KP Govt to install solar lights on 12 localities
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa government, after successful trial in Hayatabad, has now decided to install solar tube lights and bulbs on 12 important localities of Peshawar city.
KP government with assistance of center had installed solar lights in Hayatabad, an elite area of Peshawar city during the first phase. After accomplishing desired results, it has now been decided to install similar solar systems in other posh sectors of the city including Grand Trunk (GT) Road, Defense Colony and Gulbahar.
It is learnt that feasibility report including cost of the project had been submitted to concerning provincial as well as federal governments. It is also learnt that KP government is likely to expand its implementation to private plazas, buildings and markets.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Nervous Saudis ponder whether to join protests
Sitting in front of a Bedouin-style tent in a suburb of the Saudi capital, Said ponders aloud whether to risk prison by joining mass protests on Friday in the conservative kingdom.
"I should really go but don't know," the young man said, meeting fellow pro-democracy activists at a weekly salon-style gathering where they discuss politics and reform.
"I probably won't go. Several male family members are in jail so my family needs me," he added. He was working with other activists on a petition to King Abdullah to release prisoners they say are held without trial.
Like many other Saudis he preferred to give only his first name, fearing reprisals after repeated warnings from the government of the Sunni Muslim-dominated state over the past week that protests, deemed "un-Islamic," will not be tolerated.
More than 32,000 people have backed a call on social networking site Facebook to hold two protests this month. The first is planned for Friday.
The key U.S. ally has so far avoided unrest of the kind that toppled rulers in Egypt or Tunisia and which has spread to other Gulf countries, but dissent has built up in the top oil exporter, an absolute monarchy without an elected parliament or political parties.
Whether dissent expressed via the relative anonymity of social media will translate into street protests in the Saudi capital or its second city Jeddah is unclear.
EXPERIMENT
"I am not so sure much will happen Friday. We just don't know," said Mohammed al-Qahtani, head of the Saudi Civil And Political Rights Association, which meets once a week to work out opposition strategies. "It's like an experiment."
For almost two years the opposition group has been gathering up petitions and issuing anti-government statements, drawing a crowd of up to 50 people at its weekly diwan, a traditional meeting or salon.
A loose coalition of liberals, rights activists, moderate Sunni Islamists and Shi'ite Muslims has called for political reforms in a country which, its rulers claim, has no need of protests or parties, as an Islamic state applying sharia law.
In oil-rich Eastern Province, Shi'ites have long complained of marginalization and have staged small demonstrations for almost three weeks.
Now all eyes are on Riyadh, with some analysts worrying oil prices could hit $200 a barrel if large protests hit the kingdom. Current prices are around $115.
Riyadh, in the conservative heartland, has seen no protests of note in many years, and has few Shi'ite residents. But the government fears that unrest in Bahrain, where Shi'ites are in the majority will embolden not only Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite minority but its Sunnis too.
"I think it would be significant if protests hit Riyadh since Shi'ites (in the east) have often taken to the streets. Riyadh would be different," a Gulf-based diplomat said.
"But I'm rather skeptical."
The government has repeatedly warned people not to stage any protests Friday and a large security presence in the Saudi capital and authorities appear to be taking no chances. Police cars are parked at some junctions and patrolling at night.
Riyadh's expatriate community has been waiting almost as nervously as the government, with some embassies and foreign firms discussing whether staff should leave over the weekend.
"I am relaxed and will stay here but I know colleagues who booked flights just anywhere to be out of Riyadh Friday," said a banker.
Among activists, some locations of possible protest venues have been circulated by word of mouth to avoid alerting police.
But many even at the activists' meeting remained reluctant to get involved.
"I wish the protests luck. People have to express demands," said Ibrahim Natto, a retired university professor and activist. "But I won't go. I am an old man. I don't go to demonstrations."
"I should really go but don't know," the young man said, meeting fellow pro-democracy activists at a weekly salon-style gathering where they discuss politics and reform.
"I probably won't go. Several male family members are in jail so my family needs me," he added. He was working with other activists on a petition to King Abdullah to release prisoners they say are held without trial.
Like many other Saudis he preferred to give only his first name, fearing reprisals after repeated warnings from the government of the Sunni Muslim-dominated state over the past week that protests, deemed "un-Islamic," will not be tolerated.
More than 32,000 people have backed a call on social networking site Facebook to hold two protests this month. The first is planned for Friday.
The key U.S. ally has so far avoided unrest of the kind that toppled rulers in Egypt or Tunisia and which has spread to other Gulf countries, but dissent has built up in the top oil exporter, an absolute monarchy without an elected parliament or political parties.
Whether dissent expressed via the relative anonymity of social media will translate into street protests in the Saudi capital or its second city Jeddah is unclear.
EXPERIMENT
"I am not so sure much will happen Friday. We just don't know," said Mohammed al-Qahtani, head of the Saudi Civil And Political Rights Association, which meets once a week to work out opposition strategies. "It's like an experiment."
For almost two years the opposition group has been gathering up petitions and issuing anti-government statements, drawing a crowd of up to 50 people at its weekly diwan, a traditional meeting or salon.
A loose coalition of liberals, rights activists, moderate Sunni Islamists and Shi'ite Muslims has called for political reforms in a country which, its rulers claim, has no need of protests or parties, as an Islamic state applying sharia law.
In oil-rich Eastern Province, Shi'ites have long complained of marginalization and have staged small demonstrations for almost three weeks.
Now all eyes are on Riyadh, with some analysts worrying oil prices could hit $200 a barrel if large protests hit the kingdom. Current prices are around $115.
Riyadh, in the conservative heartland, has seen no protests of note in many years, and has few Shi'ite residents. But the government fears that unrest in Bahrain, where Shi'ites are in the majority will embolden not only Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite minority but its Sunnis too.
"I think it would be significant if protests hit Riyadh since Shi'ites (in the east) have often taken to the streets. Riyadh would be different," a Gulf-based diplomat said.
"But I'm rather skeptical."
The government has repeatedly warned people not to stage any protests Friday and a large security presence in the Saudi capital and authorities appear to be taking no chances. Police cars are parked at some junctions and patrolling at night.
Riyadh's expatriate community has been waiting almost as nervously as the government, with some embassies and foreign firms discussing whether staff should leave over the weekend.
"I am relaxed and will stay here but I know colleagues who booked flights just anywhere to be out of Riyadh Friday," said a banker.
Among activists, some locations of possible protest venues have been circulated by word of mouth to avoid alerting police.
But many even at the activists' meeting remained reluctant to get involved.
"I wish the protests luck. People have to express demands," said Ibrahim Natto, a retired university professor and activist. "But I won't go. I am an old man. I don't go to demonstrations."
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Faisalabad and Adezai bombings
EDITORIAL: Daily Times
Although the bombings in Faisalabad and Adezai were conducted in two different areas, using different methods and for different reasons, they have been perpetrated by the same forces that want to destabilise Pakistan. The Faisalabad attack took place near the office of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) on Mall Road. Being unable to breach the security cordon of the ISI office, the militants exploded the car bomb at a nearby CNG station, taking 25 lives of innocent bystanders, and injuring more than a hundred people, some of whom are in critical condition. Reportedly, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for this heinous act, stating they did it in retaliation for the security forces’ detaining and later killing one of their senior members in Faisalabad. In Adezai area near Peshawar, a suicide bomber attacked the funeral of a peace committee member’s wife, which was attended by a large majority of Adezai lashkar (militia) members. The Adezai lashkar was formed to protect the local community from Taliban militants. By several accounts, this private militia constituted by the local people stood as a bulwark against the advance of the Taliban to Peshawar. However, lack of support by the military and the government compelled them to threaten that they would lay down their arms and make peace with the Taliban for survival’s sake. The existential question for them is why should they expose themselves to attacks by the Taliban if the government is not interested in supporting them.
All this reminds us that that the military establishment and the ISI have been playing with fire for a long time and now that fire has spread and arrived at their own doorstep. ‘Strategic assets’ created to secure dubious goals in Afghanistan are wreaking havoc in that country and also spilling the blood of Pakistanis. One might ask whose interests are these ‘assets’ securing if not the people of Pakistan, who foot the bill of all these adventures and then pay the additional cost of this treacherous game with their lives. Pakistan’s security agencies will have to scotch the monster they have created, and the sooner they do this the better. Also, it would not be in the interest of the military itself to alienate peace lashkars created to fight against the same elements the military is fighting. If the Adezai lashkar members had been uncertain about which way to go, this suicide bombing must have cleared their minds. Arranging for the security of the community in defiance of the Taliban has cost them heavily. For them, there is no hope of military or other assistance and making peace with the Taliban is probably the only option. If they do not do it now, they would risk being attacked again.
Last but not the least, the buck stops with the interior ministry, which is responsible for the country’s internal security. Rehman Malik has miserably failed to devise and implement a credible and coordinated plan that would ensure that each head of the hydra of militancy is cut off. Despite his blatant failure, the federal government insists on retaining him at this post. It would be in the best interests of the country for someone more capable to be given the challenge and task of providing security to the citizens of Pakistan
Although the bombings in Faisalabad and Adezai were conducted in two different areas, using different methods and for different reasons, they have been perpetrated by the same forces that want to destabilise Pakistan. The Faisalabad attack took place near the office of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) on Mall Road. Being unable to breach the security cordon of the ISI office, the militants exploded the car bomb at a nearby CNG station, taking 25 lives of innocent bystanders, and injuring more than a hundred people, some of whom are in critical condition. Reportedly, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for this heinous act, stating they did it in retaliation for the security forces’ detaining and later killing one of their senior members in Faisalabad. In Adezai area near Peshawar, a suicide bomber attacked the funeral of a peace committee member’s wife, which was attended by a large majority of Adezai lashkar (militia) members. The Adezai lashkar was formed to protect the local community from Taliban militants. By several accounts, this private militia constituted by the local people stood as a bulwark against the advance of the Taliban to Peshawar. However, lack of support by the military and the government compelled them to threaten that they would lay down their arms and make peace with the Taliban for survival’s sake. The existential question for them is why should they expose themselves to attacks by the Taliban if the government is not interested in supporting them.
All this reminds us that that the military establishment and the ISI have been playing with fire for a long time and now that fire has spread and arrived at their own doorstep. ‘Strategic assets’ created to secure dubious goals in Afghanistan are wreaking havoc in that country and also spilling the blood of Pakistanis. One might ask whose interests are these ‘assets’ securing if not the people of Pakistan, who foot the bill of all these adventures and then pay the additional cost of this treacherous game with their lives. Pakistan’s security agencies will have to scotch the monster they have created, and the sooner they do this the better. Also, it would not be in the interest of the military itself to alienate peace lashkars created to fight against the same elements the military is fighting. If the Adezai lashkar members had been uncertain about which way to go, this suicide bombing must have cleared their minds. Arranging for the security of the community in defiance of the Taliban has cost them heavily. For them, there is no hope of military or other assistance and making peace with the Taliban is probably the only option. If they do not do it now, they would risk being attacked again.
Last but not the least, the buck stops with the interior ministry, which is responsible for the country’s internal security. Rehman Malik has miserably failed to devise and implement a credible and coordinated plan that would ensure that each head of the hydra of militancy is cut off. Despite his blatant failure, the federal government insists on retaining him at this post. It would be in the best interests of the country for someone more capable to be given the challenge and task of providing security to the citizens of Pakistan
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Minority minister and the missing security
Shahbaz Gill, a domestic servant employed at the house of Shahbaz Bhatti`s mother, told Dawn that he was locking the door of the house “after seeing off sahib at the main gate” when he heard the first few shots. He ran out along with a sister of Bhatti and saw that the attack had been targeted against the minister.
When asked if the minister was accompanied by security guards, Gil said: “I really don`t know. At least, when I closed the main door there wasn`t any police vehicle around.”
Gil`s words highlighted the mystery that continued to remain unanswered for the rest of the day. Why was the minister travelling without his security guards?
It is important to note here that Bhatti had been facing threats since the recent controversy over the Blasphemy Law had blown up. Especially after Taseer`s assassination, Bhatti had said time and again that his life was in danger. This is why he was shifting to the minister`s enclave on the very day that he died because the enclave enjoyed better security.
The only and first Christian member of the federal cabinet, Bhatti had preferred till now to stay in his private residence. However, he had decided to make this move after three years because of security concerns.
In fact in a video which appeared on BBC on Wednesday, he can be seen predicting his own death. Recorded about four months ago, according to media reports, and to be broadcast in the event of his death, the video shows the minister speaking of threats from the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
“These threats and these warnings cannot change my opinions and principles,” he says.But why would a man aware of the dangers to his life be travelling alone? The answers that came to light were inadequate. According to the authorities, the minister was in the habit of leaving his security guards behind.
