A Smart Coup: Why One Last Military Intervention In Pakistan Remains A Possibility

Ahmed Quraishi

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—If it comes to a military-led intervention, both military officers and politicians will have to stay out of actual power. The army chief may not become a chief executive. The military might have to look into a new concept called the ‘Smart Coup’, where the military can bring capable Pakistanis to power with a firm executable plan of reform over five years, or more, fully backed by the military. There may not be time to put the plan to vote. It will have to be implemented. This would be the absolute last option. But we are nowhere near that right now. Gen. Kayani certainly has no such thing in mind according to people who have met him.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—”This was my first interaction with the soldier who commands the seventh largest military force on the face of the planet.”

With this catchy line, Dr. Farrukh Saleem began his brief and fascinating account of a meeting with General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

On Feb. 10, 2010, Gen. Kayani met a group of Pakistani commentators and security analysts. The briefing was the third since the military began asserting Pakistan’s legitimate security and strategic interests in Afghanistan and the region.

On January 28 and 29, Gen. Kayani told NATO commanders in Brussels that Pakistan’s legitimate security interests will have to be respected.

Earlier, he told Adm. Mike Mullen, Gen. David Petraeus, and Gen. Stanley McChrystal that instead of worrying about appeasing India, Washington better start paying attention to Pakistan.

This is a major development in the eight-year US-led war in Afghanistan.

At one point, Mr. Saleem makes an interesting observation about Gen. Kayani’s cool demeanor.

“Yes, he has the capacity for abstract thought, cold rationality and coarse creativity – all in one,” he says. “And yet he inhales reconstituted tobacco. Yes, he uses a filter and a cigarette holder. Yes, he never takes deep puffs and, yes, he only consumes half a cigarette at a time.”

At another point, Mr. Saleem makes an interesting use of pun. Talking about the general’s smoking habits, he says the following: ‘He knows that some of the things that he is doing are wrong, but still won’t give them up.’

Probably it’s a polite reference to the conspiracy theories that fill the US and British media, or the Am-Brit media, about Pakistan, its military and its intelligence agencies. So some skepticism is natural.

But the best part of his column in The News International was this concluding paragraph:

“I can tell you that I came back both proud but with a painful realisation; proud knowing that our legions are being led by strategic minds and sad to have discovered the much too visible an intellectual gap between our top political brains in Islamabad and our strategic minds at work in Rawalpindi. And what does he think about our politicians? When it’s breezy, hit it easy.

Could it be that the army rules not through the barrel of a gun but because of their intellectual superiority? Could it be that the army rules because our politicians have failed to institutionalize politics? Could it be that the army rules because our political parties do not transcend individual human intentions? Could it be that the army rules because it has structures, mechanisms of social order along with strategic thinking?”

In essence, Mr. Saleem hit at the core reason why the Pakistani military intervenes every time politicians lead the nation to a dead end.

Most importantly, the above reasoning answers even a more important question: Why the military mounts successful interventions and why the politicians can’t muster the moral authority to resist them.

Pakistani politicians remain a chaotic, undisciplined and shortsighted bunch. Their parties are messy and loose groupings of special interests in their crudest form. Almost all of them have lifetime leaders who never give way to fresh blood. And they are not public institutions but private, family-owned affairs.

Since the return to democracy in Pakistan in February 2008, hardly any of the parties in government or opposition devoted any high-level party meetings to education, health, culture and sports. None of them has plans in place for running the country. Worse, none has any vision.

The best place in Islamabad these days to see this mess in action is the National Defense University. Since 2002, the NDU has been holding the annual National Security Workshop. This is a unique 6-week course. It brings together politicians, military officers, businessmen, lawyers, social activists and journalists. The group is taken through a virtual tour into the corridors of strategic decision making in Pakistan. The course ends with a weeklong exercise that sees the class divided into a Pakistani government and a shadow government, complete with their own secretariat and staff. On the last day, the two governments frame and deliver a policy plan to deal with a hypothetical strategic crisis confronting Pakistan. The plan has domestic, military and foreign policy components. Often, senior commanders from Pakistani military’s General Headquarters attend the last day’s presentations.

NDU officials, both civilian and military, have one observation that has been constant during the past eight years of national security workshops: Military officers, businessmen, social activists and journalists often show the best performance. Politicians come last. Most can’t even draft a single-page policy brief, or work with a PowerPoint presentation.

In essence, middle class Pakistanis – military officers, businessmen, social activists and journalists – fair better than the politicians, mostly a feudal landowning elite.

This gets blurry sometimes, but you get the general idea.

And middle class Pakistanis can’t make it to political parties, let alone to the federal and regional parliaments and governments.

Elections might change this, but certainly not in the foreseeable future. And Pakistan may not have the luxury of time.

If the national deadlock continues with mounting domestic instability due to massive corruption and mismanagement by our politicians, the military may have to contend with one last intervention. It would be the last because if the military failed this time to help set Pakistan on the right track, it could be a free fall after that because Pakistanis are getting increasingly restless with the existing decay. Social turmoil simmers just beneath the surface.

If it comes to a military-led intervention, both military officers and politicians will have to stay out of actual power. The army chief may not become a chief executive. The military might have to look into a new concept called the ‘Smart Coup’, where the military can bring capable Pakistanis to power with a firm executable plan of reform over five years, or more, fully backed by the military. There may not be time to put the plan to vote. It will have to be implemented.

This would be the absolute last option. But we are nowhere near that right now. Gen. Kayani certainly has no such thing in mind according to people who have met him. He wants democracy to work for the time being and he has proven this by resisting several opportunities to intervene over the past two years.

Pakistan is full of resources and opportunities, but it lacks good leadership and clean management. Even the bare minimum of these two commodities is not available in today’s Pakistan.

Books on political science and theory in Washington and London can’t help with this. Pakistanis will have to do what’s best for their homeland.

India Maoist rebels kill 24 troops in West Bengal

At least 24 troops were killed when armed Maoists attacked a camp of the paramilitary forces in India’s West Bengal state, officials said.

Nearly 50 rebels on motorcycles encircled the camp of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (ERF) at Silda village on Monday and started firing on it.

More fighters joined the assault on foot, firing from automatic weapons.

There has been a surge in Maoist violence in recent months

More than 6,000 people have died during the rebels’ 20-year fight for communist rule in many Indian states.

The Indian government recently began a major offensive against the rebels in several states.

Indian Prime minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist insurgency as India’s “greatest internal security challenge”.

The rebels now have a presence in 223 of India’s 600-odd districts.

Landmines

The camp was overrun by the Maoists after the troops put up brief initial resistance, district magistrate of West Midnapore district NS Nigam told the BBC.

“The Maoists then burnt down the camp and planted landmines on the entire length of the road leading to the camp. Reinforcements with night vision and anti-landmine vehicles reached the camp late at night,” Mr Nigam said.

At least 24 bodies have been recovered from in and around the camp and some of them are badly charred, he said.

