High treason charges against general Musharraf?

The fact that Pakistan's Armed Forces have violated the constitution of Pakistan more than once, it is important that a clear message be sent to the Armed Forces that neither the people of Pakistan nor the international community appreciates usurpers in civilian clothing or in fatigues.

I am all for holding General Musharraf accountable and other serving and retired members of the Armed Forces who took part in military coups in Pakistan. I am however against the idea of charging General Musharraf and others with high treason.

Pakistan has become a very unforgiving and intolerant society supporting a murderous ethos.   We need to rediscover mercy and forgiveness. Accountability is important, but it should realize in the spirit of forgiveness; more along the lines of the truth and reconciliation commission of South Africa.

At the end of the day, we all know family members and friends who have served in the Armed Forces. If Musharraf has to be held accountable, let us first hold our friends and family accountable who as captains, majors, colonels, and generals have supported the very institution that violated the constitution of Pakistan.

If we have forgiven our own, we should do the same with others. This is necessary for Pakistan to get out of this merciless rut where ordinary people are being burnt alive and beheaded in the name of peace and faith.

Two trucks and a jeep can derail democracy

The most profound statement about the state of political affairs in Pakistan was made by the least politically eloquent individual, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who headed his own faction of Pakistan Muslim League and was the prime minister under General Musharraf. Commenting on the latest verdict by the supreme court of Pakistan in which the apex court declared some decisions made by the former general unconstitutional, Chaudhry Shujaat observed that " two trucks and a jeep have been used to disrupt democratic rule" in Pakistan in the past. For the entire statement, please visit daily Dawn by clicking HERE.

As a journalist in Pakistan, I have, more than once, witnessed coups staged by military. In 1993, I remember watching the 111 brigade driving its large trucks with yellow headlights on the Constitution Avenue in Islamabad on its way to depose the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Mr. Hussain rightly points out the fragile nature of civilian institutions in Pakistan that the military has overrun in the past using a handful of soldiers crammed in two trucks and a jeep.

Christian women and child killed in Punjab, Pakistan

Intolerance in Pakistan has reached new heights. Radical Muslims in Gojra, Punjab have killed six Christians, on the mere accusation of someone desecrating the Muslim holy book, Quran. Christian homes have been burnt by rioters and despite intervention by the federal minister for minorities, the police to date has played the role of spectators.

 

Six Christians die in riots with Muslims

Saturday, 01 Aug, 2009

Pope urges Mideast Christians to keep the faith

ISLAMABAD: Days of rioting between Christians and Muslims in eastern Pakistan following allegations that a Quran was defiled escalated Saturday, leaving six Christians dead, including a child, authorities said.

Members of a banned Muslim organization began torching Christian homes in the Punjabi city of Gora on Thursday after accusing them of desecrating pages from Islam's holy book, Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti said.

'There is no truth in the allegation,' he told The Associated Press, adding that he had himself visited Gojra on Friday and asked police to provide protection to Christians who were facing threats.

He accused the police of ignoring his instructions and said hundreds of radical Muslims on Saturday burned more Christians homes and killed six, including four women and a child.

Television footage from the scene showed houses burning and streets strewn with debris and blackened furniture as mobs ran at each other. Local media also reported gunfights had broken out between Christian and Muslim communities and that rioters had blocked the local railway line.

Pakistan is predominantly a Sunni Muslim state where Christians are a tiny minority. Although the two sides generally live peacefully, since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the US, pro-Taliban militants have periodically targeted churches and Christians, suspecting them of sympathizing with Washington.

Bhatti said the attackers belonged to the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba group, which is accused of launching attacks against the security forces and carrying out bombs attacks at public places in the country in recent years.

Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah said authorities had investigated the allegation of a Quran being defaced 'and our initial reports say that there has not been any incident of desecration.'

Sanaullah said that although the situation had calmed down by Friday, 'some miscreants and extremists entered the city today and pushed people toward armed clashes.'

Another minister, Dost Mohammad Khosa, said the issue of the alleged desecration had been settled.

