Karl Marx had said
about religion 'as the opium of masses' is literally proved when
religion was actively involved in politics. Religion and politics are
the two extremes - while the former deals with the spiritual aspect
that is wholly personal of an individual, the latter deals with the
physical needs and aspirations of people of a whole State/country.
Religion and philosophies are creation of mankind, so is creation of
multifarious political parties. There is a wonderful verse in the Holy
Bible - Ecclesiasts 7:29 "God made man upright, but they have sought
out many schemes". It is literally being proved, day in and day out,
in these days. Ever since the mixing of religion with politics, it
became the killer cocktail and most of the tragic pogroms and riots
occurred afterwards. The fire is still raging and a small spark
anywhere and everywhere can turn into a big catastrophe.
Of course, there was time when the Kings sought for advises from the
Prophets/Priests (in the Indian context Raj Purohit) on stately
matters. When one studies the scriptures, whenever the Israelite Kings
obeyed advice of the Prophets/Priests, it bode well for them. There is
a wonderful story occurred during King David's time. In fact, it was
the greatest fall from grace of King David. His eyes deceived him when
he saw a beautiful woman (Bathsheba), wife of a sincere soldier,
fighting the King's war in the battle field, taking bath. David
couldn't resist the lust of his body passion and he slept with her.
When the woman later informed the King that she was pregnant, David
plotted first to call her husband from the battlefield and to take
some rest with his wife. But the man proved so sincere that even after
much cajoling by David; he didn't visit his wife but remained loyal
and dutiful. Then David had to plot for getting him killed by sending
a letter of his plan to his Army chief through the very same man.
Ultimately, when the plan was executed, the all watching and all
knowing Almighty God sent the Prophet of David's time - Nathan who,
through a parable of a rich man feasting one of his guests not by
taking one amongst his thousands of sheep but by mercilessly taking
the one and only sheep of a poor neighbour- and when David got angry
and said 'definitely that man must die', Prophet Nathan said 'You are
that man'. Later, David understood his folly and he had to undergo
severe penance and agony. Most of the Psalms (particularly Psalms 32 &
51) are written by David after this tragic episode. So, definitely,
involvement of Godly men/ Spiritual people and relying on their valid
advice from time to time is good in the over-all interest/betterment
of the subjects. God has not created any religion. Religion is the
creation of man. While God given edicts, laws and Commandments remain,
all the Man-made religion and philosophies will vanish one day. None
of these can stand the scrutiny of Godly prism. Ultimately, truth only
prevails and that is what we mean by our mono - Sathyameva Jayate.
RK Kutty
http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=14880
chhotemianinshallah
28 December 2009, 12:00am IST
The way a university professor was branded a 'Naxalite' and assaulted
by policemen in Bihar is most disturbing. According to Jamia Millia
Islamia professor Rahul Ramagundam, he and a companion were beaten up
by the police for asking why homes of Dalits in Amausi village were
being demolished. While we still await the police version of events,
why is it that prima facie we don't find anything surprising about the
events? That's because the police far too often abuse their authority,
and more so in the poorly governed states.
Instances of human rights abuse by the police are too many to recount.
In the past few days, the way former Haryana inspector-general of
police S P S Rathore tried to subvert justice after being accused of
molesting a teen has come to light. This is partly due to the media
having taken up the molestation case as a wrong that needs to be
redressed. But there are many more instances where the police
routinely abuse their authority that go unrecorded and unreported.
Those at the receiving end are more often than not unlettered and poor
people who don't have the means to raise their voices against the
state. It's only when the violations assume shocking proportions such
as the Bhagalpur blindings of nearly three decades ago where several
undertrials were blinded by the police that we sit up and take
notice.
There is a different kind of abuse of power in Naxalite-affected
areas. Here in the name of maintaining law and order, the police often
overstep the line. The incident at Amausi falls in this category.
Anyone who is seen to be sympathetic to tribals or the oppressed is in
the danger of being branded a Naxalite. This is an absurd policy on
the part of the administration. There are so many people who believe
that tribals or Dalits have legitimate grievances against the state
but at the same time are critical of Naxalites and their strategy. If
the police and the administration cannot make this distinction, it
would only prove to be counterproductive to their strategy of
containing Naxalites and other militants.
We need to rethink the way the police function as an institution. The
police haven't yet shed many of their colonial-era trappings and still
have an adversarial relationship with citizens. They haven't been able
to win the trust of the people, something that is reflected in popular
culture. Incidents such as the one involving the Jamia professor who
is ironically a respected Gandhian scholar and activist only help in
reinforcing the poor image of the police.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Abuse-Of-Power/articleshow/5385074.cms
chhotemianinshallah
'Government must commit to investigations into mass graves in J&K'
28 December 2009, 12:00am IST
The International People's Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in
Kashmir, a human rights group, released a report 'Buried Evidence:
Unknown,
Unmarked, and Mass Graves' recently to highlight the issue of unmarked
mass graves in the Valley. Angana Chatterji , a co-convenor of the
tribunal and professor of anthropology at the California Institute of
Integral Studies, San Francisco, spoke to Humra Quraishi about the
report:
Where are these graves?
These graves are located across the Valley. We documented the
existence of 2,700 unknown, unmarked and mass graves, containing 2,943-
plus bodies, across 55 villages in Bandipora, Baramulla and Kupwara
districts of Kashmir. Of these, 87.9 per cent were unnamed, 154
contained two bodies each and 23 contained between three and 17
bodies. Exhumation and identification have not occurred in sizeable
cases. We examined 50 alleged "encounter" killings by Indian security
forces in numerous districts in Kashmir. Of these, 49 were labelled
militants/foreign insurgents by security forces and there was one case
of drowning. Following investigations, 47 were found killed in fake
encounters and one was identified as a local militant. None were
foreign insurgents.
Why are they unmarked? Is there a pattern and purpose about the
anonymity?
They are unmarked as their identities (of the dead) are unknown. The
armed forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police routinely claim the dead
buried in unknown and unmarked graves to be "foreign militants/
terrorists". If independent investigations were to be undertaken in
all 10 districts, it is reasonable to assume that more than the 8,000
enforced disappearances since 1989 would correlate with the number of
bodies in unknown, unmarked and mass graves.
What explanations did you get from community leaders and from the
local administration?
Gravediggers and community members tell us that the bodies buried in
the 2,700 graves were routinely delivered at night, some bearing marks
of torture and burns. In certain instances of fake encounter killings,
where the bodies of victims have been identified, it was found that
civilians resident in one geographic area in Kashmir were killed in
another area. At times, these bodies were transferred to yet another
area and, then, buried. Some local security forces personnel and state
employees testified to us in confidence. We also attempted to formally
contact senior government and security forces officials, requesting
explanations. Our requests were declined.
We were able to identify graves within selected districts and inquire
into instances where photographic verifications and/or exhumations had
taken place. The graves, we were able to ascertain, hold bodies of men
with few exceptions. Violence against civilian men has expanded spaces
for enacting violence against women in Kashmir. The graveyards have
been placed next to fields, schools and homes, largely on community
land, and their affect on the local community is daunting. The
government of India and the government of Jammu and Kashmir must
commit to transparent investigations into the graves, drawing upon
credible and international expertise, and institute an independent
commission of inquiry.
chhotemianinshallah
AGENCIES 28 December 2009, 12:52am IST
LAHORE: Holding former President General Pervez Musharraf responsible
for former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination, Pakistan's
high commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hassan has said that
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud could not have
proceeded with his plans of assassinating Bhutto without Musharraf's
nod.
A private television channel reported Hassan, as saying that if
Benazir would have been alive, trouble for Musharraf would have
doubled.
"Had Benazir been alive, Musharraf would have been facing legal action
for murdering former Balochistan governor Nawab Akbar Bugti, and
removing the chief justice of Pakistan," The Daily Times quoted
Hassan, as saying.
Hassan said Musharraf had offered a much 'bigger' amnesty under the
National Reconciliation Ordinance to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, which allowed him to leave the country
easily following the military coup in 1998.
People across Pakistan paid tributes to slain former premier Benazir
Bhutto and offered special prayers on the second anniversary of her
assassination even as her close aides called on the government to
identify and bring her killers to justice.
The Pakistan People's Party organised special meetings and prayers in
cities and towns all over the country, including Bhutto's ancestral
town of Naudero in Sindh province, to commemorate her death
anniversary. Bhutto's widower President Asif Ali Zardari travelled to
Naudero to participate in meetings there.
chhotemianinshallah
PTI 27 December 2009, 10:40pm IST
ISLAMABAD: Two near-simultaneous terror strikes on Sunday targeted
Shia religious gatherings in the southern port city of Karachi and the
capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing at least 10 people and
injuring nearly 100.
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives when police guards prevented
him from entering the Pir Alam Shah Bukhari 'imambargah' or Shia
prayer hall in PoK capital Muzaffarabad.
Provincial minister Ghulam Murtaza Gillani said 10 people were killed
in the attack and eighty people, including some policemen, were
injured.
The 'imambargah' is located in a high-security area near a military
hospital, where the injured were taken.
Witnesses said they had seen the body parts of the bomber at the site.
Scores of people were present in the imambargah, one of the largest
Shia prayer halls in Muzaffarabad, for a gathering organised to mark
the Islamic month of Muharram.
The army cordoned off the area soon after the attack. In Karachi, 20
people were injured when a bomb went off near a Shia procession in
Qasba Colony area. Police described the blast as a low intensity
explosion.
Ambulances rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. Police and
paramilitary Pakistan Rangers cordoned off the area.
The explosion was followed by firing in the area, TV news channels
reported. However, it was not clear who had opened fire.
chhotemianinshallah
AFP 27 December 2009, 02:39am IST
MIRANSHAH (PAKISTAN): At least five people were killed on Saturday
when missiles from an unmanned US aircraft hit a suspected militant
compound in Pakistan's northwest tribal belt, security officials
said.
The missiles struck a house in Saidgi village of North Waziristan
tribal district, which borders Afghanistan, officials said.
"Two missiles hit a house, five militants were killed," an
intelligence official said.
Another security official confirmed the drone attack and the toll,
adding that the house belonged to a local tribesman named Asmatullah,
who, he said, had links with Taliban militants.
The two officials refused to be named because of the sensitivity of US
drone attacks in Pakistan, which have inflamed anti-American
sentiment.
Neither official's statements could be confirmed independently.
Residents said that tribesmen had cordoned off the compound
surrounding the house and were searching the rubble.
Today's drone strike is at least the third since December 17 in North
Waziristan, where Islamabad is under growing US pressure to dismantle
Islamist extremist networks along the lawless and porous border with
Afghanistan.
North Waziristan rife with Taliban militants, al-Qaida fighters and
members of the Haqqani network, a powerful group known for staging
attacks on foreign troops in Afghanistan.
chhotemianinshallah
By ASIF SHAHZAD Associated Press Writer © 2009 The Associated Press
Dec. 27, 2009, 12:45PM
ISLAMABAD — A suicide bomber targeted a large gathering of Shiite
Muslims in the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on Sunday,
killing five people and wounding 80 — a rare sectarian attack in an
area police said has little history of militant violence.
Muslim militants have fought for decades to free Kashmir, which is
split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, from New Delhi's
rule. But while Muzaffarabad has served as a base for anti-India
insurgents to train and launch attacks, the capital — and most of the
Pakistani side — has largely been spared any violence, as militants
have focused their firepower across the frontier in the Indian-
controlled portion, police officer Sardar Ilyas said.
The suicide bomber detonated his explosives as police tried to search
him at a checkpoint outside a commemoration of the seventh century
death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. The gathering attracted
about 1,000 people, said police officer Tahir Qayum. The five killed
included two police, he said.
Most of the 80 injured were Shiites participating in the tribute, held
every year during the Islamic holy month of Muharram, said Ilyas. Ten
of the wounded are in critical condition, he said. Minority Shiites in
Pakistan are often targeted by radical Sunnis.
During another Shiite gathering in the southern port city of Karachi,
an explosion wounded 30 people, but authorities determined the blast
was caused by gas that had accumulated in a sewer line, said police
chief Waseem Ahmad. Shiites later held a protest on the road and
torched three vehicles, he said.
The bombing in Muzaffarabad highlights the growing extremism of
militants in Pakistani Kashmir. Many of the armed groups in the region
were started with support from Islamabad. But some of them have turned
against their former patrons and joined forces with the Taliban
because the government has reduced its support under U.S. pressure.
The partnership is a dangerous development for Pakistan because it
could enable the Taliban to carry out attacks more easily outside its
sanctuary in the country's tribal areas in the northwest. More than
500 people have been killed in retaliatory attacks since the military
launched a major anti-Taliban offensive in mid-October in the militant
stronghold of South Waziristan near the Afghan border.
In one such revenge attack, three bombs planted in the house of a
government official in Kurram tribal region exploded Sunday, killing
him and his six family members, said police officer Naeemullah Khan.
Police are investigating how the bombs, which were timed to explode,
were planted in the home of a government official in Kurram, Sarbraz
Saddiqi, said police officer Naeemullah Khan. Saddiqi's wife and five
children were also killed in the bombing and three others were
wounded, he said.
The Pakistani government has pledged to persevere in its battle
against the militants despite rising violence, but political turmoil
threatens to distract the government as calls have multiplied for
President Asif Ali Zardari and other senior ruling party officials to
resign following a recent Supreme Court decision to strike down an
amnesty protecting them from corruption charges.
Zardari lashed out at his opponents Sunday during his first public
appearance since the court ruling a week and a half ago, accusing them
of threatening Pakistan's democratic system and "colluding" with
extremists attacking the state.
"It is a conspiracy to weaken Pakistan," said Zardari in a speech
marking the second anniversary of the bombing death of his wife,
former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The amnesty was issued by former President Pervez Musharraf as part of
a U.S.-backed deal to allow Bhutto to return from self-imposed exile
in 2007. After her death, Zardari led the ruling Pakistan People's
Party to victory in 2008.
Zardari enjoys legal immunity while president, but analysts have said
he could be vulnerable if opponents challenge his original eligibility
to run for office.
Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif on Saturday demanded that all those who
benefited from the amnesty, including the interior and defense
ministers, should resign, a tougher stance than he has taken since the
verdict was first issued.
But analysts have said Sharif is wary about provoking too much
conflict to avoid giving the country's powerful military an excuse to
step in and take over.
The military's leadership has indicated it has no interest in toppling
the civilian-led government, but fears persist in a country where the
army has ruled for the majority of Pakistan's 62-year history. The
president alluded to those concerns in his speech.
"We know what will happen when there is a war among institutions,"
said Zardari, standing in front of a few thousand people near Bhutto's
tomb in her ancestral village in southern Pakistan.
He promised a vigorous defense if threatened, saying "if anybody casts
a bad eye on democracy, we will pull out their eyeballs."
Political turmoil is the last thing Washington wants to see as it
presses Pakistan to target militants launching cross-border attacks
against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan has resisted the
call, saying it has its hands full battling Taliban extremists waging
war against the state.
___
Associated Press writer Hussain Afzal in Parachinar, Ashraf Khan in
Garhi Khuda Bakhsh and Rasool Dawar in Mir Ali contributed to this
report.
BrentRules wrote:
Same Shiite. Different day. 12/27/2009 9:34:10 AM
Recommend: (2) (1)
(98)
Kokey wrote:
So what!! 5 down and 2.5 billion to go. Muslims are killing more
muslims than the US military.
Keep up the good work! 12/27/2009 2:18:59 PM
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6788385.html
chhotemianinshallah
By IANS December 30th, 2009
NEW DELHI - Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday
morning discussed the Justice Sageer Ahmad’s report on centre-state
relations vis-a-vis Jammu and Kashmir at a meeting here with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh, official sources said.
Abdullah thanked the prime minister for getting the reports of all the
five working groups - announced and constituted after the second round
table conference on Kashmir in May 2006 - and urged him that a process
to implement the reports should be undertaken.
He is reported to have told Singh that the implementation of the
recommendations of the working groups would help connect the people of
Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country in a big way. This, he
feels, would bolster the confidence level and decimate the trust
deficit that exists at the moment.
Abdullah also raised the subject of quiet talks with separatists.
http://blog.taragana.com/politics/2009/12/30/omar-discusses-autonomy-with-pm-10864/
chhotemianinshallah
Agencies
Posted: Dec 30, 2009 at 1451 hrs IST
Lahore Amid authorities' assertion that there would be no talks with
the Taliban until they surrender, Pakistan's cricketer-turned-
politician Imran Khan has said the militant commanders have contacted
him for peace negotiations with the government following his offer to
act as a mediator.