The government has launched a major offensive against the rebels

The seriously injured troops were being taken to the state capital, Calcutta, for treatment. Officials said at least 12 soldiers were still missing.

It took four hours for reinforcements to reached Silda as there were landmines planted on the entire stretch of the road.

Police officials leading the reinforcements that reached Silda late at night said many of the paramilitary troops were shot dead by the rebels as they tried to escape the fire.

West Bengal’s police chief Bhupinder Singh said there were nearly 50 ERF troops in the camp when the attack took place.

The Maoists pulled out of Silda after looting a huge amount of weapons from the camp’s armoury.

Chief of the rebels’ military wing, Koteswara Rao – alias Kishenji – claimed responsibility for the attack.

He said this attack was the beginning of “Operation Peace Hunt”, the Maoist answer to the government “Operation Green Hunt” launched against the Maoists recently.

“We are looking for peace but we are forced to fight and kill the poor troops of the government forces. We will mourn the death of those killed but the government is responsible for their death,” Kishenji told the BBC by phone from an undisclosed location.

The Maoist leader warned of more such attacks unless Operation Green Hunt was stopped.

Earlier this month Home Minister P Chidambaram held a meeting of four Maoist-affected states – West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa – in Calcutta.

He threatened to intensify Operation Green Hunt if the rebels did not start talks by abjuring violence.

The Maoists said they would agree to talks if four of their senior leaders now in jail were released and Operation Green Hunt was halted.

The government has not responded to that conditional overture.

Army won’t abandon tribals: Gen Kayani

ISLAMABAD – Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, on Monday assured the tribesmen of Waziristan Agency that the Pakistan Army would not abandon them and continue playing its role in rehabilitation of the displaced people and development of the area.

He held out these assurances while talking to notables of Mehsud and Wazir tribes during ground-breaking ceremonies of two major projects including Tank-Jandola-Sararogha-Makeen Road and Tank-Khajuri-Tanai-Wana Road. He also reviewed progress on quick impact projects for the rehabilitation of the displaced people.

These projects are being undertaken by the Pakistan Army, in consultation with local tribes and in coordination with the civil administration. The COAS emphasised the need for rapid development of the area to consolidate gains made through Military Operations.

General Kayani asked the local tribesmen to come forward and assume ownership of the development works being initiated in their areas.

Earlier, the COAS visited South Waziristan and met with Army Officers and Jawans participating in the Operation Rah-e-Nijat. He mixed up with officers and Jawans and praised their morale and professionalism.
Gen Kayani said that the officers and jawans of Pakistan Army made the operation successful by sacrificing their lives, adding the Army has complete support of the nation and the operation to be completed soon.

Maria B on SAMAA News Program Nai Rahain.

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Threats To Pakistan’s Strategic Nuclear Assets

Shahid R. Siddiqi

Indian explosion of its nuclear device in 1974 drew only a customary “show of concern” from the Western powers. But Pakistan’s nuclear program, initiated in response to the Indian acquisition of nuclear weapons, evoked immediate and “serious concern” from the same quarters. Ever since, Pakistan has been under immense pressure to scrap its program while the Indians remain uncensored.

That Western discriminatory attitude can also be seen by the religious color it gave to Pakistan’s bomb by calling it an ‘Islamic bomb’. One has never heard of the Israeli bomb being called a ‘Jewish Bomb’, or the Indian bomb a ‘Hindu Bomb’, or the American and British bomb a ‘Christian Bomb’ or the Soviet bomb a ‘Communist’ (or an ‘Atheist) Bomb’. The West simply used Pakistan’s bomb to make Islam synonymous with aggression and make its nuclear program a legitimate target, knowing full well that it merely served a defensive purpose and was not even remotely associated with Islam.

With India going nuclear soon after playing a crucial role in dismembering Pakistan in 1971 and enjoying an overwhelming conventional military superiority over Pakistan in the ratio of 4:1, a resource strapped Pakistan was pushed to the wall. Left with no other choice but to develop a nuclear deterrent to ward off future Indian threats, Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto declared: “Pakistanis will eat grass but make a nuclear bomb”. And sure enough, they did it. Soon, however, both he and the nuclear program were to become non-grata. Amid intense pressure, sanctions and vilification campaign, Henry Kissinger personally delivered to a defiant Bhutto the American threat: “give up your nuclear program or else we will make a horrible example of you’.

And a horrible example was made of Bhutto for his defiance. But he had enabled Pakistan to become the 7th nuclear power in the world. This served Pakistan well. India was kept at bay despite temptations for military adventurism. Although there has never been real peace in South Asia, at least there has been no war since 1971.

Ignoring its security perspective, Pakistan’s Western ‘friends’ refused to admit it to their exclusive nuclear club, though expediency made them ignore its ‘crime’ when it suited their purpose. But driven by identical geo-strategic interests in their respective regions and seeing Pakistan as an obstacle to their designs, Israel and India missed no opportunity to malign or subvert Pakistan’s program.

Due to its defiance of Indian diktat, Pakistan is for India an obstruction in its quest for domination of South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Israel’s apprehension of Pakistan’s military prowess is rooted in the strength Pakistan indirectly provides to Arab states with whom Israel has remained in a state of conflict. Conscious that several Arab states look up to Pakistan for military support in the event of threat to their security from Israel, it is unsettling for Israel to see a nuclear armed Pakistan.

Israel can also not overlook the fact that Pakistan’s military is a match to its own. The PAF pilots surprised Israeli Air Force, when flying mostly Russian aircraft they shot down several relatively superior Israeli aircraft in air combat in the 1973 Arab Israel war, shattering the invincibility myth of Israeli pilots who believed themselves to be too superior in skill and technology. The Pakistanis happened to be assigned to Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi air forces on training missions when the war broke out and, unknown to the Israelis then, they incognito undertook combat missions.

After successfully destroying Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, Israelis planned a similar attack on Pakistan’s nuclear facilities at Kahuta in collusion with India in the 1980s. Using satellite pictures and intelligence information, Israel reportedly built a full-scale mock-up of Kahuta facility in the Negev Desert where pilots of F-16 and F-15 squadrons practiced mock attacks.

According to ‘The Asian Age’, London, journalists Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark stated in their book ‘Deception: Pakistan, the US and the Global Weapons Conspiracy’, that Israeli Air Force was to launch air attack on Kahuta in mid 1980s from Jamnagar airfield in Gujarat (India). The book claims that “in March 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi signed off (on) the Israeli-led operation bringing India, Pakistan and Israel to within a hairs breadth of a nuclear conflagration”.

Another report claims that Israel also planned an air strike directly out of Israel. After midway and midair refueling, Israeli warplanes planned to shoot down a commercial airline’s flight over Indian Ocean that flew into Islamabad early morning, fly in a tight formation to appear as one large aircraft on radar screens preventing detection, use the drowned airliner’s call sign to enter Islamabad’s air space, knock out Kahuta and fly out to Jammu to refuel and exit.

