US military leader sees stark rifts with China

China and the United States remain starkly different on military issues and have a long way to go toward building a trusting relationship, the top U.S. military officer said Friday after a bumpy visit to Beijing.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he believed his talks with Chinese military leaders were "productive and generally positive." But he added that efforts to create a working military-to-military relationship are still young and so far fraught with difficulties.

"There is a long way to go," he said in a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, where he is wrapping up his Asian tour. "Differences between us are still stark."

Mullen's visit to China was the first of its kind in four years. It was intended to build on efforts to increase communications and exchanges between the two in hopes of easing growing tensions over China's growing military might and economic clout.

Mullen said he was pleased he was afforded access to his counterpart, Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, and given a look at some of China's technology and bases.

But he said the visit also underscored the wide rift between the nations.

In a joint news conference during Mullen's stay in China, Chen chided the United States for pouring too much money into its military in a time of economic stress. He suggested that fears of a Chinese threat are overstated.

Chen, who visited the U.S. in May, stressed that China remains well behind the United States in military capability and said its military growth is purely for defense.

Mullen on Friday said he was not convinced.

"It's too early to say where China is going with all of this," he said. "They say it's defensive. We'll see."

Mullen also said the activities of the Chinese, particularly regarding freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, have served to fuel concerns over its ultimate intentions, which he said remain opaque.

Over the past year, China has seen a flare-up in territorial spats with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam and seen its relations strained with South Korea — all of which have turned to Washington for support.

Mullen said Washington is also concerned about developments in Chinese missile technology, its activities in the cyber world, and its military satellite capabilities.

He stressed, however, that the United States is not going to withdraw from the region.

"As I told the Chinese, the United States isn't going away," he said. "We've operated in the South China Sea for many decades, and we will continue to do that."

Why China will rise peacefully under Communist Party leadership?

The Communist Party of China developed the important strategy of a peaceful rise after the country's economy entered a period of rapid growth, thanks to the introduction of the Reform and Open Door Policy.

The Party developed the strategy of a peaceful rise because it grasped the pulse of the times. In the second half of the 20th century, the theme of the times gradually changed from war and revolution to peace and development. It was a significant change that exerted a far-reaching influence in the development of the world. Nowadays most countries are seeking peace, development and cooperation, and China's peaceful rise strategy is in line with the current global trend. Sun Yat-sen once said, "World progress is like a tidal wave. Those who ride it will prosper, and those who sail against it will perish."

The Party developed the strategy of a peaceful rise because it knew the general direction of the world. Like it or not, the world is becoming increasingly interdependent. A country cannot develop or achieve modernization without cooperating with the rest of the world. In order to achieve a peaceful rise, China needs to ride the wave of globalization. By carrying out reform and joining the WTO, China has made remarkable progress in the process of a peaceful rise in this increasingly globalized world.

The strategy of peaceful rise is the policy proposed by the Party based on historical experience.

Western powers launched unscrupulous plunder and expansion worldwide over the past few centuries when they were rising, which was intensively revolted by oppressed people and oppressed nations worldwide. The colonial expansion finally failed. The peaceful rise means no expansion.

After the World War II, the Soviet Union experienced a rapid rise and embarked on the road of launching an arms race and striving for hegemony with the United States, which finally ended in failure. The Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991. The peaceful rise means no hegemony.

Two rival military blocs appeared in the context of U.S.-Soviet confrontation after the World War II ended: the Warsaw Treaty Organization and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The emergence of the two military blocs is the product of the bipolar era. However, the bipolar era has ended and the Warsaw Treaty Organization has also disintegrated. The peaceful rise means no military alliances.

China's peaceful rise is a policy put forward by the Party based on taking into account the fundamental interests of both the Chinese nation and the people of the world. What is the goal of the Chinese people and the people of the world after the world entered into the 21st century? It is to build a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity. Peace and prosperity are an eternal dream for mankind that could not be achieved in the past. However, the possibility of fulfilling the dream has been emerging since the start of the 21st century. The rise of a group of developing countries around the world means that there will be considerable improvement in the livelihood of billions of people and the possibility of their leading decent lives will be no longer a dream.

Certainly, a significant part of people around the world are still trapped in hunger and poverty, but the progress and expansion of the tide of peace, development and cooperation will raise the potential for building a world of lasting peace and common prosperity. China's peaceful rise means that China serves as a major force in promoting peace, development and cooperation.

China's peaceful rise is not a slogan but China's more than 30 years of practice that has proven that the path is correct and China will continue to follow the path in the future. Achieving China's peaceful rise, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the renascence of Chinese civilization will benefit both the Chinese nation and the entire world.

Barack Obama 'wants agreement on debt deal in 36 hours'

President Barack Obama has told top US lawmakers he wants agreement on the way forward towards a debt deal in 24-36 hours, according to aides.
Five consecutive days of cross-party negotiations at the White House have failed to make a breakthrough.

But Mr Obama believes a $2 trillion debt deal is possible if all sides bend a little, a Democratic official familiar with the White House talks said.

"The president made clear that a big deal remains his strong preference,'' the official said. The official said a deal of approximately $2 trillion would be possible if all sides were "willing to give a little.''

Obama will hold a news conference at 11am ET (4pm BST) on Friday and may call back lawmakers for weekend talks if he does not hear from them within 24 to 36 hours about a "plan of action'' to get to a debt ceiling deal, the official said.

The US must raise its $14.3tn (£8.9tn) debt ceiling to borrow beyond 2 August.

Afghanistan's first female military pilots arrive in US for training

www.telegraph.co.uk

Sourya Saleh and three fellow Afghan women, the first of their gender to qualify as pilots in the Afghan Army, may help change attitudes about women in their conservative Muslim homeland.

"We are going to open the door for other ladies in Afghanistan," the Afghan Army Second Lieutenant told reporters at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. "It is a big deal for us, to open this door for others. Other ladies who feel that they can't do it, we want to show them."

They will first study English at the Defense Language Institute at Lackland.

Dozens of male Afghan pilots have gone through similar training in the United States.

After six to eight months of language study, they will travel to Fort Rucker in Alabama for helicopter pilot training in the U.S. Army "Thunder Lab" program. "What a great day this is," said Col. Eric Axelbank, Commander of the 37th Training Wing, which oversees U.S. Air Force basic training at Lackland.

"This is a huge step, having female officers who will become pilots in a traditionally male dominated field."

Since the austere Taliban government was toppled by US-backed Afghan forces in 2001, women in Afghanistan have won back basic rights in education, voting and work, which the militant group considered un-Islamic.

But they face an uncertain future as Afghan and foreign leaders have embraced the idea of seeking a negotiated end to ten years of war, through talks with the Taliban. Some analysts warn that could mean a step back for women's rights.

The women pilots will among about 1,200 students at the Institute, where students from around the world learn English – the global vernacular of aviation.

Axelbank said the Afghan women will undergo the same course of study in the United States as have male Afghan pilots, along with thousands of other military personnel who have trained at Lackland over the decades.

"This is a stepping stone in the development of the Afghan military," said Col. Howard Jones III, head of the institute.

In Texas, the women will not only learn English, but also US military history and American culture.

Axelbank said 'gender integration' was a key part of the role that the women will play when they return to Afghanistan.

In addition to training pilots, the women will return to Afghanistan where they will meet men who will "for the first time find a woman who is not a relative in the role of an authority figure in their lives."

Second Lieutenant Masooma Hussani said she just wanted to get her hands on the controls of a military helicopter to fulfil a lifelong dream of being a pilot, and to show that she was capable of the job.

"I want to do it, and I want to show that I can do it," said Hussani, of Bamyan province in central Afghanistan. "It used to be that the women of Afghanistan couldn't do anything."

She said when she joined the Army, her parents were proud.

"They said I was as brave as a man," she said.

As U.S. wars wind down, drones gain new prominence

In many ways, it's the perfect weapon for a war-weary nation that suddenly finds itself on a tight budget.

Missile-armed drones are playing a greater role than ever in U.S. counter-terror operations, as President Barack Obama winds down land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Washington's focus expands to militant havens such as Somalia and Yemen where there are no U.S. troops permanently on the ground.

The CIA now operates Predator and Reaper unmanned aircraft, armed with Hellfire missiles, over at least five countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya.

The agency does not publicly acknowledge the program. The U.S. military uses drones, primarily for surveillance, in Iraq and elsewhere.

And there's every likelihood the use of drones to attack suspected anti-U.S. militants will spread further, current and former U.S. officials told Reuters.

"The CIA's role could very well expand over the coming years as the government deals with emerging terrorist threats," said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In the latest strikes, at least 48 militants were reported killed in drone attacks Monday and Tuesday in Pakistan's tribal regions.

