UK must act to halt mutilation of girls – report

Female genital mutilation must be treated as human rights abuse, say nurses and midwives

Thousands of girls in danger of genital mutilation are being failed by the health and justice systems, a coalition of health professionals has warned in a report that recommends aggressive steps to eradicate the practice in the UK. Female genital mutilation (FGM) should be treated the same as any other kind of child abuse and evidence of it must be reported to the police, according to the report. Janet Fyle, a policy adviser of the Royal College of Midwives and one of the report's authors, said that just as it was inconceivable that a health worker would not report evidence of child abuse to the police, it should be equally important to report evidence of FGM. "If we are applying child protection laws, we cannot pick and choose which crimes against children we pursue," she said. "We are not asking for more money or legislation, we are just asking that child protection laws should work for all children not just some." According to the report more than 66,000 women in England and Wales have undergone FGM and more than 24,000 girls under the age of 15 are at risk of it. Despite its regular occurrence, FGM has not resulted in a prosecution in Britain, whereas in France there have been about 100. The report – Tackling Female Genital Mutilation in the UK – will be launched at the House of Commons on Monday by the Royal Colleges of Midwifery, Nursing and Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Unite union and Equality Now. It has been praised by the government. FGM is carried out in Africa and the Middle East by Muslims and non-Muslims. It predates Islam and is not called for in the Qur'an although it mostly occurs in countries that became Islamic. In countries such as Somalia and Egypt more than 90% of women have undergone some kind of FGM but it is also common in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mali and Sierra Leone. Although FGM has been outlawed in the UK since 1985, migrants from countries where FGM is common have continued the practice here or by taking girls to their home countries for it to be performed. Since 2003, Britons can be prosecuted for acts of FGM abroad. The report recommends that FGM must be treated as child abuse and evidence of it should be collected by the NHS and shared with the police and education officials. It also recommends that health workers who detect evidence of FGM should treat it as a crime and inform the police. The former director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer, said it was only a matter of time before prosecutions for FGM took place. "Through working together closely with the police, health and social care professionals and the third sector, we are now in a much better place to have a successful prosecution against those who perpetrate this practice," he wrote in the report's foreword. "It is only a matter of time before this happens and this will send a very powerful message that FGM is a crime that will not be tolerated in a modern multicultural society."The report recommends that health workers identify girls at risk and treat them as if they were at risk of child abuse. Girls at risk are defined as girls born to a woman who has undergone FGM or a child who lives closely with someone who has. It also calls for a government-funded awareness strategy, similar to the HIV campaigns, and for health workers to be held accountable for their success or failure in monitoring FGM among patients and sharing information. The report clearly emphasises the importance of an individual's safety over the respect for religious and racial sensibilities, a point welcomed by Shaista Gohir, the chairwoman of the Muslim Women's Network. "We need to be mindful of cultural and religious sensibilities but safeguarding the child from FGM has to be the priority. If a child is at risk it is better to protect them rather than religious and cultural feelings," she said. The report's launch will be hosted by the public health minister, Jane Ellison, who has praised the report but not yet endorsed any of its recommendations. She said: "One of my priorities as public health minister is to work towards eradicating female genital mutilation. Having supported this report during its development, I welcome its publication and the lead that the organisations involved, representing so many healthcare workers, are showing." A spokesman for the Department of Health said ministers had yet to study the report's recommendations. Other suggestions include that medical staff should question all new young female patients to determine the prevalence of FGM in their families and that teachers and schools should highlight the issue with at-risk groups and individuals. Sarian Karim, a 36-year-old community worker from Peckham, south London, who suffered FGM as an 11-year-old in Sierra Leone, welcomed the report. "FGM is a normal thing for us. We don't know it is against the law, but I know that it damages girls and leaves them scarred for life – mentally and physically. "It is very important that everyone knows that FGM is illegal. We suffer from a lot of complications [because of the procedure]. "We want those people who work in schools to have guidelines and be able to inform, prepare and protect children."

Lovers Of Sharia Law: The $120,000 farmhouse where Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud died

With marble floors, lush green lawns and a towering minaret, the $120,000 farm where feared Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud died in a US drone strike was no grubby mountain cave. Mehsud spent his days skipping around Pakistan's rugged tribal areas to avoid the attentions of US drones. But his family, including two wives, had the use of an eight-roomed farmhouse set amid lawns and orchards growing apples, oranges, grapes and pomegranates. As well as the single-storey house, the compound in Dandey Darpakhel village, five kilometres (three miles) north of Miranshah, was adorned with a tall minaret -- purely for decorative purposes. Militant sources said the property in the North Waziristan tribal area was bought for Mehsud nearly a year ago for $120,000 -- a huge sum by Pakistani standards -- by close aide Latif Mehsud, who was captured by the US in Afghanistan last month. An AFP journalist visited the property several times when the previous owner, a wealthy landlord, lived there. With the Pakistan army headquarters for restive North Waziristan just a kilometre away, locals thought of Mehsud's compound as the "safest" place in a dangerous area. Its proximity to a major military base recalls the hideout of Osama bin Laden in the town of Abbottabad, on the doorstep of Pakistan's elite military academy. "I saw a convoy of vehicles two or three times in this street but I never thought Hakimullah would have been living here. It was the safest place for us before this strike," local shopkeeper Akhter Khan told AFP. This illusion of safety was shattered on Friday when a US drone fired at least two missiles at Mehsud's vehicle as it stood at the compound gate waiting to enter, killing the Pakistani Taliban chief and four cadres. The area around Dandey Darpakhel is known as a hub for the Haqqani network, a militant faction blamed for some of the most high-profile attacks in Afghanistan in recent years. Many left the area during the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan, coming back after the US-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks. Samiullah Wazir, a shopkeeper in the area, told AFP he would regularly see a convoy of four or five SUVs with blacked-out windows leave the compound early in the morning and return after sunset. "We thought that somebody very important must be living in this house," Wazir said. "One day, I saw a man wearing a white shawl entering the house and I thought he looked like Hakimullah, but I thought 'How can he live here because he could be easily hit by a drone strike?'" But Hakimullah it was and on Friday he returned to his compound for the final time. "We were closing the shop when his vehicle came and was about to enter the house when a missile struck it," Wazir said. "Moments later, an army of Taliban came and they cordoned off the area."

Kuwaiti woman arrested in Saudi Arabia for driving sick father to hospital

A Kuwaiti woman was arrested in Saudi Arabia for driving a car while taking her diabetic father to the hospital. The arrest comes just one week after Saudi women protested the driving ban in the conservative Gulf monarchy. The woman was driving a Chevrolet Epica with her father in the passenger seat when she was pulled over in an area located near the border with Kuwait, Saudi police told Kuwait Times newspaper. She explained that she was taking her sick father to the hospital, but officers were unsympathetic. The woman was detained and is now being held in custody pending an investigation, police said. The media report provided no information on whether her sick father made it to the hospital. There are close ties between Kuwaitis and Saudis in the area, with people from both countries crossing the border on a regular basis. However, Kuwait has surged ahead in terms of female rights. Women in the country are allowed to drive, vote, and run for political office. In Saudi Arabia, attempted reforms from King Abdullah often face resistance from the country’s senior clergy. Saudi woman are not allowed to drive cars, travel abroad, open a bank account, or work without permission from a male relative. Last Saturday, a protest took place against the driving ban, which resulted in 16 female drivers being stopped by police. They were fined 300 riyals (US$80) each and forced along with their male guardians to pledge to obey the kingdom’s laws. Activists said that more than 60 Saudi women got behind the wheel to protest the driving ban.

Saudi Arabia is the nation most responsible for Islamic Salafi-Wahhabi militancy around the world