'Today, somebody opened fire at a peaceful rally that was passing by a Christian neighborhood. That made things worse. We are sure some miscreant elements have tried to exploit the situation,' he said.

Faislabad Commissioner Tahir Hussain told local television that representatives of the two communities were to meet later Saturday in an effort to calm the situation.

'Let's hope for the best. The emotions of the Muslims are very high,' he said. 'And the Christians again they have faced the wrath and they have faced the casualties, and their emotions are also very high.' -AP

Censoring in effect in Afghanistan

The Associated Press reports that the US Army will no longer report the number of Taliban killed in Afghanistan. Given that NATO troops have been found to be responsible for almost 40% of civilian deaths, the rest were killed by the Taliban, the decision to censor the number of insurgents killed in Afghanistan has probably more to do with censoring death counts, which probably includes numerous civilians in Afghanistan.

The Pakistan Army has been busy making similar announcements of eliminating Taliban in Pakistan. Independent confirmation of such claims often reveals that there were either no dead bodies to verify the count or that there were civilians amongst the dead.

On a separate note, the Afghan government is busy negotiating peace deals with some Taliban in Afghanistan. Americans are supporting the effort as well. According to spokesman in presidential palace Siamak Herawi, the Karzai government is negotiating peace deals with the Taliban in the northern Badghis province.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/27/content_11781702.htm

After condemning government of Pakistan for doing the same, why is the west supporting the Karzai government making deals with the devil?

From AP:

July 27, 2009

US military stops publicizing Taliban body count

By FISNIK ABRASHI

Associated Press Writer

The U.S. military in Afghanistan has stopped releasing body counts of insurgents believed killed in operations because the tolls distract from the U.S. objective of protecting Afghans, a spokesman said Monday.

The number of insurgents killed in Afghanistan has provided a bloody scorecard for the deteriorating conflict. Attacks by Taliban fighters have risen steadily the last three years, and militants now control wide swaths of countryside.

Nearly 3,800 insurgents were killed in 2008, based on figures collected by The Associated Press. Some of those numbers came from U.S. military statements; others came from Afghan authorities. So far in 2009, more than 2,310 insurgents have been killed, according to the AP count.

The U.S. military policy on releasing insurgent body counts has changed several times during the eight-year conflict, depending on the commander in charge.

The latest decision to stop releasing body counts was made in mid-June when Gen. Stanley McChrystal took command of all U.S. and NATO troops in the country, said spokesman Col. Greg Julian.

The militant death toll "distracts from the real objectives and isn't necessary to communicate what we're trying to achieve," Julian said. "We want to separate the people from the insurgency by improving their quality of life and opportunities."

Since taking command in Afghanistan, McChrystal has said repeatedly that the military needs to protect Afghan villagers instead of chasing and killing insurgents.

Civilian deaths caused by U.S. and NATO military operations have long been a source of friction between President Hamid Karzai and the international force. Such deaths alienate Afghan villagers, causing a loss of support for the international mission and the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

The U.S. military hopes to focus more on spreading the word about military efforts to help Afghans rebuild their lives by improving access to government and economic resources, Julian said.

In northwestern Afghanistan, meanwhile, the government and a local Taliban commander agreed to a cease-fire that will allow a road construction project to move forward and presidential candidates to open offices ahead of the country's Aug. 20 election, said Seyamak Herawi, a spokesman in Karzai's office.

The agreement covers the Bala Morghab district of northwestern Badghis province, an area where the Afghan government has little or no control. The cease-fire was agreed to on Saturday and was reached with the help of tribal elders, Herawi said.

However, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said no such agreement has been made.

"This is all propaganda by the Afghan government," he said. "We will continue our jihad and will not accept the request of the government for negotiations and cease-fire."

U.S. and NATO officials have said they expect negotiations to one day help bring about an end to the Afghan war, but that conditions are not yet right for talks to take place.

___

Associated Press reporter Rahim Faiez contributed to this report.

War on terror cost Pakistan $35 billion

Pakistan's foreign minister, SM Qureshi announced on July 19 that the war on terror has cost Pakistan $35 billion. How did they determine this number? Why not $40 billion or $25 billion?