That brought to about 260 the number of drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004, including nearly 50 this year, according to a tally kept by the New America Foundation think tank.

By far most of those drone strikes, more than 225, came after July 2008, when the United States decided on a more aggressive and unilateral pursuit of militants in Pakistan, a U.S. official said.

Analysts and former U.S. intelligence officials generally approve of the increasing reliance on drones, but warn they are not without drawbacks. Those include civilian casualties, resentment of America's warfare-from-a-distance in Pakistan and elsewhere -- and the likelihood the technology will be turned against the United States some day, they said.

"We currently have a monopoly, or effective monopoly, on armed drones," said John Nagl, a retired U.S. Army officer and president of the Center for a New American Security think tank. "This technology will spread, and it will be used against us in years to come."

COUNTER-INSURGENCY ON THE WANE?

The use of drones -- remotely piloted aircraft -- against militants began in the years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, was ramped up in President George W. Bush's final year in office and has been embraced enthusiastically by Obama.

"When threatened, we must respond with force -- but when that force can be targeted, we need not deploy large land armies overseas," Obama declared in a June 22 speech announcing a faster-than-expected withdrawal of the troops he surged into Afghanistan last year.

Obama's speech appeared to signal the end of the era of large-scale counter-insurgency campaigns, championed by a cadre of officers that included Nagl, involving tens of thousands of U.S. and allied troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The troops did more than fight. They protected civilian populations, built schools and roads, trained armies and police forces.

The White House's new counter-terrorism strategy emphasizes a lighter footprint, as advocated by Vice President Joe Biden. Combat brigades are being replaced by Special Forces strike teams, capture-and-interrogate operations -- and drones.

A senior U.S. official said Obama has made no "strategic shift" to favor using drone strikes.

"There are probably some times when they are the most appropriate tool given the nature of the target you may be going after, and there are other times when they won't be," said the official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name.

Indeed, Obama rejected an option for a drone strike to kill al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in early May, sending in a Navy SEAL team instead. In April, he authorized yet another approach, capturing a leader of the Somali militant group al Shabaab, Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, at sea and interrogating him for two months before transferring him to a U.S. prison.

Still, the official acknowledged that drones are an attractive option outside declared theaters of war, where "you want to be even more discriminating and more careful in your application" of deadly force.

That, analysts say, is precisely where the militant threat is moving, as al Qaeda's core group declines relative to affiliates like al Shabaab and Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

As the Iraq war winds down, more drones equipped for intelligence gathering and other purposes have been freed up, the senior official said. The overall U.S. drone arsenal has also increased. "It's something that in some ways is a natural evolution: as you have more assets to draw on, you tend to use them more," he said.

KILL OR CAPTURE

Paul Pillar, a Georgetown University professor and former top CIA analyst, said drones are a "more effective and better focused way" of using military force against militants.

"But ... we must bear in mind as we make each individual decision about a drone strike that the immediate positive results always have to be weighed against the potentially longer-term consequences, given how it's perceived and possible resentment," he said.

Former U.S. intelligence officials said one downside to drone strikes is the loss of potential intelligence from interrogating a suspect or finding telltale "pocket litter."

The senior U.S. official called that a false choice -- capture often isn't an option -- and also rejected criticism of civilian casualties. Drones, he said, are often more precise than other counter-terrorism weapons.

Innocent bystanders have frequently been killed in drone strikes, but such deaths appear to have dropped dramatically in recent years.

A source familiar with the program said about 30 noncombatants and 1,400 militants have been killed in Pakistan since Bush expanded drone use in July 2008. The New America Foundation analysis found the "non-militant fatality rate" dropped from about 20 percent in 2004 to 5 percent last year.

Nagl credited former defense secretary Robert Gates and Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former U.S. commander in Afghanistan, with pushing hard for better links between intelligence gathering and drone operators, resulting in more accurate strikes -- and fewer civilian casualties.

While counter-insurgency may be out of favor now, Nagl -- who emphasized that he did not back the 2003 Iraq invasion -- said the United States should not jettison those skills. "We may be done with counter-insurgency, but insurgency may not be done with us."

Both the Predator and Reaper drones are produced by the privately held General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., based in San Diego, California.

Bahraini poetess confirms torture

young Bahraini pro-democracy poetess just released from jail and placed under house arrest says she was mentally and physically tortured by male and female officers while in jail.


“They beat me [for] nine days, morning and afternoon and at night… they beat me a lot, a lot, a lot. More than one person beat me at the same time, man and woman,” said Ayat al-Qurmezi in an exclusive phone interview with Press TV on Friday.

Recounting her bitter experience while jailed by the Saudi-backed Bahraini regime, Qurmezi, hailed as 'freedom poet,' told Press TV that her interrogator and prison guards did not allow her to use a bathroom and used very offensive and derogatory language against herself and her parents.

She confirmed that her jailers also threatened to kill her and to hurt her family, adding that she was forced to make confessions, as the only way for “the king to forgive me” and to be saved from the beatings, verbal abuse and other forms of torture.

Qurmezi, however, stated that despite repeated threats by Bahraini authorities that she would be returned to jail if she speaks to any media outlets, she was not afraid and would continue to speak the words of the Bahraini people.

Al-Qurmezi was arrested on March 30 for reciting anti-government poetry in the capital of Manama's Pearl Square.

She was then charged with incitement and insulting members of the royal family and handed a one-year jail term.

On Thursday, the 20-year-old said she had faced house arrest in exchange for freedom, but vowed to continue her freedom-seeking campaign.

“And I won't be afraid because of a paper I signed,” Qurmezi said, referring to a pledge she had signed not to violate the terms of her arrest, join protests and speak to the media.

Further, her family says she was forced by her jailors to clean filthy lavatories with her bare hands.


In a popular uprising, tens of thousands of Bahraini protesters have been holding peaceful anti-regime rallies throughout the country since February, demanding an end to the rule of the Al Khalifa family.

The royals have governed the oil-rich Persian Gulf island for over 40 years with major backing from the United States, Britain and the neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Scores of people have been killed and many more arrested and tortured in prisons as part of the clampdown in the country -- a longtime US ally and home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

Afghan civilian war deaths hit record level: U.N. report

The first half of this year was the deadliest six months for civilians in Afghanistan since the decade-old war began, the country's U.N. mission said on Thursday.

Civilian deaths hit a record high, up 15 percent compared to the first half of 2010, due to roadside and suicide bombings, increased ground fighting and more deaths from air strikes.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said 1,462 civilians had been killed in conflict-related incidents. It blamed insurgents for 80 percent of those deaths -- up nearly a third on the same period last year.

"The rising tide of violence and bloodshed in the first half of 2011 brought injury and death to Afghan civilians at levels without recorded precedent in the current armed conflict," the report said, adding that plans to hand over security in parts of the country helped fuel the rise in casualties.

"Violence rose as (insurgents) sought to demonstrate that Afghan security forces could not manage security on their own."

Staffan de Mistura, special representative in Afghanistan for the U.N. Secretary-General, told a news conference the U.N. mission had been in contact with the Taliban to ask them to reduce the number of civilian deaths. He declined to comment on their response to the U.N.'s request.

Pro-government forces, including the Afghan police and army and NATO-led troops were responsible for 14 percent of civilian deaths, a drop of 9 percent. But air strikes, one of the most controversial tactics in the war, killed more people.

The mid-year report found that air strikes carried out by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were the leading cause of civilian deaths by pro-government forces, so far killing 79 civilians in 2011, up 14 percent.

Apache attack helicopters played a much more prominent role, mainly in the east and southeast of the country, said Georgette Gagnon, director of human rights at the U.N. mission.

A third of civilian deaths attributed to air strikes in 2010 were caused by those aircraft, while in the first half of 2011 they were responsible for 56 percent of air strike deaths.

ISAF said a tactical directive and guidance issued by General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in May had helped reinforce to troops the importance of reducing civilian casualties.

"The marked reduction in ISAF-caused civilian casualties since then shows true progress," said an ISAF spokeswoman.

"IMPOSSIBLE DILEMMA"

The United Nations warned the full picture of civilian deaths could be even worse, as the report did not include data from the northern region of Afghanistan between March and June, because the U.N. office was shut after it was overrun by a mob that killed seven U.N. staff.

The Taliban were not immediately able to comment on the report.

While the number of insurgent suicide attacks in Afghanistan was largely unchanged, the number of civilians they killed soared by half, the largest increase in deaths from any tactic.

Insurgents who have been squeezed in some of their traditional heartlands have tried spectacular urban attacks to underline their reach as NATO troops race to prepare Afghan forces for a security handover which begins this year.

"Suicide attacks in 2011 have become more complex, often using multiple bombers in spectacular attacks that kill many Afghan civilians," found the report.