In a hurriedly arranged news conference at PIMS, Chief Commissioner Tariq Mehmood Pirzada and Inspector General of Police Wajid Ali Durrani were at pains to explain that the incident was not a security lapse. They claimed that the minister was provided security cover — six men from the Frontier Constabulary, five policemen as well as four guards of his own choosing from the police. These numbers were confirmed by the interior ministry.
They further added that the minister was in the habit of visiting his mother accompanied only by his personal driver. His security squad waited for him at his office-cum-residence in I-8/4.
“He directed his guards not to give him security cover whenever he visited his mother`s residence,” the police quoted his guards. Dawn
That his official staff, including the guards, was waiting for him at his office was confirmed by others including his official driver. “We got a call from the driver of the minister who told us that he (Bhatti) had been attacked so we rushed to the location minutes away from his private residence,” Salamat, the official driver told .
However, a senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said that the security guards should have been with the minister all the time. In his opinion, it was illogical that someone who feared for his life would have left his security guards behind.
Dawn has also learnt that Bhatti had unsuccessfully sought high level security and a bullet-proof car from the government.
He is said to have sent a number of letters to the interior ministry demanding security similar to that enjoyed by ministers such as Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Law Minister Babar Awan. They have four to five security vehicles in their squad.“Mr Bhatti had demanded a bullet-proof car from the government,” a close relative of the slain leader and PPP minority women wing president Dr Tasneem Kausar said.
She said the interior ministry had not responded and as a result he had hired private security guards. However, she also conceded that she had “not seen any official guards at the residence of the minister.”
A senior official at the interior ministry told on the condition of anonymity that the interior ministry had not received any such request from Bhatti. “Rather he sent some letters to the ministry, demanding fool proof security,” he added. He too claimed that the minister did not use the security guards when he went to his residence.
“Usually a head constable or an assistant sub inspector is in-charge of the security squad of a minister and such men dare not disobey the minister,” he said.
A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been formed to probe into the assassination. The police said that the sketches of the attackers had been prepared and released to the public.
When asked if the minister was accompanied by security guards, Gil said: “I really don`t know. At least, when I closed the main door there wasn`t any police vehicle around.”
Gil`s words highlighted the mystery that continued to remain unanswered for the rest of the day. Why was the minister travelling without his security guards?
It is important to note here that Bhatti had been facing threats since the recent controversy over the Blasphemy Law had blown up. Especially after Taseer`s assassination, Bhatti had said time and again that his life was in danger. This is why he was shifting to the minister`s enclave on the very day that he died because the enclave enjoyed better security.
The only and first Christian member of the federal cabinet, Bhatti had preferred till now to stay in his private residence. However, he had decided to make this move after three years because of security concerns.
In fact in a video which appeared on BBC on Wednesday, he can be seen predicting his own death. Recorded about four months ago, according to media reports, and to be broadcast in the event of his death, the video shows the minister speaking of threats from the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
“These threats and these warnings cannot change my opinions and principles,” he says.But why would a man aware of the dangers to his life be travelling alone? The answers that came to light were inadequate. According to the authorities, the minister was in the habit of leaving his security guards behind.
In a hurriedly arranged news conference at PIMS, Chief Commissioner Tariq Mehmood Pirzada and Inspector General of Police Wajid Ali Durrani were at pains to explain that the incident was not a security lapse. They claimed that the minister was provided security cover — six men from the Frontier Constabulary, five policemen as well as four guards of his own choosing from the police. These numbers were confirmed by the interior ministry.
They further added that the minister was in the habit of visiting his mother accompanied only by his personal driver. His security squad waited for him at his office-cum-residence in I-8/4.
“He directed his guards not to give him security cover whenever he visited his mother`s residence,” the police quoted his guards. Dawn
That his official staff, including the guards, was waiting for him at his office was confirmed by others including his official driver. “We got a call from the driver of the minister who told us that he (Bhatti) had been attacked so we rushed to the location minutes away from his private residence,” Salamat, the official driver told .
However, a senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said that the security guards should have been with the minister all the time. In his opinion, it was illogical that someone who feared for his life would have left his security guards behind.
Dawn has also learnt that Bhatti had unsuccessfully sought high level security and a bullet-proof car from the government.
He is said to have sent a number of letters to the interior ministry demanding security similar to that enjoyed by ministers such as Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Law Minister Babar Awan. They have four to five security vehicles in their squad.“Mr Bhatti had demanded a bullet-proof car from the government,” a close relative of the slain leader and PPP minority women wing president Dr Tasneem Kausar said.
She said the interior ministry had not responded and as a result he had hired private security guards. However, she also conceded that she had “not seen any official guards at the residence of the minister.”
A senior official at the interior ministry told on the condition of anonymity that the interior ministry had not received any such request from Bhatti. “Rather he sent some letters to the ministry, demanding fool proof security,” he added. He too claimed that the minister did not use the security guards when he went to his residence.
“Usually a head constable or an assistant sub inspector is in-charge of the security squad of a minister and such men dare not disobey the minister,” he said.
A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been formed to probe into the assassination. The police said that the sketches of the attackers had been prepared and released to the public.
Intelligence agencies answerable to Balochistan govt: SC
During a hearing of the missing persons’ case on Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the Balochistan government to contact intelligence agencies regarding the issue, DawnNews reported.
The apex court further said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and other intelligence agencies were answerable to the Balochistan government as well as to the courts.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry remarked that despite the law and order situation in the province, authorities had failed to apprehend a significant number of suspects involved in target killings and kidnapping for ransom.
Moreover, Advocate General Balochistan told the court that 244 people had been killed in the province in 2010 and that the provincial government had compensated the affected families.
Chief Justice Iftikhar directed Chief Secretary Balochistan to submit within four weeks a report regarding the local government elections and the missing lawyers.
The apex court further said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and other intelligence agencies were answerable to the Balochistan government as well as to the courts.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry remarked that despite the law and order situation in the province, authorities had failed to apprehend a significant number of suspects involved in target killings and kidnapping for ransom.
Moreover, Advocate General Balochistan told the court that 244 people had been killed in the province in 2010 and that the provincial government had compensated the affected families.
Chief Justice Iftikhar directed Chief Secretary Balochistan to submit within four weeks a report regarding the local government elections and the missing lawyers.
Lawyers protest Bhatti’s murder
Pakistani lawyers and human rights activists rally to condemn the killing of Christian leader Shahbaz Bhatti
Yemen protests hit Saleh fiefdom, military in Sanaa
Yemeni protests demanding an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule spread to a tribal area considered his political stronghold Tuesday, and military vehicles deployed in the capital.
Around 10,000 protesters marched in the city of Dhamar, about 60 km (40 miles) south of Sanaa, residents said by telephone. Dhamar is known for ties to Saleh and is the hometown of Yemen's prime minister, interior minister and head judge.
"Leave! leave!" the protesters shouted in Dhamar, just two days after Saleh loyalists there held a similar-sized rally. Protesters also pelted a municipal official with rocks.
Burgeoning protests fueled by anger over poverty and corruption, and a series of defections from Saleh's political and tribal allies, have added pressure on him to step aside this year even as he pledges to stay on until his term ends in 2013.
"Across the board, what you're seeing is that more and more people are really starting to crystallize around this single call for the president to step down," Princeton University Yemen scholar Gregory Johnsen said.
In the capital Sanaa, where thousands of protesters have camped out for weeks, military vehicles with armed soldiers spread across streets in what appeared to be a response to calls by youth activists for a march to the presidential palace.
Police brought out water cannon and placed concrete blocks around Sanaa University, the rallying point for anti-Saleh protest that had been quiet in recent days, after weeks of fierce clashes across the country between government loyalists and protesters killed at least 27 people.
Yemen, neighbor to oil giant Saudi Arabia, was teetering on the brink of failed statehood even before recent protests. Saleh has struggled to cement a truce with Shi'ite Muslim rebels in the north and curb secessionist rebellion in the south, all while fighting al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing.
MINISTER BLAMES POOR ECONOMY
Analysts say protests may be reaching a point where it will be difficult for Saleh, a shrewd politician, to cling to power.
Yemen's foreign minister blamed growing protests on poor economic conditions. Some 40 percent of Yemen's 23 million people live on $2 a day or less and a third face chronic hunger. Abubakr al-Qirbi said he wanted foreign donors to inject up to $6 billion to fill a five-year budget gap.
"What we need is really development and economic growth because the present political crisis is really as a result of the economic situation in Yemen," he said at a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers' meeting Monday in Abu Dhabi.
Protesters, who are demanding greater participation in a government largely led by Saleh's closest allies, say they are frustrated by rampant corruption and soaring unemployment, which is at 35 percent or higher.
Princeton's Johnsen said calls for foreign aid where a tactical move by Saleh to buy time to divide the protesters.
"Yemen wants more money to come in and Saleh wants to try and fragment the protesters as much as he can. President Saleh is trying to string this out as long as possible in the hopes he can pit different interest groups against one another" he said.
Last week, Saleh rejected a plan by the opposition coalition which would have implemented political and electoral reforms paving the way for him to step down in 2011, instead accepting a more modest reform package from religious clerics.
Thousands of primary and secondary students marched in the southern provinces of Shabwa, Aden and Lahaj Tuesday. UNICEF said earlier it was concerned some protesters were threatening students to join protests
"No studying, no teaching until the president falls," they shouted, echoing a chant started earlier in the day by university students in Ibb, south of the capital.
In Ibb, protesters marched through the streets to denounce a Sunday attack against an anti-government protest camp by Saleh loyalists. Some 60 people were wounded in the melee, and Omar Atta, 18, died from his injuries Monday night.
"My son sacrificed himself, this is my family's gift to the revolution in Yemen," his father said in a tearful speech to protesters in Ibb Tuesday
Around 10,000 protesters marched in the city of Dhamar, about 60 km (40 miles) south of Sanaa, residents said by telephone. Dhamar is known for ties to Saleh and is the hometown of Yemen's prime minister, interior minister and head judge.
"Leave! leave!" the protesters shouted in Dhamar, just two days after Saleh loyalists there held a similar-sized rally. Protesters also pelted a municipal official with rocks.
Burgeoning protests fueled by anger over poverty and corruption, and a series of defections from Saleh's political and tribal allies, have added pressure on him to step aside this year even as he pledges to stay on until his term ends in 2013.
"Across the board, what you're seeing is that more and more people are really starting to crystallize around this single call for the president to step down," Princeton University Yemen scholar Gregory Johnsen said.
In the capital Sanaa, where thousands of protesters have camped out for weeks, military vehicles with armed soldiers spread across streets in what appeared to be a response to calls by youth activists for a march to the presidential palace.
Police brought out water cannon and placed concrete blocks around Sanaa University, the rallying point for anti-Saleh protest that had been quiet in recent days, after weeks of fierce clashes across the country between government loyalists and protesters killed at least 27 people.
Yemen, neighbor to oil giant Saudi Arabia, was teetering on the brink of failed statehood even before recent protests. Saleh has struggled to cement a truce with Shi'ite Muslim rebels in the north and curb secessionist rebellion in the south, all while fighting al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing.
MINISTER BLAMES POOR ECONOMY
Analysts say protests may be reaching a point where it will be difficult for Saleh, a shrewd politician, to cling to power.
Yemen's foreign minister blamed growing protests on poor economic conditions. Some 40 percent of Yemen's 23 million people live on $2 a day or less and a third face chronic hunger. Abubakr al-Qirbi said he wanted foreign donors to inject up to $6 billion to fill a five-year budget gap.
"What we need is really development and economic growth because the present political crisis is really as a result of the economic situation in Yemen," he said at a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers' meeting Monday in Abu Dhabi.
Protesters, who are demanding greater participation in a government largely led by Saleh's closest allies, say they are frustrated by rampant corruption and soaring unemployment, which is at 35 percent or higher.
Princeton's Johnsen said calls for foreign aid where a tactical move by Saleh to buy time to divide the protesters.
"Yemen wants more money to come in and Saleh wants to try and fragment the protesters as much as he can. President Saleh is trying to string this out as long as possible in the hopes he can pit different interest groups against one another" he said.
Last week, Saleh rejected a plan by the opposition coalition which would have implemented political and electoral reforms paving the way for him to step down in 2011, instead accepting a more modest reform package from religious clerics.