"The Taliban have contacted me for peace negotiations with the
government. But I will only play a mediator's role if the government
gives its consent," Khan said, but did not mention which faction of
the local Taliban had contacted him.
Khan, who heads the Tehrik-e-Insaaf party, has opposed military
operations against the Taliban and other militant groups.
There has been no response from the government to his offer to mediate
with the Taliban.
Some leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party and sections of the
media have criticised Khan for what they describe as his "pro-Taliban"
stance.
However, the Taliban in the northwestern Swat valley had welcomed
Khan's offer to broker peace talks.
Khan has called on the PPP-led government to convene a meeting of all
political parties to discuss challenges confronting the country.
"The government first launched military operations (in Swat and
Waziristan) and then took all political parties on board. It must shun
this policy," he said.
A military operation in the Taliban hub of South Waziristan would not
lead to a lasting solution, Khan claimed.
"Ultimately the government will have to come to the table to ensure
peace in the country. If the US is interested in holding talks with
the Taliban in Afghanistan, why is Pakistan holding back?" he asked.
Khan is also critical of US drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal belt
and of the PPP-led government for toeing the American line in the war
on terror.
He accused President Asif Ali Zardari of continuing the policies of
former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.
Significantly, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), which allegedly
provided manpower from its seminaries to install the former Taliban
regime in Afghanistan, believes that peace talks cannot be held with
the Pakistani Taliban.
"Negotiations with the Taliban leadership were possible in the past.
It is not the appropriate time for such an exercise now," JUI chief
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik too has made it clear that the federal
government has no intention of holding talks with the Taliban or other
terrorists.
"They must surrender before any peace talks can be initiated," he
said.
chhotemianinshallah
Agencies
Posted: Dec 30, 2009 at 1551 hrs IST
New Delhi The government is "closely" monitoring the sale of arms to
Pakistan by China, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said on
Wednesday.
Along with the statement, also came the assurance that there was peace
and tranquillity at India China border.
"All these developments are closely monitored by the External Affairs
Ministry, by the Defence Ministry and various other ministries and the
Prime Minister. So, let us not get into yet another speculative area,"
he said.
He was replying to a query on China selling arms to Pakistan and if
this would lead to an arms race in the region. China had recently
sought to defend its sale of submarines and warships to Pakistan,
contending that even India was seeking military equipment from US and
Russia.
Maintaining that India desires to maintain peace and tranquillity
along the Sino-India border, Krishna said "I have said and I would
like to repeat again in the dying days of 2009 that India China border
is peaceful, they are tranquil. It is India's desire to maintain peace
and tranquillity at our borders and we will continue to do that".
Chief of Pakistan's naval staff Noman Bashir, who was on a visit to
China recently had talks with Chinese officials for the purchase of
more JF-17 fighter planes and bigger ships than the F22P frigates,
currently ordered by Pakistan.
Since 2005, Pakistan has ordered eight F22P frigates from China. "The
F22P frigate is about 3,000 tons, and now we are talking about 4,000-
ton ships," Bashir had said.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Govt-monitoring-Chinas-arms-sales-to-Pak-Krishna/561495/
chhotemianinshallah
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 10:53
Pakistan's Taliban have claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing
that killed 43 people in the commercial capital Karachi on Monday, and
threatened more attacks.
'My group claims responsibility for the Karachi attack and we will
carry out more such attacks, within 10 days,' said a spokesman.
Asmatullah Shaheen, one of the commanders of Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP), or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, told Reuters of the threatened
attacks.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1230/pakistan.html
chhotemianinshallah
Faisal Aziz
KARACHI
Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:19am EST
KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan's Taliban on Wednesday claimed
responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed 43 people in the
commercial capital Karachi, and threatened more attacks on the U.S.
ally.
World
"My group claims responsibility for the Karachi attack and we will
carry out more such attacks, within 10 days," Asmatullah Shaheen, one
of the commanders of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Taliban
Movement of Pakistan, who spoke by telephone to a Reuters reporter in
Peshawar.
The prospect of more violence comes at a tough time for embattled
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. He already faces political
pressure because corruption charges against some of his aides may be
revived.
And Zardari has yet to formulate a more effective strategy against the
Pakistani Taliban, despite relentless pressure from Washington, which
wants his government to root out militants who cross over to attack
U.S. and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan and then return to their
Pakistan strongholds.
The scale of his challenges was clear on Monday, when a suicide bomber
defied heavy security around a Shi'ite procession, killing 43 people
and triggering riots.
In a sign of mounting frustrations, Pakistani religious and political
leaders called for a strike for Friday to condemn that attack, one of
the worst in Karachi since 2007.
The bloodshed illustrated how the Taliban, whose strongholds are in
the lawless northwest, have extended their reach to major cities in
their drive to topple the government.
"The bombing itself was bad enough, but the violence that immediately
erupted was also very well planned," said Sunni scholar Mufti Muneeb-
ur-Rehman, who blamed Pakistani authorities for the chaos.
"We want the government not only to compensate those killed in the
attacks, but also those who lost their livelihoods, and so we are
calling for a complete strike on Friday," he said.
The Taliban campaign and their hardline brand of Islam -- which
involves public hangings and whippings of anyone who disobeys them -
angered many Pakistanis.
But the Karachi bomb suggested growing violence has raised suspicions
of Pakistan's government.
"The government is using the Taliban as an excuse for everything that
is happening anywhere in the country," said Noman Ahmed, who works for
a Karachi clearing agency.
"The organized way that all this is being done clearly shows that the
terrorists are being sponsored either by the government itself or some
other state that wants to destabilize Pakistan."
SECURITY POLICY
Pakistan's all-powerful military sets security policy. So the key
gauge of public confidence may be how the army's performance is
viewed. In the 1980s, Pakistan's army nurtured militant groups who
fought Soviet occupation troops in Afghanistan. The Taliban emerged in
the 1990's after a civil war in Afghanistan.
Now Pakistan's army faces homegrown militants.
"I don't buy that foreign hands are involved (in the Karachi attack).
They're domestic elements. They're those who were nurtured, trained
and protected in late 1990s," said Sajid Ali Naqvi, head of the
influential Shi'ites' Islami Tehrik movement.
The bombing was one of the bloodiest in Karachi since an October 2007
attack on former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on her return to the
country that killed at least 139 people.
Shi'ite leaders, as well as Karachi's dominant Muttahida Qaumi
Movement (MQM) political party, backed the strike call, which could
bring the teeming city of 18 million to a standstill.
The high-profile bloodshed had all the hallmarks of the Taliban, who
often bomb crowded areas to inflict maximum casualties. The blast lead
some Pakistanis to conclude that several hands must have been
involved.
"The Taliban, or whoever is behind this, cannot do it without the
support of a government," said Shahid Mahmood, whose perfume and watch
shops were torched in the riots.
"They know that Karachi is the heart of Pakistan and if it goes down,
the country will go down."
(Additional reporting by Kamran Haider, Augustine Anthony and Alamgir
Bitani; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Alex Richardson)
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BM15820091230
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 16:52 HRS IST
Jammu, Dec 30 (PTI) BSF has foiled a bid to smuggle explosives and
arms along Indo-Pak border near here, officials said today.
According to BSF officials, in a new strategy adopted by cross-border
militants, a consignment of arms, ammunition, explosive and cash was
thrown from across the border over a fencing of an agriculture field
near Bakarpur-Gharana forward area, about 40 km from here, in the
district yesterday.
The consignment, which was supposed to be collected by persons on this
side of the border, was recovered by BSF jawans during patrolling,
they said.
Fearing that it was IED trap laid by the cross-border militants, BSF
rushed a bomb disposal squad to the site and after several hours of
scanning, they recovered 3.5 kg RDX, three Chinese pistols, 211 rounds
of 9mm pistol, three detonators, three batteries and Rs 3.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/446198_BSF-foils-arms-smuggling-bid-along-Indo-Pak-border
Sid Harth
2009-12-03 19:52:29
Bhaskar Roy, who retired recently as a senior government official with
decades of national and international experience, is an expert on
international relations and Indian strategic interests. The views
expressed here are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of
sify.com
The Awami League government in Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina has succeeded in turning the table on terrorism, sabotage and
extremism in just under 10 months of rule.
One of her promises when she took over in January was the rooting out
of terrorism. Sheikh Hasina has pursued this objective with
determination, yielding significant success, even though there is a
lot more to do. Till about two years ago, Bangladesh had become a
paradise for terrorists from around the world. In fact, the center of
international terrorism was beginning to shift base from Pakistan-
Afghanistan to Bangladesh. Home-grown terrorist groups, the Lashkar-e-
Toiba (LET) and the Harkat-ul-Jehad Al Islami (HUJI) from Pakistan,
and the Harkat-ul-Mujahiddin (HUM) from Kashmir established their
centers in the country. Separatists and terrorists from North East
India like the ULFA, NSCN (I/M), the Bodo, Tripuri and Manipuri groups
were given assistance and support to set up their headquarters and
camps in Bangladesh by the ruling government, intelligence and
security agencies. ULFA was the jewel in the crown among the Indian
Insurgent Groups (IIGs).
Pro-Taliban and Al Qaeda NGOs from the Gulf and Middle East pumped in
money and indoctrination literature. The Al Qaeda shadow begun looming
over Bangladesh along with that of their South East Asian acolytes
like the Abu Sayyat group. During 2002-2004, even the Pakistani-based
and protected international crime lord Dawood Ibrahim was invited in
by Bangladeshi Minsters and intelligence chiefs. Other underworld
criminal dons from India too began to find refuge there.
It was a very troubling scenario for international experts on
terrorism. India, which was bearing the brunt of terrorist attacks
from the Bangladesh platform, followed the Gujral Doctrine of
accommodating smaller neighbours as far as possible. It was
understandable to an extent if the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) coalition
government (2001-2006) co-operated with Pakistan against India. The
JEI is Pakistan’s child, and the post liberation born BNP, currently
headed by Begum Khaleda Zia, became the adopted child of Pakistan.
But why did Khaleda Zia’s powerful sons and other BNP ministers start
leading the country into a whirlpool which would also suck them in
eventually ? That is a difficult question to answer.
But clearly the roots of it came from greed, arrogance and moral
debauchery, some things which ultimately destroyed the Mafia in the
US. Many actions by BNP ministers and law makers and their business
financers had actually begun to resemble the Mafia - extortion,
murders including political killings, drug running by some of their
business associates. Absolute power corrupted absolutely.
Safe under the cover of the overwhelming BNP, the JEI and its Islamist
agenda grew. It remained relatively untouched till recently, but its
far reaching machinations are beginning to come out. The high point of
Sheikh Hasina's anti-terrorism campaign, at least for India, is the
recent arrest of ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa in Dhaka. A fortnight
ago, two top ULFA leaders, Foreign Affairs Secretary Shashadar
Choudhury, and Finance Secretary Chitrabon Hazarika, were quietly
handed over to the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) by the
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).
But the ULFA Commander-in-Chief, Paresh Barua, who was living in the
capital city of Dhaka with his family quite openly for years, has
vanished. Earlier reports said that Rajkhowa was in Bangladesh and
Barua had relocated to China's Yunan province with some followers and
was in the process of setting up a base there. Shashadar Choudhury and
Hazarika have given Indian agencies some details of their connections
with China including arms assistance. Till now China, which has been
in denial of any contact with the ULFA or any other IIGs, has been
silent on this allegation. Indian agencies have enough evidence of
visits of ULFA and NSCN(I/M) leaders to China from Bangladesh, using
Bangladeshi passports on different names. Confessions by Choudhury and
Hazarika will further indict China as a covert supporter of anti-India
terrorism, insurgency and separatism, the "three Evils" that China
itself is fighting against.
There are two other questions. Why did it take so long for the
Bangladeshi agencies to apprehend Aurobindo Rajkhowa, who was hiding
in Dhaka? And how did Paresh Barua who was living in Dhaka under the
protection of intelligence agencies, slip away?
When Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister the first time in 1996, she
and her party had come to power with people’s support. Her government
(1996-2001), however, inherited a bureaucracy, army and intelligence
apparatus which was BNP made. So while she could not move forward on
most issues, she scored a point with the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts
agreement with the tribals of the region giving them greater say in
their affairs. The establishment, however, had the Awami League routed
in 2001 elections.
The current Awami League again has the people's mandate. But sections
of the bureaucracy, the army and especially the intelligence apparatus
are yet to be cleansed fully. BNP-JEI die-hards are still sprinkled
around in the state apparatus. This would answer the two questions
posed earlier.
Sheikh Hasina also floated the idea of a South Asian Counter-terrorism
Task Force. While it is still on the drawing board, it has what the
region needs urgently. Of course, it is not practical to include all
the countries in the first instance. It requires a India-Bangladesh
bilateral beginning with some cautious optimism. This rider is
mentioned because the Bangladesh intelligence apparatus is yet to be
transformed into a constitution abiding civilian controlled agencies.
Among other things, this counter-terrorism proposal will be on top of
the agenda for discussions when she comes to India for a three-day
official visit starting December 19.
Sheikh Hasina obviously wants to improve relations with India. But
will the BNP and its radical allies let her?
http://sify.com/news/bangladesh-is-the-tide-turning-news-columns-jmdtQ3hgeae.html
Sid Harth
Ramananda Sengupta | 2009-12-16 11:57:31
Thirty-eight years ago today, on a blustery late afternoon in Dhaka,
the commander of the Pakistani forces in East Pakistan, General Amir
Abdullah Khan Niazi publicly surrendered to the Indian Army,
represented by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora.
In that now famous picture of the surrender of December 16, 1971 at
the Ramna Race Course, there is a man standing on the right, behind
Niazi, with his head proudly up, gazing at something over the
horizon.
Click here to watch the video of the war
He was the man who had masterminded the public surrender.
I first met General Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob (Jake to his friends) in
November 2006, at his tiny apartment in Som Vihar, New Delhi. I was
trying to put together a series on the 13-day war.
The first thing that stuck me was the vitality of the man. Age (he was
on the wrong side of 80 then) had failed to dim the twinkle in his
eyes, or dampen his zest for life. His grip was like a vise, and his
voice used to command. In an incisive, crisp style, he put the war
into perspective for me very quickly.
I soon discovered that we had both studied in Darjeeling (in different
schools, in different eras), and that among other things, he was a
very keen student of military history. Which perhaps explains why he
did what he did in 1971.
The son of a Baghdadi Jew who ran a reasonably prosperous business in
Kolkata, young Jake went against his father’s wishes to join the
British Indian Army when he was just 18.
It was 1941, and World War II was in full swing. His first posting was
to Iraq, and then North Africa, where his unit arrived too late for
any real action. He was then shifted to Burma to fight against the
Japanese, and then to Malaysia. When the war ended, he went on to take
an advanced artillery course in the UK, before returning to an
Independent India.
His experience came in handy during the India-Pakistan wars. He was
promoted to Brigadier in 1963, and fought against the Pakistanis in
the deserts of Rajasthan during the 1965 war. By 1967, he was a
brigadier, and two years later he was promoted to Major General.
In 1969, another World War II veteran, Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji
Manekshaw, was appointed chief of the Indian army, and one of the
first things he did was to name Jacob as Chief of Staff, Eastern Army
Command.
War clouds were looming once again, with India struggling to cope with
the huge influx of Bengali refugees from East Pakistan fleeing
persecution by migrants and the military from the western wing, bent
on imposing Muslim law and Urdu as the national language.
India under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had not only planned and
prepared for this war, it also armed and trained the Mukti Bahini (or
Liberation Army) --which wanted freedom from West Pakistan - for quite
a while.
War was officially declared on December 3, 1971, after Pakistani
aircraft strafed some 11 Indian Air bases in the west in an attempted
pre-emptive strike. As India engaged with the Pakistanis in the east
and the west, The Soviet Union and the United States took sides. The
US , under President Richard Nixon, chose Pakistan.
But before the two nuclear powers and Cold War rivals could get really
get actively involved, Pakistan's eastern wing surrendered to the
Indian forces. The war was over. Bangladesh was born.
Weeks later, Pakistan's Chief Justice Hamidur Rahman was asked to head
a War Inquiry Commission, to examine the reasons for the debacle. On
being asked by the commission why he had accepted such a shameful
unconditional public surrender ,when he had 26,400 troops in Dacca and
the Indians only a few thousand outside, General Niazi replied: " I
was compelled to do so , as I was blackmailed by Jacob into
surrendering." He repeats this in his book "Betrayal of East
Pakistan."