According to reliable reports in mid 1980s this mission was actually launched one night. But the Israelis were in for a big surprise. They discovered that Pakistan Air Force had already sounded an alert and had taken to the skies in anticipation of this attack. The mission had to be hurriedly aborted.

Pakistan reminded the Israelis that Pakistan was no Iraq and that PAF was no Iraqi Air Force. Pakistan is reported to have conveyed that an attack on Kahuta would force Pakistan to lay waste to Dimona, Israel’s nuclear reactor in the Negev Desert. India was also warned that Islamabad would attack Trombay if Kahuta facilities were hit.

The above quoted book claims that “Prime Minister Indira Gandhi eventually aborted the operation despite protests from military planners in New Delhi and Jerusalem.”

McNair’s paper #41 published by USAF Air University (India Thwarts Israeli Destruction of Pakistan’s “Islamic Bomb”) also confirmed this plan. It said, “Israeli interest in destroying Pakistan’s Kahuta reactor to scuttle the “Islamic bomb” was blocked by India’s refusal to grant landing and refueling rights to Israeli warplanes in 1982.” Clearly India wanted to see Kahuta gone but did not want to face retaliation at the hands of the PAF. Israel, on its part wanted this to be a joint Indo-Israeli strike to avoid being solely held responsible.

The Reagan administration also hesitated to support the plan because Pakistan’s distraction at that juncture would have hurt American interests in Afghanistan, when Pakistan was steering the Afghan resistance against the Soviets.

Although plans to hit Kahuta were shelved, the diatribe against Pakistan’s nuclear program continued unabated. Israel used its control over the American political establishment and western media to create hysteria. India worked extensively to promote paranoia, branding Pakistan’s program as unsafe, insecure and a threat to peace. The fact is otherwise. It is technically sounder, safer and more secure than that of India and has ensured absence of war in the region.

The US invasion of Afghanistan provided another opening for Indo-Israeli nexus to target Pakistan’s strategic assets. This time the strategy was to present Pakistan as an unstable state, incapable of defending itself against religious extremist insurgents, creating the specter of Islamabad and its nuclear assets falling in their hands. Suggestions are being floated that Pakistan being at risk of succumbing to extremists, its nuclear assets should be disabled, seized or forcibly taken out by the US. Alternatively, an international agency should take them over for safe keeping.

Pakistan has determinedly thwarted the terrorist threat and foiled this grand conspiracy. The terrorists have either been eliminated or are on the run. Pakistan has made it clear that it would act decisively against any attempt by any quarter to harm its nuclear assets. But if the game is taken to the next level, the consequences would be disastrous for the region.

The Indo-Israeli nexus is losing initiative. But as long as the American umbrella is available Afghanistan will remain a playground for mischief mongers. It is now up to the US to walk its talk and prove its claim that it wants to see a secure and stable Pakistan. It must pull the plug on conspiracies to destabilize Pakistan.

Supreme Court of Pakistan suspends judges’ appointment notification

A 3-judge bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has suspended the notification of judges’ appointment hours after its issuance by the government on Saturday.

The special bench held a meeting soon after its formation by the Chief Justice of Pakistan and suspended the President’s decision of judges’ appointment, declaring it a violation of Article-177 of the Constitution. Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif and Justice Mian Saqib Nisar will continue to serve as Chief Justice of Lahore High Court (LHC) and senior judge LHC respectively, the bench said.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry taking suo motto notice of the notification of judges’ appointment Saturday evening formed a 3-judge bench headed by Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan with Justice Raja Fayaz and Justice Jawad S. Khwaja as its members.

Meanwhile, Additional Registrar Supreme Court Qasi Sajid provided the details/ records in connection with judges appointment to the special bench.

Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari elevated Justice Khwaja Sharif as SC judge and Justice
Saqib Nisar as Acting CJ of LHC through an official notification.

However, Justice Khwaja Sharif and Justice Saqib Nisar refused to accept the decision of the government.

Later, the special bench adjourned its proceeding till February 18.

The 5-member SC bench which had been constituted for taking up the case of delay in judges’ appointment will take the proceeding ahead.

Additional Secretary Law, Attorney Generals of Pakistan and the four advocate generals have been summoned.

NRO Order, CJ Or 18th Amendment Barrister Amjad Malik

16 December 2010 Supreme Court order on NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) has shattered the ruling govt which was standing on the 4 pillars of this barter orchestrated by military & Pentagon , USA &UK and (PPP) Pak people party leadership which is clutching and hanging on to a straw now. Instead of whole heartedly, understanding the tenacity of situation and implementing the order by realigning politically based on reality, the leadership went for hit and run ditto of their predecessor General Musharraf who sacked the chief justice who was considering a petition on his Presidential election in military uniform.

Same is the case with PPP govt which is willing to lock horns with the judiciary and is willing to wipe out the whole political democratic dispensation if the buck comes to shove and the issue comes to their govt’s fall. They do not wish to leave as corrupt but be drummed out with a bang as victims and history tells victims reappear in Pakistani politics. Govt is in between rock and a hard place, either to digest, accept and implement the order of 17 superior court judges and sack a few loyalists who are wanted by NAB enquiry or stall the matter, seek refuge under political dispensation and chalk out a settlement with its foes and get the gunners out of the ring, though a wishful thinking devoid of public sentiments.

Chief Justice is losing patience and role of military establishment will be very crucial who will ultimately decide in a situation where court orders are stalled by politicians putting institutions at risk of collapse. People have seen such situations in the past. Vibrant media and pro active judiciary with civil society and loaded lawyers are not going to allow a political slaughter of judiciary especially in a situation where army is stretched and wishes to wait and see from the back room. Public mood will be very important as to which way the tide turns. 18th amendment will give an opportunity of a necessary barter to those who have received a yellow card but still there is no concrete results in the offing and any once issue my act as a stumbling block in the talks and constitutional amendment remains a matter of academic exercise.

Judiciary however, has suffered due to lack of compliance on their orders and no apparent explanation and or reasons and if they remain patient and did not enquire sooner as to steps towards implementation then all orders will start meeting the same fate, non compliance by default.

If judicial decision are delayed in such a way that it frustrate the ultimate goal of justice than that ‘delay means defeating the justice’ and that what exactly is happening in Pakistan. Several petitions are coming before the top judges for action than sombre quietness but I must say that CJ must be mindful as those under his sword may like to offer a sacrifice to hispolitical opponents to effect a settlement and in such a situation one judge may become a victim of circumstances and General Musharraf’s establishment will be very pleased if that stage arrives as they will kill two birds with one stone, revenge and retribution. Time is of the essence and smooth running of the institutions is dependent on fair and impartial judicial decisions, where government is accountable to parliament and good governance remains a hall mark of the executive which is so far missing in this equation.