Thousands of primary and secondary students marched in the southern provinces of Shabwa, Aden and Lahaj Tuesday. UNICEF said earlier it was concerned some protesters were threatening students to join protests
"No studying, no teaching until the president falls," they shouted, echoing a chant started earlier in the day by university students in Ibb, south of the capital.
In Ibb, protesters marched through the streets to denounce a Sunday attack against an anti-government protest camp by Saleh loyalists. Some 60 people were wounded in the melee, and Omar Atta, 18, died from his injuries Monday night.
"My son sacrificed himself, this is my family's gift to the revolution in Yemen," his father said in a tearful speech to protesters in Ibb Tuesday
Afghan president tells his people hard year ahead
Afghanistan's president has warned his people that the coming year will be difficult as U.S.-led forces slowly start handing over responsibility for the country's security to Afghan troops.
Hamid Karzai has also renewed a call for the closure of foreign military bases that run reconstruction and development programs, and the private security companies that protect many construction projects funded by international donors.
Karzai spoke on Tuesday at an event marking International Women's Day.
He has repeatedly criticized the so-called provincial reconstruction teams — or PRTs — for undermining the central government by offering alternative sources of funding and public works. He has likened the private security companies to private militias.
Hamid Karzai has also renewed a call for the closure of foreign military bases that run reconstruction and development programs, and the private security companies that protect many construction projects funded by international donors.
Karzai spoke on Tuesday at an event marking International Women's Day.
He has repeatedly criticized the so-called provincial reconstruction teams — or PRTs — for undermining the central government by offering alternative sources of funding and public works. He has likened the private security companies to private militias.
Gates Sees Crucial Test for U.S. in Afghanistan
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said on Tuesday that the United States faces an “acid test” this spring and summer to determine if gains in the war are sustainable.
He also said that there are unlikely to be any American troop withdrawals in July from the hard-fought southern part of the country. President Obama has ordered that withdrawals begin in July and American commanders are determining where they will come from and how many there will be. Mr. Gates’s trip here is in part to participate in those discussions.
On the second day of a two-day trip to Afghanistan, Mr. Gates traveled first to the bloodiest spot in the war, the Taliban narcotics center of Sangin in Helmand Province, and then to a village in the Arghandab district of Kandahar Province, where a fledgling program to arm local Afghan police is underway. Both are in the south.
In an attempt to show that the United States is making progress, Mr. Gates strolled for 15 minutes without body armor — although surrounded by a heavily armed security force — down a dirt road to the Arghandab village of Tabin, where he met with eight new recruits of the Afghan Local Police.
The program, begun three months ago, was at first opposed by President Hamid Karzai, who feared it would create anti-government militias. But American commanders pushed it as a way to encourage Afghan men to defend their own villages instead of relying on American forces.
So far, 4,500 officers have enrolled. Mr. Gates said he was encouraged by the program, although he cautioned that progress in the war is “fragile and reversible.”
Tuesday was the first time he said that the troop withdrawals would probably not come from the south. Throughout the day, Mr. Gates and the commanders he met with predicted heavy fighting this spring and summer as the weather warms and the Taliban regroup from their traditional winter hiatus.
“We expect the Taliban to try and take back much of what they’ve lost,” Mr. Gates said. “And that will really in many respects be the acid test of how effective the progress we’ve made is going to be.”
In Sangin, where 29 American Marines have been killed and 175 wounded in the last five months, the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Jason Morris, said his Marines had killed some 400 insurgents since October and that the fighting had abated. But he said he was preparing for a new round.
“We’re expecting the violence to pick up in the next few weeks,” he said. The losses among the 900 men and women in Sangin are the heaviest losses of any battalion in the nearly decade-long war.
“Your success has come at a terrible price,” Mr. Gates told the Marines in remarks at Forward Operating Base Jackson in Sangin. Last November, Second Lt. Robert Kelly, 29, the son of Mr. Gates’s new senior military adviser, Lt. Gen. John Kelly, was killed in Sangin.
He also said that there are unlikely to be any American troop withdrawals in July from the hard-fought southern part of the country. President Obama has ordered that withdrawals begin in July and American commanders are determining where they will come from and how many there will be. Mr. Gates’s trip here is in part to participate in those discussions.
On the second day of a two-day trip to Afghanistan, Mr. Gates traveled first to the bloodiest spot in the war, the Taliban narcotics center of Sangin in Helmand Province, and then to a village in the Arghandab district of Kandahar Province, where a fledgling program to arm local Afghan police is underway. Both are in the south.
In an attempt to show that the United States is making progress, Mr. Gates strolled for 15 minutes without body armor — although surrounded by a heavily armed security force — down a dirt road to the Arghandab village of Tabin, where he met with eight new recruits of the Afghan Local Police.
The program, begun three months ago, was at first opposed by President Hamid Karzai, who feared it would create anti-government militias. But American commanders pushed it as a way to encourage Afghan men to defend their own villages instead of relying on American forces.
So far, 4,500 officers have enrolled. Mr. Gates said he was encouraged by the program, although he cautioned that progress in the war is “fragile and reversible.”
Tuesday was the first time he said that the troop withdrawals would probably not come from the south. Throughout the day, Mr. Gates and the commanders he met with predicted heavy fighting this spring and summer as the weather warms and the Taliban regroup from their traditional winter hiatus.
“We expect the Taliban to try and take back much of what they’ve lost,” Mr. Gates said. “And that will really in many respects be the acid test of how effective the progress we’ve made is going to be.”
In Sangin, where 29 American Marines have been killed and 175 wounded in the last five months, the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Jason Morris, said his Marines had killed some 400 insurgents since October and that the fighting had abated. But he said he was preparing for a new round.
“We’re expecting the violence to pick up in the next few weeks,” he said. The losses among the 900 men and women in Sangin are the heaviest losses of any battalion in the nearly decade-long war.
“Your success has come at a terrible price,” Mr. Gates told the Marines in remarks at Forward Operating Base Jackson in Sangin. Last November, Second Lt. Robert Kelly, 29, the son of Mr. Gates’s new senior military adviser, Lt. Gen. John Kelly, was killed in Sangin.
Child Protection Bureau inaugurated in Peshawar
The Social Welfare and Women Development Department in collaboration with the Unicef and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) here Saturday inaugurated the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) to protect the rights of street children.
Minister for Social Welfare Sitara Ayaz, Minister for Sports Syed Aqil Shah, SDC Director General Martin Dahinden, Unicef representative Robert Hanawalt and Unicef chief in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pirkoh Heinonen attended the ceremony.
Sitara Ayaz said the goal of the bureau was safe and protective environment for children where they could enjoy their rights to protection and development. She said it would provide food, shelter, education and vocational training particularly to street children. “Children would be provided psychosocial and life skills education for development of their personalities through recreational activities,” she said.
The minister said the child bureau would also be established in other parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. She said the initiative to protect the rights of children under the UNCRC and Child Protection and Welfare Act of the provincial government was planned with the assistance from the SDC and Unicef as street children are vulnerable to abuse and violence.
In his address, Robert Hanawalt said the establishment of the bureau was a great achievement of the KP government as other provinces in Pakistan were yet to develop framework on child protection.
He said at the moment there were more than 3,000 unaccompanied children in the city and its close environs with 20 percent on the streets.
He said the Unicef was working in Pakistan since 1964, helping the country in various domains and it was the major partner of the KP Social Welfare Department in protecting the rights of children.
Martin Dahinden, the SDC director general and a veteran diplomat highlighted the vision of the UN Convention on the Rights of Child. He said that in the recent past, Pakistan in general and KP in particular was hit by major calamities such as the earthquake, the displacement crisis and the floods.
Owing to the repeated disasters, he said the children here required more attention, care and assistance to safeguard their rights for a bright future of the country.
Unicef’s Ms Pirkoh Heinonen said it was our duty to protect the rights of the street children who were unaccompanied and exposed to abuse. She added that the Unicef was providing all-out support to the provincial government to protect vulnerable children in Peshawar and areas that suffered during the conflict or recent natural disasters.
Earlier, Minister Sitara Ayaz inaugurated the Child Protection Bureau on Eidgah Road. Aneesur Rehman was appointed as coordinator of the bureau.
Minister for Social Welfare Sitara Ayaz, Minister for Sports Syed Aqil Shah, SDC Director General Martin Dahinden, Unicef representative Robert Hanawalt and Unicef chief in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pirkoh Heinonen attended the ceremony.
Sitara Ayaz said the goal of the bureau was safe and protective environment for children where they could enjoy their rights to protection and development. She said it would provide food, shelter, education and vocational training particularly to street children. “Children would be provided psychosocial and life skills education for development of their personalities through recreational activities,” she said.
The minister said the child bureau would also be established in other parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. She said the initiative to protect the rights of children under the UNCRC and Child Protection and Welfare Act of the provincial government was planned with the assistance from the SDC and Unicef as street children are vulnerable to abuse and violence.
In his address, Robert Hanawalt said the establishment of the bureau was a great achievement of the KP government as other provinces in Pakistan were yet to develop framework on child protection.
He said at the moment there were more than 3,000 unaccompanied children in the city and its close environs with 20 percent on the streets.
He said the Unicef was working in Pakistan since 1964, helping the country in various domains and it was the major partner of the KP Social Welfare Department in protecting the rights of children.
Martin Dahinden, the SDC director general and a veteran diplomat highlighted the vision of the UN Convention on the Rights of Child. He said that in the recent past, Pakistan in general and KP in particular was hit by major calamities such as the earthquake, the displacement crisis and the floods.
Owing to the repeated disasters, he said the children here required more attention, care and assistance to safeguard their rights for a bright future of the country.
Unicef’s Ms Pirkoh Heinonen said it was our duty to protect the rights of the street children who were unaccompanied and exposed to abuse. She added that the Unicef was providing all-out support to the provincial government to protect vulnerable children in Peshawar and areas that suffered during the conflict or recent natural disasters.
Earlier, Minister Sitara Ayaz inaugurated the Child Protection Bureau on Eidgah Road. Aneesur Rehman was appointed as coordinator of the bureau.
What frustrates Arab women most?
By Yahoo! Maktoob
DUBAI (Yahoo!) - Being overlooked for job promotion is the biggest frustration for women in the Arab world while housework and the pressure to look pretty figure among their top five peeves, a Yahoo! Maktoob Research survey showed.
One-fourth of 915 respondents in the regional survey considered the denial of job promotion as most frustrating, followed by 17% of those who find house chores as the biggest annoyance.
"Women in the Arab world are increasingly filling jobs, so it is interesting to read that some of their biggest frustrations are related to work, such as the denied opportunity for promotion in the workplace and inequality in pay," said Tamara Deprez, head of Yahoo! Maktoob Research in Dubai.
"This should help in correcting some Western misconceptions about women in the Arab world and their role as workers."
The social expectation to look good at all times was found to be most annoying by 8% of respondents, closely followed by the frustrations about inequality in pay and the husband's behaviour.
Arab women think 25 years is the ideal age to get married, according to the survey, which also found that longer the marriage, the more frustrating it gets. More women above the age of 46 said they were unhappy with their husbands.
Interestingly, a quarter of women in Qatar ranked the husband as their biggest peeve rather than not receiving a job promotion.
Top peeves of Arab women
1. Denial of promotion (25%)
2. Household work (17%)
3. Looking good at all times (8%)
4. Inequality in pay (7%)
5. My husband (7%)
6. Having parents-in-law in the house (6%)
7. Providing care to older family members (3%)
8. Children (2%)
Speak out on other issues on Arab Eye, the Yahoo! Maktoob Research community.
DUBAI (Yahoo!) - Being overlooked for job promotion is the biggest frustration for women in the Arab world while housework and the pressure to look pretty figure among their top five peeves, a Yahoo! Maktoob Research survey showed.
"Women in the Arab world are increasingly filling jobs, so it is interesting to read that some of their biggest frustrations are related to work, such as the denied opportunity for promotion in the workplace and inequality in pay," said Tamara Deprez, head of Yahoo! Maktoob Research in Dubai.
"This should help in correcting some Western misconceptions about women in the Arab world and their role as workers."
The social expectation to look good at all times was found to be most annoying by 8% of respondents, closely followed by the frustrations about inequality in pay and the husband's behaviour.
Arab women think 25 years is the ideal age to get married, according to the survey, which also found that longer the marriage, the more frustrating it gets. More women above the age of 46 said they were unhappy with their husbands.
Interestingly, a quarter of women in Qatar ranked the husband as their biggest peeve rather than not receiving a job promotion.
