Monday, December 6, 2010

Call for new social contract for Balochistan

Political leaders here have underlined the need for formulating a new social contract to resolve the Balochistan problem.

Speaking at a seminar, they said the 18th Amendment was a good step towards resolving the issues faced by smaller provinces but it fell short in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Balochistan.

At the seminar organised by Centre for Research and Security Studies and Association for Integrated Development Balochistan, they said all stakeholders needed to hold talks for evolving a new social contract to resolve issues of the smaller provinces.

Senior leaders of Baloch and Pakhtun nationalist parties and representatives of civil society participated in the seminar.

Dr Ishaq Baloch of NP termed the 18th Amendment a great step but said it should have taken much earlier. “More measures are needed to implement the constitution in letter and spirit for resolving issues,” he said, adding that no issue could be resolved until the 18the Amendment was enforced completely.

He stressed the need for removing the sense of deprivation in the people of Balochistan and for easing the prevailing unrest in the province. The government should work for the recovery of missing persons, he added.

Aurangzaib Kasi of ANP said that the 18th Amendment did not provide complete solution to Balochistan’s problems, adding that only transfer of some federal ministries’ powers to provinces could not resolve all issues.

He highlighted the problems being faced by Balochistan and said military and civil establishment was responsible for the situation in the province. He called for holding talks with Baloch leadership and implementing the 18th Amendment without any delay.Advocate Agha Hasan of BNP-Mengal said Balochistan had very important geo-political position.

He said the people of the province were being victimised just for seeking control on their own resources. He said his party would continue struggle for the right of self-determination.

Mohammad Usman Kakar of PkMAP said that provincial autonomy and genuine democracy was the need of hour. He accused the committee for the 18th Amendment for not including all recommendations and proposals presented by political parties.

Senior journalist Sadiq Baloch said the 18th Amendment was a better step in given circumstances. He said military operations and discriminatory attitude of establishment were responsible for situation in Balochistan, adding that the issue should be resolved through negotiation.

Islamabad-based journalist Imtiaz Gul said the leadership of Balochistan was responsible for situation in the province. He termed the 18th Amendment a better step.

Call for new social contract for Balochistan

Political leaders here have underlined the need for formulating a new social contract to resolve the Balochistan problem.

Speaking at a seminar, they said the 18th Amendment was a good step towards resolving the issues faced by smaller provinces but it fell short in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Balochistan.

At the seminar organised by Centre for Research and Security Studies and Association for Integrated Development Balochistan, they said all stakeholders needed to hold talks for evolving a new social contract to resolve issues of the smaller provinces.

Senior leaders of Baloch and Pakhtun nationalist parties and representatives of civil society participated in the seminar.

Dr Ishaq Baloch of NP termed the 18th Amendment a great step but said it should have taken much earlier. “More measures are needed to implement the constitution in letter and spirit for resolving issues,” he said, adding that no issue could be resolved until the 18the Amendment was enforced completely.

He stressed the need for removing the sense of deprivation in the people of Balochistan and for easing the prevailing unrest in the province. The government should work for the recovery of missing persons, he added.

Aurangzaib Kasi of ANP said that the 18th Amendment did not provide complete solution to Balochistan’s problems, adding that only transfer of some federal ministries’ powers to provinces could not resolve all issues.

He highlighted the problems being faced by Balochistan and said military and civil establishment was responsible for the situation in the province. He called for holding talks with Baloch leadership and implementing the 18th Amendment without any delay.Advocate Agha Hasan of BNP-Mengal said Balochistan had very important geo-political position.

He said the people of the province were being victimised just for seeking control on their own resources. He said his party would continue struggle for the right of self-determination.

Mohammad Usman Kakar of PkMAP said that provincial autonomy and genuine democracy was the need of hour. He accused the committee for the 18th Amendment for not including all recommendations and proposals presented by political parties.

Senior journalist Sadiq Baloch said the 18th Amendment was a better step in given circumstances. He said military operations and discriminatory attitude of establishment were responsible for situation in Balochistan, adding that the issue should be resolved through negotiation.

Islamabad-based journalist Imtiaz Gul said the leadership of Balochistan was responsible for situation in the province. He termed the 18th Amendment a better step.

Pak-Afghan accord to knock out militant sanctuaries

Pakistan and Afghanistan renewed their commitment on Sunday to eliminate militant sanctuaries in their territories, which could have been used for acts of subversion in either country.

A joint declaration issued at the end of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s two-day visit to Kabul said the two countries would again undertake to effectively cooperate, combat and defeat these (terrorist) threats and eliminate their sanctuaries ‘wherever they are’.

