M WAQAR..... "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary.Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --Albert Einstein !!! NEWS,ARTICLES,EDITORIALS,MUSIC... Ze chi pe mayeen yum da agha pukhtunistan de.....(Liberal,Progressive,Secular World.)''Secularism is not against religion; it is the message of humanity.'' تل ده وی پثتونستآن
Thursday, April 3, 2014
35th Death Anniversary of ZAB will be observed tomorrow
The 35th death anniversary of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto founding father of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will be observed on 4th April. All the arrangements of the event has been completed, PPP supporters from Punjab will reach Larkana by buses and trains. Spokes person of Pakistan Peoples Party told that on the direction of central leadership all ticket holders will bring at least one bus of workers with them. All the convoys from Punjab will reach at Chechawatni Bypass for participating in the ceremony from where Provincial President of Peoples Party will lead all the convoys of Punjab and depart for Larkana. For participating in the death anniversary of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto one convoy of Peoples Party Women wing departed under the leadership of Former MPA and Divisional Co-ordinator Women Wing Noor-ul-nisa from Faisalabad by train. The former MPA said that Martyred Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Martyred Benazir Bhutto played a central role in defense, economic and democratic progress of Pakistan.
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6906155786122195046#editor/target=post;postID=5061108794272255360
Turkey widens Internet censorship
Turkey seemed set to finally unblock Twitter on April 3, a full 24 hours after the Constitutional Court ruled that the ban was a violation of free speech.
An official from the Prime Ministry has confirmed to daily Hürriyet that the decision to block access to Twitter has been rescinded.
The Constitutional Court unanimously ruled April 2 that the ban was a violation of free speech guaranteed by Article 26 of the Constitution, following individual complaints filed separately by Professor Dr. Kerem Altıparmak, Professor Yaman Akdeniz and Sezgin Tanrıkulu, deputy chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Tanrıkulu applied to Turkey’s Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) for the opening of the website on April 2, but the government only began to move to open the micro-blogging site on the evening of April 3.
TİB blocked access to Twitter March 20, just 10 days before the local elections. Hours before the ban, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to close down the social media platform.
Before the elections, dozens of leaked phone conversations depicting state officials engaged in alleged graft were loaded onto the video-sharing website YouTube and shared on Twitter.
The Turkish government subsequently blocked YouTube, widened the ban and started to practice a controversial DNS policy. After an initial spike, Twitter usage in Turkey decreased almost 50 percent.
The government had justified the ban by publishing three court rulings and one prosecutor’s order on the TİB’s official website as the ban took effect.
The TİB has removed all the references to the legal decisions April 3, one day after the Constitutional Court ordered the authorities to lift the ban.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy chair Mustafa Şentop spoke to CNNTürk earlier in the day and said the Constitutional Court ruling was “full of contradictions” as Twitter could only be opened for the three complainants; Altıparmak, Akdeniz and Tanrıkulu.
However, all Turkish citizens are expected to regain access to Twitter after the TİB’s final decision to unblock the social media platform will be conveyed to and practiced by each Internet service provider in Turkey.
"We are encouraged by the news from Turkey today and welcome our Turkish users back to Twitter," the social media platform's official account @policy has said.
The U.S. Department of State had earlier welcomed the Constitutional Court ruling, urging Turkey to implement it without the shortest delay. Twitter also won a court case against the Turkish government March 29.
Rights Groups in Pakistan Condemned Death Sentence for Sawan Masih
Rights groups have criticized the death sentence order to a Christian man after more than 100 Muslims who smashed his Christian locality were unchained on bail.
On Thursday march 27th 20014 by the Lahore District Judge at the Kot Lakhpath Jail, Sawan Masih was sentenced to death, for blasphemy. Firstly Islamic rage against Masih’s alleged blasphemy consequence in the devastation of 180 Christian-owned homes and properties in Lahore’s Joseph Colony in March 2013, but a court later liberated 133 Muslim suspects.
According to Naeem Shakir, Masih’s lead counsel; back in March 8, 2013 Sawan Masih, was accused of blasphemy in a drunken dialogue with his Muslim friend in the Colony. Pakistan’s Statute 295-C prohibits offending Muhammad, which is carrying a punishment of death and/or a fine, but the First Information Report at first didn’t include any blasphemous explanations made by Masih. The blasphemy allegation was added through an additional statement by the accuser eight days later.
Another lawyer on Masih’s defense team, Tahir Bashir said that he believed the court had convicted Sawan Masih underneath massive pressure from local Muslim political and religious groups.
“In most cases involving blasphemy, it has been observed that the trial court judges are pressured by religious zealots to hand the maximum sentence to an accused,” he said.
Sawan Masih in his court statement said that he didn’t committed blasphemy and blamed the complainant, Shahid Imran, of linking him in a fake case as part of a plot by local businessmen to drive Christians away from Joseph Colony so that they could snatch the property for industrial use.
“They hatched a conspiracy to push out the residents of the colony; they contrived a case and got it filed by a person who was close to me. I am innocent.” Sawan Masih said in the court
- See more at: http://www.christiansinpakistan.com/rights-groups-in-pakistan-condemned-death-sentence-for-sawan-masih/#sthash.Ri8v2gFK.dpuf
Revolt in PTI: dissidents want Khattak’s removal

