US, NATO ceremonially end Afghan combat mission

By LYNNE O'DONNELL

The U.S. and NATO ceremonially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan on Monday, 13 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, which was in charge of combat operations, lowered its flag, formally ending its deployment.

U.S. Gen. John F. Campbell, commander of NATO and U.S. forces, said that the mission now would transition to a training and support role for Afghanistan's own security forces, which have led the fight against the Taliban insurgents since mid-2013.

"The Afghan security forces are capable," Campbell said. "They have to make some changes in the leadership which they're doing, and they have to hold people accountable."

From Jan. 1, the coalition will maintain a force of 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak around 140,000 in 2011. There are around 15,000 troops now in the country.

The mission ends as the Taliban is increasing its attacks. U.S. President Barack Obama recently allowed U.S. forces to launch operations against both Taliban and al-Qaida militants, broadening the mission of the U.S. forces that will remain in the country after the end of the year.

Violence continued Monday in the country, as suicide bombers launched an assault on a police station in southern Kandahar province. Police killed three suicide bombers, said Samim Akhplwak, the spokesman for the provincial governor. He said casualty figures were unclear.

Campbell said that Afghan security forces, including the army, police and local militias, were capable of securing the country despite record-high casualty figures that have risen 6.5 percent this year, to 4,634 killed in action, compared to 4,350 in 2013. By comparison, some 3,500 foreign forces, including at least 2,210 American soldiers, have been killed since the war began in 2001.

Up to 10,800 U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan for the first three months of next year, 1,000 more than previously planned as the new mission, called Resolute Support, waits for NATO partners to deploy, said a NATO official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop deployments.

As a result, there will be little, if any, net drop in U.S. troop numbers between now and Dec. 31. By the end of 2015, however, the U.S. troop total is to shrink to 5,500, and to near zero by the end of 2016.

Monday's ceremony was the first of two that will draw a formal close to NATO's combat mission by Dec. 28.

Ghani wants slower withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan

In a meeting with the American defense minister Chuck Hagel, Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani sought a slower pace of the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.

American president Barack Obama recently signed a decree allowing 9800 additional soldier in Afghanistan which will put the number of the US soldier in this country to 10800, but Afghan president says America needs to review its strategy.

Reports states in the meeting with Chuck Hagel, Afghan president was keen to have a larger number of foreign soldiers till the end of 2016.

A large number of foreign soldiers are scheduled to be leaving Afghanistan till the end of this year and only a specific number of them will remain in Afghanistan.

http://www.khaama.com/ghani-wants-slower-withdrawal-of-foreign-forces-from-afghanistan

Opinion: ''Afghanistan'' - The donors are tired

If the Afghan NGOs and the international aid organizations can't see eye to eye, there will be no fresh money from the West, says DW's Florian Weigand.

When you don't know what to do, you create a study group; on a larger scale, you call a conference. For two days, NGOs, aid organizations and leading politicians discussed how to cope with the mess in Afghanistan with civilian means. Innovative ideas, however, were rare, although they were sorely needed.

The balance of 13 years of international commitment is shattering. Afghanistan is still 90 percent dependent on international aid. Corruption, crime and political violence are still words the world associates with Afghanistan. In three weeks' time, NATO's most costly mission to date will end, and while most of the soldiers in the camps are already busily packing their things, already back home in their minds, a new wave of violence has hit the country. Were 13 years and billions in aid money in vain?

Florian Weigand, head of DW's Pashtu/Dari service

Not completely: Schools were built, and education, in particular for girls, has improved. Thanks to a lively media presence, the widespread use of smart phones and the Internet, the Afghan people are more closely connected to the world than ever before. And they have shown that they are willing and able to live democracy. They hurried to the ballot boxes in droves to vote for their president and showed exceptional patience during the six-month process with two rounds of voting. While there was widespread voter fraud, the voters were not to blame, but the leaders in Kabul and their cronies in the election offices.

The international financial donors are tired, however, and new pledges were not made in London. The Afghan NGOs and foreign aid organizations have already begun to notice that funding is getting scarcer. The governments in the West still spend a lot of money, but they have capped the budgets for the country's civilian reconstruction and democratization. They prefer to invest in visible hardware to prove their success to the taxpayers and voters at home. The millions pledged by Germany are geared to road construction, electrification, hospitals - and of course on security.

That won't change if the Afghan NGOs continue their navel-gazing, each intent on doing their own thing, if need be on a reduced level.

A new program for women here, a peace initiative there - what's lacking is a comprehensive strategy that could convince donors and bundle all the forces. That's what the country needs more desperately than new financial aid.

No progress was made in London. But liberal teachers, engineers and journalists can only stay in the country if a positive, committed and strong civilian society develops. You might be skeptical in view of the daily violence there - but the Afghans still want to make it work. I recently asked a young colleague from Kabul why he had returned to Afghanistan despite having graduated from Oxford and he simply said: "Because it's my country!"

POST-2014 AF-PAK DYNAMICS: NOW US CHANGE OF HEART? -ANALYSIS

By Monish Gulati

As per media reports, Barack Obama through a classified order signed in recent weeks has extended the combat role for US troops in Afghanistan for another year. The order authorises US troops through 2015 to carry out missions against militant groups, including the Afghan Taliban, that threaten US or the Afghan government interests. The new order doesn’t change the overall number of U.S. troops that will remain in Afghanistan but sanctions the use of US Air Force assets and drones to provide fire support to combat missions in Afghanistan. The article looks at this latest US decision in context of prevailing geopolitical situation in Afghanistan.

There is a Unity Government in place in Kabul with Ashraf Ghani as President and Abdullah Abdullah as CEO; and to its credit the arrangement continues to hold. A Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Afghanistan and the US, signed by Ghani upon taking office, has provided a legal framework for future US military presence in the country as does the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) for the NATO presence. Both the agreements have now been approved by the Afghan parliament.

NATO’s Operation Resolute Support will follow-on from ISAF in 2015 to train, advice and assist the Afghan security forces (ANSF). Accordingly from January next year 9,800 US troops and about 3,000 personnel from Germany, Italy and other member nations, will support ANSF as they take on the Taliban, in tandem with US counter-terrorism operations. Also from early 2015 onwards, civilian-military coordination will be under the leadership of a new NATO Senior Civilian Representative (SCR) Ismail Aramaz, currently Turkey’s Ambassador to Afghanistan.

There is growing Chinese interest in Afghanistan as the Asian giant has become increasingly concerned over the threat of extremism affecting its province of Xinjiang in addition to protecting potential economic investments. Beijing’s role in Afghanistan could include financial support, training of security forces and, possibly, a stronger role in negotiating with the Taliban through its proposed “peace and reconciliation forum” that would bring together representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the Taliban.

In addition to the above, the Islamic State (IS) has threatened to take root in the region, the al-Qaeda is seeking to reinvent itself and the intensity and audacity of Taliban attacks (including suicide attacks) have increased. The US drone attacks have picked up, engaging a range of targets (Haqqani, al-Qaeda, Uzbek) which Pakistan’s military operation in Waziristan (Operation Zarb-e-Azb) against the Pakistani Taliban seems to have sidestepped. On the periphery, the Afghan president has visited Islamabad, after hops in Saudi Arabia and China, and the US had timely hosted the Pakistani Army Chief, possibly to negotiate the new rules of engagement.

Indian Military Aid

Former Afghan President Karzai in his recent visit to India had remarked that US was not keen for Afghanistan to accept military hardware from India. The comment is an open secret, yet indicative of the Af-Pak strategic byplay and deserves a comment. On the issue of military aid most analysts had seen through the Indian excuse (lame) that its weaponry was under licence production and supply to a third country (Afghanistan) would be a breach of its contractual obligations and that the political ramifications of such an aid would be more severe than its impact on the conflict zone. It was clear that US and NATO wanted to decide the calibre of weapons that the ANSF wielded as long as ISAF troops were on the Afghan soil. Second, what happened between the Iraqi Army and the IS in Iraq, was always a strong contingency that was playing on ISAF minds in Afghanistan too. Third was the Pakistani condition that the operational balance between the Pakistan army and the ANSF should not be altered. Lastly, the US wants to maintain a degree of fire-power parity between the Pakistan-supported Afghan Taliban and ANSF – restrict them to infantry weaponry, thereby obviate a situation wherein the Afghan Taliban demands high lethality weapons from its external backers or source it through its narco funds.

Why the Change of Heart?

As per media reports, Obama’s new set of orders were preceded by a “lengthy and heated debate” between “two often-competing imperatives”, one of which was Obama’s promise to end the war in Afghanistan and the other being US military’s demand to fulfil their remaining missions in the country, in the process nudge the history to be more kind to their endeavours of last 13 years.

There was also a demand that the future mission in Afghanistan be limited and focused solely on Al-Qaeda; possibly to leave space for Afghan reconciliation. It is possible this is the reason for the orders to come with a caveat that US will act only when the Taliban directly threaten the US and coalition forces or provide direct support to Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. US officials were quoted as, “We will no longer target belligerents solely because they are members of the Taliban.”

Some of the likely geo-strategic and operational reasons for US to prolong its combat mission could be; One, Obama has been encouraged by the initial actions taken by the Unity government in Afghanistan, hence deserving of continued US military support in its fight against the Taliban. And that Ghani has been more accepting of US moves in this regard than his predecessor, Hamid Karzai.

Two, the increasing indicators of IS presence in Af-Pak. The US interests have to be seen ( in addition to the poor timing of its exit from Iraq and now possibly Afghanistan) alongwith the ongoing military action against the IS in the Middle East. US would not like Af-Pak to play a role in easing the pressure being built-up on the IS. Also of importance would be the potential implications for the region of a possible Pak-IS link.

Three, the challenge posed by the China-Russia strategic cooperation. Afghanistan holds key vulnerabilities for them; Islamist fundamentalism for China and narcotics for Russia. Four, US pivot to Asia. Appraisal of the flagging progress on the “rebalance” to Asia and the Chinese response to it could have accorded a new relevance to US presence in Afghanistan. Fifth, issues which maybe strategically inconsequential yet operationally critical, such as revised scheduling of the drawdown or the decision on whether a larger force needs to stay in place longer than initially planned.

Sixth, is the internal US politics. The outcome of the recent elections and support for the opposing Republicans would have prodded Obama to take a more ‘muscular’ stand in the Middle East and Afghanistan, not for any other reason but to improve the electoral prospects of the next Democrat presidential nominee.

Lastly, India would like to believe it is in recognition of its security concerns.

Pakistan -The Humiliation of Blind people - The real blind men

By Fahd Husain

When the State beats up its handicapped children on the streets, you know the sickness is bordering on terminal. Nothing could be more disgusting, revolting and nauseating.

And nothing could be less surprising and predictable.

This was bound to happen. In fact, it’s a miracle it did not happen sooner. Well, let me correct myself. It sure has happened a hundred times before, but not on camera. So there it was for the whole world to see, the savages we dress in police uniforms, punching, pushing and dragging visually impaired special people on the roads of Lahore. Yes, the humiliation of blind people unfolded in the glare of cameras — and shamelessness paraded up and down the avenue in synchronised blindness.

The inhuman barbarity of the Punjab police is a badge it wears with pride. But the real savages are the men who officer them, and the men who supervise those who officer them. These educated and urbane men (and a few women) suffer from a blinding disease that cripples their conscience, cannibalises their morality and pollutes their basic humanity with layers and layers of toxic arrogance.

It is they who are the real blind men.

Go ahead, visualise that image again. See that bulky savage of the Punjab police pushing and shoving the blind men. See him drag the hapless victim on the road. Watch him land punches on the face of the poor man who can only see pain and humiliation slicing through the darkness around him to pierce his body, his soul. The uniformed savage laughs, jeers and snickers as the blind men topple over and crash into the well-carpeted road built lovingly by the Chief Minister and his concrete-happy henchmen.

Rerun these images in your mind and get angry. Get very angry. Feel your temper welling up inside you like lava — rising and rising till you can contain it no more. Let it out, scream a scream of anguish — a scream of pain and hurt, and of dreams and hopes shattered; scream for all that has ravaged this society, and scream for the inhumanity that stalks this land. Scream hard and loud till you can scream no more; till your voice betrays you like your State has, leaving you to tremble and shake with unending rage.

Rage brings clarity. Rage brings focus. You cut through the politically correct mumbo jumbo and grab reality by the throat. This savagery that you witnessed in Lahore, this is the system telling you to go drown yourself in your own tears. This is the police, the bureaucracy, the political rulers all telling you to go jump in a lake for all they care. This is the sham we call our system telling us to hang ourselves from the nearest (polished) lamppost on the leafy Mall Road of Lahore.

So here’s what I say to all my dear friends who so naively plead for time to let the system evolve: get a life.

Let the system evolve into what? Mayhem? You want time so this diseased system, controlled and perpetuated by diseased men sporting diseased mentalities, to eat itself (and you) to death? You want these blind men to drive you and your children off the cliff? Today they thrashed handicapped people on the roads; yesterday they slaughtered men and women in a hail of bullets in Model Town, tomorrow they will do something worse. Are you waiting for that day? Are you such simpletons to actually believe this disease is going to cure itself?

Are you blinded to the blinding blindness of these real blind men?

What the savages in the Punjab police uniform did to blind men is symptomatic of a cancer that has spread deep and wide within the structure of the government. It is a cancer of the mind. It is this cancer that limits the capacity of the men in government to feel the pain of others. It is this cancer that enables them to feel dry under the torrential shower of shame. These men wear crisp police uniforms with heavy brass on their shoulders, yet they feel no remorse in brutalising humanity. These men sag under the boastful weight of their bureaucratic grades, and their lofty offices laden with perks and underserved privileges, yet they are deaf to the blood-curdling shrieks of their own dying conscience. These men claw their way up the electoral ladder and perch themselves on the summit of misplaced hopes, yet they cannot grow a brain that could process visions of a State that is tender, caring, just and not harsh, brittle and predatory.

So my dear apologists for this diseased system run by diseased men, wake up from your self-induced slumber and smell the stench of reality. How many decades of evolution do you need to ensure the police does not drag handicapped people on the roads? How many decades of evolution do you need to convince a government that police murdering 17 people is a crime? How many decades of evolution do you need to persuade the elected people that every single Pakistani child must be in school? And how many decades of evolution — my dear naive friends — do you need to make the rulers understand that flesh and bones are more important than bricks and mortar?

It’s a travesty what’s happening all around us. This is not governance. This is a crime. It’s a crime against the good people of Pakistan, who have suffered the acute blindness of rulers for six decades. It is a crime against our hopes and aspirations; a crime against our dignity and worth; it is a crime against our very humanness as children of a caring God who created us as equals. But here in this Islamic Republic, blind rulers exercising the blind power of the State are relishing the desecration of every sacred thing left with us.

No sirs, this is not democratic evolution; it is demonic devastation. For God’s sake, don’t be blind to the difference.

Pakistan displaced people to return to North Waziristan

Islamabad: Over one million internally displaced persons may soon be allowed to return to strife-torn North Waziristan region with the Pakistan Army giving the go ahead, in the first clear sign that the military operation in the tribal region might be nearing its end.

The army launched operation 'Zarb-e-Azb' in North Waziristan in mid-June to flush out foreign and local militants from the mountainous region, which displaced over one million people who were shifted to makeshift camps.
The Express Tribune quoted an unnamed military official saying that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) will be allowed to return to their homes in areas which have been cleared of terrorists.

He said army chief General Raheel Sharif approved the phased repatriation of the IDPs after reviewing the progress made so far in the North Waziristan operation.

The army chief spent a day in the corps headquarters in Peshawar on Saturday, where he was given a detailed briefing about the operation, as well as possibility of allowing the IDPs to return to their homes.
He said the early return of the IDPs was his top priority.

Army will finalise the plan to return the people after consultations with civil authorities, the military official said, adding that the civilian authorities must also play their due part in the rehabilitation of the IDPs.
"It is not the military's job alone but also other civilian authorities who will have to come forward and play their role," he said.

The official, however, refused to give any time frame for the completion of Operation 'Zarb-e-Azb'.
The IDPs might be allowed in areas which had been cleared of militants but the military operation would continue in areas where militants were still hiding, he said.

Claiming that the command and control structure of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been destroyed, the official said that the ability of the militant group to carry out terrorist attacks has been considerably weakened.
The army, however, may still not formally announce the end of operation 'Zarb-e-Azb' for strategic reasons, he added.

So far over 1,200 militants had been killed in the operation.

Pakistan - PPP condemns violence in Faisalabad

http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/

Pakistan Peoples Party has condemned violence in Faisalabad and called for restraint by both sides.

Spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said that the provincial government was wrong in allowing workers of PML-N to come out into the streets and confront workers of PTI with sticks and batons when passions were running high. It was a sure invitation to a clash between the rival political workers, he said adding also “this provocation could and must have been avoided”. The fact that the provocation was not avoided only demonstrates the arrogance and political immaturity of those responsible for the decision to bring PML-N workers on the roads, he said. 

The spokesperson to former President Asif Zardari demanded an inquiry into the incident and punishment under the law to those responsible for the clash and unfortunate murder of a youth. He said that some people may be looking for a few dead bodies but it is for the government to ensure that the much sought dead bodies are denied to them.

Pakistan - Christian urged to boycott government of Pakistan Christmas celebration events

The Central Secretariat of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC in a press note of urged clergy of Pakistani Churches, Christian educational institutes, Christian NGO activists and Christian Civil Society

members to not invite any Federal or Provincial minister in their Christmas and New Year celebration events until justice is not ensure in burning alive of Christian couple case, freedom of Asia Bibi and other accused of blasphemy victims who are behind bars. Dr. Nazir S Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC appealed to Pakistani Christian Diaspora in EU, Canada, USA, Australia and other countries also to boycott Christmas and New Year events in Pakistani Missions. The Pakistani Missions around world organize Christian and New Year events to present Pakistan as a country where religious freedom and basic democratic rights are fully enjoyed by religious minorities to cover up rising violence, oppression and persecution of minority individuals. “There are Christian tools in West who enjoy envelops from Pakistan Missions and deliver speeches in Christmas and New Year events to confirm claims of government of Pakistan that minorities are enjoying equal rights in Pakistan while they are treated like 2nd class citizens” said PCC Chief. Nazir Bhatti added “Rising violence on pretext to blasphemy, kidnapping and enforced conversion to Islam of Christian and Hindu women and total denial of equal basic democratic rights to religious minorities in true face of Pakistan and justice is never ensured” Dr. Nazir Bhatti appealed to Christian youth to protest against Christian Ministers in Federal and Provincial governments and other selected members of minorities in Parliament when they participate or organize any Christmas or New Year celebration events.

Pakistani Christians Preparing To Celebrate Christmas

Christian community across the country has started preparations to celebrate the festive season of `Christmas’, with the advent of December.

Pakistani Christians prepare to celebrate Christmas

The Pakistani Christian community is busy making preparations of Christmas. The preparations will reach their peak at the eve of Christmas. Like every year, Pakistani Christians are all set to celebrate the Christmas festivity with enthusiasm and religious zeal in the midst of the echoing of church bells that announce the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. The joyous occasion of Christmas fills the atmosphere in Churches with festive vibe and traditions of Christmas that mainly includes Christmas Tree, Santa Clause, Carols and Christmas gifts.

“Christmas is the major occasion for us to enjoy and celebrate. We decorate Christmas tree in our home with ornaments and visit family members and friends to greet and exchange some gift and greeting card”, a group of young Pakistani Christian girls said. “We have started shopping before 25 December as the winter variety of clothes and shoes have arrived in the markets”, they added.

The traditional festivity of Christmas includes a variety of Christmas programmes like Christmas cake cutting ceremonies, dinners, carol singing competitions etc. School children prepare for Christmas tableau and carols adding charm to the Christmas functions. All young and old are visiting bazaars to shop for themselves and their loved ones while youngsters are busy buying Christmas cards and gifts for their loved ones. Apart from this, the main part of celebrations is decoration of Christmas tree. Christians have put up Christmas trees in their homes, schools, churches etc.

- See more at: http://www.christiansinpakistan.com/pakistani-christians-preparing-to-celebrate-christmas/#sthash.DbTOrn2y.dpuf

Religious freedom in 21st century Pakistan

By - Yasser Latif Hamdani 

Pakistan can be allowed to become radicalised or it can be salvaged as a large Muslim majority, democratic nation state

Starting with the Lahore Resolution, every major landmark constitutional document, including the Objectives Resolution, has promised religious freedom and equal rights for minorities in Pakistan. Despite this, the situation of religious freedom has deteriorated steadily in the 67 years of the country’s existence and has decidedly become so bad that Pakistan is now teetering on the brink and may well join the list of known offenders like Saudi Arabia in coming years. Much of this has to do with laws such as Ordinance XX of 1984 that targets the religious freedom of the Ahmedi community and the blasphemy laws. By the mid-2000s, Pakistan had an extremely radicalised population and that has added to the dilemma of Pakistan’s minorities.

Pakistan’s current political reality makes the scope of constitutional action very limited, if internally initiated. Religious freedom is just not on the priority list. It is not that they are bigots — in most cases they are not — but the political elite is deathly afraid of the mullahs and too self-serving to take up this issue. Same is the case with our friends in the US, European Union (EU) and other western nations, normally the champions of liberty and religious freedom. When Pakistan was granted the GSP Plus status by the EU, many notable human rights activists expressed optimism that this would mean that Pakistan would be forced to improve the situation for religious minorities in the country. Pakistan is too important strategically for these western powers to bother about religious freedom. After all, General Ziaul Haq, who pretty much read out the freedom of religion clause from the Constitution through his ordinances, was the blue-eyed boy of these nations. A US legislator from the Democratic Party even called him the “Winston Churchill of our time” for his role in the war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Similarly, the main culprit behind the radicalisation of the Muslim world, Saudi Arabia, is hardly ever criticised by any of these major powers for its tremendous failings.

Yet it is time the world took a long-term view of Pakistan. Pakistan can go either way. It can be allowed to become radicalised or it can be salvaged as a large Muslim majority, democratic nation state. For it to be salvaged as the latter, all efforts of reform must be encouraged. Part of this would be to drive home to Pakistanis that the world will do business with them only if they put an immediate end to the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan. Give Pakistan the choice: economic prosperity or pariah status. Ultimately, Pakistanis have a keen business sense. The ruling elite will get the message. However, for this to happen, the world powers, especially the big three — US, EU and China — will have to sacrifice their short-term interests in the region. This means that things like the Economic Corridor, GSP Plus and development aid have to be linked with concrete progress on the issue of religious freedom. Similarly, if Pakistanis are turned away at international airports, they will will begin to reconsider their shortsightedness. There is precedent for this in South Africa. Unlike South Africa, Pakistani rulers will quickly throw in the towel.

What I have written here means that Pakistanis like me will get affected as well. I for one would willingly make that sacrifice, if for nothing else but as a patriotic duty. A patriot’s foremost duty is to fix the wrongs in one’s country. This is not what we were supposed to be. The founder of this country, Mr Jinnah, was a foremost champion of religious freedom, not just on August 11, 1947 but consistently for 40 years prior to that, often stepping on the toes of Muslim orthodoxy with his radically liberal proposals (like legalising inter-faith marriage). There is nothing more tragic than the fact that the country he founded is now one of the most foremost oppressors of religious freedom. Any patriot’s conscience must be moved by this simple fact. In an increasingly interconnected world, a patriot can choose from amongst many weapons and allies. The weapon of economic diplomacy is by far the most effective.

A Pakistan that is at peace with itself, which respects human rights and gives all its citizens equal rights and does not have laws that discriminate on the basis of faith, is good not just for Pakistan but for the entire world. Such a Pakistan will be a bulwark against extremist ideologies of groups like the Islamic State (IS). A Pakistan that is cannibalising itself is going to fall to precisely to those ideologies. This monster of intolerance is going to gobble us up. What is now needed is to convince Pakistanis that if we do not act now, we will be a ruin just like the ruins of past civilisations and peoples who inhabited this region. Our very existence will become an aberration and we will be dismissed as a failed experiment in history. Stop the rot now when we still have time. As Iqbal would say: “Dastan bhee nahin rahe gi daastanon mein” (Even the story will disappear from stories).

Pakistan - PMLN - PTI - Don’t prolong confrontation

In the fight between PML-N and PTI, the only loser is the country itself

The shutdown in Faisalabad would show how Imran Khan intends to implement the  Plan C announced by him last week. Opposition from sober elements in the  PTI  led Khan to subsequently water down his announcement that had amounted to sheer brinkmanship. Nevertheless, what the original announcement  did was to make  the PML-N hawks  go back on   ‘no talks under threat’. The PML-N suddenly  agreed to talks. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced  that dialogue could resume soon after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country from the UK. But once it appeared that the PTI would do no more than  blocking  the arteries   in the cities, the PML-N strategists again changed their line of action. They decided  to wait and see how things worked out in Faisalabad. The outcome would  determine whether the PML-N would  initiate talks or wait till the PTI lost  steam  like PAT.   This  led  Imran Khan   to  again change his  stand. Despite  an  assurance that markets would not be affected  by the shutdown, Imran Khan announced that the  shops would observe shutter down strike on Monday.

Both sides have spent the last two days in shadow boxing with one announcing what they were  going to do and the other what they would not be permitted to do. Meanwhile there has been enough  tension in  Faisalabad. Activists of the PTI and PML-N have had   a heated exchange of slogans at Ghanta Ghar Chowk. The pro-government  traders  vowed to foil any attempt at forcible closure of the markets. Banners have been put in the city both  in support and opposition of the shutdown.  Minor clashes cannot be ruled out under the circumstances. What needs to be ensured, however, is that there is no recourse to firearms.

The PTI and PML-N have to  bring the faceoff to an end at the earleist. In  a tension-ridden environment any major  untoward incident could  put  the initiative into the  hands of the mobs. To avoid the situation it is imperative for the two sides to resolve their differences urgently through talks.

Malala Yousafzai Unveils Bloodstained Uniform From Taliban Shooting

By Jack Linshi

The 17-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate wanted it to be displayed

school uniform she wore when she was shot by the Taliban two years ago, in an upcoming exhibition, the Nobel Peace Center announced last week.

Yousafzai’s bloodstained garments will be displayed in the Nobel Peace Prize Exhibition, an annual display featuring the life or lives of the year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The 17-year-old Pakistani education advocate shared the honor this year with Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi, for their work in children’s rights.

Yousafzai told the Nobel Peace Center in an interview why she wanted to display her bloodstained uniform:

My school uniform is very important to me because when I was going to school I would wear it. The day I was attacked I was wearing this uniform. I was fighting for my right to go to school, I was fighting for my right to get education. Wearing a uniform made me feel that yes, I am a student, I am doing it, practically. It is an important part of my life, now I want to show it to children, to people all around the world. This is my right, it is the right of every child, to go to school. This should not be neglected.

Bente Erichsen, Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Center, said Yousafzai’s family had kept the uniform since the Taliban attempted to assassinate her in Oct. 2012 on her school bus. Exactly two years and one day later, Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Yousafzai and Satyarthi will open the eight-week exhibition on Dec. 11 at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway.

Pakistan - A true politician - Asif Ali Zardari

By Saif R K

The energy crisis, fragile economy, price hike and law and order situation of the country could only be addressed by the reconciliation policy introduced by former President Asif Ali Zardari

Whenever I think about the PPP, I am reminded of great leaders like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari. Yes, we should also give due credit to Asif Ali Zardari. Even on the 48th foundation day of the PPP, Bilawal Bhutto urged his party’s jiyalas (workers) and sympathisers to support Asif Ali Zardari and the rest of the party’s leadership to fulfil Benazir’s vision for a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Pakistan.

The PPP is the pioneer of democracy in Pakistan. It not only gave democracy to the country but gave a constitution too. Successive governments from this party initiated all mega projects in our country, including the mother of all projects: the nuclear programme. It was the PPP that mobilised the silent majority of Pakistan to take its fate into its own hands. Pakistan has suffered throughout its history due to the dark shadows of dictatorship lengthening time and again on its polity. Just 11 years after its birth, the first military coup was hatched to snatch the right of the people to choose their own government. During the long dark night that ensued, the PPP launched a campaign against dictatorship for the first time in the history of this region. When finally successful in 1971, the PPP paved the way for people to participate in the governance of the state, under the fundamental principle of democracy: to have a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

But pro-dictatorship forces colluded with the military and international powers to derail our democracy. The PPP’s government was deposed in a military coup by General Ziaul Haq, who deposed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, put him behind bars and then executed him. The PPP, though, made no compromise on democracy and the fundamental rights of the people. Benazir Bhutto led the democratic movement for fundamental rights and brought back democracy and prosperity to the country in 1988. The military and its puppets again conspired to remove the PPP from power to install Nawaz Sharif. In the 1990s, these puppets twice violated the Constitution and did not let PPP governments complete their terms. Then yet another military coup on October 12, 1999 placed General Musharraf in power with whom the PPP fought for nine years. The PPP was the only party that opposed the unconstitutional Musharraf regime while almost all other parties directly or indirectly supported the dictatorship. No Musharraf bashing was done by them even though his presidency was unconstitutional. However, a democratically elected president from the PPP (2008 to 2013) of the country was being hounded, even though he had a mandate to rule for five years.

There was a time when a section of the media and anti-democratic forces did nothing but spit venom against Asif Ali Zardari. Their assumptions and arguments always proved wrong and baseless. They spread their false propaganda through underhanded methods. Those who used to defame him should be ashamed about this character assassination. When he was in power, Zardari forgave his worst enemies. He announced general amnesty for all. He introduced and practically implemented his reconciliation policy: a new culture where there was no revenge, no hatred for anyone. According to fundamental principles of good governance, a head of state should work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.

Now, come to former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari’s personality and assess his tenure. The energy crisis, fragile economy, price hike and law and order situation of the country could only be addressed by the reconciliation policy introduced by President Asif Ali Zardari. He took very tough decisions for the sake of the country and poor people of Pakistan. He forgave those who put him behind bars though he was innocent, tortured him brutally and eventually ruined his family. His act of forgiveness was aimed at prosperity and the development of our poor nation.

During his presidency he kept good relations with neighbouring countries to maintain peace in this region. The democracy that is in place is the fruit of his vision. He is a symbol of democracy and the federation. Though his party was the biggest victim of 2013’s election rigging, he vowed that his party and he were against anti-democratic forces and would protect democracy, working for a better, shining and true democratic Pakistan. Some people have been looking to derail democracy through marches, protests and rallies in the Red Zone of the capital of Pakistan. It was Zardari and his PPP who rescued democracy, supporting the current existing parliament and democratic process. We hardly see such goodwill gestures from the main opposition party. He is the reason why many Pakistanis say “Pakistan khapay” (long live).

Agencies warn Punjab IS recruiting in Pakistan

Intelligence agencies have warned the Punjab government that a group of activists from the Islamic State (IS) militant group, also known commonly by its Arabic acronym ‘Daish’, are currently in Pakistan.

According to a document, marked ‘secret’ and bearing the subject, ‘threat alert’, which was submitted to the Punjab government, certain Daish leaders from the Middle East are said to be travelling between Lahore, Multan and Rahimyar Khan. According to the document, intelligence agencies believe that they are being supported by members of Jundullah, a terrorist outfit that has already pledged allegiance to IS leader, Abu Bakar Al Baghdadi.

The document, which was sent to Regional Police Officer Rawalpindi Akhtar Umar Hayat Laleka and other senior police officers across the province, names Zubair Al-Kuwaiti – who is believed to be from the Middle East – and warns local law enforcement to beef up vigilance at entry/exit points to try and capture the men before they have a chance to activate their network inside Pakistan.

The document warns that Daish may be looking to enlist support from jihadi outfits and militant groups within the country. It says that Jundullah and a few Punjabi terrorist groups have printed literature, to promote the message of Daish and suggest that the same groups may be behind pro-IS wall-chalking that is surfacing in several urban centres lately.

A security expert told Dawn that while there were reports of banned outfits leaning in the direction of IS, “these groups are not influential affective in Pakistan yet.”

“No evidence has yet been found that could suggest the presence of such elements in Rawalpindi area, nor has anyone been detained by police for links with such organisations,” a senior police officer told Dawn.