In Crossed Swords, his authoritative book on the Pakistani military,
Pakistani American writer Shuja Nawaz notes that "....in the words of
a later Pakistan National Defence College study of the war, the
Indians planned and executed their offensive against East Pakistan in
a text book manner. It was a classic example of thorough planning,
minute coordination, and bold execution. The credit clearly goes to
General Jacob's meticulous preparations in the Indian eastern
command."
It was Jacob who insisted that he could not strike Bangladesh until
the rains ended, which also gave him time to make preparations for the
war. And when the war did begin, one of things General Jacob did was
to blatantly ignore orders to take Khulna and Chittagong and
consolidate. Instead, he made a beeline for Dacca.
When he reached the outskirts of the capital, he had 3,000 men. Niazi
had nearly 30,000. But Niazi also knew that the Bengali people were
against him and his men, sought a ceasefire under UN auspices.
On December 16, armed with nothing but a surrender document drafted by
him but yet to be cleared by the Indian high command, Jacob entered
Dacca, and headed for Niazi's headquarters. Fighting was going on in
the streets of the capital between the Mukti Bahini and the Pakistani
army.
Niazi tried to bluster, but Jacob was firm.
"General, I assure you if you surrender in public, accept these terms,
we will look after you and your men. The Government of India has given
its word and will ensure your safety and that of your civilians. If
you do not, then we can take no responsibility," Jacob recalls telling
Niazi. "He (Niazi) kept talking until I said, General, I cannot give
you any better terms. I will give you 30 minutes. If you don’t comply
I would have no option but to order resumption of hostilities."
He walked out, and paced up and down outside Niazi's office.
On his return, Niazi kept quiet. "I walked up to him. The document was
on the table and I asked him: General, do you accept this document? I
asked him three times but he didn't answer. So I picked it up. I said,
I take it as accepted."
Thus was the first and perhaps only public surrender in modern
military history won. The rest, as they say, is history.
Sadly, we do not learn from our history. Today, as the nation
celebrates 'Vijay Diwas', it is worth pondering that General Jacob is
not on any official invitation list.
Is this how we treat our heroes?
http://sify.com/news/1971-war-i-will-give-you-30-minutes-news-columns-jmqlV0fcjja.html
Sid Harth
2009-12-03 19:26:14
Though he is above 80, Lt Gen. JFR Jacob, a hero of the 1971 war with
Pakistan, remains a keen student of strategic warfare. "I've learned
from every campaign since Alexander the Great and Napoleon," he
explains. Jacob, who also served as the Governor of Goa and Punjab,
recently lectured in nine US cities, (including one at Capitol Hill in
Washington DC) which were attended by several senior US administration
officials and military officers. The lectures - broadcast live on some
US television and radio channels - have been critically acclaimed by
many, and parts of it have been also incorporated in the curricula of
some universities.
In this exclusive article for Sify.com, he explains why insecurity in
Afghanistan directly impacts Indian interests.
The Al Qaeda and Taliban pose escalating threats to Indian security.
Pakistan is striving hard, through the Taliban, to gain control of
eastern Afghanistan. Iran too is trying to increase its influence in
the Shia areas of western Afghanisan.
Afghanistan is, and always has been, critical to Indian security. It
is imperative in the interests of India that NATO succeeds in its
mission to restore stability to Afganistan. But NATO should learn from
earlier abortive campaigns, of the first and second Anglo-Afghan wars,
Maharaja Ranjit Singh's incursion into Kabul , and the Soviet
occupation and withdrawal from Afghanistan. The only one who managed
to keep control over this region was Alexander the Great, and that was
some 2,500 years ago.
With the proposed infusion of more US troops , NATO forces in
Afghanistan will go well past the 100,000 mark. The Taliban number
some 30,000 Pashtuns in southern Afghanistan and a few thousand in
Pakistan. Taliban supremo Omar Mullah and Al Qaeda chief Osama bin
Laden are in Pakistan. Omar is in Karachi and Laden in northern
Pakistan, both under protection of the ISI .
There is talk of NATO only holding the towns leaving the countryside
to the Taliban. This will be unwise. It will perhaps be relevant to
remember the Spanish Peninsular War---the French held the towns , the
guerillas controlled the countryside. the French left Spain defeated.
NATO will have to control both the towns and the countryside.
In a insurgency or small war there are two essential factors to keep
the insurgency going: firm bases and lines of supply for
arms ,ammunition and money. As long as these two factors obtain the
insurgency will continue.
The firm bases of the Taliban and Al Qaeda are in Afghanistan and
Pakistan. Money comes from the Middle East and Pakistan's ISI, and
from opium. Some money received by Pakistan as US aid are diverted to
the Taliban. The area is awash with weapons.
NATO's operations in southern Afghanistan are made more complex by the
unhindered movement of Taliban fighters between Afghanistan and
Pakistan. Military operations have to cover both Afghanistan and
Pakistan. The situation will eventually have to be resolved not only
in Afghanistan but finally on the banks of the river Indus.
Economically, Afghanistan is an unviable state. Its armed forces and
police are ill equipped and ill trained , the infrastructure is in
poor shape, corruption is rampant . There is no effective governance.
The writ of the central government does not extend much beyond Kabul.
Tribal loyalties take precedence over national. Human rights hardly
exist. Hardline attitudes towards women are deplorable. Fundamentalism
is escalating rapidly.
All these factors have to be addressed. The Marine Corps manual on
small wars of the 1930's stressed the capture of hearts and minds.
These aspects are, I am told, being given proper weightage by NATO.
India is already involved in helping Afghanistan build its
infrastructure, roads, government buildings etc, much to Pakistan’s
annoyance. Pakistan wishes to eliminate all Indian influence in
Afghanistan.
India can also help in training the armed forces, police, civil
servants and with infrastructural services, medical services, and
educational facilities for both boys and girls.
A stable and economically viable Afghanistan is an essential factor
for Indian security. We must do whatever it takes to ensure this.
http://sify.com/news/gen-jfr-jacob-on-the-afghan-war-news-columns-jmdt0njffec.html
chhotemianinshallah
27 December 2009, 10:32pm IST
LUDHIANA: The Shahi Imam organized a press conference here on Sunday
to express satisfaction and gratitude over the decision of Congress
party to avoid the annual congregation of Ahmaddiya community being
held in Qadian, district Gurdaspur. The press conference was organized
in the Jama Masjid in city where people from Muslim community
participated.
While addressing mediapersons, Habib-Ur-Rehman Sani, Shahi Imam Jama
Masjid, said they were highly pleased with the decision taken by the
finance minister of not attending the annual congregation of the
Ahmaddiya community.
He asserted that this decision had averted a big clash that could have
taken place if the minister had attended the function. He said that
they had been protesting against his visit to the Admadiyya annual
meet as it could have boosted the morale of people, who have been
debarred from the Muslim fraternity because of their deviated path.
Muslims all across the state had been protesting against the visit of
the finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, to the annual congregation of
the Ahmadiyya Muslim community at its international headquarters in
Qadian. To express resentment the Muslim community had even burnt the
effigy of finance minister on the Jagraon Bridge and blocked traffic
for over half-an-hour on December 25. The protest was registered by
the Muslims in all Jama Masjids of the state including Moga, Amloh,
Pathankot, Nawa Shaher, Patiala, Phagwada, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur,
Bathinda, Rajpura, Jagraon and Ajitwal.
The convention that began on December 26 would continue till December
28.
chhotemianinshallah
AGENCIES 31 December 2009, 12:32am IST
LAHORE: Pakistan Taliban commanders have contacted cricketer-turned-
politician Imran Khan to broker peace talks with the government.
"The Taliban have contacted me for peace negotiations with the
government. But I will play the mediator's role only if the government
gives its consent," Khan said on Wednesday. He did not mention which
faction of the Taliban had contacted him.
Khan, who heads the Tehrik-e-Insaaf party, has opposed military
operations against the Taliban and other militant groups. He had
earlier offered to act as a mediator between the Taliban and
Islamabad, but the government did not respond, although the rebels in
Swat had welcomed the offer. He had come under fire from PPP leaders
and sections of the media for his "pro-Taliban" stance.
Interior minister Rehman Malik has made it clear that the government
will not talk to the Taliban or other terrorists unless they
surrender.
chhotemianinshallah
B G Verghese
First Published : 24 Dec 2009 11:15:00 PM IST
Last Updated : 24 Dec 2009 12:49:53 AM IST
The CBI’s unravelling of the mystery surrounding the death last May of
two young Kashmiri women of Shopian has stung the separatists in the
Valley following the exposure of the mischief they perpetrated. Not
for the first time, efforts were made to paint the state
administration and, more particularly, the security forces in the
darkest possible hues as cruel oppressors and perverts out to
terrorise a hapless people seeking no more than freedom and the right
to live in peace with dignity.
In the instant case, the twin fatalities occurred on May 29. First
reports by the police suggested death by drowning. However, a
vociferous group came forward with alleged eye witnesses who claimed
to have heard screams from a vehicle standing on bridge over a
nearby nullah into which uniformed personnel had presumably pushed the
girls after sexually assaulting them. Thereafter the post-mortem
report and other forensic evidence was cooked up to suggest rape and
murder.
A commission of inquiry was misled into believing this version and
charges were filed against the policemen who had initially reported a
simple case of drowning. Protests were mounted against the security
forces.
Shopian saw angry demonstrations for months until the chief minister
ordered a CBI inquiry. The bodies were exhumed and detailed medical
tests conducted by doctors from the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences in Delhi conclusively proved death by drowning and no
symptoms of rape whatsoever.
The “eye witnesses,” doctors and others confessed they were threatened
and bribed to concoct the stories they did. The so-called forensic
evidence of rape by the Shopian doctors was also found to have been
crudely manufactured to the dictates of separatist elements.
The Shopian exposure has greatly embarrassed the separatists whose
protests have turned to denouncing a CBI–Government conspiracy to
cover up the crime. The Kashmir High Court Bar Association has
rejected the CBI report and plans to challenge it in court and, if
need be, take it to the International Court of Justice, which amounts
to whistling in the dark. Strangely, Mir Waiz Umar Farooq has joined
the clamour, demanding an international probe into the incident. It
appears he has been rattled by the dastardly attempt on the life of
the respected moderate Hurriyat leader, Fazle Haq Quereshi, a couple
of weeks ago in Srinagar by jihadi elements out to scuttle the J&K
internal peace process initiated by the government. This from the
Hurriyat chairman who has for 20 years not dared to state who killed
his own father, the previous Mir Waiz, though everybody knows the
Hizbul Mujahideen was responsible.
The dark politics of separatist-jihadi violence and fear still
pervades parts of Kashmir. Every Friday has become an occasion for
organised protest and hooliganism to provoke a police response that
can be blamed for the ensuing mindless violence. The faked symbolism
in the choice of the timing of these planned demonstrations is
unmistakable. It betrays desperation to keep the “cause” alive.
The J & K peace process must move forward, at least on the internal
aspect as a prelude to a final international settlement when Pakistan
is willing and able to negotiate without holding a terrorist pistol to
India’s head. Meanwhile, it is good to learn that more Army units are
being pulled out of internal security duties in J & K as promised.
This augurs well for talks.
One sees similar signs of desperation and hope at the other end of the
country with the arrest of key ULFA leaders, Arabinda Rajkhowa and
Raju Barua among the latest, thanks to newfound cooperation from the
Awami League administration in Bangladesh. The Centre and State
governments have concerted action to open a dialogue with ULFA if
they abjure violence and abandon the demand for sovereignty. Rajkhowa
has said he will not talk with handcuffs. Paresh Barua, ULFA’s
commander-in-chief, has moved his hideout from Bangladesh to somewhere
in northeast Myanmar near the Chinese border from where he has
denounced Rajkhowa’s arrest or surrender, accused the government of
double standards in its negotiating stance with different separatist
formations and continues to press for sovereignty as a pre-condition
for talks.
The government is willing to offer Paresh Barua safe conduct to come
to Assam and open a dialogue. There is no need to insist that he
foreswear sovereignty as this can be rejected in the course of
dialogue. Far better to grant him the face saver he needs if this can
clinch a settlement. ULFA has a totally muddled and opportunistic
agenda and knows that it has forfeited public support by its
brutalities and extreme demands. Hopefully a dialogue will commence in
the new year. The real issues relate to development, inclusive growth
and regional cooperation.
The same is true of talks with the NSCN-IM and Khaplang. Further
autonomy is negotiable (and some formulations have been exchanged) but
Nagaism is a non-starter as established histories and current
geographies cannot be lightly discarded except thorough consensus.
Nagas, for instance, have no historical title to Dimapur But it cannot
now be detached from Nagaland. What can be devised is non-territorial
integration of dispersed Naga areas for certain common purposes
without violating existing territorial jurisdiction.
Likewise, Gorkhaland need not necessarily be carved out as a separate
state. But the area could be granted a further degree of autonomy
and, even as part of West Bengal, made a member of the North East
Council, maybe alongside an autonomous Kamtapur, which would make the
Northeast a compact unit of which Sikkim becomes a contiguous part.
Two other developments this past week warrant disquiet. The first is a
Supreme Court division bench ruling that a killer’s caste anguish may
be entertained as a mitigating factor even in a case of murder. The
order was made in a case of a man killing members of his sister’s
family for the marriage of their daughter into a lower caste. Such
“social factors” have no legitimacy in law and one hopes this
judgement will be soon reviewed and overturned. It sends out a
horribly wrong message.
Equally disturbing is Tony Blair’s statement before Britain’s Iraq War
Inquiry that he would have gone to war with Iraq even if
categorically informed that there was no semblance of WMD capability
or wherewithal with Saddam. In his view, Saddam was evil and deserved
to go on any pretext. This is dangerous nonsense. It is a war crime
and constitutes licence for international banditry which cannot be
condoned.
About the author:
B G Verghese is a columnist.
Comments
Thank you Raj and Malavika Patil , it is for sane and thinking un-
brain-washed people like you that I am posting my messages which
contain only truths, but dark truths unknown to large majority of
gullible and loving and tolerant hindus.Hope my messages wake up the
sleeping majority of hindus including BJP,RSS,VHP and oither hindu
cadres.
By True Hindustani
12/30/2009 7:24:00 PM
Malaysia is a Islamic fundamentalist state. Any one who pontificates
otherwise should have his/her head examined. If India follows the same
majoritarian methods all hell would break loose.
By Malavika Patil
12/30/2009 8:22:00 AM
True Hindustani, There are lot of us like me who loves to read your
comments, posts and we learn much from you. Please do not get
disheartened from the fake guys posting in fake "Hindu" names....they
feel hard to eat the truth..... Good job and keep going.
By Raj
12/30/2009 3:22:00 AM
I am writing for sake of true indians and not for isi agents or
jehadis like jayadevan,gunalan,etc and of course fanatic jehadis and
fanatic christians who believe that killing and converting
hindus,sikhs,buddhists,etc will give them heaven after death with 72
virgins and wine and that is why people like jayadevan and gunalan the
jehadis are finidng my writings unpleasant to them.I am writing for
million sof hararssed and tortured hindu,sikhs,buddhists and non
fanatic human beings and not for supporting fanatic jehadis and
fanaticchristians.If fanatic jehadis and christians find my writing
unbearable that makes me happy and if millions of hindus can find a
friend in me and if I can give them some relief and consolation from
terror&violence of fanatics all around the world,, I will feel
happy.
By True Hindustani
12/30/2009 12:53:00 AM
Gunalan, so somebody does read this True Hindustani's cut and paste
postings even now! We gave up a long time back when he was calling
himself something else. I feel now that with so many repetitions of
writing the same things over and over again, he should have devoted
some time to polishing the syntax, making it slightly readable, so
that some gullible person at least would read it fully and eventually
believe at least five per cent of his lies. A bit of sincerity towards
the profession is necessary. This gentleman wouldn't be able to hold
down a job painting "Zalim Lotion" on walls.
By Jayadevan
12/29/2009 4:10:00 AM
What true Hindustani has written about Malaysia is full of lies, all
lies nothing but lies. I am a Hindu living in Malaysia peacefully,
there are millions of Hindus living peacefully, and India can learn a
lot from the tolerance in Malaysia. One temple built on Govt land
without permission was demolished but the GOVT gave another site to
replace it and the prime Minister himself apologised to Hindus There
are thousands of Hindu and Buddhist temples in Malaysia. Two years ago
Sami Velu, a Hindu leader and top ranking politician built a huge Ram
temple in Malaysia. The king of Malaysia in Johore has a huge palace,
right inside his palace grounds there is a Hindu temple. A billionaire
who runs a huge telephone and cable net working company is a Hindu,
there are many Hindu Ministers, top ranking civil servants. People who
enjoy hate speech like true Hindustani can not be corrected, falsehood
runs in his blood but I fail to understand why new Indian Express
tolerates his diatribes.
