Quetta: IT UNIVERSITY DISCRIMINATING BALOCH, PAKHTUN STUDENTS

When the IT University was established in Quetta, it was deliberately handed over to the Mafia with a specific task to discriminate the Baloch and Pakhtun students from remote areas of Balochistan. They were denied admission on the pretext of merit of the mega cities which is a fraud in Balochistan. Balochistan had its own system of representative merit working successfully for the past six decades in which top and brilliant students from all the districts of Balochistan are given chance of admission, right of higher education keeping in view the backwardness of the area where the Government had failed to provide facilities at par with Quetta. Since aliens and their agents control the University from day one, they were implementing the task to keep poor and bright students from remote regions away from the IT University and the students from Quetta alone should monopolize admission or chance to get IT education and others are barred from it. It is surprising that the Government of Balochistan took no action against the University and allowed the University administration, mainly the biased Vice-Chancellors, to discriminate the Baloch and Pakhtun students from Marri, Bugti tribal territories, Zhob, Barkhan, Sherani, Kech, Awaran, Naushki, Chagai, Kharan, Bolan, Sibi, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbela and some other remote parts. All these districts have representative students, all bright and position holders, in the Medical Colleges, Engineering Universities of Pakistan and other professional colleges on the basis of district merits which the IT University is denying the same right. Secondly, there is zero representation of Baloch students, teachers and members of the administrative staff because of the discrimination and the official policy to keep Baloch away from the IT University. The Government of Balochistan should take notice and reverse all the discriminatory laws, regulations and policies against the Baloch students on their own homeland. The first step should be that the biased Vice-Chancellor is removed immediately and a highly professional and IT expert should replace it for efficient working of the University. The money, resources and land is of the Baloch people and they are discriminating the Baloch students denying them admission in rightful number. There is no need of any University or institution on the Baloch mainland in which Balochs are discriminated. The silence and inaction on the part of the Provincial Government is surprising. The Government had failed to protect the Baloch rights, Baloch interests and Baloch institutions and still claims that it is representing the Baloch majority as their representative. The Government should perform in areas where the majority population is discriminated by vested interests at the behest of the aliens and their agents. They should not be given a free hand and the Government should check the anti-people activities of vested interests that manipulated the things and occupied important positions in the IT University which they don’t deserve at all.

3 SHIA GUNNED DOWN IN QUETTA

http://dailybalochistanexpress.com

3 GUNNED DOWN IN SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN QUETTA

Three persons belonging to the Hazara Community were gunned down on Arbab Karam Khan Road of provincial capital on Thursday. According to the police, they belonged to the Hazara Tribe and were on way in rickshaw when unknown armed men ridding the motorcycle opened fire on them near the Farooq Floor Mills of Arbab Karam Khan Road in the limits of Saryab Police Station. As a result, a man was killed on the spot and two others sustained serious bullet wounds. The rescue team rushed to the spot and the deceased and injured persons were taken to the Civil Hospital where two of the injured succumbed to their injuries before reaching the hospital. The deceased were identified as twenty five years old Khadim Husan and Abdul Ali 25. The third victim of the target killing could not be identified at the time of filing this report. “The firing victims were Shia and belong to be the Hazara Tribe. It is the case of Sectarian targeted killing,” Police said. No organization had claimed the responsibility of the killing of three Hazara tribesmen. Normally, armed men from the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi claimed the responsibility in the past for target killing of Shia and Hazara Tribesmen. The case has been registered against the unknown persons and investigation is underway.

US acknowledges Pak sacrifices

Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) General James Mattis

has acknowledged the sacrifices made by the Pakistani military in their fight against violent extremists. He made the acknowledgement after concluding successful meetings with Pakistani leaders. General Mattis held talks with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Secretary of Defense Lt Gen (Retd.) Asif Yasin Malik and other senior military officials on a wide range of issues including militant network activities and measures to improve cross-border cooperation, according to US embassy spokesperson. General Mattis acknowledged the sacrifices made by the Pakistani military in their fight against violent extremists. He made the acknowledgement after concluding successful meetings with Pakistani leaders. General Mattis held talks with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Secretary of Defense Lt Gen (Retd.) Asif Yasin Malik and other senior military officials on a wide range of issues including militant network activities and measures to improve cross-border cooperation, according to US embassy spokesperson. General Mattis acknowledged the sacrifices made by the Pakistani military in their fight against violent extremists, and offered his condolences for the nearly 5,000 Pakistani military personnel who have lost their lives in support of the cause. He reaffirmed the importance of the US-Pakistan security relationship – not only to ongoing operations in Afghanistan but also to regional stability. They agreed to continue to meet periodically to further common objectives on cross-border cooperation and regional security.

World must respect Syrian sovereignty: Zardari

The Express Tribune

A day after Syria was booted out of the 57-memember Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Muslim leaders continue to deliberate on the fate of the conflict-ridden Arab state. Addressing the Emergency OIC meeting in the Saudi city of Makkah on Thursday, President Asif Ali Zardari called for an immediate end to the bloodshed in Syria. Emphasising the policy of non-interference he urged the international community to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said, “Pakistan desires that Syria must forge its own destiny in accordance with the aspirations of its people and we must respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Calling for an immediate end to the bloodshed in Syria, the president also appealed to all sides in Syria to declare ceasefire during Eid-ul-Fitr. Referring to neighbouring Afghanistan President Zardari urged the Muslim heads of states to support Pakistan in appealing various factions in Afghanistan to join the reconciliation process. He said that Pakistan has been seriously affected by the unrest in Afghanistan adding that the fallout of the Mujahideen resistance to the former Soviet Union continues to haunt Pakistan. Reiterating Pakistan’s support to Afghan-led reconciliation process, the president said that peace and stability in Afghanistan was vital for the peace and stability of Pakistan. “Indeed, it is vital for peace and stability of the region and the world,” the president remarked. He said that there were more than three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and expressed the hope that the Afghan refugees will soon return to their homeland to rebuild their country. Commenting on Pakistan’s commitment to a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions, he expressed the hope that Pakistan’s engagement with India will be result-oriented. Speaking about the large-scale genocidal killings of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, he called upon OIC to use its offices for promoting a process of protecting the life and property of the Muslims in that country. “We are passing through a period of upheaval and turmoil and historical forces have brought mankind face to face with new challenges,” he said. President Zardari also proposed the OIC to consider sending a Special Mission comprising heads of states and governments to conflict-ridden areas that affect the Muslims.He said that terrorism continues to haunt Muslim societies and has distorted the face of Islam. “The war on terrorism has spread like a contagion and has so far cost the Pakistan more than 40,000 citizens, over 6,500 security personnel, destruction of infrastructure, nose-diving of production and growing unemployment,” adding that there was a need to collectively fight against the forces that encourage the militancy. While reiterating Pakistan’s support and complete solidarity with the Muslim nations, the president concluded his speech, hoping that the summit will reinforce Islamic solidarity to overcome the challenges faced by the Muslim world.

