Afghan leader Hamid Karzai is "a critical partner" in the fight against Al-Qaeda, US President Barack Obama said Friday, as the White House seeks to turn the page on a spat between the two allies.
"The reason we're putting American lives on the line is because 3,000 Americans were killed in an attack that was launched from Afghanistan," Obama told ABC, referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks."And those people are still out there, plotting to kill Americans," he said. "That means that we are going after Al-Qaeda to dismantle and destroy them."President Karzai, I think is going to be a critical partner in this effort."But he told the television's "Good Morning America" that Karzai still faces a "challenge" in dealing with domestic politics. "I think he has been a partner. But I think he has his own domestic politics he has to deal with," Obama said.Karzai has angered Washington twice within a few days with outbursts blaming foreigners for the widespread fraud in last year's elections which returned him to power.On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Karzai also told lawmakers the United States was interfering with Afghan affairs and that the Taliban would become a legitimate resistance movement if it did not stop.But the US administration on Friday appeared to be trying to put the furor behind it and strike a more conciliatory tone as Obama ramps up the level of troops fighting a Taliban insurgency and Al-Qaeda militants."I think real progress has been made ... part of President Karzai's challenge is, he's got to bring his country along into a 21st century, in which it is functioning and effective," Obama said.Earlier this week, US officials pointedly declined to call Karzai an ally, and hinted an invitation to visit the White House next month could be withdrawn if he repeated his anti-foreigner outbursts.But on Friday it appeared that May 12 visit was still on.
"There is no modification" in the plan for May 12 meeting, US national security advisor General James Jones told reporters on board Air Force One returning from Obama's historic nuclear deal signing ceremony in Prague.Obama extended the invitation to Karzai to come to Washington last month during his first whirlwind visit to Afghanistan since taking office in 2009.Jones said Obama also had written to the Afghan leader to thank him for his hospitality during the brief trip on March 28.Obama "pledged to continue our common efforts to make Afghanistan a success," Jones said.He added the White House considered the whole furor around Karzai's outburst behind them. "We have a democratically elected president who is,by definition, our partner," Jones added.Washington has demanded that Karzai embrace good governance and notably battle widespread corruption in order to create a functioning state that could allow US forces to finally leave the country.
"I think he's committed to doing that," Obama said Friday.
"That doesn't mean that it's easy. And that doesn't mean that there aren't going to be times when he and I disagree, in terms of how things should proceed and how rapidly things should proceed."
Karzai's behavior could risk becoming a domestic political problem for Obama, who last year ordered an extra 30,000 US troops into Afghanistan in an effort to finally crush the Taliban after a bloody eight-year war.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Peshawar's Fashion Show Defy Cruel Taliban
www.independent.co.uk/
Days after bombers tried to storm the US consulate, models defied the Taliban to sashay down a catwalk in Pakistan's troubled city Peshawar, flashing navels and exposing shoulders.Organisers told AFP that the private fashion show, arranged by a private university in the northwestern metropolis of 2.5 million, was intended as a stress reliever in a city that has been hard hit by bomb and suicide attacks.
"The situation is very tense. The atmosphere is very stressful and we arranged this show to bring some entertainment and as an opportunity for young people to show their capabilities," Mohammad Yasir, an organiser, told AFP.
"It was a great success. More people came than we expected," he said.
Trussed up in glamorous confections of gauze and silk, western-style skirts slashed to the knee, towering gladiator heels and millinery, male and female models marched down the runway, smouldering and pouting late Wednesday.
There were bare shoulders, trousers hanging from the hips and tops slashed to well-toned navels - a far cry from the heavy veils, baggy trousers and body-hiding shirts favoured by the city's women in public.Strict security was in force for the event at Deans shopping plaza in the heavily guarded and upmarket garrison-controlled central area of Peshawar where Indian Bollywood tracks and western pop blasted out of loudspeakers.
The show took place just 15 minutes' drive from the American consulate - targeted Monday by Islamist militants armed with guns, grenades and suicide car bombs who killed five security officials."I am really happy that the fashion show was successfully held in this stressful environment of Peshawar," Maheen Raza, a dress designer told AFP.While some models and designers came from the relatively moderate capital Islamabad, others live in Peshawar, one of the most conservative big cities in the country where fashion shows are rare.The city lies on the edge of Pakistan's tribal belt - branded by Washington a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and the most dangerous place on Earth, where a secretive US drone war is targeting top Islamist militant commanders.The US consulate attack was the most audacious this year in Pakistan, where insecurity, particularly in the northwest, has raised concerns in the United States as Washington steps up the fight in Afghanistan and against Al-Qaeda.Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for the consulate attack, saying it was to avenge the US drone attacks and threatened further assaults on Americans.
The United Nations announced a two-day closure of its offices in Peshawar, citing security fears following a US consulate attack.
Around 3,200 people have been killed in suicide and bomb attacks over the last three years in Pakistan, blamed on militants opposed to the US alliance.