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-war-on-terror-cost-pakistan-35bn-qureshi-qs-10

Taliban murder Shiites in Parachinar

Kurram clashes leave 33 dead

From Dawn

Sunday, 28 Jun, 2009 | 02:47 AM PST |

PARACHINAR: At least 33 people were killed and 65 others injured in sectarian clashes between warring groups in various parts of the Kurram agency on Friday night and Saturday.

According to sources, fierce clashes shook parts of Lower Kurram and the two groups were consolidating their positions.

The local populace is bitter over the attitude of the administration, accusing it of giving a free hand to troublemakers.

Haji Rauf, a tribal leader in upper Kurram, said the local tribesmen had fought Taliban for more than two years.

'We have had over 700 young people martyred but have not allowed these militants to secure a toehold in upper Kurram. Now the influx of Taliban from Swat, Dir and other areas is worsening the situation.'

Haji Rauf called upon the government to launch an action similar to the one under way in Malakand. He extended the assurance that local tribesmen would stand 'shoulder to shoulder with our army and fight alongside our soldiers'.

Paramilitary forces deployed in different areas of the conflict-hit region have so far not acted, a group of affected people complained during conversation with journalists.

The fighting started in the region 12 days ago over a dispute on construction of bunkers in Khar Kali and Balishkhel.

There were unconfirmed reports about infiltration of outsiders from Waziristan and Hangu district, but could not be verified from independent sources. The 12-day long clashes have left about 89 people dead and 175 injured.

Both sides have been accusing each other of seeking assistance from outsiders. Local people said that fresh clashes had erupted in Balishkhel, Khar Kali, Sangina, Mangak, Kochi Parachamkani and Kirman.

Doctors said that out of 20 injured people brought to the agency headquarters hospital on Saturday, four died.

The Kurram agency has seen frequent clashes over the past two years. Residents said that 'movement of the militants' in the area had caused sectarian clashes.

The main road from Thall to Parachinar has been closed to traffic for the past five months, causing severe shortages of foodstuff and medicines in Upper Kurram.

Pindiwal newspaper vendor in Paris

Greetings every one:

Every now and then I get emails about boy geniuses from Pakistan who are supposedly hired by the leading universities to solve global crisis. All such stories, and unfortunately without exception, prove to be garden variety BS.

I am, however, sharing with you a truly amazing story about Ali Akbar, a former resident of Rawalpindi, who left the country at 18. He is a street vendor selling newspapers in Paris. He is also an acclaimed author.

He is too much of a commoner to be respected and acknowledged by Pakistanis. But to me, he is the ultimate survivor and a very wise man. Ali Akbar is the Ahsan Danish of our times. I wish Pakistani media would at least acknowledge him.

Sincerely, Murtaza (in Athens (37.58.48 N, 23.45.20 E)

Ali's story in today's Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/aec0c300-4b1f-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

An earlier story from BBC in 2005: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4369879.stm

A brief on Ahsan Danish: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ihsan_Danish

Refugees in their homeland

The Globe and Mail editorial on May 05 appropriately highlights that "Pakistan's real interests lie in reasserting its national unity." While the Pakistan's political and military leadership is being pushed to confront Taliban, the real price of military intervention in the tribal regions is being paid by the civilians whose lives and livelihoods have been threatened by the conflict between the State and the militants.

At present, more half a million civilians have been displaced from the conflict-ridden tribal regions of Pakistan. Yesterday, the government of the Frontier Province appealed for assistance because it believed that the rise in hostilities would produce additional half a million internally displaced persons. The provincial government is asking the donor agencies for assistance because it does not have the means to look after a million refugees.

It is incumbent upon those who are pushing the Pakistani authorities to confront Taliban to provide immediate relief and support for hundreds of thousands who have been displaced by this war. The lack of food, water, medicine, proper shelter, and the uncertainty about their future is creating agony in the refugee camps near Peshawar and Mardan. Already, news reports from Pakistan suggest increasing signs of anger and despair amongst the displaced young men in the camps.

Unless massive aid is provided immediately to those displaced by the war in Pakistan, these refugee camps may end up becoming the recruiting grounds for the Taliban.