by Fareed Zakaria

America’s Middle East policies are failing, we are told, and the best evidence is that Saudi Arabia is furious. Dick Cheney, John McCain and Lindsey Graham have all sounded the alarm about Riyadh’s recent rejection of a seat on the U.N. Security Council. But whatever one thinks of the Obama Administration’s handling of the region, surely the last measure of American foreign policy should be how it is received by the House of Saud. If there were a prize for Most Irresponsible Foreign Policy it would surely be awarded to Saudi Arabia. It is the nation most responsible for the rise of Islamic Salafi-Wahhabi radicalism and militancy around the world. (In Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, Saudi Salafi-Wahhabis operate through Deobandi militants). Over the past four decades, the kingdom’s immense oil wealth has been used to underwrite the export of an extreme, intolerant and violent version of Islam preached by its Wahhabi clerics. Go anywhere in the world–from Germany to Indonesia–and you’ll find Islamic Salafi-Wahhabi centers flush with Saudi money, spouting intolerance and hate. In 2007, Stuart Levey, then a top Treasury official, told ABC News, “If I could snap my fingers and cut off the funding from one country, it would be Saudi Arabia.” When confronted with the evidence, Saudi officials often claim these funds flow from private individuals and foundations and the government has no control over them. But many of the foundations were set up by the government or key members of the royal family, and none could operate in defiance of national policy; the country is an absolute monarchy. In a December 2009 cable, leaked by WikiLeaks in 2010, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed that Saudi Arabia remained a “critical financial base” for terrorism and that Riyadh “has taken only limited action” to stop the flow of funds to the Taliban and other such groups. Saudi Arabia was one of only three countries in the world to recognize and support the Taliban-led Deobandi government in Afghanistan until the 9/11 attacks. It is also a major player in Pakistan, now home to most of the world’s deadliest terrorists. The country’s former Law Minister Iqbal Haider told Deutsche Welle, the German news agency, in August 2012, “Whether they are the Taliban or Lashkar-e-Taiba, their ideology is Saudi Salafi Wahhabi (Takfiri Deobandi in Pakistan) without an iota of doubt.” He added that there was no doubt Saudi Arabia was supporting Wahhabi (Takfiri Deobandi) groups throughout his country. Ever since al-Qaeda attacked Riyadh directly in 2003, the Saudis have stamped down on terrorism at home. But they have not ended support for Wahhabi clerics, centers, madrasahs and militants abroad. During the Iraq War, much of the support for Sunni militants came from Saudi sources. That pattern continues in Syria today. Saudi Arabia’s objections to the Obama Administration’s policies toward Syria and Iran are not framed by humanitarian concerns for the people of those countries. They are rooted in a pervasive anti-Shi’ite ideology. Riyadh has long treated all other versions and sects of Islam as heresy and condoned the oppression of those groups. A 2009 report from Human Rights Watch details the ways in which the Saudi government, clerics, religious police and schools systematically discriminate against the local Shi’ite population, including arrests, beatings and, on occasion, the use of live ammunition. (And not just the Shi’ites. In March 2012, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti issued a fatwa declaring that it was “necessary to destroy all the churches in the Arabian Peninsula.”) The regime fears that any kind of empowerment of the Shi’ites anywhere could embolden the 15% of Saudi Arabia’s population that is Shi’ite–and happens to live in the part of the country where most of its oil reserves can be found. That’s why the Saudis sent troops into neighboring Bahrain during the Arab Spring of 2011, to crush the Shi’ite majority’s uprising. Saudi royals have been rattled by the events in their region and beyond. They sense that the discontent that launched the Arab Spring is not absent in their own populace. They fear the rehabilitation of Iran. They also know that the U.S. might very soon find itself entirely independent of Middle Eastern oil. Given these trends, it is possible that Saudi Arabia worries that a seat on the U.N. Security Council might constrain it from having freedom of action. Or that the position could shine a light on some of its more unorthodox activities. Or that it could force Riyadh to vote on issues it would rather ignore. It is also possible that the Saudis acted in a sudden fit of pique. After all, they had spent years lobbying for the seat. Whatever the reason, let’s concede that, yes, Saudi Arabia is angry with the U.S. But are we sure that’s a sign Washington is doing something wrong?

- See more at: http://lubpak.com/archives/288595#sthash.rWRdS84c.dpuf

Pakistan: Govt confused over drones, US ties

Former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has said that government is circled by confusion over drone attacks and relations with America.

Talking to media at Karachi Airport on Sunday, Gillani reminded that his government not only blocked NATO supply but not participated in Bonn conference also in reaction over Salala check post attack. “Pakistan Peoples Party had demanded apology from US, while asked the Parliament to review arrangements regarding agreements with US and vacated Shamsi Airbase from US control after Salala check post attack,” he said. Secretary General PPP, Latif Khosa lambasted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz over Local Bodies elections in Punjab. He said that Sharif Brothers took birth from Marshal Laws that is why PML-N wants escape from LB polls. “Federal government is failing to restore peace despite the fact that all parties has given free hand to government in this regard,” Khosa added.

Bilawal Bhutto condoles Reshma’s death

http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Patron-In-Chief, Pakistan Peoples Party has offered heartfelt condolence on the sad demise of Pakistani folk singer Reshma and expressed sympathy with her bereaved family. In a press release, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari paid tributes to late Reshma for making Pakistani folk songs popular across the music world. He said folk music is a vital and inseparable part of our centuries-old culture and traditions and needs to be promoted. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also stressed for more efforts on the part of government and the society to utilize our rich folk culture and music for creating peace and harmony in the country. He prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage and fortitude to her family members.

Legendary Pakistani singer Reshma passes away after long battle with throat cancer

Born in Bikaner in India's Rajasthan state to a Banjara family around 1947, her tribe migrated to Karachi shortly after partition. Legendary Pakistani folk singer Reshma, who mesmerised music lovers in the Indian subcontinent with soulful rendition of songs like 'Dama Dam Mast Kalandar' and 'Lambi Judai' in her trademark rustic voice, passed away in Lahore today after a prolonged battle with throat cancer. Born around 1947 in Bikaner, Rajasthan, in a Banjara family, Reshma was under treatment after being diagnosed with the disease years ago. She is survived by son Umair and daughter Khadija. "She had been in coma for the last month and was diagnosed with throat cancer some years ago," said doctor Rahim of the hospital where she was undergoing treatment. Reshma's tribe had migrated to Karachi shortly after partition and the singer, who remained unaffected by the fame, had once said that "the borders do not matter to me...because, an artiste belongs to all". Remembering her origins to the sandy lands in India, she said: "People in India showered me with a lot of admiration. In Pakistan, people have given me respect. But in India also, they listen to me with lot of love. It does not matter to them that I am a Pakistani singer." Having received no formal education in music, she was only 12 when she was spotted singing at Shahbaz Qalander's shrine by a television and radio producer, who arranged for her to record the iconic song 'Laal Meri' on state-run Pakistan Radio. The song was an instant hit, and Reshma went on to become one of the most popular folk singers of Pakistan, appearing on television in the 1960s, as well as recording songs for both the Pakistani and Indian film industry. "Singers of that level and magnitude are an institution in themselves and her passing away means a complete era has passed away. It is a huge loss," Shahram Azhar, lead singer of Pakistani band Laal, told PTI. Some of her famous numbers include 'Hai O Rabba nahion lagda dil mera' and 'Ankhiyan no rehen de ankhyan de kol kol'. Reshma, who has a massive and loyal fan following, was awarded several national awards including prestigious awards 'Sitara-i-Imtiaz' and 'Legends Of Pakistan' given by the President of Pakistan. She was able to perform live in India much later, during the 1980s when India and Pakistan allowed exchange of artistes. Filmmaker Subhash Ghai used her voice in the film 'Hero', which featured one of her most famous songs 'Lambi Judai'. During her career, she was invited to meet Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, a music lover, had come to her aid and gave her Rs 1 million to help pay off a bank loan. He also put her on a secured assistance of Rs 10,000 rupees per month. When she was hospitalised in Doctors Hospital at Lahore on April 6, 2013, the caretaker government led by Najam Sethi decided to pay all her medical expenses. "I have been to many countries -- US, Canada...then I went to India where people gave me a lot of respect. They Indian and Pakistani music industry today mourned the demise of legendary singer Reshma, describing her as a "voice of passion" and "an inspiration to many". Pakistani band Junoon's former guitarist Salman Ahmad tweeted, "A voice of passion not of this earth (RIP) 'Hayo Rabba'". "Tragic. RIP Reshma," Bollywood music composer Vishal Dadlani wrote on Twitter.

Former CIA official defends drones

LUBP Editorial: Death of Hakimullah Mehsud Deobandi

Let Us Build Pakistan

Now that Deobandi Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud is dead and buried, it is time to think what his death symbolizes. Certainly the government is shell-shocked because his death by droning has “murdered” the prospects of peace between the state of Pakistan and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “Murder of peace” is the expression which Chaudhry Nisar Khan has used in his reaction to Mehsud’s death:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/626216/peace-talks-nisar-terms-firdays-drone-strike-murder-of-peace/

Nisar Khan has also threatened to not only review Pakistan-United Sates relations, he has also threated that his government will take this matter up with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: http://www.dawn.com/news/1053627/pakistan-to-review-us-ties-after-attack-on-peace-says-nisar Predictably, Imran Khan has also been fuming and has threatened that his government in KP will block the NATO supply route at all costs:

http://www.dawn.com/news/1053624/imran-vows-to-block-nato-supplies-in-kp

Not to be left behind is the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) whose leader in the National Assembly has condemned the Americans for killing Mehsud. He, Khurshid Shah, will soon be sitting with Imran Khan’s PTI to discuss the post-Mehsud killing scenario: http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?newsid=242925 ANP’s leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour too has condemned Mehsud’s death as a brutality by the US drones. The media men too have gone overboard in shedding tears over Mehsud’s death. There are a few honourable example, though: http://tribune.com.pk/story/626222/wrongful-mourning/

http://dunya.com.pk/index.php/author/nazeer-naji/2013-11-03/4874/73920136#.UnXStvkwrrM