Top peeves of Arab women
1. Denial of promotion (25%)
2. Household work (17%)
3. Looking good at all times (8%)
4. Inequality in pay (7%)
5. My husband (7%)
6. Having parents-in-law in the house (6%)
7. Providing care to older family members (3%)
8. Children (2%)
Speak out on other issues on Arab Eye, the Yahoo! Maktoob Research community.
Monday, March 7, 2011
In Mideast revolts, women emerge as driving force
As popular revolts continue to rock autocratic regimes across the Arab world, women are defying both taboo and stereotype and emerging as a driving force that is keeping the momentum of the protests going.
"Women played and continue to play an integral part in the uprisings and revolutions in the region, and what is key is that they are there, physically present in the streets, showing their numbers," said Nadim Houry, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
"That is a hopeful sign," Houry told AFP. "They should now play a key role the new governing structures that will emerge from these revolutions."
In T-shirts and jeans or long black robes and veils, tens of thousands of women have made their voices heard in the streets, from Tunis to Cairo, from Manama to Sanaa, to demand reform in a region long ruled by autocracies.
Inspired by the uprising that toppled Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, women turned out en masse in Egypt's Tahrir Square for weeks to demand the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, who quit on February 11 after 30 years in power.
Bahrain, where thousands of mainly Shiite protesters have been demanding the fall of the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, has also witnessed a massive turnout of women, who form a sea of black in their traditional robes and headscarves at the continuing gender-segregated rallies.
And in the conservative countries of Yemen and Libya, women have overturned social norms and joined the insurrections against Ali Abdullah Saleh and Moamer Kadhafi, marching openly in the streets and talking to journalists on camera.
"Women play a decisive role in the region, from Tunisia to Egypt and Libya, and they have been a key factor in sparking the revolutions in every city," said Tawakkul Karman, a Yemeni activist who is spearheading the participation of women in the Sanaa protests.
"The revolution aims primarily to topple regimes, but it has also succeeded in doing away with the archaic traditions that have long told us women should stay at home and out of public life," Karman told AFP.
"This has also been a social revolution. The role of women is helping create a new society. The Yemen revolution has helped woman rise to a better place."
But it is not only in the streets that women have found their voice.
While women from all walks of life have joined the protests, a young and educated segment of society is also turning to the new media to bring about change in their homelands.
Asma Mahfouz, a young Egyptian woman whose video blog or vlog calling for an uprising in Egypt became a viral hit, is widely credited with having inspired Egyptians to take to the streets in defiance of a long-running autocratic regime.
"I am making this video to send you one message: if we still have any honour, if we want to live in dignity in this country, we need to get out into the streets on January 25," said the fresh-faced, veiled activist.
"If you are a man, come down to the street," she said in an Arabic-language video posted on YouTube on January 18.
"Whoever says women shouldn't protest... should be man enough to come with me on January 25."
Voices of dissent allegedly from Saudi Arabia, which has not yet witnessed major protests, have also begun to surface on Facebook and Twitter, many under female usernames.
"I urge Saudi women to act now. Our Saudi brothers have betrayed us, for they are cowards. Act now, b4 it's too late!" tweeted #SaudiWomenRevolution.
And while the region's future political landscape remains unclear, the uprisings have revealed discontent with both the existing political and social structure across the region, experts say.
"Right now you cannot speak of a separate women's movement," said Bahraini academic and former parliamentary candidate Munira Fakhro.
"It's not a gender upheaval, it's an upheaval of the entirety of society, of which women have long been an active segment," she told AFP.
"The importance of the uprisings in Egypt and Libya, for example, is not just in getting rid of the figurehead, of ousting the dictator," added Houry.
"It's getting rid of all the 'isms' that have kept this region lagging behind: from sexism to confessionalism and more."
"Women played and continue to play an integral part in the uprisings and revolutions in the region, and what is key is that they are there, physically present in the streets, showing their numbers," said Nadim Houry, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
"That is a hopeful sign," Houry told AFP. "They should now play a key role the new governing structures that will emerge from these revolutions."
In T-shirts and jeans or long black robes and veils, tens of thousands of women have made their voices heard in the streets, from Tunis to Cairo, from Manama to Sanaa, to demand reform in a region long ruled by autocracies.
Inspired by the uprising that toppled Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, women turned out en masse in Egypt's Tahrir Square for weeks to demand the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, who quit on February 11 after 30 years in power.
Bahrain, where thousands of mainly Shiite protesters have been demanding the fall of the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, has also witnessed a massive turnout of women, who form a sea of black in their traditional robes and headscarves at the continuing gender-segregated rallies.
And in the conservative countries of Yemen and Libya, women have overturned social norms and joined the insurrections against Ali Abdullah Saleh and Moamer Kadhafi, marching openly in the streets and talking to journalists on camera.
"Women play a decisive role in the region, from Tunisia to Egypt and Libya, and they have been a key factor in sparking the revolutions in every city," said Tawakkul Karman, a Yemeni activist who is spearheading the participation of women in the Sanaa protests.
"The revolution aims primarily to topple regimes, but it has also succeeded in doing away with the archaic traditions that have long told us women should stay at home and out of public life," Karman told AFP.
"This has also been a social revolution. The role of women is helping create a new society. The Yemen revolution has helped woman rise to a better place."
But it is not only in the streets that women have found their voice.
While women from all walks of life have joined the protests, a young and educated segment of society is also turning to the new media to bring about change in their homelands.
Asma Mahfouz, a young Egyptian woman whose video blog or vlog calling for an uprising in Egypt became a viral hit, is widely credited with having inspired Egyptians to take to the streets in defiance of a long-running autocratic regime.
"I am making this video to send you one message: if we still have any honour, if we want to live in dignity in this country, we need to get out into the streets on January 25," said the fresh-faced, veiled activist.
"If you are a man, come down to the street," she said in an Arabic-language video posted on YouTube on January 18.
"Whoever says women shouldn't protest... should be man enough to come with me on January 25."
Voices of dissent allegedly from Saudi Arabia, which has not yet witnessed major protests, have also begun to surface on Facebook and Twitter, many under female usernames.
"I urge Saudi women to act now. Our Saudi brothers have betrayed us, for they are cowards. Act now, b4 it's too late!" tweeted #SaudiWomenRevolution.
And while the region's future political landscape remains unclear, the uprisings have revealed discontent with both the existing political and social structure across the region, experts say.
"Right now you cannot speak of a separate women's movement," said Bahraini academic and former parliamentary candidate Munira Fakhro.
"It's not a gender upheaval, it's an upheaval of the entirety of society, of which women have long been an active segment," she told AFP.
"The importance of the uprisings in Egypt and Libya, for example, is not just in getting rid of the figurehead, of ousting the dictator," added Houry.
"It's getting rid of all the 'isms' that have kept this region lagging behind: from sexism to confessionalism and more."
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Civil society in Pakistan put at risk by law
Second killing means Zardari must act now
The Calgary Herald
The year's second murder of a Pakistani politician over opposition to the country's notorious blasphemy law requires a forceful response from Pakistan's government if civil society is to be protected from extremists.
Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's Minority Affairs Minister and a member of the country's beleaguered Christian minority was killed Wednesday, allegedly by the Punjabi branch of the Taliban who left a note at the scene threatening further acts against "the world's infidels." Bhatti's murder comes almost exactly two months to the day after Salman Taseer, the Muslim governor of the Pakistani province of Punjab, was shot dead by one of his bodyguards over his opposition to the same law.
These killings represent a grave threat to Pakistan's fragile freedoms, one which the government is illequipped to meet.
Successive Pakistani governments have cosied up to Islamic fundamentalists as a convenient way to muster support, and strengthening the blasphemy law has been part of these deals with the devil. The price for this short-sighted decision is proving steep.Under the tenets of the blasphemy law, slandering Islam or the Prophet Muhammad is formally considered a crime, with penalties ranging from fines to death, although no one charged has ever been executed by the state and the president retains the right of pardon. This remains cold comfort for the accused, many of whom have died at the hands of vigilantes.
The law's vague phrasing also leaves room for abuse by individuals looking to settle scores or take advantage of the vulnerable.
The prominent case of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman facing death for blasphemy, allegedly stems from a property dispute.
President Asif Ali Zardari's government has vacillated between promises to review the law and refusals to do any such thing out of fear of antagonizing fanatics.
Widely seen as corrupt and generally viewed as incompetent, Zardari's attempts to hug the middle ground have merely left him to preside ineffectually over a battle between polarized factions with radically different views as to how Pakistan should be run.Zardari should line up against the terrorists if he is to amount to anything more than another self-serving politician unable to restore calm to the suffering nation.
Pakistan is perpetually frozen with one foot over the abyss and if it is not plunged in, potentially dragging some of its neighbours with it, its extremist enemies will have to be confronted with more than just intermittent military action.
A strong civil society overseen by a tolerant, responsive government is the best antidote to the Taliban's poison. Annulling the blasphemy law is an overdue first step.
The Calgary Herald
These killings represent a grave threat to Pakistan's fragile freedoms, one which the government is illequipped to meet.
The law's vague phrasing also leaves room for abuse by individuals looking to settle scores or take advantage of the vulnerable.
The prominent case of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman facing death for blasphemy, allegedly stems from a property dispute.
President Asif Ali Zardari's government has vacillated between promises to review the law and refusals to do any such thing out of fear of antagonizing fanatics.
Widely seen as corrupt and generally viewed as incompetent, Zardari's attempts to hug the middle ground have merely left him to preside ineffectually over a battle between polarized factions with radically different views as to how Pakistan should be run.Zardari should line up against the terrorists if he is to amount to anything more than another self-serving politician unable to restore calm to the suffering nation.
Pakistan is perpetually frozen with one foot over the abyss and if it is not plunged in, potentially dragging some of its neighbours with it, its extremist enemies will have to be confronted with more than just intermittent military action.
A strong civil society overseen by a tolerant, responsive government is the best antidote to the Taliban's poison. Annulling the blasphemy law is an overdue first step.
Yemen ruler digs deeper; Oman drops 3 officials
"The president should leave!" cried Redwan Massoud, a leader of the protesters at Sanaa University in Yemen as tens of thousands of demonstrators streamed through cities across the country in a show of resolve against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power 32 years.
He then suspended classes at the universities in the capital Sanaa and the southern port of Aden, which have been the centers for daily demonstrations inspired by the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Dozens have already died in clashes, including four people killed during a Friday protest in the northern town of Harf Sofyan.
There are growing cracks in Saleh's regime in the Arab world's most impoverished nation. Several members of his ruling Congress Party resigned Saturday. But his swift rejection of the early exit proposal suggested he still believes he can ride out the revolt.In neighboring Oman, meanwhile, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has led the nation for four decades, is tossing out more concessions to try to bring an end to a rare show of dissent. Protesters — including oil workers in the south — are pressing for more jobs and economic and political reforms. But unlike the other countries they have pledged their loyalty to the hereditary monarch.
The sultan replaced three top government positions Saturday — just a week after dismissing six other Cabinet officials.Oman's unrest remains small compared with Gulf neighbor Bahrain, but it is closely watched because of the country's strategic role as co-guardian of the Strait of Hormuz. Oman and Iran share authority over the crucial waterway at the mouth of the Gulf, which is the route for 40 percent of the world's oil tanker traffic.Saturday's shake-up included the head of the Palace Office, which oversees security affairs, in an apparent attempt to ease calls to hold officials accountable for the killing of a protester last week. Also replaced was a minister who holds the most senior adviser post and another who deals with internal matters within the ruling structure.The measures failed to halt sit-ins in the capital, Muscat, and the northern industrial city of Sohar, where the unrest began, but they were welcomed by many protesters."It was as if a black cloud has lifted. Long live the sultan, long live Oman," said Saeed Hamad, a protester outside the Sultanate's Shura council.In Libya, Gadhaf's forces and rebel units continued their give-and-take battles.Gadhafi loyalists moved back into the outskirts of Zawiya, just 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tripoli, with a surprise dawn attack under cover of mortar shells and later with an afternoon offensive. In the east, the pre-Gadhafi flag used by rebels flew over the key oil port of Ras Lanouf after the first major battlefield victory by forces trying to end Gadhafi's four-decade rule."We will fight them on the streets and will never give up so long as Gadhafi is still in power," said one of the rebels in Zawiya, who declined to be identified.International pressure has been building for Gadhafi to step down. There have been no moves for military intervention, but Washington has not ruled out imposing a "no-fly" zone to protect rebel forces.U.S. forces also were boosting their presence off the Libyan coast. Two Navy ships, the amphibious assault vessel USS Kearsarge and the amphibious transport dock USS Ponce, left an American base on the Greek island of Crete. Earlier this week, 400 Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina arrived in Crete.
