SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MIDEAST MAN OF YEAR FOR FAILURES: UK DAILY

http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/saudi-arab/item/32111-saudi-crown-prince-mideast-man-of-year-for-failures-uk-daily

An award-winning journalist has depicted Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) as the Middle East man of the year due to his policy failures in the region, saying the kingdom is today a loser on the path of isolation.

Patrick Cockburn wrote in an article for British online newspaper The Independent on Saturday that bin Salman has "embarked on ventures abroad that achieve the exact opposite of what he intended."

The young prince was appointed the first in line to the Saudi throne by his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in June. Since then, he has engaged in a string of radical economic and social projects in a bid to portray himself as “reformist." But those projects have been widely seen to be more about consolidating his personal power and less about bringing about real change to Saudi Arabia.

Prince Mohammed has been involved in an aggressive push to purge royals and businessmen critical of his policies under the banner of an “anti-corruption campaign.”

MbS "is the undoubted Middle East man of the year, but his great impact stems more from his failures than his successes," the article read.

"He is accused of being Machiavellian in clearing his way to the throne by the elimination of opponents inside and outside the royal family. But, when it comes to Saudi Arabia’s position in the world, his miscalculations remind one less of the cunning maneuvers of Machiavelli and more of the pratfalls of Inspector Clouseau," it added.

It noted that bin Salman's support for the militancy in Syria and the protracted war on Yemen has had adverse effects, leading to the victory of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and bringing at least seven million Yemenis close to starvation.

Meanwhile, the Saudi crown prince's "aggressive opposition" to Iran has increased the Islamic Republic's influence and the kingdom's feud with Qatar has driven the Persian Gulf country further into the "Iranian embrace," it added.

As for Lebanon, the kingdom's "ill-considered" pressure on Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign was apparently meant to weaken the Hezbollah resistance movement and Iran in Lebanon, but has in practice empowered both of them, the article read.

"What all these Saudi actions have in common is that they are based on a naïve presumption that 'a best-case scenario' will inevitably be achieved. There is no 'Plan B' and not much of a 'Plan A': Saudi Arabia is simply plugging into conflicts and confrontations it has no idea how to bring to an end," according to the article.

"It is Saudi Arabia – and not its rivals – that is becoming isolated. The political balance of power in the region changed to its disadvantage over the last two years."

The article further said MbS and his advisers may imagine US President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are firmly by their side, but "Saudi Arabia is learning that support from the White House these days brings fewer advantages than in the past."

"The attention span of Donald Trump is notoriously short, and his preoccupation is with domestic US politics," it said.

It also touched on the new Saudi rulers' adventurist policies and the fact that "Saudi relations with other countries used to be cautious, conservative and aimed at preserving the status quo."

"But today its behavior is zany, unpredictable and often counterproductive," it said, adding "other states in the Middle East are coming to recognize that there are winners and losers, and have no wish to be on the losing side."

http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/saudi-arab/item/32111-saudi-crown-prince-mideast-man-of-year-for-failures-uk-daily

China - Is White House-Tillerson difference over DPRK the good cop,bad cop strategy?

Are the U.S. top brass' starkly contradictory remarks on possible talks with Pyongyang merely an indication of no fundamental changes in U.S. policies or a clever double-pronged attempt to ease the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula?

Some experts seem to think it's the latter.

TILLERSON'S OLIVE BRANCH

A new note was struck when U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said earlier this month that the United Stateswishes to engage in unconditional talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), whenever Pyongyang is ready.

"We're ready to have the first meeting without precondition," Tillerson said at a forum. "Let's just meet...we can talk about the weather if you want.... But can we at least sit down and see each other face to face? And then we can begin to lay out a map, a roadmap of what we might be willing to work towards." However, he did not veer off entirely from the official line, saying it would be difficult to talk if in the middle of the dialogue Pyongyang decided to conduct another nuclear test.

"We've got to have a period of quiet or it's going to be very difficult to have productive discussions," he said.

His comments triggered a response from White HousePress Secretary Sarah Sanders, who said U.S. President Donald Trump's views on the DPRK issue have not changed. Pyongyang is "acting in an unsafe way not only toward Japan, China and South Korea, but the entire world," she said. White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Wednesday that denuclearization is "the only viable objective" on the Korean Peninsula and talks with Pyongyang "won't be an end in themselves."

The United States will not relieve any pressure on Pyongyang or cave in to any demands for pay-offs, he said.

GOOD COP, BAD COP?

But some analysts see some alignment in the seemingly contradictory stands. "At best, the divide between President Trump and Secretary Tillerson reflects a strategy of good cop, bad cop where the State Department and diplomats will continue to pursue peaceful means to resolve the conflict while President Trump's rhetoric steps up the pressure on the DPRK," Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua.