http://www.dawn.com/news/1053623/the-hydra-lives

One should not be faulted if one said that Mehsud’s death has left Pakistan an orphan polity. As if it is not a criminal, murderer, and absconder who had been killed, but the father of the nation, or at least a national hero who could have won a Nobel. But this is Pakistan, then, where an issue must be kept alive to suck in the people’s attention, so no one can speak, even think, about the real issues like poverty, public education, population explosion, lawlessness, and the rise and reach of Takfiri Deobandism. If Pakistan’s ruling elites have raised Cain over Mehsud’s death for some selfish ends, the role of the ‘liberals’ and the ‘civil’ society is no better. On social media, there has not been any sensible discussion of what the killing of Mehsud means—or does not mean. Some sections of the civil society have laughed it off by saying that Mehsud will now be cavorting with seventy-two virgins. And the rest of the fake liberals of Pakistan are outraged that the sovereignty of their motherland has been violated by the Americans—once again. It is these very fake liberals who are claiming with one voice with Pakistan’s ruling elites that just when Pakistan was about to strike a peace deal with the Taliban, the Americans have struck to undermine peace. As if the Utopia was just in reach, but for the Americans. . . . Anyone who thinks that the Taliban had, or have, anything to offer by way of ‘peace’ talks is seriously in need of some statistical-interpretive

help: http://www.viewpointonline.net/the-taliban-will-never-talk.html

We at LUBP do neither celebrate nor condemn the killing of Mehsud. We have never called for elimination of individuals. We strongly disagree with well-wishing but misguided view of some Pakistani opinion-makers that Mehsud’s departure will weaken the Taliban. Our stance over the Mehsud killing is that it will not make any difference to the reign of terror the Taliban have unleashed on the people of Pakistan. Just as we have done in the past, we would like to ask once again: Who are the Taliban? And it is in answering this question that the LUBP editors have a bone to pick with the various views about the identity of the Taliban. The identification of the Taliban popularised by the media, politicians, and pro-army intelligentsia is that they are ones based in Waziristan. Not at all. We believe that this is a cunning and deceptive characterization of the terrorists who have been wreaking havoc in Pakistan. This identification—characterization—hides more than it reveals. By locating the Taliban in Waziristan, the likes of the ISI, PTI, and PML-N want people not to think about the various incarnations of the Taliban which are far more lethal than the Waziristan terrorists. We are talking about the likes of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamat (ASWJ) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). If you look at the social scene of Pakistan, you will find out that it is the leaders and hit men of the ASWJ-LeJ who have been carrying out acts of extreme violence against the Shias, Ahmadis, Hindus, and Christians. These terrorists have been given a free hand by the ISL, PTI, and PML-N. They openly present themselves with PTI-PML-N leaders. Some of the ASWJ-LeJ terrorists were even given tickets by the PML-N to run for election in May. Then, in what way has the killing of Mehsud changed the situation? Our argument is that the killing of Mehsud will not change anything for the Shias, Ahmadis, Hindus, and Christians of Pakistan. One terrorist has been eliminated. A new and possibly worse terrorist will take over. The Taliban have already said that they will take revenge. On who? They certainly cannot go to the United States. They will not touch the likes of the PTI and PML-N who have been crying in solidarity with them. Needless to say, it is the likes of the Shias who will be put on the slab, and the likes of Imran Khan and Shahbaz Sharif will justify violence against the Shias by saying, “It’s the result of the killing of Mehsud by an American drone!” The real danger is not a Taliban leader per se. The real danger is the Takfiri ideology which the ISI-Army has nurtured with the Saudi backing (and of course money). The fight of the Pakistani nation is one against the Takfiri mindset. But unfortunately, mesmerized and narcoticized by the media-manufactured Baudrillardean narrative of ‘peace’ with ‘good’ and ‘our’ Taliban, the fake liberals of the fake civil society will continue to yield ground to the Takfiris who will stop only after they have destroyed the very structure and texture of the Pakistan society.

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Addiction ravaging Afghanistan called ‘a tsunami’

The addicts stalk the streets of this border post like hollowed-out skeletons, hair matted by filth and eyes glassy. The villages that hug the roads are veritable zombie towns, where families of men, women, and children hide their addiction within barren mud compounds. “Sometimes I feel it is better to die than live like this,” said Haidar, 30, seated on the floor of his living room beside a small tin of sugarlike powder.

His family, a wife and young children, bore the gaunt faces of addiction as well. In western Herat province, held up as an island of stability and progress in Afghanistan, the forlorn border town of Islam Qala is instead a showcase for an intensifying crisis: Long the global leader in opium production, Afghanistan has now also become one of the world’s most addicted societies.The number of drug users in Afghanistan is estimated to be as high as 1.6 million, or about 5.3 percent of the population, among the highest rates in the world. Nationwide, 1 in 10 urban households has at least one drug user, according to a recent report from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. In the city of Herat, it is 1 in 5. From 2005 to 2009, the use of opiates doubled, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, putting Afghanistan on par with Russia and Iran, and the number of heroin users jumped more than 140 percent. Most drug experts think the rate of drug use has increased since then. In a country troubled by adversity, from its long-running war to rampant corruption, drug addiction ranks low among national priorities. Government funding for treatment and outreach is less than $4 million a year. There are just under 28,000 formal treatment slots available nationwide, officials say, and such programs rely heavily on roughly $12 million a year in extra international funding for treatment. The focus of the international community and the Afghan government has instead been on reducing opium production. Since the beginning of the war in 2001, the Americans have spent more than $6 billion to curb Afghanistan’s opium industry, including eradication and alternative crop subsidies. The effort has struggled, and in many areas eradication efforts have been unofficially abandoned as too costly in terms of lost public support for government. In the last two years, opium cultivation has increased to the highest level since 2008, as global demand and prices remain robust. The sheer volume of supply has fueled domestic demand, a phenomenon the UN drug czar in Afghanistan refers to as “the Coca-Cola effect,” after the company’s market-saturation tactics. Cementing the status quo is a lack of treatment options, like methadone substitution, or a holistic plan to address the crisis. “This is a tsunami for our country,” said Dr. Ahmad Fawad Osmani, the director of drug demand reduction for the Ministry of Public Health. “The only thing our drug production has brought us is 1 million drug users.” While it has grown far worse in the past few years, the drug crisis in Afghanistan is not new. International health officials caught on early to the problem, which in some measure stemmed from the traditional use of opium for medication. In fact, one of the earliest challenges Afghan security forces had to surmount was a public image as a band of opium-addled thieves. The problem, while more controlled, still exists: Just last month, the nation’s intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, fired 65 employees after discovering that they were addicted to opium. In rural areas, the problem is expected to be worse. In some villages, the rate of drug use is as high as 30 percent of the population, based on hair, urine, and saliva samples taken by the authors of the urban study. And drugs not traditionally in wide use here, including crystal methamphetamine, are now figuring in the problem as well.

Girls' schools in Afghanistan wonder 'what tomorrow brings'

By Beth Murphy, GlobalPost Contributor

On the outskirts of Kabul, the mountainous land is rocky and dry, haunted by decades of war. Although the people here are fortunate to have avoided the violence that has pervaded other parts of the country during this fighting season—a time that stretches across the spring, summer and early fall—it is still a tense time in villages here. This year marks the last full fighting season before the scheduled drawdown of US troops begins in earnest in 2014. People are not sure what to expect as the Americans prepare to leave, particularly in places that have seen enormous gains in rights for women and girls.Of the 10 million children going to school in the country today, 40 percent are girls—compared to virtually zero girls in classrooms under Taliban rule. As a documentarian I have gotten to know students, teachers and administrators at girls’ schools in Kabul Province, and returning now at such a tense time is a powerful experience. I find myself full of hope for the girls—many of whom are the first generation of educated Afghan women in their communities—delighted when I see how voracious their appetites for learning are; and also aware of how tenuous their futures may be. Twelve years after the US kicked the Taliban out of power in Afghanistan—making it possible for girls to go back to school—there is a difficult question being asked here: Can the hard-won gains be sustained at a time when Taliban power is growing? Since I was last here this spring, there have been six brutal attacks against schoolgirls – assaults ranging from a remote-controlled bomb explosion to mass poisonings through gas attacks and drinking water contamination. One school was burned to the ground.Other challenges face girls’ education. According to the Deputy Minister for Education, rural villages—even those nearest the country’s capital—have trouble finding qualified female teachers. Of the 416 districts in Afghanistan, 166 have no women to teach the girls. There are also social, cultural and family pressures that girls face—especially as they enter high school. Despite the challenges, I also see the incredible progress that has happened here. The girls I meet are smiling and skipping as they arrive each morning, eager to enter the classroom, and in many cases become the first in their families—male or female—to read and write. Their desire for education is palpable. The support from parents—mothers and fathers—to educate their daughters is real. And the learning that is happening? That is the greatest hope for the future of all. In one seventh grade class I visited Saturday, several girls are vying for the number one ranking. On the playground they tease each other about the upcoming exams, and each playfully explains why she will come out on top. At one school, students and teachers start a day of lessons that include Dari, English, religion, science, math, and life skills. The girls smile and wave at me; many stop and hug me as they pass, and some even tell me they love me. In the beginning, students didn’t know what to think of me, an American woman, traveling to a foreign country without her husband, questioning everyone and everything. But they approached me the same way they approach their lessons—eager and open and kind.I’ve particularly felt a special connection with the teens, and with the teachers committed to giving them hope, knowledge, and a small measure of power in a culture so patriarchal that their fates are almost never only in their own control. Each child is a poignant reminder of the possibilities that exist in Afghanistan that could not have been imagined a decade ago. As one student told me, “I have some education now. I know how a woman should live. I have learned what is right and what is wrong.”