Eight Afghan civilians and one foreigner were killed last month in an assault on Kabul's Intercontinental hotel, just days after a suicide car bomber killed at least 20 people at a hospital in remote east Afghanistan.

There were 190 targeted killings, compared to 181 in the same period of 2010. Ground combat caused more than 304 deaths, up more than a third, with 188 of those deaths attributed to insurgents, 66 to pro-government forces and 50 to crossfire.

Controversial night raids by the U.S. military, which Afghan President Hamid Karzai has criticized as inciting people to join the Taliban-led insurgency, fell slightly in the first half of 2011, accounting for 2 percent of all civilian deaths.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan also said it was concerned by the increasing use of children in the decade-long war, particularly after recording the youngest suicide bomber -- a 12-year-old who killed three civilians and injured 12 on May 1.

Saudi women challenge ban on driving

The Charter for Human Rights was adopted and proclaimed by United Nations in 1949, where equal rights were granted to every individual.

Many Muslim countries are signatory to that document. Unfortunately, a country like Saudi Arabia is violating Human Rights.

Though Saudis are known as rich producers of oil and for their remarkable developmental projects in the fields of science, technology, health and education, they failed in providing equal rights to every citizen.

Saudi Arabia is not taking human rights, particularly women rights seriously. Recently, a few women were arrested in Saudi Arabia as they were caught driving. Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.

This is a case of gender discrimination.

According to the law of nature, no one can restrict any one, as every human being has a right to express her/his views.

The women did not commit any heinous crime; they tried to do what they wanted to. If Muslim women could ride on camels 14 centuries ago, why can’t they drive a car in today’s world?

The Kingdom has contributed a lot to the world, but violating women rights has perplexed world leaders.

The law has been challenged a number of times in the past but in vain. Saudi law does not forbid women from driving, but there are some scholars who oppose women to drive.

Women in other Muslim countries are driving freely. They also work side by side with men. Saudi women today are educated and they want to live an independent life.

Women are equally contributing to the field of science, technology, education, medicine, etc. They are using Internet and are computer literate.

They are also raising their voice and are leading the world. We must respect them and their unheard voices must be supported by educated people all over the world.

France promises 1 million Euros to aid FATA health sector

France committed on Tuesday one million Euros towards health components of FATA Development Programme.

An agreement, among the FATA Secretariat, French Development Agency (AFD) and German Cooperation for Development (GIZ), was signed at the Governor’s House where Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Masood Kausar, German Ambassador Dr Michael Koch and French envoy Daniel Jouanneau attended the ceremony, according to official communiqué.

Under the agreement, the AFD will contribute one million Euros towards the health component of FATA Development Programme in the Human Resource Management and Quality Improvement Initiatives in the FATA health sector. While the GIZ, under a previously signed agreement, has been spending 6.6 million Euros in the first phase of its development programme for FATA and the AFD component of the agreement will be in support of the GIZ initiated programme.

Why Ahmed Wali Karzai was a target

The Daily Beast
Many Afghans and American militarymen believed it was only a matter of time before he would be killed. Their predictions came true on Tuesday morning when Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half brother of the Afghan president and by far the most powerful man in southern Afghanistan, was gunned down by one of his own bodyguards inside his heavily fortified home in Kandahar City. For nearly the past decade he had acted as the region’s ultimate powerbroker. His death will doubtlessly unleash a power struggle among government officials, police and military officers, narcotics smugglers and tribal chieftains who kicked back a large share of their action made possible by his patronage.

His death could bring further turmoil to the strategic region. Without his firm hand to keep all those competing interests in check, southern Afghanistan could become less stable at a time when the U.S. military was confident that its surge forces had seriously weakened the insurgency in the Taliban’s strategic heartland. Over the past 18 months American forces had killed and captured thousands of insurgents, pushing them far away from the key populated areas they had long occupied. Karzai had long been seen as a crucial U.S. ally in the region. In 2009 it was widely reported that he had been on the CIA’s payroll for years. Not only had he provided a degree of stability through his vast patronage politics, the private militia forces that he had raised for the CIA took a heavy toll on the Taliban.

But U.S. militarymen also saw him as a liability. Although never proven, Karzai, 50, was widely accused of being at the center of the southern region’s multi-billion dollar narcotics industry, a charge he vehemently denied. His brother, President Hamid Karzai, also staunchly defended his brother’s innocence. Of late AWK, as the American militarymen called him, had become almost too authoritarian and powerful for his own good. He heavily favored his own tribe, the Popalzai, to the detriment of other clans who bitterly resented his partiality. This favoritism coupled with the fact that he sat atop of a pyramid of corruption ranging from shady real estate deals, to kickbacks on construction contracts, and getting his fair share of the shakedowns of truckers and buses at police posts and bureaucratic bribes certainly helped Taliban recruiters. “He was using all his power to get money from others, and even caused us to stop a road construction project,” says one Afghan aid official who declines to be quoted because of the sensitivity of his comment. “He had guns and money and was the king of Kandahar.” In the end, he may have overplayed his hand. There clearly was growing resentment toward him in the city and province. “There’s an undercurrent of anti-AWK sentiment,” said one American officer in the region last month. “Within six months you may hear a loud ‘pop’ in the city.”

That sound came from the AK-47 of one of his down bodyguards who reportedly entered a room of his home where Karzai was meeting with tribal elders and politicians and asked him to step outside. When Karzai did, the bodyguards opened up on him, hitting him at least three times. Karzai died on his way to the Kandahar hospital.

Until then he had lived a charmed life. The Taliban had tried to kill him multiple times unsuccessfully. In May 2009 his motorcade was ambushed by gunmen firing RPGs and automatic rifles. Only one of his bodyguards was killed. Earlier that year four Taliban suicide bombers attacked Kandahar’s provincial council office, killing 13 people but Karzai had just left the building before the attack. The year before a gasoline tanker truck exploded near a building in which he was holding a meeting. He emerged unscathed but six people were killed and 40 were wounded in the blast.

Although the Taliban has claimed responsibility for his death, a senior Taliban intelligence officer who has provided The Daily Beast with reliable information in the past says he doubts the boast. “I doubt that there is a Taliban connection to Ahmed Wali’s death.” He points out that there was also friction within the family among several brothers and cousins.

Regardless of who killed him, most Taliban certainly welcome his death. “Ahmed Wali was the best U.S. friend and the Taliban’s worst enemy. He and his whole family have the blood of thousands of Taliban on their hands,” says Mullah Adam Haji, a Taliban sub-commander. “His death is very good news for us.”

But another ranking Taliban who declined to be quoted by name for security reasons says his death could be a setback for possible peace talks as a result of Karzai’s contacts with the insurgency. “He was in indirect contact with lots of Taliban,” the senior Taliban says. “His men many times visited the Taliban not for peace talks but to talk about local, tribal and social issues… I don’t think the Taliban hate Ahmed Wali as much as his brother (President Karzai,)” the insurgent adds. “So his death has collapsed a strong and high bridge that could have been used for any upcoming peace talks.”

Regardless of how he is viewed, his death will have a significant impact on the region’s stability and its prospects for peace.

Hillary Clinton:'Our partnership depends on cooperation'

The US administration Monday defended its decision to suspend $800 million of military aid to Pakistan, saying its uneasy ally needed to make a greater effort in the fight against Islamists.

"When it comes to our military assistance, we're not prepared to continue providing that at the pace that we were providing it unless and until we see certain steps taken," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

The United States was particularly "looking to improve our cooperation in counterterrorism, in counterinsurgency," she told journalists.

Nuland recalled that on May 25 Islamabad demanded that about 100 US advisers leave Pakistani soil, effectively halting military training, adding "we obviously can't do that in an environment where Pakistan has asked our trainers to go."

US President Barack Obama's chief of staff, William Daley, confirmed in a television interview on Sunday that the United States has decided to withhold almost a third of its annual $2.7 billion security assistance to Islamabad.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday the decision to suspend part of the security aid to Pakistan "does not signify a shift in policy."

"Our relationship with Pakistan is not always easy, but it's one that we consider vital to our national security and to our regional interest," she told reporters.

"That said the government of Pakistan must take certain steps and we have outlined those steps in more than one occasion to make sure that we can deliver all the military assistance."

Clinton insisted: "Our decision to pause delivery on this portion of security assistance does not signify a shift in policy, but underscores the fact that our partnership depends on cooperation that's always been the case and it must continue to do so."

Her spokeswoman, Nuland, added: "We are working together on how we can improve our relationship particularly in the categories of counterterrorism and counterintelligence."

Karzai's half-brother shot dead

The half-brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was shot dead at his home in Kandahar on Tuesday, authorities said.