By Gunalan
12/28/2009 12:51:00 PM
Why does a charge of misconduct levelled against the police get
credibility? It is only because the police normally behave in a way
that we are willing to believe the worst things said about them. We
have seen umpteen cases of police high-handedness, corruption, rape,
killings and what not. So the police have laid themselves vulnerable
to such tactics. Who in India would have disbelieved the story that
the policemen raped and killed two women - this is second nature to
them - that too in a place where they can do whatever they want to do?
Are not the police a main factor in the garnering of public support by
the extremists everywhere? Does any man without connections or money
sincerely believe that the police will help him out in an emergency?
If we had a bit of fair policing, people would still have some faith
in the system's capability to deliver justice and picking up arms
would need a second thought.
By Jayadevan
12/28/2009 3:54:00 AM
I agree with the author of this article .. everytime security forces
act to preserve the peace, they are accused of wild atrocities. And so
it has been in Sri Lanka, where even as we speak Sri Lanka Army
soldiers are being accused of raping IDPs in the currently open camps
in the Wanni. People must pay close attention to the MOTIVES BEHIND
THESE ACCUSATIONS and not accept them at face value, because
DIABIOLICAL LIES are being propagated by various "human rights"
organizations setup by terrorists for that exact purpose. That purpose
is to force the legally constituted government and democratic forces
ONTO THE DEFENSIVE and make them IMPOTENT in maintaining LAW & ORDER
that law-abiding people need to live their lives in security.
By Sinha
12/25/2009 4:23:00 PM
Malaysia ia classic example of how hate-filled intolerant&barbarian
muslims can become when muslims GETmajority in any country.Here is a
nation with just 52 percent muslims& they ARE SUCCESSFUL in
terrorrising&Ethnic Cleansing of 48 percent minorities calling them
infidel kafirs&every muslim mosque in that barbarian nation shouts
every Friday in mosques& in madrassas every day that KILLING infidels&
kafirs like hindus,sikhs,christians,buddhists,jew,etc and DEMOLISHING
ALL TEMPLES &PLACES OF WORSHIP OF KAFIRS WILL give the Muslims HEAVEN
after death WITH 72 VIRGINS& WINE AS EXTRA GIFTS.The moronic muslims
are cravng to become jehadi killers&NO ONE IN uSA,EUROPE or developed
nations PROTEST at this barabarity of muslim cult since THEY HAVE
CONTROL OF OIL wealth&USA&EUROPE haveNO problem with the intolerant
cult,Islam.See The Hypocricy&mutliple Faces of USA&Europe&Others,What
a Shame!
By True Hindustani
12/24/2009 7:59:00 PM
ALL patriotic Indians and ALL Hindus MUST introspect and FIND apt
answers for Following Questions.1)Why in a secular country, there are
special privileges for religious minorities?2) Why NO Uniform Civil
Code even after 60 years of independence, making all indians equal if
india is really a nation for ALL indians?3) No muslim majority country
allows kafir minorities like hindus,sikhs&buddhists to live in peace
and try their best even to elimiante and kill kafirs.But why in hindu
majority country there should be special privileges to minorities only?
4) is it communal to speak for interests of majority hindus &secular
to speak all the time about minority interests?5) Who are fanatics ?
The people speaking for equality for all indians or those speaking
only for minortities& their special privileges? Hope indian
intellectuals& media men and journalitsts wake up from bribed sleep
and analyze all aberrations of our country with a clear honest mind
instead of blaming hindus as fanatics, their
By True Hindustani
12/24/2009 7:59:00 PM
Farooq Abdullh and his son OMAR Abdulla as well as ALL former JK chief
ministers and home ministers of JK including congress minsiters since
1947 MUST be charged for Genocide of more than 50000 hindus and sikhs
in kashmir and for driving out more than 200000 hindus and sikhs from
that using jehadi terror&violence and brutality it is a shame that
BJP,RSS,VHP and patriotic indians have NOT educated indian and world
comunsity about this ghastl crime and genocide of hindus&sikhs in
Kashmir and for crime against humanity, as well as of genocide of more
30000 hindus&sikhs by christian fanatics inNorth east states.WHAT a
SHAME that BJP,RSS,VHP& Hindus have NOT flled Genocide Cahrges in our
courts&international court of justice, against muslim&congress chief
ministers& home minisers of Kashmir as well as North east states for
GHASTLY GENOCIDE OF HINDUS&SIKHS.Shame,Shame
By True Hindustani
12/24/2009 7:58:00 PM
See indian and pakistani history after parttion in 1947.Hindu Majority
allowed muslim minority to stay back in India, gave them all sorts pf
privileges NOT available even to poor Hindus and multiplied 300 times
using the love and tolerance of hindus and still the
ungratefilminority msulims and christians of India shout 24 hours a
day that killing of converting hindus,sikhs and buddhists by fraud or
force will give them heaven after death with 72 virginswine.In
Paksitan more than 20 lakh minority hindus and sikhs were BRUTALLY
KILLED BY jehadi muslim majority there to get heaven with virgins and
wine as tol by Quran and fanatic mullas& destroyed more than 200
hindus temples to get heaven.Still indian and international media
shout pakis and muslims are tolerant loving&compassionate&that hindus
are fanatics&barbarians.Who are MAD Fanatics&Beasts?
By True Hindustani
12/24/2009 7:57:00 PM
It is a shame that our jounalists can behave as the worst possible
robots and slaves for a few dollars given by crooked mafia rulers,Look
at Kashmir in Secular India.Farooq Abdullh&his son OMAR Abdulla as
well as ALL former JK chief ministers&home ministers of JK including
congress minsiters since 1947 MUST be charged for Genocide of more
than 50000 hindus&sikhs in kashmir&for driving out more than 200000
hindus&sikhs from that using jehadi terror&violence&brutality it is a
shame that BJP,RSS,VHP& patriotic indians have NOT educated
indian&world comunity about this Ghastly crime& Genocide of
hindus&sikhs in Kashmir&FORcrime against humanity,as well as of
Genocide of more 30000 hindus&sikhs by christian fanatics inNorth east
states.WHAT a SHAME that BJP,RSS,VHP& Hindus have NOT flled Genocide
Charges in our courts&international court of justice, against
muslim&congress chief ministers& home ministers of Kashmir as well as
North East States for GHASTLY GENOCIDE OF HINDUS&SIKHS.Shame,Sham
By True Hindustani
12/24/2009 7:56:00 PM
these readmade solutions are not so easy, at least in the context of
North East
By arup jyoti das
12/24/2009 1:27:00 PM
chhotemianinshallah
Seema Mustafa
First Published : 21 Dec 2009 11:52:00 PM IST
Last Updated : 21 Dec 2009 12:37:58 AM IST
In a little noticed case, the Supreme Court has again intervened in
support of maintenance for a divorced Muslim woman. Instead of
Shahbano, this time it is Shabano Bano who approached the courts for
maintenance, appealing against a lower courts decision that a divorced
Muslim woman was entitled to maintenance only during the iddat period
to ensure she is not pregnant. The apex court has ruled that a
divorced Muslim woman is entitled to receive maintenance from her
husband as long as she does not remarry, in what is yet another path
breaking decision.
Shabano Bano was married to an Imran Khan in Gwalior on November 26,
2001. She filed a petition under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure
Code in the family court, Gwalior. Imran challenged this, saying that
under the provisions of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on
Divorce) Act 1986 she was not entitled to any maintenance after the
expiry of iddat. It might be recalled that Shahbano had won a right to
maintenance from the Supreme Court, but following howls of protests
from the Muslim conservatives, the then Rajiv Gandhi government
intervened to reverse the decision through a legislation that sought
to put the Muslim woman out of the purview of Section 125 of the CrPC.
The Gwalior family court ruled in favour of Imran Khan, after which
Shabano Bano approached the high court that dismissed her petition.
Almost following the footsteps of Shahbano, this courageous woman
moved the Supreme Court. A two-judge bench of Justice B Sudershan
Reddy and Justice Deepak Verma ruled: “It is held that if a Muslim
woman has been divorced, she would be entitled to claim maintenance
from her husband even after the expiry of iddat, as long as she does
not remarry under Section 125 of the CrPC.” The apex court set aside
the order passed by the Gwalior Bench of the High Court of Madhya
Pradesh and remanded the matter to the family court of Gwalior to
decide it on merit. The judges further said, “it would make it crystal
clear that even a divorced Muslim woman would be entitled to claim
maintenance from her ex-husband as long as she does not remarry. This
being a beneficial piece of legislation, the benefit must accrue to
divorced Muslim women too.”
The Supreme Court clearly found a loophole in the regressive
legislation, to rule in favour of dependent divorced Muslim women who
face destitution without maintenance. It is time that the self-
appointed custodians of the Muslim law, most of them housed in the
Muslim Personal Law Board spent time in a progressive interpretation
of the law insofar as gender rights and protection is concerned.
Unfortunately even the women appointed to the Board from time to time
are regressive in their outlook, and believe in the status quo where
the legitimate rights of women are denied in the name of religion.
There is sufficient flexibility in the religion for ensuring that the
divorced Muslim woman receives maintenance from her husband, not just
during the iddat period but also for the rest of her life. Of course,
as in all laws this will come to an end if she remarries at any stage.
During the debate surrounding the Supreme Court decision in the
Shahbano case, it had been clarified by scholars that mehr, the money
fixed at the time of the marriage ceremony that the husband has to pay
his wife, was not at all the compensation paid at the time of divorce.
Instead, mehr is the money to be paid by the husband to his wife
during the life of their marriage, either in one go or in instalments
depending on what was mutually agreed and economically feasible.
Unfortunately, in the majority of cases the families of the bride are
forced to fix the mehr at absurd amounts, ranging from Rs 1 to Rs 100.
To ensure that this was not legitimised, and that the bride and her
relatives were able to fight off the pressure, women groups across the
country succeeded in bringing out an acceptable, standard nikahnama
(marriage document) where the mehr was calculated according to the
husband’s income, and a decent amount was stipulated for payment to
the wife at some point in the marriage. Other provisions to safeguard
the interests of the bride, and give her equal rights in the marriage,
were also included in the nikahnama that was being circulated in the
cities after consultations with clerics. The Gujarat violence and the
subsequent insecurity amongst the minorities came as a major setback
to this process of reform from within, and the Muslim clerics backed
out completely. It has not been started since, with Muslim men
exploiting their women in the name of religion.
Any number of women have fallen prey to the interpretation of religion
in a manner where the Muslim man believes he can marry any number of
times without providing for his earlier wife and children. The
districts are full of cases where a woman has found herself on the
streets with her children, after her husband moved off to marry again
and yet again. She has little choice but to try and find work, even
though she is uneducated and has led a sheltered life. Or to face
destitution like Shahbano and now Shabano who did manage to move the
courts for their rights. This provision in the personal law has to be
restricted in definitive terms. All this talk about Islam stipulating
that a man cannot marry again without asking permission from his first
wife, etc is meaningless in reality, as it presupposes the non-
existent ‘goodness of man’. If Islam makes it difficult for the man to
marry again, then it is time this is translated into law so that the
man cannot marry again without seeking the wife’s permission in the
courts. This is the minimal requirement that must be introduced into
Muslim personal law, so that consent is not verbal but documented by
an authority that is impartial and legal. The wife then has the
protection necessary to give or withhold her consent, as she so
wishes. In other words, she is an equal partner, an individual whose
rights are recognised and respected.
The Supreme Court must be commended for its verdict, despite the
restrictive legislation passed by the Congress government two decades
ago. It gives a ray of hope again to the women deserted by their
husbands who were till now exploiting the personal law to first marry
four times if they so wanted, and do so without bothering to pay
alimony. They were supported by the Muslim organisations and the
Muslim Personal Law Board, male bodies that use the ‘our religion
under threat’ argument to consolidate themselves under the banner of
exploitation, as soon as they even get a sniff that women might be
getting their due. This has to stop now, and one can only hope that
the ruling by the apex court does not get drawn into orchestrated
controversy, and goes a long way in providing sustenance to the
divorced Muslim woman.
About the author:
Seema Mustafa is a commentator on political affairs
Comments
It is time these Muslim draconian laws regarding marriage, upkeep and
divorce should be outlawed once and for all. If Koran says that
martyrs shall enjoy with 72 virgins then this shows how that Holy book
views women as. Simply, a tool for male sexual gratification. If the
book does not have respect, then how can the people have respect for
women in their society. Those who do not want to abide by the rule of
the majority of the mainstream should leave the country and live where
these type of laws are tolerated. We cannot have one law for a section
of society and another for another. Religion should also mould itself
with times and environment. Isolation within unification of a secular
state is not only unwanted but also dangerous for a minority
By BABUJI
12/31/2009 12:52:00 AM
Of course jehadis and isi agents posting messages in hindu look-alike
names like jayadevan and sankaranarayanan will object to the freedom
of women since they will be losing the chance to exploit women more
and will lose their chance to use them for pleasure as sexx objects
and to increase their head count and make india and all nations muslim
majority nations and then eliminate all minroities like hindus and
sikhs and buddhists as in pakistan and kashmir, accusing them as
kafirs and dream on to get more virgins and wine after death.What a
illogical and intolerant and hate filled terror cult is this islam.As
OBama says sooner or later the wolrld will have to get rid of this
cult and thier followers, to have eternal peace on earth,
By True Hindustani
12/29/2009 11:11:00 PM
All muslim women must seriously look into their minds&analyze with
logic whether it is worth living as slaves wihout even liberty to see
sunlight in some countries&even in india&to just live as sexx objects
for men& just as babay-making machines only without any respect from
their community other than for above jobs.Through out 1400 year
history of islam women have been kept as slaves &used for pleasure of
man&they have no right even to go to mosques&there has been no woman
imam or mullah or anybody worth the name in islam&when women are
dead,they are buried just as animals.Compare this to hinduism where
women are treated even as godesses&there are thousands or lakhs of
women intellectuals in hindusim&there have been countless women
priests&spiritua leaders in hindusim since thousands of years.So
Muslim women dump your terror religion&become free&Embrace your mother
religion for living a full free life
By True Hindustani
12/29/2009 10:56:00 PM
Can you not see Muslims objecting to Amarnath pilgrimage site
building, referring Ram Janma Bhoomi by its name. Hearing all this you
way Muslims are our brothers and sisters. Shame on you guys. Let us
understand that Muslims and christians are sons of invaders or
traitors of faith. They are no way sons of Hindustan. They are always
a hindrance throughout the world wherever they go. Look at Parsis,
they are also from Parseeg outside India. But they settled and grew
with us as our guests. They honoured the host Hindus who accomodated
them when they were chased out by Islamic invaders from Parseeg (now
Iran). They respect and grow with us. We had no problems with them.
But Islam and Christianity is a menace which has to be completely got
ridden off if India has to survive
By Ramya
12/29/2009 12:01:00 PM
You are right Manbakht. Not every Hindu or Muslims are bad.
Exceptionally few Muslims (invaders) may be good and exceptionally few
Hindus may be bad. You guys are sons of invaders only and what else.
Get out of India and return to your homelands so that everyone can
live in peace. Have all your Shariats there and diktats there.
By Fate
12/29/2009 12:00:00 PM
REPLY TO BASHIR AND HIS ILK:You are talking utter, absolute, total,
pure and unadulterated illogic and non-sense. Where did you get so
much venom, are you a friend of king cobras in Indian jungles? You are
ready to sell good Hindu values, sell your conscience, and sell your
soul for a pittance. Do you know what was the end of “GOEBBLES”?
Please try to save India, do not kill yourself and kill the innocent
people of India. Hatred, ill-will and open hostility leads to more
destruction. There are virtuous people and vicious people in all
castes, clans, families, religions, nations and races. It can never be
true that all Muslims are devils; it can never be true that all Hindus
are devils.Do not discredit and hurt the feelings of good people. Do
you believe in karma? Every action will have its reaction either in
your own life or after your death. Human life does not end when man
dies, it continues.
By manbakht
12/28/2009 11:58:00 AM
Bestiality was invented by Mohd. There is nothing illegal in Islam
that is why killing, raping etc are justified. And pamameen and the
shameless NIE censor find it convenient to make a virtue out an evil.
That is why momins are proud to claim that islam is a way of bestial
life!