"At worst, it reflects a fundamental disconnect between the President and the U.S. chief diplomat. I imagine that the circumstances are somewhere in between, but closer to the best-case scenario," he said.

Many in the President's national security team understand how destructive a conflict with Pyongyang can be, he added.

Troy Stangarone, senior director at the Korea Economic Institute, told Xinhua that Tillerson was trying to find a way to engage the DPRK as part of an ongoing effort to find a way to resolve the situation peacefully. He thought Tillerson was proposing to meet to begin a bilateral dialogue instead of negotiations. "In that sense, Tillerson's proposal is not inconsistent with the White House comments that negotiations need to be about denuclearization," he said.

Speaking of the influence Tillerson's announcement might have, he said the ultimate impact will depend more on Pyongyang's willingness to talk. The fact that Trump was supportive of the recent trip to Pyongyang by Jeffrey Feltman, UN under-secretary-general for political affairs, indicated he is open to finding a way to resolve the DPRK issue through dialogue, Stangarone said.

MOUNTING CALLS FOR TALKS

Meanwhile, there are growing calls in the U.S. political and academic circles for direct talks with the DPRK, which many say is the only way to solve the nuclear deadlock. William Perry, a former U.S. defense secretary, said Tillerson's remarks on unconditional talks with the DPRK were very encouraging.

"We must find a way to come to the table in order to de-escalate the volatile situation," he tweeted.

Michael J. Green, a National Security Council official in the George W. Bush administration, said some communication and consultation with Pyongyang was appropriate.

Music Video - Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

Warren and Sanders pen NY Times op-ed: 'Who Is Congress Really Serving?'

By ELIZABETH WARREN and BERNIE SANDERS 


 Over the past year, Republicans have made their priorities clear. Their effort to repeal Obamacare would have left tens of millions of people without health insurance. Now Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, wants to ram through an enormous tax giveaway to the wealthy before seating Doug Jones, Alabama’s newly elected Democratic senator.

The Republican agenda on health care and taxes may be popular with wealthy campaign donors, but it is widely disliked by the American people. It’s no wonder why. Despite a booming stock market and record corporate profits, workers in this country are being squeezed by flat wages, soaring household expenses and declining savings. They want Washington to start working for them and to spend tax dollars investing in our future — not bankrupting it.

With a government funding deadline looming on Friday, congressional Republicans face a choice. Will they spend this week just trying to deliver partisan tax breaks for the rich? Or will they work with Democrats to pass a budget that supports working people?

Right now Congress’s to-do list is long. Before we even get to the budget, we must take care of several urgent, overdue responsibilities that Republicans have ignored. We must fulfill our promise to 800,000 Dreamers — aspiring young Americans who will lose their legal immigration status if we don’t act. We also need to renew expired funding for community health centers and the Children’s Health Insurance Program so that tens of millions of families and nine million children don’t lose access to affordable health care.

These are basic responsibilities and they cannot wait. But our vision is bigger. We must look beyond the bare minimum, to stop lurching from crisis to crisis trying desperately to keep the lights on. This is the moment to focus on our core values and to carefully choose what we will invest in. At a time when the American economy is rigged in favor of the rich and giant corporations, the coming federal funding bill is a chance to show that our country still respects hard work. We recognize that we cannot do everything we’d like to do before the end of the year, but there is room in the budget to take real, immediate steps in this direction — by easing household costs for working parents and students, by protecting workers’ pensions and Social Security, and by improving access to health care for veterans and for people who need mental health services.

Over the past generation, the costs of child care have jumped nearly 1,000 percent. That puts a lot of financial pressure on working parents, and it forces many to make difficult compromises on the quality of care they can afford. If Congress doubles federal support for child care in this year’s spending bill, we could guarantee high-quality care for nearly a quarter of a million more children. Student loan debt is another major burden for many people, including those in lower-paying public service jobs, like teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, social workers and military personnel. Ten years ago, Congress created a program to help wipe out student loan debt for these public servants, hoping it would encourage more people to give back to their communities. But because of failures in student loan servicing and a lot of bureaucratic nonsense, many might not get the forgiveness they’ve earned. Congress can easily fix this in the funding bill and help tens of thousands of people.

To strengthen Americans’ economic security, it’s not enough to reduce basic expenses. We must also protect retirement — and that means pensions and Social Security. It was Wall Street greed that made our economy crash in 2008, not America’s truckers, warehouse workers, retirees and widows. But as a consequence of that crash, the pension funds of many workers are now on the brink of failure. Congress can use this funding bill to shore up these retirement plans and make sure nearly 1.5 million American workers aren’t left holding the bag for Wall Street’s mistakes.

For millions of others, Social Security is a lifeline in retirement. But many older people and Americans with disabilities are now struggling to get their benefits because budget cuts have forced the agency running Social Security to cut thousands of jobs and close 64 field offices since 2010. Congress should restore funding to the agency and help fill the gaps in service so that people can get the benefits they have earned.