Ahmed Wali Karzai, the Kandahar provincial council chief, was killed during a gathering, said provincial governor Tooryalai Wesa. He did not know a motive.

While the governor initially said a friend killed Karzai, his spokesman later clarified that the death was at the hands of a guard.

Karzai suffered bullet wounds to his head and chest, said Mohammad Dawood Farhad, the head of Kandahar Hospital.

In a meeting with a senior U.S. diplomat, Karzai once made the case that he, not the governor of Kandahar, was "the most powerful official in Kandahar and could deliver whatever is needed," according to a cable about the meeting leaked last year by WikiLeaks.

Karzai, who has been dogged by drug dealing accusations, also brought the subject up in the meeting, according to the cable.

"Unprompted, AWK (Ahmed Wali Karzai) raised allegations of his involvement in narcotics, telling the (U.S. official) that he is willing to take a polygraph anytime, anywhere to prove his innocence," the cable said.

Karzai said the drug-dealing rap is part of a campaign to discredit him, "like a spice added to a dish to make it more enticing to eat."

After a separate meeting with Karzai, a U.S. official who authored another cable wrote, "While we must deal with AWK as the head of the Provincial Council, he is widely understood to be corrupt and a narcotics trafficker. End Note."

The cable concluded: "The meeting with AWK highlights one of our major challenges in Afghanistan. How to fight corruption and connect the people to their government, when the key government officials are themselves corrupt. Given AWK's reputation for shady dealings, his recommendations for large, costly infrastructure projects should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism."

In the first cable, Karzai offers suggestions on how to stop drug dealing. "He suggested that the coalition pay mullahs to preach against heroin, which would reduce demand for poppy cultivation."

The author of the cable also wrote that Karzai "appears not to understand the level of our knowledge of his activities, and that the coalition views many of his activities as malign, particularly relating to his influence over the police."

In addition to discussions of war, drugs and Afghan politics, a comment in one of the cables also addressed an American sports landmark.

"Further emphasizing his links to the United States, AWK fondly recalled his days in Chicago as a restaurant owner close to Chicago's Wrigley Field. His restaurant was a hub for American(s) in the Midwest who had worked or lived in Afghanistan prior to the Soviet invasion," the cable read.

Kandahar’s electrical system in shambles, despite years of foreign aid

www.theglobeandmail.com
If he goes to his office, Fazal Ahmad finds dozens of fuming businessmen and turbaned village elders waiting. If he stays away, people call his cell phone at all hours of the day and night.

The refrain is always the same: Give us electricity.

Mr. Ahmad, known to everyone here as Engineer Fazal, has the thankless job of running the utility company in Kandahar province. Through years of war and then neglect under Taliban rule, he has kept the shambolic system running, however imperfectly, by patching it with just about anything he could scrounge up short of chewing gum and rubber bands.But Mr. Ahmad cannot give what he does not have. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent on stabilizing and rebuilding Afghanistan. Yet the electrical system here in the country’s second-largest city is on the verge of collapse, leaving people like Mr. Ahmad puzzled and frustrated. “First they should have paid attention to electricity,” he said. “Where there is electricity, there is life. There is security.”

It is now 10 years since the world started pouring money into Afghanistan. Much of the largesse came to Kandahar, the Taliban heartland. The largest part of the spending has been driven and delivered by the military, pushed into what commanders call “hot” areas where Taliban influence is strong and the Afghan government is weak.

The assumption, voiced by civilian agencies and the military alike, was that the more money that could be spent here, the more secure it would become.

Kandahar has seen the impact. It has new schools and rural government centres. The provincial capital has paved roads, a new set of sidewalks and some solar-powered streetlights. Irrigation canals are being repaired and village playgrounds built.

Yet the massive infusion of foreign money has not paid off in increased security, according to many aid experts. Nor has the money bought the Afghan government or the international community much love. And only now are foreign aid agencies and the military starting to take on the basic infrastructure, like Kandahar’s patched-together electricity network, rather than quick-fix projects that ate up most of the money in the past.

With last week’s withdrawal of Canadian combat forces from Afghanistan and the start of a wider withdrawal by other NATO countries, questions are being raised about the utility of spending aid money to achieve military objectives.

That formula, instead, may be counterproductive: raising unrealistic expectations, distorting the economy and fuelling corruption that further erodes Afghans’ confidence in their government.

“The assumptions of what could be done were unrealistic,” said Andrew Wilder, the director of Afghanistan and Pakistan programs at the United States Institute for Peace. “There were high expectations that development aid would have a security effect. In the end, you got neither.”

While Canada and the United States devoted hundreds of millions of dollars to Kandahar projects, much of the foreign spending in the restive province came wrapped in a

military package.

In just the last eight months, Canada’s last battle group spent $51 million from the Commander’s Contingency Fund, the discretionary money available to military officers in the field for small-scale quick-fix projects. The comparable American commanders’ fund has dispensed nearly $2.7-billion in the last eight years. While the portion spent in Kandahar has not been made public, officers here say most of it was concentrated in southern Afghanistan.

Mr. Wilder, who oversaw a study of the counterinsurgency effectiveness of such spending in several Afghan provinces, said it often had “perverse” effects.

“In a tribal society, that kind of spending exacerbates rivalries,” he said. “You could do a really good project in this one village and have a good effect, but then nine villages around it are unhappy.”

Much of the aid money also ended up in the pockets of “malign actors” and insurgent groups, he added. “Basically if you pour lots of money into a war zone with little accountability and oversight, it’s inevitably going to fuel corruption,” Mr. Wilder said. “In some cases there probably wasn’t as much corruption as was perceived to be, but everyone assumes the worst.”Local officials say that not enough of the aid money reaches Afghans and when it does, it distorts the economy and undermines the government.

According to recent report from the Provincial Reconstruction Team, the civilian wing of the coalition aid effort in Kandahar, city officials complained that foreign contractors on aid projects were poaching skilled professionals by paying salaries 15 times higher than the government can pay.

The provincial governor, Tooryalai Wesa, also blasted a $200-million aid project that had foreign consultants giving horticultural classes to Afghan farmers. With that money, the report quoted him as saying, he “could have paved the streets of Kandahar in gold.”

Late last year, the regional military command in Kandahar set up a joint civilian-military unit to start planning big-ticket infrastructure projects. With the military mission in Afghanistan set to end in just over three years and military money to fade with it, it marks a shift toward more classic development projects.

Commanders in the field still want money for quick cash-for-work schemes. “He’ll want to do something that will counter a source of instability, whether or not it makes sense development-wise,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Pierre St-Laurent, a Canadian military engineer who runs the infrastructure arm of the new unit. “Between stabilization and pure development, there’s a zone in between where we’re at right now.”

The story of Kandahar’s electricity woes is emblematic of how muddy that zone has been.

Unless they have their own generators, live in the prison or stay at the main hospital, city residents have electricity for just six hours a day, every other day. Anything from a single frayed line or a strong gust of wind takes the whole thing down at any time. Poles sag. Lines droop. Insulation is worn away. Transformers lack fuses. Diesel fuel promised by the central government in Kabul to run the old generators arrives late or not at all.

Outside the provincial capital, service is even spottier. Some small towns have generators, but most places have no electricity. One small rural area gets power from a tiny hydroelectric station built by Germany during the Second World War. Mr. Ahmad, the utility director, is particularly proud of having kept its near-antique machinery in operation.

A sustainable solution remains elusive.

Before the wars that tore Afghanistan apart, the main source of Kandahar’s electricity was hydroelectric power from the Kajaki dam in neighbouring Helmand province. The dam is nearly 60 years old now and American attempts to modernize it have been frustrated for the past seven years by contractor delays and Taliban attacks. It provides only fitful power over frayed lines.

By late last summer, amid fierce fighting in the south, the city’s chronic electricity problems were finally deemed a military emergency. As a senior Pentagon official put it, fixing the system “was an essential part of our campaign plan … to defeat the Taliban.”

Using money from their discretionary cash, American commanders brought in a new set of generators and a warehouse full of equipment to repair the city’s grid earlier this year. The commanders’ fund will also pay the annual fuel bill of $106 million for four years.

“It’s going to take years to get this done, and we can’t wait to get the pretty package,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Thomas Black, the deputy commander of the project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“You can’t say, wait and we’re going to do one big fix,” he added. “We have to look at what can we do right now.”

For Mr. Ahmad, it all represents a gift that is impossible to refuse but could be difficult to maintain. The Afghan government does not have the money for diesel fuel after the military stops paying for it.

Asked how many skilled employees he has who can run the new machinery, he answered, “Two or three.” He said he hopes to hire more, maybe some new engineering graduates. But the salary he can offer is not much more than what an illiterate teenaged police officer earns. His own salary is the equivalent of $400 a month.