By Bashir
12/28/2009 7:38:00 AM
Pamameen, really do hope you have wise words with your comrades and
let them know about PEACE in any religion. How can ONE book be
misinterpreted by your fellow men and still rear terrorists in mosques
by educated people.
By veera
12/27/2009 10:02:00 PM
Pt 1. There are two issues in the matter of maintenance after a
divorce. Islam insists that it is the responsibility of the father to
give sufficient amount for maintenance of the children. But there is
no obligation on the part of the husband to maintain his divorced wife
after the Idda period is over, simply because in Islam marriage is a
civil contract and once the parties on their own accord break the
agreement, the contract comes to an end. If the husband is forced to
maintain his divorced wife, it usually leads to the ex-husband abusing
his financial support and hence majority of the divorced wives in all
religions do not want to have any financial support from their ex-
husbands.
By pamameen
12/27/2009 12:32:00 PM
Pt 2. But since marriage is a contract in Islam, Islam allows imposing
and accepting conditions not opposed to the laws of Islam or public
morality. For example, a wife can impose a condition that (i) the
husband shall not contract a second marriage during the existence of
the first (ii) the husband should pay a certain sum should he decide
to divorce her (iii) the husband will pay a big lump sum should he
divorce her and (iv) the wife will have the right to divorce her
husband for a specific reason or any reasonable cause etc. When there
is so much of leeway and logical latitude, what Seema Mustapha has
written shows her lack of comprehension.
By pamameen
12/27/2009 12:31:00 PM
Ayyayyo! So is this a competition between Hindus and Muslims to show
"your wife-beater strongest"? So we got the usual bit of how perverted
the Muslims are - they missed calling the prophet a pedophile, this
time, and (this time) a very poor show by the Muslim commentators.
Just weak potshots at Hindu polygyny. They will improve next time. I
suggest they have a look at the exchanges between the Tamils and the
Sinhalas for inspiiration. Back to the point. The woman is not
concerned with what is written in the Vedas or the Hadees. She is not
concerned whether she is slapped in accordance with the law or in
defiance of it. I am reminded of the lady who goes to her father,
crying, "Your son-in-law slapped me". The father promptly slaps her,
and says, "Go back and let that ruffian know that I have slapped his
wife"! What an equitable state of affairs! Fairness and justice all
round! Yatra naryastu..
By Jayadevan
12/27/2009 6:37:00 AM
Part IV: The Quran is the only religious scripture ( that is 1430
years old) which gives a commanding ordinance as, quote "MARRY ONE
ONLY") Refer Sura Number 4 Verse Number 3. Can others belonging to
other religions quote a similar verse from their holy scriptures
giving an unequivocal statement/command as the Quran has given? God’s
laws are meant for all ages and all circumstances both normal and
abnormal circumstances. But man for his own selfish reasons abuse the
laws of God (as our politicians and Govt employees abuse their
positions by receiving bribes), No fool will blame the religious or
national constitution for having those laws. This is the main reason,
in all religions, this world is not the end of the story. Man may
escape with umpteen cock and bull stories for his immoral actions now
but he can not escape the retribution/punishment and the right
judgment in the next world for his wrong doing in playing around
either with God given laws or any moral laws.
By pamameen
12/26/2009 11:00:00 PM
Prt1: Polygamy is allowed in Islam only as an exception. It is
expressly stated in the Quran: Quote “If you fear that you will not
justice (between your wives), then marry ONE ONLY (Sura 4:3) Islam
permits polygamy that too conditionally. In Islam monogamy is
undoubtedly the right rule of life under normal circumstances, but
when abnormal circumstances are brought about by the excess of females
over males, monogamy fails and only through a limited polygamy that
this difficulty can be solved. The rule of polygamy which was allowed
as a remedy has largely been abused by some irresponsible and sensual
people. But then there are people in every society who abuse any
institution, any law. Law prohibiting dowry from the bride’s side is
the best example in India. How many Hindu gentlemen who have written
discrediting negative comments here have married without receiving
dowry Indian men are the most shameful in selling their sex for money
in marriage, in the world following the beautiful soci
By pamameen
12/26/2009 10:45:00 PM
Pt 2: Going back to the Quranic term JUSTICE, above when a man has two
wives he must show perfect justice between them. To what extent? If he
spends Monday night with his first wife, he must spend the Tuesday
night with his second wife, the Wednesday night with his first wife
and so on. If he buys 5 sovereign jewellery for his second wife, he
must buy a similar one for his first wife, in other words in all
matrimonial and asset based matters he must do absolute justice. For,
how many is this humanly practical. Such people, under exceptional
circumstance, can take a second wife. Do polygamous Muslims and the
Chinna Weedu privileged Hindus do this justice to their more than one
wives or concubines?
By pamameen
12/26/2009 10:40:00 PM
Pt. 3: I give another exceptional case. A guy( age 28) marries a lady
( age24) and their life was happy for a year and then his first wife
( by relation his cousin) developed mental illness and turned out to
be a lunatic with whom her husband has been unable to have any
conjugal relation for 4,5,6 years. He loves his cousin (wife)
immensely; he does not want to divorce her, throw her out to be abused
by others and at the same time decides to marry a second wife to have
children and to satisfy his biological needs. Well he could go after
prostitutes instead of marriage. I leave it to the readers to decide
which one is better. When polygamy is allowed under such exceptional
circumstances, when some sensual people abuse the law, Islam is not
responsible for this. There are more Hindus who have the so called
“Chinna Weedu” by percentage than polygamous Muslims in India. Should
we blame the Hindu religion for more Chinna weedus
By pamameen
12/26/2009 10:36:00 PM
Great article Seema. I just can't seem to understand many of the
comments made here. Simply put, women need equality as it does not
exist either in law or in practice. The majority Hindus have
legislations that have been enacted that protect the rights of women
but in practice this falls far short of the ideal. Ditto for
Christians. However for our Muslim brethren, this equality of sexes
does not exist both in law and in practice - much as they have been
brainwashed to believe that theirs is the most modern religion that
believes in equality of sexes. In Islam a woman can never be equal to
a man (vis a vis rights) esp. when her witness is equal to only half
that of man's. Similarly, she is entitled to only half the bequest as
compared to her male siblings. Orthodox Muslims have their own
convoluted logic to perpetrate this inequality. That said, Indian
society as a whole needs (Hindus, Muslims, Christians et al ) to work
really hard to empower women (with better education, hea
By Jadeboy
12/26/2009 9:12:00 AM
Why women of certain age group are not allowed to enter Sabarimala
shrine? Why not Agni pariksha for Rams? Can you pledge your woman in
gambling? Why no protests against men entering pubs? RSS idealogue
Guru Golwakar defends varna vyavasta, the fountainhead of casteism, in
his Bunch of Thoughts. It is a shame that pundits argue in UN that
casteism is not racism. Why is still manual scavenging practiced? Let
the charity begin at home. Let us first reform the decadent Hinduism
and bring in the much touted Uniform civil Code in Hinduism, before
shouting at others. Pot cannot call the kettle black.
By Sankara Narayanan
12/25/2009 9:27:00 PM
Moderation is a rare commodity. Very very rare in India. A well
intentioned article is demonised by the fundamentalists in both camps.
Woman is a property for all religions. When Draupadi cried for help,
Bishmacharya said:" Woman and slave are the PROPERTY of others". Manu,
the Law Giver, says: "Women and dogs must be canned to control".
Atharva Veda says: "O God, give the girlchild elsewhere. Bless us with
a malechild". How many of the Sanatana Dharma warriors are practicing
vasudeivakutumbakkam? Untouchability has been ruling this land since
Puranic and Vedic days. Where is uniform civil law in Hindu religion?
Every hamlet in India has two masanis. Let us bring uniform civil code
in Hinduism before pointing fingers at others. Sati, illtreatment of
widows, dowry, female foeticides, refusal to remarry Hindu women etc
are rampant in Hindu society. Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswaty
equated widow with a fallow land. Sati was defended by Puri
Sankaracharya. Are they in any way inferi
By Sankara Narayanan
12/25/2009 9:13:00 PM
All Indians & ALL WORLD Must Know that Leopards & muslims do NOT
change spots or their hate filled terror minds.It is difficullt to de-
programme the brain- washed muslims&their intellectuals & robotic
agents.It is time FOR whole world nations except muslim nations TO
Unite&Forcefully repatriate ALL muslims of the world to say Saudi
Arabia or Iran or Afghanistan & BAN entry of these muslims into any
other country.Islam is an intolerant hate&terror cult whcih believes
that Killing &converting all others other than muslims or infidel
kafirs likehindus,sikhs, buddhists, christians,jews,etc will give them
heaven after death&get 72 virgins&wine as gifts to enjoy life
forever.So ALL nations MUST unite&send ALL muslims to heaven to enjoy
life forever with virgins&wine. May be USA&Europe must take the lead
in sending all followers of the terror cult to a place where they
cannot DO any harm to any body except themselves.World&All Nations
Better Wake up&Act
By True Hindustani
12/25/2009 12:56:00 PM
Blogger jayadevan is an isi agent or jehadi terrorist & he is using a
hindu sounding name as a cover up -True Hindustani. See how, with
unerring precision, this man has torn my mask! If RAW was made up of
intelligent people like you, we would not need to fear any more terror
attacks. More strength to you. Why don't you at least change the
syntax in your posts instead of cutting and pasting your usual
diatribes - all that you can muster up energy to do is changing your
pseudonym. At the very least, you could polish your sentences and get
rid of the unnecessary capitalizations. Put in some elbow grease, man,
there are people reading all this stuff, and it is your duty to at
least get your piece straight and readable. If you have no substance,
at least have some show!
By Jayadevan
12/25/2009 3:49:00 AM
How will the momins opt for Uniform Civil Code. If that comes into
effect then Momins would not be allowed to have incestual relations
and that is why Momins oppose UCC. Don't forget that Mohd grandson
Hussain whom the shias worship was born to one of Mohd son's and one
of his daughter though unbiased historians say something unthinkable
about how Hussain was born.
By Bashir
12/24/2009 3:06:00 PM
Muslims doesnt want A Uniform Civil Code but will approach Supreme
Code for injustice meted out.They should abide by there law if they
dont acccept Uniform Civil Code.Double standards!
By Indian
12/24/2009 1:50:00 PM
www.faithfreedom.org
By Pooh
12/24/2009 1:50:00 PM
Habib thanks for reading satyameva jayate. Have you read books by
Anwar Shaik ex-Pakistani and another apostate like Bashir. jehadi cult
leaders like Zakir only try to sugar-coat the cult of Mohd (original
Jack the ripper). You should also read the other articles in the same
website. Also read wonderful books by great authors at ht tp://voiceofdharma.or
g/books.htm l. To start with (Martin and Charles this applies to you
too) read Koenraad Elst's Psychology of Prophetism - A Secular Look at
the Bible . He brutally exposes these self-appointed Prophets (of
utter devastation). Here's wishing a speedy death to these evil
overgrown desert cults. Habib next time someone kills momins on
Ramazan think about the poor victims of that rapist cum masochist cum
pervert cum looter plus genocidial freak is the sole cause . Satyameva
jayate website talks about his "peaceful" nature in plenty
By Narasimha Rao
12/23/2009 6:47:00 PM
Yes Sanatana Dharma - the only religion, the rest are overgrown fat
cults is perfect it does not need any improvement. What can you say of
goats who refuse to become apostate like Bashir. Mohd was a pervert
and houris are a perfect example of his perverted mind. What way of
life does this cult talk of? Kill those who even remotely criticize
the cult leader but not one who criticizes their Allah! So much for
mohd's bigotry.If that fellow mohd was really what these goats believe
he is, why should he need such protection why should no one draw his
really ugly face - history records his face was revolting and
absolutely ghoulish, was he afraid of poor advertisement?. This cult
as per his own admission is going to last only till 2032 soon to be
followed by it's more sinister desert cousin (St. Malaichy)
By NR
12/23/2009 6:20:00 PM
Learn more about Islam by googling Robert Spencer and watching his
clips on JIHAD WATCH. You may also youtube Pat Condell and watch what
he says. You need to be articulate in English to understand them.
By Charles Djago
12/23/2009 4:02:00 PM
How about reforming HINDUISM? Is it perfect?
By Sandirasegar Martin
12/23/2009 3:48:00 PM
ISLAM can be understood only if you live it. It is not a religion, it
is a way of life. Seema Mustafa has not understood this great
teaching. Maybe she will understand better by reading the holy
scriptures of her religion.
By Nazima
12/23/2009 3:45:00 PM
You Hindus do not understand that Islam is the most modern religion.
Islam is the only religion that believes in equality. You keep saying
Prophet Mohammed married a six year old girl and consummated the
marriage when she was 9. You also say he married 11 women. Youtube Dr.
Zakir Naik , he explains why our Prophet married 11 times, not out of
lust. Islam is the best religion, God himself came to our prophet and
dictated the Holy Quran
By Habeeb Khan
12/23/2009 3:34:00 PM
R.C. Mohan have you atleast read the quran or the hadis to comment?
Read the "Wondrous Treatment Of Women In Islam" at ww w.flex.co m/~jai/
satyamevajayate/women.ht ml. As apostate Bashir observes Islam is a
religion of perverts for perberts by perverts. Don't see divinity in
pervertedness unless you yourself is one.And for divine sake stop
reading books written by marxists lumpens and stop watching english
news channels
By Narasimha Rao
12/23/2009 3:24:00 PM
Uniform Civil Code is the only solution to Muslim Women in India.
Women -a suppressed class in the Muslim society should unite and fight
against this discrimination in a way that would turn out to be an eye
opener to the world muslim women. A religion holistically guided by
the great holy book Qaran in which women have been depicted in high
esteem, misinterpret and misguide people due to the male chauinism.
The male domination in this religion does not allow women to have
their rights exercised. Women have been deprived of their education,
they have been deprived of their free movement in the society, they
have been deprived to raise their voice against their marital security
in life. You will see in the creamy layer of this society very few
ladies who crash this barriers and come up. This trend should be
curbed. It is high time that women in the elite circle should think
for a universal solution to liberate the fellow women in the society
from this male chaunisms.
By R.C.Mohan
12/23/2009 1:41:00 PM
Muslim majority in secular india&kashmir state eliminated more than
50000 hindus& sikhs& demolished more than 200 hindu temples,etc to get
heaven after death with 72 virgins&wine.It is to get heaven the killer
Kesab&his killer friends killed more than 200 hindus&sikhs in mumbai
terror attack in november last year&many million of kafirs have been
killed by genocide by terror religions over the past many centuries.To
have peace in the world both islam&christinaity must be banned& their
terror books Quran&Bible must be banned&only all-loving religion like
hinduism, buddhism&jainism must be allowed in this world.Till that
happens, there is no escape from terror,hatred&killings in this
world.Sadly RSS,VHP,BJP&all hindus are in deep sleep&are just paper
tigers&have not cared even to file genocide charges against
muslim&congress chief ministers of kashmir state for crime against
humanity& to rebuild all demolished hindu temples there .
By True Hindustani
12/22/2009 11:06:00 PM
The root cause of terrorism hatred,violence&Genocides in this world is
existence& propagation of semitic religions,islam&christianity.These
terrorand hate-filled violent religions preach that only their god is
supreme&that all others like hindus,sikhs,buddhists,tribals,etc are
infidels& kafirs&that muslims&christians will get heaven with 72
virgins&wine after death if they kill or forcibly convert infidel
kafirs like hindus,sikhs, buddhists,etc& if they demolish temples of
hindus, gurdwaras of sikhs,etc.That is why pakistan, the muslim
majority ghost country eliminated by terror more than 20 lakh minority
hindus&sikhs accusing them as kafirs &demolished more than 500 temples
of hindus &that is why muslim majority in secular india&kashmir state
eliminated more than 50000 hindus& sikhs& demolished more than 200
hindu temples,etc.
By True Hindustani
12/22/2009 11:04:00 PM
Blogger jayadevan is an isi agent or jehadi terrorist&he is using a
hindu sounding name as a cover up.How many know that there are
thousands of widows, as per a BBC report that in
pakistan,afghanistan&muslim-majority kashmir who have been forced to
marry Quran& to live like chained dogs till death for many decades.In
msulim majority countries the minority hindus,sikhs&buddhists have no
right to live not to talk of worshipping since all places of worship
of minorities are demolished even in malaysia with just 52 percent
muslims.In ghost country pakistan they have eliminated 20 lakh
hindus&ssikhs accusing them as kafirs&demolished more than 500
temples&gurdwras&pagodas to get heaven after death with 72
virgins&wine as told by terror manual Quran&fanatic mullahs.Same is
the case with Kashmir where muslims have eliminated more than 50000
hindus&sikhs.Islam is an intolerant cult& world will be peaceful only
if that cult is eliminated.