Aid agency accused of coverup in Afghanistan
http://www.usatoday.com/The U.S. Agency for International Development withheld information from Congress showing the Afghan government's apparent inability to prevent its ministries from doing business with people tied to terrorism, according to a letter from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction and documents obtained by USA TODAY. The letter, from SIGAR's general counsel asserts that USAID "covered up information" showing some Afghan ministries can't account for cash or what they own. The audits show the Afghan government has failed to monitor the "potential risk of contracting with suppliers/beneficiaries having links with terrorist organizations," "USAID kept this information from Congress and the American people," said John Sopko, the inspector general. "As a former federal prosecutor and congressional investigator, to me it begs the questions: What were they trying to hide, and why?" Matt Herrick, a spokesman for USAID, rejected that assertion Wednesday, saying the agency had provided members of Congress and their staffs full access to its documents upon request. SIGAR's claim relates to documents that have been made available to Congress, Herrick said. The agency hasn't hidden anything, he said. "Congress and U.S. government auditors have access to USAID documents in unredacted form, either in their offices or at USAID, and we reject the claim that we have improperly withheld information," Herrick said. Congress may take up the issue Thursday when Sopko and an official from USAID are scheduled to appear before a panel of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. USAID has spent nearly $15 billion in taxpayer funds to help build infrastructure in Afghanistan. "USAID must be accountable to the American people for how they are spending taxpayer dollars in Afghanistan," Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who chairs the committee's panel on national security, told USA TODAY in a statement. "They have the responsibility to cooperate with Congress and SIGAR in an open and transparent manner as we continue to pipe billions of taxpayer dollars into a country with an alarming track record of waste, fraud and abuse." The lack of controls to prevent Afghan ministries from contracting with people connected to terrorist organizations pops up throughout a series of audits on the agencies obtained by USA TODAY through a Freedom of Information Act request. A KPMG audit of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development says, "A mechanism has not been developed for screening of beneficiaries for their possible links with terrorist organizations before signing contracts or providing funds to the suppliers." A copy of USAID's version of the same document shows that mentions of links to terrorism are blacked out. "Withholding information that highlights concerns about U.S. taxpayer dollars being funneled to terrorists is reprehensible and circumvents our system of checks and balances," said Scott Amey, general counsel for the Project on Government Oversight, a non-partisan watchdog group. "USAID should come clean to the military and SIGAR to ensure that lives are not at risk, mission priorities are attainable, and wasteful spending isn't rampant." Information USAID has blacked out in documents released publicly includes names and other data that identify Afghans who could be at risk of retaliation, Herrick said. SIGAR, in its letter, acknowledges the need to limit dissemination of such information. "It is a common practice to redact information from the general public about individuals who could come into harm's way if their names were released or vulnerabilities that could be exploited by unscrupulous actors if exposed," Herrick said. Preventing aid money from leaking into the hands of insurgents and terrorist organizations has been a problem for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan. In 2012, the U.S. government determined that a contractor working on a courthouse there had been involved with networks that provided parts for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Sopko has been a persistent critic of U.S. spending in Afghanistan, issuing regular reports about poor oversight of building projects. Wednesday, his office found fault with an $11 million prison built there after the inspector general's review showed design defects and the facility's placement in "in the second-highest earthquake zone in Afghanistan."
Afghanistan: Taliban blamed for fresh violence ahead of elections