Peshawar's Street children increasing in City
The Frontier Post
PESHAWAR: The number of children cleaning windscreens, selling flowers and other stuff on traffic signals is increasing in provincial capital. Interestingly, these children not only include boys but also girls both aged between 10 to 14. As soon as you stop at a traffic signal one of these children will come in front of your car and start cleaning the windscreen without even asking for your permission. Increase in number of such children clearly depicts the failure of our governments to provide best possible facilities to the people. According to a report published sometime back in 2005, an estimated 1.2 million children were on the streets of Pakistan’s major cities and urban centres, constituting the country’s largest and most ostracised social group. These included ‘Runaway’ children who live or work on the street, as well as the minority that return to their families at the end of the day with their meagre earnings. People give them a meager amount of Rs 2 to Rs 5 for cleaning the windscreens, as these children stay on the roads till late night. If you ask these children why they are working on the streets and why not going to school, most of them will answer in the same way. “My father is sick and he can not earn, that is why I am here.” Or they will say “my father is an addict and there is no one at home who can earn for us, and I am the eldest one so I am doing this.” However, according to some NGOs most of these children start such work after running from their homes and having no contact what so ever with their families. There is also a growing concern that these children will be a victim of human trafficking or will be used for illicit purposes. Especially, the girls could be trafficked in sexual business. There is dire need of taking steps in order to give government protection to such children. The government should take some real measures in order to save the future of these innocent children.
PESHAWAR: The number of children cleaning windscreens, selling flowers and other stuff on traffic signals is increasing in provincial capital. Interestingly, these children not only include boys but also girls both aged between 10 to 14. As soon as you stop at a traffic signal one of these children will come in front of your car and start cleaning the windscreen without even asking for your permission. Increase in number of such children clearly depicts the failure of our governments to provide best possible facilities to the people. According to a report published sometime back in 2005, an estimated 1.2 million children were on the streets of Pakistan’s major cities and urban centres, constituting the country’s largest and most ostracised social group. These included ‘Runaway’ children who live or work on the street, as well as the minority that return to their families at the end of the day with their meagre earnings. People give them a meager amount of Rs 2 to Rs 5 for cleaning the windscreens, as these children stay on the roads till late night. If you ask these children why they are working on the streets and why not going to school, most of them will answer in the same way. “My father is sick and he can not earn, that is why I am here.” Or they will say “my father is an addict and there is no one at home who can earn for us, and I am the eldest one so I am doing this.” However, according to some NGOs most of these children start such work after running from their homes and having no contact what so ever with their families. There is also a growing concern that these children will be a victim of human trafficking or will be used for illicit purposes. Especially, the girls could be trafficked in sexual business. There is dire need of taking steps in order to give government protection to such children. The government should take some real measures in order to save the future of these innocent children.
Zardari......... The sudden hero .
The historic passage of the 18th Amendment Bill in the current National Assembly is rightly being paired with the country’s first ‘Constitutional revolution’ i.e. the making and passage of the 1973 Constitution during the government of the country’s first elected Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
The 1973 Constitution was an outcome of a widespread consensus struck between the ruling PPP government and parliamentary parties, both on the left and the right.
But the recent (18th) Amendment, whose contents are said to be an attempt to restore the 1973 Constitution in its ‘original shape and spirit,’ is truly something special; perhaps even more so than the moment when the National Assembly passed the 1973 Constitution (the first of its kind in Pakistan).
However, it was Z. A. Bhutto who himself became the first violator of the said constitution. This act of his set a disastrous precedent for the many heads of state and governments who followed him after 1977.
By the time his executioner, General Ziaul Haq, began finding a firm footing as the country’s third military dictator, he is on record in describing the 1973 Constitution as nothing but a piece of paper. To pad his outburst against this, the wily General went on to ape the hyperbolic disposition of right-wing parties such as the Jamat-i-Islami (JI) and Egypt’s fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, by saying that ‘our constitution is the Qu’ran.’
Of course, the harsh (and so-called) ‘Islamic laws’ that the General enacted during his eleven terrible years as head of state, are not exactly based on the holy book; but rather on a vicious mixture of man-made fallacies such as what is called ‘Political Islam,’ and a perception of society, politics and gender that is rooted in ancient patriarchal cultures of Arab tribes.
Ziaul Haq went on to sabotage the constitution with a number of amendments, the biggest being the amendment that gave the president the power to dismiss a popularly elected government and parliament – mainly on the basis of his own individual whims.
This power has been used by (three) Presidents four times ever since 1985. It was finally revoked by the second Nawaz Sharif government in 1997 (through the 16th Amendment), but there was little celebration attached to the event.
That is because also in the pipeline were amendments being suggested by the Sharif government, which smacked of the kind of political and theological hypocrisies the Zia dictatorship was known for.
In the name of Shariah and Islam, Nawaz had actually wanted to (constitutionally) give the prime minister dictatorial powers. Whereas Zia had given the parliament an Islamic tone by calling it the ‘Majlis-e-Shoorah,’ Nawaz wanted the prime minister (mainly himself), to be known as ‘Ameerul Momineen’ (commander of the faithful).