By True Hindustani
12/22/2009 11:03:00 PM
Idiot what else do you expect from a cult of a rapist cum plunderer
cum sadists cum....? your pagy was masochist, sadist, pervert sodomist
etc etc and he did not spare even poor animals for his lust and yet
you want freedom. If you want freedom renounce that evil cult (as I
did) nothing else will cure your lack of rights. You are just sex toys
for the perverts. And all of you as per that pervert are whores , that
is why he promises houris to those idiots who kill themselves by their
heinous acts Can you check your unholy piece of shit called koran and
tell us if he promised female camels and goats to the jehadis besides
the houris and the pearl like boys?
By Bashir
12/22/2009 8:25:00 AM
A well written protest from Ms. Mustafa. The reform in Islam must come
from within from rebels who can protect the 'spiritual' portion of the
faith from being infested with the lice of self serving orthodoxy. It
is incredible that even the eductated progressive minded Muslim have
deferred matters of literacy, family values and culture to the
vultures of religious narcissism. This article is a welcome change in
Ms. Mustafa's previous articles which dwell on "Hurt Muslim Feelings".
It is the duty of eductaed Muslims to speak against the emotion
whipping game of Mullahs and vote bank appeasement politics of
parties. It takes an independent Salaman Rushdie to publically call
Arundhati Roy's post 26/11 stand 'unintelligent' and a courageous
Shabana Azami to suggest Imam Bukhari to parachute into Afghanistan!
By DR. Ajay
12/22/2009 7:47:00 AM
Social mores, the clergy and customs are skewed heavily in favour of
man. Whatever we may legislate, the ground reality is that women
belonging to all religions and regions will always face a system
biased in favour of the male. And no section of society is free from
this, whether it be tacit approval for wife-beating (of course, the
arguments in favour of a justifiable chastisement being meted out to
wives never said that a woman might need to chastise her husband), the
prevalence of dowry even among highly educated people ( even though
illegal), bigamy (where Hindu males (illegal) at 5.8% beat the Muslims
(legal with limitations) at 5.6% and a million other issues that exist
in civil society. For a man, multiple wives are a prestige symbol; a
woman with multiple husbands is considered a whore. As of now, Hindu
dowry deaths and Muslim multiple wives are only sticks for the
communities to deride each other -
By Jayadevan
12/21/2009 11:13:00 PM
contd.. lip sympathy for the unfortunate women and brownie points for
the mullahs and the pundits. Thw worst part is that these retrograde
ideas are ingrained in the minds of the women, so much of the
oppression is carried out by the women themselves acting almost like
tame elephants used to catch and train wild ones. So we see Muslim
women picketing a hall where Shah Bano was to speak and the Hindu
motherinlaw taking the initiative in bride- burning. The attitudes of
men are not going to change. It is for women to recognize their chains
and to strike them off.
By Jayadevan
12/21/2009 11:12:00 PM
Only now Seema&muslim women are beginning to wake up or what?ALL
Open&Un-brain-washed citizens of india&world MUST know that in islam
women are meant to BE just objects for Sexx& are meant to BE baby-
making machines& Nothing Else.Women are NOT allowed entry in most
mosques&they are buried after death just as animals¬hing else.Through
out 1400 year history of islam there has been NO muslim priest or
intellectual or mullah or priest or as person of any value. Compare
this to hinduism where there are women godesses, saints&intellectuals
since time immemorial&hindus consider the power of Lord Shiva
attributable to godess Sakthi within him. In christianity too women
are considered as inferior& there has been NO woman Pope &NEVER wll
there be a woman POpe or woman Cardinal&only recently women were
allowed to vote in Europe&America even.It is time for indian
muslims&christians to look inside themselves,WAKE UP &dump their hate-
filled casteist&terror religions&embrace the all-loving mother
By True Hindustani
12/21/2009 8:17:00 PM
I think it is the same women who join the 72 virgins in Janhat for
further exploitation.Even if law is amended to protect them here,who
will protect them there? It is better to go through the ordain now
itself.The holy book is so comprehensive that it even lays down the
procedure for flogging one's wife.My heart goes out to the women born
in Islam,including the columnist.
By Ganesh
12/21/2009 2:48:00 PM
With vote bank politics in mind and lust to rule the country and rape
the citizens, do you think politicians will talk of Uniform Code Bill.
The one party that talks of it, loves to lose power the momemt it
comes to power is BJP. But it is now of self suicide mission and wants
to bury the party. Other parties are interested in partying and
clinging to power even at the cost of sleeping with anti national
elements.
By Anil Gupta
12/21/2009 1:50:00 PM
Why the writer is silent about the findings of the CBI in Shopian
women's case and the killing of a woman by a terrorist in Kashmir?Is
it because the culprit do not belong to BJP,RSS combine? Moreover,the
writer has conveniently ignored the defending the rapist of a Russian
woman by a Congress MP right under the nose of the Lady Gandhi? What
can be expected from a woman who opens her mouth only to bark at
Narendra Modi calling him "merchant of death" and at the same time
enjoy similar speech by her own partyman in Andhra and that too in her
presence? If Modi can be called "Merchant of death", the Congress is a
party of "Merchant of death and Merchants of rapists".
By r.s.
12/21/2009 11:44:00 AM
Very well written article. What will UPA do? Will it amend law again
to keep its 'secular' image? It is high time good sense prevails upon
all parties and they join together to introduce an uniform civil code.
That is the only way to save the poor muslim women from being
exploited by menfolks in the name of religion.
By s s rangan
12/21/2009 10:43:00 AM
The Muslim mindset should change.Untill then no reform can come.Till
1950 and before the position of Hindu Women particularly that of
Brahamin Women was worse than that of Muslims.But due to the efforts
of the Lates Kandukuri Veeresa Lingam,Panuganti Lakshmi Narasinha
Rao,Kallakuri Narayana Rao and Gurajada Appa Rao and others miraculous
transformation came and all Hindu women became most modern now.and
gained prominenece in all fields.
By Karavai Raghava Rao
12/21/2009 10:09:00 AM
One answer to all these problems whether muslim or not = Uniform civil
code and who talks about it? BJP. Think before you vote women.
By ChennaiPolitico
12/21/2009 9:06:00 AM
chhotemianinshallah
market bombing
By Babar Dogar (CP) – 1 hour ago
LAHORE, Pakistan — Authorities arrested a senior Pakistani Taliban
commander who led the group's network in the key central province of
Punjab, where violence has been increasing in recent months, police
said Thursday.
The arrest strikes a blow as militants have stepped up their efforts
to wage attacks far from their sanctuary in Pakistan's lawless tribal
area near the Afghan border in response to a major military offensive
there.
Khalil Ullah, whose arrest was announced Thursday, was the mastermind
of a market bombing in Punjab's provincial capital, Lahore, on Dec. 7
that killed 49 people, said senior police investigator Chaudhry
Shafiq. He declined to say where or when Ullah was arrested.
More than 500 people have been killed in attacks throughout the
country since the army launched an anti-Taliban offensive in the South
Waziristan tribal area in mid October. The military has secured much
of the territory in the area, but operations continue.
Soldiers raided a hospital used by militants in South Waziristan on
Thursday, killing five foreign fighters, intelligence officials said.
The troops captured 27 militants, 10 of whom were wounded in a
gunbattle that broke out during the raid, they said.
It was unclear whether the troops suffered any casualties, the
officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to talk to the media.
Many militants are believed to have fled South Waziristan to avoid the
fighting and have been launching attacks in different areas of the
country, including a bombing of a Shiite Muslim procession in the
southern city of Karachi on Monday that killed 44 people.
On Wednesday, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the
bombing, a sign the militants may be escalating their war against the
state with a rare attack in Pakistan's commercial hub.
Although the teeming city of about 15 million has often been the scene
of sectarian, ethnic and political violence, the Pakistani Taliban
have rarely claimed responsibility for attacks there. Many analysts
believe the group has spared it in the past because its militants used
the city as a haven to raise money and to rest.
President Asif Ali Zardari has speculated the motive was to spark
sectarian conflict that could complicate the government's battle
against the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistan has a history of violence between extremist elements among
its majority Sunni Muslim and minority Shiite communities. Although
the Taliban are not known for launching sectarian attacks, they have
associations with Sunni militant groups that have targeted minority
Shiites, whom they regard as heretical.
It is unclear whether the Taliban carried out the bombing on its own
or received help from other militant groups that officials say have a
joint goal to destabilize Pakistan.
The bombing sparked rioting that destroyed buildings and thousands of
shops in central Karachi, causing millions of dollars in damage. Parts
of Bolton Market, the country's largest wholesale market, were still
smouldering more than 48 hours after the attack.
Mobs roamed the streets immediately after the blast, setting fire to
nearby buildings, firing guns into the air and throwing stones at
security forces who had been assigned to protect the procession.
Officials initially blamed Shiites in the procession for the rioting
but later said it was a planned conspiracy - a stance that may be
intended to temper sectarian tensions.
Sunni religious leaders and politicians in Karachi have called for a
strike to protest the attack and ensuing violent rampage. They have
urged businesses and public transport companies to shut down Friday, a
move that could paralyze the city.
Associated Press writers Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Hussain
Afzal in Parachinar and Riaz Khan in Peshawar contributed to this
report.
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gMBtLELSY7ilM1flf0MBHmR65s1w
chhotemianinshallah
4 militants killed, 25 arrested in Wana
Updated at: 1041 PST, Thursday, December 31, 2009
WANA: Four militants were killed and more than 25 arrested during
security forces operation in a private hospital in Wana, capital of
South Waziristan.
According to sources, several militants were wounded during forces
offensive in Ladha area. They were brought to a private hospital in
Wana. On a tip-off, security force surrounded the hospital followed by
exchange of fire between forces and militants. Four militants were
killed and 25 arrested during the action. Sources said several
foreigners were killed and injured in Ladha offensive.
http://www.geo.tv/12-31-2009/55899.htm
chhotemianinshallah
None can dare rob us of nuclear arsenal: Hameed Gul
Updated at: 0914 PST, Thursday, December 31, 2009
LAHORE: Former head of ISI Lieutenant General (Retd.) Hameed Gul has
said no force on the face of the earth is powerful enough to rob us of
nuclear arsenal as we were not donated nuclear tendency instead, we
worked industriously day in and day out to become nuclear power, Geo
news reported Thursday.
He was addressing to a seminar here in provincial capital Lahore. Gul
said we know how to safeguard nuclear weapons, as we knew how to
develop them, facing all time difficult challenges at that time.
India and Israel are bitter foes of Pakistan since their inceptions
while US is fighting war of its survival in Afghanistan but needlessly
blaming Pakistan over her losses there, he accused, hoping from
leaders for provision of easy and early justice to common people.
http://www.geo.tv/12-31-2009/55895.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Pak-Afghan Shahrah closed, Nato supply line suspended
Updated at: 0846 PST, Thursday, December 31, 2009
CHAMAN: Due to the torrential rain in Kozic Top and snowfall on
mountains, the Pakistan-Afghan Shahrah widely known as Chaman Shahrah,
which links two courtiers, has been closed for traffic, thus
suspending of Nato supply line to Afghanistan on Wednesday, Geo news
reported.
According to sources, the 14-km long Chaman-Afghan road was closed due
to being turned in slippery state and big pits following heavy
snowfall and torrential raining while the traffic was adversely
clogged on it, so it had to be closed for traffic to thwart accidents.
Local administration together with police workers rescued vehicles
caught on Kozic Top with the help of bulldozers after which the road
had to be closed for traffic on temporary basis, sources said.
http://www.geo.tv/12-31-2009/55891.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Fazlur Rahman seeks judicial inquiry into Karachi debacle
Updated at: 0358 PST, Thursday, December 31, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Ameer Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) Molana Faluzr Rehman,
in a letter written to Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, has
asked for the judicial probe into Karachi debacle so that the
responsible assailants should be brought to justice, Geo news reported
Wednesday.
He asked instead of announcement of relief bailout for effected
victims, the government should make practical steps for completely
reimbursement of their goods’ loss, letter wrote.
Miscreants and anti-state actors have even deprived people of their
daily bread and butter by torching their shops and this havoc is
nothing short of economical demise, it stated.
The people of Karachi deserve salute over thwarting the foiled
conspiracy of sectarian violence, which could be inflicted as a result
of suicide attack on major mourning procession on Ashura day, the
letter said.
http://www.geo.tv/12-31-2009/55884.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Ulema deplore Karachi suicide attack, carnage of innocent mourners
Updated at: 0353 PST, Thursday, December 31, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Maulana Mufti Rafi Usmani and other noted religious
scholars have said that Monday’s suicide attack at Karachi’s major
Ashura procession is the most horrible incident of barbarism and
brutality.
The Ulema were of the view that the terrorists, who were getting
killed through suicide attacks, were committing double sin, Geo news
reported.
Maulana Mufti Rafi Usmani, Maulana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani,Maulana
Dr. Abdul Razzaq Skindar, Maulana Mufti Mahmud Ashraf, Maulana Mufti
Abdul Rauf, Maulana Azizur Rehman and Maulana Dr. Adil Khan said every
Pakistani was in a state of shock over this act of terrorism, which
left dozens of people dead.
Such cowardly attacks on innocent Muslims are the worst example of
cruelty and barbarism, they said, adding no Muslim could commit such
heinous crime.
http://www.geo.tv/12-31-2009/55883.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Karachi: soim of martyred son, niece of Fahim Siqqiui offered
Updated at: 0324 PST, Thursday, December 31, 2009
KARACHI: The soim of son Bazil Siddiqi and niece Anzalna Hanif of
senior reporter of Geo news Fahim Siddiqui, martyred in suicide attack
on Ashura day, was offered here in Karachi on Wednesday, Geo news
reported.
Senior reporter of Geo news Fahim Siddiqi was injured in suicide
attack on Ashura procession in Karachi on December 29 while his 6-year-
old son Bazil Siddiqi and 13-year-old niece Anzalna Hanif embraced
martyrdom amid tragedy.
The blast left Fahim Siddiqi seriously wounded as he sustained
injuries to his legs and was rushed to JPMC hospital for medical
attainment while two minor deceased children were laid to rest in
Sakhi Hassan graveyard on the following day.
Recitation of Holy Qur’an was offered here at his (Fahim Siddiqi)
residence today (Wednesday), which was attended by a large number of
journalists and relatives.
http://www.geo.tv/12-31-2009/55882.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Jafaria Alliance supports Friday strike call
Updated at: 2343 PST, Wednesday, December 30, 2009
KARACHI: The Jafaria Alliance’s leader Allama Abbas Kumali has
supported the strike call given by Sunni Rehbar Council for Friday.
Addressing a press conference, Kumali demanded the government to
provide financial assistance to the affected traders.
He said Muharram activities are underway and government should improve
the security condition.
He further said Ashura blast was a pre-planned conspiracy to
destabilize the sectarian harmony and business activity in the city.
He urged scholars, intellectuals and media to defeat all the
conspiracies.
http://www.geo.tv/12-30-2009/55876.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Rehman blames non-state actors for Karachi incidents
Updated at: 2257 PST, Wednesday, December 30, 2009
GWADAR: Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that the
Karachi incidents are work of non-state actors, who want to ruin the
country and democracy.
Speaking to media after cabinet’s meeting in Gwadar today, he urged
the nation to demonstrate unity to fight this war like it had done in
the 1965 war.
“There is a direct connection between Ashura blast and incidents of
fire in Karachi,” he confirmed. The president, in his Dec 27 address,
had talked about same non-state actors, who were working to ruin
democracy in the country, said Malik.
The interior minister said that the government was holding inquiry why
the fire brigade reached the scene so late. He said that investigation
report on the Ashura blast would be out in four days.
Talking about the NFC award, he congratulated four provinces for this
landmark achievement.
http://www.geo.tv/12-30-2009/55873.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Lahore, Dec 31 (PTI):
A Taliban plot to target a flag- hoisting ceremony at the Wagah land
border with India was foiled with the arrest of 10 people, including a
top militant commander, Pakistani security agencies claimed on
Thursday.
Khalilullah, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan commander of southern part
of Punjab province, and a 17-year-old would-be suicide bomber were
captured at Manawan in Lahore over a week ago by intelligence
agencies.
Acting on information provided by them, security officials
subsequently arrested eight more men. Explosives and documents were
recovered from the possession of the arrested men.