Bahrainis defy Saudi-backed crackdown

Bahraini protesters have taken to the streets across the country once again, defying the Saudi-backed crackdown on peaceful demonstrations and calling for the downfall of the regime.

Bahrain's Saudi-backed security forces have clashed with anti-government protesters that demand an end to the autocratic rule of Al Khalifa regime across the tiny Persian Gulf sheikdom, Press TV sources report.

Regime forces struggled to disperse protesters who staged rallies in several areas late Sunday. The nightly clampdown came after groups of young men and women chanted slogans against the Al Khalifa family rule, calling for its ouster.

Similarly, security forces fired tear gas and live rounds on Saturday to disperse protesters in the northeastern village of Nuwaidrat, who rejected the call for talks with the government.

Anti-regime demonstrators also staged rallies in the villages of Dair and Musalla, renewing their calls for the regime to give up power.

Saudi-backed security forces have been suppressing Bahraini protesters on a daily basis since Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed military forces to the tiny country to assist the Bahraini government in its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Bahrain's main opposition group, al-Wefaq, is currently in talks with Bahraini officials as part of the so-called “national dialogue.” It agreed to participate in the talks after the government pledged to allow an independent inquiry into the violent crackdown on protesters.

But the opposition bloc is not satisfied with the process, saying participants in the dialogue do not fairly represent the entire society and those in attendance are not allowed a fair chance to speak during the sessions.

On Friday, senior Bahraini cleric Sheikh Issa Qasim ruled out negotiations with the Al Khalifa regime, calling them meaningless and accusing Manama of using ongoing reconciliation talks as an instrument to delay democratic reforms.

In February, massive protests broke out in Bahrain, with people taking to the streets and calling for a constitutional monarchy -- a demand that later turned into calls for the regime's collapse.

Scores of protesters have been killed -- many under torture -- and numerous others detained and transferred to unknown locations during the regime's brutal onslaught on dissidents.

"Bol" Box-office hit boosts Pakistani film industry

A new Pakistani movie is breaking all box-office records here, and it's doing so by focusing on issues rarely discussed openly in Pakistani society such as women's rights and sexual identity. "Bol", which means "speak" in Urdu, has offered a rare glimmer of hope for a once-flourishing.

Pakistani film industry that has been on virtual life support in recent years as Pakistani moviegoers favored Hollywood and Bollywood productions at the expense of local films. A climate of growing insecurity and the widespread availability of the latest theatrical releases in DVD format have further hurt the industry by convincing many Pakistanis to watch movies at home.

So it came as a bit of a surprise to many observers when "Bol" earned more in ticket sales in its first week than My Name Is Khan, a 2010 Bollywood movie and the record holder until now.

"Bol" owes part of its success at the box office to the large-scale marketing orchestrated by one of the leading media conglomerates in Pakistan, but its appeal is also due to its unusually candid look at subjects that remain taboo in many sectors of Pakistan's society.

"Really looking at what are the issues, I think is essential," said Salima Hashmi, the dean of the School of Visual Arts at Lahore's Beaconhouse National University and a friend of Shoaib Mansoor, the movie's director.

"It's the only thing that makes Pakistanis go to the movies." "Bol" follows the story of a Pakistani father and his struggle to reconcile his religious conservatism with the aspirations of his daughters.

Throughout the movie tension rises between him and his eldest daughter, in particular over the treatment of his only son whose uncertain sexuality causes his father's despair and wrath.

Providing education to youth a wise investment: Kausar

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar has said, providing education to youth especially in the stream of higher learning is a wise investment; a best contribution for image building of the country; a noble service to humanity and truly in line with the dreams of the Father of the Nation. Addressing as the chief guest at the 5th Convocation of Hazara University at its Main Campus in Mansehra on Sunday, the Governor further pointed out, that the purpose oriented and meaningful research activities through linkages with industries are the predominant characteristics of the modern age and there is a need to further concentrate on developing the dynamics of research and academic excellence, relevant to the modern and rapidly changing lifestyle. In all 612 graduates, 58 got gold medals for achieving distinctive positions in Genetics, Botany, Chemistry, Physics, Bio-Chemistry, Microbiology, Computer Science, Psychology, Archeology, Journalism & Mass Communication, Economics, Mathemetics, Islamiayat, English, Pushto, Urdu, Environmental Sciences, and Conservation Studies. Sahib Gul Afridi of Khyber Agency got the honour of being the first Ph.D scholar from the University in Genetics and also bagged gold medal for his distinctive position. Advisor to Prime Minister, Syed Qasim Shah, Minister of State, Sardar Shahjehan Yousaf and the provincial minister for Higher Education, Qazi Muhammad Asad Khan also attended the ceremony. Barrister Masood Kausar said, universities have been playing a decisive role for economic prosperity and social well-being of the people especially in the industrialized world and in our country too, the system of education, needs to be responsive to solve the confronting problems of life; ensure a stable society and better future for the coming generations. “There exists, tremendous expectations from the institutions of higher learning in this respect in our province too”, he remarked.In a vastly attended gathering, including heads of almost all the institutions of higher learning of the province, Barrister Masood Kausar said, “the universities should be the fountains of wisdom and the pillars of strength for the nation, and the scholars and researchers ought to provide the roadmap with clearly defined objectives for the society to achieve scientific ingenuity both as a source of power for economic prosperity and national security”. He further pointed out, ignorance and illiteracy, no doubt are the major social evils threatening the society in many ways and we need to focus on building of our universities to a level where they could contribute significantly towards sustainable development of the people and poverty alleviation. The Governor appreciated the working of the Hazara University and said that keeping in view the ground realities, its bold and courageous steps to build up its academic, administrative and research infrastructure, publication of research papers and books; carrying out collaborative research programs; holding of seminars and symposia and managing guest lectures are really the remarkable contributions. The ranking status of this University as NO.3 at the Provincial level and No.16 at the National level, he added, clearly depicts the achievement in this respect. He also assured to help in materializing the incomplete construction projects; as well as the proposed projects for its sub campuses at Haripur and Havelian.Pointing towards the graduates the Governor said that they have to prove their worth in the job market; be relevant and useful to serve Pakistan and deliver best services in the field of their specializations. ”The nation needs academically strong and creative youths to carry forward the motherland into 21st century with all its attending blessings of the modern world”, he said. Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University while welcoming the guests especially thanked the Governor for gracing the occasion despite rough weather because of torrential rains. The university, which, he said, started with seven faculty members and 57 students has now more than seven thousand students enrolled at its three campuses alongwith 290 faculty members including 65 Ph.D scholars. 25 Ph.D scholars, he added, will shortly join the campuses after completing their higher studies abroad. Three scientists of the University, he said, have been recognized productive scholars at the national level this year whereas, 125 research publications have been produced by the university.

Saleem Shahzad Commission

EDITORIAL:Daily Times

On May 31, Pakistan’s journalist community was shocked when Syed Saleem Shahzad’s body bearing torture marks was found two days after he had gone missing from Islamabad. Mr Shahzad had been voicing his concern about threats to his life from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Journalists from all over the world condemned this act of brutality. Fingers were directly pointed at the ISI for his abduction and murder. The ISI denied these charges. A judicial commission was set up at the insistence of Pakistani journalists after some dilly-dallying by the government. Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Saqib Nisar, who is heading the Saleem Shahzad Commission, met senior journalists on Saturday (July 9) to share information regarding the murder of the slain journalist with members of the commission. They have been asked to submit their written statements by Friday. Justice Saqib Nisar also voiced his concerns over lack of cooperation from people who have not responded to the public appeal made by the commission.

Military dictators have ruled Pakistan for more than 30 years of its existence. Even when there is no direct military rule, our foreign and security policies are devised by the military establishment. Because of this, the military expanded its control over the media and developed a relationship with many media personalities. We find many mouthpieces of the military establishment amidst our journalist community. Those who do not cater to the military’s views are coerced, harassed, threatened and sometimes killed. Thus blaming the ISI for Shahzad’s murder has become quite a sensitive issue. There are not many people within the journalist community or the public who are willing to come forward and risk their lives. We have seen how the military has reacted to the recent humiliation it suffered after the Abbottabad raid, Kharotabad incident, PNS Mehran attack and Saleem Shahzad’s murder. Some journalists have received veiled while others have received not-so-veiled threats from the intelligence agencies following the media’s criticism of the armed forces in light of recent events. It is for this reason that the Saleem Shahzad Commission should make sure that whosoever comes forward with evidence against the ISI, he/she should be provided with adequate security. However, the case of the missing persons does not inspire much confidence in the judiciary as it backed out from making our intelligence agencies accountable. It is hoped that this time the judiciary will not hesitate in doing its work.

