Monday, May 25, 2015
Warming and warning: Xi's speech on China-Japan ties in foreign eyes
Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent reception of and address to a large Japanese delegation has generated a ringing resonance in Japan and beyond.
The Saturday event, in which Xi met more than 3,000 Japanese visitors at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, was an indicator of warming China-Japan ties after three years of tension, noted Press Trust of India (PTI).
The Indian media outlet quoted the Chinese president saying that the root of China-Japanese friendship comes from the public and the future of the relationship is in the hands of the people.
Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun described the visit by the delegation, led by Toshihiro Nikai, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's General Council, as a practical step to improve bilateral ties.
Together with Asahi Shimbun newspaper, Kyodo news agency and other heavyweights in the Japanese media circle, Mainichi Shimbun noted that Beijing attaches importance to bilateral people-to-people exchanges, particularly between the young generations of the two nations.
Xi's speech, Kyodo said, also signaled China's readiness to seek a broader thaw of relations with Japan.
On the other hand, Xi's remarks were also a warning against attempts to distort or whitewash Japan's history of aggression, noted Japanese and global media.
PTI quoted Xi as saying that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II (WWII), and the nations that suffered Japan's barbarities seven decades ago will never accept words and actions by the Japanese side that distort history.
Japanese national broadcaster NHK noted that Xi's speech meant China's basic policies on developing relations with Japan remain unchanged.
Quoting Xi's remarks that the crimes committed by the Japanese militarists during WWII should never be covered up, Tokyo Shimbun said the statement indicated China's doubts about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's stance on historical issues.
The address, said Kyodo news agency, also showed that Beijing is closely watching Abe's planned 70-anniversary statement.
Peace and friendly cooperation between China and Japan is the common will of the people, and the friendship between the two countries deserves to be cherished and protected, leading international news agency Agence France-Presse quoted Xi as saying.
HRW urges EU to press Arab monarchies on activists
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the European Union to publicly call for an “immediate and unconditional” release of political activists imprisoned by the Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf countries.
The call was made in a letter sent to EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini ahead of Sunday’s [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council-EU ministerial meeting in Doha, the capital city of Qatar.
The New York-based group said on Friday that “hundreds” of dissidents have been imprisoned across the sheikdoms of the Persian Gulf region “for nothing more than exercising their rights to free expression and association”.
The organization also noted that the human rights “situation continues to deteriorate” in certain countries, namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain.
The rights group called on the 28-member block to translate its commitment to human rights into concrete action. HRW also urged the EU to adopt a policy that could go beyond mere expressions of support for those unfairly imprisoned.
“Despite the EU’s oft-stated commitment to human rights, it hasn’t so much thrown its weight behind advocates of human rights in the Persian Gulf as nervously wagged its finger,” the rights group said.
The developments come as United Nations and rights organizations have frequently condemned the Saudi, UAE and Bahraini governments for clamping down on dissidents.
The Manama regime has been severely criticized by rights groups for its harsh crackdown on anti-government protesters, which has claimed the lives of scores of people so far.
Since mid-February 2011, thousands of pro-democracy protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.
On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.
There have been numerous demonstrations in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province since February 2011, with protesters calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to discrimination against the Shia Muslims of Saudi Arabia.
http://en.shiapost.com/2015/05/24/hrw-urges-eu-to-press-arab-monarchies-on-activists/
Wahhabis Go Nuclear — Literally. Saudi Arabia’s Bomb?
The serious possibility of a nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 is only a few weeks away – on June 30.
So guess what the terminally paranoid House of Saud is up to: Lay their hands on a nuclear bomb to counteract the non-existent “Iranian bomb”, which Tehran, via Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, has consistently abhorred as un-Islamic, and wouldn’t have it anyway because of stringent inspections bound to be part of the final nuclear deal.
The proverbial “former Pentagon official” has leaked to a Rupert Murdoch paper that the House of Saud is bound to buy a ready-made nuclear bomb from Pakistan. The choice of media already offers a clue; Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is one of News Corporation’s leading shareholders.
The “why now?” concerning the leak is pretty obvious. Yet the whodunit is hazier territory.
Meanwhile, adding fuel to the jihadi fire, as the Wahhabis in Riyadh dream of going — literally — nuclear their faith brothers across “Syraq” are going figuratively nuclear, adding victory after victory on the ground; from the assault on Palmyra, the Silk Road-era jewel of the desert in Syria, to the fall of Ramadi in the former “triangle of death” in Iraq.
The “Iranian bomb” was never really an issue for successive U.S. administrations; only a convenient pretext to box in, harass, sanction and “isolate” the Islamic Republic, the former “gendarme” of the Gulf in the Shah era. The U.S. government always knew nuclear bombs can be bought on the black market; so whether Tehran could develop a nuclear weapon was irrelevant.