Terrorist attack on Minhas base at Kamra

We will not forgive

The terrorist attack on the Minhas base at Kamra during the night of 27th of Ramazan revealed the hollowness of the propaganda of the Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP), which has accepted responsibility, that it is in any way concerned with the interests of Pakistanis and the Pakistani state. These false prophets, sanctimonious and self-appointed, will not be forgiven, nor forgotten. Especially since the TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan has said, “We are proud of it.” The assault re-emphasises the threat Pakistan continues to face from the plague of militancy, as well as the gaping chasm between intelligence reports which even appeared in newspapers a few days ago and the ability of the guerrilla trained terrorists to gain not just proximity, but entry, into an airforce facility. At the same time, it is a matter of satisfaction and pride that the Pakistan Air Force, aided by the Army and the Police, put up a valiant defence and for that it deserves special commendation. The special commendation is not enough for us to do justice to the gratitude we feel for Sepoy Asif, who was the first to challenge the attackers, and laid down his life, before the reports of his gun alerted the rest of the defenders to the call of duty. Air Commodore Muhammad Azam, who led the defence, was injured. Nine TTP terrorists, including their commander, had been shot dead. According a private TV channel, one of the rockets fired by the attackers, who were armed with RPGs and automatic weapons, hit and inflicted light, but repairable damage to an I-L 78 cargo plane, although the militants’ real target was a spy plane. The report also says that three suspects have been taken into custody. A meeting chaired by Air Chief Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt decided to form an investigation committee. Any further existing loopholes in security must be identified immediately and plugged. Apparently, the attack was not a reaction to the recent reports that Pakistan had agreed to launch a military operation in North Waziristan, as TTP’s spokesman said it had long been in planning. However, the terrorist raid lends support to opponents as well as supporters of armed action against the militants, whether in North Waziristan or elsewhere. The supporters would argue that the daring attempt at such a sensitive location reflects the growing courage and might of terrorists that could only be effectively addressed by the use of force. On the other hand, the opponents would maintain that the military operation would antagonise the whole of the tribal belt that contributes large numbers in defence of the western side of the border. Today brought the further depressing news of Pakistani travelers shot dead in Gilgit, after being dragged out of their bus and identified as Shia. Such barbarism on our soil, on our watch, is unacceptable. Be they Shia, Sunni, Chrstian, Hindu, Sikh or any other religion, Pakistanis stand together for each other. There is no doubt in our hearts. Now is the time we must join hands and protect each other, for those who would see us torn apart seem to be determined to do so. The army chief’s prescient warning that the army on its own could not eliminate the menace of terrorism bears repeating. No matter how reluctant Pakistanis feelings towards the Afghan war, let there be no mistake that when Pakistan is attacked, be it Kamra, or be it the targeting of Shia travellers in Gilgit, Pakistan does not forget and will not forgive. We are one and we will persevere.

UN chief ‘appalled’ by Pakistan sectarian killings

UN leader Ban Ki-moon was “appalled”by the sectarian killing of 20 Shia Muslims who were dragged off a bus in Pakistan on Thursday, his spokesman said. “The secretary general expresses his outrage over such deliberate attacks on people due to their religious beliefs in Pakistan,” said a statement released by UN spokesman Martin Nesirky which strongly condemned the attack. Terrorists ambushed four buses, pulled out the passengers and shot at least 20 of them dead in the Babusar Top area of Mansehra district on Thursday. Before killing the passengers, the assailants had checked their identity cards and shot them because they were Shia. “More than 50 terrorists wearing commando uniform intercepted a convoy going from Rawalpindi to Gilgit-Baltistan before 7am, hauled off passengers from four vans, identified them through their national identity cards and shot 19 of them dead,” District Coordination Officer Dr Amber Ali Khan said. He said several CNICs had been found at the place in the mountain range where the attack had taken place. “This attack appears to be similar to the one carried out in Harban area of Kohistan in February and almost all the victims belonged to the Shia community,” he said. It was the third attack of its kind in six months.

Brutal massacre of Shia in Pakistan

EDITORIAL :Toning up counter campaign

The brutal massacre of 25 Gilgit-bound bus passengers and the thuggish assault on the Kamra airbase once again underscores chillily how deeply flawed and inadequate is the state’s counter-terrorism action. Bluntly, these shattering episodes leave no doubt about it that terrorists still have an upper-hand and the state is in retreat in the face of their unrelenting thuggery. But what else could it be when the state has not come up with any comprehensive coordinated counter-terrorism strategy worth the name so far, even as the country is visibly in the lap of a multi-dimensional terrorism? The kind of concern, action and coordination that such a vile phenomenon should elicit from the state is just not perceptible on any of the official corridors. At best, various state agencies and arms seem working disjointedly and that too for firefighting, not weeding out this scourge from its roots. There indeed is a strange sort of hiatus marking the act of the whole security apparatus to counter terrorism and overcome it. No strategy is in evidence. No action plan is perceptibly in execution. It is all chaos, whereas terrorists are palpably well organised, having forged mutual links, with their tentacles now spreading out to the underworld as well. Fighting out terrorism is always a long a haul. Wherever it springs up it defies leaving soon. And the way things are going on, in our case this long haul is surely going to be infinite unless the state changes its act. At the risk of being repetitive, this government had had hammered out a fairly comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy soon after its debut but only to forget all about it in no time. That poor thing is simply gathering dust on some obscure official shelf. Even the national counter-terrorism authority that was supposed to be the nodal agency of all national counter-terrorism efforts is a long forgotten enterprise. Now one even hears of it not. Nor is anything known about the legislative bill aiming at plugging off holes in the anti-terrorism law that enable terrorism suspects to get off the hook in the courts. Even the army chief has bemoaned the absence of such a counter-terrorism regime. Yet there is no anxiety in the official circles to bring about such a legal regime to deal effectively with the suspects. Statedly, the legislative bill was objected to by two senators of the right-wing clan to whom its own religiosity comes uppermost and the nation’s security only at best secondarily. The bill is lying wholly unattended on some Senate floor now for more than three years. With such an insouciance overwhelming the state apparatus to a virtual condition of utter prostration and emasculation, the less said about the state’s counter-terrorism action the better. Wherever successful counter-terrorism campaigns have been waged, it is always by combining the state’s civil power with its military power. While the military fights out terrorists on mountains and in caves, it is the civil power that takes on the urban terrorism. But that combination arguably doesn’t obtain in our case. While the military is battling terrorists in the field, the civilian security apparatus is leaving urban terrorism almost unchallenged. Not only terrorists are harbouring freely their sleeper cells in cities and towns, the outlawed extremist outfits too are operating there without any obstructions and impediments. Worryingly enough, even the military’s operational preparedness and vigilance to grapple with terrorists leaves much to be desired. The ease with which terrorists have assaulted Kamra and earlier Karachi’s Mehran naval base and Rawalpindi’s GHQ sets the mind at great unease. There indeed is an imperative need to tone up the state’s entire counter-terrorism action. But that can happen only if the state takes the menace of terrorism very seriously and acts accordingly. It is not the lip service that matters. What really makes the difference is the action, not rhetoric. And if even now the government keeps sitting on its haunches and does nothing concrete, not even the elections will be of any avail. The vile thugs are visibly in ascendancy and will keep the state hostage to their wickedness and thuggery. The government must wake up and act before it is too late. Already, it is very late.