Suggestions were made by some journalists at Saturday’s hearing that a media ombudsman be set up in order to hear journalists’ complaints. This is a good idea since it would be able to provide redress and relief to many journalists. Publishers and editors have failed to get the Press Council going, which only exists on paper but does not do much. Perhaps a member of the judiciary can be appointed to ensure the safety of journalists. It was also suggested that the commission should be open to public since this was not a military tribunal. This should be done so that the public knows what is going on. Journalists also called for the commission to summon spy agencies since the ISI is being accused of committing this crime. It is hoped that the Saleem Shahzad Commission will take all these suggestions seriously and make its findings public. No one, especially state institutions, should be above the law.

‘Female enrolment urged to eliminate illiteracy’

Deputy Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Khushdil Khan Advocate Friday said keeping in view the significance of education provincial government has allocated huge funds for the sector.

Stressing on the need for female education, Khushdil Khan said that female enrolment should be increased to eliminate illiteracy and deprivations from society.He stated this while addressing a land demarcation ceremony in Government Girls High School at Sorizai Payan area here.EDO Education Peshawar Gohar Khan, Naib Tehsildar Shakil Barki, Gard, Iqbal Khan, Ex-Nazim Fazal Ilahi, Arbab Najeebullah Khan, Haji Fazal Malik, Haji Janat Gul and elite of the area were present on the occasion.

Khushdil Khan said that female education was the need of the hour and the country’s development was not possible sans female development.

Pakistan regains control with 95 dead in Karachi

Pakistan announced on Saturday its troops had taken back areas of Karachi occupied by armed groups and arrested more than 100 people after political violence across the vast port city claimed 95 lives.

Four days of unrest has been blamed on political and ethnic tensions, with gunmen firing on two buses in the early hours of Friday, killing 12 people including a six-year-old girl, according to security officials.

"Our paramilitary soldiers have secured the troubled localities and hills where armed terrorists were firing on innocent people, and have restored normal life," interior minister Rehman Malik told reporters.

"We'll treat anyone who disrupts Pakistan's financial capital as a supporter of Taliban and an enemy operating against our war on terror," he said.

Home ministry spokesman Sharafuddin Memon told AFP a 12-year-old boy hit by a stray bullet in Baldia neighbourhood early Saturday was also among the dead.

"More than 100 suspects, many of them with weapons, have been arrested," Memon said, putting the death toll at 95.

Authorities said they had asked residents evacuated as the violence broke out to return home but few had responded.

"I had left my house in Qasba on Tuesday for my workplace, but could only return home now when peace has returned after four days," Abdullah Khan, 33, said.

"I am a construction labourer and support my elderly parents, wife and six children. I am happy to see my family safe but we don't know when the situation will turn difficult again."

Police and hospital officials confirmed the toll and arrests.

"We have taken control of all the affected areas," said Farooq Bilal, a spokesman for the paramilitary Rangers.

A grenade attack in southern Bhimpura neighbourhood killed two men and injured three on Saturday.

"Unknown motorcyclists threw a grenade on some shopkeepers who were trying to open their shops in Bhimpura, killing two and injuring three others," police official Mohammad Rafiq said.

Gunfire could be heard in western neighbourhoods and hospitals were still receiving casualties, witnesses said.

The violence has been blamed on loyalists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the dominant local party that represents migrants from India, and the Awami National Party (ANP) of Pashtuns from the northwest.

The latest bout of killings comes days after the MQM walked out of the federal government led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), a move which some analysts said made it harder for the government to intervene.

The worst affected areas are impoverished, heavily populated neighbourhoods in western Karachi, dotted with construction sites where armed men of different ethnicities have exchanged gunfire.

Karachi’s mini-civil war

EDITORIAL:Daily Times
For the fourth day running, Karachi remained in the grip of large scale ethnic bloodletting on Thursday. Although at the time of writing these lines the city by and large appeared deserted since markets did not open and transport was off the roads on MQM’s declared day of mourning on Friday, in the troubled areas coinciding with the well known ethnic fault lines that run through the metropolis, the sound of gunfire was almost a constant. The toll of this virtual mini-civil war is rising, with widespread dissatisfaction being voiced by Karachi’s affected citizens that the government and law enforcement agencies are conspicuous by their absence. The gunmen have abandoned individual targeted killings that had been the bane of the city even before the parting of the ways of the MQM and the PPP-led coalition and instead taken to ‘positional’ warfare and indiscriminate killings of innocent citizens on buses and even within their houses. In the absence of any meaningful response by the law enforcement agencies to halt this unfettered massacre, Karachi too is witnessing its own version of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the shape of desperate citizens being forced to abandon their homes and flee to safer areas with the minimum wherewithal to survive. For all intents and purposes, in the areas of intense fighting by means of their menacing presence, and in the rest of the city because of spreading fear, the gunmen rule the roost. It would come as no surprise if within their ranks could be counted land and drug mafias trying to take advantage of the unrest.

MQM’s day of mourning on Friday remained just that, mourning for the city of lights and the dire straits to which it has been condemned. Mercifully, the MQM postponed its planned march, which could have invited more trouble. Nevertheless, as we have said before in this space, the MQM, since leaving the government, has resorted to its time-tested usual terrorist-political tactics. It is difficult to believe that its hand is not detectable in the worst violence to wrack the city for years. That does not mean that there are not other actors who are equally to blame for the descent into open warfare along ethnic lines. The Urdu-speaking and Pashtun people of Karachi are the worst affected communities. The apprehension now is that the concentration of the violence in north-western Karachi may spill over into the rest of the city with a vengeance.

The government claims 235 perpetrators of violence arrested in the last four days. This is the result of a conscious decision not to launch a generalised operation a la the military offensive in 1992, which failed to leave any indelible mark on the circumstances of the city, but instead to gather intelligence and information and then conduct targeted operations against the miscreants. According to Federal Law Minister Maula Bux Chandio, an army action in Karachi would mean the collective failure of the political forces to manage the affairs of the country satisfactorily. He could also have added that it could pose a threat to the continuation of civilian rule once again. While Interior Minister Rehman Malik has once more dashed to Karachi to help out, promising the induction of 1,000 personnel of the Frontier Constabulary to bolster the police and Rangers in the city, the Sindh government has issued shoot on sight orders to quell the violence.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has appealed for calm and peace in Karachi, but his voice sounds more like a plaint than that of an authoritative chief executive, punctuated as the appeal is by the crackle of almost constant gunfire in the streets and alleyways of many areas of the city. In essence, the PPP’s strategy after the 2008 elections to “keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer” seems to have now run its course. It is MQM’s well known and demonstrated track record that it always resorts to the gun when it wants to dictate its own terms to rivals or the power structure. If it is unable to win the day through its habitual tactics of intimidation and at the same time anointing itself as the victim, Karachi is i

Karachi bleeds; 35 more killed

Daily Times
At least 35 more people were killed and scores of others wounded when unidentified gunmen strafed passenger buses and went on shooting sprees in several

neighbourhoods in Karachi on Friday – the forth day of continuing ethnic violence.

In a late night development, law enforcement agencies cordoned off and entered Kati Pahari area in a bid to quell terrorists after intelligence reports revealed that the Taliban were present there.

During the day, despite the deployment of Frontier Constabulary (FC), tension gripped various localities in the city’s west where gunfire reverberated and thousands of people stood stranded, short of food and too frightened to leave their houses. Relatives wept over the bodies of loved ones in morgues and hospitals on Friday. As per reports, four rockets were fired in Saeedabad and Baldia areas while unidentified attackers ridding motorbikes lobbed hand grenades at a building in Bhimpura area. One unidentified man, Hussain, Ghanchi and Maojee were killed when the attackers opened indiscriminate firing.

In Pirabad area, one Saifullah was shot dead while firing claimed the life of one Sakhiur Rehman in Qasba Colony. A passer-by, Ghaniur Rehman, was killed in another similar incident.

In Qasba area, one Akbar was shot dead while firing near Mubarak Mosque killed 19-year-old Usman and wounded Yumna, Rehan, Zaghfaran. A man, Yousuf Jinnah, was killed outside his house. In Orangi Town, Arshad Khan was mowed down while firing near a bakery in Iqbal Market killed one Iqbal and wounded his uncle Qadar. A passer-by, Rafiullah, was killed due to the firing in the limits of Sharah-e-Noor Jahan police. In North Nazimabad, one Arif Ibrahim lost his life because of unbridled firing.

In the limits of Kharadar police, Noor Muhammad got killed. A watchman, namely Abdul Qayyum, was shot dead by unidentified assailants near Bombay Bazaar. Near Miani Market, Fazlur Rehman, 28, was shot dead.