The commitment came as a result of fresh Pakistani demand that the Afghan government should end Baloch insurgent infrastructure on its soil and hand over nationalist leaders, including Brahmdagh Bugti, who are believed to have taken refuge there.

President Hamid Karzai had pledged on Saturday in his meeting with Prime Minister Gilani to end Balochistan insurgency bases in Afghanistan which, he claimed, could have been operating without his knowledge.

But, he told the delegation that he also expected Pakistan to end Taliban safe havens in Fata that have long been alleged to foment violence in Afghanistan.

The commitment isn’t exactly new, but what’s different this time is the newfound understanding between the two sides that peace and stability in their countries were mutually interdependent.

Reiterating cooperation for collectively fighting terror, President Karzai had said: “We need to work together to end violence that continues to hurt both of us and that we should help each other with full knowledge of reality.”

After the talks, a senior Pakistani delegate told Dawn that there was a realisation on both sides that they were facing same issues from same quarters—in a reference to what President Karzai had earlier described in his media talk as ‘outside plots’ to keep both countries unstable.

“Terrorism and violent extremism and their international support networks are a major threat undermining peace and stability in the region and beyond,” the joint declaration noted.

RECONCILIATION: The declaration showed a change in Pakistan’s policy nuances on the issue of reconciliation, which is thought to be critical to peace in the war-torn country.

Neither public statements by Pakistani leaders nor the joint declaration reflected Pakistan’s desire of helping Afghanistan in making peace with Taliban.

The joint statement said: “Pakistan supports the efforts of the president, government and the people of Afghanistan for peace and national reconciliation, which should naturally be Afghan-owned and Afghan-led efforts.”

Weeks before the Kabul visit, Prime Minister Gilani had in an interview emphasised Pakistan’s indispensability to any settlement in Afghanistan and said: “Nothing can be done without us because we are part of the solution; we are not part of the problem.”

A senior Pakistani diplomat, who was part of the talks, said Islamabad no longer sought a role in peace talks. He went on to acknowledge that Pakistan’s unsaid longing for a reconciliation role was a ‘misplaced desire’.

This acknowledgement stems from an understanding that Islamabad’s offer to help Kabul make peace with Taliban was being misconstrued among the Afghans as an attempt to meddle in their internal affairs.

The reconciliation process has, according to a background briefing, reached a point where it is ready to take off. Contacts with leaders of warring factions have been established and a formal dialogue is about to commence soon.

TRADE: Both sides also agreed on ‘full and seamless implementation’ of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) from January 2011. Besides, there was an agreement on pursuing customs and tariff harmonisation and facilitating greater interaction among private sectors of the two countries to enhance trade.

Afghanistan and Pakistan intend to take their bilateral trade to $5 billion from the current $2 billion by 2015.

Apart from the agreement to take forward the Pak-Afghan relationship in a big way, the highlight of the visit was Pakistan government’s fresh initiative to reach out to the people of Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Gilani also addressed two different forums, the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and newly-founded Pakistan-Afghanistan Graduate Alumni, which comprises 28,000 Afghans, who had graduated from Pakistani universities and professional institutions. In both the meetings, Mr Gilani stressed that expansion of ties could “yield enormous benefits for the people of the two countries”.

In the evening, Prime Minister Gilani inaugurated the reconstruction of Pakistan embassy ransacked by the then Northern Alliance activists in 1995. How much the situation has changed over two and a half decades was mirrored by the presence of Ahmad Wali Masood, brother of slain Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Masood, and number of other figures from the grouping, which was once staunchly opposed to Pakistan, at the ceremony marking the start of reconstruction work.

Saudi Arabia still remain major sources of financing for militant movements like al-Qaida and the Taliban.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab neighbors still remain major sources of financing for militant movements like al-Qaida and the Taliban, according to leaked U.S. government documents.

The findings, detailed in a series of internal U.S. diplomatic cables spanning a period of several years, paint a stark picture of Washington's challenges in convincing key allies of the need to clamp down on terror funding, much of which is believed to stem from private donors in those nations.

But the cables, obtained and released by WikiLeaks, also offer a window into the delicate balancing act Gulf governments must perform in cracking down on extremist sympathizers while not running afoul of religious charitable duties and casting themselves as U.S. stooges before an increasingly skeptical populace.

"While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) takes seriously the threat of terrorism within Saudi Arabia, it has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority," reads a December 2009 memo from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The cable said that while the kingdom has begun to "make important progress on this front, ... donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide."