This year’s debate over Obamacare was a powerful reminder about the enormous economic burden posed by health care in America. We must keep working to protect the availability of critical, affordable health care for families. This is a huge task, but there are a couple of specific, obvious ways we can make a difference right now in the federal budget. Mental health care is one. Half of all Americans will experience addiction or a mental health problem in their lifetime. These problems can devastate families emotionally and financially, especially without treatment. The federal government has several programs that support mental health services, but we’re just not doing enough to ensure people get the care they need.

More mental health care is also critical to fighting the opioid epidemic, which is raging across the country without regard to politics — devastating workers and families in our home states of Massachusetts and Vermont, but also in Senator McConnell’s Kentucky. If Congress doubled its funding for key mental health priorities, an extra billion dollars would go to programs that now help support treatment for more than seven million people. We can also protect and improve health care for America’s veterans. Our service members risked their lives to defend us all — and there is no excuse for nickel-and-diming their health and long-term care. Congress should protect the ability of the Veterans Affairs department to employ thousands of doctors and nurses and to build and maintain extended-care centers for our veterans.

The task in front of Congress over the coming week boils down to a basic question: Does Washington work for all of us or just for those at the top? Congress has a chance, right now, to take steps that will make life a bit better for millions of working people immediately and in the years to come. We should seize it.

Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) is a Democratic senator from Massachusetts; Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) is an independent senator from Vermont.

Video Report - Sen. Sanders: "We're seeing a massive attack on the middle class"

Video Report - Elizabeth Warren's Emotional Story On Raising Children And Working

Video Report - Derailed Amtrak train dangles over highway in Washington

Music Video - Mere Sapno Ki Rani - Aradhana - Rajesh Khanna & Sharmila Tagore

Opinion: Pakistan's ignominious surrender to Islamists

By Shamil Shams

November 27 will be remembered as a "black day" in Pakistan – a day when religious hardliners forced the entire state to surrender over a blasphemy row. And the military sided with Islamists, writes DW's Shamil Shams.

The resignation of Pakistan's Law Minister Zahid Hamid didn't come as a surprise. The government's crackdown on Islamist protesters on Saturday was a disaster as violence broke out, not only in the capital Islamabad, but in many other parts of the country.

Supporters of the Tehreek-i-Labaik Islamist party — a Barelvi sect outfit — and its firebrand leader, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, were adamant they would not end their Islamabad siege until the law minister stepped down. For three weeks, they blocked the main street connecting the capital city to Rawalpindi. Islamabad was practically under an Islamist siege and the standoff was causing immense problems for residents.

The civilian government's action against the protesters came at the order of Pakistan's Supreme Court – and this was after much reluctance and deliberation.

Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan, and Islamic groups have the street power to paralyze the country. So when the police operation couldn't break up the Islamabad blockade and disperse Islamists, the government ordered the military to assist with the operation. But army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa "advised" Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to deal with protesters "peacefully" and engage in political dialogue.

The army, which political analysts believe is the most powerful institution in Pakistan, also reportedly said they would not intervene in the violent situation as they could not use force against their "own people." It was a hint, an indirect message to the government that the army would not side with them in confronting religious extremists.

After these developments on Sunday, it was pretty clear that the only option for the civilian government was to surrender to Islamists. This happened on Monday.

Breaking under pressure 

The government could have asked Law Minister Zahid Hamid to step down on November 8, when the Islamist sit-in started. It vowed it would not bow down to extremists' pressure. That resolve rightfully received applause from the country's liberals. But if the government had to give in after three weeks since the implementation of blockade, after causing huge problems for citizens all the while, why didn't it do so already on November 8?

The government probably underestimated the situation. After all, the wording controversy didn't seem to be a big issue, and from the Western perspective, it wasn't an issue at all.

The controversy erupted in October, when the government amended electoral laws, including the wording for the swearing-in of lawmakers, who are required to recognize the Prophet Muhammad as God's final prophet.

After protests from religious groups, the government restored the oath in its original form, which was seen as more legally binding. But that did not satisfy the demonstrators. Cleric Rizvi insisted he would not end the protest camp until the law minister, who was responsible for electoral reforms, tendered his resignation.

Authorities kept giving space to cleric Rizvi and his supporters until Friday. And finally, on November 27, they surrendered the entire state to them. Hamid's resignation is not only shameful, it is also frightening.

'Our own people'

The authorities have proven that Islamists are stronger than the state itself — by striking a deal with Islamists over the "finality" of the Prophet Muhammad issue, over an unproven blasphemy allegation, over an issue as small as the wording of an oath, which the parliament "rectified" almost immediately.

It seems that a handful of religious hardliners can make lawmakers alter laws according to their interpretation of Shariah. They have proven that they do not need electoral success in Pakistan and that they don't need to sit in parliament to make laws and govern the country.