The House of Saud, for its part, may — and the operative concept is “may” — already have a bomb, for a long time now, to offset Israel. And they “may” have paid Islamabad for it. There is no conclusive proof.
What’s certain is that the — non-existent — “Iranian bomb” is where the House of Saud, other GCC minions and, crucially, Bibi Netanyahu’s extremist, fundamentalist Israeli government converge; they all consider it an “existential threat” to their survival.
The problem is we can’t just dismiss outbursts of the type as mere instances of geopolitical surrealism. A running myth — very popular in the Beltway — goes that Riyadh’s got some credit with Islamabad as the House of Saud invested billions of dollars in the 1970s to develop the Pakistani nuclear program, which was a counterpunch against the Indian nuclear program.
Already on December 2011, the House of Saud announced publicly that it was pursuing a nuclear bomb. But only as the possibility of an Iranian nuclear deal advanced they started to embark in a wag the dog attempt to control U.S. foreign policy.
Israel got into the game as early as November 2013, when the BBC reported on an alleged nuclear deal between Riyadh and Islamabad. A key quote was from a former head of Israeli military intel, Amos Yadlin; if Iran had a bomb, “the Saudis will not wait one month. They already paid for the bomb, they will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to bring.”
Compare this with wily Prince Turki, former Saudi intelligence chief and close pal of one Osama bin Laden, who has always waved the possibility of a nuclear House of Saud. The last time was in fact in April, at the South Korean Asan Plenum; “Whatever the Iranians have, we will have, too.”
The new Godfather of the Riyadh mob, King Salman, wanted Islamabad to provide troops for his ongoing war on Yemen. Islamabad said thanks but no, thanks. Instead, a nuclear deal might – and the operative word, once again, is “might” — have been struck. Naturally no high-ranking official in Riyadh or Islamabad will confirm any of this.
Watch the Pakistani angle
King Salman is pretty much aware that in the event of ISIS/ISIL/Daesh achieving regime change in Syria – still a pretty remote possibility – the next in line would be the House of Saud.
And then there’s the fact of Washington keeping those infamous 28 redacted pages of the 9/11 secret under wraps after all these years. So possessing a nuclear bomb might be as much an insurance policy against Washington as against the non-existent “Iranian bomb.”
Beyond propaganda, the fact remains that several Masters of the Universe VIPs are positively fed up with the House of Saud on a number of key issues, most of all the Saudi oil price war decimating the U.S. shale oil industry.
Still, the House of Saud would never be allowed to go — literally — nuclear — without a green light from Washington.
The view from Pakistan helps to clear the haze. Pakistani nuclear project chief A.Q. Khan — with some support or at least acquiescence by Islamabad — did sell nuclear weapons technology to North Korea, Iran and Libya. Yet the whole Pakistani nuclear program cost less than $450 million. Scores of Pakistani analysts stress it was that cheap because Islamabad received help from China, not the House of Saud.
Both Iran and Saudi Arabia are key Chinese energy suppliers. Both Iran and Pakistan will be key players in the emerging, Chinese-led New Silk Road(s) project. Islamabad would be extremely foolish to jeopardize its relationship with Beijing by providing a nuclear weapon which would be used to threaten a non-nuclear neighbor — Iran — that not only is a Chinese strategic ally but will play a key role into easing Pakistan’s energy problems, via the Iran-Pakistan (IP) pipeline, partly financed by — who else — Beijing.
Watch the Battle of Ramadi – remixed
Wahhabism as practiced in beheading-friendly Saudi Arabia is and will continue to be the ideological matrix of all forms of Salafi-jihadism let loose in the Middle East and beyond. That especially applies to its latest social media-friendly spectacular, ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.
ISIS/ISIL/Daesh – to the “civilized world” consternation – has seized Ancient Silk Road pearl Palymra. UNESCO is “concerned.” The White House is “worried.” Palmyra is a strategic crossroads in the center of Syria which will allows the fake Caliphate to launch attacks in all directions and harass the Syrian government’s vital axis, from Damascus to Aleppo. They have already taken over the crucial Syria-Iraq border control point of al-Walid, in Syrian territory.
Moreover, over a third of Palmyra’s 200,000 residents have already been turned into refugees. Hundreds have been made hostages. The macabre beheading show is on. Is the Empire of Chaos — which, in thesis, is at war with the fake Caliphate — doing anything to save Palmyra’s priceless Roman ruins from possible, imminent destruction by Wahhabi-drenched barbarians? Of course not.