Officials said the arrested men had disclosed during interrogation
that they intended to target a flag-hoisting ceremony at the Wagah
land border with India, where a large number of people usually gather
every day to witness the event.
Khalilullah, described as a close aide of slain Pakistani Taliban
chief Baitullah Mehsud, was wanted by the US, officials said.
Lahore police chief Pervez Rathore said Khalilullah and his team were
involved in almost all recent terror attacks across Punjab. He
allegedly masterminded the December 7 suicide attack on Moon Market
here that killed over 60 people.
"He is also on the US list of most wanted terrorists and carried a
head money of millions of dollars," Rathore said.
Khalilullah told investigators that he had a team of "600 suicide
bombers" in Swat.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/44137/taliban-plot-target-flag-hoisting.html
chhotemianinshallah
Written by (Author ) Local Jan 1, 2010 Only a day after a purported
Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for Karachi suicide attack
and subsequent violence, another Taliban spokesman Thursday denied
involvement
and rather blamed some Indian-Israel-Usa backed financed group.
Asmatullah Shaheen, a purported spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), on Wednesday in a call to media in Peshawar had
claimed responsibility for suicide attack and subsequent violence in
Southern Karachi port city.
The violence on the occasion of 10th Muharram religious procession
killed about 45 people and wounded dozens others. Also, it brought the
business in the commercial city to halt as the subsequent violence
destroyed near 3000 shops.
Azam Tariq, another so-called spokesman for TTP, in a call to BBC Urdu
service in Peshawar denied involvement in the violence and said that
it could have been done by some splinter group. However, he said, the
central TTP leadership was not behind the attack and violence.
He said that the TTP was not involved in sectarian violence, adding
that Asmatullah Shaheen did not consult the central leadership before
making the claim.
It may be mentioned here that all major Taliban groups of tribal belt
organized themselves in 2007 under one group, named TTP, to sort out
differences with the government and restore peace in the area.
Though, the objectives of the organization could not be achieved but
several unknown militant groups started emerging in others parts of
the country and claimed their affiliation with the TTP. (
http://www.daily.pk/taliban-deny-karachi-violence-13776/
chhotemianinshallah
12:00 AM CST on Friday, January 1, 2010
The Associated Press
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani police said Thursday that they plan to ask a
court to charge five Americans with terrorism and will seek life
sentences against them.
The young Muslim men, who are from the Washington, D.C., area, were
captured in early December in the eastern Pakistan city of Sargodha.
The case has spurred fears that Westerners are traveling to Pakistan
to join militant groups.
Tahir Gujar, a senior police investigator in Sargodha, said the men
would appear in an anti-terrorist court in the city on Monday.
"We are certain that these five Americans wanted to carry out attacks
in Pakistan, and we will seek life imprisonment for them," he said.
Under Pakistan's complicated judicial system, the police will
recommend charges Monday, but the court might not charge the men
immediately, and the five will probably be given time to prepare their
defense after they have seen the charges.
Officials in both the U.S. and Pakistan have said they expect the men
would eventually be deported to the U.S., but charging them in
Pakistan could delay that process.
In an interview last week, Punjab province Law Minister Rana Sanaullah
said the men had established contact with Taliban commanders. He said
they had planned to meet Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud and
his deputy Qari Hussain in Pakistan's tribal regions before going on
to attack sites inside Pakistan.
Separately, the U.N. said Thursday that it would relocate about a
quarter of its international staff in Pakistan in response to the
volatile security situation.
At least 11 U.N. workers have been killed in Pakistan this year, and
fears of attacks have increased over the past 2 ½ months. More than
500 people have died in bombings since the army began an offensive in
South Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold near the Afghan border.
The Associated Press
chhotemianinshallah
Faisal Aziz
KARACHI
Fri Jan 1, 2010 1:40am EST
KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan's commercial capital nearly shut down on
Friday as religious and political leaders called for a strike to
protest against violence after a suicide bomber killed 43 people at a
religious procession this week.
World
The Taliban, determined to topple the government, claimed
responsibility for Monday's attack on a huge crowd of Shi'ite Muslims
and threatened more bloodshed.
The prospect of increased violence comes at a delicate time for
President Asif Ali Zardari, who faces political heat because
corruption charges against some of his aides may be revived.
Karachi's streets were nearly empty. The stock exchange,, which
normally operates on the first day of the year, was closed.
Police have arrested 18 people since riots triggered by the
bombing destroyed hundreds of shops, costing Pakistan's biggest city
an estimated 30 billion rupees ($356 million) in damages.
"We have no information of any specific threats for today," Karachi
police chief Waseem Ahmed told Reuters. Nevertheless, police and
paramilitary forces carried out patrols.
Residents were not taking any chances, fearful of new attacks by
militants who have killed hundreds of people since October, despite a
security offensive in one of their main strongholds.
"We are already losing business and can't take the risk of going out
today and opening our shops," said Saleem Ahmed, who sells electronics
at one of the city's main markets.
"If something happens or anyone comes and damages, say, one
refrigerator or deep freezer, I will lose more money than what I would
have earned the whole day, so I better stay home," he said.
In a sign of growing anxiety over Taliban and al Qaeda attacks, the
United Nations plans to move some of its international staff out of
Pakistan, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.
The bloodshed is also frustrating many Pakistanis.
Hundreds of shops were torched in the rampage that followed the
bombing that hit Karachi, a teeming city of 18 million.
According to officials, Karachi generates 68 percent of government
revenue and 25 percent of Pakistan's gross domestic product. It is
also home to two of the country's main ports.
While investors in Pakistan have got used to almost daily violence in
the northwest, bloodshed in Karachi has a much more direct impact on
financial markets and investor sentiment.
Analysts fear further attacks here could raise doubts about the
prospects of recovery for an economy in virtual recession.
(Editing by Michael Georgy)
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BM15820100101
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 15:38 HRS IST
Srinagar, Jan 1 (PTI) JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik was today
detained en route Tral in Pulwama district of south Kashmir after
authorities apprehended "breach of peace" during a public meeting he
was slated to address there.
Malik, accompanied by his associates, was stopped by police at
Lethpora, 24 kms from here, and asked to return to Srinagar, officials
said.
But when he refused and tried to proceed to Tral, 45 kms from here, to
address the public meeting, police detained him and his associates.
Superintendent of Police, Awantipora, Bashir Ahmad Khan said, "Malik
was detained as a precautionary measure. There was apprehension of
breach of peace."
He was lodged in Lethpora police lines.
Malik has been addressing public gatherings in different areas of the
valley for the past one month.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/448851_JKLF-Chairman-Yaseen-Malik-detained-in-Kashmir
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 14:48 HRS IST
Islamabad, Jan 1 (PTI) Pakistan today handed over to India a list of
Indian prisoners being held in the country's jails.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed over the list of Indian
prisoners in Pakistan to an officer of the Indian High Commission in
Islamabad at the Foreign Office today," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul
Basit said in a statement.
The number of Indian prisoners in Pakistan could not immediately be
ascertained and the statement too did not give details.
India and Pakistan are required to exchange lists of prisoners in each
other's custody on January 1 and July 1 every year under the terms of
the Agreement on Consular Access signed by the two countries in May
2008.
Pakistan released 100 Indian fishermen last month and proposed the
revival of the Judicial Committee on Prisoners to address the problems
of prisoners in both countries.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/448786_Pakistan-hands-over-list-of-Indian-prisoners
Sid Harth
By RIAZ KHAN and RASOOL DAWAR
The Associated Press
Friday, January 1, 2010; 9:11 AM
PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A suicide bomber set off an explosives-laden
vehicle on a field during a volleyball tournament Friday in northwest
Pakistan, killing at least 25 people, police said.
The blast occurred near Pakistan's tribal belt, and was the latest
bloodshed to rattle the country since the army launched a military
offensive against Taliban fighters in the South Waziristan tribal
region. The operation has scattered insurgents but provoked apparent
reprisal attacks that have killed more than 500 people since October.
Police said Friday's bombing in Lakki Marwat city, not far from South
Waziristan, was possible retaliation for local residents' efforts to
keep militants out of the area.
"The locality has been a hub of militants. Locals set up a militia and
expelled the militants from this area. This attack seems to be
reaction to their expulsion," local police chief Ayub Khan told
reporters.
He said the bomber drove onto the field, which lies in a congested
neighborhood, during the volleyball contest. Some nearby houses
collapsed, and "we fear that some 10 or so people might have been
trapped in the rubble," Khan said.
Another police official, Habib Khan, said at least 25 people died and
several were wounded.
Also Friday, a suspected U.S. missile struck a car carrying alleged
militants in North Waziristan tribal region, killing three men, two
intelligence officials said. It was the second such strike in less
than a day.
The strikes are part of the U.S. campaign to eliminate high-value
militant targets that use Pakistan as a safe haven to plan attacks in
neighboring Afghanistan and on the West.
The one Friday happened near Mir Ali, a major town in the region, two
intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity because they
were not authorized to speak on the record. Shortly afterward, Taliban
fighters arrived at the scene of the attack in the village of Ghundi
and moved the bodies to an undisclosed location, the officials said.
Thursday's missile strike was also near Mir Ali, hitting a house and
killing three people.
U.S. officials rarely discuss the strikes, and Pakistan publicly
condemns them, though it is widely believed to aid them secretly.
Karachi, the country's largest city, came to a virtual standstill
Friday after religious and political leaders called for a general
strike to protest a bombing that killed 44 people and subsequent
riots.
The city's major markets, stores and business centers were closed,
along with financial institutions that had already planned to shut
because of New Year's Day. Public transportation was halted and gas
stations were shut down.
Monday's bombing occurred in the midst of a procession of minority
Shiite Muslims during the Islamic holy month of Muharram. Afterward,
angry protesters went on a rampage, setting fires to about 2,000
stores that took three days to completely put out.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik, on a visit to Karachi, said
investigators were still determining if the attack was a suicide
bombing.
He also questioned the claim of a purported Taliban spokesman,
Asmatullah Shaheen, that the militant group was behind the attack.
Local news reports on Friday quoted a more prominent Taliban
spokesman, Azam Tariq, as denying that the Pakistani Taliban's central
leadership had approved the attack, though he did not rule out the
possibility that Shaheen's group had carried it out without approval.
Elsewhere in the northwest, a roadside bomb exploded near a car in the
Bajur tribal region, killing an anti-Taliban tribal elder and five of
his family members, said Nasib Shah, a local government official.
Bajur was the focus of a 2008-09 army offensive but still suffers some
militant violence. Tribal leaders who support the government against
the Taliban are frequent targets of attacks.
Dawar reported from Mir Ali. Associated Press Writers Habib Khan in
Khar, Asif Shahzad in Islamabad and Ashraf Khan in Karachi contributed
to this report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/01/AR2010010100199.html?hpid=topnews
Sid Harth
www.chinaview.cn 2010-01-01 20:44:03
KARACHI, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's biggest city and financial
center Karachi nearly shut down on New Year's day as political and
religious leaders called for a strike to protest against violence
after a suicide bomber killed 43 people at Ashura procession staged by
Shiite Muslims on Monday.
Karachi's streets were nearly empty on Friday. Markets and shops
as well as the stock exchange were closed.
Police have arrested 18 people since riots triggered by the bomb
blast destroyed Pakistan's biggest wholesale market, costing an
estimated 40 billion Pakistani rupees (500 million U.S. dollars) in
damages.
Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for Monday's attack and
threatened more attack in retaliation for government crackdown on the
militant group in northwest trial areas near the border with
Afghanistan.
Editor: Han Jingjing
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/01/content_12741213.htm
Sid Harth
Editorial Posted On Friday, January 01, 2010
Though there is no fault in being strong on regional basis, but it is
usually seen that during such regional movements, a group of the
society becomes enemy of another group, opines Tanveer Jafri
The entire world is busy in finding ways to make themselves and their
respective societies more prosperous and strong. Only difference is
that some people, considering themselves responsible, try to make it
possible according to the limits of their thoughts and ideas. For
instance, to counter the increasing global domination of USA, the
Europeans decided to unite.
To make the European economy strong in comparison of US dollar, a
common European currency, Euro was launched. Everybody knows the story
of divided Germany of 20 years ago. But as a result of the
farsightedness of Germans, the Berlin Wall was felled down in 1989,
and finally Germany was united.
But the way of thinking of the Asian leaders, particularly, South
Asian leaders, is different from that of the Western leaders. Its
first proof can be traced by the partition of India-Pakistan in 1947.
Regarding the reason of this partition, our leaders told that since
the people of two different religions (Hindus and Muslims) can't live
together in a single country, therefore this partition was termed as
religion based.
But, the fact is that this partition was never religion-based in any
sense. The reason behind this is that at the time of partition, more
than half of the Muslims refused to leave India. They consider India
as their motherland. Similarly, many Hindus didn't leave Pakistan
during partition. They are still living in Pakistan. A vital example
is Justice Bhagwan Das, a Pakistani Hindu intellectual, who became the
Chief Justice of Pakistan. Not only this, many Muslims, living in
Pakistan and opposed to its creation, came to India. They lived here
like other Hindu refugees and gradually got settled and established
themselves. Famous cine star Shahrukh Khan's family was one of the
Muslim refugee families, which marched towards India in 1947.
Now, let's have a look at the tragedy of 1971. While in 1947, India's
partition was termed as religion based, but in 1971, the myth
propagated by our leaders was broken when both East Pakistan and West
Pakistan were in confrontation with each other to get separated. Here
the question arises if Indo-Pak partition was 'religion based', then
what was the reason behind the voices of partition in East Pakistan?
Both East and West Pakistan were densely Muslim populated regions. But
in East Pakistan, the call for partition was raised on the basis of
regionalism and language.
India honoured the feelings of the leadership of East Pakistan and
helped it. Consequently, a new nation, Bangladesh emerged in place of
East Pakistan. The voices of regionalism or the attempts of regional
satraps have not ceased yet in South Asia, especially in India and
Pakistan. If Baluchistan issue arises time to time in Pakistan, in
India demands for Gorkhaland, Telangana, Marubhoomi, Poorvanchal,
Harit Pradesh, Bundelkhand etc. use to re-emerge. The regional satraps
try to emotionally blackmail the people either by linking the regional
language or by demanding preference for locals in employment.
Though there is no fault in being strong on regional basis, but it is
usually seen that during such regional movements, a group of the
society becomes enemy of another group.
More commonly, such tension created as a result of regionalism ends up
in violence, destruction and damage to the public property. The end
result is that the demands of these regional satraps are met but the
aspirations of the people are not fulfilled, which they were looking
for. If seen in the national context, such regional movements have
always created hatred among two groups of people and have promoted the
feeling of separatism. Consequently, instead of getting stronger, the
nation has seemed to become weak in one way or other.
The Muslims of Pakistan will themselves tell whether their condition
was better prior to 1947 or is today. There is no use in getting much
deeper into the present conditions of both Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Similar condition is prevailing in the newly formed states of India,
which were created on the insistence of regional chauvinists.
Certainly, there is development in some regions but the people of some
of the newly formed states are not happy. Whereas the regional satraps
are busy in flying of the 'State Plane' on government expenditure.
Some regional leaders are trying to prove themselves the greatest
satrap even by insulting the national language Hindi. Why such
situation arises in a country like India and what is the solution of
this problem?
In fact, in India, the common people are taught more to learn their
religion, caste and region and less nationality, patriotism and love
for the nation. For example, if an Indian citizen introduces himself
anywhere, instead of calling himself an India, he feels proud in
calling himself a Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada etc.
similarly Indian people are badly divided into groups and communities.
The evils of communalism and casteism are centuries old phenomena for
which no permanent solution has been found out. Blame game between the
urban and rural people on the issue of development, is also decades
old. There are many such differences on which the society is
completely divided. As far as the role of the government of India in
controlling these evils is concerned, there is no entity named 'Indian
Army' today, forget any attempt to control these. It means that the
army of India is also divided into different military units on
regional lines such as Rajputana Rifles, Gorkha Regiment, Mahaar
Regiment etc. clearly, such seeds of regionalism provide base for
regional satraps to grow. If we have to save the country from the bad
motives of these regional satraps and keep it united, we'll have to
promote and propagate the thoughts of nationalism at every level.