Some say that religious fundamentalists are in fact Pakistan's real rulers. They can control the state machinery from the streets. And considering that Pakistan's most powerful institution, the army, considers them as their "own people," there is probably no need for an elected government anyway.

Pakistan's liberal activists and progressives are perturbed. What did the military, as reported in local media, mean by "own people?" Does it mean that the people in the western Baluchistan province, in the country's northern belt near Afghanistan, secular political activists in Karachi and liberal bloggersare not to be considered as Pakistani citizens? 

After all, the Pakistani army is engaged in military operations in Baluchistan and northern areas. International rights organizations accuse the military of committing grave human rights violations against their "own people" in these areas. Pakistani rights groups allege the military's intelligence agencies abduct secular bloggers. The military denies these allegations though, and it has the right to do so.

Or does that mean that Islamists are "strategic assets" that the military establishment allegedly uses to keep the civilian government under pressure and as proxy jihadists to be used in Afghanistan and India?

• PAKISTAN PARALYZED BY ISLAMIST PROTESTS

  Nationwide protests and clashes

  There have been several fatalities and scores of people have been injured in clashes between the protesters and security forces in Islamabad on Saturday. In the southern city Karachi at least 27 people were injured in clashes. Protests also led to the closure of a main road in Lahore. The developments have paralyzed everyday life major cities with violence erupting in 9 cities across the country.

123456

What is clear is that the past three weeks have brought more global disrepute to Pakistan. The international community closely observed the siege and the government's decision to surrender to Islamists in the name of "political dialogue" to settle the dispute. 

The country is already experiencing political turmoil, with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif facing a corruption trial. He was ousted in July by the Supreme Court. Many political commentators dubbed it a "judicial coup" against Sharif at the behest of military generals.

While Sharif was in power (his party is still in power), there was at least some semblance of progress in the country. There was a popular civilian prime minister at the helm, who wanted to assert his authority over the military and mend ties with India and Afghanistan. Now the government does not even have the authority to restore order in the capital.

A dark era for Pakistan? 

The Islamist victory is also Nawaz Sharif's defeat. Khadim Hussain Rizvi's power base is in Punjab province, which has been the Sharifs' political stronghold since the 1980s. While opposition politician Imran Khan is clearly siding with Islamic parties, Tehreek-i-Labaik party's Rizvi has seen his popularity rise in the past few months. In September, Rizvi entered mainstream politics and, to the surprise of political observers, won more than 7,000 votes in a Lahore by-election for the seat vacated by Sharif.

It's a fearful situation not only for religious minorities but also for the majority Muslims, who believe in the "finality" of the Prophet Muhammad. Pakistan has entered an era in which a bunch of religious hardliners will have more power to dictate their decisions - from what is Islamic to what is not; and who is an infidel, a blasphemer, a sinner, a Western agent. Pakistani Islamists have demonstrated that they are the state now.

Pakistan - Perspective: Half-truths about Jinnah

By Yasser Latif Hamdani

I apologies to the readers for bombarding them with articles on Jinnah in recent weeks but this is because there is another effort underway to distort whatever remains of the memory of our founding father. As long as one can write, one will attempt to counter the lies and myths being created about Jinnah. It is the clearest duty on my part as a citizen of this country and I have no intention to forfeit that.

It all started last week with a popular anchor, Hamid Mir, claiming in his column in an Urdu newspaper that Jinnah did not consider Ahmadis as Muslims. It was soon followed by another so called historian Dr Safdar Mahmood claiming that Ahmadis were not allowed to join the Muslim League being non-Muslims and that Sir Zafrullah Khan was inducted in the Cabinet as a minority. These are both patently false claims. It is extraordinary that these two men have contributed to construct a faux narrative, which flies in the face of facts. Dr Safdar Mahmood is known for taking liberties with facts. He once tried to prove that Jinnah, a Khoja Shia, became a Deobandi later in his life. Ironically there are many in this country who take these lies as the gospel truth.

Admittedly Pakistan’s National Assembly declared Ahmadis Non-Muslim in 1974 but to impute this decision to Quaid-e-Azam who died in 1948 is a travesty especially given that all primary source evidence to the contrary. On 23 May 1944 Jinnah declared in Srinagar:

“A vexed question was put to me : ‘Among Muslims who can become a member of Muslim Conference?’ and this question was particularly in reference to Qadianis. My answer was that so far as the constitution of the All- India Muslim League was concerned, it is laid down there that any Muslim, irrespective of his creed or sect, if he wishes to join the All- India Muslim League, he can do so, provided he accepts the creed, policy and programme of the All-India Muslim League and signs the form of membership and pays his subscription of two annas. I would appeal to Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir not to raise any sectarian issues, but to organise the Musalmans and bring them on one platform and under one flag.” (Speeches and Writings of Mr Jinnah, Jamiluddin Ahmad (ed.); Vol. I; p. 148).