Former president Zardari felicitates Hindus on Deewali

Former president Asif Ali Zardari has greeted the Hindus of Pakistan on the occasion of Deewali being celebrated on Sunday and called for strengthening interfaith harmony and protecting minorities' rights. "I wish to extend on my behalf and on behalf of the Pakistan Peoples' Party's heartiest greetings to the Hindu and Scheduled Castes community on the occasion of Deewali," he said in his message. "Deewali is known as the festival of lights and is commemorated by members of some of the world's oldest religions to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. It is a time for celebration, but it is also a time for reflection. Let us rededicate ourselves to continually striving in the path of good and noble. Let us also remember that there are always others less fortunate than us," he said. "We partake in Deewali celebrations also for promoting interfaith harmony as a means to fight religious apartheid and those who seek to impose their ideological agenda on the people," the former President said. "On this occasion, I wish to reiterate that the Hindus, indeed all minorities, of Pakistan are equal citizens of the state and entitled to equal rights. I also wish to reiterate our commitment to respect and uphold the UN Resolution calling for interfaith harmony and the pledges contained in the manifesto of the Party to safeguard the rights of all minorities in accordance with the teachings of the founder of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the founder of the Party Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto."

Pakistan: Terms of the ‘surrender’ to terrorists

Daily Times

BY: Naeem Tahir Only those Taliban and the residents of Waziristan deserve some facilities that convince the nation of being law abiding Leaked out in an English daily are the terms offered to the Taliban for the so-called negotiations. The information does not seem to have been carried by any other newspaper. The dateline was October 12, 2013, from Washington, reported by the editor himself! Since then the information seems to have been hushed up. Here I share with the readers what appeared in that paper as “The Blueprint of a package deal with Taliban”. “Without disclosing the names and contents, I can write the points of the package, which look like a huge big cake with cream all over it, which may cost Islamabad some billions for a few years, but in return, the peace that may come will bring back many more billions elsewhere in the economy, investment, industry, trade and other areas that have fallen on the sidelines because of the law and order situation.

These offers include:

1.

A completely cost-free supply of electricity and gas in all of FATA.

2.

Supply of petrol and food items at highly subsidised and reduced prices.

3.

A total tax-free and duty-free status to FATA for setting up any industry for at least 10 years. This should include an incentive package for Pakistani entrepreneurs to build suitable industries in FATA.

4.

Like many Arab countries, a local partner must be given free 15-20 percent shares in these industries, and in return, he should ensure a secure and workable environment for the industry to run.

5-

Mandatory employment of locals with a minimum wage of Rs 20,000 on at least 50 percent jobs thus created. If locals are not available, outsiders may be given these jobs.

6.

Free education for FATA children within FATA and in universities inside Pakistan, to be paid by the Government of Pakistan.

7.

Free setting up of quality hospitals in these areas where local doctors should run the affairs.

8.

All youth, over the age of 18, boys and girls, should be given an unemployment allowance of at least Rs 15, 000 a month until they find a job, within FATA or in Pakistan or abroad.

9.

Generous no-interest loans be provided to locals for business, transport and economic activities in their areas including duty-free import of buses and vans registered in FATA.

10.

All FATA residents, with valid ID cards, must get 30-50 percent discount in airlines, railways and other government transport systems. These subsidies should be picked up by the government.

11.

At least 2,000 FATA residents should be sent on Hajj and Umra visits every year at no cost.

12.

All FATA agencies should be restructured into smaller units where local leaders should be declared as nazims, mayors, ameers or whatever name they like, and local affairs should be allowed to be handled by them under shariah or local tribal laws, customs and traditions through jirgas and ulema councils.

13.

The militants in these areas, with their arms, should be regularised as law enforcement forces of their respective areas. They should be given proper training and assistance by Pakistan where and when needed.

There are some other concessions and points in the package as well. This package comes to several billion rupees every year but it is a long-term investment in the future of FATA and Pakistan. What the Taliban should give in return is an assurance that violence and fighting will stop everywhere; an environment of peace will be created for all this to be achieved; Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty will be accepted and FATA people will continue to use the Pakistani passport as their travel document.” I have reproduced this ‘offer’ for the benefit of the readers who can form their own opinions. If these offers are true then some very critical questions arise:

Is this a reward: (a) For raising arms against the state? (b) For creating terrorism with the support of the enemies of Pakistan and killing peaceful citizens? And, (c) Are we sending a message to the people of all underdeveloped areas of Pakistan to follow suit and rebel against the state to achieve development targets?

Balochistan is already prepared to follow suit. So may be the Punjabi Taliban!

Offers 1, 2, 9, 10 are completely unacceptable and unfair to the nation, and number 13 is potentially very dangerous. Other offers need rationalisation.

Agreed, Waziristan needs development, but that is needed evenly in all areas of Pakistan. If the offer is made to the Waziristan terrorists, then the hope that there will be ultimate peace to compensate the ‘investment cost’ is far from reality. The example will be followed by other ‘have-nots’, including the Punjabi Taliban, as a successful blackmail tool. Terror will continue. All that the rebels need are guns, which will be supplied by Pakistan’s enemies easily. If this continues then what else is a civil war? What will be the future of Pakistan? Don’t the peaceful citizens and those who subject themselves to the constitution of the country deserve these facilities before the Taliban do? Particularly, healthcare and quality education! The Taliban should in fact pay a price for the reign of terror they unleashed. Only those Taliban and the residents of Waziristan deserve some facilities that convince the nation of being law abiding. Why only the born again ex-terrorists are rewarded? If they do not prove their loyalty beyond doubt, then the state should apply full force and clear the country of its enemies. The COAS should ensure that the reward is only available to those who are peaceful, and who respect and adhere to the constitution of Pakistan. Otherwise, the COAS will risk being remembered as a major player in this ‘surrender’. The Pakistan armed forces cannot and should not let the country set an example for others to organise rebellions and blackmail for concessions.

Shahbaz Sharif: A non-credible approach

Daily Times

Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Shahbaz Sharif is in the UK attending the Pakistan-UK Energy Conference 2013. The opening session of the conference was marked with a stunning disclosure by him that Pakistan would have plunged into darkness had his government not paid off Rs 480 billion circular debt, notwithstanding the fact that already Rs 100 billion of circular debt has accumulated since. If the CM was thinking he could convince international investors at the conference through such claims, he needs to brush up his knowledge on how investors operate. Did he think the heads of different energy companies and the prospective investors in the energy sector attending the conference had come without doing their homework? Being a businessman he should have known how minutely a project is researched even before it is considered worth contemplating. A sound strategy would have been laying the cards on the table and then pushing the case for developing the energy sector through full commitment. The rationale for going around the world with different energy development proposals and finding potential investors lies in the fact that the sector has crumbled under various anomalies. To top it all, the CM was focusing on something that is potentially an erroneous strategy to deal with the energy crisis facing the country. The enigmatic circular debt, mounting once again, will refuse to disappear unless the symptoms that cause it are addressed. The latest World Bank (WB) report on Pakistan’s economy and energy presents a grim picture of the energy sector deeply mired in a crisis, arising from issues such as the high cost of energy due to an increasingly unaffordable energy mix and subsidies, transmission losses, theft, faulty bill collection and debilitated infrastructure. The energy mix issue dates back to 1994, when the country switched to independent private producers and instead of adopting the relatively low cost gas-fired combined cycle technology, went for fuel oil thermal generation. Typical of Pakistan’s policy gaps, those planning the energy sector then failed to anticipate the future trends in oil prices, and paid no attention to developing new indigenous energy production sources. Coupled with the inability of the government to arrest endemic corruption, ultimately the power sector ended up in a shambles. Salvation from these anomalies lies in altering the energy mix to make it more affordable, thereby easing out subsidies, clamping down on theft, pressing the biggest defaulters, the government’s own ministries and departments, to pay their bills promptly, and upgrading infrastructure incrementally, including grid stations and power lines to overcome staggering transmission losses of 27 percent. According to the WB report, energy shortages are causing a loss of 2 percent of GDP. Hardly a ‘luxury’ we can afford.

British women wish they were hot like Nicole Scherzinger

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/

According to a survey of British women, X Factor's Nicole Scherzinger is our new beauty ideal

It hasn't escaped our attention that Nicole Scherzinger is looking particularly shamazing on this year's X-Factor . With her lightened locks and implausibly perfect complexion, the Hawaiian beauty looks closer to 25 than 35. And we're not the only ones to have noticed.In a recent poll of 2,500 UK women, she came out on top as the celebrity they would most like to look like.