It was such ‘Zia-ist’ acrobatics of the second Sharif regime, that (supposedly) made his tormentor, General Parvez Musharraf, reawaken the idea of returning the power of dismissing an elected government to the President (through the 17th Amendment). This act was vehemently opposed by the PPP and Nawaz’s PML-N, but Musharraf had enough support in the (post-2002-elections) parliament and senate to get the amendment passed.
When, after the 2008 elections, the majority party (the PPP) was able to form a coalition government at the centre and in the provinces (except in the Punjab), a lot was expected from the new elected regime.
The popular electronic media (much of which squarely reflects and represents the political disposition of the country’s [usually conservative] urban middle-classes), was in the forefront in airing the widespread discontent that the Musharraf dictatorship had started to trigger against itself after 2006.
But the same media suddenly changed gears when PPP Co- Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, was elected as the country’s new president.
Disaster became the middle word in any discussion and analysis related to the matter. The new president was denounced by ‘analysts’ and the opposition as being ‘power hungry,’ ‘corrupt,’ and out to destroy Pakistan.
No doubt Mr. Zaradri is a controversial figure, but then which prominent politician or for that matter, General isn’t?
His misfortune in this respect was the way he was targeted by the media when he first arrived in the parliament as a minister in his wife, Benazir Bhutto’s first government (1988-90).
An entire generation of military men and politicians had greedily reaped great rewards during the Zia dictatorship (1977-88); a time when the US and Saudi Arabia were lavishly dishing out millions of dollars as direct and indirect aid to keep Zia’s military regime fattened and happy to continue fighting America’s proxy war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
That impacted the overall psyche of the society as well. Exhibitionistic Islamic ritualism and lingo conveniently co-existed (and at times came together) with an overpowering need for greed and a get-rich-quick attitude that contributed in turning Pakistan into one of the most (ideologically and spiritually) confused nations.
This is the Pakistan that Benazir’s first government inherited. Being an astute pragmatist, she understood well the kind of cynicism and materialism that had begun to dot Pakistani politics.
Millions of rupees were being showered by the PML-N and certain remnants of the Zia era (in the intelligence agencies) against her (albeit not very affective) government.
For example, in 1989, industrial tycoons (in league with media bosses and PML-N seths), who still hadn’t forgiven her father for his (disastrous) ‘socialist economic policies’ in the 1970s, began running a paid campaign against the ‘corruption’ of her government and especially that of her husband, Asif Ali Zardari.
For weeks, the country’s mainstream newspapers were dotted with glossy quarter-page ads against the ‘misdeeds’ of the first couple. Then, on the behest of certain intelligence agencies, the opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
Tons of money exchanged hands in the process, as the opposition tried to buy out the ruling members of the parliament and the government retaliated by putting in money and resources to keep them on its side.
Money spoke. In fact it screamed. It became the only valid option for politicians to take part (and survive) in politics. For this each and every prominent politician is guilty. Just like the military men, the bureaucrats and the civilian faces of Zia’s dictatorship who first introduced this trend in the game.
What’s more, also involved is the society at large. For example, when a common man is stopped by a cop for a traffic violation, bribery is not only on the cop’s mind. It is playing on the common citizen’s mind as well; because if the cop does not ask for a bribe and instead begins to book the violator, the violator is most likely to wriggle out of the situation by offering the cop a bribe. However, this man is then also likely to go home and curse corrupt politicians for all the ills plaguing Pakistan.
Such hypocrisy is common in this country. And perhaps to repress it, many of us look for punching bags to vent out our awkward (and guilty?) state of mind.
Thus, though it wont be an overstatement to suggest that almost every prominent politician, military man, industrialist and media boss (ever since the 1980s) has (in one way or the other) been involved in what we generally perceive to be as corruption, it is Asif Ali Zardari who has been bestowed the honour of becoming the punching bag of a highly contradictory society.
It was the media that enacted this bag, and it is the media (especially electronic) that has taken up the glorious task of turning Zardari into a punching bag once again.
If Zardari isn’t a saint, then neither are any of those calling him the devil.
Many of them would turn around and suggest that they are equally against the Sharif brothers. But the truth is, if one really has to make a just and fair sweep of everything and everyone whom we think is or was corrupt, we are bound to also take into account, not only politicians, military men, bureaucrats, cops and judges, but many of our own too, who we see exhibiting so much concern about corruption in drawing rooms and TV studios.
And what to say about Zardari’s most vocal opponents in certain clearly (if not proudly) biased TV channels?
If a thick book can be written on the corruption of our politicians, then one can easily scribble a dark comic book highlighting the shadowy and questionable ways of some of the media bosses and their anchormen whom we see every day contemplating the date of Zardari’s fall.
At times such talk shows start seeming like televised sessions of a whiners’ club, foaming and dining on the latest slice of conspiratorial pizza coming out from the rumour oven in Islamabad.
I won’t be surprised if one of these gentlemen begins to ramble about the presence of flying saucers over the President’s house, operated by evil aliens disguised as Swiss bankers!
But what now?
Against all odds (and rumours), Zardari has actually gotten his name highlighted in the bright sides of the country’s political history, thanks to his role in the passage of the 18th Amendment (that also includes the once impossible task of renaming the NWFP), and in the smooth running of an unprecedented coalition government (of former adversaries).