Saudi Arabia, the homeland of most of the Sept. 11 hijackers, has repeatedly come under fire from the U.S. for its sluggish response to cracking down on terror financing. It has also been criticized for its reluctance to confront the fiery rhetoric espoused by some of its hardline clerics which is seen as either directly or indirectly fueling extremism.

Many of the criticisms and observations made in the U.S. documents rehash — albeit more directly — previously stated American concerns.

Amnesty demands action on Malaysian caning 'epidemic'

Caning in Malaysia has "hit epidemic proportions" with thousands of people subjected every year to beatings which leave permanent physical and mental scars, Amnesty International said Monday.

The London-based rights group called on the Malaysian government to immediately end the practice of judicial caning, which is meted out for immigration offences as well as more serious crimes like murder and rape.

"Caning in Malaysia has hit epidemic proportions," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International?s Asia-Pacific director.

"In every case that we examined, the punishment amounted to torture, which is absolutely prohibited under any circumstances."

Amnesty said in a report that since 2002, when parliament made immigration violations subject to caning, thousands of migrant workers and foreigners seeking asylum had undergone the punishment.

"According to our figures, more than 10,000 people are caned by authorities in Malaysia annually and this number is actually a conservative estimate," said report author Lance Lattig.

"At the very least, we would say the government should issue a moratorium on the caning of anyone who is seeking asylum because they are at risk of persecution in another country," he told a press conference.

Lattig said caning was introduced by British colonial authorities prior to Malaysia's independence in 1957 but that most former colonies had abandoned the practice.

"It exists as a residue of an extremely brutal form of Victorian punishment that exists in very few other places," he said.

The report detailed how in Malaysian prisons "specially trained caning officers tear into victims? bodies with a metre-long cane swung with both hands at high speed."

"The cane rips into the victim?s naked skin, pulps the fatty tissue below, and leaves scars that extend to muscle fibre. The pain is so severe that victims often lose consciousness."

Amnesty said that prison officers were paid a bonus for each stroke, enabling them to double their income by administering the punishment.

"Others take bribes to intentionally miss, sparing their victims," it said.

Malaysian home ministry and prison officials declined to comment on the report when contacted by AFP on Monday.

Corporal punishment has become a hot topic in Malaysia, particularly after a a Muslim mother-of-two was sentenced to six strokes and a fine last year for drinking alcohol.

However, caning for religious offences -- ordered by Islamic courts which run in parallel with civil courts in the Muslim-majority country -- is much lighter than in the civil justice system.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno's sentence for drinking alcohol was eventually reduced to community service but three other women then received between four and six strokes of the cane after being convicted of sex outside marriage.

The penalties triggered uproar among women's activists and human rights advocates

Amnesty demands action on Malaysian caning 'epidemic'

Caning in Malaysia has "hit epidemic proportions" with thousands of people subjected every year to beatings which leave permanent physical and mental scars, Amnesty International said Monday.

The London-based rights group called on the Malaysian government to immediately end the practice of judicial caning, which is meted out for immigration offences as well as more serious crimes like murder and rape.

"Caning in Malaysia has hit epidemic proportions," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International?s Asia-Pacific director.

"In every case that we examined, the punishment amounted to torture, which is absolutely prohibited under any circumstances."

Amnesty said in a report that since 2002, when parliament made immigration violations subject to caning, thousands of migrant workers and foreigners seeking asylum had undergone the punishment.

"According to our figures, more than 10,000 people are caned by authorities in Malaysia annually and this number is actually a conservative estimate," said report author Lance Lattig.

"At the very least, we would say the government should issue a moratorium on the caning of anyone who is seeking asylum because they are at risk of persecution in another country," he told a press conference.

Lattig said caning was introduced by British colonial authorities prior to Malaysia's independence in 1957 but that most former colonies had abandoned the practice.

"It exists as a residue of an extremely brutal form of Victorian punishment that exists in very few other places," he said.

The report detailed how in Malaysian prisons "specially trained caning officers tear into victims? bodies with a metre-long cane swung with both hands at high speed."

"The cane rips into the victim?s naked skin, pulps the fatty tissue below, and leaves scars that extend to muscle fibre. The pain is so severe that victims often lose consciousness."

Amnesty said that prison officers were paid a bonus for each stroke, enabling them to double their income by administering the punishment.

"Others take bribes to intentionally miss, sparing their victims," it said.

Malaysian home ministry and prison officials declined to comment on the report when contacted by AFP on Monday.

Corporal punishment has become a hot topic in Malaysia, particularly after a a Muslim mother-of-two was sentenced to six strokes and a fine last year for drinking alcohol.