Apparently it's not just men who wish their girlfriends were hot like Scherzy - women concur.Unfortunately for the ex-Pussycat Doll, it appears women are only after her looks - and no doubt athletic physique - not her personality. Instead, women surveyed said they'd most like the personality of Charlotte Crosby: a member of MTV's Newcastle-based reality show Geordie Shore, and winner of this year's Celebrity Big Brother, whose most memorable quotes include: "Everyone knows me, I pull me pants down on the odd occasion. I was probably going to have a wee on the floor".While Nicole topped the looks vote for women in their 30s, 85 per cent of respondents aged 18-25 said they'd love to look like Coronation Street actress and 'Sexiest Female' soap star Michelle Keegan. Women in their 40s aspire to 32-year-old Holly Willoughby in the looks department, although we're not sure she'd seem so appealing when paired with the notoriously grumpy nature of ex-Loose Woman Carol McGiffin, who they put in first place for personality.Respondents in their 50s appeared to be a tad more realistic, voting Lorraine Kelly as the woman they'd most like to resemble, paired with the chirpy personality of comedian Sarah Millican. When it came to the tricky question of who they'd like to trade their entire lives with - looks, personality, houses, husbands and all - it appears that all age groups covet fame, fortune (and a whopping diamond ring).18-25 year olds would put themselves in newly-engaged Kim Kardashian's Givenchy shoes in an instant, while those in their 30s would gladly swap lives, wardrobes and, no doubt, husbands with Victoria Beckham. Women in their 40s said they'd most like to swap lives with 31-year-old new mum the Duchess of Cambridge, while 50-something respondents chose entrepreneur and Alan Sugar's right-hand lady Karren Brady.The poll was conducted by thegoodsurgeonguide.co.uk , whose founder Christiana Clogg commented: "This poll shows it takes a variety of components to make the ideal woman. The most important thing is to love yourself and what you do above all else". Which is all well and good until someone comes along and asks you to compare yourself with the genetically blessed likes of Scherzinger and co.

World rethinks opinion on Putin’s Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin tops his US counterpart Barack Obama on the Forbes list for "world's most powerful person." The news has become one of the hottest topics in the world. Russian media are pleased with the ranking and public opinion in China also reacted positively. Proceeding from the nation's geopolitical interests, the Chinese public is willing to see a strong Russia, although Moscow is on a different road now. Most support the reversal of Putin and Obama in the Forbes list. Russia successfully challenged the US in the Edward Snowden affair and Syrian chemical weapons crisis. Mature diplomacy allows Moscow extraordinary clout beyond its national strength while, in contrast, Obama acted reluctantly and lacked decisiveness in making decision at the critical moment. The world now has to reflect on whether it underestimated Russia's strength and its resolution to use power. This year, Russia is having its heyday since the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Chinese society has rapidly increased their affection for Russia and Putin in recent years, which is good for cementing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. The Chinese public needs to foster a thorough understanding of Russia and avoid any misinterpretation. It requires us to assess Russia and the bilateral relations objectively rather than building the evaluation upon our subjective preference. There is an expectation among the Chinese public that China and Russia should ally to counter the US. Some people even hope a formidable Russia could divert US pressure away from China. But we have to be clear that the comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership between China and Russia is not a panacea for all difficulties facing China on the international stage. It forms a consolidated back-to-back strategic posture. But China has to count on itself to thrive on major strategic challenges. Russia won't engage in a confrontation with the US like the one in the Cold War era. The US has listed China as its top rival. It's unrealistic that some in China are anchoring their hope on Russia to assume a leading role in countering the US. Besides, Japan could directly ask for help from the US once a military clash between China and Japan breaks out, but China couldn't reckon on Russia. The rise of Russia will add its diplomatic ambition. China is likely to see new problems when dealing with a more assertive Russia. A rising Russian influence is worth applauding. It will speed up a multilateral world. The Chinese public congratulates Putin being anointed as the world's most influential person with sincerity. It shows the China-Russia comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership has been deeply rooted in two societies.

Mehsud death: US says Pakistan-Taliban talks 'internal'

The US has responded to accusations from Pakistan that a drone strike that killed Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud had destroyed the country's nascent peace process. A state department official said talks with the Taliban were an internal matter for Pakistan. The statement insisted Pakistan and the US had a "shared strategic interest in ending extremist violence". It also said it could still not confirm that Mehsud had been killed on Friday. Pakistan has summoned the US ambassador to protest over Friday's drone strike that killed Mehsud. The country's foreign minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said the strike on the local Taliban leader "is not just the killing of one person, it's the death of all peace efforts." It came a day before a Pakistani delegation had been due to fly to North Waziristan to meet Mehsud.

Taliban revenge

Mr Nisar accused the United States of "scuttling" efforts to begin peace talks, and said "every aspect" of Pakistan's co-operation with Washington would be reviewed. Information Minister Pervez Rashid said: "The US has tried to attack the peace talks with this drone but we will not let them fail." The US state department spokesman said: "The issue of whether to negotiate with TTP is an internal matter for Pakistan, and we refer you to the government of Pakistan for further details." The official added: "More broadly, the United States and Pakistan continue to have a vital, shared strategic interest in ending extremist violence so as to build a more prosperous, stable, and peaceful region. "We have an ongoing dialogue with Pakistan regarding all aspects of the relationship and our shared interests, including security and counterterrorism cooperation, and we work together to address each others' concerns." Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had pledged to talk with the Taliban to try to end its campaign of violence, which has left thousands dead in bombings and shootings across the country. Mehsud was killed along with four other people - including two of his bodyguards - when four missiles struck their vehicle in the north-western region of North Waziristan, a senior Taliban official told the BBC. Pakistani media say Mehsud's funeral has taken place at an unknown location in the tribal area of North Waziristan. A Pakistani Taliban spokesman, Azam Tariq, vowed revenge, as Pakistan's security forces were put on high alert. "Every drop of Hakimullah's blood will turn into a suicide bomber," he said. "America and their friends shouldn't be happy because we will take revenge for our martyr's blood." The Taliban's ruling council met on Saturday to choose a new leader. Unconfirmed reports say regional commander Khan Said Sajna has been elected to the top job. . The US said it had seen the reports but "cannot confirm one way or the other". The state department official also said: "We are not in a position to confirm reports that Hakimullah Mehsud may have been killed in Pakistan." As well as Mehsud, the previous Pakistan Taliban leader was killed in a drone strike, in 2009

Taliban setback

The US had a bounty of $5m on Mehsud's head. The state department described him as the head of the group which planned the failed bombing of Times Square in 2010 and said the Pakistani Taliban have a "symbiotic" relationship with al-Qaeda. Mehsud's death is seen as another setback for the militant group after the recent capture of a senior commander by US forces in Afghanistan. Mehsud led the insurgency from North Waziristan and was thought to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. He came to prominence in 2007 as a commander under the militant group's founder Baitullah Mehsud, with the capture of 300 Pakistani soldiers adding to his prestige among the militants. His second-in-command, Waliur Rehman, was killed in a similar drone strike in May. In a rare interview two weeks ago, Mehsud told the BBC he was open to "serious talks" with the government but said he had not yet been approached. Mehsud denied carrying out recent deadly attacks in public places, saying his targets were "America and its friends". He had loose control over more than 30 militant groups in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Pro-Taliban's Pakistan's Interior Minister, Chaudry Nisar's wife, children are US nationals

PUBLISHED September 11, 2011

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s leader of the opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan assured the US in 2008 that he and his party were pro-American, according to a US embassy cable released by WikiLeaks. “Saying that his wife and children are in fact Americans, Nisar did admit that he went to the US Embassy in London to renew his daughter’s passport because he wanted to avoid being seen at the US Embassy in Islamabad.” More telling, however, is Khan’s stance on US military action within Pakistan, and how the PML-N would act to remain “publicly credible”. Nisar reportedly avoided saying that the PML-N opposed either air attacks or US ground action, contrary to its reaction over the May 2011 raid in Abbottabad by a US Navy SEALs team which killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. “What he did say was that the PML-N would have to criticise the Government of Pakistan for allowing US action. Otherwise, said Nisar, the party would have no credibility with the people.” Nisar said that US policy needed to be more transparent as “confusion bred unhelpful conspiracy theories”. He also told US diplomats that former president Pervez Musharraf was seen as too pro-US and so was “tainted in Pakistani eyes”. The release of the US embassy and consulate cables in Pakistan has also highlighted how various politicians have lobbied American diplomats for support. From Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) to former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, every major politician in Pakistan has looked to the diplomats for help.

Afghan belly dance

Rehle Rehle Na - Hindi Pop Indian Song by Hunterz

Music: Party Club Mix- 2013 Hip Hop R&B

Pakistan: In Defence of Drones

By Salman Zaidi

1st November, 2013 was about to pass as an ordinary day when I heard the news that the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief died in a drone strike, my happiness knew no bounds, but the news wasn’t confirmed yet and like many friends , I wanted the news to be true which later on did turn out to be true.