Something no government ever since Z. A. Bhutto's demise could do (or even imagine to do), has been done by a regime whose main architect is a man most detested by the media.
Fate seems to have rewarded a mixture of luck, rugged pragmatism and patience and rightly decided to bypass television, to give the ‘devil’ his due.
The 1973 Constitution was an outcome of a widespread consensus struck between the ruling PPP government and parliamentary parties, both on the left and the right.
But the recent (18th) Amendment, whose contents are said to be an attempt to restore the 1973 Constitution in its ‘original shape and spirit,’ is truly something special; perhaps even more so than the moment when the National Assembly passed the 1973 Constitution (the first of its kind in Pakistan).
However, it was Z. A. Bhutto who himself became the first violator of the said constitution. This act of his set a disastrous precedent for the many heads of state and governments who followed him after 1977.
By the time his executioner, General Ziaul Haq, began finding a firm footing as the country’s third military dictator, he is on record in describing the 1973 Constitution as nothing but a piece of paper. To pad his outburst against this, the wily General went on to ape the hyperbolic disposition of right-wing parties such as the Jamat-i-Islami (JI) and Egypt’s fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, by saying that ‘our constitution is the Qu’ran.’
Of course, the harsh (and so-called) ‘Islamic laws’ that the General enacted during his eleven terrible years as head of state, are not exactly based on the holy book; but rather on a vicious mixture of man-made fallacies such as what is called ‘Political Islam,’ and a perception of society, politics and gender that is rooted in ancient patriarchal cultures of Arab tribes.
Ziaul Haq went on to sabotage the constitution with a number of amendments, the biggest being the amendment that gave the president the power to dismiss a popularly elected government and parliament – mainly on the basis of his own individual whims.
This power has been used by (three) Presidents four times ever since 1985. It was finally revoked by the second Nawaz Sharif government in 1997 (through the 16th Amendment), but there was little celebration attached to the event.
That is because also in the pipeline were amendments being suggested by the Sharif government, which smacked of the kind of political and theological hypocrisies the Zia dictatorship was known for.
In the name of Shariah and Islam, Nawaz had actually wanted to (constitutionally) give the prime minister dictatorial powers. Whereas Zia had given the parliament an Islamic tone by calling it the ‘Majlis-e-Shoorah,’ Nawaz wanted the prime minister (mainly himself), to be known as ‘Ameerul Momineen’ (commander of the faithful).
It was such ‘Zia-ist’ acrobatics of the second Sharif regime, that (supposedly) made his tormentor, General Parvez Musharraf, reawaken the idea of returning the power of dismissing an elected government to the President (through the 17th Amendment). This act was vehemently opposed by the PPP and Nawaz’s PML-N, but Musharraf had enough support in the (post-2002-elections) parliament and senate to get the amendment passed.
When, after the 2008 elections, the majority party (the PPP) was able to form a coalition government at the centre and in the provinces (except in the Punjab), a lot was expected from the new elected regime.
The popular electronic media (much of which squarely reflects and represents the political disposition of the country’s [usually conservative] urban middle-classes), was in the forefront in airing the widespread discontent that the Musharraf dictatorship had started to trigger against itself after 2006.
But the same media suddenly changed gears when PPP Co- Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, was elected as the country’s new president.
Disaster became the middle word in any discussion and analysis related to the matter. The new president was denounced by ‘analysts’ and the opposition as being ‘power hungry,’ ‘corrupt,’ and out to destroy Pakistan.
No doubt Mr. Zaradri is a controversial figure, but then which prominent politician or for that matter, General isn’t?
His misfortune in this respect was the way he was targeted by the media when he first arrived in the parliament as a minister in his wife, Benazir Bhutto’s first government (1988-90).
An entire generation of military men and politicians had greedily reaped great rewards during the Zia dictatorship (1977-88); a time when the US and Saudi Arabia were lavishly dishing out millions of dollars as direct and indirect aid to keep Zia’s military regime fattened and happy to continue fighting America’s proxy war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
That impacted the overall psyche of the society as well. Exhibitionistic Islamic ritualism and lingo conveniently co-existed (and at times came together) with an overpowering need for greed and a get-rich-quick attitude that contributed in turning Pakistan into one of the most (ideologically and spiritually) confused nations.
This is the Pakistan that Benazir’s first government inherited. Being an astute pragmatist, she understood well the kind of cynicism and materialism that had begun to dot Pakistani politics.
Millions of rupees were being showered by the PML-N and certain remnants of the Zia era (in the intelligence agencies) against her (albeit not very affective) government.
For example, in 1989, industrial tycoons (in league with media bosses and PML-N seths), who still hadn’t forgiven her father for his (disastrous) ‘socialist economic policies’ in the 1970s, began running a paid campaign against the ‘corruption’ of her government and especially that of her husband, Asif Ali Zardari.
For weeks, the country’s mainstream newspapers were dotted with glossy quarter-page ads against the ‘misdeeds’ of the first couple. Then, on the behest of certain intelligence agencies, the opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
Tons of money exchanged hands in the process, as the opposition tried to buy out the ruling members of the parliament and the government retaliated by putting in money and resources to keep them on its side.