The coming week includes calls for protest rallies in Kuwait on Tuesday and Saudi Arabia on Friday as the Arab groundswell for reform presses into new territory.
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry issued a statement outlawing all forms of demonstrations as contrary to Islamic laws and Saudi values. It warned that security forces were authorized to take action against violators.The statement came a day after about 100 Saudi Shiites demonstrated after Friday prayers in the eastern region demanding the release of detainees and a Shiite cleric, Tawfiq al-Amer, arrested last week for calling for a constitutional monarchy.
Just over the causeway in Bahrain, thousands of Shiite protesters formed a huge human chain around the capital Manama as protests against the Sunni monarchy moved into its third week in the strategic country — the host of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Organizers say some members of the Sunni minority joined Saturday's event.
Unlike the other pro-democracy movements, Algeria's demonstrations have yet to get off the ground.On Saturday, police put down three separate march bids in the capital which also drew demonstrators who turned out in favor of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.A group that had been organizing the protests has split in two, with a political wing, which tried to march Saturday, and a grouping of human rights leaders and unions which has chosen to work more closely with the population.
Many Algerians say they are tired of conflict after being subjected to years of violence because of an Islamist insurgency.
___
Saudi Regime bans protests, gatherings
Saudi regime has banned all kinds of rallies and gatherings, as anti-government protests demanding democratic change and the release of political prisoners gain momentum in the monarchy.
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry described protests as “illegal” in a Saturday statement and declared that security forces were "authorized by law to take all measures needed against those who try to break the law."
"Regulations in the kingdom forbid categorically all sorts of demonstrations, marches and sit-ins... as they contradict Islamic Sharia law and the values and traditions of Saudi society," SPA state news agency quoted the ministry as saying.
The decision came after anti-government demonstrations were held after the Friday prayers in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and other cities.
Hundreds of Saudi protesters took to the streets in Riyadh, for the first time, to join anti-government protests in other cities in the country, calling for the release of political prisoners.
Protesters gathered in front of Al-Rajhi Mosque in the eastern part of the capital, chanting anti-government and anti-corruption slogans.
Witnesses say Saudi security forces detained at least three people, who had chanted slogans against the Saudi monarchy, in Riyadh.
At the same time, groups of protesters continued their rallies in the towns of al-Hufuf, al-Ahsa, and al-Qatif in the Eastern Province, with demonstrators demanding the release of political prisoners, including a senior Shia cleric.
In al-Hufuf, the peaceful protest rally, which condemned the Saudi government's detention of Sheikh Tawfiq al-Amer, was held following the Friday prayers.
A similar protest, which was held in al-Qatif, was dispersed by Saudi security forces, witnesses said.
The Shia cleric was arrested on February 25 after delivering a sermon, in which he said that Saudi Arabia should become a constitutional monarchy.
In a move to intensify its crackdown on mass protests planned next week, the Saudi government also has decided to deploy thousands of anti-riot police to northeastern Saudi Arabia.
This comes against the backdrop of growing calls on Internet for a massive anti-government protest expected later in March.
A group of Saudi youths has called for a “Saudi Revolution” on March 20, using Facebook, to demand democratic and political reform in the monarchy.
The Facebook group, which has over 17,000 members, also called for a “Day f Rage” to be held on March 11. Tens of thousands of Saudis have already joined the drive.
Protests and public displays of dissent are forbidden in Saudi Arabia. The government has become increasingly nervous about the protests that have taken the Arab world by storm, toppling the Egyptian and Tunisian presidents, and recently reaching Oman, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry described protests as “illegal” in a Saturday statement and declared that security forces were "authorized by law to take all measures needed against those who try to break the law."
"Regulations in the kingdom forbid categorically all sorts of demonstrations, marches and sit-ins... as they contradict Islamic Sharia law and the values and traditions of Saudi society," SPA state news agency quoted the ministry as saying.
The decision came after anti-government demonstrations were held after the Friday prayers in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and other cities.
Hundreds of Saudi protesters took to the streets in Riyadh, for the first time, to join anti-government protests in other cities in the country, calling for the release of political prisoners.
Protesters gathered in front of Al-Rajhi Mosque in the eastern part of the capital, chanting anti-government and anti-corruption slogans.
Witnesses say Saudi security forces detained at least three people, who had chanted slogans against the Saudi monarchy, in Riyadh.
At the same time, groups of protesters continued their rallies in the towns of al-Hufuf, al-Ahsa, and al-Qatif in the Eastern Province, with demonstrators demanding the release of political prisoners, including a senior Shia cleric.
In al-Hufuf, the peaceful protest rally, which condemned the Saudi government's detention of Sheikh Tawfiq al-Amer, was held following the Friday prayers.
A similar protest, which was held in al-Qatif, was dispersed by Saudi security forces, witnesses said.
The Shia cleric was arrested on February 25 after delivering a sermon, in which he said that Saudi Arabia should become a constitutional monarchy.
In a move to intensify its crackdown on mass protests planned next week, the Saudi government also has decided to deploy thousands of anti-riot police to northeastern Saudi Arabia.
This comes against the backdrop of growing calls on Internet for a massive anti-government protest expected later in March.
A group of Saudi youths has called for a “Saudi Revolution” on March 20, using Facebook, to demand democratic and political reform in the monarchy.
The Facebook group, which has over 17,000 members, also called for a “Day f Rage” to be held on March 11. Tens of thousands of Saudis have already joined the drive.
Protests and public displays of dissent are forbidden in Saudi Arabia. The government has become increasingly nervous about the protests that have taken the Arab world by storm, toppling the Egyptian and Tunisian presidents, and recently reaching Oman, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.
Heavy machinegun fire rocks Libyan capital Tripoli
Heavy automatic weapons fire erupted in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Sunday, the first such outbreak in Muammar Gaddafi’s main stronghold in a two-week-old insurrection against his 41-year-old rule.
It was unclear who was doing the shooting, which started at 5:45 a.m. (0345 GMT), just before daybreak, or what had caused it. Machine gun volleys, some of them heavy caliber, were reverberating around central Tripoli, along with ambulance sirens, pro-Gaddafi chants, whistling and a cacophony of car horns as vehicles sped through the vicinity.
A government spokesman denied any fighting was under way in Tripoli. “I assure you, I assure you, I assure you, I assure you, there is no fighting going on in Tripoli,” said Mussa Ibrahim, a government spokesman.
“Everything is safe. Tripoli is 100 percent under control. What you are hearing is celebratory fireworks. People are in the streets, dancing in the square.” He warned, however: “I would like to advise not to go there for your safety.
The armed revolt was inspired by generally peaceful uprisings that toppled despots in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia and have spread to other Arab countries with long entrenched leaders and a deficit of democracy, good governance and jobs.
Libyan rebels were also advancing from the east on Gaddafi’s hometown Sirte, around 500 km (300 miles) from Tripoli, and clinging to positions in a western town near the capital after withstanding two armored assaults by government forces.
A tense calm settled over the western town of Zawiyah after nightfall on Saturday, with rifle-toting insurgents on rooftops and manning checkpoints on streets leading into the center.
But the rebels said they were bracing for another tank and artillery attack by government on Sunday.
A doctor in Zawiyah, some 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli, said at least 30 people, mostly civilians, were killed during fighting on Saturday that wrecked the town center, raising to at least 60 the death toll from two days of battles.
Almost 600 km (400 miles) to the east along Libya’s Mediterranean coast, insurgents said they took the town of Bin Jawad on Saturday, on the heels of seizing the oil port of Ras Lanuf, and were thrusting westwards toward Sirte.
Exultant after asserting control over much of the east of the vast oil-exporting North African state in a revolt against the flamboyant autocrat Gaddafi, some rebels said an assault on Sirte was imminent.
“We’re going to attack Sirte, now,” rebel fighter Mohamed Salim told Reuters, while another fighter, Mohamed Fathi, said: “Listen, we have no organization and no military plan. We go where we’re needed.”
“If (rebels) can expand down into the Gulf of Sirte … they’ve got a very good shot at independence at the least — or maybe even overturning him at the most,” said Peter Zeihan, analyst with the U.S.-based Stratfor intelligence newsletter.
But others were wary of the limitations of an undisciplined rebel force made up of soldiers who have bolted from Gaddafi’s ranks and volunteers who have more enthusiasm than experience.
It was unclear who was doing the shooting, which started at 5:45 a.m. (0345 GMT), just before daybreak, or what had caused it. Machine gun volleys, some of them heavy caliber, were reverberating around central Tripoli, along with ambulance sirens, pro-Gaddafi chants, whistling and a cacophony of car horns as vehicles sped through the vicinity.
A government spokesman denied any fighting was under way in Tripoli. “I assure you, I assure you, I assure you, I assure you, there is no fighting going on in Tripoli,” said Mussa Ibrahim, a government spokesman.
“Everything is safe. Tripoli is 100 percent under control. What you are hearing is celebratory fireworks. People are in the streets, dancing in the square.” He warned, however: “I would like to advise not to go there for your safety.
The armed revolt was inspired by generally peaceful uprisings that toppled despots in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia and have spread to other Arab countries with long entrenched leaders and a deficit of democracy, good governance and jobs.
Libyan rebels were also advancing from the east on Gaddafi’s hometown Sirte, around 500 km (300 miles) from Tripoli, and clinging to positions in a western town near the capital after withstanding two armored assaults by government forces.
A tense calm settled over the western town of Zawiyah after nightfall on Saturday, with rifle-toting insurgents on rooftops and manning checkpoints on streets leading into the center.
But the rebels said they were bracing for another tank and artillery attack by government on Sunday.
A doctor in Zawiyah, some 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli, said at least 30 people, mostly civilians, were killed during fighting on Saturday that wrecked the town center, raising to at least 60 the death toll from two days of battles.
Almost 600 km (400 miles) to the east along Libya’s Mediterranean coast, insurgents said they took the town of Bin Jawad on Saturday, on the heels of seizing the oil port of Ras Lanuf, and were thrusting westwards toward Sirte.
Exultant after asserting control over much of the east of the vast oil-exporting North African state in a revolt against the flamboyant autocrat Gaddafi, some rebels said an assault on Sirte was imminent.
“We’re going to attack Sirte, now,” rebel fighter Mohamed Salim told Reuters, while another fighter, Mohamed Fathi, said: “Listen, we have no organization and no military plan. We go where we’re needed.”
“If (rebels) can expand down into the Gulf of Sirte … they’ve got a very good shot at independence at the least — or maybe even overturning him at the most,” said Peter Zeihan, analyst with the U.S.-based Stratfor intelligence newsletter.
But others were wary of the limitations of an undisciplined rebel force made up of soldiers who have bolted from Gaddafi’s ranks and volunteers who have more enthusiasm than experience.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Swat Valley, Picking up the pieces
In a few weeks the owners of a small, three-room flat above a tea-shop in a noisy Peshawar bazaar in northwestern Pakistan will be looking for a new tenant because the current occupant, Fayazullah Jan, is leaving.
The 34-year-old drummer from Swat Valley used to play at weddings to earn a living until Taliban militants seized control of the area in 2007 and declared music un-Islamic.
Out of work, Fayazullah moved from his home town of Mingora (the principal city in Swat) and rented the flat in Peshawar. But he was unable to find regular employment, and life proved hard.
“I had been doing this [playing music] since I was 12 years old, like my father and grandfather before me,” he said. Then the Taliban stopped music from being played. “I had no means of earning a livelihood and was scared for my safety. I left Swat in December 2008 for Peshawar.”
With militants on the retreat since the summer of 2009 and a victory over them declared by the military in February 2010 life has begun returning to normal in Swat and neighbouring districts such as Buner and Dir.
“I have spoken to people in Mingora and it now seems safe to go back,” Fayazullah said. He is confident he can resume earning on a regular basis and “put my three children back in school”.
Fayazullah is not alone. Many others in Swat, including barbers who were prevented by the Taliban from shaving beards or cutting hair in a stylized fashion, have resumed work.
Hopes for tourism sector
The valley, a former tourist resort area some 160km from Islamabad, has also seen evidence of a revival of tourism - a primary source of livelihood for many before the insurgency.
The conflict displaced an estimated 200,000 of Swat’s 1.8 million inhabitants in early 2009 as government forces battled Fazlullah's followers who were calling for a holy war against the government and the establishment of a strict version of Shariah law.