What followed afterwards was a mix reaction from the people as well as our leaders, Imran Khan, the chairman of PTI condemned the drone strike and blamed USA for sabotaging peace talks, Hafiz Saeed, the head of Jamaat ud Dawa (defunct Lashkar e Tayyaba) demanded from the government to shoot down drones as they violated our sovereignty, the foreign office as well the interior minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan condemned the drone strike. Our Prime Minister returned from his visit to the US a week ago, drones were on his agenda as according to the popular opinion drones violate our sovereignty and kill innocent civilians, well before saying that I think our Prime Minister who also happens to be the Foreign Minister as well as the Defense Minister needs to understand what exactly the word “sovereignty” means, according to the dictionary, it means authority over a specific area, so going by that definition, can we say that we hold authority over those areas in which drone strikes occur ? Can an ordinary citizen like me go visit those areas without any hassle ? I guess even a 4th grader would say NO. So what is this fuss about sovereignty ? When the Government, Army and the political leaders want to talk peace with those who keep on killing us, they should be happy with the drones who are doing the dirty work for the Army. Hellfire Missiles fired from drones cause lesser damage than the missiles fired from F-16 or a JF-17 Thunder, we don’t have drone technology, we don’t want to go after these terrorists and when someone is eliminating them for us, we whine about it, no matter how hard we try, u can’t talk peace with savages, they were dislodged from Swat with a military action and not talks, same holds true for South Waziristan. Though we see news reports and researches telling that drones are lethal and kill innocents but there are people from the same tribal areas who call the same drones “Safeenay Farishtay” or white angels because they know they will eliminate terrorists. So I would believe those tribal people more than these reports and researches since no journalists are allowed to go there so these reports can never be accurate. From the past many days and particularly when Hakimullah Mehsud was killed, there were people telling me not to celebrate because drones kill innocent people as well, my question for them is, why would innocent people live with the Taliban, either those “innocent people” are Taliban themselves or their accomplices. Secondly, the government of Pakistan has released the data about the number of innocent people killed in drone strikes, which is 67, I can guarantee this toll would have been way higher, had we bombarded the same areas with our warplanes, we keep on ranting about violation of our sovereignty and killings of innocents in drone strikes, yet we do nothing to dislodge and eliminate those elements due to which drone strikes occur. Is it not the failure of the political as well as the armed leadership that they have not destroyed these terrorist safe havens, it is because of them the “innocents” are dying in drone strikes and our sovereignty too is being violated. We are still treating FATA in the same way British treated it more than a century ago, the world has changed, the tribals wish to be included in the mainstream Pakistani diaspora which is evident from the ANP tribal jirga held 4 years ago in which tribal elders were of the view that FATA should either be made a separate province with complete provincial status or it should be merged into Khyber Pakhtunkha. So I guess it would be wiser to put our house in order before complaining about drone strikes, I would call it a violation of our sovereignty the day state of Pakistan would be able to exercise authority over FATA and it will be free of terrorists. Until then, I am sorry, at least I won’t be the one complaining about drone strikes.

- See more at: http://lubpak.com/archives/288377#sthash.eP4zEcjF.dpuf

President Obama's Weekly Address: Passing a Budget that Reflects our Priorities

Thousands of Iraqi Shia Sunni and Kurd killed by Saudi funded Al Qaeda groups

The silence of the western press at over a thousand Iraqi’s dead in the last month alone is absolutely condemnable. This is giving the space to the the continued Massive funding of Al Qaeda type groups in Syria and their spillover into Iraq. This is while the United Nations figures suggest that July has been the bloodiest month in the country since 2008, with a total of 1,057 Iraqis, including 928 civilians, killed and another 2,326 wounded in terrorist attacks. On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called for a global effort to battle the “virus” of al-Qaeda and similar terrorist groups.

“If we have had two world wars, we want a third world war against those who are killing people, killing populations, who are calling for bloodshed, for ignorance and do not want logic to govern our daily lives,” said Maliki.

The Iraqi prime minister dismissed the idea that Iraq is grappling with sectarian violence, stressing that all, including Shia and Sunni Muslims as well as the Kurds, “are targeted.”

http://en.shiapost.com/2013/11/02/nearly-1000-killed-in-iraq-in-october-official-data/

Nuri kamal al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq is arriving in Washington D.C., to seek U.S. assistance in enhancing the capabilities of his armed forces to tackle the home grown acts of terror and bloodshed in his country. Al-Qaida ( Islamic state of Iraq in Syria), Nakshbandi branch of Sufi order, and a few other Islamist Jehadi groups are attempting, for the past several years, to topple Mr. Maleki and his legitimately elected government in Iraq. The number in killings of both Shia & Sunni Muslims continue to spiral, as the foreign fighters from Syrian war are joining the Iraqi insurgents in droves. Tarek al-Hashemi, the fugitive vice-president of Iraq, who has been masterminding and acting as the chief implementer of non-stop acts of terrorism in Iraq is shuttling between Doha, Qatar and istanbul to fund and arm the Salafi Cannibals of Iraq. You do not have to be a high fluting Phd in the fields of either Political Science or International Relations to guess that the evil empire of satanic Saudis are behind all this most devastating debacle. After utilizing Afghanistan and Pakistan as their initial laboratories for exporting Salafi doctrine and then failing miserably in both of those countries, Saudi Arabia moved into Iraq, immediately after the ouster of Saddam in 2003. According to the U.S. intelligence reports Saudi Arabia was a major culprit in terms of number of Jehadis and treasure, it invested in creating chaos, bloodshed and destruction just to ensure that Iraqi Shia do not get an upper hand in the future of that liberated land. The most powerful U.S. forces assisted by a nascent Iraqi army, decapitated the countless Saudi sponsored terrorist gangs. Once these satanic Saudi schemes failed as well, they began baiting and bribing individuals such as Tarek al-Hashemi in the tunes of millions of dollars to dislodge Nuri kamal al-Maleki. Now this enclosed news item that appeared in yesterday’s New York Times about a group of U.S. senators from both sides of the isle, attempting to turn the table on Iraqi government calling it sectarian, inept to govern and the cause for disenchantment of Iraqi Sunnis who are joining Al-Qaida. This sort of rhetoric will neither resonate with a majority in the Muslim world, nor the U.S administration and its policy makers will pay any heed to these senseless sermons from a bunch of Senators who are being harassed by the Saudi interest groups that are quite depressed with respect to their recent setbacks in Syria and Islamic republic of Iran. Saudi global lobby, however, particularly here in the U.S is busy working around the clock and it has millions if not billions of dollars at its disposal to influence whomever it wishes to. They are quite savvy and they know how to work our system !

- See more at: http://lubpak.com/archives/288383?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook#sthash.Ro3ngAwG.dpuf

Kerry says in some cases US spying 'reached too far'

The United States has said in some cases its surveillance program has gone too far, an unprecedented admission in its tense row with Europe over US spying against allies. After 10 days of scandal with key European allies, a statement Thursday by Secretary of State John Kerry was the first to explicitly acknowledge overstepping by US intelligence. Kerry justified the surveillance in broad terms, citing the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States, as well as attacks in London, Madrid and elsewhere to argue that the US and other countries have had to come together to fight "extremism in the world that is hell-bent and determined to try to kill people and blow people up and attack governments." He said US intelligence has since 2001 averted attacks with intercepts of communications. But he acknowledged, without going into specifics, that at times it has been too much. Kerry also sought to give assurances that such steps, which have roiled close allies like Germany, would not be repeated."I assure you, innocent people are not being abused in this process, but there's an effort to try to gather information," Kerry told a London conference via video link. "And yes, in some cases, it has reached too far inappropriately." "And the president, our president, is determined to try to clarify and make clear for people, and is now doing a thorough review in order that nobody will have the sense of abuse," he said. Kerry added that what Washington was trying to do was, in a "random way," find ways of determining if there were threats that needed responding to. "And in some cases, I acknowledge to you, as has the president, that some of these actions have reached too far, and we are going to make sure that does not happen in the future," he said. Recent allegations and reports of widespread spying by the US National Security Agency have sparked a major rift in trans-Atlantic ties.This week German Chancellor Angela Merkel angrily confronted President Barack Obama with allegations that the NSA was snooping on her phone, saying it would amount to a "breach of trust." A German intelligence delegation and a separate group of EU lawmakers were in the US capital Wednesday to confront their American allies about the alleged bugging. Kerry's remarks -- released in a State Department transcript -- came in response to a question addressed to both him and British Foreign Secretary William Hague about government surveillance. Kerry spent a good portion of his answer justifying the collection of data as necessary due to the threat of terrorism and suggested Washington was not alone in doing so. "Many, many, many parts of the world have been subject to these terrorist attacks," he said."And in response to them, the United States and others came together -- others, I emphasize to you -- and realized that we're dealing in a new world where people are willing to blow themselves up." He added: "We have actually prevented airplanes from going down, buildings from being blown up, and people from being assassinated because we’ve been able to learn ahead of time of the plans." Kerry also lashed out at some of the reporting about alleged spying, sparked by leaks from fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, wanted by Washington on espionage charges. "Just the other day... there was news in the papers of 70 million people being listened to. No, they weren't. It didn't happen," Kerry said. "There's an enormous amount of exaggeration in this reporting from some reporters out there."US intelligence chiefs have said these reports are based on a misinterpretation of an NSA slide leaked to the media by Snowden. Rather than siphoning off the records of tens of millions of calls in Europe, as the slide seems to suggest, they argue that the data was in many cases gathered and shared by European agencies. Still, fresh US spy allegations keep cropping around the world on a near daily basis. Indonesia summoned the Australian ambassador in Jakarta Friday over a "totally unacceptable" report that his embassy was among diplomatic posts in Asia being used in a vast American surveillance operation. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, amplifying an earlier report by the German magazine Der Spiegel, said earlier this week that a top-secret map leaked by Snowden showed 90 US surveillance facilities at diplomatic missions worldwide. The paper also reported that Australian embassies in Asia were being used as part of the US-led spying network. On Wednesday, meanwhile, a report in the Washington Post alleged that NSA technicians had tapped into Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, winning access to vast amounts of private data. The report said a program dubbed MUSCULAR, operated with the NSA's British counterpart GCHQ, can intercept data directly from the fiber-optic cables used by the US Internet giants.