Money spoke. In fact it screamed. It became the only valid option for politicians to take part (and survive) in politics. For this each and every prominent politician is guilty. Just like the military men, the bureaucrats and the civilian faces of Zia’s dictatorship who first introduced this trend in the game.
What’s more, also involved is the society at large. For example, when a common man is stopped by a cop for a traffic violation, bribery is not only on the cop’s mind. It is playing on the common citizen’s mind as well; because if the cop does not ask for a bribe and instead begins to book the violator, the violator is most likely to wriggle out of the situation by offering the cop a bribe. However, this man is then also likely to go home and curse corrupt politicians for all the ills plaguing Pakistan.
Such hypocrisy is common in this country. And perhaps to repress it, many of us look for punching bags to vent out our awkward (and guilty?) state of mind.
Thus, though it wont be an overstatement to suggest that almost every prominent politician, military man, industrialist and media boss (ever since the 1980s) has (in one way or the other) been involved in what we generally perceive to be as corruption, it is Asif Ali Zardari who has been bestowed the honour of becoming the punching bag of a highly contradictory society.
It was the media that enacted this bag, and it is the media (especially electronic) that has taken up the glorious task of turning Zardari into a punching bag once again.
If Zardari isn’t a saint, then neither are any of those calling him the devil.
Many of them would turn around and suggest that they are equally against the Sharif brothers. But the truth is, if one really has to make a just and fair sweep of everything and everyone whom we think is or was corrupt, we are bound to also take into account, not only politicians, military men, bureaucrats, cops and judges, but many of our own too, who we see exhibiting so much concern about corruption in drawing rooms and TV studios.
And what to say about Zardari’s most vocal opponents in certain clearly (if not proudly) biased TV channels?
If a thick book can be written on the corruption of our politicians, then one can easily scribble a dark comic book highlighting the shadowy and questionable ways of some of the media bosses and their anchormen whom we see every day contemplating the date of Zardari’s fall.
At times such talk shows start seeming like televised sessions of a whiners’ club, foaming and dining on the latest slice of conspiratorial pizza coming out from the rumour oven in Islamabad.
I won’t be surprised if one of these gentlemen begins to ramble about the presence of flying saucers over the President’s house, operated by evil aliens disguised as Swiss bankers!
But what now?
Against all odds (and rumours), Zardari has actually gotten his name highlighted in the bright sides of the country’s political history, thanks to his role in the passage of the 18th Amendment (that also includes the once impossible task of renaming the NWFP), and in the smooth running of an unprecedented coalition government (of former adversaries).
Something no government ever since Z. A. Bhutto's demise could do (or even imagine to do), has been done by a regime whose main architect is a man most detested by the media.
Fate seems to have rewarded a mixture of luck, rugged pragmatism and patience and rightly decided to bypass television, to give the ‘devil’ his due.
Tribal areas Of Pukhtunkhwa
Understanding tribal areas
Dawn.com
The British colonial rulers had governed the now Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) over half century. They are architects of the ‘controversial’ Durand Line, which divides Pakhtuns living on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and are well acquainted with the characteristics of the tribal people.
The administrative and judicial system that prevails today in the seven agencies and six Frontier Regions is the legacy of the British Raj. Our establishment has inherited the policy of “divide and rule” from the colonial rulers.
Still, the British government seems eager to learn more about tribal area and its people in the wake of war on terror. They are financing projects to conduct unique studies and surveys through non governmental organisations. Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme, an NGO, has been engaged for the last two years to conduct research studies in the region in the name of “Understanding Fata.” The survey contains a set of questionnaires being applied to simple and uneducated tribal men, women, children and youngsters.
These questionnaires cover the war on terror, world politics, UK role for safeguarding global environment, Pakistan nuclear weapons and security, UK-Pakistan relations, UK role in the UN, queries related to the USA, China, Iran, India, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Taliban.
For example, respondents are asked: “Do you have favourable, some what favourable, some what unfavourable or very favourable opinion of the government of India, China, Iran, UK and the USA?” Another question is: “Do you think possessing nuclear weapons enhances Pakistan’s security?” The same questions are repeated again and again.
Honestly, if these questions are put to the candidates appearing in competitive exams they will scratch their heads many times before giving satisfactory answers.
One wonders whether the British government testes the IQ of the tribal people or want to select them for British foreign office by putting such questions to them. It might be better to ask people who introduced Frontier Crimes Regulation that still keep the tribal area in isolation and deprived its over five million inhabitants from fundamental rights. Or there should be a question about bringing “Blue Pipe” surface to air missiles and landmines to the tribal borderlands.
Interestingly, 41 per cent of the respondents, who had not been to school, were asked the same questions. Including 40 per cent women in the survey, to seek their opinion about global politics and terrorism, also seems funny.
Now the people seem to be fed up with these stereotype surveys and questionnaires. This is evident from the fact that in 2008 when the first survey was conducted percentage of the respondents was 92.4 and in 2009 it declined to 62.15 per cent.