In Saeedabad area, Ayub Masih, Bismillah Khan and an unidentified man were gunned down. Twelve-year-old Shahabad received bullets at his house and later died. In the same area, Ahsan Rashid was killed.

Gunmen opened fire on four vehicles, killing two people, Dost Muhammad and Daniyal, while Lal Muhammad and Noor Ahmed sustained bullet injures.

Abid alias Baba and Ghulam Sarwar were shot dead by unidentified assassins in Model Colony and Bilal Colony, respectively.

In Nazimabad, 7-year-old Salman Siddique was shot dead. A mutilated dead body was recovered from Old Golimar area. In Aligarh Bazaar, unidentified arsonists torched a two-storey building while three shops were also set ablaze. Seven more shops and over a dozen vehicles were set on fire in various localities of the city. In a late night firing incident, Abdul Jabbar and Mir Afridi were killed in Ghousia Colony. A Jamaat-e-Islami activist, Ayub Ali, was ambushed in Lines Area. He died instantly. One passenger was killed and five others were wounded when unidentified men fired indiscriminately at a passenger bus near Hassan Square.

A dead body was recovered near Lea Market. The body is yet to be identified. Two more mutilated bodies were found in Baldia Town.

Pakistan hardly to see any change in gov't soon

Despite the political mercury shooting up in Pakistan after the country's biggest opposition party, Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PML-N), launched a campaign to unite other opposition parties against the current government, the country will hardly see any big political move or change in the government soon, analysts said.

The political circles got active when PML-N chief and two-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif announced on June 30 to unite all opposition parties on a "minimum agenda" to overthrow the current government of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led by President Asif Ali Zardari.

Sharif took this decision soon after his two-decade rival party Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), or United National Movement, quit the coalition government over some differences with the President Zardari.

Some key leaders of the PML-N were assigned tasks to make contacts with all opposition parties to oust the Zardari-led regime.

Two PML-N leaders, Ishaq Dar and party president Shahbaz Sharif, met MQM central leader Farooq Sattar in Dubai and London respectively and discussed political situation including the options to form the grand opposition alliance.

As a result of these political connections, MQM and PML-N on Wednesday agreed to work together as a joint opposition in both upper and lower houses, and in provincial assemblies to solve the key national issues.

Afghan civilians killed in NATO strike

Eight children among 14 killed in air raid in eastern Khost province In Afghanistan.


A NATO air strike has killed at least 14 civilians, including eight children, in the eastern Afghan province of Khost, local police say.

But Nato said four Taliban members had been killed in the strike and that it was investigating reports of civilian casualties.

The deadly air raid came a day after two children were reportedly killed in a separate air strike in southwest Ghazni province.

The killing of civilians by foreign troops is a major source of friction between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Western backers, and has soured the feelings of many ordinary Afghans towards foreign forces.

Earlier this year, two NATO helicopters gunned down nine Afghan boys as they collected firewood in a volatile province in northeastern Afghanistan.

The incident prompted a sharp rebuke from Karzai and a rare apology by David Petraeus, the commander of US and NATO forces. US President Barack Obama also expressed "deep regret" over the killings.

As violence has spread across the country, casualties have risen, and the United Nations said May was the deadliest month for civilians since they began keeping records four years earlier.

Life after terror monster Laden in Pakistan

A lasting solution for Balochistan

By Malik Siraj Akbar | DAWN.COM
The Balochistan solution has to be a political one rather than a ‘white-wash’ of replacing the military with a paramilitary force.

While the Chief of Army Staff General Parvez Ashfaq Kayani’s announcement to replace PA soldiers with the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) in Balochistan’s gas-rich town of Sui indicates a significant policy change on part of the military, it would be unwise to say that this is without precedent.

In the last eight years, the federal government has taken such steps to appease the Baloch but despite their goodwill, they did not translate into practical changes on the ground.

For instance, in 2004, then caretaker Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain made the first comprehensive effort to address Balochistan’s issues peacefully and constituted two parliamentary committees.

The committee headed by Senator Wasim Sajjad was tasked with compiling Balochistan’s concerns on constitutional issues such as provincial autonomy and decided on how much control the province should exercise on its natural resources. The second committee headed by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed was responsible for addressing the Baloch’s reservations on military cantonment and mega projects such as the Gwadar Port. Unfortunately, the recommendations of the parliamentary committees were never implemented.

The Pakistan Peoples Party made a similar comprehensive move in November 2009 with the unveiling of the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package in a joint session of the parliament. Two years on, no progress has been made in calming the Baloch sentiments of deprivation. The reasons are obvious by analysing the semantics only.

Firstly, there is a grand communication gap between the Baloch, the army and the federal government. All the parties involved in the conflict do not properly understand terms used from each other’s lexicons. The ambiguity of terminology has added to the issue at hand. For example, the army and the Baloch differently interpret the term “military operation”.

From Pakistan Army’s point of view, a “military operation” takes places when tanks and helicopters as well as weaponry are employed to accomplish a goal.

On the other hand, the Baloch equate extra-judicial killings, disappearances, and even the checking at check-posts with “operation”. So every time the army chief or the federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik decline any “ongoing operations” in Balochistan, the Baloch instantly cite the killing or “disappearance” of some young political workers and activists. The knee-jerk reaction by the Baloch to every government statement is: “So many Baloch were killed and many are missing, how can they deny that there is a military operation?”

In a similar vein, there is a difference in the interpretation of the term “development”. For the government, development projects means the work at Chamalong Coal mines or the establishment of cadet colleges and cantonments. On the other hand, the Baloch are sceptical of these measures and consider it a “usurpation” of Baloch resources under the umbrella of “development.”

The skepticism is not limited to semantics either. The Baloch see the army’s decision to recruit youth from Balochistan to stem the protest against “disappearances.”

The political establishment would be well advised to not rely on rhetoric and realise that a change in Balochistan can only come with a holistic approach, which means a lasting and sensible political solution.

General Kayani’s fresh announcement about pulling out the army in Sui is either because of his ignorance about the Baloch point of view or a deliberate attempt to block the way for a political settlement to the conflict. In fact, to them, the term “poj” (similar to Fauj in Urdu) includes both the army and the federal paramilitary force, the FC.

Today, the Baloch have more complaints against the FC than the army itself or the federal government. People see the FC, whose composition includes barely 10 per cent of local Baloch, as a troublemaker rather than a solution to the ragging conflict. Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani blames the FC for allegedly running a “parallel government” within the province. Ministers in his cabinet accuse the FC of sabotaging every attempt to politically reconcile with the enraged Baloch leaders. The nationalists accuse it of whisking away political activists during broad daylight from public places like universities and markets. In one such incident, hundreds of people saw the FC personnel whisking away three Baloch nationalist leaders from Turbat district two years ago. Within a couple of days, all three leaders were killed and their bodies were thrown in an abandoned area.

Thus, when General Kayani says he is going to deploy FC in Sui, it means he, in the Baloch interpretation, approves of FC’s extra-constitutional actions such as the killing of political workers, arrests and enforced disappearances.

That said, General Kayani should realise that FC is no longer the only issue in Balochistan. As the head of the country’s armed forces, he can take some of the following proposed measures as confidence building measures (CBMs), among several others, to prevent Balochistan from falling apart. First, military and paramilitary presence has to be reduced in the province. FC-controlled check posts should be removed from the heart of the district headquarters as well as the alleged underground torture cells be disbanded.

Second, only the Supreme Court should have authority to decide the fate of the missing persons. Intelligence agencies must cooperate with the Supreme Court of Pakistan and an independent investigation be conducted by the concerned parties.

Moreover, the two newly formed groups, the Baloch Musla Defai Tanzeem and Sipa-e-Shudha-e-Balochistan, which have publicly accepted responsibility for the killing of around 120 missing Baloch persons, should be exposed and brought to justice. Allegations by the Baloch of these having links with the country’s security establishment should be investigated.

It must be underscored that the army at the federal level and the Frontier Corps (FC) at the provincial level should demonstrate respect and have faith in the policies of the elected governments. They should be offered an unconditional assurance of a non-interference policy for a peaceful and political settlement of the Balochistan imbroglio.

A lasting solution for Balochistan

Jolie, Parker Hollywood's highest paid actresses

Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker , with estimated annual earnings of $30 million each, are the highest paid actresses in Hollywood, according to the Forbes.com annual list.

Jolie topped the Forbes.com list thanks to the worldwide success of her action film "Salt," which brought in $300 million, and "The Tourist," which also featured Johnny Depp and earned $280 million at the worldwide box office.

Much of Parker's hefty earnings comes from reruns of the hit television show "Sex and the City", which she starred in and produced, and earnings from the second movie which generated $290 million at the global box office.