And the same applies to Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, roughly 110 km west of Bahgdad, which the U.S. did not “lose” because it never had. While ISIS/ISIL/Daesh gloated about their victory with megaphones at all the major mosques, the Pentagon was spinning this “is a fluid and contested battlefield”, and insisted on “supporting (the Iraqis) with air power.”
Cue to gleaming Toyota convoys of Caliphate goons laughing their Kalashnikovs off while they make their mark on the “fluid and contested battlefield.” The Pentagon may “support” anything they want with “air power,” but bombing won’t disrupt the fluidity. The Pentagon has run out of targets. ISIS/ISIL/Daesh are not sitting ducks; they are an asymmetrical guerrilla very apt at redeploying in a flash.
ISIS/ISIL/Daesh invested in a lot of strategic planning to take Ramadi. The symbolism is far-reaching; a major defeat not only for Baghdad but also for the “leading from behind” Empire of Chaos, even though a clueless Barack Obama insists “we are not losing” the fight against the Caliphate.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi is finally starting to get the picture. He met with leaders of key Shi’ite militias — who will have to do the heavy lifting crossing the Euphrates and trying to retake Ramadi before the Caliphate goons decide to advance towards holy Karbala, which holds the tomb of Imam Hussein, the martyred grandson of Prophet Muhammad. It’s a race against time because ISIS/ISIL/Daesh may also try to control nearby Iraqi military bases and weapons depots.
As for Sunni tribal sheikhs around Ramadi willing to fight the Caliphate, they were — and remain — fuming because they never received promised weaponry from Baghdad. Besides, no one knows why the Iraqi Army on site did not get air support; helicopter gunships would have turned scores of Caliphate goons into minced meat.
Al-Abadi finally acted by removing his early ban for the Shi’ite militias to operate in hardcore Sunni Anbar province; they did that in the first place obeying a command by revered Ayatollah Sistani.
Meanwhile, the head of the Badr Corps and overall commander of the Shi’ite militas, Hadi al-Ameri, is sure that taking back Ramadi is easier than campaigning north of Baghdad in Salahuddin province — where the militias, alongside the Iraqi Army, recaptured Tikrit and Beiji from ISIS/ISIL/Daesh. In both cases, Empire of Chaos bombing played a minimal role.
Al-Abadi also met with Iranian defense minister, Brig. Gen. Husain Dehqan, in Baghdad; he stressed both Iran and Iraq are fighting (Sunni) terrorist extremism; and crucially, he said, “we do not support the war on Yemen,” which puts Baghdad in direct conflict with Riyadh.
It gets even better; al-Abadi has gone to Moscow, where he hopes to get plenty of support — and weapons. After all, ISIS/ISIL/Daesh is crammed with Chechens. Moscow wants the Caliphate smashed; as it thrives, there is a direct threat of a jihadi renewal in Chechnya.
So now the stage is set for the Battle of Ramadi — remixed; Shi’ite militias plus Sunni tribals, the odd American adviser, and discreet help from Iran and Russia, against Caliphate goons, many of them mercenaries, lavishly supported by assorted wealthy Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf. As far as the Empire of Chaos goes, Divide and Rule remains the sweetest game in town.
‘Kingdom of Dystopia’: Saudi Arabia seeks leadership of UN Rights Council
Yet, King Salman, the new self-proclaimed custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, did not flinch when he declared on May, 20 that, “The Saudi Arabian government guarantees freedom of expression and opposes discrimination.”
The comment was aimed at Bandar Al-Aiban, president of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), Mufleh Al-Qahtani, president of the National Society for Human Rights, and other senior officials during their visit to Riyadh.
The King went on confidently, “The pillars of this state are built on Islamic law that calls for the protection of human rights; and governance in the country is based on justice, consultation and equality.”
But since those pillars the King is so keenly referring to are themselves based on the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam - a sect by its very nature reactionary and fiercely oppressive towards all it does not approve of or understand – Saudi Arabia’s justice system is merely a reflection of such dystopian ideology.
Wahhabism is actually so intrinsically violent and foreign to the concept of interfaith cohesion and peaceful social coexistence that it gave birth to the so-called jihadist movement that is currently holding the Middle East and North Africa hostage – Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
Wahhabism is a sect that came to be in the 18th century at the command of Mohammed Abdel-Wahhab. To put things further into historical context, the Wahhabis, or the Ikhwan as they called themselves then, under the banner of Wahhabism raided and ransacked both the holy city of Karbala (Iraq) and Medina before marching into Mecca as conquerors. Those “faithful” hordes turned Arabia crimson red to the swing of their blades as they pillaged and massacred along the way.
Fast forward a few centuries and Wahhabism is as bloodthirsty and intolerant as ever.