Poverty and militancy stricken tribal people sitting in Waziristan, Bajaur and Kurram are no more interested in surveys, seminars, workshops or well written speeches.
Their main problems are poverty, ignorance, shelter, good governance, fundamental rights, education and health. Their immediate requirement is peace. There is need of good teachers, doctors and planners in the area.
Literacy rate in Fata is hardly about 17 per cent as only 3 per cent women population is literate. Literacy rate may have declined due to militancy, bombing of schools and large scale displacement, because around 80 schools have been blown up only in Bajaur during the last two years. Children and elders are dying because of lack of healthcare facilities.
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, conducted in Fata with the assistance of UNICEF in 2007, reveals that under-5 mortality rate in the tribal area is 104 per 1,000 live births while infant mortality rate is 86 per 1,000. In many areas only 7.2 per cent population has access to clean drinking water.
Few years back health centres in tribal area were properly equipped. Teachers were available in schools. Doctors also attended hospitals. Now health centres and schools are either occupied by security forces and militants or have been closed due to non availability of doctors and teachers. Successive governments had been making false commitments since 1947 to bring social and economic prosperity in Fata. The tribal people have been victims of proxy wars for centuries. They don’t see light at the end of tunnel so far.
The British government should no more waste its tax payers’ money. They should learn from their forefathers, who had established well equipped health centres, schools and communication network in early 20th century. Conducting surveys and studies can only enhance bank balance of NGOs like CAMP that was started from a single room in Peshawar and now has offices in posh localities of federal and provincial capitals.
It, however, cannot address real issues or bring any change in the lifestyle of the tribal people. International community should focus its attention on schools, hospitals, abject poverty and creation of employment opportunities to bring prosperity in Fata and improve the living standard of its people.
Dawn.com
The British colonial rulers had governed the now Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) over half century. They are architects of the ‘controversial’ Durand Line, which divides Pakhtuns living on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and are well acquainted with the characteristics of the tribal people.
The administrative and judicial system that prevails today in the seven agencies and six Frontier Regions is the legacy of the British Raj. Our establishment has inherited the policy of “divide and rule” from the colonial rulers.
Still, the British government seems eager to learn more about tribal area and its people in the wake of war on terror. They are financing projects to conduct unique studies and surveys through non governmental organisations. Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme, an NGO, has been engaged for the last two years to conduct research studies in the region in the name of “Understanding Fata.” The survey contains a set of questionnaires being applied to simple and uneducated tribal men, women, children and youngsters.
These questionnaires cover the war on terror, world politics, UK role for safeguarding global environment, Pakistan nuclear weapons and security, UK-Pakistan relations, UK role in the UN, queries related to the USA, China, Iran, India, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Taliban.
For example, respondents are asked: “Do you have favourable, some what favourable, some what unfavourable or very favourable opinion of the government of India, China, Iran, UK and the USA?” Another question is: “Do you think possessing nuclear weapons enhances Pakistan’s security?” The same questions are repeated again and again.
Honestly, if these questions are put to the candidates appearing in competitive exams they will scratch their heads many times before giving satisfactory answers.
One wonders whether the British government testes the IQ of the tribal people or want to select them for British foreign office by putting such questions to them. It might be better to ask people who introduced Frontier Crimes Regulation that still keep the tribal area in isolation and deprived its over five million inhabitants from fundamental rights. Or there should be a question about bringing “Blue Pipe” surface to air missiles and landmines to the tribal borderlands.
Interestingly, 41 per cent of the respondents, who had not been to school, were asked the same questions. Including 40 per cent women in the survey, to seek their opinion about global politics and terrorism, also seems funny.
Now the people seem to be fed up with these stereotype surveys and questionnaires. This is evident from the fact that in 2008 when the first survey was conducted percentage of the respondents was 92.4 and in 2009 it declined to 62.15 per cent.
Poverty and militancy stricken tribal people sitting in Waziristan, Bajaur and Kurram are no more interested in surveys, seminars, workshops or well written speeches.
Their main problems are poverty, ignorance, shelter, good governance, fundamental rights, education and health. Their immediate requirement is peace. There is need of good teachers, doctors and planners in the area.
Literacy rate in Fata is hardly about 17 per cent as only 3 per cent women population is literate. Literacy rate may have declined due to militancy, bombing of schools and large scale displacement, because around 80 schools have been blown up only in Bajaur during the last two years. Children and elders are dying because of lack of healthcare facilities.
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, conducted in Fata with the assistance of UNICEF in 2007, reveals that under-5 mortality rate in the tribal area is 104 per 1,000 live births while infant mortality rate is 86 per 1,000. In many areas only 7.2 per cent population has access to clean drinking water.
Few years back health centres in tribal area were properly equipped. Teachers were available in schools. Doctors also attended hospitals. Now health centres and schools are either occupied by security forces and militants or have been closed due to non availability of doctors and teachers. Successive governments had been making false commitments since 1947 to bring social and economic prosperity in Fata. The tribal people have been victims of proxy wars for centuries. They don’t see light at the end of tunnel so far.