However, caning for religious offences -- ordered by Islamic courts which run in parallel with civil courts in the Muslim-majority country -- is much lighter than in the civil justice system.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno's sentence for drinking alcohol was eventually reduced to community service but three other women then received between four and six strokes of the cane after being convicted of sex outside marriage.

The penalties triggered uproar among women's activists and human rights advocates

Pakistan woman recounts ordeal under Taliban

(AP) ASHAR BAND, Pakistan (AP) — Girls now go to school in this mountain town and the military patrols keep security. But Saira Bibi's eyes still flash with pain and anger through the small gap in her veil as she recounts how the Taliban who once ruled here dragged her from home and flogged her in front of her neighbors.

It didn't matter that she always wore a body-covering burqa, nor that she rarely left her mud-brick home. It didn't matter that her conservative in-laws scoffed at the accusation she was an adulterer. To the Islamist extremists who had taken over her tiny town above Pakistan's Swat Valley, a rumor was enough.

"They came and took me to the school, where 150 or 200 people had been gathered. They pushed me to the ground and hit me 15 times," says Bibi, 30, holding her 1-year-old son as he reaches for the safety pin keeping her veil in place. Her right hand fidgets under the fabric as she recalls her humiliation nearly two years ago.

Bibi is one of the first women to openly speak about being publicly punished during the Pakistani Taliban's rule over this resort area. Her tale is a painful reminder of how Swat's conservative, ethnic Pashtun culture descended into harsh theocratic rule that banned girls from school, women from markets and executed anyone who resisted.

An iconic video of a flogging much like Bibi describes helped galvanize Pakistani public support for last year's army offensive that finally drove the Taliban out of the Swat Valley, following several failed peace deals with the militants. The footage of the beating was shown repeatedly on national television, stirring outrage among many who were getting their first up-close glimpse of the Taliban's brutality.

More than a year since the offensive, life is starting to resemble normal in Swat. Schoolgirls again flock giggling on the streets of the main city, Mingora. Veiled women shop for food and clothes. Most of the 2 million who fled Taliban oppression and the fighting to oust them have returned.

"Our enrollment is increasing all the time," says Anwar Sultan, principal of the state-run Saidu Sharif girls' high school in Mingora. A loudspeaker recites Quranic verses as some 1,500 teenagers pour into the courtyard, some wearing high heels with their traditional tunics and bright shawls.

But not everything is as it was. Soldiers now stand on street corners and at checkpoints. The jagged mountain trail leading to Bibi's village of Ashar Band is strewn with the rubble of damaged buildings. Some 300 schools the Taliban burned in the region have not yet been rebuilt. Occasional attacks — a raid on a checkpoint last month wounded one soldier — remind residents that militancy is still a threat.

The Taliban takeover of Swat, which was near-total by 2008, came as a shock to many Pakistanis accustomed to thinking of the militants as far away, a mostly Afghan movement fighting American troops across the border. No one expected the homegrown version to start beheading people in a middle-class honeymoon destination only 175 miles (280 kilometers) away from Islamabad, the capital.

Many in the area were initially supportive when Swat Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah began preaching hard-line Islam over local radio. Some women even donated their jewelry to the cause, according to Sultan, the school principal. But over the months, armed men started roaming through the area, meting out harsh punishment for anyone who opposed them and driving out local authorities.

Bibi was one of dozens of women who fell victim to the militants' zeal. On the porch of the couple's tiny dirt-floor home, Bibi and her husband, Fazal-e-Azim, say a vindictive cousin spread the false rumor she was unfaithful while Azim was working in another city. Punishment was swift, even though Azim's own family argued her innocence.

"I only wish the same punishment for the people who unjustly punished my wife," Azim says.

Villager Sharif Khan, 70, recalls being forced at gunpoint to watch Bibi being beaten repeatedly with a stick, along with other villagers rounded up to the area.

"I felt sorry for her," Khan says. "But we were all helpless."

With the military now in control, the army has made efforts to improve lives of women in Swat. Among the initiatives outside Mingora is a vocational training center, where women study embroidery, glass-painting, hairstyling and other work they can do at home.

"According to our culture, women may make clothes or crafts to sell, but they do all this inside their homes, not outside," explains Uzma Nawaz, the center's 27-year-old director.

As for Bibi and Azim, they are moving on with their lives. Sitting by a cradle hanging from the rough-log roof beams, Bibi eyes soften as she nods to confirm she is pregnant again. She doesn't know if it's a boy or a girl, or what the family will do if the militants return, as some still fear in the valley.

Her husband, however, answers firmly.

"If the Taliban return," he says. "We will leave."