When all which is not Wahhabi Islam is considered apostasy, talks of equality and justice are as intangible as mirages - and yet the Kingdom would like the world to believe in its gospel of justice.
Not content with professing the righteousness of his rule, King Salman now harbors ambitions for the Kingdom to head the United Nations Human Rights Council.
On the very same week Saudi Arabia called for “experienced swordsmen” to join the Kingdom’s execution squad, reports confirmed Riyadh is preparing to lobby the United Nations to become the next head of the Human Rights Council, after Germany’s term end in 2016.
As Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch said, “that would be the final nail in the coffin for the credibility of the HRC.”
Neuer added rather eloquently, “Electing Saudi Arabia as the world’s judge on human rights would be like making a pyromaniac as the town fire chief.”
And indeed, in a country like Saudi Arabia, where women are no more than commodities to be traded off, where political prisoners are subjected to abject torture, and where beheadings are commonplace, the idea that such a regime could ever be granted such a position on the world stage rings with intolerable cynicism.
Since King Salman was declared the legitimate claimant to the throne of Saudi Arabia, 85 men and women have been put to death in macabre public displays. Among the Kingdom’s latest victims was a woman suspected of mental illness named Siti Zainab Binti Duhri Rupa. She was publicly beheaded in April.
Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International, said at the time in a statement: “Imposing the death penalty and executing someone with a suspected mental illness smacks of a basic lack of humanity.” But, of course, such condemnations and calls for restraint have mainly fallen on deaf ears since the Kingdom wields the most powerful weapon of all - petrodollars.
Saudi Arabia, it appears, cannot be made to abide by international standards, since international law does not hold sway over the Kingdom. If the world has somewhat come to terms with the principles of American exceptionalism, perhaps the era of all-encompassing Saudi impunity is now at hand - Saudi Orwellianism anyone?
And even if both the US and EU insist on courting Riyadh – for its coffers are home to billions of dollars in arm deals and other lucrative investments – it would be difficult to whitewash 85 state-sanctioned murders, one unilateral war on Yemen, and a brutal religious crackdown against the Kingdom’s Shia community.
And if, as King Salman claimed, “There is no difference between citizens or regions. All citizens are equal in rights and duties,” then why are religious figureheads like Sheikh Al Nimr languishing in prison?
Is it fairness when cluster-bombs are unleashed over Yemen’s northern region of Saada where, as it so happens, Zaidi Muslims are the majority - a branch of Islam Wahhabi clerics have branded as takfir (infidels)? Is it right when children are left to starve under a Riyadh-run blockade on Yemen?
Allowing the Kingdom to head the UN Human Rights Council would quite simply equate to rewarding inhumanity, but then again, since values such as civil liberties and human rights have become the latest casualties in the Western powers’ eternal ‘war on terror’, maybe a theme is beginning to emerge.
Back in 2013, the US and EU failed to oppose Saudi Arabia’s election to the council. Let us see how they hold up before the petrodollar super-power this time around.
Catherine Shakdam for RT.
Report: Israel offered Saudi Arabia use of its Iron Dome technology
According to the report, the offer was made last week during meetings in Amman between the Saudis and the US ambassador to Jordan. A spokesman for the Jordanian government said that he was not aware of a meeting between the Saudis and the Israelis in Amman, the news outlet reported.
Saudi Arabia reportedly rejected the offer, according to the London based newspaper.
On Thursday and Friday cross border rocket attacks launched from inside Yemen killed two people in southern Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA reported on Friday.
SPA quoted a Civil Defense official in the southwestern province of Jizan as saying that a child was killed and three other children were wounded on Friday in the al-Tawal region.
A rocket attack on Thursday killed one citizen and wounded two others in al Hosn village, the agency reported earlier.
On Friday, Saudi-led coalition warplanes pounded Houthi-held military outposts on the hills overlooking the Yemeni capital Sanaa, as the eight-week military offensive aimed at ousting the rebels intensified over the weekend.
The airstrikes came as two Shi'ite mosques, one in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia and the other in Sanaa, were targeted by explosive devices and suicide bombers during Friday prayers.
Coalition fighter jets also targeted the presidential compound in the capital on Friday, where the Shi'ite rebels seized control in September.
The Saudi-led coalition of Sunni Arab nations intervened in Yemen's civil war on March 26 with an all out air assault to force the Iran-allied Houthis to retreat from territories they have seized since last year, and restore the power of exiled Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Friday's violence followed overnight airstrikes that targeted Houthi controlled military outposts of the notorious Republican Guard troops in the capital.
At least four missiles hit one of the Guard's training camps in Sanaa late Thursday (May 21) night.
The latest spike in violence comes ahead of UN sponsored Yemen peace talks to be held in Geneva on May 28.