The British government should no more waste its tax payers’ money. They should learn from their forefathers, who had established well equipped health centres, schools and communication network in early 20th century. Conducting surveys and studies can only enhance bank balance of NGOs like CAMP that was started from a single room in Peshawar and now has offices in posh localities of federal and provincial capitals.
It, however, cannot address real issues or bring any change in the lifestyle of the tribal people. International community should focus its attention on schools, hospitals, abject poverty and creation of employment opportunities to bring prosperity in Fata and improve the living standard of its people.
Bangladesh Court Says Women Can't Be Forced to Cover Up
A Bangladesh court has ruled that Muslim women working at schools and colleges cannot be forced to wear a veil."If any person tries to compel a woman to wear a veil against her consent ... that would amount to a violation of her fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution," the High Court said following Thursday's ruling."The verdict came in response to a petition seeking a directive following a report that an education officer in northern district had insulted a female teacher for not being veiled, court officials told reporters.While most people dress conservatively in overwhelmingly Muslim Bangladesh, a veil or all-encompassing burqa is a rare sight, although orthodox preachers and radical patriarchs often try to enforce it in some remote areas.Wearing a veil -- or even a headscarf -- has become a political issue in Muslim-majority countries such as Turkey and Indonesia, and even in European nations such as France
Pakistani troops killed at least 15 militants in Orakzai
PESHAWAR : Pakistani troops killed at least 15 militants in a gunfight after an attack on a checkpoint in Orakzai Agency, a bordering Afghanistan, officials said on Friday.The clash took place in Bezot Khel village in Orakzai tribal district overnight, where troops are hunting Taliban insurgents."Troops killed 15 militants in a gunfight which started after an attack on a checkpoint," local military spokesman Major Fazlur Rehman told AFP.Rehman said the troops captured four militants wounded during the fighting and that three soldiers were also injured.Local administration official Sajjad Ahmad confirmed the incident and casualties.The military has announced a running death toll of more than 100 militants in the Orakzai operation since late last month, but the figures cannot be verified independently because access to the remote area is extremely limited.
Pakistan's NA unanimously passes 18th Amend Bill
SLAMABAD: The passage of the 18th Amendment Bill in the National Assembly has established the sovereignty of parliament, as “the impossible has been made possible by the House”, said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday. Addressing the House from the floor of the National Assembly amid applause over the unanimous passage of the bill, Gilani said the system of parliamentary democracy was being restored to strengthen democracy in the country. “The impossible has been made possible by the House ... today we removed the anomalies. We are giving you a parliamentary form of government.” He said the unanimous passage of the bill had proven parliament was sovereign rather than rubberstamp. He congratulated the president, the chairman of the reforms committee and the nation for the passage of the bill. Gilani said a balance of power had been struck between the office of president and parliament. He also hoped for the policy of consensus to continue.
Israeli PM Netanyahu pulls out of US nuclear summit
BBC.COM
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled a visit to the US where he was to attend a summit on nuclear security, Israeli officials say.
Mr Netanyahu made the decision after learning that Egypt and Turkey intended to raise the issue of Israel's presumed nuclear arsenal, the officials said.
Mr Obama is due to host dozens of world leaders at the two-day conference, which begins in Washington on Monday.
Israel has never confirmed or denied that it possesses atomic weapons.
Israel's Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Dan Meridor will take Netanyahu's place in the nuclear summit, Israeli radio said.
More than 40 countries are expected at the meeting, which will focus on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to militant groups.
Iran's issue
According to Israeli officials, Turkey and Egypt are planning to call on Israel to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"These states intend to exploit the occasion in order to slam Israel," said a senior Israeli source.
"The prime minister expressed his displeasure over these intentions, and he will therefore not be travelling to the summit."
Mr Netanyahu has said his main priority is dealing with Iran's supposed intention to develop both warheads and long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel.
Along with India, Pakistan and North Korea, Israel is one of just four states that have not signed up to the NPT, which has 189 signatories.
Earlier this week, President Obama unveiled the new Nuclear Posture Review - which narrows the circumstances in which the US would use nuclear weapons - outlining his country's long-term strategy of nuclear disarmament.
On Thursday, the US president and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, signed a landmark nuclear arms treaty in the Czech capital, Prague.
That treaty commits the former Cold War enemies to reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 each - 30% lower than the previous ceiling.
The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says the cancellation of Mr Netanyahu's Washington visit comes at a time of frosty relations between the two states.
The Israeli premier failed to see eye-to-eye with Mr Obama during his most recent US visit last month on the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, our correspondent adds.
Washington criticised the building of Jewish homes in East Jerusalem, which prompted the Palestinians to pull out of US-brokered indirect peace talks.
There were also reports that one of Mr Netanyahu's confidants called Mr Obama a "disaster" for Israel
5 suicide bombers arrested in Kabul
Surgar Daily
KABUL – Afghan police arrested five would-be suicide bombers in Kabul on Thursday, the largest suicide team ever apprehended in the capital, officials said."If this team had made it through it would have been a disaster as we've seen in past instances," said Abdul Ghafar, deputy commander of the Afghan National Police crisis unit.He said police, acting on intelligence, stopped the suicide bombers as they were traveling in an SUV in the southeastern part of the city. He said the bomb team had been sent by the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network.