20 Shias pulled off bus, shot dead in northern Pakistan

Gunmen dragged 20 Shia Muslim travelers off a bus and killed them at point blank range in northern Pakistan on Thursday, the third such incident in six months, officials said. The attack happened in the northwestern district of Mansehra as the bus was travelling between Rawalpindi and the mainly Shia northern city of Gilgit. Officials said it was ambushed in the hills of Babusar Top, around 100 miles north of the capital Islamabad, although they differed over details of the incident. “Ten to 12 people wearing army uniform stopped the bus and forced some people off the bus,” said Khalid Omarzai, administration chief in Mansehra. “After checking their papers, they opened fire and at least 20 people are reported to have been killed. This is initial information and the final toll may go up. They are all Shias,” he said. Local police official Shafiq Gul told AFP that the gunmen were masked, but said the victims were pulled from three separate vehicles in the district, which neighbours the Swat valley, a former Taliban stronghold. “They stopped three vehicles, searched them and picked up people in three batches of five, six and nine and shot them dead. They were all Shias,” he said. Mansehra police chief Sher Akbar Khan put the toll at 19, saying the attackers had worn military commando uniforms when they opened fire at around 6.00 am. “They intercepted three buses, took people out and checked their ID cards and later sprayed bullets at them,” Khan said. Sectarian violence linked to Gilgit, a popular tourist destination for wealthy Pakistanis and expatriates who live in the country, has increased in recent months. It is the capital of Pakistan’s far northern Gilgit-Baltistan region and is popular with mountaineers as a gateway to the Karakoram and Himalayan mountain ranges. Angry mobs burnt tyres and blocked roads in some parts of the city to protest against the killings as extra police patrolled deserted streets and markets closed, said an AFP reporter in Gilgit. The chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, Syed Mehdi Shah, called an emergency meeting of top officials and ordered them to step up security and demanded the immediate arrest of the killers, a spokesman said. The road from Babusar to Gilgit has been closed indefinitely, the local government added. On February 28, gunmen hauled 18 Shia Muslim men off buses travelling from Rawalpindi to Gilgit in the northern district of Kohistan, shooting them dead. On April 3, a mob dragged nine Shia Muslims from buses and also shot them dead in the town of Chilas, about 60 miles south of Gilgit. Human rights groups have heavily criticised Pakistan for failing to crack down on sectarian violence.

US General James Mattis arrives in Pakistan

Centcom Commander General James Mattis arrived in Pakistan on a two-day official visit on Thursday. During his visit, General Mattis would meet Pakistan’s civil and military leadership and discuss matters of mutual interest of the US and Pakistan. According to the Sources the visit was a follow-up to the recent trip of ISI Director General Lt-Gen Zahirul Islam to the US and it would largely focus on the operational matters between the armed forces of the two countries.

Pakistan: judiciary's coup- d’etat

Any law or amendment passed by two third majority of National Assembly and Senate (good or bad) becomes a part of the constitution and dismantling by judiciary legally becomes a coup- d’etat by itself that is a treason.Pakistan's constitution is by itself highly contradictory and based on politics and raped over and over again.The whole fuss is that judiciary created an unlawful situation to extend their own power. Agree that PPP Government is corrupt, incompetent and have all the ills that all the others leaders and political parties also have but it is not judiciary’s territory and intentionally or unintentionally they are harming Pakistan unparalleled to any other institution in the past or present.The court is interfering in civilian political matters.

Judiciary in Pakistan should be renamed or reclassified as Judicial Brigade of Pakistan army. Their function, at least in essence, is not much different from the notorious 111 Brigade (expert in military coup).

Pakistan already has established judicial dictatorship, since march 2009. peoples, whom believe in democracy, have to fight against this dictatorship as they did against Zia ul Haq dictatorship. There is no difference between Zia ul Haq and Choudary Iftikhar. Judicial dictatorship is worse than army martial law. Unfortunately, today, PPP does not have genuine leadership like Benazir. PPP and other democratic forces should come out and make this judicial dictatorship as main issue in next election. Because this judiciary is destroying constitution, parliament and whole system. Many independent peoples already start realizing this activism as a dictatorship. I am sure, If ppp able to make this political judicialization as main issue in next election. Then, those political parties, whom are advancing their propaganda and depending on this judiciary to win next election, will be defeated. PPP has big chance to win next election, If they used and advance their election campaign on this main issue.

A.Q. Khan’s hate speech against Ahmadis

Let Us Build Pakistan

On 14 August 2012, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan (the father of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program and the rogue scientist who confessed in 2004 that he sold nuclear technology to several countries) said the following words on Geo TV (part of Jang Media Group) which can be legitimately described as hate speech against Ahmadiyya Muslims, Pakistan’s most persecuted minority sect. Sitting on a throne in Geo TV’s grand Ramzan show set, Dr. Khan said (in Urdu): “Hum Bhopalion ko do cheezon per fakhr hai, aik tau ye ke humaray haan aaj tak koi ghaddaar peda nahin hua, aur humain iss per bhi fakhr hai ke humaray haan aaj tak koi Qadiani peda nahin hua” Loose translation: “We, the people of Bhopal origin, are proud of two things: first, Bhopal has never produced a traitor. Second, Bhopal has never produced a Qadiyani” Q khan degrading Ahmedis on Geo TV.37:00 mins onwards: Ironically Dr. Khan used these words against Ahmadis on the occasion of Pakistan’s independence day (14 August), which was an event to respect and include Pakistanis of all ethnic and religious backgrounds, instead of dividing them into traitors and patriots, pure and impure, Muslim and non-Muslim etc. Unfortunately, Dr. Khan insulted not only Ahmadiyya Muslims but also violated the spirit of Pakistan’s independence day. No wonder, only a day before Dr. Khan’s hate speech, General Kayani in a public speech in Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul (the OBL last hideout) said that Islam and Pakistan are inseparable. In other words, Pakistan’s most powerful man, the army chief, conveyed the following message: non-Muslims are separable from Pakistan! Points to note in Dr Khan’s hate speech: 1. Dr. Khan described Ahmadis as Qadianis, a derogatory term for Ahmadis used by religious fanatics (e.g., Aamir Liaquat Hussain, Hamid Mir, Orya Maqbool Jan, Munawar Hassan etc) and terrorists (e.g., Malik Ishaq, Hafiz Saeed, Ahmed Ludhianvi, Taliban etc) 2. Dr. Khan felt proud of “the fact” that no Ahmadi was ever born in the land of Bhopal. Now consider the fact that the population of Bhopal district is 2368145; it has nearly 56% Hindus and 40% Muslims, while 2-4% include Christians, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. In other words, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists etc, everyone is acceptable but Ahmadis are not. This approach is consistent with Hamid Mir and other fanatics’ line of thinking that Ahmadis are worse than Kafir (non-Muslim infidels). Such approach has in the past enabled further persecution and massacre of Ahmadi community in Pakistan, such as the May 2010 Lahore massacre in which at least 100 Ahmadiyya Muslims were killed in ASWJ-LeJ terrorists attacks on two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore. The Lahore massacre was enabled by none other than Hamid Mir, another presenter of Geo TV and columnist of Jang newspaper. 3. Dr. Khan uttered his hate speech in the TV show of controversial televangelist Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who himself is notorious for hate speech against Ahmadiyya Muslims. Dr. Aamir Liaquat has in the past directly incited to violence against Ahmadis which resulted in death of at least two innocent individuals in Sindh. 4. Last but not least, the single major source of hate speech against Ahmadiyya community is none else than Pakistan’s largest media group Jang Group under the leadership of Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman. Mir Shakil is the snake who is the nurturer and promoter of snakelets such as Hamid Mir, Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain, Dr. A.Q. Khan who are responsible for spreading hatred against Ahmadiyya community.

Here’s our call for joint action to all like minded activists and campaigners.