Saudi Arabia reportedly rejected the offer, according to the London based newspaper.
On Thursday and Friday cross border rocket attacks launched from inside Yemen killed two people in southern Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA reported on Friday.
SPA quoted a Civil Defense official in the southwestern province of Jizan as saying that a child was killed and three other children were wounded on Friday in the al-Tawal region.
A rocket attack on Thursday killed one citizen and wounded two others in al Hosn village, the agency reported earlier.
On Friday, Saudi-led coalition warplanes pounded Houthi-held military outposts on the hills overlooking the Yemeni capital Sanaa, as the eight-week military offensive aimed at ousting the rebels intensified over the weekend.
The airstrikes came as two Shi'ite mosques, one in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia and the other in Sanaa, were targeted by explosive devices and suicide bombers during Friday prayers.
Coalition fighter jets also targeted the presidential compound in the capital on Friday, where the Shi'ite rebels seized control in September.
The Saudi-led coalition of Sunni Arab nations intervened in Yemen's civil war on March 26 with an all out air assault to force the Iran-allied Houthis to retreat from territories they have seized since last year, and restore the power of exiled Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Friday's violence followed overnight airstrikes that targeted Houthi controlled military outposts of the notorious Republican Guard troops in the capital.
At least four missiles hit one of the Guard's training camps in Sanaa late Thursday (May 21) night.
The latest spike in violence comes ahead of UN sponsored Yemen peace talks to be held in Geneva on May 28.
President Obama marks first Memorial Day in 14 years without major US war
After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Obama praised American soldiers for their “honor, courage, selflessness” in every war, from the Revolutionary war against Britain to the recently ended conflicts in Iraq andAfghanistan.
Ahead of the ceremony, the administration touted this as the first Memorial Day ceremony since the end of the ground war in Afghanistan, where more than 2,200 Americans died since 2001.
“This may be the first Memorial Day since the end of our war in Afghanistan, but we are acutely aware, as we speak, of our men and women in uniform, who still stand watch, still serve and still sacrifice, around the world,” Obama said.
Nearly 10,000 troops are set to remain in Afghanistan into 2016, fulfilling what the administration describes as “non-combat roles” – such as coordinating drone strikes and training Afghan security forces.
“We’ll continue to bring them home and reduce them to embassy presence by the end of next year, but Afghanistan remains a very dangerous place,” Obama said.
He honored the last two soldiers to die in the combat mission in Afghanistan, Wyatt Martin and Ramon Morris. They died when their military vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) near Kabul in December.
Obama said Martin, 22, enlisted because he was grateful for his life in Arizona, and believed it “came with an obligation to give back, to serve”. Last summer, the president said, Martin told his sister that if he died, he would die happy.
Morris, 37, was born in Jamaica and moved to Queens, New York City as a child. “Like so many proud immigrants, he was called, compelled, to enlist in the army,” Obama said.
Obama said Morris served five tours of duty, including two in Iraq. He fell in love with a fellow reservist, with whom he had a daughter.
“These two men, these two heroes, if you saw them passing on the street, you wouldn’t have known they were brothers,” Obama said. “But under this flag, in common cause, they were bonded together to secure our liberty, to keep us safe.”
The speech came after years of claims by the administration to have created a path to the end the Afghanistan war, or indeed that it was over, followed by delays in plans for troop withdrawal.
At last year’s Memorial Day ceremony, Obama said: “By the end of this year, our war in Afghanistan will finally come to end.” At the time, about 32,000 troops were in Afghanistan.
In addition to saluting Martin and Morris on Monday, Obama honored John Dawson, the first soldier to die in “the new mission” in Afghanistan. Dawson, an army medic, was shot dead in an apparent insider attack in Jalalabad.
He also gave special recognition to the soldiers who fought in the second world war, which ended 70 years ago this year.
The defense secretary, Ash Carter, also spoke, a day after his comments to CNN about Iraqi forces being to blame for recent advances by Islamic State militants caused international disquiet.
Martin Dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, spoke first. “Tomorrow when you resume life’s daily routines, think of the families who will return home, and leave their families in this sacred place,” he said.
Arlington national cemetery holds the remains of more than 400,000 US military members and their families. President John F Kennedy and his family are also buried there.
BREAKING NEWS - Blast heard in Orangi area of Karachi
The entire area rang with intense rounds of gunshots following the blast in a house located at Pareshan Chowk in Faqeer Colony area of Orangi Town.
According to SAMAA correspondent, the personnel of law-enforcement agencies took the area in security cordon.
According to sources, a suicide bomber blew himself up during a search operation in the area.