"My hotel, which stands by the River Swat had been damaged by floods last summer, but we had seen tourists return early in 2010 and I had earned some money [so I] had enough savings to re-build,” hotel owner Khan Muhammad told IRIN from Mingora.
He is confident there will be more tourists this year, as hotter weather in the plains brings people to the cooler north.
“The revival of tourism in an area like Swat would bring income to many households, because waiters, cooks, guides and others would be able to go back to work,” economic analyst Sikander Lodhi told IRIN.
Livelihood revival
In Malakand Division (an administrative zone of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province which includes Swat District), where more than three million people have suffered economically since the conflict escalated between Pakistani government forces and militants in early 2009, initiatives like the Sarhad rural support programme are helping to improve livelihoods through skills enhancement.
“The need for revival of livelihoods was felt because of the wide-ranging impact that the conflict had on the lives of local populations,” Shakeel Ahmad, a programme officer with the UN Development Programme, told IRIN.
“According to the Conflict Early Recovery Needs Assessment exercise carried out by the UN system towards the start of the return of IDPs to their home towns, 99 percent of people reported that the conflict had significantly and negatively impacted their non-farm-based livelihoods… The interventions will help people revive their sources of livelihoods.”
Mingora-based social activist Jamil Khan said: “Right now many people here are hopeful. Many have been able to resume work, especially groups such as barbers, or CD and video shop owners who were targeted by the Taliban, and this means money has again begun to come into households.”
However, with the 2 March assassination in Islamabad of Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, who had urged reforms to the blasphemy laws, nothing in Pakistan can be taken for granted.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com
Tawakkul Karman ...A woman leading change in Yemen
international face of the Yemeni pro-change movement is a woman. Profiled in high profile outlets including The Washington Post, The Toronto Star and Time Magazine, journalist and human rights activist Tawakkul Karman represents a positive image of Yemeni women. Long before she was photographed leading February’s protests against the government, she was called a brave defender of freedom of expression and human rights in Yemen. In a January 2010 interview with Al Jazeera, she spoke of detained journalists, a sheikh’s tyranny against villagers in Ibb, a governorate south of the capital, the lack of justice for the family of a murdered doctor, and - long before January’s WikiLeaks revelations - even went so far as to accuse the
government of being “in alliance” with al-Qaeda. Today, she continues to protest, demanding peaceful change. Finally a refreshing change from the “over-sized post box” image of the Yemen’s women in the niqab (a garment that covers the female body, face and hands), or the photos of child bride Nujood Ali that have fuelled Yemen’s early marriage debate since April 2008. Of course, all is not rosy for Yemen’s women. Yemeni parliamentarians (one out of 301 is a woman) still have not agreed on a minimum age for marriage to prevent girls like Nujood, nine years old at the time of her divorce, from being married before they finish school. Illiteracy among women is still a whopping 67 per cent, women are typically the first victims of food shortages (one in three Yemenis suffers from severe malnutrition according to the UN) and many have difficult and limited access to healthcare. Women’s participation in politics is minimal and, despite two female ministers, Yemen has consistently ranked at the bottom in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index since it was first included in the ranking in 2006. But there is hope. Karman and fellow female human rights activists, such as journalist Samia al-Aghbari, are on the frontline of protests in the Yemeni capital. They may not be representative of Yemeni women in general, but they are indeed inspiring. In fact, one Yemeni man was so impressed by al-Aghbari’s courage during the protests of 13 February when she was knocked onto the pavement by a member of security, that he wrote her a poem, “Revolution of the Green Hijab... To Samia al-Aghbari and all the other revolutionaries”, which was published the following day on the Nashwan News website. Although they are not all out on the streets, there are a number of inspiring women in Yemen. In addition to Karman and al-Aghbari, Yemeni women are human rights activists, journalists, doctors, educators, members of civil society, academics, wives of political detainees, photographers, and even tweeters. Dozens of brave women have run against all odds and lost in local council and parliamentary elections. According to Nadia al-Sakkaf, female Editor-in-Chief of the independent Yemen Times, winning is difficult without the support of a political party, and most politically ambitious women at the moment are waiting to see how the current situation develops. Then there are the women who quietly start their own revolutions. In May 2010, a literacy eradication course inspired women in rural Dhamar, a governorate south of Sana’a, to go home and ask their husbands and brothers for their rights to education, inheritance and political participation. Course organisers received phone calls from confused male family members asking what they had been discussing. Participants also rallied together and prevented a man from marrying off his 12-year-old daughter. When Karman was detained by security for organising protests on 22 January, she made the most of a bad situation by chatting to her fellow female detainees about their rights. “I was happy to discover the prison and talk to the prisoners,” she told The Yemen Times after her release. But perhaps the most inspiring thing about Karman is that she is not speaking up only for Yemeni women, but for Yemeni society as a whole, addressing national grievances such as unemployment and corruption. It may be too early for a female president in Yemen, but Karman adds a new, welcome dimension to the media coverage of a country usually associated in the Western mind with al-Qaeda, poverty and oppressed women.
VEENA MALIK: Very Fashionable
Everybody in this world is hungry for publicity. I enjoy it too. I didn't know I'll grab so many eyeballs in Bigg Boss 4 or earn so much fame," says Veena Malik. A channel's website cites her age as 32, but she claims to be 26. "My date of birth is 1984. I have my passport to prove it," she says in her defence.
The Pakistani actor and model who drew the media's attention after exposing her ex-boyfriend as well as cricketer Mohammad Asif's foul play, further gained popularity for her notoriety on the reality show Bigg Boss 4, last year. She's now making her cricket commentary debut.
Malik who admires Indian commentators such as Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar is hosting not one, but two shows on cricket Cricket-o-tainment along with other experts of the game; and Big Toss with Rakhi Sawant. "People have invested a lot of money and most of all, they have invested their confidence in me," she smiles. "The channel has chosen me as the face of the World Cup."
Quiz her about the terminology of the game What happens when the no-ball goes for four runs? What does it suggest when the umpire raises his one leg? Who's the captain of Zimbabwe? she isn't entirely stumped. "If you think I am an expert, let me tell you, I am not," she says. "But I know the basics of the game. I know when Sachin Tendulkar will enter the stadium he'll break the record of Sanath Jayasuriya and even Miandad."
She promises that the glamour quotient in her cricket shows will be high and is also up for any kind of wardrobe scrutiny. "Obviously, if I am there, the fashion element is going to be there," she stands firm. "I am very fashionable.
People always love my sense of styling. So many young girls out there look up to me. But I am not all fashion and beauty only, I have brains also."
Malik's rooting for India, but her prayers are with Pakistan. "I want to see India and Pakistan in the finals and may the best team win. But if you compare the two teams, then India is in way better form. And yes, it wouldn't help for Pakistan if Asif was playing," she mentions.
It isn't only her previous liaison with the Pakistani cricketer which stimulated her interest in the game. "Like India, people in Pakistan also consider cricket a religion. I have been following the game since childhood and I am emotionally aroused towards it."
In fact, Malik insists she even exposed Asif's match-fixing scandal for the love of the game. "I am a cricket lover. He didn't cheat on me; he cheated on the crores of people who love this game. Cricket is a gentleman's game and he didn't behave like one.
When I met him, he was nobody. He was banned and had so many cases against him. I helped him out in his dark days. I used to beg him to stay away from it, but he still continued," she drawls.
However, photographer Dheeraj Dixit, who was allegedly in cahoots with Asif, has accused Malik of being a bookie. "Really? If I am a bookie then what am I doing here? I was the one who provided the contact numbers and the truth. He's one silly guy who only knows to make stupid comments. Why is he not coming up with any proof? Why is he just a babbler?" she shoots back.
Post her World Cup shows, Malik hopes to visit Mumbai to do some charity along with her 'close friend' Ashmit Patel. The two became friendly on the sets of Bigg Boss 4. "Ashmit was an emotional support inside the house. We have great chemistry. He's very much interested in working in Pakistan, but right now, I have my own problems to deal with over there," she reveals.
She has also been offered roles in Bollywood, apparently, but has rejected all of them and remains unperturbed. She does not wish to start her innings doing B or C grade films. "I am like a river dariya hota hai woh apna raasta khud bana deta hai... Likewise, I work on my own terms. Things will happen when they have to," she signs off.
SAUDI ARABIA: Demonstrators stage rare protests to demand release of political prisoners
Saudi Arabia has so far escaped the demonstrations and popular uprisings that are sweeping the region, but recent developments suggest the ultraconservative kingdom is not immune to protests and unrest.
Media reports say demonstrators took to the streets of areas of Saudi Arabia's oil-producing eastern province Thursday and Friday to demand the release of political prisoners they claim are being held without trial.
According to CNN, one of the main rallying points at Friday's protest was the outspoken Shiite prayer leader Sheikh Tawfeeq Amer who protesters claim was arrested Feb. 25 after calling in a sermon for Saudi Arabia to become a constitutional democracy.
The video above, posted on YouTube, claims to show prosteters marching in the streets in a town in the eastern province Friday to demand Amer's release.
The demonstration comes a day after around 100 Saudi Shiite Muslims gathered for a rally in the same province to call for the release of Shiite prisoners they say are being arbitraily held by the Saudi authorities.
A report from the Reuters news agency said young men were seen marching through Awwamiya, a town near Saudi Arabia's Shiite epicenter Qatif, chanting "Peaceful, peaceful" while waving pictures of Shiites they say have been detained unjustly. A group of policemen observed the protest without intervening, added the report.
Thurday's and Friday's protests, however, were reported to be much smaller in size than the demonstrations that occurred down in Awwamiya in 2009 after Saudi police launched a crackdown and search for the Shiite preacher Nimr Nimr, who back then had suggested in a sermon that Shiites could one day seek their own separate state.
The vast majority of Saudi Arabia's Shiite community lives in the country's eastern province -- home to most of the kingdom's vast oil resources and also near protest-stricken Bahrain, where members of the majority Shiite population recently have staged massive protests against their Sunni rulers.
Shiites in Saudi Arabia regularly complain about discrimination and say they still face restrictions in getting some jobs, although their situation has improved somewhat under King Abdullah and the reforms he has implemented. The government denies charges of such discrimination.
Last month, more than 100 Saudi activists and intellectuals called on the king to set up a constitutional monarchy and implement sweeping reforms.
Saudi youth push ahead with demands
Tens of thousands of Saudi youths protesting the government's policies have posted their demands for greater civil liberties on an internet website.
The website Honein Revolution calls for the election of the Consultative Assembly members by the people, the impartiality of judiciary, and the release of political prisoners as the most important demands.
The youths have called for the removal of "illegal taxes imposed on poor classes of society, wage increases and job opportunities for young people."
Saudi Arabia is suffering from a high unemployment rate among young men, according to government figures, which indicate that more than 43 percent of citizens aged between 20 and 24 years are jobless.
The young protesters in Saudi Arabia have also called for the formation of an independent organization to supervise the country's fight against corruption.
Freedom of speech, removal of "illegal restrictions” on Saudi women, and a foreign policy based on national interests are among other demands posted on the website.
Meanwhile, more than 100 Saudi academics, activists and businessmen have called for reforms, including the establishment of a "constitutional monarchy," in the conservative Arab kingdom.
"We will submit these requests to King Abdullah at a later stage," Khaled al-Dakhil, a teacher of political science at the King Saud University said in a statement published on the internet.
"We have high hopes that these reforms will be implemented. Now is the time," said the academician and one of the 123 signatories of the petition.
Saudi youths have called for protests on March 11, dubbed as the "Day of Rage"
The website Honein Revolution calls for the election of the Consultative Assembly members by the people, the impartiality of judiciary, and the release of political prisoners as the most important demands.
The youths have called for the removal of "illegal taxes imposed on poor classes of society, wage increases and job opportunities for young people."
Saudi Arabia is suffering from a high unemployment rate among young men, according to government figures, which indicate that more than 43 percent of citizens aged between 20 and 24 years are jobless.
The young protesters in Saudi Arabia have also called for the formation of an independent organization to supervise the country's fight against corruption.
Freedom of speech, removal of "illegal restrictions” on Saudi women, and a foreign policy based on national interests are among other demands posted on the website.
Meanwhile, more than 100 Saudi academics, activists and businessmen have called for reforms, including the establishment of a "constitutional monarchy," in the conservative Arab kingdom.
"We will submit these requests to King Abdullah at a later stage," Khaled al-Dakhil, a teacher of political science at the King Saud University said in a statement published on the internet.
"We have high hopes that these reforms will be implemented. Now is the time," said the academician and one of the 123 signatories of the petition.