Whether order of the court is implemented, or political settlement change the goal post before judges strike down the corrupt ministers with the ink of their pen will be seen in a few months but one thing is sure that spectacle will be interesting, and bloody. Stubbornness of some has brought the system to a near collapse and looking at public anger, frustration due to shortage of food, gas and electricity, I thinkgovt is sitting on a pylon where there is a little margin of error between implementation of the order and erecting a timely political settlement through 18th amendment. Any indirect effort to oust the top judge out of the ring will meet with a bad luck and a price so do or die is a must spectacle.

Barrister Amjad Malik is a Chair Association of Pakistani Lawyers (United Kingdom)

10 February 2010

Student rules: ‘nanny state’ promoting ‘house wife’ concept

New changes in Immigration law will affect thousands of students unnecessarily without having an impact study. Alan Johnson announced that on 10 February , that from 3 March 2010 a) student can only work 10 hours during term time; b) can not bring their wives if studying under 6 months courses; c) even if the spouses are allowed to come, they cannot work. I feel that previously students could come to UK, and first learn English and later could enrol on to better courses of their choice especially students from subcontinent India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri lanka, china where English is not their first language.

Previously students could come to UK, and first learn English and later could enrol on to better courses of their choice especially students from subcontinent India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri lanka, china where English is not their first language. Now if you have not acquired GCSE standard English, your doors to Britain for studies are closed which to me is unjust and discriminatory.

Since when in the world English has become the measuring table for a licence of learning. People may have a command in their own language but canlearn English in order to acquire the learning in their very discipline i.e science, arts, and design and return home to revert to their normal way of life. All students come and work during their vacations and part time during their term time. This enable them to seek work experience and on some occasions meet their expenses as education in universities is a very expensive business and overseas students for each fiscal year are required to pay over £5000-10,000 every year depending on each university or college and restricting to 10 hours work would mean that all the avenues ofpart time work are closed. It will allow genuine students to be either in breach of law and or remain under the carpet or survive in lesser money which is in this day and age is impossible ad unworkable.

There should be relaxation of work as well as tighter regulations to curb institutions who facilitate bogus admissions. Currently UKBA has no system at all. They have closedthousands of colleges which should not have been allowed to cater international students at first place, first UKBA allowed them to function and sponsor thousands of overseas students and later closed those institutions and did not offer any policy for those students who are already in the system after genuinely payingthousands of pounds fees thus putting them on streets due to no fault of their own. I think tighter regulations to have a check and balance between college, home office and students is desirable but changing policies and rules every 15 minutes is not a solution and labour govt should not take big decisions at the eleventh hour. Sponsorship system is not going to work. It will fail like the old work permit system failed where Thousands were sponsored by dubious Indian IT employer companies which closed down the moment those students entered UK market, which never could handle shortage of IT staff but figures showed the entry ofthousands of IT workers on work permits.

Finally, I do feel that it is unjust that UKBA allow a student to bring a family and then disallow his family to work. This will mean promoting the concept of ‘house wives’ culture. According to new rules applicable from 3 March 2010,international students can only bring their wives if they are enrolled on a course for over 6 months period but their wives will not be entitled to work unless highly qualified (tier 1 & 2 ) themselves, that will promote a culture of housewives which is nonsense to me as hundreds of overseas soldiers at Sandhurst , Engineers, doctors, judges from abroad visit UK on shorter 6-12 weeks courses which gives them an opportunity to bring their spouses, and taste British culture. Students who are enrolled on their professional or post graduate courses normally bring their families and if they have no children , the spouses work in order to pass time, or bit of extra help in the house, learning English, or in order to get accustomed to the atmosphere.

These new rules are but a shameful reverse gear towards a ‘nanny state’ where everything legal will be banned and all ‘illegal acts’ will be indirectly and discreetly carry on. Govt have failed to announce an amnesty for thousands who are working in the system and contributing in black economy. Lack of disciplined policy promoted fraud including identity and theft, and because there is no coherent policy how to tackle ‘illegal working’ people are exploited to work for pound or two an hour at London’s restaurants, hotels, clearing and cleaning outlets. UKBA is closing its eyes because they do not wish to go home empty stomach or who will clean their rubbish if these aliens are sent back. So they are in the system, without documents, and are allowed to be properly exploited.

I think general amnesty for all those who are in the system for over 5 years without criminal records is a way out . Due to looming security threat no one can support anyone who is remaining illegally in UK without even the documentation. If that figure is over 500,000 that worries me and strict scrutiny of every one not in the system so that UKBA could put all at sundry on the system logging entry & exit. It must promote Britain as a safer tourist place in Europe and a place of excellence for study for highly intellect individuals who have lust for knowledge, learning and experience. These cheap tactics of work or not work is degrading the country’s name into dust. Prime Minister must snub his Immigration poodles and should come up with logical solutions not illogic unworkable election specific tactics in the run up to election in May.

Barrister Amjad Malik, is a Chair Association of Pakistani Lawyers (United Kingdom)

Mrs Pakistan World 2010 off to London, England to Revive the Arts

Tahmena Bokhari, Mrs Pakistan World, 2010 joins other speakers in London, England on February 16th to encourage Muslims to reclaim their artistic and cultural heritage. Children in certain Muslim homes are increasingly discouraged from participating in drama, art and music. A conference organised by British Muslims for Secular Democracy (bmsd) and supported by the British Council will address this problem and the consequences. “Free Muslims: Autonomy and Creativity” challenges those who seek to close down theMuslim mind by claiming Islam forbids artistic expression, leisure and cultural activities.

This is aligned with Ms. Bokhari’s overall message that we must work to develop positive and healthy communities around the world. Having a personal passion for the arts, as she hobbies as a photographer, fashion designer, painter and writer, she firmly believes that creative outlets are a necessary part of a healthy life. She has also used art in providing forms of therapy as a social worker with her clients and children in countries such as Pakistan and Cambodia. This premise of thisconference is also insync with the motto of the Mrs. Pakistan World organization on building a modern Pakistan. Ms. Bokhari believes that developing these outlets in all countries, but especially in places like Pakistan, can be a method of redirecting youth from violence and involvement with gangs and terrorist groups.

Professor Tahmena Bokhari commented that, “A sign of healthy children and communities around the world is access to positive outlets for emotional and physical energy, such as the creative arts including poetry, literature, painting, dance, music and so on. Creativity is considered to be a divine blessing in Islam. Islam furnishes us with numerous examples ofMuslim creativity, from calligraphy in the Golden Age to Sami Yusuf’s debut album ‘al-Mu’allim’. We must ensure fourteen hundred years of Islamic contributions to art, culture, literature, and history are not pushed aside in favour of a hardline interpretation of theMuslim faith.”

The bmsd Conference is taking place at the SOAS Brunei Gallery in central London on 16th February 2010 from 10am to 2pm.

Grand Cognates to Ms Naseem Hameed

Our National Pride, daughter of the great soil of this great country ; Ms Naseem Hameed stood gold medalist in 100 meter race in South Asian Games being held in Dacca. She has accomplished a tremendous job for thecountry . She deserves to be decorated with a prize of grand medal of Rs. 5000000/- along with a free reasonable residence at least and this must be done if the President & PM of this unfortunatecountry are having an iota of human sense!!!