DIG Feroz Shah said the blast took place near a rangers van in Mominabad. –SAMAA
http://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/26-May-2015/blast-heard-around-golimar-karachi
له پاکستان سره د افغان چارواکو هوکړلیک حقوقي اعتبار بخښلی
د افغانستان د ولسي جرګې غړي وايي، د پاکستان له استخباراتي ادارې سره افغان حکومت له وړاندې تفاهم لیک لاسلیک کړی او حقوقي اعتبار یې ورکړی دی.
دې جرګې یاد تفاهم لیک د منلو وړ ونه باله او ټینګار یې وکړچې د ملي امنیت سلاکار، د ملي امنیت د ادارې رییس او مرستیال باید په دې اړه دوی ته وضاحت ورکړي.
د افغانستان ولسي جرګه وايي، د پاکستان له استخباراتي ادارې سره د افغان حکومت د استخباراتي اطلاعاتو تفاهم لیک د دغو هېوادونو د ملي امنیت مرستیالانو لاسلیک کړی دی.
د دې جرګې غړیو د دوشنبې ورځې په عمومي غونډه کې وویل، که څه هم دا تفاهم لیک له مخکې لاسلیک شوی او حقوقي اعتبار لري خو چارواکي باید دوی ته وضاحت ورکړي.
د خلکو استازیو وویل، چې له ای. اس. ای سره تفاهم لیک په داسې حال کې لاسلیک شوی چې ولسمشر او اجرایه رییس هم له مخکې بې خبره پريښودل شوي و او په دې کارکې ډېره ناهمغږي موجوده وه.
د ولسي جرګې د نړېوالو اړیکو د کمیسیون یوه غړي عبدالقیوم سجادي عمومي غونډې ته د تېرې ورځې د سري غونډې د رپوټ د لوستلو پرمهال د یاد تفاهم لیک د لاسلیکیدو مساله یاده کړه:
((که څه هم د ملي امنیت ریس وویل، چې دا تفاهم لیک الزامي نه دی ځکه چې رییسانو لاسلیک کړی نه دی مرستیالانو دا کار کړی.
دا چې مرستیال د خپلې ادارې په استازیتوب دا کار کړی دا مهمه نه ده چې دا تفاهم لیک الزامي دی که نه خو اصلي خبره دا ده چې دا تفاهم لیک د ادارې د مرستیال په لاسلیک سره حقوقي اعتبار خپل کړی دی.))
د ولسي جرګې د کورني امنیت کمیسیون رییس میرداد نجرابي وویل، د پاکستاني استخباراتو په لاس د افغان امنیتي منسوبینو روزنه، له جلاغوښتونکو څخه نه ملاتړ او د پاکستان دښمن د افغانستان دښمن بلل هغه مسایل دي چې له امله یې دا تفاهم لیک دوی ته د منلو وړ نه دی.
د ولسي جرګې د یادو درېیو کمیسیونونو استازیو وویل، چې افغان حکومت تراوسه پورې هم دا تفاهم نامه دوی نه ده سپارلې او تېره ورځ د ملي امنیت رییس هم له دوی سره په لیدنه کې له ځانه سره نه وه وروړې.
ولسي جرګې په داسې حال کې له ای. اس. ای سره د افغان حکومت د تفاهم لیک د لاسلیک مساله یادوي چې د ملي امنیت ادارې د یکشنبې په ورځ په یوه بیان کې د دغه تفاهم لیک وروستي کیدل او لاسلیک رد کړ.
دې ادارې وویل، چې د یاد تفاهم لیک په اړه بحث روان دی او د سیاسي او جهادي مشرانو او ملي شورا نظریات به پرې اخیستل کیږي.
د ولسي جرګې رییس عبدالرووف ابراهیمي بیا د دوشنبې ورځې د غونډې په پای کې وویل، چې له افغان ولسمشرسره یې په یوه غونډه کې دا مساله یاده کړې او هغه ژمنه کړې چې په دې برخه کې له پوره احتیاطه کار اخلي.
ښاغلي ابراهیمي وویل، د دې لپاره چې له ای. ایس. ای سره د تفاهم لیک په اړه وکیلان هم پوه شي ښه ده چې چارواکي په دې اړه عمومي غونډې ته ورشي:
((جمهور رییس وویل، چې د غونډې د ټولو ګډونوالو نظریات واوریدل او په اړه یې محتاطه یو.
هغه وویل، چې د یوې مسودې په حد کې ده او له هغې پورته څه نه دي شوي.
زما په نظر د ولسي جرګې د اهمیت په پام کې نیولو سره دا چارواکي یوه ورځ راغواړو چې موږ ته معلومات راکړي او له هغې وروسته د دغه تفاهم لیک په اړه تصمیم نیسو.))