We demand the following: 1. All human rights organizations and civil society groups must protest not only against Dr. A.Q. Khan, Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain, Hamid Mir etc but more importantly against Jang Group (including Jang, The News, Geo TV) and its CEO Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman. 2. United Nations, EU, USA, UK, other democratic organizations and governments must stop all forms of funding to the Jang Group or any of its media outlet (newspaper, TV channel etc). Names of Mir Shakil, A.Q. Khan, Hamid Mir, Aamir Liaquat etc should be placed in list of persona non grata, not eligible for visas or foreign travels. Their assets in foreign countries should also be monitored, frozen or confiscated as per laws of terrorism and hate speech. 3. A police report (FIR) be lodged against Mir Shakil, Dr. A.Q. Khan, Dr. Aamir Liaquat etc for inciting to violence against Ahmadis, Pakistan’s equal citizens. We urge PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) to take notice of hate speech against Ahmadis. We also urge Pakistan’s Supreme Court to take due notice of this incident which is clearly a violation of basic human rights of Ahmadis. Given that Supreme Court claims itself to be guardian of constitution and fundamental rights in Pakistan, this is high time it must prove its sincerity and integrity.

India to launch Mars orbiter in 2013

With New Delhi's iconic Red Fort as a backdrop, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced Wednesday his country has set its sights on the Red Planet. In a Wednesday speech marking India's independence day, Singh said his government has approved plans to put an unmanned probe in orbit around Mars. The mission "will be a huge step for us in the area of science and technology," he said. It's an ambitious goal, with a planned launch in November 2013 for a 10-month flight, said Kiran Karnik, a former official with the Indian Space Research Organization. "By the time the mission gets there, Mars will be comparatively the closest," Karnik told CNN's sister network CNN-IBN. "So there's a small window in which we need to make a launch and that's the reason the mission has to go up next year."

TALIBAN ZOMBIES KILL 22 INNOCENT IN PAKISTAN

Militants kill 22 in Pakistan bus attack

Suspected militants in northwest Pakistan forced passengers to step out of three buses and shot dead 22 of them in an apparent sectarian attack on Thursday, officials said. The officials said about 15 armed men wearing army uniforms checked the identification cards of the passengers and then opened fire after learning they were Shi'ites. "It is confirmed at least 22 people are dead," said a senior police official. Pakistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state, and most Sunnis and Shi'ites live peacefully together. But the country has a long history of sectarian attacks by extremists on both sides. Sunni militant groups inspired by al Qaeda often attack religious minorities such as Shi'ites in Pakistan, a strategic U.S. ally facing a Taliban insurgency. The director of police in the northwestern city of Gilgit, Ali Sher, said the buses were stopped at dawn in the Lulusar area, which lies below mountains.

Shahbaz Sharif behind Punjab’s load shedding

http://www.thenewstribe.com

Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab, who is blaming the federal government for the load shedding issue in Punjab is actually the reason behind it, accuses Awab Alvi, social media team member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. In his personal profile of Facebook,

he has posted the following screen capture from the website of the Energy Department of the Government of Punjab, which reveals that after 18th amendment, provinces are fully entitled to develop their own power project.He also accuses Shahbaz Sharif for the corruption of Rs. 19 billion as Government of Punjab has been allocated Rs. 9 billion for 2011 and Rs. 10 billion for 2012. No electricity projects by the Punjab Government were initiated which only indicate one thing i.e. more load shedding for Punjab. And ultimately Alvi ridicule the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for letting down the people of Punjab and creating all the drama at Minar-e-Pakistan camp office.

Pakistan Civil Awards: Swat’s harbingers of hope recognised for their efforts

The Express Tribune

Three of the 192 citizens who were conferred civil awards by President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday belong to Swat valley.

Malala Yousaf Zai, Dr Taj Muhammad and Dr Lal Noor Afridi have made the valley proud for being nominated for the top civil awards of the country, civil society members and locals said. Malala Yousafzai, 14, who has been nominated for Tamgha-i-Shujaat, was also the first child to be nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2011, beating 93 contestants from 42 countries. During the militancy when Taliban banned female education in the district, she kept a diary for British Broadcasting Corporation and wrote about the misdeeds of militants. She also remained a speaker for the Child Assembly in Swat, which works for child rights in the district. Later on, she was awarded the first National Peace Award by the government of Pakistan on December 19, 2011 for rendering courageous services to promote peace during the mayhem. Dr Taj Muhammad was nominated for his compassion and relentless services in the field of medicine during militancy. He is the chief executive at Saidu Group of Hospitals and principal at Saidu Sharif Medical College Swat. He is credited for running the only medical college of Malakand division amidst threats from militants. Furthermore, his visionary approach not only kept the college running but also helped it earn a name for itself among the best institutions of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Similarly, the award was conferred on Dr Lal Noor Afridi for his dedication and round-the-clock service during militancy at Saidu Group of Hospitals as medical superintendant. During the mayhem when hundreds of wounded were brought to the hospitals, he worked tirelessly along his team to provide them relief and comfort. Published in The Express Tribune

Taliban on a killing spree in Karachi

Karachi, it seems, didn’t turn out to be a safe retreat for pro-government Pashtun leaders seeking to escape the vengeful Taliban in Swat and tribal areas – refugee-militants have begun targeting Awami National Party workers in the metropolis. The most recent attack was on ANP Sindh central working committee member Amir Sardar, who hailed from Thana, Malakand. Sardar, 55, who was associated with the ANP for over 30 years, was shot dead, along with two other ANP Sindh activists, near his home in SITE Town, Karachi, on Monday. The Malakand chapter of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the killings, claiming Sardar was punished for his assistance to the police in arresting TTP men. Sher Shah Khan, an elected representative from Swat in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly, told The Express Tribune that over 65 people hailing from Swat have been killed in Karachi in target killings, mostly at the hands of the TTP. According to Sher Shah, militants fled to Karachi when the Pakistan Army and paramilitary forces launched an operation in Swat against the Maulana Fazalullah-led militants in 2009. “For a year, they abandoned their activities and remained underground, but later, they started killing pro-government leaders and those who were associated with peace committees in Swat or supported security forces,” he said. People from the Kabal Tehsil of Swat were mostly targeted as the tehsil was the birthplace of TTP-Swat. “Since the military offensive in Swat, 36 people from Kabal Tehsil have been killed in Karachi, mostly by militants from TTP-Swat,” Sher Shah added. He also raised the issue in the K-P Assembly. “If a military operation can be conducted in Swat, then why not in Karachi?” he said. ‘Settling scores’ Saifullah Khan, chairman of the Nekpikhel Aman Jirga in Swat, told The Express Tribune that militants began targeting influential people from Swat in May 2010, and have, so far, killed over 60 people in Karachi. Former ANP Sindh District West president Saeed Ahmed Khan was killed in SITE Town on January 5, 2012. One of the attackers, identified as Aminullah, was killed on the spot by retaliatory fire by the police. “Aminullah was a member of the Fazalullah group in Swat and was hiding in Karachi since the military offensive,” Saifullah said. On June 18, Sher Ali Khan, head of Swat Quami Ittehad and Chairman Pakistan Seamen’s Union, was also killed in SITE. “The militants have killed mainly those people who were associated with peace committees or those who supported the military operation,” Saifullah said, adding that there was no doubt that they are killing people from Swat ‘to settle score’. ‘Taliban not the only killers’ ANP Sindh General Secretary Bashir Jan, however, says the Taliban are not the only ones behind the killing of Pashtuns. “Blaming the Taliban for every killing is not correct. There are a multiple factors involved in the target killings of Pashtuns in Karachi,” Jan told The Express Tribune. “The Taliban have killed some of our people in Karachi but they are not responsible for all the killings,” he added. Jan said his party has asked law enforcement agencies to provide security to its leaders in Sindh, numbering between 30 and 40. However, he added, their request is yet to be fulfilled. Meanwhile, Chief of the Anti-Extremist Cell of the Crime Investigation Department SSP Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam Khan told The Express Tribune: “We have arrested a number of militants hailing from Swat in Karachi, who are wanted in various cases back home,” Khan said. While admitting that militants from Swat are involved in target killings, he stressed that militants from tribal regions are far more active in Karachi. West Zone SSP Amer Farooqi suspected that most of the target killings are preplanned and militants had come to Karachi with specific instructions and plans. “A new trend has emerged,” he said. “They have started killing policemen to increase their personal influence, and I also think they kill each other because they support different groups.” Published in The Express Tribune