AFTAB ALAM ADVOCATE (HIGH COURT)

UK lawyers have demanded withdrawal of Dr Afia’s Case

UK lawyers have demanded withdrawal of Dr Afia’s Case declaring the conviction

unsafe and has demanded for a public enquiry on Dr Afia’s treatment from US President

APL ( Association of Pakistani Lawyers), a team of Pakistani origin lawyers, Solicitors, Barristers, Judges in UK, held an emergency session of its executive and in their 6 February 2010 communiqué addressed to Barrack Obama, The President of USA and Foreign Secretary, Senator Hillary Clinton Has demanded that Govt. of United States must consider withdrawing charges against Dr Afia Siddiqui and her repatriation to Pakistan forthwith.

APL Chair, Barrister Amjad Malik referred to their earlier letter to President Obama where they welcomed his election and wrote “America needs to offer hope to the community of nation and revitalize its efforts to jointly consult with the world if it ever desire to come closer to victory on its drive against extremism. No doubt, 9/11 was the most tragic and most condemnable attack on civilization by criminals and proportionate use of force, revival of United Nations role, protecting the sovereignty of independent nations, joint intelligence sharing mechanism and collective wisdom is the key to defeat this menace”.

He said , In this light of the above we have a cause to write to you on behalf of the Pakistani & Muslim community on the issue of Dr Afia Siddiqui’s Conviction which may result in a stumbling block between US-Pak people to people contact and relations between two states. Dr Afia was kidnapped and kept at Bagram Airfield without the aid of a lawyer, doctor and or consulate access for years and her being a female, Muslim women that has the potential to charge the mood of the public.

Mr. Malik wrote, USA is already making efforts to bridge the gap between the people of Pakistan and US Administration and Dr. Afia’s conviction will wipe out all efforts and this decision seems to have dictated through fears than the facts and law. Dr Afia is demonized as ‘Al-Qaeda’ lady or in official circles as ‘the grey lady of Bagram’ without substance of her association or affiliation as Association with Al-Qaeda itself is a criminal offence and that avenue has not been pursued. Under the circumstances she may never get a fair trial from the jury due to 9/11 as in built prejudice against the perpetrators of the 9/11 makes it impossible to allow a fair hearing against anyone who is allegedly portrayed by media or through whisper campaign to be an associate of that outfit no matter how much it is denied. Though, we agree that USA has failed to prove or at least bring it open the limits of her engagements

Chair of APL proposed 5 resolutions of demands:

“Resolution of Demand:

1. Govt of United States must consider withdrawing charges against Dr Afia Siddiqui and her repatriation to Pakistan forthwith; or

2. Govt of United States must consider Presidential pardon for Dr Afia Siddiqui as she has been missing and or confined allegedly since 2003 and there is no account of her missing time in Bagram airfield and her conviction is unsafe considering the state of mind and or issues of serious allegation(s) of torture and maltreatment; or

3. Govt of United States must consider appealing this decision as it is unsafe as post 9/11 putting people of New York in a position of jurors to find a question of guilty/not guilty of a person who is highly publicised as allegedly associated with internationally notorious outfit (AL-Qaeda) is unreasonable and rules of natural justice and norms of Art.6 of the European Convention on Human Rights 1950 has not been met. looking at the case of Brown v Board of Education, 347 US 483 (1954) where so rightly Supreme Court gave decision against segregation of white and Black children in the public state school solely on the basis of race because that segregation was against the principle of equal protection of law guaranteeing Fourteenth Amendment, at this juncture based on the past knowledge, I am sure, USA can ensure justice with Muslim minorities (its a test case in that scenario); There is overwhelming evidence of making this conviction unsafe i.e lack of DNA / finger prints evidence of her linking to the rifle, her unlawful presence at Bagram as the account of her arrest is not credible, discrepancies between the accounts of Interpreter, and other two witnesses, and no empty shells of the bullets fired were presented at court all makes the conviction unsafe; and these questions must be put to rest which questions the prosperity of US criminal justice system to be fair to Muslims post 9/11 as is the case in UK where many convictions were overturned by superior courts declaring them unsafe and excessive;

4. Govt of United States must consider prisoner exchange with the Govt of Pakistan as in the past many prisoners from Pakistan has been shifted to USA without judicial oversight, on the similar approach Dr Afia Siddiqui must be returned to Pakistan to remain in Pakistani custody whilst the issue of her case (withdrawal/appeal and or pardon) are considered at home in USA as she has already spent many years in confinement and her return would ease her sufferings and will avoid hampering United States effort to increase people to people contact and efforts to winning the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people.

5. Govt of United States must consider setting up a commission to adjudicate the questions of true facts surrounding Dr Afia’s arrest, allegations of torture and mal treatment at Bagram airfield, and the issue of extra judicial and extra territorial confinement and imprisonment at Bagram where there are allegations that CIA paid huge monies to Pak officials for making successful arrests and Gen. Musharraf accepted that fact in his book, (in the line of fire). Dr Afia is a female, Muslim lady from Pakistan who is a highly educated (PhD from Brandeis University 2001) and has been either bought via CIA and or arrested in dubious circumstances at Pakistan and or Afghanistan; she has been strip searched, allegedly maltreated, interrogated mostly without lawyers , proper examination of a female doctor, and or consulate access at Afghanistan and has been shifted to USA without her consent. How come she was shown to be at Bagram in 2008 when people had knowledge of her whereabouts as prisoner no 650 prior to that date makes it desirable to settle the facts once for all to ease the people of Pakistan as this is the kind of material if remain uncertain acts as prima facie fodder for radicalisation which needs to be put at rest through proper enquiry. Incidents like Abu Gharib force APL to say that the allegation of such nature may not be easily refuted without an independent oversight or an enquiry”.

“We hope our representations are given due weight in the interest of public in order to promote rule of law, justice and true accountability of the forces and in order to fill the gaps between ancient civilizations who are at a crossroad to mend fences and be friends”, expected Barrister Amjad Malik.

The Presidential Correspondence Team on 6 Feb has responded as following, “Dear Friend,Thank you for your message. On behalf of President Obama, we appreciate hearing from you. The President has promised the most transparent administration in history, and we are committed to listening to and responding to you”.

Breaking News Several casualties feared in Karachi blast

Several people were killed and injured when a powerful explosion occurred in a public vehicle plying on Sharah-e-Faisal of Karachi, media reported Friday.

According to Geo News, the blast occurred in a mini bus near Nursery stop towards FTC.

The ambulances have been dispatched towards the blast site. The ambulances are being shifted to the hospitals.

Police and other rescue workers have arrived on the spot. The road leading to Saddar has been blocked and the blast site has been cordoned off

Kayani spells out terms for regional stability

RAWALPINDI: Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Monday the success of military operations in the tribal regions have caused substantial decline in cross-border attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan and warned that it was essential to address Pakistan’s long-term strategic concerns for stability in the region.