Answering a follow up question in the same press conference asked by one Muhammad Sabir, Jinnah said “who am I declare someone a Non-Muslim, if he professes to be a Muslim?”

Similarly Dawn reported on Pir Akbar Ali MLA’s interview with Jinnah in 1944:

“Mr M A Jinnah was pleased to assure him that according to the latest constitution, there was no bar to members of the Ahmadia Community joining the Muslim League and that as members of the League they would be entitled to such privileges as enjoyed by members of other various sects of Muslims.” This news report is there in the 1944 archives of Dawn and was reproduced by Dawn as part of its 70 years ago section. Dawn was Jinnah’s own paper and was the mouthpiece of the Muslim League.

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam asked Jinnah to turn out Ahmadis from the League but Jinnah refused to. Dr Ayesha Jalal, the world renowned authority on Jinnah, writes: “But the more controversial demand, and one Jinnah wisely resisted, was that provincial assembly candidates taking the League oath should vow to expel the Ahmadis from the Muslim community. A courageous stand to have taken, it reflects Jinnah’s understanding of constitutional law and the imperatives of citizenship in a modern state… He saw no reason to strip the Ahmadis of their Muslim identity simply on account of a doctrinal dispute.” (Self and Sovereignty, Ayesha Jalal, Page 375). Jinnah had long-standing ties with the Ahmadi community and had visited their center in London during his self-imposed exile. Moreover, himself hailing from a minority sect within Islam, Jinnah understood that this kind of exclusion would open the door for chaos.

As for Dr Safdar Mahmood’s preposterous claim that Sir Zafrullah Khan was inducted in the Cabinet as a Non-Muslim minority. This is again patently false. Perhaps Dr Mahmood does not know who represented the Muslim League before the boundary commission hearings. Jinnah had as early 1939 declared in a speech in the Indian legislature on 22nd March 1939, “Before proceeding further, I wish to record my sense of appreciation and if I say so, coming from my party the Honourable Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, who is a Muslim and it may be said that I am flattering my own son, But I must endorse there is not the slightest doubt that he has done his very best.” (Official Reports Volume #3 Page No. 3892). It is clear that Jinnah considered Zafrullah Khan as an able Muslim to represent the Muslim interests best.

Constitutionally Ahmadis were declared Non-Muslim in 1974. I am not an Ahmadi but this encroachment on to the right to self identify by our parliament has always bothered me as a citizen. Nevertheless, we are told that the matter is a past and closed transaction. Why then are these gentlemen in the Urdu press now to distort history by lying about Jinnah in this manner? I understand that you want to justify your constitutionally enabled bigotry but must you sully the founding father in the process. Our founding father was no bigot. He believed in religious freedom and the right to self identify. Pakistan of today does not bear any resemblance to the state he envisioned. My advice to those with a penchant to distort history is to give it up and let Jinnah rest in peace.

http://timesofahmad.blogspot.com/2017/12/perspective-half-truths-about-jinnah.html#more

Pakistan's New anti-Soros Campaign Boosts Its anti-Semitic, Conspiracy Theory-Infested Political Culture

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid

When blaming a Jewish conspiracy is Pakistan's common explanation for every fiasco, there should be no surprise that George Soros is Karachi's latest target

There’s a chance that Pakistan Interior Ministry’s decision to shut down the Open Society Foundations, a charity founded by hedge fund billionaire and philanthropist George Soros, could’ve been influenced by the surge of the anti-liberal anti-Soros wave in the West.

But it could just as easily - perhaps more likely – to have been a knee-jerk reaction by ministry officials late to discovering the Jewish identity of the charity’s founder, without any clear intention to jump aboard the anti-Soros bandwagon that's making its way through eastern and central Europe, as well as the U.S. and Israel. The ministry itself has failed to provide a rationale for its decision.

Considering that anti-Jewish sentiments are already on a periodic spike in Pakistan, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem, shutting down the Soros Foundation couldn’t have been better timed, with a considerable number of political brownie points up for grabs.

Pakistani politicians have always deemed ‘foreign conspirators’ and Jews synonymous, and any differentiation has always been considered superfluous.

Thus behind every conspiracy, every attempt to contaminate Pakistani society and its proper governing – Jewish agents, or Israel’s tentacles, or a mixture of both.

This is because while analysts see the rise of the anti-Soros phenomenon in the West as a reincarnation of old anti-Semitic tropes about nefarious Jewish financial and social engineering designs, this kind of conspiracist thinking about Jews have never left the Pakistani ethos  - so it's more a question of continual peaking rather than resurfacing. In other words, anti-Semitism is a feature, not a bug, of Pakistani politics.


Even so, touting them as conspiracy theories doesn’t quite do justice to how deeply entrenched anti-Jewish sentiments are in Pakistan.