U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan links aid to BSA: local media

The ambassador of United States to Afghanistan, James Cunningham, has linked his country's assistance to inking security pact known as Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Kabul and Washington, local newspapers reported on Saturday. "Ambassador Cunningham on Wednesday said the United States has many beneficial programs for Afghanistan's future, but none will be implemented if the BSA is not signed," citing the ambassador, local newspaper Hasht-e-Subh wrote in its Saturday edition. According to the newspaper, the ambassador, in talks with journalists on Wednesday, categorically stated that "granting immunity to American soldiers is essential in BSA," noting U.S. soldiers enjoy the right in any country of the world they stationed. Furthermore, he pointed out that the U.S. Constitution mandates soldiers stationed abroad be under U.S. jurisdiction. Quoting the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, the paper also said "the United States would halt aid to Afghanistan security forces if BSA was not finalized." Allaying the concerns of Afghan government, the ambassador noted that the United States does not want any of its soldiers to go unpunished for wrongdoing. Another newspaper, the Daily Mandegar, also reported in its Saturday edition that Cunningham categorically stated on Wednesday that the U.S. economic and security programs in Afghanistan are inter-linked and their implementation is conditioned to inking the BSA between Kabul and Washington, noting if the agreement is not finalized and inked, the U.S. aid to Afghanistan will not be continued in the future.

Afghanistan: Presidential Candidate Naeem Talks Pakistan, Corruption and BSA

In exclusive interview with TOLOnews, Presidential candidate Sardar Muhammad Nadir Naeem said that it was imperative for Afghanistan's future to develop closer relations with Pakistan and curtail systemic corruption. He also expressed hope that the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) would be finalized soon.

Naeem was one of the 10 Presidential candidates who made the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) preliminary list last Tuesday. He is the nephew of former Afghan President Mohammad Daoud Khan. In the interview, Naeem acknowledged that improving relations between Kabul and Islamabad faced numerous obstacles, but was optimistic about their future. "We haven't reached a consensus with Pakistan over the issue of the Durand Line and water rights, but I believe that Pakistan is willing to forge friendly relations with Afghanistan in the long term," said Naeem. "We also need to settle the issue of refugees and pave the ground for their return." His comments come as President Hamid Karzai meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and British Prime Minister David Cameron in London for trilateral talks. Although the focus of the meeting will be the Taliban peace process, the leaders are also expected to discuss relations between the South Asian neighbors more broadly. Naeem spoke about Afghanistan's struggle against pervasive corruption. Earlier this year, Transparency International ranked the Afghan judiciary as the most corrupt judicial system in the world. Responding to a question about administrative corruption, Naeem said that the country's fight against graft needed to be led first and foremost at the upper echelons of leadership. "We can't eliminate corruption in general, water should be clean from the source," said Naeem. "Honest and patriotic individuals should be placed in higher offices." Naeem also said that the signing of the BSA was important for Afghanistan and that he strongly felt that the people would endorse the agreement so long as it was in line with the national interests of the country. TOLOnews will be conducting interviews with each one of the 10 Presidential candidates approved by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in the coming weeks.

Al-Qaeda recruits entering Syria from Turkey safehouses

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/

By Ruth Sherlock

Foreign jihadists - including Britons - are flooding into Syria to join al-Qaeda from safe houses in Turkey

Hundreds of al-Qaeda recruits are being kept in safe houses in southern Turkey, before being smuggled over the border to wage “jihad” in Syria, The Daily Telegraph has learned. The network of hideouts is enabling a steady flow of foreign fighters - including Britons - to join the country’s civil war, according to some of the volunteers involved. These foreign jihadists have now largely eclipsed the “moderate” wing of the rebel Free Syrian Army, which is supported by the West. Al-Qaeda’s ability to use Turkish territory will raise questions about the role the Nato member is playing in Syria’s civil war. Turkey has backed the rebels from the beginning - and its government has been assumed to share the West’s concerns about al-Qaeda. But experts say there are growing fears over whether the Turkish authorities may have lost control of the movement of new al-Qaeda recruits - or may even be turning a blind eye. ”Every day there are Mujahideen coming here from all different nationalities,” said Abu Abdulrahman, a Jordanian volunteer managing the flow of foreign fighters. He handles a network of receiving centres in southern Turkey for volunteers wishing to join al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, known as “the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL).He spoke from inside an al-Qaeda safe house, using the Skype account of an intermediary and with volunteers from several countries, including Britain, listening in. Once the volunteer reaches Turkey, there are “procedures” before he can join al-Qaeda, explained Abu Abdulrahman: “If you want to enter, you have to be a proper Muslim. We have to research you to make sure you are not a spy. If you are foreign, someone in our network needs to recommend you,” he said. These hideouts are generally apartments rented under false names in villages along Turkey’s frontier with Syria. The recruits sometimes wait for weeks until they are cleared to cross the border. The homes are also used as “rest houses” for al-Qaeda fighters from the frontline in Syria. Perhaps 10,000 foreign fighters may now be in Syria, according to analysts. Some are hardened veterans of the Iraq war; others are young “first-time jihadists” - with a significant proportion from Western countries. Abu Abdullah, an Australian volunteer, said that he left to fight in Syria because a “Western lifestyle stands against Islam”. He was also repelled by the atrocities of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “When you see the women and children - any human being - being shot or raped or killed in front of their fathers and families, just because they pray to Allah, you have to be moved by the humanity of it. Prophet Mohammed said if one part of the body is wounded, then the whole body is sleepless. If just one person is injured and something goes against Islam, we must react.” But Abu Abdullah faltered as he tried to recall a passage from the Koran: “I am sorry, I am not the most knowledgeable of Muslims. Allah forgive me for that,” he said. Charles Lister, from IHS Jane’s, a defence consultancy, said: “There are strong suggestions that the number of foreign jihadists in Syria is increasing. Definitely taking a look at the nature of ISIL presence, the geographical spread of foreigners is expanding. This is likely to do with the ease with which recruits can cross the border.” Another analyst said that Turkey was “turning a blind eye” to the number of foreign fighters entering Syria across its territory, including through Antakya, the capital of the border province of Hatay. The result, he added, was that jihadists had become a “thorn” in Turkey’s side, seizing de facto control of towns and villages near the border. Turkish officials vehemently deny this, blaming the influx on the failure of the international community to settle the Syrian war. “We have never been soft on this issue. We do not tolerate the presence of extremists and terrorist elements on our soil,” said one Turkish official. “If jihadists have crossed, it has been without our knowledge and out of our control. The presence of extremists in Syria is a common concern for Turkey and other countries - and the reason why the numbers of jihadists continues to grow in Syria is because of the failure of the international community to solve the crises at hand.” The official appealed to foreign countries not to "just point the blame" at Turkey, and to work to tighten surveillance on citizens that might want to travel to Syria: "Unless we are given information that these people are al-Qaeda members, people from a terrorist organisation, what legal basis do we have to stop them if they travel on a valid passport?" Turkish police are seeking to close down the al-Qaeda safe houses, running raids on the apartments when intelligence about an al-Qaeda presence is gleaned. And the Turkish authorities have started improving the quality of border controls. But with more than 560 miles of shared frontier between Turkey and Syria, and with the sheer number of foreign jihadists arriving in the country, they have, so far, been unable to stem the pipeline. If the police detain someone, they are unable to imprison them or send deport them back to a home country because it is difficult to prove that they are an ISIL member, one jihadi gloated. In the border town of Kilis, three hours drive from Antakya, jihadists feel comfortable enough to sip coffee in the lobbies of hotels murmuring quietly to their colleagues. This week the Telegraph spoke to one a member of ISIL in one of these hotels. Whether Turkey wants to or not, "she has been very good to us," the jihadi, who wouldn't be named, said, with a wink.

Report: Al-Qaeda Militia enter Syria from Safe Houses in Turkey

Hundreds of al-Qaeda recruits have found safe houses in Southern Turkey before entering Syria, the Daily Telegraph reported, citing volunteers who help smuggle the new recruits. “Every day there are mujahedeen [jidahists] coming here from all different nationalities,” Abu Abdulrahman, a Jordanian volunteer, told the newspaper. Abu Abdulrahman manages a network of receiving centers in Southern Turkey for volunteers wishing to join al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Speaking from an al-Qaeda safe house, Abu Abdulrahman used a Skype account of an intermediary and with volunteers from several countries - including Britain - listening in, the newspaper said. Abu Abdulrahman gave further details on the “procedures” that are undertaken when a volunteer reaches Turkey and joins the al-Qaeda. “If you want to enter, you have to be a proper Muslim. We have to research you to make sure you are not a spy. If you are foreign, someone in our network needs to recommend you,” he said. Many of the hideouts are apartments rented under false names in Turkish villages bordering Syria. According to the newspaper, “the recruits sometimes wait for weeks until they are cleared to cross the border.”