Kamra attack: TTP claims responsibility

The banned outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility of the attack carried out at Kamra Airbase early Thursday morning, Geo News reported. Militants dressed in uniforms and armed with guns and rocket launchers stormed PAF base Kamra, sparking heavy clashes that left nine militants and a security official dead while a plane was also damaged. The base commander, who led the counter-attack, was also injured in the battle. The attack comes amid speculation that Pakistan could launch an operation against militants in the tribal district of North Waziristan. The Air Force said the attackers with rocket propelled-grenades and suicide vests attacked the base, home to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex that assembles Mirage and JF-17 fighter jets, at 2:00 am today. A statement said there had been a shootout "for more than two hours" and 10 hours after the assault began, spokesman Tariq Mahmood confirmed the base was "totally safe".

Taliban terrorist Adnan Rasheed suspected in Kamra attack

The Ministry of Interior has suspected the involvement of dangerous Taliban terrorist Adnan Rasheed in Kamra air base attack that left nine terrorists and a security official dead Thursday, Geo News reported. According to the report, a brazen attack on the Bannu prison was carried out in April to free convicted terrorist Adnan Rasheed, along with 400 other prison inmates after which it was advised to beef up the security of military installations and VIPs. The report had also elucidated that Adnan Rasheed was an ex-PAF employee and had information about the air bases and highly sensitive installations. Security has been tightened after the militants stormed Kamra air base early today as heavy contingents of security forces have been deployed at all entry and exit points of the airport. The airport sources also told that the security forces have been equipped with latest weapons to counter any untoward incident. Militants dressed in uniforms and armed with guns and rocket launchers stormed PAF base Kamra, sparking heavy clashes that left nine militants and a security official dead while a plane was also damaged. The base commander, who led the counter-attack, was also injured in the battle. The attack comes amid speculation that Pakistan could launch an operation against militants in the tribal district of North Waziristan. The Air Force said the attackers with rocket propelled-grenades and suicide vests attacked the base, home to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex that assembles Mirage and JF-17 fighter jets, at 2:00 am today. The security forces completed the operation after hours of attack while all the dead attackers were identified as foreigners. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Pakistani Taliban have targeted a string of military bases since rising up against the government in July 2007.

MERGE FATA WITH KP

The Government is planning to introduce Local Government system in the Federally Administered Tribal Area from next year giving representation to the local people to solve their local problems at their own without intervention from the political authorities. The move is welcome as it meant to grant some rights to the tribal people in the shape of Local Government. It should be considered as a significant move to merge FATA with the KP Province ultimately giving them representation in the Provincial Assembly with the universal suffrage of democratic franchise after six decades. There is no other solution to the FATA problem except its merger with the KP Province. Only vested interests or privileged people are opposing the move that they will loose their positions when the political parties contact the common people at the grassroots level. Grassroots politics is not acceptable to the vested interests and they are opposing the merger and formation of a unified Province for the Pakhtuns so that they should have a powerful voice in the Pakistani Federation. It was the security establishment that disturbed the age-old system and undermined the authority of Maliks and tribal elders and the political administration making Jihadi Commanders supreme during the Afghan civil war after the Soviet invasion. Now the Jihadi commanders had changed their loyalties and they are fighting Pakistan after the Red Army left Afghanistan. There is a need to contain the power and influence of the Jihadi Commanders and deny them resources and funds to fight the Pakistan Army. There should not be a selective approach of ‘Good Taliban’ or ‘Bad Taliban’. They should be treated equally and without any discrimination which is the only solution to militancy in FATA and its adjoining areas of KP Province.

Zardari urges Muslim countries to help in Afghan reconciliation

President Asif Ali Zardari

has urged the Muslim Heads of States and Governments to join Pakistan in appealing all the groups in Afghanistan to join the reconciliation and peace process. Addressing the fourth Islamic Summit here in Makkah on Thursday, President Zardari said that Pakistan has been seriously affected by the unrest in Afghanistan adding that the fallout of the Mujahideen resistance to the former Soviet Union was still haunting Pakistan. Reiterating Pakistan’s support to Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process, the President said that peace and stability in Afghanistan was vital for the peace and stability of Pakistan. Indeed, it is vital for peace and stability of the region and the world, the President remarked. The President said that he remembered Afghanistan as a tourist attraction and now the world has seen what war has brought to that beautiful country. He said that through past experience Pakistan knows what war means. The President further said, “We have been the allies of the world in the war against rival ideology and we have witnessed the introduction of heroine as a war weapon.” He added that there were more than three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and expressed the hope that these refugees will soon return to their homeland to rebuild their country. The President said that his brother President Karzai and he himself were determined that these efforts succeed. President Zardari said, “Afghanistan has taught us that while thinkers and philosophers talk of changing the destinies of nations, they must also have knowledge of the societies they wish to change.” Commenting on other issues of major concern to the Muslim world, the President said that Muslim communities in different parts of the world continue to suffer denial of their human rights. He said Kashmir issue continues to fester. Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions, he expressed the hope that Pakistan’s engagement with India will be result oriented and purposeful. The President said that unresolved Palestinian question was a deep wound in the heart of Middle East. He said that Pakistan fully supports the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state. Referring to some recent developments in Middle East and other parts of Muslim world, the President said that fast moving and far reaching developments have been taking place in North Africa and the Middle East. He said, “Over the past two years we have witnessed youth aspiring for change and democratic transformation.” The President said that Egypt and Tunisia have completed peaceful transformations in their countries and we wish them success in their difficult transformation. Calling for putting an immediate end to the bloodshed in Syria, the President said, “Pakistan is deeply pained to see Syria bleed”. He said, “Pakistan desires that Syria must forge its own destiny in accordance with the aspirations of its people.” The President said, “We must respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.” He said the international community must respect the principles of non interference and non intervention. He said that the OIC should continue to have leverage with Syria. The President also appealed to all sides in Syria to declare ceasefire during Eid-ul-Fitr.