د ولسي جرګې رییس وویل، د دې لپاره چې له پاکستان سره دا تفاهم لیک حساس دی باید په اړه یې ښکیلې خواوې له پوره غوره کار واخلي.
له ای. ایس. ای سره د معلوماتو د تبادلې تفاهم لیک په داسې حال کې لانجې زیږوي چې ځیني کارپوهان په دې اړه د بیا کتنې سپارښتنه کوي او وايي، که یې خنډونه حل نه شي کیدای شي د دغه تفاهم لیک په اساس پاکستان له تروریزم سره په ګډه مبارزه کې یوڅه مرسته وکړي.
Afghanistan - MPs Push For Nullification of NDS-ISI Agreement
Referring to comments made by the head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), a group of lawmakers on Monday expressed outrage at the possibility that the intelligence sharing agreement was never put up for discussion by the National Security Council.
In addition to frustrations about the lack of inclusive debate over the merits of the agreement prior to it being forged, MPs expressed concerns about the level of discord among leaders when it comes to the MoU. Reportedly President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and NDS Chief Rahmatullah Nabil have disagreed over a number of points in the accord.
Parliament's Internal Relations Commission, Internal Security Commission and Defense Commission were directed to review the MoU this week in the presence of the national security advisor and NDS chief.
"In short, I would say that there are serious concerns on four articles of the MoU, such as the training of military cadres, joint combat between the two spy agencies against the enemy, combating separatists alongside common borders and the issue of the Durand Line," Internal Security Commission Chair Mirdad Khan Nejrabi told TOLOnews.
MP Ali Akbar Qasimi, the deputy head of Parliament's Defense Commission, suggested that there should be legal repercussions for those who sought to arrange the MoU in secrecy. "Consultations weren't conducted on the recently signed MoU, and those pushing for the agreement to be signed were trying to keep it secret," he said on Monday. "Fortunately, the MoU was disclosed, but those who did the deal should be put on trial for treason."
Despite the NDS being a central party to the MoU, some MPs claimed the NDS chief had been shut out of the decision making around it. "The things that were recommended by the NDS chief weren't included in the MoU," Internal Security Commission deputy Abdul Hai Akhondzada said. "It was prepared in line with the demands of the National Security Council and even the Chief Executive is now is disagreement."
MP Abdul Qayoum Sajjadi called for the MoU to be redacted right away. However, Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi refused the recommendation and urged for a transparent review of the agreement with the National Security Advisor. "We must value the status of the House," Ibrahimi said. "Let the National Security Advisor come to the House and offer his answers so that we can decide in light of the answers."
But not all lawmakers were appeased, with some, such as International Relations Commission members Dawood Kalakani, who accused the House Speaker of trying to avoid a vote on the MoU. "I think the Speaker of the House made a deal with the government, because the MoU was supposed to be put up for voting today and the majority of the lawmakers were against it," he said.
The National Security Advisor, NDS chief and deputy NDS chief - who all signed the agreement with Pakistan - are expected to appear in front of Parliament soon, though no official date has been set.
#PunjabPoliceGardi - Former President Zardari condemns violence against lawyers in #Daska
Former President and Co Chairman PPP Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the use of brutal force against lawyers in Daska today resulting in the death of two lawyers terming it as reprehensive and unacceptable”.
Condemning the incident the former President also called for a thorough, expeditious and transparent investigation into the incident, fixation of responsibility and bringing to book those responsible for transgression of authority and the trigger happy response of law enforcing agencies.
It is most unfortunate that lawyers who protect citizens from violence and brute force should themselves be subjected to violence and brute force, he said.
The PPP Co-Chair said that the PPP will stand by the lawyers’ community in this hour. Spokesperson senator Farhatullah Babar said that former president also directed the Party to extend all support to the lawyers in their peaceful protest against the incident.
Praying for those those who lost their lives the former President also expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families, he said
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2015/05/25/zardari-condemns-violence-against-lawyers-in-daska/
Pakistan - 51 union councils in Balochistan at 'high risk' for polio virus
Balochistan Polio Emergency Cell in Pakistan has declared 51 union councils of the province to be at "high risk" for polio.
According to Dawn News, provincial Coordinator Emergency Cell Saifur Rehman said environmental samples of polio virus had already been found in the Quetta and Killa Abdullah districts of the province.
The World Health Organisation, Unicef and Balochistan Health Department (BHD) are formulating a strategy to launch an anti-polio campaign in the 51 "high risk" union councils, said Rehman.
BHD launched the second phase of its anti-polio campaign in different union councils of Quetta on Monday.