Two Pakistani Christians Brothers Booked in Blaspheme Case

Third Case of Blasphemy in One month ,Tariq Yousaf and Arif Yousaf have been falsely accused under blasphemy at Thatha Faqir Ullah, a Christian Colony, Wazirabad city, District Gujranwala, near Lahore, bearing FIR Number 533/13 in Sadar Police station Wazirabad. We [WVIP] were informed by one of our Friends and a Human Rights Activist, Khalid Shahzad, that there is a tensed situation in Wazirabad. The team of WVIP led by Advocate Salvance Jacob immediately left for Wazirabad along with Mr. Khalid Shahzad, where the relatives of Tariq and Arif requested us to provide legal assistance to both the accused. There was a fear and tension amongst the Christians of the village Fariq Ullah but our team of lawyers and Mr. Khaild Shahzed assured them that they will not let this village be like a Gojra or Joseph colony.

Fr. Tanveer john (Greek Orthodox Church) and brother Rehmat also encouraged the local people. The role of the Church was Extremely Positive. Police arrested Arif, however Tariq escaped. Later on Police arrested Waris Masih, another brother of Tariq yousaf. Arif and Waris both are working in Pakistan Railways, Whereas Tariq worked at Cutlery factory and in part time he used to make Firecrackers. Few days ago there was wedding in the village. Khurram Shahzed (Complainant of the FIR) bought some firecrackers from Tariq. According to Khurram “ the crackers didn’t crack and when i opened them I saw that the crackers were made with the Koranic Pages Which was also witnessed by Tajjamul Butt and Muhammad Waris “. Within no time they caught Tariq and beat him at the main road but some of the Muslims and Christians intervened and solved the issue through dialogues. Even the Complainant and other Muslims stated that they have forgiven him and further stated that if Tariq has done something wrong God will punish him. It is strange that even after settling the issue what made Khurram to register an FIR against Tariq and Arif after 4 days of the incident. There was a Rumor that after the Friday prayers there will be a strong reaction by the Muslim neighborhood. However with the wise step taken by the WVIP –Legal team and our Friend Khalid Shahzad we were able to submit the protection application for the Christian community of Thatha Fariq Uallah . Today, Since Morning our team was in action to safeguard and protect the tensed Christian Community. Station House Officer Sami-Ullah Khan and ASP Fazal-e-Haq played a Positive role in safe-guarding the Christian community. Our Legal Head Advocate Salvance Jacob, who was leading the WVIP team in Fariq-Uallah informed us that the Station House Office and the Imam of the Mosque showed a very commendable response. Even the Imam of the Mosque announced from the Loud-Speaker that anyone who harms any Christian property or person shall be strictly treated according to the law. The police remained there till 4 P.M and thanks to God that No critical Situation occurred. We have observed that some of the NGOs and people were creating frustration in the Community that the Mosques are announcing to attack Christians which is absolutely Incorrect. Some of them even started sending Text messages that Fariq –uallah is under threat. We would request our Christian brothers that please do not exaggerate the Situation, yes there was a tension but not like Gojra and Joseph Colony.

- See more at: http://www.christiansinpakistan.com/blasphemelaw/#sthash.KeHJv8aP.dpuf

Balochistan: Sectarian violence: Six Hazaras slain in Mach

The Express Tribune

Gunmen mowed down six coal miners on Friday in a sectarian motivated attack in Mach town, about 90 kilometres from Quetta. Another miner was seriously wounded in the assault. The coal miners were members of the Hazara community. Waheed Shah, deputy commissioner in Kach district, said that the seven men were on their way back from Mach bazaar when they were attacked by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle. “The victims were Hazara labourers and Shia Muslims,” confirmed Shah. “It is clearly a targeted killing on sectarian basis.” Shah explained that every Friday the miners would go to the bazaar for grocery shopping. The crime scene was seven kilometres off the main highway. “The armed men opened fire at their vehicle just as they crossed a huge nulla,” Shah said, adding that the killers managed to flee. The Balochistan Levies and other security forces reached the spot shortly after the incident, and immediately cordoned off the area. The deceased were later identified as Ali Nigar, Zaamen, Hakeem, Bolan Misteri and Ibrahim. “Their bodies have been sent to Quetta for burial while the injured miner, Juma Khan, is admitted at Combined Military Hospital Quetta,” a Levies official said. Khan is currently in a critical condition. In the past, the banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility for similar attacks on Shias but, so far, no group has come forward to own this particular incident. Last week, an attempt was made to blow up a convoy of buses carrying Shia pilgrims on the National Highway in Dringar, Mastung. Although the pilgrims remained unhurt, two Frontier Corps personnel died when an explosive device placed in a car went off. Just a few days ago, police and other security forces held a meeting to form a security plan for the month of Muharram.

Nawaz Sharif’s foreign trips and his need at home

THIS weekend Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif completes 150 days in his office. In these five months, the chief executive of the country spent one month abroad on one private and five official visits. Only June, his first month in office, saw him at home - as if the enormity of problems facing the nation had left him thunderstruck and immobilised. But come July his foreign visits started - as if the solutions lay there. That contrasted sharply with his PML-N teammates’ tall claims that the party had come to power the third time well prepared with homemade remedies. In the first week of July, he undertook a five-day visit to China, the time-tested friend of Pakistan, indeed a friend in need. The next month PM Nawaz Sharif went on a six-day private visit to Saudi Arabia for Umra, the lesser pilgrimage that brings more blessings if undertaken during Ramazan as he did. The pilgrimage also provided him the opportunity to put his nation’s economic woes to the Saudi monarchy, which had played host when he was in political exile in the holy land. For sure, the pilgrimage brought him political gains as in his absence a PML-N leader petitioned the Supreme Court to put off the date of presidential election and the court upheld the request. That made the PPP, PML-N’s main rival, boycott the rescheduled election. PM Nawaz Sharif travelled to Turkey in September to seek help in overcoming his economic woes. The number of commercial agreements that the visit produced in the energy and transport sectors made Turkey look a new partner and hope in economic revival of Pakistan. However, the talk on the grapevine is that the warming up of economic relations reflects the Sharif family’s business interests more than economic sense. PM Nawaz Sharif’s next two trips to the US, spanning September and October, were seriously important as both entailed consequences for the nation. But his first important meeting there in September, with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s annual session, ended in a faux pas over “village hags”. His all-important meeting with President Barack Obama in October brought US aid and support to Pakistan, but also shame. A cartoon in the New York Times summed up the result by showing Obama, with a remote control in his hand, releasing a sackful of dollars from a drone to the Pakistani prime minister waiting on the ground. At home, the refrain was that PM Nawaz Sharif was going to demand a stop to drone attacks on Pakistani territory. In November, the prime minister is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka and Thailand. Foreign visits have become more important for heads of governments in the globalised world, but not at the cost of less attention to, or ignoring, problems at home. If PM Sharif keeps his current pace, he may surpass the 40 plus foreign visits his PPP predecessor Yousuf Raza Gilani undertook in his four years in the office. Critics of the PML-N government link its perceived inattention to the pressing domestic issues to the prime minister’s frequent absence abroad. Last Tuesday, PML-Q Senator Kamil Ali Agha particularly noted Mr Sharif’s oft visits to London. “Prime Minister has gone to London six times. Has our capital shifted to London?” he asked in the Senate. Leader of the opposition, Syed Khurshid Shah, also has repeatedly accused the PM of spending too little time in Islamabad. He has a point because even when in the country the prime minister’s preferred place is Lahore. What disturbs the opposition most is that non-selection of chairpersons of the National Assembly standing committees has virtually held the parliament hostage for long. State minister of parliamentary affairs Sheikh Aftab assures every time the issue is raised that the proposed names for the committees’ heads are lying with the prime minister and he would finalise them “on his return from abroad”. However, the situation remains that no legislation can be undertaken because the standing committees are dysfunctional without their heads. For instance, the important Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly is unable to scrutinise the questionable expenditures made by the previous governments because the PM has not approved its chairperson. Scores of national entities are awaiting appointment of their chief executives. For example, Pakistan International Airline (PIA), Pakistan Steel Mills and Pakistan Television are being run on ad hoc basis. Likewise other national issues are not receiving due attention of the government. While, the hydra-headed monster of terrorism has become existential threat to the country for many, the government is yet to implement visibly the all parties-mandated talks with the Taliban. PTI’s Imran Khan said last week that he had asked the prime minister to stay in the country and play his leading role, instead of going on foreign tours. Although government members defend the PM’s visits by asking how could he avoid meeting President Obama and other world leaders when a complex situation would be emerging for Pakistan after Nato and US forces leave Afghanistan next year? But the critics ask: “Shouldn’t he appoint a foreign minister to deal with the other mundane issues and other countries?” The country needs his presence more than foreign capitals, they say.