In a rare press briefing, General Kayani said it would be a cause of worry for Pakistan if Afghanistan’s projected army developed the potential to take on Pakistan.
“We want a strategic depth in Afghanistan but do not want to control it,” the general said while talking to a group of journalists at the Army General Headquarters.

“A peaceful and friendly Afghanistan can provide Pakistan a strategic depth.” He asked the US and Nato to come out with a clear strategy on Afghanistan.

General Kayani who last week participated in Nato commanders’ conference in Brussels said Pakistan was prepared to train the Afghan National Army which would help improve relations between the two nations. He said he hoped the offer would get a positive response.

“If we get more involved with the ANA (Afghan National Army) there’s more interaction and better understanding,” General Kayani said.

“We have opened all doors … It’s a win-win for Afghanistan, the United States, Isaf and Pakistan,” he said, referring to Nato’s International Security Assistance Force.

He said he believed it would take at least four years to achieve a target of a 140,000-strong Afghan force able to take over security responsibilities.

Pakistan has raised concern over a similar offer by India to train Afghan army, and the issue could become another point of conflict between the two South Asian neighbours.

Pakistan’s offer reflects Islamabad’s rising concern over Indian influence in Afghanistan. “Our strategic paradigm needs to be fully realised,” General Kayani said.

He warned that an environment hostile to Pakistan could strain its battle against militancy and extremism. He said he had conveyed the concerns and constraints of Pakistan to the Nato allies.

“There are some key issues of the conflict that needed to be fully understood and addressed.”

He said there was a need for realisation of Pakistan’s key regional position and its contribution in the war.

General Kayani said more than 140,000 Pakistani troops were now involved in fighting militants in the northwest and deployment along the Afghan border.

He said over the last seven months Pakistani military had launched 209 major and 510 minor operations in 10 regions. He said 2,273 Pakistani army officers and soldiers had been killed in the fighting so far.

General Kayani said that the military operations in South Waziristan and Swat were at present in a transitory phase — from hold to build. “We must consolidate our gains and fully stabilise the area secured lest it fall back to the terrorists,” he said.

He warned against losing sight for future operations. “Public opinion, media support, army’s capability and resolve are fundamental to our war,” he said.

General Kayani rejected the perception that Pakistan did not want to take on the militants in North Waziristan. “There is already one army division deployed there and we have taken action whenever required,” he declared

He said it was important that the military consolidated its hold in South Waziristan and other tribal regions before starting another army offensive.

Last October the army launched a major offensive in South Waziristan which had become the main bastion of Pakistani Taliban movement and Al Qaeda.

More than 30,000 troops have been involved in the operation which is said to be the biggest since Pakistan joined the US war on terror after September 11, 2001.

The troops have cleared most of the region, but there are still pockets of resistance. Many Taliban commanders have taken refuge in neighbouring Waziristan. “We have broken the myth that Waziristan cannot be controlled,” he said.

Pakistan has been facing mounting pressure from the United States to start army operation in North Waziristan which is the base for another Taliban faction.

The US and western intelligence agencies believe the area is also a base of Afghan insurgents led by Sirajuddin Haqqani. Pakistan had signed a peace deal with the Taliban faction in 2006.

General Kayani said Pakistani military’s success in South Waziristan had sent a strong message to the militants operating in North Waziristan and other areas.

“There is, however, no need at this point to start a stream roller operation in North Waziristan.”

The army chief said the large number of casualties suffered by the Pakistani security forces and economic losses had not dented the armed forces’ resolve to fight terrorism and violent extremism. “We will fight and finish the terrorism in our own interest,” General Kayani said.

He said the intelligence sharing and greater cooperation between Pakistani military and US forces had helped improve the situation. “The regular contacts between Pakistani and US military commanders have greatly helped in understanding each others’ position.”

India can’t impose war: Mushahid

LAHORE: PML-Q Secretary-General Mushahid Husain Syed has stressed that there is an urgent need to initiate the process of composite dialogue between Pakistan and India for the resolution of all problems, including Kashmir, and to maintain long lasting peace in South East Asia.

Speaking at a seminar on “Pak-India Relations in Changing Scenario” at the Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS), Punjab University, on Monday, he said Pakistan and India were the only two nuclear armed neighbouring countries that had an outstanding controversial dispute like Kashmir.

He said the path to a durable peace in the region lay in settling the Kashmir issue in the light of UN resolutions.

Presently, he said, Pakistan and India were evenly-balanced because the supremacy of India in terms of numbers and traditional armaments had ended after Pakistan attained nuclear power status in 1998.

“Neither India can impose war on Pakistan like it did in 1971 nor Pakistan has now any apprehensions of such a war or aggression from any quarter,” he said.

At the most, he said, India could indulge in conspiracies to isolate Pakistan through diplomatic efforts, intervene in Pakistan’s internal affairs by sponsoring acts of terrorism or subject it to water aggression by depriving it of its water share.

Mr Syed said the biggest hurdle in the normalisation of relations between both the countries was the prejudiced Indian behaviour that harboured aggressive designs against Pakistan.

He said three important developments had taken place in the world scenario recently that had made the global situation conducive for Pakistan.

He said the significance of Afghanistan and Pakistan had increased in the US priorities as compared to India.

He said the US had lost war in Afghanistan and was desperately looking for any safe and honourable passage out of the morass. He said the passage for enduring peace and stability in Afghanistan pass through Pakistan.

He said the third important emerging development was the rise of China as an overwhelming political and economic power in the world arena. So, he said, the 21st century belonged to Asia.

He said the US was becoming weaker and weaker with every passing day on account of its worsening economic conditions.

Now, he said, the political and economic leadership could work out a doable strategy in the light of national objectives and goals to seek optimal advantage for Pakistan by exploiting these three emerging favourable developments.

PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran said the US was looking for a safe and honourable exit from Afghanistan due to sacrifices and historic resistance put up by the valiant people of Afghanistan.

CSAS director Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar also spoke on the occasion.

From Cold Start Strategy to Halt, Turn Around and Run Like a Puppy Strategy

by Khawaja Asad Saeed

Remember June 5th, 1967? Rapid and sudden air strikes by Israel that almost completely wiped out air forces of 3 Muslim nations? Our coward neighbour to the right has been begging Israel to teach them some such strategies. Currently, we face the possibility of a rapid deployment of Special Indian Forces in case of a ‘terrorist’ attack on Indian soil. They tried around Eid last year but ran away like a puppy when their war planes came face to face with Pakistan Air Force. Right now, the plan is being deployed again. The double edged sword of Aman Ki Asha and Confidence Building Measures has a hidden name; Cold Start Strategy! After successfully deploying their assets on the ground to create anarchy in the country, it is the perfect time to use high altitude precision GPS guided missiles to strike command and control centres inside Pakistan. It may pave the way for a sudden ground assault and the dream of “reaching Islamabad and Rawalpindi within 48 hours” suddenly becomes a possibility.