"People may be surprised to see Sarah Jessica Parker up there but they may not realize that in addition to acting, she earns big from her perfumes and endorsement deals," said writer Dorothy Pomerantz of Forbes.com. "Also she's coming off of 'Sex and the City 2' which turned a healthy profit."

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon were not far behind in the rankings with each actress bringing home $28 million.

Aniston's film "Just Go With It" is her fourth highest earning film in the U.S.

The top 10 earning actress made a total of $218 million between May 2010 and May 2011, according to Forbes.com, which compiled the list by talking to producers, lawyers, agents and Hollywood insiders to estimate what each actress earned.

Last year's top earner, Sandra Bullock, took a 12-month break from making movies and dropped to No.9 with earning of $15 million. (Reuters)

'Al Khalifa, free prisoners then talk'

All political prisoners must be released for a national dialogue to occur between the Western-backed Bahraini regime and the opposition, an analyst says.


“If you want a dialogue, you need to start from the basis that all political prisoners need to be freed,” Raza Kazim, from the Islamic Human Rights Commission in London, said in an interview with Press TV.

The ruling regime in Bahrain has called for a fresh round of talks with the opposition after months of brutal crackdown on protesters, demanding an end to Al Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled the country for over 40 years.

Kazim believes the United States, a major influence on the government, is also persisting to push for the talks between the two sides.

However, he mocked the gesture stating that the US could have “exerted pressure” before the advancement of the popular uprising, which has now led to the regime willing to engage in dialogue.

In March, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed military forces to Bahrain to help the regime crush nationwide protests that had broke out in mid-February.

US's reason behind sending intervening forces into Bahrain was to prevent the overthrow of the Bahraini regime, which would cost the US interest dearly, he added.

HRW blasts US over Bahrain crackdown

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has lashed out at the US and its allies for ignoring violent oppression against peaceful anti-regime protesters in Bahrain.


"Bahrain has brutally punished those protesting peacefully for greater freedom and accountability while the US and other allies looked the other way," HRW's deputy Middle East director Joe Stork said.

The rights group, in a statement on Wednesday, also criticized the Bahrain government for carrying out a "campaign of violent oppression" against its citizens.

Anti-government protesters took to the streets of Bahrain on February 14, but the country's Saudi-backed forces crushed the demonstrations in a bloody crackdown in March.

"The Bahrain government, since March 2011, has been carrying out a punitive and vindictive campaign of violent repression against its own citizens," the statement said.

Bahrain Center for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization, said there are currently over 1,000 political detainees, including medical staff, inside the country.

HRW called on Bahrain "to end unlawful and incommunicado detention, to free protesters unless legitimate criminal charges can be brought against them, and to allow monitoring by independent human rights organizations."

It also said it has been prevented from working in Bahrain since April.

Memories of Taliban still haunt Pakistanis in Swat

Daily Times
It is more than two years since the Taliban roamed Pakistan’s Swat Valley with impunity and threatened to kill him, but Muhammad Karim is still scared when he remembers how they paralysed life.

“The bad days are over... they (the Taliban) are in the past now and I don’t think they will ever come back,” he said as he prepared to close up his music and video shop and rejoin his family for the evening.

It was his merchandise of popular songs and films that saw the Taliban effectively shut down his shop two and a half years ago, after the picturesque mountain valley first started to slip out of government control in July 2007. Radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah led hundreds of Taliban in sowing terror in an area once loved by holidaymakers for its balmy summers and snowy winters.

His supporters beheaded opponents, burning schools and fighting to implant a harsh brand of Islamic law.

But in April 2009, Pakistan launched a major offensive to reclaim Swat from the Taliban, along with the neighbouring districts of Buner and Lower Dir.

Heavy fighting displaced an estimated two million people, but the military declared the region back under control in summer 2009 and tentative efforts began to kick start development and revive the economy. Two years later, the army still has a heavy presence in Mingora, the main town of Swat, and commanders confirm they are preparing to create a military-run cantonment area in a bid to protect long-term stability.

“They (the Taliban) ruined my business,” Karim said. He grew so frightened of their threats for running an “un-Islamic” shop that, after watching helplessly as his sales fell by 70 percent, he closed down for several months.

“Let me tell you very frankly, I got scared after they warned me of serious consequences.”

Standing behind big wooden shelves displaying CDs and DVDs of popular Urdu, Pashto and Indian songs and movies, Karim said it had been difficult to survive. “We’re in safe hands now but one thing I’m at a loss to understand is where did the Taliban come from and where did they disappear to so quickly?”

Nowadays shops, small restaurants and cafes are open in Mingora until late at night, with little outward sign of fear.

It may look like any normal Pakistani city, with people going about their routine business and markets crowded, but heavily armed police and soldiers are still deployed in large numbers, searching vehicles and even pedestrians. “This is one big problem that we’re facing. An over presence of military and civilian police on all roads and areas has been causing lots of problems for people,” a local grocer, Zahid Iqbal, said. He wants things to be more relaxed and for the army to hand over power to a civilian administration since Mingora and other areas of Swat are now peaceful.

“Gone are the days when we used to receive threats and collect dead bodies from different areas of the city,” he said. But Major General Javed Iqbal, commander of Swat, said it would take time before the situation fully returns to normal – a mantra that army leaders have been repeating for almost two years.

“As soon as the government and the general headquarters (of the army) determine that the job is done, the army will go out of Swat and hand over administrative control to civilians,” Iqbal said. He told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on de-radicalisation in Swat that the area was experiencing a “victory of peace. A military solution was the temporary phase of a permanent solution.” The army has endorsed or organised a series of public events in Swat this year to revive tourist interest, such as a skiing competition in March and a public festival in June to showcase what is on offer.

But the rumble of violence is never far away in northwest Pakistan. On June 1 and June 3, hundreds of terrorists besieged an area in Upper Dir on the Afghan border, around 70 kilometres northeast of Swat, sparking prolonged fighting that killed at least 34 people.

Sporadic outbreaks of violence in Swat have led to fears that the Taliban who held it are regrouping elsewhere in the northwest. “Larger efforts are needed to sustain whatever we have achieved in Swat,” said Lieutenant General Asif Yasin Malik, supervising all military operations in the northwest. afp

Saudi Women Taken Into Custody For Driving

Five Saudi women have been taken into custody because they defied the men-only driving rule.

In the campaign to overthrow this law in the ultraconservative Arab kingdom, these arrests mark the first ramifications to the activists. It started about two weeks ago and has brought out dozens of women drivers.

According to Saudi-based rights activist Eman al-Nafjan, police took one woman into custody while driving in Jiddah on the Red Sea coast, and another four women accused of driving were later detained in the city. Unfortunately, there’s been no new information about these women.

“This is the first big pushback from authorities, it seems,” al-Nafjan said. “We aren’t sure what it means at this point and whether this is the start of a harder line by the government against the campaign.”

The Saudi Women for Driving, as the group is called, is out to lift the restrictions, where women can only appear in public when escorted by a male relative. It’s interesting to note that Saudi Arabia has no written law that bans women from driving. What’s keeping them off the road are fatwas (religious edicts) that are put into place by senior clerics that follow a strict brand of Islam called Wahabism.

8,000 incidents of violence against women

The year 2010 saw 8,000 incidents of violence against women in the country indicating a decrease of 6.85 per cent compared to the preceding year.

This was stated by the Aurat Foundation Resident Director Shabina Ayaz while releasing the annual report on the violence against women at a press conference here on Tuesday.

Accompanied by Deputy Resident Director Shireen Javed, she said the report was compiled under the Policy and Data Monitoring on Violence against Women Project from January-December 2010.

Unveiling the report titled ìViolence against Women in Pakistan; A qualitative review of statistics 2010,î she said incidents of violence gathered by the Aurat Foundation during this period were based on the cases reported in newspapers as mostly no first information reports (FIRs) were registered in a large number of incidents that reflected the citizen’s lack of confidence in the police.

Shabina Ayaz said violence against women may take the form of beating, torture, rape, burning, confinement, honour killings, acid-throwing crimes and women trafficking which were condemnable in any civilised society.

She said the total number of reported cases of violence against women in Pakistan were 8000 from January 1 to December 31, 2010. These were lower than the 8,548 cases reported in 2009.

“Out of the 8,000 incidents, 5,492 cases of violence were reported from Punjab, 1,652 from Sindh, 650 from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 79 from Balochistan and 127 from Islamabad. The figure in Islamabad is alarming given the smaller population and high security maintained in the capital,” she pointed out.

Of the nature of the violence, she said 2,236 women were abducted, 1,436 were murdered, 557 were killed in the name of honour, 928 were raped, 633 committed suicide, 32 women were attacked with acid and 38 were victims of stove burning.