Pakistan's Shia Genocide - THREE SHIA HAZARA’S SHOT KILLED BY ASWJ TERRORISTS IN 2 SEPARATE INCIDENTS
Armed terrorists of notorious banned outfits shot martyred three Shia Hazara Muslims in Quetta Balochistan in two separate incidents of Shia target killing on Monday.
According to the Shiite News Correspondent , armed terrorists of Saudi-Indian funded AhleSunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and Taliban Pakistan killed Shia Hazara Man Anwaar Ali at Fatima Jinnah Road Quetta at Tea Shop and easily flee from the scene.
In second incident of Shia genocide in Quetta today (Monday, Two more Shia Hazara's Mohammad Hashim and Abdul Hakeem were shot martyred and three others were injured including a woman in a targeted attack in Quetta’s Jinnah Road area by Saudia-Indian funded terrorists of banned outfit AhleSunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ).
Though the Shiite Hazara Community staged sitin protest at Quetta and also hold the protest press conference but state machinery had failed to arrest a single terrorists Of AhleSunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and Taliban Pakistan. However, the terrorist leaders including Ramadan Mengal and others enjoyed the state security to kill their opponent sects especially Shiite Muslims in Quetta Balochistan.
Its pertaining to mention here that on April 27, three people belonging to the Hazara community were shot dead near the Mekran bus stop in Quetta’s Sattelite Town.
Sectarian violence — in particular against Shia Muslims, who make up roughly 25 per cent of Pakistan’s 200 million people — has claimed thousands of lives in the country over the past decade. The worst atrocities, however, have struck Balochistan, home to some 200,000 Shias, including the often persecuted Hazara community, according to local organisations.
The worst such attack on the Shia Hazaras took place on January 10, 2013, saw a suicide bomber blow himself up in a small snooker hall, with the overall toll close to 100.
The sources said that the Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugtti a day earlier had met with the terrorists of proscribed outfits ASWJ and Taliban in Quetta and assured them government support to perform their heinous crimes.
The question is that why the military and civil establishment remained silent on the targeted killing of Shia notables and elders in Quetta Balochistan which aims to destabilize the province and future Pakistan China economic project .. why they are not interested to take action against the ASWJ , LeJ and Taliban which links with Indian spy agency RAW and Saudi intelligence proved clearly ?
http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/pakistan/item/16270-quetta-three-shia-hazara-s-shot-killed-by-aswj-terrorists-in-2-separate-incidents
Pakistan - Dealing with the monster of extremism
The four suspects arrested for the massacre of 45 members of the Ismaili community in Karachi are reported to have also confessed killing human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud because of her campaign against the Lal Masjid cleric, Abdul Aziz. Alumni of reputable educational institutions, these young men had connections with the violent extremists in the tribal areas and shared their hatred of Shias. According to investigators, they massacred the Ismailis both out of a sectarian motive, and to create an impact at the international level of their ability to wreak terror. Many find it hard to deal with the fact that these men have good educational backgrounds and belong to well-to-do families contrary to the common image of a terrorist who is poor and usually product of a madressah. It is not a black and white issue. While speaking in Quetta on Thursday, COAS Gen Raheel Sharif correctly pointed out that "our security threats are complex, multidimensional and hybrid in character." Poverty surely is a major factor contributing to the problem since the foot soldiers and suicide bombers come from disadvantaged sections of society. The thread of sectarianism runs through most madressahs, and is closely linked to the extremist cause. The regular schools' curricula - altered by the Zia regime as part of his Islamist agenda to rule - Afghan jihad, and the State's interest in other jihadist adventures have all contributed to radicalisation in society. There is also a sense of injustice against the Wests' wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which has prompted educated young Muslims even in Western countries to join extremist causes. These factors affect different people in different ways, and hence call for a multifaceted response to the extremist challenge.
Peace and social harmony cannot be restored through military means alone. The ongoing Zarb-e-Azb is only one part of the fight against extremism. The more demanding task is reversing radicalisation, which will take both time and a strong determination on the part of the government. So far, a lot remains to be desired. True, aside from intelligence-based operations against suspected militants and their facilitators, various press reports indicate a commendable action has been under way to halt spewing of religious hatred from the pulpit, and through pamphlets and CDs. But on other issues, the government still is in a defensive rather than offensive mode as is evident from the way Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid had to beg the pardon of some religious leaders for speaking his mind about the madressah affairs. The talk of madressah reform and audit of their finances has no sign of getting translated into action. Equally important, provincial governments have yet to get enough nerve up to revise school curricula. They need to purge school books of distortions and hate content polluting impressionable minds, and introduce Islamic values of tolerance and compassion. And to promote true learning, educational institutions must encourage rational thinking and the spirit of free inquiry.