Last Friday, for instance, in expectation of the Supreme Court verdict on Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), the main opposition party in the country, the Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb accused Khan of being "funded by Jews and Hindus."

The PTI chairman has long been condemned for being paid by a "Jewish lobby", a less-than-oblique reference to his first marriage to Jemima Goldsmith, who, despite converting to Islam and divorcing Khan, continues to be targeted by the rivals of the cricketer-turned-politician.

That constant assault on Khan has led to the charge that Pakistan is a state without Jews where anti-Semitism flourishes.

Considering it was Jemima Goldsmith’s own tracking down of 15-year-old bank statements that saved Khan from money laundering charges last week, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders are sure to continue to play the ‘Jew and Hindu’ card leading up to the general elections next year.

The conflation of these two religious communities is rooted in the idea of ‘Hindu India’ and ‘Jewish Israel’ being perpetual enemies of ‘Muslim Pakistan’.

For many, the conspiracy was exposed when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this July, resulting in the coming together of two ‘anti-Muslim’ leaders being interpreted as a joint declaration of "nuclear war against Pakistan and Islam."

While the prevailing anti-Hindu bigotry is rooted in the legacy of the violent Indo-Pakistani Partition, and Pakistan’s need to justify its creation, the ubiquitous anti-Semitism in the country has Islamist roots. A literalist reading of the Islamic scriptures serves as a justification for espousing violent anti-Jewish sentiments, a characteristic of jihadism.

These fundamentalists take the Quran’s warnings against yahoodo nisara (Jews and Christians) at face value to perpetuate violence against Pakistan's Christian minority as well, such as Sunday’s church bombing in Quetta or the Easter attack last year in a children’s park in Lahore.

Even though alternative viewpoints offer to interpret those anti-Jewish verses in a different, contextualized light, those efforts are focused on confronting the West's Islamophobes rather than calling out the widespread, popular belief of many Muslims, not least in Pakistan, in these literal interpretations.

This has meant that Pakistan, with a registered Jewish population of precisely one person, where both the left and right wings perpetuate anti-Semitism through quasi 'anti-colonialism' and Islamism respectively, remains ripe for political point-scoring through perpetuating anti-Jewish bigotry.

It is for that precise reason that the Pakistani government has politicized the NGOs working in the country, accusing many of being "U.S., Indian and Israeli" agents plotting the destruction of Pakistan.

Pakistan banned a dozen NGOs working on women’s rights in January this year, while Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was asked to shut down medical activities in September.

Pakistan’s recent phobia of NGOs originates in Save the Children "being used by the CIA" to hunt down Osama bin Laden back in 2011, prompting the charity’s expulsion from the country.

Shakil Afridi, the doctor who allegedly cooperated with the CIA in tracking down bin Laden, remains in jail after almost seven years, officially charged with treason for assisting the U.S. He's also been accused – among others – of being an "Israeli agent" who is "responsible for polio" in Pakistan.


While bigoted conspiracy theories remain the mask for Pakistan’s action against the NGOs, another reason why the state has sprung into action against charity groups is that they underscore the incompetence of the government.

And so, while the Open Society Foundation, which began working in Pakistan after the devastating 2005 earthquake, will be shunned as a "Jewish agent", its $37.8 million-worth of funding dedicated to education, human rights, justice, free speech and government transparency, will simultaneously be binned as ‘anti-state’ activities.

This would allow the embattled ruling party to take credit for "saving Pakistan" from the "nefarious designs" of outsider "cunning Jews" (the usual buzzwords used in the Pakistani media and political life to refer to Jews) in the next few days, while simultaneously making anti-Semitic jibes at their domestic opposition.


read more: https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.829436

'Illegal and primitive': Pakistan expels foreign aid groups in droves

Haroon Janjua

Warnings of negative impact on ordinary people and damage to Pakistan’s international standing as 29 organisations are given two months to leave.

The Pakistani government has ordered a number of foreign charities and rights groups to close down their operations and leave the country by the end of January.

Over the past few days, the interior ministry has sent letters to 29 major international non-government organisations (INGOs), including Action Aid and Marie Stopes, telling them to shut their offices and leave within 60 days.

Pakistan has toughened its stance towards local and foreign aid groups in recent years by announcing a strict registration policy for organisations to operate and raise funds in the country. The move followed numerous allegations linking charitable work to espionage and anti-government activities.

Two years ago, Pakistan shut down Save the Children’s offices in the capital, Islamabad, accusing the charity of involvement in the CIA operation to capture Osama bin Laden, the late al-Qaida leader. Last month, the last of three medical facilities run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan was forcibly closed down.

The latest move has triggered a scramble for clarification among international organisations in the country, according to Saba Khattak, executive director of the Open Society Foundations Pakistan office. “We obviously find what has happened both disappointing and surprising,” said Khattak.

The interior ministry spokesperson, Yasir Shakeel, said organisations that have been denied registration have the right to appeal within 90 days.