Shabaz Sharif VS Poor

EDITORIAL:Shahbaz’s acrobatics

One is amazed at the straight face with which Shahbaz Sharif strikes postures of saintliness and piety when this posturing of this chief minister of Punjab is so obviously deceitful and funny. He laments that the system did not support at all Mohsin Ali who has secured the top position in the BA examination. Yes, it did not, for which Shahbaz himself is no lesser responsible. Mohsin was kneading dough and baking loaves in the oven while Shahbaz was feeding sasti roti to the well-off ostentatiously. Mohsin was struggling to find a corner in the single-room home housing 11 family members to study and prepare for examinations while Shahbaz was doling out showily houses and plots in the state-funded housing estates. Mohsin was studying in streetlights at nights as Shahbaz was distributing laptops to fatten his vote-bank. In none of his populist schemes and ploys did Mohsin have a place. He was left out to fend for himself. And yet Shahbaz has the gall to pretend as if he is no part of the iniquitous system that favours and pampers the elite and degrades and decimates the hoi polloi. He is very much part of it and for pretty long. He blares that politicians, bureaucrats and judiciary are responsible for the country’s worsening condition. But when was it when he was not a member of this select atrocious club? For years, he has been there in politics. He has also been in governments. Then shouldn’t he share the blame in equal measure for bringing this unfortunate country to such a sorry pass? Yet he seems flaunting his own innocence. Indeed, when his elder sibling Mian Nawaz Sharif first rode to the prime minister’s house in Islamabad in an admittedly engineered election, Shahbaz donned the mantle of a prince regent, earning him the sobriquet of Robert Kennedy. Like younger Kennedy, Shahbaz too had had an incisive intrusive role in the administration of his elder brother without being accountable for his acts. During the second prime ministerial stint of Nawaz, Shahbaz landed the plum job of the chief minister of the country’s most populous province, Punjab, that he ruled autocratically. And now for more than four years he has been holding the Lahore fort, distinguishing himself for blowing away recklessly the precious taxpayer’s money on enterprises of pork barrel and populism to advance his political objectives at the public expense. Then with what face can he flaunt the mean skullduggery of being no part of the crises that he says the politicians, bureaucrats and judiciary have together brought about? He must come clean, confess his sins and apologise. He may have now doled out some money to Mohsin. He may have even granted Mohsin’s family a home in a government housing society. But that is not enough to atone for his sins that are too big. Does he have even a foggiest idea how many Mohsins in Punjab are being smothered by the cruel state-run schooling system that he has left to rot? Does he feel no compunction in his conscience over the doleful fact that on his watch government schools are functioning even in graveyards in Punjab? Does no concern prick his heart that there are hundreds of state-run schools on his domain that are running in dilapidated buildings posing a serious danger to the lives of their students? With a hugely money-driven media management, he may have mustered up laudatory notes for his intellectually bankrupt daanish schools venture. But does he know how much of budding talent has he ruined and ransacked by ignoring and neglecting the state-run schooling as well as college education in his domain? When indeed will he come to admit that there are thousands and thousands of Mohsins wandering forlornly in Punjab with no hope in heart and no prospects in sight under the very nose of this Khadam-e-Punjab? When in fact will he come to confess that he is no different from the political chicaners and operators strutting on the national landscape wearing the masks of political leaders? With his posturing, he may be beguiling the fondling commentariat, the chattering classes and the trading community for their vested interests. But the common citizenry has long thrown him out of its good graces. The street holds him the part of the league that he himself says has reduced this nation into an utterly pathetic state with its great betrayal of the masses.

Bloody day in Peshawar

FRONTIER POST

4 more body bags take count to 14 in Ramazan One found dead in car; another shot dead at home; woman commits 'suicide' in presence of husband, father Four more bodies packed in bag were recovered on Wednesday talking the count of the mysterious bodies bags found in the City in the month of Ramazan to fourteen. Of the four body bags two were found in Chamkani on Budni Service Road. Identity cards found on the bodies revealed that on murdered man was Imran s/o Sayed Gul resident of Larama and Ayaz son of Munir of Hawalia, Abbotabad. Police said there were no signs of torture on the bodies. The two bodies were found by the police on five pm on the information locals. The other two bodies were found by the Ring Road said near Hayatabad Toll Plaza in the jurisdiction of Sarband police station. Police said that though both had had bullet wounds in the head there also were signs of brutal torture on both the bodies. The bodies were identified as of Arif son of Taza Gul of Hangu and Anwar Khan Son of Ikram of Musazai. Cops shifted the body to Khyber Medical Collage for postmortem. It is worth mentioning here that during the Holy month of Ramazan around 12 bodies packed in bag were recovered in provincial capital, whereas, the cops of city were silent spectator and still not a single case was either solved or any investigation seemed to have been carried.. Meanwhile, a man was shot dead by unidentified men in his car No. BA 5907. On receiving of this information police reached the spot and took the body in custody. The man was identified as Gul Muhammad son Shah Zubair of Afghanistan. Cops also took the car registration and cash money in custody which was recovered from the murdered man's pocket. Meanwhile, a man was killed and other injured during dispute in Surozai, Badbair. Brother of deceased, Idrees son of Haji Firdos Khan, lodged report with police against Fayaz and Masood son Kachkol. The complaint said that he and his brother Fazal Rehman were at home when the said murderers came to his home and opened fire on them. As a result his brother Fazal Rehaman died at the spot and the complainant was injured. In another yet another case, Fatima wife of one Amjad of Wazir Colony Dalazhak Road, and daughter of Zulfiqar of the same area reportedly committed suicide. The father of the dead women, who is also the complainant reported to the police that the two husband and father of Fatima were at home when they heard a shot and found that the Fatima had shot herself dead. The father in his report also said that he had come to visit his daughter.

Gunmen attack Pakistan air base, 9 dead

Militants dressed in uniforms and armed with guns and rocket launchers stormed a Pakistani air force base on Thursday, sparking heavy clashes that left nine people dead, officials said. One security official was killed and a plane damaged in the pre-dawn assault at PAF Base Minhas, where suspected Islamists again penetrated a sensitive site in the nuclear-armed country battling a five-year Taliban insurgency. The attack comes amid speculation that Pakistan could launch an operation against militants in the tribal district of North Waziristan, where Washington has long demanded an offensive against the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network. The Air Force said seven to eight attackers with rocket propelled-grenades and suicide vests attacked the base, home to to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex that assembles Mirage and JF-17 fighter jets, at 2:00 am (2100 GMT Wednesday). That gunmen disguised themselves in uniforms and got inside the facility just 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Islamabad will renew questions about security, particularly at a base which has been attacked twice before. "Other miscreants then fired RPGs from outside the base boundary wall. As a result one PAF aircraft got damaged," the air force said in a statement. Gunfire, rocket and hand grenade explosions were heard during heavy clashes. One officer told AFP that he saw flames after waking up for his late night meal, eaten during the dawn-to-dusk Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "There was an announcement by megaphone for soldiers not to move from the barracks and we were forbidden from going to the area where I saw the fire," he said. Special forces and police were scrambled to the scene. "Eight terrorists have been killed and one security official martyred," an Air Force spokesman told AFP. "The attackers were wearing security force uniforms but I can't specify of which force uniform they were wearing," he added. At least seven of the attackers were wearing suicide vests. The military initially said that two security personnel were killed but no explanation was given for revising down the number. The base commander, who led the counter-attack, was wounded and forces were searching the base to ensure no other gunmen remained, the military said. An AFP reporter who arrived at the base after daybreak said it was quiet, but saw a helicopter still hovering over the area several hours later. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Pakistani Taliban have targeted a string of military bases since rising up against the government in July 2007. In May 2011, it took 17 hours to quell an attack on an air base in Karachi claimed by the Taliban, piling embarrassment on the armed forces just three weeks after US troops killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Thursday's attack was the second in weeks to see troops die near the relatively secure capital. Gunmen on July 9 killed seven security personnel who had camped by a river less than 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Islamabad. Despite a relative lull in high-profile attacks, Pakistan has been on alert for violence to coincide with its independence day on Tuesday this week and the Muslim festival of Eid, which is expected to begin at the weekend. On Tuesday, the head of the army, General Ashraf Kayani, used his independence day address to describe the war on terror, often seen in Pakistan as an American battle, as "our own war and a just war too". He acknowledged the difficulties of fighting his own people, but said "no state can afford a parallel system of governance and militias," and called on the nation to stand united or face the risk of a "civil war situation". Pakistan says 35,000 of its people, including more than 3,000 soldiers, have been killed as a result of terrorism since the 9/11 attacks and the 2001 US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan. The base in Kamra was previously targeted on October 23, 2009 when a suicide bomber killed six civilians and two Pakistan Air Force personnel at a checkpoint. On December 10, 2007, a suicide car bomber struck a school bus, wounding at least five children of base employees.