What is the response to this? Their assets on the ground have been hit hard by the brave Pakistan Army in SWAT and South Waziristan. SW was dubbed the mother of all battles. SWAT was called death- valley. But apparently, the operations conducted by Pak Army and Air Force turned out to be legendary operations that shattered the Cold Start Strategy doctrine in just few months, and turned it into a ‘Halt,- Turn -Around -& -Run- Like- A –Puppy’ Strategy. Then appeared Aman Ki Asha! Now is the time to slap the face of this pathetically ineffective political government.

To throw cold water on this dream of our neighbour and turn it into a nightmare, we need a quick change in the political leadership. The Supreme Court is doing an amazing job on the NRO. The place where we need to focus now is the Finance Ministry. It is our biggest weakness right now. We need to build extreme and rapid pressure on it to reveal the secret conditions agreed with the IMF. Our finances are run by IMF right now. Every month, there is some price hike that helps the Cold Start Strategy regain some lost momentum. I appeal to all young Pakistani Patriots to take a stand and support our Pakistani Nationalists inside the Finance Ministry to take a stand against this economic colonialism. We urgently need to create disaster management strategies. Pakistan Army has its disaster management planned out. But we, as a nation, are not ready for it. We need to tell our Patriots in the Finance Ministry that you have our full support! Unveil the secret conditions so we can take matters into our own hands. Only then can we start building our disaster management strategy as a nation. This has serious potential to pave the way for the collapse of this pathetically ineffective political set up.

Finally, I appeal to all cyber warriors of Pakistan to raise this issue. What you guys have done in the past few years is nothing short of extraordinary! All the work that is being done by you has a MONSTER EFFECT! Now is the time to take matters in our own hands. LETS LIVE WITH DIGNITY AND DIE WITH HONOUR!

Army investigates reports of Hakimullah Mehsud’s death

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani army said it is investigating reports that Pakistani Taliban leader Hakeemullah Mehsud has died from injuries sustained in a US drone missile strike.

Pakistani army spokesman Gen. Athar Abbas said the army is using its agents in Pakistan’s northwest where the death is reported to have occurred to try to confirm or deny the reports.

Pakistani state TV reported earlier Sunday that Mehsud died in Orakzai tribal area, where he was reportedly being treated for his injuries. It cited ”official sources.”

Pakistani intelligence officials have said that Mehsud was hit in a US drone strike in South Waziristan on Jan. 14, triggering rumors he had been injured or killed. Mehsud issued two audio tapes after the strike denying the rumors. The state run TV also claimed that Mehsud had been buried in Tajaka village in Mamozai area of Orakzai Agency.

CIA Threats To Pakistan: Episode 10

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$500m for ‘Safe Exit’ from Afghanistan’s Unforgiving History

“Those who do not learn from history, are condemned to repeat it” -George Santana

Dan Qayyum | Editor, PKKH

After 9 years of maintaining an expensive presence on Afghan soil, thousands of lives and billions wasted in aid and reconstruction efforts, not to forget bribes to warlords and drug barons, the US and its allies have come up with a real gem of an idea – trying to buy themselves a safe exit from the Afghan mess for a cool $500m.

The world leaders gathered at the Afghanistan Conference in London seem to have realised the only hope left is to save face and exit Afghanistan with some dignity intact. Their offer of cash to the Taliban, laughable as it is, is a last ditch effort to save Hamid Karzai’s government by attempting to buy out his only real opposition in Afghanistan.

Taliban today control 33 out of 34 provinces of Afghanistan and are under no pressure to negotiate with the ‘Governor of Kabul’ – as he’s mockingly called in Afghanistan due to his rule being limited to parts of the Afghan capital. The momentum is with the Taliban and they are in a position to dictate terms. Therefore the plan to rope in ‘moderate’ elements of the Taliban by promises of cash and power is a non-starter.

The decision reached at the conference to invite Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to mediate with the Taliban and Kabul’s Government seems to have little point, even though it confirms what Pakistan has been saying for years – that there will not be a solution to the Afghan problem until the Taliban – who represent Afghanistan’s Pashtun majority – are ignored.

Good Taliban / Bad Taliban

Pakistan Army’s policy of differentiating between various Taliban factions and militant groups found no takers in Western capitals up until the recent past. Pakistan Army had been widely criticised for selectively targeting only those militant outfits which attacked Pakistan, namely the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and has always rejected US demands to act against Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami and the Haqqani network – both of which the US alleges are based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region and are actively fighting against the US & NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Not only have Gulbuddin and Haqqani’s men never acted against Pakistan, the Pakistan Army also regards them as future power brokers in the post-US Afghanistan.

The Taliban leader in Afghanistan, Mullah Muhammad Omar, is also ready to break with his al-Qaida allies in order to make peace in the country, according to the former Pakistani intelligence officer who trained him.

Brigadier Sultan Amir Tarar (known as Colonel Imam), a retired officer with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, said: “The moment he gets control, the first target will be the al-Qaida people. He wants peace in the country, he doesn’t want adventure. He has had enough of that.”

Pakistan has legitimate interests to protect in the region beyond its borders, and is justified in pursuing those interests through means it deems necessary. The US and NATO will not stay in the region much longer – Pakistan has no other option than to support the Afghan Taliban in order to ensure that the Afghan soil is not used by its arch-rival India to destabilize Pakistan.

As Ahmed Quraishi notes:

In 2001, Pakistan gave the ultimate strategic sacrifice by ditching a friendly government in Afghanistan and help American occupy that country. We let the Americans install a government of their choice in Kabul and saw them push the terrorists inside Pakistan instead of finishing them off on the Afghan soil. We suffered billions of dollars in undocumented losses, way beyond the pittance in American aid. And what did we get? Insurgencies, terrorism and economic collapse. On top of it, India has blocked Pakistan’s water, effectively declaring a water war. This same hostile India is firmly establishing its presence near our borders in Afghanistan. And then the Americans have the audacity to come and berate us for having a soft corner for freedom fighters in Kashmir and Afghanistan. Even if we don’t want to do it, what choice do we have? If we sympathize with the Afghan Taliban or with Kashmiri groups that antagonize India, there is a legitimate reason for it. Pakistan can’t be expected to drop its legitimate interests just because US or India wants so.

Washington’s permission to India to set up a military and intelligence presence in Afghanistan along Pakistan’s borders is widely seen as the latest US back-stabbing after Pakistan’s u-turn on its own Taliban policy. Western analysts and senior government officials have confirmed India’s involvement in terrorism in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, as well as channeling funds and arms to Pakistani terrorist outfits including the TTP through corrupt Afghan warlords. A destabilized Pakistan helps India’s case against Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, which it demands be neutralized in face of what it calls a ’serious Taliban takeover threat’.

In reality however, the TTP are being wiped out at the hands of Pakistan’s armed forces with even the US and NATO stunned at the efficiency and success of the army operations against TTP militants in Swat and South Waziristan.