“Interior minister Ahsan Iqbal has directed that there should be no hurdles for authentic INGOs who are playing an important role in the development sector,” said Shakeel. “However, all INGOs operating in Pakistan should respect the laws of the country.” One Action Aid official, who did not want to be named, said: “Closing down all the projects in 60 days is impossible. We want to know on what basis the government is asking us to shut down our offices.

“The issue of concern here is the employment of our hundreds of workers in Pakistan. Our organisation is serving the people of Pakistan and [is] not involved in disrespecting Pakistan.”

Mohammad Tahseen, of the Pakistan Civil Society Forum, said: “It is an illegal and a primitive way to expel INGOs from Pakistan.

“The majority of these INGOs are operating jointly with local groups and organisations and government should take us [local staff] on board about the security reasons, if there are any espionage issues. This act of government will portray a negative image of Pakistan globally.”

Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, also criticised the decision. He said: “The Pakistani government’s closure of international organisations without allowing these decisions to be contested shows disturbing disregard for the wellbeing of ordinary Pakistanis who benefit from them.”

Pakistan - Hepatitis C in #Punjab

THE extent of the damage caused by the hepatitis C virus is beginning to be revealed as a public health disaster that is impossible to reverse but that can be halted. Given that Pakistan has the world’s second-highest prevalence rate for hepatitis C after Egypt, it is clear that the national health services ministry has yet to demonstrate solid commitment to tackling this crisis. On Monday, a news report revealed 50,000 patients had been diagnosed with hepatitis C in Punjab over six months. Dubbed the slow, silent killer, hepatitis C can cause chronic liver disease that proceeds insidiously and can go unnoticed for decades. Because there is a cure for the virus, abandoning thousands to potential death due to poor diagnosis by untrained medical practitioners is not an option. If prices for drugs prevent large-scale provision of treatment, the government should approach global health donors — though a fairer pricing framework for drugs must be encouraged. The paucity of resources has meant that other national disease-prevention programmes are buttressed with donor funding. Similarly, public-private partnerships are needed for hepatitis. Meanwhile, because poverty fuels economic vulnerability, regulating healthcare providers will curb malpractice. And though the Punjab Hepatitis Ordinance, 2017, stipulates the enforcement of preventive measures (safe blood transfusions and dialysis etc), the overall lack of quality medical services is at the core of the crisis.

Investing resources and expertise for prevention and treatment is critical for hepatitis C. Eliminating risk factors implies ensuring implementation of health and safety mechanisms — including curtailing the use of dirty syringes, enforcing safe blood transfusions and improving the hospital-waste disposal infrastructure. Moreover, the health ministry must note that its long-standing failure to consolidate preventive strategies has left the exchequer with a hefty burden. However, certain projects spearheaded by Punjab’s health ministry are worth emulating. First, Punjab has reportedly replaced 50pc of syringes in hospitals with single-use syringes. Improving waste-control projects in Punjab, including by building 39 incinerators in health facilities, is also on the checklist. So, with the Supreme Court’s alarm at Sindh’s lax attitude towards social-service provision, including waste-disposal mechanisms, it makes good sense for the province to follow Punjab. Only when countries like ours, with few resources and high prevalence of disease, demonstrate strong political and financial commitment, can governments eliminate life-threatening illnesses. Otherwise, a potential death sentence awaits swathes of poor communities.

#Pakistan - #Quetta bleeds again

Yet another terror attack struck the capital of Balochistan on Sunday afternoon. At least nine people lost their lives while 30 received injuries in a suicide attack on the Bethel Memorial Methodist Church.

Last year, Easter celebrations had been marred by a deadly attack at Lahore’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park. The Christian community has been targeted yet again and just a few days ahead of Christmas Day.

That the terrorists have retained the ability to carry out attacks on ‘soft targets’ despite the ongoing military operation means there are flaws in the security policy that have been left unfixed. Faith-based killings would have lessened, if not completely stopped, had the government implemented the National Action Plan (NAP) in true letter and spirit. The government has clearly failed in this regard.

Several terrorist attacks have taken place in both Quetta and Peshawar in the last few months, raising questions on the effectiveness of our intelligence and investigation agencies. The country’s leadership has been claiming that militants are on the run thanks to the anti-terror operation, but it is unclear as to how they are still able to carry out such attacks if their networks have been dismantled.

COAS Qamar Bajwa stated in the aftermath of the blast that the attack in Quetta was an attempt to create ‘religious cleavage’ in the country. However, it needs to be realised by all stakeholders that for countering such attempts, it is imperative to disown the mindset that preaches hate against minorities. The groups that incite violence against minority communities are unfortunately not only given space by the government but seem to enjoy greater power than the state institutions (as was seen at Faizabad last month). What else can be expected when those baying for the blood of minorities are patronised and ‘mainstreamed’? To eradicate terror and extremism in all its forms, militant outfits of all hues should be dismantled.