Ahmed Rashid on the Taliban question

The following is reproduced from Dawn.Com.

Pakistan is facing galloping Talibanisation: Ahmed Rashid

On Monday, April 4, veteran journalist Ahmed Rashid addressed a select crowd at Karachi's Mohatta Palace Museum. Not surprisingly, the subject of his talk was 'Afghanistan and Pakistan: Quest for Peace or Recipe for War?' He argued that Pakistan was facing a major existential crisis: 'I no longer say that there's a creeping Talibanisation in Pakistan, it's a galloping Talibanisation.' Here, Dawn.com's Huma Yusuf presents the salient points from Mr. Rashid's presentation.

Where did the Taliban come from?

The myths about the Taliban need to be clarified. They are not an extension of an external threat, they are not being funded by Russia or India. In the 1990s, the Taliban in Afghanistan were fighting the Northern Alliance, and thousands of Pashtuns went to fight as foot soldiers on behalf of the Taliban. In 2001, the Afghan Taliban fled to Pakistan. Pakistani Taliban, who previously had little clout, became hosts of the Afghan Taliban and earned much money for their assistance. From 2001 to 2004, the Pakistani Taliban grew in numbers and influence and became radicalized because of their proximity to the Afghan Taliban. They planned and mobilized to establish a Taliban 'emirate' or state in Fata and the expansion of that idea of statehood is what we see happening today.

Pakistani Taliban expanding

The leadership of the Taliban is now in Pakistan and they have stated their intention of overthrowing the government here. The Taliban are linking up with groups in Pakistan and the Pakistani Taliban movement is turning into a multiethnic movement. Groups cultivated to fight in Kashmir have joined up with the Pakistani Taliban, and include Punjabis with organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkatul Mujahideen. Now, some 40 groups in Pakistan are loosely affiliated with the Pakistan – the several years of progressive diplomacy with India exacerbated the rise of different Taliban-affiliated factions. For that reason, Pakistan faces a more dangerous situation than Afghanistan, where Tajik and Uzbek fighters were not permitted to join the Afghan Taliban movement.

Issues in Pakistani governance

Pakistan is also weaker because of a raging economic crisis, the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan, and a political crisis. The PPP government has wasted one year vying with the PML-N for power rather than tackling the Taliban threat. Meanwhile, ANP, which was supposed to serve as secular face of Frontier province, has collapsed (ANP officials are being targeted by Taliban in northern areas).

Before 2008, the Musharraf government allowed the Taliban to resettle in Pakistan from Afghanistan. Musharraf wanted to maintain the jihadi nexus as a force against the Indians. Also, the emphasis then was on getting rid of Al Qaeda, the Taliban were not seen as a major threat.

After 2004/2005, when military operations did begin in Fata, the government pursued a stop-and-start policy, which involved several peace deals that did not hold. In the meantime, the Pakistan government and army failed to protect the people of the Fata and the traditional tribal hierarchies that were pro-Pakistan. About 300 maliks of tribes were killed and by 2007, there were half a million refugees from Fata in Pakistan. Having lost the goodwill of the population in Fata, the government will find it hard to reenter the area and rebuild traditional tribal structures.

American failures

How did we get from 2001 to where we are today? The Bush government got distracted by Iraq, which provided a diversion of attention and resources from the situation in Afghanistan. Instead of having an on-the-ground plan for capacity building in Afghanistan, the US supported warlords – instead of empowering the centre, regional powers were bolstered. Plus, little was done about the drug trade, which is now the main source of funding for the Taliban (it is estimated at 300 million dollars, but Rashid believes the real figures are triple that amount). Instead of defeating Taliban in Afghanistan, Americans routed them to Pakistan.

Obama policy

US President Barack Obama is now doing what Bush should have done in Afghanistan (troop surge, capacity building, securing the ground to ensure that presidential elections can take place this August). In Pakistan, however, American options are limited. There was a hope that after February 2008 elections, there would be a strong coalition government that could serve as a civilian partner for Obama to partner with. After all, army has proved unreliable ally (especially since it still thinks that India is the main enemy; army officials dislike Indian presence in Afghanistan; and army officials don't like Karzai and other Afghan leaders). However, there is no one for America to partner with. PM? President? Opposition leader? They have all proved too weak.