For the first time in 8 years, Pakistan now has the upper hand and has started to dictate terms to the US, starting last week with the rejection of US request to extend the operation to North Waziristan. Anticipating an imminent turnaround in Pakistan’s Afghan policy and fearing the US supply lines into Afghanistan may come under pressure, the US has immediately sought to pacify the Pakistan Armed Forces with promises to deliver 12 ‘unarmed’ shadow drones – which was rejected as Pakistan already has superior UAVs.

This turnaround by the Pakistan Army couldn’t have come at a worse time for the US and NATO forces – with the recent attacks on CIA’s Chapman outpost in Khost, a failed civilian government incharge, an incompetent Afghan army, and with 30,000 US troops on their way to what many now realise is a lost cause.

The biggest sign yet of the reversal of fortunes comes with a simple but symbolic ‘Are you with us or against us?’ from an senior Pakistan Army official to Secretary Robert Gates. Pakistan Army also made it clear to the US Secretary of Defence that Pakistan will actively oppose any plans that include India’s presence in Afghanistan, which it sees as unacceptable.

Keeping India Out Of Afghanistan

Pakistan has successfully mobilised the defunct six-plus-two talks formula to counter the US pressure regarding giving India a “greater role” in warn-torn Afghanistan’s rehabilitation.

Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours – Pakistan, Iran, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as the US, met last week in Turkey to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and to take stock of measures for the restoration of peace in the country. The original “six-plus-two” also included Russia, but in the new set up Moscow representation has been replaced by the United Kingdom.

Diplomatic sources said Pakistan had been lobbying for the renewal of talks among Afghanistan’s neighbours in order to foil Indian designs of gaining a foothold on Afghan soil.

Pakistan believes India is not an immediate neighbour of Afghanistan and therefore should have limited role in the country.

Turkey was asked to convene the meeting, as it enjoys the backing and trust of Pakistan and is accepted as a neutral party for promoting a common approach to the conflict. The conference urged regional players to work together in order to stabilise Afghanistan and the region.

The revival of the talks group came at a crucial juncture – two days before the London Conference attended by 50 nations to discuss the Afghan issue and deliberate on measures to help the war-ravaged nation. The organisers of the London Conference, like the US, had been trying to convince Pakistan on accepting the greater Indian role in Afghanistan.

India appears to be the biggest loser from the London conference. Not only has Pakistan succesfully managed to keep it out of key decision-making, but has also offered to help train 300,000 Afghan Police and Army personnel within the next 2 years – a role that India had been whoring itself out for.

Participants of the London Conference also rejected India’s assertion that there were ‘no degrees of Talibanism – all factions must be fought and destroyed’. India often bundles the Kashmiri militant groups within this classification, in an attempt to discredit the legitimate Kashmiri freedom struggle. New Delhi has even gone to the extent of alleging the presence of Afghan Taliban in Indian occupied Kashmir – which was rejected outright by its own Armed forces, causing massive embarassment.

On the other hand, it is Pakistan that seems to have come out of this conference with its head held high. Not only does the world accept the need for bringing Afghan Taliban into the political frame – a long-standing demand of the Pakistan Army – Pakistan has also been requested to assist in brokering the deal which the US and NATO believe will allow them a safe exit.

Any attempt to ‘buy out’ a group of ideologues, who by any description are not much more than a ragtag army of lightly armed Mujahideen, shows the desperation of the US and its allies and their utter ignorance in understanding the mindset of their nemesis. The United States of America will become the latest in a long line of empires and superpowers who have been buried under Afghanistan’s mountains and dusty plains. Billions haven’t been able to save them, another 500m won’t do the trick either.

وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
“And be not infirm, and be not grieving, and you shall have the upper hand if you are believers. (3:139)”

WakeUp Karachi – The Full Video

Part 1 of 8

Rest of the clips can be found below:

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Part 8 of 8

Peace enjoyed by Pakistan is peace of Turkey and unease of Pakistan is unease of Turkey: Turkish PM Erdogan

ISTANBUL (Turkey): President Asif Ali Zardari urged the international community on Sunday to help Pakistan and Afghanistan overcome problems of the region, observing that Turkish-inspired Trilateral Summit could serve as useful model in this behalf.

The President stated this during a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who promised that his country would soon deliver spare parts of Cobra helicopters to Pakistan free of cost, underlining the growing cooperation between the two countries in different fields.

Pakistan today is facing different challenges arising from the conflict in the region and it is incumbent upon the international community to step forward and help both the countries in tackling these challenges, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Malik Ammad Khan, quoted the President as saying in a briefing to reporters after the meeting.

The challenges we face in Pakistan today are of international, albeit world, magnitude and we need regional as well as international support to tackle these challenges, Minister of State, who was part of the delegation, quoted the President as saying.

Zardari said the conflict in Afghanistan had spreaded the menaces of terrorism, drugs etc. across its borders and countries of the region required active cooperation from all the friendly nations and states of the Western world to root out these problems.

In this behalf, he emphasized that Pakistan at this stage needed trade, and not aid, from the concerned countries to come out of its present difficulties. “For this purpose, we introduced the concept of Friends Of Democratic Pakistan (FODP) so that more access could be obtained for Pakistan to international markets.”

He said he was visiting Turkey for the fourth time in the last 18 months because the two countries enjoyed close relations and he wanted to further consolidate these ties as the head of a democratic state.

Welcoming the Trilateral Summit, being held on Monday among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey, President Zardari remarked that it gave the opportunity to his country to draw attention of the world to our case and to send a strong message to the people of the world that we want to curb terrorism but to do that we need to empower ourselves by getting access to global markets.

He said the proposed Islamabad-Istanbul-Tehran rail project would also greatly facilitate expansion in trade volume not only between the two countries but also among other countries of the region. He sought public-private partnership for this project.

He lauded support of Turkey to Pakistan on Kashmir issue, contribution in providing succour to the effectees of 2005 earthquake.and its offer to build a football stadium in Muzaffarabad.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Erdogan promised that Turkey would soon deliver – free of cost – spare parts to Pakistan under the agreement already signed.

Defence Minister Ch. Ahmed Mukhtar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Ammad Khan, Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Secretary Foreign Affairs and Secretary Railways were members of President delegation.

The Turkish PM said business communities of the two countries should also get together in commerce and trade activities.

During the meeting, the two sides pledged to soon introduce visa-free travel between the two countries while Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar informed the Turkish PM that Pakistan was looking into possibility of more Turkish Airlines flights to Islamabad and other cities.

Erdogan said the Turkish Deputy PM would attend the coming FODP conference in Dubai.

Peace enjoyed by Pakistan is peace of Turkey and unease of Pakistan is unease of Turkey, he said. We need joint international struggle against terrorism and hence fourth trilateral summit is being hosted here to take positive steps against the threat of terrorism and the entire Turkish will do anything to curb terrorism.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul hosted a dinner in honour of President Zardari and Afghan President Karzai at the historic Sait Halim Pasa Palace. Turkey to provide Cobra spares to Pakistan.