Saudi youths have called for protests on March 11, dubbed as the "Day of Rage"
Saudi women rally for prisoners' release
The women say their husbands have been behind bars for at least 15 years without trial.They chanted the men have been “forgotten” and have called for their immediate release.On February 24, another demonstration was held in the oil-producing Eastern province of Qatif. The protesters carried pictures of prisoners and demanded their release.Two weeks ago, a similar protest was also held in the neighboring town of Awwamiya, after which, Saudi authorities freed three prisoners.Tens of thousands of people are preparing themselves to attend the protests after Saudi youth named March 11th the Day of Rage on the social networking website, Facebook.On February 23, Saudi King Abdullah suddenly promised a $36 billion-package of extra benefits for his people, upon his return from a long medical trip to the US.He also granted pardon to some prisoners indicted in financial crimes and ordered the implementation of a 15-percent pay hike for state employees as well as an increase in the cash available for Saudi housing loans.
Analysts believe the huge hike in benefits introduced by the Saudi king is actually intended to avert an uprising in the country.
In recent weeks, a wave of revolutions and anti-government uprisings has spread across the Arab world.
SAUDI ARABIA,PROTESTS NEXT WEEK......WELCOME REVOLUTION
LONG LIVE REVOLUTION
Saudis staged protests in two towns in Saudi Arabia's oil-producing Eastern Province on Thursday
Desperate to avoid mass uprisings against the House of Saud, security forces have deployed in huge numbers across the region.
King Abdullah is also reported to have told neighbouring Bahrain that if they do not put down their own ongoing Shia revolt, his own forces will.
In response to the massive mobilisation, protesters are planning to place women on the front ranks to discourage Saudi forces from firing on them.
In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh set off a deadly battle for survival last night as he rejected an opposition peace proposal and ordered troops to fire on demonstrators, killing four. Efforts to suppress demonstrations by the key ally in the “war on terror” could jeopardise rising volumes of Western aid flooding into the country, diplomats warned.
President Saleh rejected an opposition proposal that would have brought demonstrations to a standstill in return for a promise to step down by the end of the year. Yemeni troops used rockets and machineguns to attack demonstrators in the north of the country, killing four and injuring nine.
Desperate to avoid mass uprisings against the House of Saud, security forces have deployed in huge numbers across the region.
King Abdullah is also reported to have told neighbouring Bahrain that if they do not put down their own ongoing Shia revolt, his own forces will.
In response to the massive mobilisation, protesters are planning to place women on the front ranks to discourage Saudi forces from firing on them.
In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh set off a deadly battle for survival last night as he rejected an opposition peace proposal and ordered troops to fire on demonstrators, killing four. Efforts to suppress demonstrations by the key ally in the “war on terror” could jeopardise rising volumes of Western aid flooding into the country, diplomats warned.
President Saleh rejected an opposition proposal that would have brought demonstrations to a standstill in return for a promise to step down by the end of the year. Yemeni troops used rockets and machineguns to attack demonstrators in the north of the country, killing four and injuring nine.
Punjab's pro-Taliban government
The support to the PML-N is strongly committed from the violent minority. Funds, muscle and street power are all made available by exploiting the fair name of ‘Islam’. The future is incredibly depressing for those who believe in the vision of Allama Iqbal and the statesmanship of Quaid-e-Azam
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been almost ‘kicked out’ from the Punjab government. The uncomfortable marriage between the PPP and the PML-N has come to an end with little grace. The end of the ‘coalition confusion’ will, hopefully, be good for the people. The game of good cop-bad cop is over and both can show their true character. But their true characters are also a matter of concern. The PPP has so far appeared very spineless, incompetent and ineffective. The PML-N has shown a pro-Taliban mindset and support for pro-Taliban activists. The PML-N is known to have provided over 50 million worth of financial assistance to Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a banned network, in its provincial budget. Senior leaders of the PML-N are seen campaigning with extreme rightists and aggravating interfaith discord. The PML-N stands with them while inflammatory and hate speeches are delivered and ensures that the extremist, pro-Taliban vote bank continues supporting them. The PML-N leadership has shown little sensitivity to the damage they are doing to the social fabric by standing with the extremists. The PML-N has made no effort for inter-cultural harmony. It relies on ‘Punjab support’, and plays that ‘card’. It has also diverted attention from its own corruption and incompetence.
The change has come according to the PML-N game plan. The much denied document of ‘pardon’ for Nawaz Sharif and others did actually exist and the Mian sahibs informed the Saudi authorities that they have completed the period of abstinence as per the contract and now they are entering the regular political scene. In the meantime, a flirting game to keep the political image was played and the contract was also violated by Chotey (little) Mian sahib, Mr Shahbaz Sharif. Many somersaults were made; first the PML-N joined the federal government and put up an erratic behaviour. Then they realised that being in the government will gradually erase their identity and the opposition will gain as usual. So they decided to move from the treasury benches to the opposition benches. The PML-N adopted the strategy to throw the bait of sharing the government in Punjab, which left the PPP neither here nor there.
The PML-N held 60 percent of Pakistan, but sat in the opposition in the National Assembly and thus enjoyed the position of being in power as well as in the opposition! Why the PPP liked this arrangement is hard to understand. Why did the PPP not take an opposition role in Punjab from the beginning? Also, why did Prime Minister Gilani keep showing up at Raiwind every week dutifully and almost as a subordinate of the Mian brothers? It must have further demoralised the PPP workers. If one goes back in the chain of events it is evident that most of the decisions made by the PPP were endorsed by the PML-N. Then the PML-N shared the deliberations in the Constitution Committee and got everything that was in its favour. So the PML-N marked time, kept its chief minister on the basis of a stay order of the courts, played with the simple PPP prime minister and prolonged its life. On the other hand, the PPP’s Mr Gilani thought he was playing safe and ensuring the PML-N support in case the divide in his own party and the coalition partners became worrisome. As these manoeuvrings were going on to make sure that the political situation maintains the status quo, actual governance was non-existent. The PPP obviously wants to stay in power for five years and reap a rich harvest, the PML-N wants to dig deeper and consolidate with rightists, extremists, and General Zia sympathisers and their mysterious financiers. ‘Financiers’ may not be much of a mystery for those who claim with confidence that substantial funding from al Qaeda was made available to Mian Nawaz Sharif. Also something to think about is that the murdered, Benazir, Taseer, Bhatti, all were enlightened leaders from the PPP. The next target is to involve Musharraf by hook or crook.
The support to the PML-N is strongly committed from the violent minority. Funds, muscle and street power are all made available by exploiting the fair name of ‘Islam’. The recent launching of the total control of Punjab by the PML-N appears to have been ‘celebrated’ through the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti by the Punjabi Taliban.
The future is incredibly depressing for those who believe in the vision of Allama Iqbal and the statesmanship of Quaid-e-Azam.
The important question here to consider is what role the PPP is going to play now. Is the leader of the opposition in Punjab happy with the perks and will stay quiet and let the PML-N continue and expedite the process of radicalisation in Punjab? Would the PPP really stand up and expose and struggle for a Punjab free from fear? Is the federal government of the PPP going to continue to live with the murder of its leaders in Islamabad or is it going to do something about it? Is the PPP left with any commitment, energy or will to stem the tide of radicalisation? At the present time not much can be expected from this party. It seems to be content with the status quo at the cost of the blood of its leaders and maybe does not plan to be an effective political force in future. Its inner conflicts and the disappointed coalition partners are ready to write the postscript to the PPP story. The Bhuttos have been used long enough, so now what?
The PML-N strategy would be to extract every ounce of advantage and seek fresh elections. Sounds simple but politics is not always so. The masses have seen the performance of these parties, they have also seen prices sky-rocketing, law and order shattered, supply shortages, and in-fights within the parties. Would the masses still vote for these feudal and power brokers? They may, under fear.
The writer is a culture and media management specialist, a researcher, author, director and actor
Three schools blown up in northwest Pakistan
Three government-run schools were blown up by militants in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber, Kohat and Swabi regions on Saturday, DawnNews reported.
Government sources said unknown assailants used explosives and destroyed a school in Khyber tribal region’s Bara area Saturday morning.
The school’s walls and ceiling were badly damaged in the attack.
Moreover, another school was attacked by militants using explosives in the Kohat region. At least three rooms in the school building were demolished in the attack.
Whereas, in Swabi, militants blew up a government-run primary school. The school was destroyed as a result.
It is pertinent to note that over 500 schools have been destroyed in attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
Government sources said unknown assailants used explosives and destroyed a school in Khyber tribal region’s Bara area Saturday morning.
The school’s walls and ceiling were badly damaged in the attack.
Moreover, another school was attacked by militants using explosives in the Kohat region. At least three rooms in the school building were demolished in the attack.
Whereas, in Swabi, militants blew up a government-run primary school. The school was destroyed as a result.
It is pertinent to note that over 500 schools have been destroyed in attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
Peshawar to get Rs1.1bn facelift
PESHAWAR, March 4: Dusty and crowded Peshawar can hope to get a cleaner look as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has reached an agreement with a Lahore-based company to establish a solid waste recycling plant in the city soon.
Not only the ambitious project is promised to improve cleanliness in the city by converting the tons of garbage it produces daily into organic fertilizer, and useful household items, but also to provide jobs to about 200 people.
Official sources said the Rs1.1 billion project was discussed at a meeting held on Friday under Senior Minister Bashir Bilour. Secretary local government Aurangzeb Khan, secretary Local Counsel Board (LCB) Attaul Haq, DCO Peshawar Siraj Ahmed and other officials attended the meeting.
Mr Attaul Haq told Dawn that the project would be inaugurated in April and the Lahore-based company would be provided all facilities for installation of the recycling plant.
Already, the provincial government has leased the company 10 kanals of land for the purpose in Dheri Baghbanan area on the outskirts of Peshawar city.
Mr Haq said that under the agreement the company would provide 12 vehicles for shifting waste from different areas to the site of the plant.
He said that solid waste would be converted into organic fertilizers, plastic chairs and other household items. He said that the government would share the profit with the company.
Mr Haq said that it was the first project of its kind in the province and after its success more such projects would be started in other cities.
The management of the proposed recycling plant will buy solid waste from the administrations of four towns at the rate of Rs100 per ton, Mr Haq said while citing rules of the agreement. He said that 1,000 tons waste would be bought daily from the four towns of Peshawar and 200 tons collected from the Cantonment areas.
The LCB secretary said that the city district government was bound to provide 500 tons of solid waste daily to the recycling plant.
Mr Bilour told the meeting that around 200 people would get jobs with the establishment of the recycling plant, says a handout issued after the meeting. He directed the company to ensure swift work on the project.
Early disposal of garbage for ensuring cleanliness in the city was a longstanding demand of the people of Peshawar. They had been calling for creation of a special office of trash commissioner to deal with the continuing garbage crisis.
Mounds of garbage spreading stinking smell could be noticed in the streets of the city. Residents have been resorting to setting trash on fire, raising fears of toxic smoke.
Dumps of garbage in certain parts of the city have been a permanent feature for the last many years, but despite repeated protests of the residents the municipal staff could not respond in an effective way to clean the areas.
Not only the ambitious project is promised to improve cleanliness in the city by converting the tons of garbage it produces daily into organic fertilizer, and useful household items, but also to provide jobs to about 200 people.
Official sources said the Rs1.1 billion project was discussed at a meeting held on Friday under Senior Minister Bashir Bilour. Secretary local government Aurangzeb Khan, secretary Local Counsel Board (LCB) Attaul Haq, DCO Peshawar Siraj Ahmed and other officials attended the meeting.
Mr Attaul Haq told Dawn that the project would be inaugurated in April and the Lahore-based company would be provided all facilities for installation of the recycling plant.
Already, the provincial government has leased the company 10 kanals of land for the purpose in Dheri Baghbanan area on the outskirts of Peshawar city.
Mr Haq said that under the agreement the company would provide 12 vehicles for shifting waste from different areas to the site of the plant.
He said that solid waste would be converted into organic fertilizers, plastic chairs and other household items. He said that the government would share the profit with the company.
Mr Haq said that it was the first project of its kind in the province and after its success more such projects would be started in other cities.
The management of the proposed recycling plant will buy solid waste from the administrations of four towns at the rate of Rs100 per ton, Mr Haq said while citing rules of the agreement. He said that 1,000 tons waste would be bought daily from the four towns of Peshawar and 200 tons collected from the Cantonment areas.
The LCB secretary said that the city district government was bound to provide 500 tons of solid waste daily to the recycling plant.
Mr Bilour told the meeting that around 200 people would get jobs with the establishment of the recycling plant, says a handout issued after the meeting. He directed the company to ensure swift work on the project.