Cabinet directs generals, judges to declare assets

Federal cabinet has asked judges and generals to submit lists of their assets. A meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minster Raja Pervez Ashraf is in progress in Islamabad. According to Dunya News the cabinet members agreed that generals and judges should also declare their assets. The federal cabinet also directed the establishment division to direct government servants also to submit statement of their assets. It is reviewing measures to overcome energy crisis. The committee on Balochistan is expected to present its recommendations to implove law and order situation of the province. The cabinet will also review the prices of essential commodities besides taking stock of the implementation status of its earlier decisions. Addressing the cabinet meeting Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said resolution of energy crisis is the government s top most priority. He assured that all resources will be utilized to resolve the crisis. The Prime Minister said preparations for upcoming general elections should now be made. Pakistan Peoples Party believes in free‚ fair and impartial elections and whichever political party wins‚ result would be welcomed.

Pakistani court issues arrest warrant for Musharraf in murder case

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Pakistan on Wednesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for former military President Pervez Musharraf and former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in a murder case of a tribal leader. Nawab Akbar Bugti, a Baloch tribal leader, was killed on Aug. 26, 2006 during a military operation in southwestern Balochistan province when Musharraf was ruling the country. Bugti's family had registered cases against the former president, then prime minister as well as former Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, former Governor Balochistan Province Owais Ahmad Ghani and several other government officials. The court in Sibi district in Balochistan province, while issuing arrest warrants, ordered all the accused to appear on Sept. 5. Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan between 1999 and 2008, has been living in self-exile since his resignation as president in August 2008 on facing parliamentary impeachment over a variety of charges. The former president has also launched his own political party the All Pakistan Muslim League and has said to return to the country for the parliamentary elections due early next year. Another court has also issued arrest warrant for Musharraf in connection with the 2007 tragic assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Benazir, twice prime minister of Pakistan, was killed in a suicide blast and firing in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Musharraf has denied any involvement in the murder of Benazir Bhutto.

Pak Rangers fire on Indian post on I-Day

Pakistani Rangers opened unprovoked fire in Hira Nagar sector of the international border on Wednesday, India's 66th Independence Day, according to sources in the Border Security Force (BSF). BSF sources said the Pakistani Rangers opened fire at Pansera post close to the zero line on the international border about 65 km south west of Jammu. The firing lasted for over half an hour. The Indian side did not retaliate, the sources said. Pakistani Rangers have been firing at Indian posts almost regularly for the past one week. This was the sixth such incident in the past week, the sources said. The firing was also a violation of a ceasefire that the Indian and Pakistani governments had agreed to adhere to in November 2003. India shares a 198-km international border in Jammu region with Pakistan.

Aitzaz doubts Imran’s slogan of change

Eminent lawyer and Pakistan People’s Party Senator Aitzaz Ahsan on Monday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan cannot bring any change with the kind of leaders he has gathered around himself. Addressing a ceremony in connection with Independence Day, Aitzaz said that it was because of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry that we have democracy in Pakistan today, otherwise Musharraf would still have been ruling the country. He said the elections would take place in due time as per provisions of the constitution. He said all institutions of the state should work within the limits earmarked in the constitution and there should be no clash among them. “It is unfortunate that judges have started sending people to jail just for staring at them,” he said.

Zardari and Karzai 'agree' Afghan border shelling probe

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said that he and his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, have agreed to send a joint military delegation to examine recent shelling across their border. The two leaders met on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of a meeting of Islamic nations. Cross-border shelling and militant incursions are a source of ongoing tension between the two countries. Each blames the other for failing to do more to curb the violence. There was heavy fighting on Tuesday between Afghan and Pakistani forces in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, in which one Afghan border policeman was killed and five were injured in what Afghanistan said was an attack from the Pakistani side. The Afghan authorities sent hundreds of troops to the area. Afghan officials have in the past accused Pakistan's military of firing the rockets across the border - a claim Pakistan denies. Correspondents say that cross-border violence has become a highly sensitive issue in Afghanistan, where many are wary of Pakistan's historic ties to the Taliban. Islamabad says that the violence is being carried out by Pakistani Taliban fighters sheltering in Afghanistan, who have infiltrated the border to resume attacks on its security forces. President Karzai asked Pakistan "to immediately end" cross-border attacks. He warned that if they continued, they would adversely affect "Afghanistan's friendship with Pakistan". "Their continuation would not be good for Pakistan," a statement released by the president said. It went on to say that President Zardari had agreed to assign a joint military delegation to visit the border and investigate the shelling. A statement from the Pakistani president said that the two leaders "were unanimous in the view that all groups should shun violence and join the peace process in Afghanistan, for the peace and stability of the region".

Sheikh Rashid, an Imran Khan ally, urges Pakistan’s Chief Justice to kill President Zardari

Let Us Build Pakistan

In a joint political rally by Imran Khan’s PTI and Sheikh Rashid’s Awami Muslim League in garrison town of Rawalpindin, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed called upon the Chief Justice of Pakistan to “kill the bast***d before he kills you”. He is alleged to be referring to President Zardari.There can be no doubts about Sheikh Rasheed’s intent which is incitement to murder. This gives rise to some uncomfortable questions: 1. Why would a failed Jihadist politician refer to the judiciary to kill anyone, let alone the elected President of the country? 2. Can Pakistan’s upper-middle class, the bulk of whom support PTI, PML-N, MQM and the Judiciary afford to associate themselves with such reprehensive, violent and abusive behavior. Given Pakistan’s bloody history of military coups and extremist violence, this question answers itself. 3. Will Pakistan’s Judiciary take notice of this incitment to murder and more importantly, will it prosecute Sheikh Rashid for his public admission of such crime? President Zardari is the symbol of the federation of Pakistan and has been elected by the Parliament. Parliament must take notice of this incitement to murder and take action against Sheikh Rashid. If the Supreme Court does nothing, then by default it becomes a party to this incitment to murder. The failure of the higher judiciary to take action on this may make it complicit in this hate crime. In such an instance, Parliament must also take action against the Supreme Court. Will Pakistan’s elected parliament show enough spine to take appropriate action against a judge who is so blatantly hostile to constitution and parliament? Sheikh Rashid like his fellow DPC comrades, Malik Ishaq of ASWJ-LeJ and Hafiz Saeed of JuD-LeT, does not belong to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). By now Pakistanis know that this PCO Judiciary is only concerned in derailing the elected Government. Jihadis, PTI, PML N, family members and the ISI enjoy immunity from the Law. To reiterate, failure of the Judiciary to take notice of this incitment to murder makes them complicit. A judiciary that undertakes judicial activism for two bottles of liquor, a slap inside a polling booth in a remote town in Sindh and the prices of samosas cannot pretent to ignore this incitement to violence within a few miles radius of the Supreme Court! It will be most interesting to see the response of Pakistan’s partisan media (both English and Urdu) and civil society on this. Will their romance with the PTI, CJP and its violent Jihadi allies continue? Like many of the earlier questions, the answers are all too clear. Barring the exception, much of Pakistan’s media continues to mantain a silence on this issue. Failed politicians like Shiekh Rashid and Imran Khan are after all media darlings. Unlike elected PPP leaders, they are given ample and disproportionate media space to spew their hateful, bigotted and xenophobic message. Nusrat Javeed is one of the few journalists who took up this issue in his Bolta Pakistan show yesterdayNot only did Sheikh Rashid incide the CJP to murder, he also called Mullah Omar “Amir-ul-Momineen” (Leader of the Faithful) and requested the latter to issue Imran Khan with a visa for his pro-Taliban rally in North Waziristan later this year. Similarly, he extorted General Kiyani, albeit in a more roundabout manner, to stop the military operations against the various Taliban militias in Swat and North Waziristan. And this man is the political ally for Kaptaan Imran Khan. Enough said!