"Today's operation marks a big success," Ghafar said. "Our capacities are improving day by day and also our ability to uncover such plots is improving day by day."
Such attacks are a hallmark of the Haqqani network, an Afghan Taliban faction whose leader was once a U.S. ally. The group is considered a serious threat to American and NATO troops in Afghanistan's east and operates on both sides of the border with Pakistan.Ghafar said the nationalities and exact identities of the five men had yet to be determined. He said their targets were crowded parts of downtown Kabul where they could cause the most carnage, but gave no specifics.The five were displayed before journalists at a heavily guarded police base on the city's outskirts, along with their vehicle and bags containing explosive material and suicide harnesses.All appeared to be young men and wore traditional Afghan tunics and trousers. They stood with their backs to the journalists, their eyes covered by blindfolds and hoods and their wrists in handcuffs, before being led off by police for further questioning.Ghafar said police are getting better at foiling such plots through a combination of improved intelligence and better training.
"I would call this a major blow to the terrorists," he said.
Despite Thursday's success, a number of suicide bombers have made it into the capital in recent months, including a team that targeted government buildings in Jan. 18, leaving 12 dead, and a car bomber who struck near a hotel frequented by Westerners on Dec. 15, killing eight people.
In the worst such attack, a suicide car bomb detonated at the gates of the Indian Embassy on July 7, 2008, killing more than 60 people.
5 suicide bombers arrested in Kabul
Surgar Daily
KABUL – Afghan police arrested five would-be suicide bombers in Kabul on Thursday, the largest suicide team ever apprehended in the capital, officials said."If this team had made it through it would have been a disaster as we've seen in past instances," said Abdul Ghafar, deputy commander of the Afghan National Police crisis unit.He said police, acting on intelligence, stopped the suicide bombers as they were traveling in an SUV in the southeastern part of the city. He said the bomb team had been sent by the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network.
"Today's operation marks a big success," Ghafar said. "Our capacities are improving day by day and also our ability to uncover such plots is improving day by day."
Such attacks are a hallmark of the Haqqani network, an Afghan Taliban faction whose leader was once a U.S. ally. The group is considered a serious threat to American and NATO troops in Afghanistan's east and operates on both sides of the border with Pakistan.Ghafar said the nationalities and exact identities of the five men had yet to be determined. He said their targets were crowded parts of downtown Kabul where they could cause the most carnage, but gave no specifics.The five were displayed before journalists at a heavily guarded police base on the city's outskirts, along with their vehicle and bags containing explosive material and suicide harnesses.All appeared to be young men and wore traditional Afghan tunics and trousers. They stood with their backs to the journalists, their eyes covered by blindfolds and hoods and their wrists in handcuffs, before being led off by police for further questioning.Ghafar said police are getting better at foiling such plots through a combination of improved intelligence and better training.
"I would call this a major blow to the terrorists," he said.
Despite Thursday's success, a number of suicide bombers have made it into the capital in recent months, including a team that targeted government buildings in Jan. 18, leaving 12 dead, and a car bomber who struck near a hotel frequented by Westerners on Dec. 15, killing eight people.
In the worst such attack, a suicide car bomb detonated at the gates of the Indian Embassy on July 7, 2008, killing more than 60 people.
KABUL – Afghan police arrested five would-be suicide bombers in Kabul on Thursday, the largest suicide team ever apprehended in the capital, officials said."If this team had made it through it would have been a disaster as we've seen in past instances," said Abdul Ghafar, deputy commander of the Afghan National Police crisis unit.He said police, acting on intelligence, stopped the suicide bombers as they were traveling in an SUV in the southeastern part of the city. He said the bomb team had been sent by the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network.
"Today's operation marks a big success," Ghafar said. "Our capacities are improving day by day and also our ability to uncover such plots is improving day by day."
Such attacks are a hallmark of the Haqqani network, an Afghan Taliban faction whose leader was once a U.S. ally. The group is considered a serious threat to American and NATO troops in Afghanistan's east and operates on both sides of the border with Pakistan.Ghafar said the nationalities and exact identities of the five men had yet to be determined. He said their targets were crowded parts of downtown Kabul where they could cause the most carnage, but gave no specifics.The five were displayed before journalists at a heavily guarded police base on the city's outskirts, along with their vehicle and bags containing explosive material and suicide harnesses.All appeared to be young men and wore traditional Afghan tunics and trousers. They stood with their backs to the journalists, their eyes covered by blindfolds and hoods and their wrists in handcuffs, before being led off by police for further questioning.Ghafar said police are getting better at foiling such plots through a combination of improved intelligence and better training.
"I would call this a major blow to the terrorists," he said.
Despite Thursday's success, a number of suicide bombers have made it into the capital in recent months, including a team that targeted government buildings in Jan. 18, leaving 12 dead, and a car bomber who struck near a hotel frequented by Westerners on Dec. 15, killing eight people.
In the worst such attack, a suicide car bomb detonated at the gates of the Indian Embassy on July 7, 2008, killing more than 60 people.
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