Early disposal of garbage for ensuring cleanliness in the city was a longstanding demand of the people of Peshawar. They had been calling for creation of a special office of trash commissioner to deal with the continuing garbage crisis.
Mounds of garbage spreading stinking smell could be noticed in the streets of the city. Residents have been resorting to setting trash on fire, raising fears of toxic smoke.
Dumps of garbage in certain parts of the city have been a permanent feature for the last many years, but despite repeated protests of the residents the municipal staff could not respond in an effective way to clean the areas.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Protests across city against Bhatti’s murder
Several human rights activists, members of the civil society and a large number of Christian citizens held protest rallies across the city, on Thursday, over the assassination of the Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti.
The rallies were conducted in areas from the Lahore Press Club to The Mall. The protesters, while condemning the assassination, demanded the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led government to “not only curb terrorism but also to take a clear stand on blasphemy law in the country as per their promise in the party manifesto.”
The groups and NGOs that participated in the activity included All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), Citizens for Democracy (CFD), Centre for Human Rights Education (CHRE), Christian Helpline, Pakistan Qaumi Masehi Party (Haqeeqi group), Maseehi Millat Party, Sweeper’s Union, Jharo Kash Mazdoor Union, Community Development Initiative, National Commission for Justice and Peace, Christian Lawyers Association, Punjab Bar Council, Punjab Teachers Association.
The number of protesters had increased as compared to the amount that protested on the day of the assassination.
The protesters were of the view that the cold-blooded and barbaric murder of Shahbaz Bhatti is “a murder of tolerance, diversity and respect for human rights in the country,” and said, “The freedom given to extremists was the root cause of all such heinous crimes.”
They demanded for the introduction and implementation of strict laws against communalism, spreading of hatred on the basis of colour, creed and caste. The protesters said, “The country would go further into chaos if the government did not take appropriate measures to curb extremism.” Separately, the citizens were of the view that “the government should protect all the civil society members and personalities who are struggling against the blasphemy law in the country,” adding, “It should have woken up to the challenge immediately after the assassination of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer”.
Meanwhile, the protests also caused massive traffic jams in the areas where they were being staged, and the traffic cops kept diverting the vehicles to alternate routes in order to avoid any untoward incident. The Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, was killed on March 2 (Wednesday) when some unidentified terrorists sprayed bullets on his vehicle in sector I-8/3 area of Islamabad.
CHRE chief, Samson Salamat, and the PPP minority wing leader, Napolean Qayoom, while talking to Daily Times on the issue, said, “The non-Muslim communities, especially the Christians, have completely lost their faith in the government of Pakistan”.
They said that the Christians had actively participated in the creation of Pakistan and had offered unconditional support to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who promised equal rights for all Pakistanis. They added, “No incident of religious extremism or suppressing communal rights took place in the country before the introduction of the blasphemy law by the military dictator Gen Ziaul Haq.”
They said that civil society will continue its struggle against the discriminatory law and demanded President Asif Ali Zardari to take a strict action against those who promoted hatred in the name of religion. They concluded on the note that the citizens would not let the blood of the martyred PPP leaders Salmaan Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti go waste and they want the party to either announce the amendment of the blasphemy law as promised in their manifesto or openly withdraw from their stand.
Nowshera blast:,10 dead
At least 10 people have been killed and several injured in a blast in a mosque inside shrine of Akhond Panjo Baba shrine soon after Friday prayers, Geo News reported quoting police sources.
Protest against Bhatti's murder held
Three-day mourning is being observed throughout Pakistan over the assassination of Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti.
The case has been lodged at I/9 police station Islamabad while police have issued the sketch of a attacker.
According to police records, four gunmen attacked the minister.
On the other hand, Christian community along with women and children staged a protest in front of National Press Club Islamabad, against the killing of Bhatti.
Protesters demanded the government to chase the culprits immediately.
Bhatti was killed last day outside his mother's house situated in sector I-8/3. Two political figure, Punjab governor Salman Taseer and Bhatti, have been targeted in less than two months in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
The law enforcement agencies were already on high alert and a heavy contingent of police have been deployed to ensure the protest rallies bring carried out by the Christian community.
According to police records, four gunmen attacked the minister.
On the other hand, Christian community along with women and children staged a protest in front of National Press Club Islamabad, against the killing of Bhatti.
Protesters demanded the government to chase the culprits immediately.
Bhatti was killed last day outside his mother's house situated in sector I-8/3. Two political figure, Punjab governor Salman Taseer and Bhatti, have been targeted in less than two months in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
The law enforcement agencies were already on high alert and a heavy contingent of police have been deployed to ensure the protest rallies bring carried out by the Christian community.
The targeting of college girls ......Bombers’ madness
Bombers’ madness
The targeting of college girls who had organised a function within the premises of their all-girls institute by militants in Mardan, injuring some 40 students and killing one, is another evidence of the insanity that still prevails in the North. The militants who hurled grenades into the premises as the function – a farewell for leaving students – was being staged, clearly wished to create a sense of terror. The following day a massive planted bomb of perhaps 600kg was detonated in Hangu outside a police station killing at least nine and injuring 30. This was swiftly followed by the death of six more innocent people in Khyber Agency. Within twenty-four hours almost 100 people are dead and injured. Terror is a powerful weapon and it has been used repeatedly by the Taliban who seem able to continue their acts of murder despite the many claims we have heard from the government that they had been tamed.
This quite obviously is not the case at all. At frequent intervals we hear accounts of suicide bombings, attacks on schools or the killing of security personnel. We wonder when the chapter of death will be brought to a close. Too many lives have already been lost; those who have no role in the current conflict have been among those killed. The young girl felled in Mardan is the latest to join their ranks. The casualties in Hangu were mostly civilians although the target was obviously the police. Even now we can only wonder when the next outrage will occur – and if anything can be done to stop it. Attacks such as these create a sense of hopelessness and despondency. The belief that had existed for some months that the militants had been defeated has long since faded away, and this can only leave all of us wondering what the future will hold or where the militants will strike next. They have already demonstrated many times that they have no humanity. The attacks in Mardan, Hangu and Khyber merely reinforce this perception.
This quite obviously is not the case at all. At frequent intervals we hear accounts of suicide bombings, attacks on schools or the killing of security personnel. We wonder when the chapter of death will be brought to a close. Too many lives have already been lost; those who have no role in the current conflict have been among those killed. The young girl felled in Mardan is the latest to join their ranks. The casualties in Hangu were mostly civilians although the target was obviously the police. Even now we can only wonder when the next outrage will occur – and if anything can be done to stop it. Attacks such as these create a sense of hopelessness and despondency. The belief that had existed for some months that the militants had been defeated has long since faded away, and this can only leave all of us wondering what the future will hold or where the militants will strike next. They have already demonstrated many times that they have no humanity. The attacks in Mardan, Hangu and Khyber merely reinforce this perception.
Shahbaz Bhatti’s assassination..........A bloodstained flag
EDITORIAL: Daily Times
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remarks on Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti’s assassination echoed what every sane Pakistani feels. “I was shocked and outraged by the assassination...I think this was an attack not only on one man but on the values of tolerance and respect for people of all faiths and backgrounds that had been championed by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan,” she said. On Wednesday, Pakistan lost Mr Bhatti to the extremist forces. In two months, we have lost a serving governor and a serving federal minister. This is certainly not the Pakistan our forefathers dreamt of. It has been hijacked by the very same forces that were once against the creation of this country. Mr Bhatti’s assassination has been condemned worldwide and has sent shockwaves everywhere, especially in Pakistan.
The reaction to Governor Taseer’s murder was shocking for another reason as most Pakistanis were either ambivalent or glorified his murderer, Mumtaz Qadri. But Mr Bhatti’s murder has put most of those voices on the defensive. The religious parties are not condoning Mr Bhatti’s murder like they did in Mr Taseer’s case but are blaming it on an “international conspiracy” to take the focus away from the Raymond Davis case. This is too far-fetched to be taken seriously. Instead of shifting the blame, all those who are drumming up this theory should take a good look around this ‘land of the pure’ and they will get to see the evidence of an inside hand themselves. The Punjab Taliban themselves claimed the responsibility for this callous attack on Mr Bhatti. In pamphlets left at the site of the murder, the ‘Taliban al Qaeda Punjab’ warned of sinister consequences for anyone who dared to raise their voice against the blasphemy laws.
It was surprising to see Punjab Chief Minister all riled up at Interior Minister Rehman Malik for ‘politicising’ the Punjabi Taliban issue and giving it a provincial angle. What Mr Sharif has obviously failed to understand is that Mr Malik is not fanning provincialism. The perpetrators themselves signed the pamphlets as such and later claimed responsibility as well. This is not the time for a tussle between the federal and Punjab government; it is time to stand united in order to root out the terrorist menace. All provinces and the federation have to pull together because the terrorists are now attacking political figures. It seems that the terrorists now have a hit list on the blasphemy issue. For once our politicians must rise above partisan politics and understand the gravity of the situation. The terrorists have the capability to inflict damage and pain by killing political leaders at will.
In another sad development, leading members of Pakistan’s Christian community have asked the Vatican not to give statements on their behalf. It shows the insecurity of our minorities who feel threatened that any international condemnation, especially that coming from the Vatican, might serve as fodder for the Islamist extremists who are baying for their blood in any case. The government needs to put its foot down and assure all minority communities that they are safe in Pakistan. This is as much their country as the Muslims’. President Zardari said, “We have to fight this mindset and defeat them. We will not be intimidated nor will we retreat.” Had the government stood up against the extremist forces earlier instead of trying to appease them, the terrorists would not have gained so much space. But as they say, better late than never. The government should now stand firm and challenge the extremist forces in order to defeat them. Our survival is on the line here. *
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remarks on Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti’s assassination echoed what every sane Pakistani feels. “I was shocked and outraged by the assassination...I think this was an attack not only on one man but on the values of tolerance and respect for people of all faiths and backgrounds that had been championed by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan,” she said. On Wednesday, Pakistan lost Mr Bhatti to the extremist forces. In two months, we have lost a serving governor and a serving federal minister. This is certainly not the Pakistan our forefathers dreamt of. It has been hijacked by the very same forces that were once against the creation of this country. Mr Bhatti’s assassination has been condemned worldwide and has sent shockwaves everywhere, especially in Pakistan.
The reaction to Governor Taseer’s murder was shocking for another reason as most Pakistanis were either ambivalent or glorified his murderer, Mumtaz Qadri. But Mr Bhatti’s murder has put most of those voices on the defensive. The religious parties are not condoning Mr Bhatti’s murder like they did in Mr Taseer’s case but are blaming it on an “international conspiracy” to take the focus away from the Raymond Davis case. This is too far-fetched to be taken seriously. Instead of shifting the blame, all those who are drumming up this theory should take a good look around this ‘land of the pure’ and they will get to see the evidence of an inside hand themselves. The Punjab Taliban themselves claimed the responsibility for this callous attack on Mr Bhatti. In pamphlets left at the site of the murder, the ‘Taliban al Qaeda Punjab’ warned of sinister consequences for anyone who dared to raise their voice against the blasphemy laws.
It was surprising to see Punjab Chief Minister all riled up at Interior Minister Rehman Malik for ‘politicising’ the Punjabi Taliban issue and giving it a provincial angle. What Mr Sharif has obviously failed to understand is that Mr Malik is not fanning provincialism. The perpetrators themselves signed the pamphlets as such and later claimed responsibility as well. This is not the time for a tussle between the federal and Punjab government; it is time to stand united in order to root out the terrorist menace. All provinces and the federation have to pull together because the terrorists are now attacking political figures. It seems that the terrorists now have a hit list on the blasphemy issue. For once our politicians must rise above partisan politics and understand the gravity of the situation. The terrorists have the capability to inflict damage and pain by killing political leaders at will.
In another sad development, leading members of Pakistan’s Christian community have asked the Vatican not to give statements on their behalf. It shows the insecurity of our minorities who feel threatened that any international condemnation, especially that coming from the Vatican, might serve as fodder for the Islamist extremists who are baying for their blood in any case. The government needs to put its foot down and assure all minority communities that they are safe in Pakistan. This is as much their country as the Muslims’. President Zardari said, “We have to fight this mindset and defeat them. We will not be intimidated nor will we retreat.” Had the government stood up against the extremist forces earlier instead of trying to appease them, the terrorists would not have gained so much space. But as they say, better late than never. The government should now stand firm and challenge the extremist forces in order to defeat them. Our survival is on the line here. *
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