As a result, US is asking for aid to help Paksitan, but there is very little trust and faith in Pakistan amongst the Congress. The aid that will be given will be packed with conditionalities that Pakistan won't be able to accept. Congress is asking, who will we give this aid to?

India question

There is a tit-for-tat game between India and Pakistan whereby they support nationalist insurgencies in each other's countries (so while India may be giving funds in Balochistan, Pakistan is helping out rebels in Assam). But India is not funding the Taliban. India realizes that the Taliban will be at their border next and they have nothing to gain from supporting the militants.

Regional strategy

New focus of Obama administration is regional policy – get Afghanistan's six neighbors involved and make them sort out regional stability and set a common agenda. But first, bilateral issues will have to be sorted: Indo-Pak will have to clear the air, Pakistan and Central Asian states will have to reach understandings, and Iran and the US will have to start negotiating. This way, Afghanistan is not only a problem, it becomes a trigger for regional problem solving. This is one of the most doable and productive aspects of the Obama policy for Af-Pak.

Fallacies of Swat deal (Nizam-i-Adl Regulation)

The ANP thought that the deal would be contained within Swat, but that was very misguided thinking. The Taliban have an expansionist agenda. They make deals in one areas so that they can secure it and then move into other areas. There has also been no cessation of their killing of ANP and other government officials and they have not agreed to lay down their arms. Instead of achieving anything, the Swat deal formalises a different form of law and governance for one part of Pakistan, thus weakening the government.

The law in Swat is Taliban law, and it's nonsense to say that the Swatis have been practicing Sharia for decades. The Taliban law has nothing to do with the mild form of Sufi-influenced Sharia that Swatis have had from 1960s.

Government was definitely taken by surprise by the speed with which Taliban moved on from Swat to Buner, Dir, etc. They will not stop and government should realise their ultimate goal of toppling Islamabad. To that end, the operation in Swat is welcome. But the question is: will it be a sustained offensive?

Also, there are already one million IDPs who have escaped from Fata and northern areas. If the army is seriously going to tackle Taliban menace, it must learn counter-insurgency tactics and get the right equipment to target Taliban without damaging entire villages.

Making the same mistake again

The US Defense secretary sees "larger role for Saudis in Pakistan." While enroute to Riyadh, Mr. Gates explained that he would like Saudi government to help reach consensus in Pakistan about the threat from the Taliban.

I don't think Robert Gates is naïve or ignorant. Knowing very well that it is the Saudi-inspired Wahabi Islam that drives the Taliban militancy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, why would he ask Pakistanis to seek help from the Saudis.

Every fundamentalist mosque I have ever visited in Pakistan, every militant madrassah that I know of is getting direct ideological and financial support from Saudi Arabia. The prayer leaders in Saudi Arabia routinely praise the Taliban in their sermons. What could Saudi clergy and government possibly offer to reach consensus against the Taliban in Pakistan when the Saudis are the primary supporters of their violent, fundamentalist ideology.

I think the name of the game is to contain Iran. Fearing Iran's growing influence in the region, Saudi Arabia is pushing all buttons to contain the Shiites of Iran who now exert strong influence on the Shiites of Iraq (who constitute majority) and that of Afghanistan where the Shiites are a large minority. Last month, the Saudi King Abdullah offered a personal audience to the visiting Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, General Kiyani. May I ask why a King is busy talking with Generals from another country? Unless the plan is to use Pakistan's Armed Forces to open a front against Iran from the troubled Baluchistan province.

The Shiite orthodoxy exercising control over Iran is also not careful with the newly regional influence of the Iranian State. In Ahmedinijad, Iran has its own Mullah Omar, equally regressive and out of touch with the aspirations of his people. If the Iranian leadership does not smarten up fast, the US, Israel, and the Sunni Arab states may find success in opening a front against Iran from Baluchistan using Taliban as an excuse.