Besides, it is the responsibility of the government of India to ensure
that any group of people of any state, particularly rural people never
think that they are being given step-motherly treatment by the
governments. Regional satraps can be controlled only through such
steps.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=23251
chhotemianinshallah
Innovative ideas are need of the hour
Business Standard / New Delhi December 28, 2009, 0:48 IST
Once bitten, twice shy. After the Sharm el Sheikh fiasco, the
government has gone into a blue funk on dealing with Pakistan. While
Pakistan’s unhelpful response to investigations into the 26/11 Mumbai
terror attacks continues to make it difficult for India, it is also
clear that any prime ministerial initiative now requires more
political energy than may be available. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
was right to pose the rhetorical question, “Who does one deal with in
Pakistan?” Between President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed
Yousuf Raza Gilani and Army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, there are
three parallel centres of power in Pakistan. If one is to believe that
Prime Minister Gilani has the backing of General Kayani, then there
are at least two centres of power within the government and another
outside, in the person of the Opposition leader Mian Mohammad Nawaz
Sharif. Until India knows who it can deal with in Pakistan, the
focused dialogue that Dr Singh had carried on with President Pervez
Musharraf will not resume. When a dialogue is resumed, it will have to
begin from where Dr Singh and General Musharraf had left it. All sides
to the dialogue are now fully aware of the basic elements of the Singh-
Musharraf dialogue and any final settlement of the Kashmir problem
will have to be crafted around the ideas of regional autonomy and
“soft borders”.
However, till the official dialogue resumes, this bilateral
relationship cannot be frozen in time. Pakistan is far too important a
neighbour for India’s relationship to be defined purely by government-
to-government interaction. What is needed is active civil society and
business interaction that may well help create the atmosphere for
better state-to-state relations. India must recognise that Pakistan is
today a more divided society than ever before and there are millions
of Pakistanis who wish to live a life of peace in a free and open
society. There is today an upwardly mobile Pakistani middle class that
is equally, if not more, worried about the Talibanisation of their
country. Most people wish to live a life of peace and prosperity,
seeking the good things of life. Most educated Pakistanis, like their
Indian counterparts, are not enamoured by religious extremism and
equally fear jihadi terrorism. For this class, India should become a
land of opportunity, entertainment and leisure, not an alien and
hostile territory. Unless India opens its doors to a new generation of
moderate and modern Pakistanis, it would find its ties with the
neighbour constrained by government-to-government relations. This
cannot serve India’s long-term interests. A precondition to progress
on this track is for Indians, especially the media and the opinion-
makers, to have a more nuanced and sophisticated view of Pakistan and
Pakistanis. India must find innovative ways of engaging Pakistan civil
society even if the government prefers to tread a tried and tested
path for now. An easier student and business visa policy would be
helpful in making a new beginning. Active exchange of scholars,
scientists, artists and media professionals would be equally
constructive. Unilateral Indian initiatives in the fields of
education, entertainment, commerce and upmarket tourism would make
Pakistan’s middle and business classes more enthusiastic about normal
relations with India.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/engaging-pakistan/380874/
chhotemianinshallah
2 Jan 2010, 0059 hrs IST, PTI
PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden
vehicle into a crowded volleyball playground in northwest Pakistan
today, killing at
least 89 people and injuring over 80 others, marking a bloody start to
the new year.
The attack occurred at Shah Hasankhel village, located 25 km from
Lakki Marwat in the southern part of North West Frontier Province. A
large crowd was watching a volleyball game between two local teams
when the bomber struck at 5.30 pm.
At least 89 bodies and 83 injured people were taken to a hospital in
Lakki Marwat, Geo News channel reported.
In a separate attack, a tribal elder associated with an anti-Taliban
militia and five others were killed when the vehicle they were
travelling in was targeted with a roadside bomb in the restive Bajaur
region.
The bomber drove his car onto the field and detonated the explosives,
district police chief Ayub Khan said. Over 20 nearby houses and
several shops collapsed and several people were feared to be stilled
buried in the debris, he said.
The attack might have been in retaliation for efforts by residents of
Shah Hasankhel to keep the Taliban out of the area. "The village was a
stronghold of militants and the local people set up a militia and
expelled militants from the area. The attack seems to be a reaction
(by the militants)," Khan said.
chhotemianinshallah
Agencies
Posted: Thursday , Dec 31, 2009 at 1714 hrs
New Delhi:
India asked Pakistan to dismantle the terror infrastructure on its
soil which is being used to launch attacks in this country.
"It is very bad. It should be dismantled," Home Minister P Chidambaram
said when asked about his assessment of the terror infrastructure in
Pakistan.
India is unconvinced about Pakistan's resolve to take action against
anti-India terrorist outfits and has been pressing for removal of
terror camps across the border.
India has suspended composite dialogue with Pakistan after the 26/11
attacks in Mumbai last year, asserting that Pakistan will have to do
more in dismantling terror infrastructure before talks are resumed.
6 Comments |
Dismantle terror infrastructure: India tells Pak
By: Abdulmajeed Khan Advocate | Friday , 1 Jan '10 22:44:12 PM
Dear Sir. Both India and Pakistan are independent countries; issuance
of statements by the Indian Home Minister has no value. This is the
legal obligation of the head of the government through ministry of
external affairs raise this legitimate serious issues before the
Pakistan government. No doubt the Pakistan has now tasted the venom of
terrorism; in the name of humanity they should eliminate these
destructive elements, because the common man is facing the problems
due to this terrorism. Both these countries should come out with
agenda to negotiate with accommodation and respect and help each other
to restore the peace in this region. Wars between these countries have
not solved the crises, but helped them to be nuclear states. Being
nuclear states tolerance has to maintained by both of these countries,
and war is no solution. Statement of Indian army chief should be
construed assurance to the people of India, that they are in safe
hands.
Dismantle terror infrastructure: India tells Pak
By: Indian | Friday , 1 Jan '10 16:56:58 PM
I am not sure, people of India when they will understand, Congress /
UPA at the centre has become OLD, they are neither mentally stable nor
physically fit to rule Hindustan. First these Old Politicians (who are
more than 60 years) should retire Immediately.They donot have guts to
take independent decision. They always wait for advise from foreign
leader. Dont we have true Indian Leader? Why do need Foreign Leader to
rule India? Let us all take new year resolution, RETIREMENT AGE SHOULD
BE IMPLEMENTED IN POLITICS, QUOTAS / RESERVATION SHOULD BE REMOVED,
TAINTED MINISTERS, CRIMINALS, CORRUPT AND GOONS SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM
STATE / CENTRE CABINET, LOKAYUTH SHOULD BE GIVEN FREE HAND TO
PROSECUTE ANY CORRUPT PERSON IRRESPECTIVE OF POSITION OR DESIGNATION
Indian congress is world terrorist group
By: freddie | Friday , 1 Jan '10 16:30:06 PM
Again and again this HM as nothing to do but only moarn like an idiot.
HM is doing nothing but making bilions of Indian feel that we are
coward and all is due this bunch of congress jokers. Well MMS can do
fcuked all and scratch his balls. All we can see is this bunch of
idiot should be thrown out of the country probably to Italy and work
in an resturant and make some pizza and pasta.
First Punish Kasab!
By: BG Subhash | Friday , 1 Jan '10 14:34:40 PM
Home Minister should facilitate one thing ie Hanging of Kasab.Court
giri has been carried on too long and people are fed up. It is all
right GOI has done enough court giri & show to the world that we
practice what we preach. Now it is the real time for Hangman`s noose.
This hopefully will send a message across the BORDER.
It appears the GOI is not serious about Indian citizens
By: Angry PIO | Friday , 1 Jan '10 7:01:32 AM
In congress raj, we saw terrorists came from heaven, people said
enough is enogh, yet war is not an option. We saw talks, peace
summits, confidence building measures, yet terrorists (pakistani
agents) continue to infiltrate India freely(bindas). Mr PC, you are
responsible for not imparting justice to Indians who died in blasts
after blasts during Mr Mukherjee's regime as home minister; you are
also responsible for not following up with Pakistan on IC-813 airline
hijack, Parliament attack, Kargil, although these things did not
happen on your watch. Stop playing politics with sentiments of
Indians. It is obvious that Pakistan is not interested in doing
anything you, your predecessor or previous government was asking!! If
you do not get it, you ought to apologize for your incompetency to
Indians worldwide. What a disgrace!!! Pathetic...."War is the only
solution", but this time no more plesbicite. Congress squandered 1971
gains is a fair conclusion.
NO MORE TERRORISTS DAVID HEADLEY COLEMAN
By: Annoyed Indians | Friday , 1 Jan '10 4:38:37 AM
CHIDAMB SHOULD also firmly tell to dismantle activities of like this
FAMOUS Terrorist David Coleman Headley. People of India are fed-up
with the policy of Manmohan that has put entire nation and future of
it's billiion people on HIGH DANGER when his govt. should be acting
RUTHLESSLEY against all terrorists no matter what nationality. Who's
baby is PAK anyway?
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dismantle-terror-infrastructure-india-tells-pak/561937/
chhotemianinshallah
By Washington correspondent Kim Landers
Posted 2 hours 33 minutes ago
Updated 1 hour 42 minutes ago
There are reports that the bomber was being courted as a CIA informant
(AFP: Saul Loeb)
The Pakistani Taliban is claiming it used a turncoat CIA agent to
carry out a suicide bombing at a CIA camp in Afghanistan.
Seven agents were killed and six injured in Thursday's suicide bombing
in eastern Afghanistan.
A Pakistani Taliban member says a CIA agent had contacted the Taliban
and offered to attack the US intelligence operation in Afghanistan.
He says the Taliban trained the CIA agent and sent the suicide bomber
to the camp as revenge for a top militant leader's death in a US
missile strike.
A CIA spokesman says he cannot confirm the claim and that there is a
lot about the attack that is not known.
Meanwhile there are reports that the bomber was being courted as a CIA
informant and that he had been invited onto the base and was not
searched.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/02/2784140.htm?section=world
chhotemianinshallah
By REUTERS
Published: January 2, 2010
Organizers of an international boxing tournament in Pakistan,
featuring teams from India and China, have increased security measures
after a suicide bomb attack at a volleyball match in the country’s
northwest on Friday. The local police chief said by telephone that 75
people had been killed and 42 wounded when a suicide bomber blew
himself up while in a vehicle. The game was being played in a local
village that is opposed to Taliban insurgents linked to Al Qaeda.
India sent three boxers to the tournament — the first time a team from
Pakistan’s rival and neighbor has visited the country since the
November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks damaged relations between the
nations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/02/sports/global/02sportsbriefs-pakistan.html
chhotemianinshallah
ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani Taliban commander has been killed in a
US drone strike in North Waziristan tribal region, officials in the
region and relatives said on Friday. Haji Omar Khan was among four
people killed in the drone attack near Mir Ali, a main town in North
Waziristan tribal region late Thursday night. Haji Omar Khan, who had
been the chief of Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan in 2006, was
staying at a guest house of a local tribesman Karim Khan when the
drone hit the house. Karim Khan, son and a woman were also killed in
the strike. US drones conducted two strikes in North Waziristan region
in 12 hours, killing seven people, according to officials and
authorities. Taliban have yet to release any statement acknowledging
his death. Relatives confirmed Omar’s death and said that he will be
burried in his hometown. US unmanned Predator aircraft regularly
conduct strikes in Waziristan tribal region despite objection by
Pakistan. The US had stepped up attacks inside Pakistan’s tribal areas
last year and the new year started with early morning strike. Haji
Omar, in his 50s, was born in Kalushah, a small village some 10
kilometres from Wana, the centre of South Waziristan. Sources close to
Taliban say that he had spent half of his life fighting on various
fronts in Afghanistan. He was injured several times, they said. Omar,
like most of Taliban leaders, fought against the erstwhile Soviet
forces in Afghanistan during the 1980s and also against the US-led
NATO forces in recent years. Omar had been very close to slain Taliban
leader Baitullah Mehsud as well as the Haqqani network, which is run
by Siraj Haqqani, the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, a former Taliban
minister. He had served as a member of a tribal peace committee to
negotiate peace accords with the Pakistan government from 2004 to
2006. He was appointed Taliban chief after the murder of Taliban
commander Nek Muhammad, who was also killed in a US airstrike in 2004.
Omar’s brother, Noor Islam Khan, was also a Taliban leader with close
ties to Arab and Uzbek al-Qaeda militants in South Waziristan. Sources
close to Omar say that his death will have negative impact on the
Taliban’s insurgency. Some are of the view that Omar had not been very
active in Taliban activities in recent months.
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=ts&nid=3642
chhotemianinshallah
By IJAZ MOHAMMED and NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Writers Ijaz
Mohammed And Nahal Toosi, Associated Press Writers – 9 mins ago
SHAH HASAN KHEL, Pakistan – A northwest Pakistani village that tried
to resist Taliban infiltration mourned on Saturday the victims of an
apparent revenge suicide bombing that killed 96 residents during a
volleyball game.
The attack on the outskirts of Lakki Marwat city was one of the
deadliest in recent Pakistani history and sent a bloody New Year's
message to Pakistanis who dare take on the armed Islamist extremists.
As villagers in Shah Hasan Khel held funeral services and rescuers
searched rubble for more bodies, many in the area were too terrified
to speculate on who staged the assault.
The suicide bomber detonated some 550 pounds (250 kilograms) of high-
intensity explosives on the crowded field in the village during a
volleyball tournament held Friday near a meeting of anti-Taliban
elders. The elders, who had helped set up an anti-Taliban militia in
the area, were probably the actual target, police said.
Lakki Marwat district is near South Waziristan, a tribal region where
the army has been battling the Pakistani Taliban since October.
The military operation was undertaken with the backing of the U.S.,
which is eager for Pakistan to free its tribal belt of militants
believed to be involved in attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan.
The offensive has provoked apparent reprisal attacks that had already
killed more than 500 people in Pakistan before Friday's blast.
Militants have struck all across the nuclear-armed country, and they
appear increasingly willing to hit groups beyond security forces. No
group claimed responsibility for Friday's blast, but that is not
uncommon when many civilians are killed.
Across Pakistan's northwest, where the police force is thin, underpaid
and under-equipped, various tribes have taken security into their own
hands over the past two years by setting up citizen militias to fend
off the Taliban.
The government has encouraged such "lashkars," and in some areas they
have proven key to reducing militant activity.
Still, tribal leaders who face off with the militants do so at high
personal risk. Several suicide attacks have targeted meetings of anti-
Taliban elders, and militants also often go after individuals. One
reason militancy has spread in Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal belt
is because insurgents have slain dozens of tribal elders and filled a
power vacuum.
Shah Hasan Khel village "has been a hub of militants. Locals set up a
militia and expelled the militants from this area. This attack seems
to be reaction to their expulsion," local police Chief Ayub Khan told
reporters.
Footage on private TV channels showed villagers gathered Saturday to
say funeral prayers as covered bodies lay before them. Piles of beige
mud-bricks were nearby, what was left of some three dozen homes
toppled by the massive blast.
Mohammed Qayyum, 22, tried to avoid crying Saturday as he recounted
how his younger brother died when the explosion shook the
neighborhood. His family's house was damaged.
"After the blast, I heard cries, I saw dust, and I saw injured and
dead bodies," said Qayyum, who escaped injury. "See this rubble, see
these destroyed homes? Everybody was happy before the explosion, but
today we are mourning."
Like many others in the village that had prided itself on standing up
to the militants, Qayyum refused to comment when asked who he thought
was behind the bombing.
Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for Pakistan's tribal regions,
described the attack as a big blow to Pakistanis resisting the
Taliban, but noted past militant strikes had not stymied the
resistance.
"I'm sure that even with this blow it will not make much difference to
the resolve of the people to fight the war on terrorism with their own
means," Shah said.
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned the
attack.
"The United States will continue to stand with the people of Pakistan
in their efforts to chart their own future free from fear and
intimidation and will support their efforts to combat violent
extremism and bolster democracy," she said in a statement.
Authorities said about 300 people were on the field at the time of
Friday's blast and security had been provided for the games and the
tribal elders' meeting. Local administrator Asmatullah Khan said
Saturday that 90 bodies had been identified, while six remained
unknown. Thirty-six people were being treated at nearby medical
centers.
Eight children, six paramilitary troops and two police were among the
dead, police said.
Omar Gull, 35, a wounded paramilitary soldier, said the attacker drove
recklessly into the crowd and people were trying to figure out what
was happening when the explosives detonated. "It was then chaos," he
said.
The attack was one of the deadliest in years, and the second deadliest
since the latest wave of bloodshed began in October. A car bomb killed
112 people at a crowded market in Peshawar on Oct. 28.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani vowed Saturday to defeat
militants, saying "the agenda of terrorists is to destabilize the
country, to create panic and spread fear."
Toosi reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmad in
Islamabad, Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C.,
contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100102/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan