U.S. And Pakistan Tense Talk in Conference

Tensions flared between the United States and Pakistan on Friday, as two top officials traded accusations of doing too little to combat Taliban sanctuaries in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The tart exchange between the officials, Douglas E. Lute, President Obama’s top adviser on Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, took place during a conference in this bucolic mountain setting. Under questioning from Steve Kroft of “60 Minutes,” Ms. Rehman, speaking on videoconference from Washington, said that Pakistani Taliban fighters, who have taken refuge in two remote provinces in eastern Afghanistan, were increasingly carrying out rocket attacks and cross-border raids against Pakistan. “These are critical masses of people that come in; this is not just potshots,” Ms. Rehman said. She said that on 52 different occasions in the last eight months Pakistan had provided to American and NATO commanders in Afghanistan the locations from which the militants were attacking, to no avail. Immediately, Mr. Lute, a retired three-star Army general and deputy national security adviser who rarely speaks in public, fired back. “There’s no comparison of the Pakistani Taliban’s relatively recent, small-in-scale presence inside Afghanistan to the decades-long experience and relationship between elements of the Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban,” he said. “To compare these is simply unfair.” Pakistani officials have long faced criticism from Americans and Afghans for what they say is their failure to stop militant assaults originating from safe havens in Pakistan, often with the complicity of Pakistan’s main spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate. But in the past several months, Pakistani officials have started accusing American and allied officials of the same problem coming from Afghanistan. Just last month, Afghan-based Taliban militants crossed into Pakistan to kill at least 13 Pakistani soldiers, beheading some of them, the military said. A senior Pakistani military official said at the time that more than 100 Taliban militants armed with heavy weapons had crossed the border in the attack. After the raid, the militants retreated back into Afghanistan. Pakistani Taliban fighters fled into Afghanistan starting in the summer of 2009 after a major assault by the Pakistani military on the Swat Valley in northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. Many have taken refuge in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nuristan Provinces, areas where they have strengthened their presence as American forces have withdrawn. Pakistani officials say that two senior Taliban commanders — Maulana Fazlullah from Swat and Faqir Muhammad from Bajaur — are taking refuge there while their fighters plan attacks in Pakistan. “We’re feeling a little bit of blowback from ISAF redeployments along the border,” Ms. Rehman said, referring to the NATO command in Afghanistan. The barbed exchange came during a wide-ranging 90-minute panel discussion in the Aspen Security Forum at the Aspen Institute here. The New York Times is a media sponsor of the four-day conference. At the beginning of the session, it seemed that Mr. Lute and Ms. Rehman were intent on building upon the recently agreed deal to reopen NATO supply lines into Afghanistan. Ms. Rehman said that the two countries had experienced “an extraordinarily difficult period” after an American airstrike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at an outpost near the Afghan border last November, but that they were still staunch allies. Mr. Lute said the countries shared the vital interests of defeating Al Qaeda and stabilizing Afghanistan. But the bonhomie did not last long. Ms. Rehman also criticized the Central Intelligence Agency’s drone strikes in Pakistan, saying they had reached the point of “diminishing returns” while also whipping up anti-American sentiment in the country. “This adds to the pool of recruits we’re fighting against,” she said.

Afghan president issues decree to curb corruption

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is under pressure from the international community to do more to battle corruption, has issued an ambitious list of government reforms that orders his ministries, prosecutors and judiciary to fight bribery, nepotism and cronyism. Karzai's 23-page decree also instructs officials to clear the attorney general's office and the courts of languishing corruption-related cases and do more than talk about bringing crooked figures to justice. Donor nations have long expressed concern about corruption within the Afghan government and $16 billion in aid pledged this month at a Tokyo conference is tied to a new monitoring process to assure that the money is not diverted by corrupt officials or mismanaged. Karzai has blamed international contracting procedures for some of the problem. In the decree, Karzai also repeated his request that high-ranking government officials or their relatives do not get rebuilding contracts. He also demanded that ministries and other governmental departments write up a flurry of progress reports on a myriad of issues — including efforts to resolve traffic problems in the dusty, congested Afghan capital, Kabul. The decree, issued late Thursday, is similar to an executive order, but is ambiguous about what happens to those who don't comply. It also does not spell out who will pay for the government cleansing that Karzai proposed. Political analyst Jawid Kohistani said he did not think the decree would stave off corruption in the government. "Karzai is acting late on corruption," he said Friday. "We have anti-corruption laws, but it is very difficult to remove corruption. It is hard to just remove corruption by a decree. He should start to remove corruption from inside the palace. "I'm not confident that this decree will bring good results because those people who are involved in corruption are high-ranking officials in the government. They have control of the economy and they also are grabbing the land. The low-ranking employees of the government — they are only getting small bribes." Afghanistan, with a history of war and international interference and support, has long been plagued by corruption. It has come in 180th out of 183 countries on Transparency International's corruption index, which scored countries based on perceived levels of public sector corruption. Only North Korea and Somalia were deemed to be more corrupt. Karzai, who has about two years left in office, has repeatedly promised to clean up corruption in his administration without much result. On June 21, he called a special session of the parliament to speak out against corruption — just ahead of the donors' conference in Tokyo, where the international community complained about corruption within his administration. "You should cooperate with me on these reforms. You have accused me of making deals. Yes, I have done so, but I had reasons. And now I am changing this. I am bringing reform from the inside," Karzai told the Afghan lawmakers in June. It was unclear what he had meant by "deals," although the president is frequently accused of letting allies keep powerful posts despite allegations that surround them. Highly placed government officials have been investigated but seldom prosecuted. Some of the graft investigations have come close to the president himself, implicating either family members in government posts or close Karzai associates. While Karzai expressed gratitude for the Tokyo pledges, he said his government was not solely to blame. He said the contracting process for development projects, which have poured billions of dollars into his war-torn country's fragile economy, have led to influence-buying. The anti-corruption decree also says: —Government officials are not to appoint relatives or friends to positions within the administration, or try to influence those who are making the appointments. —The Afghan Supreme Court is to finalize in the next six months all cases regarding corruption, land grabbing and targeted killings suspected of being conducted for political reasons. —Promotions and appointments within the Afghan army and police are to be reported to the president's office in an apparent effort to curb nepotism and cronyism. —All inactive courts are to be fully operating within nine months in all 34 provinces and their more than 300 districts. In rural areas, lack of government presence has lead citizens to turn to Taliban courts, which swiftly resolve disputes but undermine the government's influence. —The Finance Ministry is to send a report to the president in a month, detailing the outstanding loan money and property the government is trying to reclaim from the troubled Kabul Bank. The bank, which nearly collapsed in 2010 because of mismanagement and more than $800 million in questionable loans, became a symbol of the country's deep-rooted corruption. —Two public campaigns are to be developed — one to reduce violence against women and the other to promote national unity in Afghanistan, which has a patchwork of various tribes and ethnicities with a history of conflict. The withdrawal of most foreign forces by the end of 2014 has spawned fears of a civil war.

Gujranwala: girl burnt over marriage issue

A man Friday burnt her sixteen-year-old sister over a marriage issue against the will of her family. According to media reports, Beenish refused to marry against her will and that was unacceptable to her family. The incident occurred in Guru Nakakpura area. The girl was taken to Civil Hospital where doctors said that 70% of her body was burnt. On the other hand, uncle of the girl said that she tried self-immolation and not burnt by brother or anyone else.

Pakistan 'global leader' in visa, passport forgery: British envoy

Dubbing Pakistan as a "global leader" in visa and passport forgery, Britain's envoy here has said that visa fraud is a deep-rooted industry in this country. About 4,000 people were caught last year while trying to acquire British passports using fake documents, the UK's high commissioner to Pakistan, Adam Thomson, said. Pakistan was a "global leader" vis-a-vis fake passports and visas, he told reporters at the National Press Club on Thursday. Thomson said it was unfortunate that Pakistan had been rated a world leader in visa fraud. "Unfortunately, you people are world leaders in visa scam. Forgery is a strong industry here," he was quoted as saying in media reports. Thomson expressed satisfaction with Pakistan government's visa issuing system but added that no passport or visa system in the world could claim to be absolutely perfect. "There may be occasional slippages," he said. Referring to the British tabloid The Sun's expose of passport forgery in Pakistan, the envoy said, "I am no one to determine the truth of the British tabloid's story regarding passport forgery in Pakistan." However, he said British authorities have no evidence of anyone travelling to Britain on a fake passport as part of Pakistan's Olympic squad. "Getting accreditation is a lengthy process that requires months of scrutiny. It is almost impossible to become a part of contingent nearer to the start of Games," he said. The Sun has claimed that it uncovered a Lahore-based ring that could issue passports and documents that would allow terrorists to slip into Britain as support staff for the Pakistani Olympic team. The Pakistan government has dismissed The Sun's report and said it intends to file a lawsuit against the tabloid.

Bangladesh looks to the Blue Green Revolution for food security

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au

Bangladesh hopes to achieve self-sufficiency in food production by 2050 and alleviate poverty, with an ambitious scheme called the Blue-Green Revolution. The population is projected to grow from 164-million to 220-million in just under four decades, with the demand for food expected to soar. Bangladesh has been ranked "highly-vulnerable" to climate change. It now hopes to produce more food from the same area of land, without a huge environmental impact. Agricultural expert Professor Dr Nesar Ahmed says the benefits of the Blue-Green Revolution are many.

Presenter: Sen Lam

Speaker: Professor Dr Nesar Ahmed, Bangladesh Agriculture University and the University of Stirliing, Scotland

DR AHMED: You know that Bangladesh population is currently 164 million, and by 2050 the population will increase to 222-million. So by that time, our agricultural land will reduce and the population will increase and Bangladesh will face alot of pressure. So in that case, if we ensure food security, we must go for rice-fish farming. We have ten million hectares of rice fields, in addition, we have two-point-83 million hectares of seasonal rice fields, where water stays for a couple of months. If we use this water body for the next decade, if we convert 2.83 million hectares of rice fields to rice-fish farming and also prawn farming, Bangladesh would get around one million tonnes of fish, 1.5-million tonnes of additional rice and Bangladesh would earn around ten billion US dollars per annum. That would accelerate our economic growth. So if we adopt this farming system, Bangladesh would be a poverty-free and food secure country within a decade. As we have 700 rivers and tributaries criss-cross the country and we have fertile land, around 10-million hectares of land, suitable for rice-fish farming, and we have found that as Bangladeshi people eat rice and fish, both, and when they culture fish in their rice fields, that means they're getting their staple food, rice and fish. Also, coastal areas, a few advanced farmers culture prawns with fish in their rice fields. LAM: And of course, the prawns, one presumes, would bring extra income, because they can sell the prawns? DR AHMED: Yes, rice and fish for staple foods and household consumption and local markets, but when they culture prawn, that's a high value product for the international market, as almost all Bangladeshi prawns are exported to the USA and Europe, so culture of prawn may bring enormous earnings and bring benefits to poor fish farmers. LAM: Food security of course has long been a challenge for Bangladesh, so is this Blue-Green Revolution happening, catching on, in rural communities as we speak, or has it been slow in taking off? DR AHMED: Actually, Blue Green Revolution has not yet been widely cultured in Bangladesh, but a few number of small farmers have been adopting rice-fish farming. As Bangladesh is a small country, and our population is around 164 million. LAM: What are the obstacles, what's stopping Bangladesh from adopting it full-scale? DR AHMED: Our main problem is water management. There're floods and drought. So there's too much water during the monsoon when fish escape, and the farmers are not interested in rice-fish farming, and the drought also is one of the major constraints for fish culture in rice fields, as they can't go for rice-fish farming, if there's no water. Actually, the northern part of Bangladesh is a drought-prone area. LAM: So in terms of water management, how is Bangladesh coping? DR AHMED: I think it's possible to cope very easily. If a flood happens, we can use a net around the ponds or rice fields, so the fish cannot escape. Or we can also build hard dykes so we can conserve rain water or flood water, that is also one of the coping strategies of climate change. And in case of drought, we can provide irrigation facilities. Our challenge is irrigation facilities require electricity supply or power, and Bangladesh has been a little behind in this opportunity. So we intend to introduce 'micro irrigation' facilities. You know Bangladesh invented micro-credit. This year, it's 'micro-irrigation'. So if we introduce 'micro irrigation' in our system, we can easily go for integrated rice fish farming. If we need huge irrigation, we need huge power - that is not possible because our government's first priority is industrial development, even though the government is keen to develop our agriculture sector. So in that case, we use our rain water, flood water and side by side, small-scale irrigation facilities - that would help and be of enormous benefit to our food production. Sometimes, the farmers' association or a community-based irrigation management would work very accurately. We have good contact with farmers, it's a two-way process - sometimes farmers come to us, and if we discover a new findings, we'll introduce them to the farmers. So it's a two-way process. As our research is mainly associated with agriculture, the farmer is always our friend. LAM: And one of the consequences of the green revolution is 'chemical agriculture' which can be destructive. Is this issue being addressed? DR AHMED: Oh, yes, the green revolution is actually not so green, because it means high-yielding varieties of rice monoculture, that is not sustainable. And it requires huge amounts of fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides that have negative impact on society, environment and bio-diversity. Similarly, the Blue revolution also a negative impact, as it too requires huge fertilisers and chemicals. So that's why we suggest rice-fish farming, to help the integrated management of rice and fish, reduce fertiliser use, insecticide use, pesticide use and bring alot of environmental benefits. Topics:

President Zardari resolves to eliminate all types of discriminatory practices‚ abuses against women

RADIO PAKISTAN

The President said guided by the vision of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto‚ a number of legislative measures have already been taken to protect women President Asif Ali Zardari

has reaffirmed the resolve to eliminate all types of discriminatory practices and abuses against women. He was addressing a ceremony in Islamabad on Friday marking the end of 'One Million Signatures' campaign launched last year to stop violence against women. The President pointed out that discrimination against women is deeply routed in the social‚ political‚ economic and legal spheres of the society. Women issues are not limited to Pakistan but other countries in the region are also facing similar issues. Enumerating the present government's initiatives for women empowerment‚ he said highest priority has been accorded to addressing the issue of discriminatory laws against women. He said guided by the vision of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto‚ a number of legislative measures have already been taken to protect women. These include Adoption of the Protection against harassment of women at workplace Act 2010‚ Criminal Law (Amendment) Act‚ Acid Control and Acid Crime Act and Prevention of Anti Women Practices Act. The National Commission for Human Rights Act 2012 has also been enacted to monitor the overall human rights situation. He said that Women in Distress and Detention Fund Act 2011 has been promulgated to provide financial and legal assistance to the deserving women. Besides‚ 26 Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Centers for women have been established in various districts to provide immediate relief to female victims of violence. President Zardari said that one million women are receiving direct assistance under the government flagship Benazir Income Support Program. He said that the National Commission on the Status of Women has been strengthened to monitor the violation of women's rights. He said a proposal is also under consideration to give more representation to the women in the judiciary. Speaking on the occasion‚ Country Director of UN Women Pakistan Alice H. Shackelford lauded the legislative measures taken by the Pakistani government for the protection of rights of women. She emphasized the need for collective efforts to bring a positive change in the society. On the occasion‚ the President also signed the 'One Million Signatures' campaign‚ becoming the one millionth signatory to the campaign.

Why does violence continue to plague Assam?

Saudi forces open fire on demonstrators in Qatif : several injured

Saudi forces have opened fire on demonstrators in Qatif in the country's Eastern Province, leaving several protesters injured. Similar demonstrations have also been held in Riyadh and the holy city of Medina over the past few weeks. Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in the Qatif region and Awamiyah in Eastern Province, calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, pokes fun at Mitt Romney

Romney's Olympics gaffe hands gift to Obama

Republican candidate backtracks on warning of 'disconcerting' signs for Games after rebukes by British PM and London mayor Mitt Romney leaves 10 Downing Street after meeting David Cameron. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images Mitt Romney handed Barack Obama a potential gift for the US presidential election campaign when the presumptive Republican nominee blundered on his first diplomatic outing by questioning whether London was capable of staging a successful Olympic Games. In a move that astonished Downing Street, hours before it laid on a special reception for Romney at No 10, he told NBC there were "disconcerting" signs about the preparations for the Games. One senior Whitehall source said: "What a total shocker. We are speechless." David Cameron wasted no time in rebuking Romney hours after his remarks were broadcast. On a visit to the Olympic Park, the prime minister said: "We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities in the world. Of course it's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere." Cameron's remarks were intended to be a light-hearted jibe at Romney, who used his famous management skills honed at Bain Capital to rescue the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Boris Johnson, the London mayor, joined in the jibes at a celebration to greet the Olympic torch in Hyde Park. "I hear there's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we're ready," Johnson yelled from the stage to a cheering crowd. "He wants to know whether we're ready. Are we ready? Are we ready? Yes, we are." Loading the player... Boris Johnson pokes fun at Mitt Romney Link to this video Romney rowed back after a 45-minute meeting in Downing Street where the prime minister expressed his unease about his remarks. "I am very delighted with the prospects of a highly successful Olympic Games. What I have seen shows imagination and forethought and a lot of organisation and [I] expect the Games to be highly successful," he said. When asked about the preparations for the Olympics in an interview on Wednesday night with the NBC anchor Brian Williams, Romney said: "There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging. Because there are three parts that makes Games successful. "Number one, of course, are the athletes. That's what overwhelmingly the Games are about. Number two are the volunteers. And they'll have great volunteers here. But number three are the people of the country. Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment? And that's something which we only find out once the Games actually begin."n Washington, Democrats pounced on the comments. Harry Reid, the majority leader in the Senate, said they were an embarassment for the US. "It's not good for us as a country – it's not good for him – but as a country to have somebody that's nominated by one of the principal parties to go over and insult everybody," Reid told the Huffington Post. Romney's campaign team set up a conference call with US reporters in an attempt to limit the damage from the faltering UK visit. The campaign fielded Lousiana governor Bobby Jindal and Virginia governor Bob McDonnell in Romney's defence. "We're not worried about overseas headlines. We're worried about voters back here in America," Jindal said in comments reported by Talking Points Memo. The Olympics blunder came on top of what had been an inauspicious start to Romney's week-long overseas trip, designed in part to establish his foreign policy credentials with voters back home. His camp was forced to repudiate comments by an un-named adviser who told the Daily Telegraph that Barack Obama, the first black US president, had mishandled Anglo-American ties and that Romney better understood the "Anglo-Saxon heritage" between the two countries. On Thursday, Romney also took the unusual step of acknowledging that he had met the head of MI6, Britain's secretive foreign intelligence agency, when asked about his discussions with British officials about Syria. Such conversations are not normally discussed publicly by government leaders. "I can only say that I appreciated the insights and the perspectives of the leaders of the government here and opposition here as well as the head of MI6 as we discussed Syria and hoped for a more peaceful future for that country," he said. Romney also met Ed Miliband, the leader of the oppositon Labour party. Miliband took questions from two reporters from what he called "my side", but Romney would not take questions from US journalists. At one point, Romney called Miliband "Mr Leader", which prompted suggestions he had forgotten Miliband's name.There were also meetings with foreign secretary William Hague, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and former PM Tony Blair. Romney later went on to a fundraiser at the Mandarin hotel in London, at which he repeated his promise to restore a bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office in the White House if he is elected. Obama replaced the bust with one of Abraham Lincoln after his election, in what was interpreted in the British media as a snub to the transatlantic relationship. His campaign team claimed the event took $2m in donations, but there were reports earlier that ticket prices had been lowered, and that some people had been offered free passes.

Asian Americans should participate in US political affairs

Asian Americans took a huge step in participating in political affairs. According to the World Journal, about 30 Asian Americans ran for the U.S. Congress in 2012, setting a historical record. The figure was 10 in 2010 and eight in 2008. Judy May Chu, a Chinese-American member of the U.S. House of Representatives, said that the congressional election of 2012 will probably be a milestone for the Asian Americans. "It is an important step taken by us," Chu said in an interview with CNN. Two Asian American-based constituency for House of Representatives and one Asian American-based constituency for Senate were added in the redistricting plan announced in New York State on March 12, 2012, which is regard as a huge victory for Asia Americans in U.S. politics. Although some failed in the primary congressional election, there are three Asian Americans who won the success in New York, Tennessee and Florida and respectively became the first Asian-American candidates of congress in their own states. The article titled "Asian Americans participating in political affairs" is published by The Walt Street Journal on July 6, which says that there was not a congressman of Asian origin in past 12 years while the success of Chinese American Grace Meng in the sixth constituency in Democratic primary for House of Representatives opened a new page for New York's political history. Chu said in a program that the newly emerged Asian-American representatives in the U.S. mainstream society will help change the public's traditional impression on the Asian Americans and their participation in the leadership of the United States will enhance the political voices of Asian Americans. The exaggerated strength of Asian Americans Many media regarded the record number of Asian-American political participators as an embodiment of their increasing strength. A survey report of U.S. Pew Research Center described the Asian Americans as "successful, well-off and highly educated". Some media said that the Asian-American electors and electoral districts become increasingly mature and powerful in recent years. Grace Meng is the best example. Although economic situation, consciousness of political participation and political status are improved, some groups of Asian origin believe that their strength is exaggerated and the Western media were also suspected of misleading the public. There is still a long way for the Asian Americans to go There is still a long way for the Asian Americans, in the real sense, to participate in the political affairs, attract the attention of electoral camps and make their own voices heard. Actually, the lack of Asian-American managerial personnel also occurs in the fields of education, science and technology and business. In terms of political participation, the voting enthusiasm of Asian Americans from registration to poll is less than the groups of Latin-American origin. Therefore, the Asian Americans still need to make great efforts to enhance their potential and influence in the U.S. elections and safeguard their own interests by using political elections.

Pak military playing ‘double-game’ in Bara

By Richard Leiby

Haleem Gul and his family shelter under U.N. tarps in the ceaseless sun and wonder when it will be over: The militancy in their tribal homeland, the occupation by Pakistani troops, the numbing days in the refugee camp. “My greatest wish is to go home,” said Gul, a taciturn, 35-year-old shop clerk. Having waited for more than two years now, he gestured skyward with his hands and said he can only entrust his future to Allah. Gul’s return to the scenic, mountainous Khyber tribal area that borders Afghanistan also depends a great deal on the Pakistani military — which has made little headway in three years against a relatively small concentration of Taliban-allied insurgents, raising questions about the security forces’ capacity and will to defeat them. While the United States and NATO draw down combat troops in Afghanistan, Pakistan is still battling a fierce Taliban and al-Qaeda-allied rebellion that arose in part due to its alliance with the United States after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In recent years the Pakistan army has launched several successful operations to clear militant groups from other northwestern regions, and resettled millions of people displaced because of the fighting. But the opposite is the case in Khyber agency: Because of the continued instability, more than 350,000 people from the Bara district, a longtime commercial hub, have fled to Peshawar, the closest relatively safe metropolis. Sixty-one thousand refugees — including Gul, his wife and young daughter — now occupy the UNHCR’s Jalozai camp, southeast of Peshawar. Officials say food supplies there are running short. In Bara, where fighting has leveled homes, shuttered hospitals and businesses and impoverished those who remained, the Pakistani Taliban influence is growing, some residents said. This is particularly worrisome because convoys carrying NATO supplies to Afghanistan wind slowly through the surrounding areas, vulnerable to attack. Gunmen on Tuesday killed a truck driver in the first such attack since Pakistan ended its NATO-routes blockade three weeks ago; the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. The hard-core militant ranks are believed to number about 500. Estimates of troop strength on the Pakistani side — mainly the paramilitary Frontier Corps, commanded by Pakistani army officers — top 5,000, but neither figure could be independently confirmed. “Not a single village has been cleared by security forces,” said Abdul Wahid Afridi, a leader in the secular Awami National Party who is based in Khyber. “The militancy could be collapsed. All the people are asking why can’t the army eliminate them? Why not, after three years?” To Haseebullah Khan, 37, another refugee from Bara, the answer is simple. “They don’t want to do it,” he said. “This is beyond our thinking.” Pakistani military officials did not respond to e-mailed questions. Foreign journalists are barred from Khyber agency and Pakistan’s seven other semiautonomous tribal areas, so it was not possible to corroborate the refugees’ statements. Some military analysts describe what’s going on in Bara as part of a long-standing “double game” in which Pakistan’s military establishment protects certain Taliban groups as a way to ensure influence in a future Afghan government after U.S. combat troops depart. “It cannot burn bridges,” said Ayesha Siddiqa, a columnist and author of a book on the Pakistani military. “From Washington this looks like a double game. From Islamabad’s perspective, this looks like a desire to build a constructive shield around itself when the U.S. draws down and Pakistan will deal with the consequences.” Ejaz Haider, another writer and analyst, said the military operations in Bara have been small-bore and less effective than the major offensives elsewhere. The security situation also is complicated by a terrain that favors the militants, who can shift quickly from one area to another. Haider disputed the notion that the military — which has lost nearly 3,500 troops fighting against the Pakistani Taliban and other radical Islamists — would back its enemies. “I don’t believe there is any official policy at any level that is supporting groups that are killing soldiers,” he said. At Jalozai, the largest of the three UNHCR camps left in Pakistan, the Bara refugee influx hit an alarming high of 10,000 a day in mid-March. It has since ebbed, but Save the Children, UNICEF, and the U.N.’s World Food Program have put out urgent appeals for donations. The World Food Program recently had to reduce three of its camp rations — high-energy biscuits, yellow split peas and a nutritional supplement — by half, officials said. Further cuts may have to be implemented. “We are basically running out of food,” Robin Lodge, a WFP spokesman, said as U.N. officials gave a tour one day this month to European diplomats, hoping to drum up financial support. It was 115 degrees — especially dangerous for people from cooler, mountainous climes like Bara’s. In the flat expanse of the camp, medical workers paid special attention to pregnant women — 189 of them live in the latest sections of Jalozai to open. In another tent, mothers cradled newborns. Children in the camp are regularly screened for malnutrition, but there is not enough money to monitor that majority of refugees who live elsewhere in the Peshawar area. Back in their tribal districts, some besieged residents have turned to drug smuggling, kidnapping or joining the Pakistani Taliban for income. The insurgents pay about $100 a month — triple what a man can earn at hard labor, said a tribal leader who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisals. “And for joining the militants he gets great respect,” the tribesman said. “The militancy is not under control,” he added. “And day by day things are going to get worse.” Pakistani military and government officials deny the persistent U.S. argument that Pakistan tolerates and even promotes attacks by some militants to ensure a proxy role in the Afghanistan endgame. “Let me assure you that Pakistan does not support any terrorists,” the country’s newly installed prime minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf, told reporters during a visit with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul last week. “It is not in our interest and we cannot afford it.” When U.S. officials raise such accusations, Islamabad points out that Pakistan has sacrificed considerable blood and treasure, including 25,000 civilian deaths. It cites the displacement of 3.5 million citizens as part of the cost of carrying out military operations. Refugees Haleem Gul, his wife, Ishrat Bibi, and their 9-year-old daughter, Hina, are part of the collateral damage. Their loss can be seen in a picture the father painted and hung on one of the tarps that serve as walls for their hovel. It looks at first like a cheering reminder of their home in the scenic, green reaches of Bara, an urn filled with red flowers. But it bears this inscription underneath: “Disappointment is the other name for death.”

Punjab govt footing bill for PML-N social media revamp

Published in The Express Tribune

The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has hired two advertisement agencies for publicising and promoting its activities, party sources told The Express Tribune. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s social media politics team after recommendations by the PML-N senior leadership and the Punjab government’s information technology-related officials, they added. The meeting, chaired by party president Nawaz Sharif, took place at his Raiwind residence. Punjab Board of Information Technology (PBIT) Chairman Umar Saif gave a presentation to the participants, discussing the PML-N’s current presence on social media and the appeal of the party’s manifesto for the youth. PML-N constituted its team of social media experts to counter the web presence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). According to some party officials, however, the team was hired by the Punjab government but has been utilised solely for PML-N objectives. A well placed source in the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade said that two floors of the board’s offices at Arfa Karim Tower were currently occupied by the PML-N’s social media teams, who had been working day and night to accomplish the party’s social media goals. He confirmed that the workers were hired by the Punjab government under PBIT, along with various other departments like the Punjab Sports Board. The Punjab government set up a five-member committee last year to spruce up its image with a social media campaign. This team however, is apparently being utilised to promote PML-N’s social media presence.

Hamza Shahbaz to appear before NAB on July 28

NAB Punjab has issued notices to Sharif family after registration of references against them. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz said that NAB had sent him a notice to appear on July 28. Hamza said he had received the notice himself and he will appear before NAB as he respected all institutions. He added that he will bring all documents with him and would prove before the NAB that his family was not involved in any sort of corruption.

NATO: Afghan militant attacks up 11 percent

http://news.yahoo.com

The U.S.-led coalition says insurgent attacks in Afghanistan during the past three months were up 11 percent, compared to the same period last year. The latest statistics also say that the number of attacks in June was the highest for any month since fighting surged in the summer of 2010. NATO released the figures on Thursday. They indicate a disturbing uptick in attacks at a time when foreign troops are leaving and insurgents are trying to prove they remain a potent force. The coalition offered two possible reasons for the uptick. It says a shortened poppy harvesting season prompted insurgents to start their spring offensive earlier this year. Also, with more Afghan security forces on the ground and taking the lead in more operations, more of them are getting killed.

Pakistan suspends Nato supply route over security

www.statesman.com

Pakistan has temporarily stopped Nato supply trucks crossing its northwestern border into Afghanistan over security concerns due to fears of terror attacks, officials said Thursday. Gunmen on Tuesday attacked a convoy of Nato supply trucks, killing a driver, in the town of Jamrud near the main northwestern city of Peshawar, in the first such attack since Pakistan lifted a seven-month blockade of the border. "Movement of Nato vehicles has been temporarily suspended since Wednesday evening to beef up security," a paramilitary official told AFP. "We have launched a search operation in the hills surrounding Jamrud," the official added. On Wednesday officials at the northwestern Torkham crossing had said traffic was picking up for the first time since the blockade ended, with more than 100 vehicles crossing in recent days. Local administration official Bakhtiar Khan confirmed Thursday the supply route had been suspended due to "security reasons". "Intelligence officials have informed the authority that attacks may occur on Nato vehicles this week and in the light of this a security plan is being chalked out," Khan told AFP. He said the Nato route would "resume very soon", but that until then trucks carrying supplies for the 130,000-strong US-led mission in Afghanistan had been told not to approach the border. "We have been told by authorities to wait here as they are building up security after the firing incident," Amanullah Khan, a Nato truck driver, told AFP in Peshawar. So far, the closure has only affected the Torkham crossing. At the southwestern crossing of Chaman, some 17 trucks were awaiting clearance to enter Afghanistan and 20 other trucks were parked in Quetta, clearing agent Ashraf Khan told AFP. Islamabad closed its land routes to Nato convoys after US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on November 26, but reopened them after Washington said sorry for the deaths. Before the blockade, around 150 trucks crossed into Afghanistan each day at Torkham - the closest border crossing to Kabul - and officials say the flow will rise to up to 300 a day.

Pakistan: National conference

IN theory, it’s a sensible idea: assemble the country’s political leadership for a roundtable conference and get them to focus on the country’s internal and external problems. In Pakistan, however, practice is far removed from theory. So is the MQM’s attempt to reach out to other political parties for a roundtable conference likely to yield anything? In recent years, seemingly every political party has mooted a national conference for one problem or the other. Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani popularised the idea of national conferences — on Balochistan, on power, on solving poli-tical problems — and soon the opposition was doing the same. But as Balochistan continues to burn and power continues to run short, the national conferences and roundtable ideas clearly have not amounted to much so far. However, past failures shouldn’t deter further attempts and already in the MQM’s outreach there is at least the possibility of one positive development: violence in Karachi may dip as the various political players in the city get together on the national stage for a round of consultation and frank discussions. The meeting between MQM and ANP leaders in Islamabad on Tuesday will have come as some relief to the beleaguered citizens of Karachi who must deal with news of killings, bombings, attacks, kidnappings and extortion rackets on a daily basis. Of course, of one meeting peace is not made in a city as complex as Karachi. Nor will a national conference necessarily bring down the organised violence and crime in Karachi immediately. Nevertheless, as long as channels of communication are kept open and expectations build that something positive will happen, there is possibility that a peaceable solution will be found. After all, while it may not seem so at the moment, Karachi is too important a city to be left at the mercy of forces of disorder and violence. Beyond Karachi, the MQM’s outreach to parties from the Jamaat-i-Islami to the PML-Q to the PML-N could be the right tonic for stabilising national politics at a time that the judiciary vs government spat is fuelling all manner of speculation. The MQM’s status as a regional party is a positive in the sense that other major parties, such as the PML-N, may not necessarily feel they are being lured into a public relations’ trap by a national rival. Then again, the MQM’s historically prickly relations with most other political parties could be an impediment to a well-attended and successful roundtable. Still, it’s worth a shot, particularly if the politicians can hammer out a realistic strategy on education or health — the polio crisis, for example — and boost the public’s faith in the democratic process.

INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION OF AFGHANS SHOULD BEGIN NOW

EDITORIAL:

The hypocritical approach towards the Afghans by the establishment should now end and all of the Afghans should be sent back to their home country, voluntarily or involuntarily. In 1980s, they were valuable political guests we needed to oust the nationalist and radical Government in Kabul as the imperialist world and their agents desired it. Now they are unwanted guests of Pakistani people, if not the State, and considered a serious economic and security burden in the wake of serious political and economic crisis Pakistan is facing. The Afghans contributed a lot in deepening the crisis of survival making it more complicated by siding with the enemies of Pakistan. In a conference in Australia, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, categorically declared that Pakistan would not accept the Afghan refugees after December this year. After December, the international community should establish refugee camps on the Afghan side of the international frontier and keep them there as long as the community wants. There is no place for Afghans on the Pakistani soil and the period of hospitality is over as they became a serious security threat. They are a serious burden and a security risk for Pakistan thus they should be herded out of all major cities of Pakistan, mainly Quetta, Karachi and Lahore, as the Government had already barred Afghans from Peshawar and Islamabad. We hope that the announcement made by the former Prime Minister in Australia is part of the State policy and not the personal views of the former Prime Minister. For this, the Government should make preparation to take all Afghans out of the major population centres, mainly Quetta, Karachi, Lahore, settle them in transit camps close to the Afghan borders till such time they are repatriated to Afghanistan. If they try to leave the camp should be arrested. Pakistan Government had fulfilled all its international commitment by providing them shelter, food, jobs and other services which were denied to the Pakistani citizens, mainly the Baloch people, to this date. There is no violation of international obligations on the part of the Government of Pakistan. Now the International Community should play its role by providing food, shelter and other facilities to Afghans on other side of the international frontiers. It is up to the Afghans they want to go back to their homes or prefer to stay in refugee camps inside Afghanistan. The international community should bear the cost of the refugees, including for their food, shelter and other comforts besides transporting them to Afghanistan from different points in Balochistan and KPK. The UNHCR should stop apply pressure tactics on the Pakistan Government, using power and influence of the super powers, to allow Afghans to stay back or settle permanently in Pakistan as they spent three decades in Pakistan. This argument is not acceptable and if the Government surrenders to the pressure from the international community allowing the Afghans to stay back, the Government will face wrath of the people who were deprived of their means of livelihood on the pretext of humanitarian assistance to the Afghans. The Afghans are economic refugees as they are facing no threat to their life as there is a friendly nationalist Government in Kabul and they are not at war with the Kabul Government. The Afghans are here for economic reasons or the militants misusing the goodwill of the people of Pakistan by using the Pakistani territories in launching attacks on Afghan and other foreign forces for political reasons. The militants should be first to be kicked out from Pakistan so that they should not undermine the security of the people of Pakistan. They use Pakistani territory as a springboard in attacking the US and other foreign forces; providing a risk of retaliatory attacks on Pakistan in which the people of Pakistan will suffer the most. The Afghan militants should not be acceptable at the cost of the innocent people of Pakistan. It is the responsibility of the Government to provide security of life to its own citizens. It should be the politics of the state to defend the people first against all pressure or incentives from foreign powers.

Pakistan’s militant war leaves millions mentally scarred

Liaqat Ali is a victim of one of Pakistan’s worst bombings, but his injuries are not visible to the naked eye. The 47-year-old government clerk and part-time lab assistant was walking home through the grounds of a hospital in the northwest city of Peshawar in the fall of 2009, when he stumbled upon the carnage left by the blast. Scores of bodies were packed into vehicles. Bleeding survivors with missing limbs and severe burns were scattered everywhere. He has suffered from severe depression and anxiety ever since and is dependent on antidepressants to make it through the day so he can provide for his wife and four children. Ali’s plight has become increasingly common in Pakistan’s northwest, where psychiatrists estimate millions are suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological illnesses after years of militant attacks, army offensives and US drone strikes. Many don’t receive treatment, largely because of an acute shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists. “I think what we see is only the tip of the iceberg,” said Firaz Khan, a psychiatrist at the mental health ward at government-run Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, where most of the 40 to 50 patients who come in each day are suffering from violence-related trauma. “Most victims remain at home and are not getting help.” Peshawar is located close to the tribal regions, the militant epicentre, and has been a major target for the Taliban since they started their insurgency in earnest in 2007. At times, the city was bombed almost daily. Violence has fallen significantly in the last 18 months. Fear and anxiety remain. Ali’s nightmare began on October 28, 2009, when militants detonated a car bomb in a market crowded with women and children. More than 100 people were killed. The dead and wounded he encountered at Lady Reading Hospital on his way home from work are etched in his mind. “Some of them had lost arms, others legs. Some of them had burned faces,” said Ali, becoming visibly disturbed during an interview at a private psychiatric clinic in Peshawar where he was being treated. “So many dead bodies were stuffed in a vehicle, as if they were not humans but slaughtered animals.” Within days, Ali was having trouble sleeping, experiencing flashbacks and intense fear. “It would come to my mind that everybody will die. The world was going to end,” Ali said. The northwest is filled with similar cases, according to psychiatrists. A nine-year-old boy suffered PTSD after witnessing a deadly bomb blast in Peshawar. He became irritable, aggressive and said he wanted to kill someone. He couldn’t sleep, had flashbacks and stopped going to school. A 30-year-old woman in the North Waziristan tribal area suffered severe depression and fainting spells after her cousin was killed by a mortar shell on his way to Afghanistan. It was unclear whether he was killed by the Taliban or fighting alongside them. An 18-year-old boy in the Bajaur tribal area suffered PTSD after witnessing a Taliban fighter behead an alleged spy, soak his beard with the man’s blood, lick it off his fingers and roar in satisfaction. He felt severe anxiety every time he recalled the incident. The psychiatrists asked that the names of the patients be withheld to protect their privacy. These kinds of experiences have tripled the number of patients seeking help from psychiatrist Mian Iftikhar Hussain since he opened his private clinic in Peshawar in 2004 after a career in public medicine. He now sees over 60 patients each day and cannot handle anymore. While there are no official figures, Hussain and another psychiatrist with a clinic in Peshawar, Wajid Ali Akhunzada, estimate that up to 60 per cent of the more than 20 million people who live in Pakistan’s northwest could be suffering from violence-related psychological issues. They base this figure on the number of patients who visit psychiatrists in the area daily. Only five to 10 per cent of patients treated by Hussain and Akhunzada have PTSD, but almost all of them suffer from some combination of depression, anxiety and lack of sleep caused by the violence around them. They are generally treated with a mix of drugs and psychotherapy. Use of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication in Peshawar has more than doubled in the past few years, said Riaz Hussain, president of a wholesale drug association in the city. “Previously these medications were mainly used by Afghan refugees,” who have declined in number, he said. The number of psychiatrists and psychologists in Pakistan is far short of the level needed to handle the current crisis. There are about 600 in Pakistan for a population of 190 million, or roughly one for every 315,000 people, according to figures compiled in 2010 by the late Haroon Rashid Chaudhry, former head of psychiatry at Fatima Jinnah Medical College in Lahore. In the United States, there are about 116,000 psychiatrists and psychologists for a population of 310 million, or one for every 2,700 people, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the American Psychological Association. There are also few social workers who deal with psychological problems in Pakistan. “In our country, education and health are both at the bottom priority-wise, and in health, psychiatry is at the bottom,” said Hussain, the psychiatrist, who suffered PTSD himself after being kidnapped in 2009 and held for 11 days. There are no psychiatrists or psychologists based in Pakistan’s remote tribal region, where fighting between the Taliban and the army has been most fierce and U.S. drones rain missiles down from the sky, said Hussain. “We never know when a drone will drop a bomb right on our home,” said Soba Khan, a 15-year-old boy who lives in North Waziristan and was visiting Peshawar with his aunt, who was suffering psychological problems. Many dealing with mental trauma don’t understand why they are feeling miserable and assume they must be physically ill. They often turn to spiritual healers, knowing that seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist can mean social stigma. Those who decide to visit a mental health specialist can face significant difficulties in getting to a doctor and affording treatment, especially if they live in the tribal region. The potentially dangerous trip from North Waziristan to Peshawar on a public minibus takes eight to 12 hours and costs about $6.50, a significant sum in a country where the UN estimates about a quarter of the population lives on less than $1.25 per day. Doctor visits at public-run hospitals are free, but antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications cost at least $5 per month, and can be much more if multiple drugs are prescribed. Each session at a private clinic, where treatment is better, costs roughly $8.50, and can be several times that if the patient needs to be admitted. Hussain, the psychiatrist, said it was critical to find a way to help the large numbers of people suffering in Pakistan. “If we don’t understand them, analyse them and address them,” he said, “they will worsen day by day.”

US Congress pushes for terrorist label for Haqqani

Congress ratcheted up pressure on Obama administration to slap terrorist label on Haqqani network. Congress ratcheted up the pressure on the Obama administration to slap the terrorist label on the Haqqani network, the militant group responsible for plotting and launching attacks from Pakistan against US-led forces in Afghanistan. By voice vote, the Senate approved a bill Thursday that would require the secretary of state to report to Congress on whether the Haqqani network meets the criteria to be designated a foreign terrorist organization and if not, to explain why. The report is due within 30 days of the president signing the measure. The bill now goes to Obama. The administration has sanctioned top individuals of the Haqqani network, but it is still reviewing whether to label the entire organization. That delay has frustrated members of Congress. Rep. Mike Rogers, Republican chairman of the Intelligence Committee, had added an amendment to the bill stating that it was the sense of Congress that the Haqqani network meets the definition of a terrorist organization and they should be designated as one. The State Department has defended its effort, citing its sanctions of the network s top individuals. The Haqqani network, largely operating in eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan, is affiliated with both the Taliban and al-Qaeda. US officials say it represents one of the biggest threats to Afghanistan stability because it is believed to use Pakistan as a rear base for attacks on American and coalition troops in Afghanistan. The congressional votes come just weeks after the United States and Pakistan ended a rancorous seven-month standoff with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton apologizing to Pakistan for the killing of 24 Pakistani troops last fall and in return securing the reopening of critical NATO supply lines into Afghanistan. Throughout the uneasy relationship between the United States and Pakistan, American officials have pressed Islamabad to crack down on the extremist Haqqani network. The bill states that "nothing in this act may be construed to infringe upon the sovereignty of Pakistan to combat militant or terrorist groups operating inside its boundaries." In May, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence committees wrote to Clinton asking her to act immediately in labeling the Haqqani network a terrorist group. The four leaders said that based on meetings with US and Afghan officials in Afghanistan, "it was clear that the Haqqani network continues to launch sensational and indiscriminate attacks against US interests in Afghanistan and the group poses a continuing threat to innocent men, women and children in the region." The four noted that it had been six months since the State Department had undertaken its "final formal review" of the Haqqani network. "The Haqqanis have continued to attack US troops and the US embassy in Kabul during that period," the lawmakers said. The letter also noted that the Obama administration may have been reluctant to act while Marc Grossman, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was trying to negotiate a reconciliation agreement with the Taliban that may have included or affected the Haqqani network.

‘Wife’ returns to haunt Hamza Shahbaz

Ayesha Ahad Malik, the alleged wife of Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, son of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, said on Wednesday that Hamza was threatening her for creating hurdles in his new marriage. In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Ayesha expressed fear that she, her daughter Mahnoor and her brother Ali Imran Yusuf were being threatened by Hamza. Hamza Shahbaz, who is also a member of the National Assembly, is getting married to Dr Rabia, a Kasmiri-American. This is his second marriage, but according to the law, he cannot get married a second time without permission from his first wife. Ayesha claims that she has a video footage where Hamza swears that she is his wife and that he will never divorce her. She has said in the letter that she married Hamza Shahbaz in April 2010 and his attitude towards her changed by February this year and now he is remarrying which is unfair to her. She has requested the chief justice to take suo motu action on the issue and provide security and justice to her. She said that the local court also issued notices to Hamza and his family due to which they are harassing her and her family.

'Kabul I love you' stresses Afghan woes

A decade after the fall of the cinema-hating Taliban, a group of Afghan directors have created a film love letter to their capital, rooted in the grim reality of everyday life in the war-torn city. Forced marriage, people smuggling, illegal land grabs, land mines and ethnic conflict -- life in Kabul is not short of problems, and "Kabul I Love You" explores them through 10 interwoven stories. Afghanistan's film industry was hammered by 17 years of war after the Soviet invasion in 1979 and was snuffed out entirely under the extreme rule of the Taliban. During their 1996-2001 regime, the hardliners closed cinemas and hung televisions from lampposts, regarding all images as un-Islamic. Even sculptures were targeted, with the famous giant Buddhas of Bamiyan paying the price. Now Afghan cinema is struggling to re-emerge amid a wrecked economy and an ongoing insurgency against the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai. Afghanistan produces around 100 films a year, according to documentary-maker Malek Shafi'i, but they are shot on tiny budgets and are often very poor. "Kabul I Love You" has been funded by the UN mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, as a means of giving the country's cinema a boost. Ario Soltani, from UNAMA, says the idea was to encourage film-makers to develop their own ideas. "We wanted to reach the film-makers, to support them, to communicate with Afghan people," he said. "Not with our messages but with theirs. We hope they reflect the Afghan society and the Afghan ideas of that time." The funding project was not an unqualified success -- one of the 11 directors chosen from 200 applicants fled the country as soon as he got his hands on UNAMA's $8,000, while another left for Iran after being threatened. But despite these setbacks, the film was shot and got a warm reception when it was screened at the French cultural centre in Kabul in May.

Asghar Khan case: Former ISI chief names officials involved in rigging

DAWN.COM

The former chief of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt-Gen (Retd) Asad Durrani has submitted documents to the Supreme Court, including a list of officers alleged to have illegally distributed money to politicians in the 1990 elections. A three member bench of the SC, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S. Khwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, has taken up a 1996 petition of Tehrik-i-Istiqlal chief Air Martial (retd) Asghar Khan who accused the ISI of financing politicians in the 1990 elections by dishing out Rs140 million to create the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) and prevent Benazir Bhutto’s PPP from winning the polls. Durrani was asked by the court to submit the list he had promised containing the names of ISI officials involved in the operation to substantiate the doling out of funds among different politicians. The former spy chief claims that the names of politicians were obtained from the Presidency through Ijlal Haider Zaidi, a member of then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan’s election team, while the “donations” were doled out to the politicians at the directions of then Army chief Mirza Aslam Beg. Durrani claimed that 70 out of the Rs 140 million were distributed through him while the remaining amount was submitted to the ISI’s secret funds. Durrani further said that all the officers who had distributed the funds belonged to the Military Intelligence (MI). The apex court is to take up the case again in its next hearing on July 30.

Balochistan quagmire

Frontier post

The Supreme Court has ruled that there is complete constitutional breakdown in Balochistan. The province has indeed become a stinking cesspit of official inaction, sloth and apathy over these past four years or so. Veritably, it is in the throes of lawlessness, criminality and insurgency terribly. Yet, the administration is evidently just hibernating. Balochistan is not being blighted by the plague of missing persons alone. Still more horrific happenings are taking place over here. An unmourned ethnic cleansing of Punjabi settlers, Urdu-speaking migrants and now also of the Pakhtuns in the Baloch-dominated areas is leading up to their mass exodus from those places and also to a baneful brain drain from the province. The sectarian mayhem of the Hazara community is on unrelentingly. There is no letup either in targeted killings and street crimes. And kidnappings for ransom have gone beyond the alarming proportions. Yet, the administration is sitting pretty, just inert and inactive. Not pushed is it even about the ransom abductions, even as the incidence carries international implications as well. Since the Hindu jewellers and businessmen are among the main groups being targeted by kidnappers, quite a large number of Hindus have migrated to India with no intent to return to the homeland. Their travail could easily be exploited by the international vested interests and hostile lobbies to defame and malign Pakistan worldwide. But, shockingly, no concern is in evidence either in Quetta or even in Islamabad over this explosive migration. Indeed, there is a bewildering official unconcern both at the centre and in the province over the way crime and criminality are worrisomely wresting the province away from the state writ. Rather, both the provincial and federal hierarchs appear unrepentant and unchastised. A stark shocker it really was that chief minister Nawab Aslam Riasani delivered the other day. Conditions in Balochistan, he said, were not that bad; it is only the media which was exaggerating. If it is the media, then why is so much of restlessness right inside Balochistan? The people across the spectrum are crying hoarse that they feel safe neither in their homes nor on the streets and in their workplaces. The horrible fact is that the provincial administration has thrown the citizens at the mercy of terrorists, insurgents and criminal gangs. And the sorriest part is nobody in Islamabad is bothered about it. All that one gets from there is silly political rhetoric and tall talk about a Balochistan package which is neither here nor there. Both the federal and provincial hierarchs keep clamouring that foreign hands are involved in the troubles in Balochistan, which sure is right. But neither do they identify those hands for reasons best known to them, nor do they act robustly to chop them off. There seems no coordination between the provincial and the federal security apparatuses; all seem acting independently, if at all. The worst part is that the provincial administration doesn't appear intent on preparing the provincial security apparatus fighting fit to take on criminals, terrorists and insurgents triumphantly. Over these past years, enormous monies have flowed into the coffers of the provincial government from the centre in various heads. With those billions, it could have not only equipped the provincial law-enforcement apparatus with good training, sophisticated weapons and other gadgetry, but also spent a lot on human development to marginalise anti-social and anti-state elements. But it has done neither. Believably, those billions have been divvied up between themselves by the ministers and lawmakers to fatten their own treasures. The province is really in a pathetic state. To get out of its travails, it needs honest leaders who are also good statesmen and no-nonsense administrators. But to its utter misfortune, it has at the helms those who are not even passable politicians. They are petty dwarfs, not fit to rule even a municipality. And, to its great grief, it has a non-resident chief minister, who loves spending more time in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi than his seat of power, Quetta. When the top is so feeble and insouciant, what feats could reasonably be expected of its subordinate bureaucracy? No wonder, Balochistan is in such a spot. But someone in Islamabad has to wake up and come alive to the lawlessness, chaos and anarchy holding in their vicious clutches this crucial province of Pakistan so tightly. It can't be let go down all like that. At every cost, it has to be saved and secured for its preponderantly impoverished people to live safely and grow assuredly. A drastic decision in Balochistan has now become inevitable. Will Islamabad take it or let Balochistan sink in the quagmire it is stuck up in so frighteningly.

Bajaur blast: Bomb kills nine

The explosion took place in Pasht bazaar of Salarzai area. A bomb tore through a busy market in Pakistan s tribal belt on Thursday, killing at least seven people and wounding 20 others near the Afghan border, officials said. The device exploded in Pasht bazaar of Salarzai in Bajaur district. Nobody claimed the responsibility for the bombing. According to an AFP tally, around 5,000 people have been killed in terrorist attacks across the country since July 2007. The military conducted major anti-Taliban offensives in Bajaur in August 2008 and February 2009, and has repeatedly declared the district secure.

Pashto singer Zareen Jan is dead

Acclaimed Pashto singer

Bacha Zareen Jan died after protracted illness here on Wednesday. She was 70. Born in 1942, at Par Hoti area of Mardan, she became famous after performing on radio, TV and stage. Also recipient of Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, the ghazal maestro was widely known by Pakhtuns everywhere in the world. She sang some memorable numbers during her illustrious career. In early 1970s, she had become a household name in the province and Federally Administered Areas due to her melodious voice. Music enthusiasts liked her simple style. Zareen Jan started singing songs for radio at the age of seven. She sang Pashto, Hindko, Punjabi, Seraiki, Urdu and Persian songs. She was fondly called Bibi Gul by her fans. Her elder sister trained her in the art of singing while famed musicians of the time played significant role in her grooming.Zareen Jan, who had also performed from All India Radio, Delhi, won hearts and minds of the people when she sang patriotic songs to boost the morale of army in 1965 war against India. She was widely respected for promotion of Pashto. The last few years were very difficult for the singer due to old age and economic problems. She always looked towards government for financial assistance. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had provided some financial assistance to her a few months ago. Her melodious voice had given her a unique place among the contemporary crooners due to which she was considered a pioneer of female singing in Pashto. Local showbiz community has announced to mourn the death of the great singer. In a statement, president of Artists Welfare Association Javed Babar said that she was the most courageous women, who promoted Pashto music in very early days. She would be remembered for long for her services, he added.

U.S. Sees Food Prices Rising From Severe Drought

The worst drought in the United States in nearly a half-century is expected to drive up the price of milk, beef and pork next year, the government said Wednesday, as consumers bear some of the brunt of the sweltering heat that is driving up the cost of feed corn. Poultry prices are expected to rise more immediately, the government said in a report. It estimated that consumer price indexes for chicken and turkey would rise 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent later this year. “The poultry category is the smallest animal category, and we expect to see more of an effect this year because they grow the fastest and will be first to be impacted by higher feed prices,” said Richard Volpe, an economist with the Department of Agriculture. Figures released Wednesday by the department showed the largest percentage increase next year in its price indexes is expected for beef, a rise of 4 percent to 5 percent. The price of dairy products will increase 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent and eggs by 3 percent to 4 percent. Pork is expected to rise 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent. The data is the first government estimate of how much prices could rise next year because of the drought that has gripped most of the country this summer, producing a lower-than-expected yield in corn, soybeans and several other commodity crops. Corn is now selling at about $8 a bushel — up 50 percent from where it was priced at just a month ago. Soybeans are at a record price of almost $17 a bushel, up from $13, just two months ago. Food prices over all rise about 1 percent for every 50 percent increase in corn prices, because corn is used in dozens of products, according to the Agriculture Department. Corn can be found in everything from soft drinks to baby food, but nearly half of the crop is used to feed livestock. “These are very corn-intensive operations,” said Bruce A. Babcock, an agriculture economist at Iowa State University, referring to raising livestock. “So customers will see an increase in the prices they pay for beef and dairy as the price of feed rises because of a drop in production.” According to the government, 88 percent of the corn crop this year is now affected by the drought and 77 percent of the crop for soybeans, used in animal feed and some dairy alternatives, is affected. The Agriculture Department slashed its estimate for what was supposed to be the largest corn harvest on record. The government cut its corn yield forecast to 146 bushels an acre for the year, the lowest corn yield since 2003; the outlook last month was for 166 bushels. The soybean yield is projected to be 40 bushels per acre, down from an estimate of 43.9 last month. The most recent crop progress report shows that just 26 percent of the nation’s corn crop is rated either in good or excellent condition. About 45 percent of the crop is rated very poor or poor. Soybean conditions remain slightly better. About 31 percent of the soybean crop is rated good to excellent, while 35 percent is rated very poor or poor. Because of the dry weather, cattle farmers in a number of states have already started selling off or culling cattle because the drought has ruined grass for grazing and the price for corn for feed has skyrocketed. Daniel R. Glickman, the agriculture secretary for former President Clinton, said that as farmers started culling or selling their herds, meat prices could fall because of a glut of beef on the market. “So in the short term, that’s good for customers,” Mr. Glickman said. But the prices of beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and dairy are expected to rise significantly later in the year, most likely around November, agriculture economists say. Ken Colombini, a spokesman for the National Corn Growers Association, a Washington trade group, said that not all of the rise in food prices could be attributed to a rise in corn prices. “A drop in corn production is a factor, but animals are under other stresses related to the drought as well,” Mr. Colombini said. Ray Gilmer, a spokesman for the United Fresh Produce Association, said fruit and vegetable producers, for the most part, were not being affected by the drought. “Most of these operations are irrigated and the water is highly regulated so we are not having issues with our crops,” Mr. Gilmer said. Despite the drought, many agriculture economists expect the farm economy to remain strong, mainly because most farmers participate in the federal crop insurance program. Under the program farmers can obtain policies that cover drops in prices or yields. In 2011, 265.7 million acres of crops were insured, with payouts of $10.8 billion because of weather related damage in Texas, Kansas and a few other states. For a few lucky farmers, there could be an upside to the drought, Mr. Babcock said. “By collecting insurance but selling the remaining crops at the now-record prices, they could see a larger increase in revenue then they did last year,” he said.

Obama widens his lead in polls.

http://news.yahoo.com

According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, President Obama has widened his lead over rival Mitt Romney. He’s now six points ahead (49 to 43 percent nationwide), up from a three-point lead (47 to 44 percent) last month. In the key swing states, Mr. Obama’s doing even better. NBC/WSJ has him leading by eight points in the top 12 battlegrounds. This is good news for the president. So why does it feel as if he’s in a tougher spot than he’s been in for much of the campaign? Well, the poll shows Obama’s negatives are up, as are Mr. Romney’s – a result of the attack ads that both sides have been running. Even there, however, the numbers look worse for Romney, who, the poll points out, would be the only modern nominee to have a “net negative” favorability rating (meaning more people view him unfavorably than favorably). No, the really scary poll number for Obama is this one: Only 27 percent of voters think the economy will improve over the next year. That’s down eight points from last month. And that level of economic pessimism is very dangerous for an incumbent. In fact, it seems almost incredible – the political equivalent of defying gravity – for Obama to have gained ground in the horse race even as Americans’ views on the economy have grown increasingly, alarmingly, sour. The question is whether Obama can continue to defy gravity like this all the way to November. Given the strikingly strong levels of dislike for Romney – who trails Obama by 20 points on likability in the poll – the president may still be able to stay on top. But we can’t imagine it will continue to be this easy. In coming weeks, Obama will have to deal with yet another jobs report that’s likely to be less than inspiring – and this time, he may not be able to turn the media focus onto Romney’s business record and taxes as an alternate story line. And the Obama campaign is clearly still worried about fallout from the president's "you didn't build that" gaffe – as evidenced by the fact that they’ve released a new ad directly addressing it. (Note: When the president has to say in a commercial, “Of course Americans build their own businesses,” that’s not a good sign.) Obama’s also going to be competing more and more with the “veepstakes” frenzy, as speculation about Romney’s running mate mounts, giving the Romney campaign plenty of free – and probably mostly positive – media. And who knows what sort of “October (or September or August) surprise” may lie ahead to complicate things further for the president. A few other interesting tidbits from the NBC/WSJ poll: Obama is getting more blame than Romney for running a negative campaign – with 22 percent saying he is, versus 12 percent saying Romney is (though 34 percent fault both candidates). It looks as if Romney has made some progress when it comes to one aspect of his image – “flip-flopping.” Last fall, Obama held a 14-point lead over Romney on “being consistent and standing up for his beliefs.” Today, that lead has shrunk to just two points (Romney has gained ground and the president has lost it). The percentage of voters who regard Obama’s health-care law as a “good idea” has reached its highest point yet, at 40 percent (though that still trails those who regard it as a “bad idea,” at 44 percent). Thirty-one percent now feel “strongly” that it was a good idea, up from 25 percent last month.

Polio eradication: Previously prohibited areas to receive vaccines

The Express Tribune

The political administration of Khyber Agency has trained 45 khasadars to assist the polio campaign and provide vaccination at transit points. Agency surgeon Dr Azam Khan told The Express Tribune that special training was being imparted to the forces, which will be sent to Landi Kotal and Jamrud tehsils to vaccinate children. “The officers will inoculate children at various checkpoints. In particular, people arriving from Bara tehsil and Tirrah Valley due to security problems will be given drops, so that no child is left without vaccination,” Khan said. He added that the political agent has hired 30 volunteers, on a salary of Rs10,000 per month to reach those areas which are inaccessible to polio teams.“Bara is most at risk of polio and if we find any opportunity to send our teams there, we will do so.” “We have deployed teams of 10 people at Torkham border and vaccinated around 32,000 children below the age of five last month,” he said. On July 16, the polio drive in Bara tehsil had to be deferred putting 111,556 children at risk. Meanwhile, the political agent of South Waziristan, Shahidullah Khan, told journalists that the campaign is going on successfully in Mehsud areas, where no one has refused to vaccinate their children so far. He added that the polio campaign in Wana and adjacent areas has not been launched as yet, but a 20-member team comprising local religious clerics and tribal elders has been formed to negotiate with the Taliban. The campaign will commence when negotiations succeed. Earlier, the Mullah Nazir-led Taliban outfit had issued a decree against polio vaccination in Wana and warned that until drone attacks continue in tribal areas, vaccination will not be allowed.

NATO supply trucks surge at Torkham border

http://dailybalochistanexpress.com/

The flow of trucks supplying NATO troops in Afghanistan has surged at Torkham border crossing in recent days, officials said Wednesday, despite attack and protests. Few containers had trickled across the border since Islamabad reopened the routes three weeks ago, but officials at Torkham, in Pakistan's northwestern tribal district of Khyber, said more than 100 had crossed in the last two days. Islamabad closed its land routes to NATO convoys in November following botched US air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, but reopened them on July 3 after Washington said sorry for the deaths. "More than a 100 trucks have crossed Torkham border in the past two days, a total of 140 have so far crossed into Afghanistan," Obaidullah Khan, a customs official at Torkham, told AFP. Before the blockade, around 150 trucks crossed into Afghanistan each day at Torkham -- the closest border crossing to Kabul -- and officials say the flow will rise to up to 300 a day. News of the increase came a day after gunmen attacked NATO supply trucks near a market in Jamrud town in Khyber, killing a driver. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Tuesday's attack but militants have threatened to attack NATO trucks and kill their drivers. Mohammad Miraj, a senior administrative official at Torkham, confirmed the increase and added that security has been tightened because of the recent attack and the increased flow of trucks.

Pakistan stocks end up; rupee weakens; o/n rates unchanged

DAWN.COM

Pakistan’s main stock market closed up on Wednesday after the country’s Supreme Court adjourned a case that could threaten the country’s prime minister with disqualification, analysts said. The Karachi Stock Exchange benchmark 100-share index gained 52.61 points, or 0.36 per cent, to close at 14,564.68 points on volume of 43.49 million shares. Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has been ordered to re-open corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. Failing to do so could see him lose office, further discrediting the government. “There was a fear that the prime minister may face the same prosecution as his predecessor for not re-opening the cases in Switzerland, which would have increased instability. That not happening was a positive factor,” said Atif Zafar, a research analyst at the JS Global financial services company. The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned proceedings until August 8. Ashraf’s predecessor Yusuf Raza Gilani was disqualified last month by the Supreme Court for failing to re-open the cases. In the currency market, the rupee weakened to close at 94.58/63 to the dollar, compared with 94.43/49 on Tuesday. Overnight rates in the money market remained unchanged at 11.90 per cent.

SC order on Swiss letter 'unconstitutional'

Declining to implement Supreme Court's (SC) December 16, 2009 judgement on the NRO case, the government on Tuesday said the premier is not authorised to write letter to Swiss authorities to re-open cases against President Asif Zardari without the advice of the federal cabinet. Submitting its reply, the federation through Attorney General (AG) Irfan Qadir in the NRO judgement implementation case requested the court to recall its subsequent orders passed on June 26 and July 12, directing the prime minister to implement Para 178 of the judgement. Meanwhile, the SC returned the reply of the federation with declaration that it was inadmissible under Order X Rule 2 of the Supreme Court Rules 1980. The SC registrar's office however, said that the only remedy available was to file review under Order XXVI of SC Rules 1980 if so desired. A five-member bench, led by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, is taking up NRO judgement implementation case today (Wednesday). A law expert said that the government had not finalised its strategy on whether it would file a review petition or challenge the registrar office's objections before the bench today. He said that the government would oppose the formation of the commission into writing a letter to the Swiss authorities. After the disqualification of former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani, a number of top jurists have suggested the SC to use its option of judicial commission regarding the implementation of court's December 16, 2009 judgement, because taking action against the country's chief executive again and again would severely damage Pakistan's image internationally. While filing reply, the AG pleaded that the subsequent orders of the court on June 26 and July 12 were not in accordance with law, rules and the constitution of Pakistan and required re-consideration/hearing for the purpose of rendering complete justice. The federation contended that the incumbent PM had not reviewed any advice from the cabinet related to implementing Para 178 of the NRO judgement, so he was not obliged constitutionally to implement the order of the court. The federation also said in its reply that the premier could comply with the court orders on the judgement (Para 178) if he was advised to write the letter to the Swiss authorities by the federal cabinet. The federation said further that implementation of Para 178 of the NRO judgement was therefore one of the collective responsibility of the federal cabinet under Rule 6 of the Rules of Business and Clause 6 of Article 91 of the constitution. "The prime minister cannot comply with Para 178 except on the advice of the cabinet, which is mandatory required to be referred to the cabinet for discussion or advice under Rule 16," the AG said. "The resultant effect of the said orders is tantamount to clear-cut violation of Article 248(2) of the constitution and the PM by virtue of his oath is bound to preserve and to protect the constitution", he also contended. He said that there was no occasion for the seven-member bench to have called the former PM thrice in the court during hearings of the case and that too was an utter disregard of the constitution and the law. "The prime minister cannot be asked by means of the aforesaid orders for implementation of an un-implementable direction given by the Supreme Court," the federation concluded.

Pakistan refuses to reopen presidential graft case

Pakistan's government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that it will not reopen an old corruption case against the president, defying a judicial order that has brought down one prime minister and threatens his replacement. The crisis has roiled Pakistan's political system for months, distracting attention from what many Pakistanis believe are more pressing problems, such as the country's ailing economy and fight against the Taliban. The dispute centers on a graft case against President Asif Ali Zardari dating back to the late 1990s in Swiss court, a time when he became known as "Mr. 10 percent" for his reputation of demanding kickbacks on government contracts. The Pakistani Supreme Court has demanded the government write a letter to Swiss authorities asking them to reopen the case. The government has refused, saying Zardari enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office. The court convicted former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of contempt and ousted him from office in June for refusing to write the letter. The ruling Pakistan People's Party rallied support to elect a new premier, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and has remained defiant. Pakistan's attorney general, Irfan Qadir, appeared before the court Wednesday and told the judges that Ashraf also refused to reopen the case because of the president's immunity. "Your order is not implementable," said Qadir. He accused the lead judge, Asif Saeed Khosa, of being biased against the president and said he should recuse himself from the proceedings — a demand rejected by Khosa. Many government supporters have accused the Supreme Court of relentlessly pursuing the case because of bad blood between Zardari and Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. Khosa demanded the new prime minister write the letter to the Swiss, but also seemed to soften the court's stance, saying the judges would respect the president's immunity if the government obeyed their order. He also gave the government more time to come up with a solution. Wednesday was the initial deadline for the government to say whether it would fulfill the court's order, but Khosa adjourned the hearing until Aug. 8. The judge's somewhat softer stance could be a reaction to criticism of the court for threatening to bring down the first civilian government poised to finish its five-year term in the country's history. Past governments were toppled by direct or indirect intervention by the country's powerful army, often with help of the judiciary. The current government's term ends in early 2013. It's unclear whether the judge's comments will alter the government's stance. Zardari has said in the past that his government would never write the letter. "I will make a genuine and serious effort to solve this issue," said Qadir. The case against Zardari relates to kickbacks he and his late wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, allegedly received from Swiss companies when Bhutto was in power in the 1990s. They were found guilty in absentia in Swiss court in 2003. Zardari appealed, but Swiss prosecutors dropped the case after the Pakistani parliament passed an ordinance giving the president and others immunity from old corruption cases that many agreed were politically motivated. The bill was decried by many in Pakistan, who saw it as an attempt to subvert the law. The Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 2009 and ordered the government to write a letter to Swiss authorities requesting they reopen the case. Also Wednesday, militants coming from Afghanistan armed with assault rifles attacked a paramilitary checkpoint in northwest Pakistan, wounding two soldiers, officials said. The attack occurred in Dalasa village in the Kurram tribal area, said Rasheed Khan, a local government official. At least 20 militants were involved in the attack, Pakistani military officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The militants escaped across the border after the attack, and the Pakistani army fired artillery in retaliation, said Khan. The Afghan government said Sunday that four civilians died when hundreds of shells and rockets fired from Pakistan hit homes along frontier areas where insurgents have staged cross-border attacks. The government did not openly blame the Pakistani military for the artillery barrage, but they have done so in the past. Both countries criticize each other for not doing enough to stop cross-border attacks by militants.