A provincial council candidate and nine of his supporters were killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan two days after they were kidnapped, said Sakhidad Haidari, deputy police chief of northern Sar-e-Pul province. The 10 were kidnapped Sunday and shot dead Tuesday night, Haidari told CNN on Wednesday. The bodies of four of those killed, including the Sar-e-Pul election candidate, Hussain Nazari, have been returned to police, he said. The other six remain in the hands of the Taliban. The Taliban have not commented on the incident, which comes ahead of presidential and provincial elections to be held Saturday. In a separate incident Wednesday, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance gate to the Interior Ministry in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, killing six Afghan police officers, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.
The bomber, who was seeking to enter the ministry, triggered his explosive vest when he was identified by police, Sediqqi said. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for that attack.Taliban vow to disrupt vote The violence is the latest to rock Afghanistan in the run-up to the April 5 vote. There are 11 candidates in the presidential race, with the three main contenders thought to be Abdullah Abdullah, who also ran in the 2009 election, Ashraf Ghani and Zalmai Rassoul. Outgoing President Hamid Karzai cannot run again because of term limits. The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the elections and punish anyone involved in them. But NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, speaking Wednesday in Belgium, said that the latest briefings from NATO commanders show that despite the Taliban's threats, overall violence across Afghanistan "is lower now than at any time during the last two years." Rasmussen praised the work of Afghan security forces, which have taken over many responsibilities from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, saying they had "demonstrated commitment, courage and professionalism" during preparations for the elections. "As expected, we have seen a series of attacks including on Kabul today -- an attack which I strongly condemn -- but I welcome that the Afghan people have resisted these intimidation attempts," he said. He said the country was now looking forward to "historic elections" that would shape its future. "My message to the women and men of Afghanistan is clear: Go to polls, exercise your democratic rights. Only you have the right to decide your country's future," he said. Rasmussen said any alleged electoral violations must be investigated swiftly to ensure the elections are credible to all Afghans. He added that Afghan citizens are registering to vote in "quite high" numbers, despite the Taliban's efforts to disrupt proceedings. Insurgent attacks On Saturday, Taliban insurgents attacked Afghanistan's election commission headquarters in Kabul, staff and a government official said. The five assailants were killed, and two people were injured. A day earlier, five militants set off a car bomb at a guesthouse used by foreigners and then held people as hostages until police killed one of the militants and the other four blew themselves up. A girl was killed in the attack. On Tuesday, militants stormed an election commission office in Kabul, leading to a five-hour gun battle with Afghan security services. Five people were killed -- two police officers, two election commission workers and a provincial council candidate. The Taliban claimed responsibility for all three of those attacks.
Pakistan: Arrangements finalized for death anniversary of Z.A Bhutto on April 4
Business Recorder
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that all arrangements have been finalized to observe 35th death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto at Garhi Khuda Bux on Friday April 4, 2014. Speaking at a meeting with PPP leaders and office bearers at Sukkur circuit house here on Wednesday, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who is also provincial president of PPP Sindh , said that Quran Khawani will be held at 10 a.m. and “Dua” will be offered at 1.pm. The local leadership will attend the ceremony and highlight the achievements of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who strived for democracy in the country and sacrificed his life for the people of Pakistan. The CM said the PPP workers, hailing to different districts of Sindh, are reaching at Garhi Khuda Bux by buses and trains to pay homage to founding chairman of the Party. He further said that an organizational set-up would be constituted in every constituency of the province to strengthen the party.
Pakistan: Analysis: Trouble brewing within PTI in KP

Pakistan: PPP wants action against Lashkar-i-Jhangvi ’s ‘150 sleeper cells’

Blast in Islamabad after Musharraf shifted to Chak Shahzad

Obama says 'heartbroken' over Fort Hood shooting
U.S. President Obama said he was ''heartbroken'' that another shooting occurred at the Fort Hood Army base and described the situation as fluid.
Fort Hood Commanding officer: "shooter dead" from self-inflicted wounds
The Fort Hood Commanding officer said the shooter is dead from self-inflicted wounds and that three others were killed
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