It was decided by the country’s leadership after APS attack that the system of intelligence cooperation will be made more effective. Three years on, Pakistan faces the same dilemma. A lack of coordination among the agencies and between agencies and the governments is giving consistent opportunities to the militants.

It is about time serious steps are taken for improving intelligence coordination.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is losing MWs, rather than adding any to the grid

By Anwar Zeb

Power production at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s largest hydro-power station has dropped by 10 Megawatts in the last few years.

The Malakand III Hydro Power Project was installed in 2007. It is the largest of the six hydroelectric power plants in the province. Upon its induction, the project was wheeling out 81 MWs of electricity which has now come down to 71MWs.

“Soon after its launch, the plant was handed over to a private company,” explains Falak Naz Khan, the assistant manager operations, “They did not take care of the installed machinery, leading to a loss in power generation.” 

The official transfer to Alfajar-Norinco Joint Venture, a private firm, took place in 2015. The contract is valid for five years, during which the company is required to look after the plant’s operations and maintenance.

Employees at the plant blame the new caretakers for slacking. A confidential letter, seen by Geo.tv, an engineer complained to the provincial minister of energy and power in July that the contractors had not even registered with the Pakistan Engineering Council, a state institution tasked with the accreditation and regulation of engineers working in the country. It further adds that had the government run the plant itself it could have saved Rs. 420 million in operating costs.

Another operational engineer, who asked not to be named, says that a major concern is the change in the kind of lubricants used after 2015. “The product is affecting operations of three units at the station,” he says.

There are a total of 230 people working at the hydro plant on contract-basis. 

“The chief minister in 2007 promised that the project will only be outsourced for five years since there was a shortage of technical staff,” says Masood Ur Rehman, the president of a workers’ union, “After five years the staff were ensured that they would be regularized. It has been ten years since.”

But the company executives deny there is any need for concern. 

“Power generation is dependent on water flow and machinery,” explains Nabeel Tahir, the CEO at Alfajar-Norinco, “To boost efficiency we need to overhaul the system from time to time. The performance is improving and it will soon be visible.”

Imran Khan, the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf which formed the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2013, promised to construct 365 mini hydro projects in the province to add to the national grid. Rival parties say that while KP utilises its 13.5 percent share of the national electricity generation, it has not yet added a single megawatt to the grid. Now it seems, rather than adding, the KP government is further losing electricity.

Millions to congregate at Larkana to pay homage to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on her 10th martyrdom anniversary; Bilawal Bhutto Zardari briefed about arrangements

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that millions of people, workers and Jiyalas from all over Pakistan will attend the 10th martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto at Garhi Khuda Bux, Larkana on December 27.

A meeting held at Bilawal House on Monday, the PPP leaders from Sindh briefed the Chairman about the arrangements being made by the Party for the 10th martyrdom anniversary at her mausoleum. Those attended the meeting including Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah, Faryal Talpur, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Murad Ali Shah, Maula Bux Chandrio, Waqar Mehdi and Saeed Ghani.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Party has to make additional and expanded arrangements on the occasion so that people coming from nook and corner of the country face no difficulty during their political pilgrimage to the last resting place of their leader.

The PPP Chairman also said that growing popularity of the Party and its successful recent public meetings have frustrated the opponents. He said that PPP was only national level Party having roots across the country while rest are either regional or bubble parties.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reiterated that PPP will win the next general elections all over Pakistan.

https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/millions-to-congregate-at-larkana-to-pay-homage-to-shaheed-mohtarma-benazir-bhutto-on-her-10th-martyrdom-anniversary-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-briefed-about-arrangements/

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will address at eleven places in eight districts of Sindh through hologram technology

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will address at eleven places in eight districts of Sindh through hologram technology on Monday December 18, 2017.

These districts include Jacobabad, Matiari, Malir, Naushero Feroz, Larkana, Hyderabad, Sujawal and Malir.

Schedule of Chairman PPP’s hologram speeches and places are as under:

1. Jacobabad: Thul city near Nadra office Jongal Modh 5pm

2. Matiari: Odero Lal Station 6pm

3. Matiari: Matiari City 9pm

4. Malir: Korangi Baloch Footbal Stadium Sharafi Goth near Murtaza Chorangi Karachi 6:30 pm

5. Naushero Feroz: UC Fatto Bilal Taluka Moro 5:30pm

6. Naushero Feroz: Moro City 8:30pm

7. Umerkot: National Bank Chowk, Umer Kot City 6pm

8. Larkana: Main Road Bangaldero 5pm

9. Hyderabad: Civil Lines Near Gul Center Hyderabad City 6pm

10. Sujawal: Boys Degree College, Sujawal 6pm

11. Sujawal: Mirpur Bathoro 9pm

https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/