Zardari, Karzai discuss bilateral ties, regional situation

President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met in Mecca Tuesday on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit, convened by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to discuss the challenges facing Muslim countries and to further strengthen unity and solidarity among the Muslim world. The two leaders discussed bilateral ties, regional situation, peace process in Afghanistan and other issues of mutual concern. Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Muhammad Naeem Khan were also present during the meeting. President Zardari assured his Afghan counterpart that Pakistan would continue to extend all out support for peace, stability and socio-economic development in Afghanistan. The president said as Pakistan and Afghanistan are linked with historic cultural, religious and neighborly bonds, the destinies of the two nations are intertwined. He said Pakistan considers Afghanistan’s peace and security as its own peace and security, adding, a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan was also in Pakistan’s interest. The two leaders were unanimous in the view that all groups should shun violence and join the peace process in Afghanistan, for peace and stability in the region. During the meeting, the two leaders besides discussing bilateral ties, regional situation and peace process in Afghanistan also exchanged views on the issues of international importance as well as the challenges facing the Muslim world.

Afghan-Pakistani team to probe border shelling: Kabul

Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to send a joint military team to investigate a recent surge in cross-border attacks that have soured relations between the two neighbours, Kabul said Wednesday. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari took the decision on the sidelines of an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Karzai's office said. Pakistan said the two leaders "discussed bilateral ties, the regional situation, the peace process in Afghanistan and other issues of mutual concern", but declined to go into specifics. Afghans say that thousands of rockets and heavy artillery shells have landed on their territory in recent months, blaming Pakistan for the alleged attacks. The cross-border violence has become a highly sensitive issue in Afghanistan, where many are deeply suspicious of Pakistan and its historic ties to the Taliban, which is now fighting a 10-year insurgency against Karzai's government. Pakistan says groups of Pakistani Taliban sheltering in Afghanistan have infiltrated the border to resume attacks on its security forces. Karzai asked Pakistan "to immediately end these attacks" and warned that if they continued, they would negatively impact "Afghanistan's friendship with Pakistan". His office said Zardari agreed to assign a joint military delegation to visit the border and investigate the shelling. Zardari's office said: "The two leaders were unanimous in the view that all groups should shun violence and join the peace process in Afghanistan, for peace and stability of the region." The apparent agreement to investigate the border violence comes after officials on both sides said Pakistan allowed an Afghan delegation to meet a senior Taliban leader being held in a Pakistani jail. Pakistan's 2010 arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a powerful military chief who has been described as the Taliban's second in command, had been blamed by Kabul for sabotaging peace initiatives.

Lohar Shahbaz provoking people

Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa on Tuesday alleged that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was provoking the people to damage public property over the issue of loadshedding. “If the chief minister is so fond of warfare, he should join us to wage a war against ignorance, poverty, loadshedding and other social issues. He would find us in the front row,” he remarked while addressing a function of special children held at the Governor’s House in connection with Independence Day celebrations. The governor also asked government servants not to obey illegal orders of the chief minister. “Governments come and go, but civil servants stay, thus they should be loyal only to the state”, Khosa observed. The governor feared that democracy may be in danger if second prime minister was sent packing. “Instead of infighting, the institutions should find solution to problems by putting their heads together,” he added. In an obvious reference to the chief justice of Pakistan, the governor remarked that if somebody believed that he was doing great service to the country by making the parliament and the executive subservient to the judiciary, he was mistaken. On the 66th Independence Day, he said, all leaders should solemnly pledge to work together for keeping the spirit of democracy intact; and all institutions of the state, be they provincial or national, must cooperate with each other. On this occasion, the governor announced free education and boarding facilities to the special children in all public sector universities of the province. He further announced a two per cent job quota for the disabled in all government departments and directed their heads to ensure the immediate effectiveness of the new plan. Earlier, the governor visited the mausoleum of national poet Allama Iqbal and laid a flower wreath on his grave. Meanwhile, talking to a delegation from India, Khosa said that Pakistan and India should address their outstanding issues through dialogue. According to an official handout, all issues including Kashmir and water came under discussion.

FATA MPs hail LG system decision in tribal areas

http://statesman.com.pk

A FATA delegation comprising Senators and Members of National Assembly led by Haji Munir Khan Orakzai, MNA called on Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf at PM’s House on Tuesday. Haji Munir Khan Orakzai, MNA congratulated the Prime Minister on the occasion of Independence Day. He also hailed the decision of the government to introduce local governments system in tribal areas. The delegation thanked the Prime Minister for the government’s special focus on tribal areas and informed him that people of tribal areas are appreciative of the efforts being made by the government to improve their standard of living. The Prime Minister said that the tribal people are brave, hospitable and an invaluable asset of the country. They have always been on the forefront whenever the nation has called upon them to play their role. The Prime Minister said that Peoples Party is a Federal party which has representation from all over the country including tribal areas. The role of National political parties is of paramount importance in furthering democracy and bringing progress and prosperity in the country, he emphasised. The Prime Minister praised the political acumen and the constructive role played by the Senators and Members of the National Assembly hailing from FATA. The delegation apprised the Prime Minister of the development projects and on-going schemes in their constituencies. The Prime Minister assured the delegation that the government will extend all possible assistance for the early completion of development projects in the tribal areas. Those who called on the Prime Minister included Engr Shaukatullah Minister for SAFRON, Senator Abbas Khan Afridi Minister of State for Commerce, Senator Hidayatullah, Senator Najamul Hassan, Senator Muhammad Idrees Khan Saafi, Senator Moulana Muhammad Saleh Shah, Sajid Hussain Turi MNA, Jawad Hussain MNA and Noorul Haq Qadri MNA, reports INP. President Asif Ali Zardari announced on Monday that the system of local governments would be introduced in tribal areas next year. He termed it another step forward in efforts to bring the people of the region into the mainstream of national life. “I have great pleasure in announcing the introduction of local governments in tribal areas. The coming year will be the year of giving local self-governance in accordance with the wishes of the tribal people, and in accordance with their customs and traditions,” President Zardari said at a special ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr to mark the country’s 66th Independence Day. Interestingly, the ceremony attended by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, federal ministers, the chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, services chiefs, governors of the four provinces, members of parliament and diplomats was held hours before the president’s departure to Saudi Arabia to attend the OIC Summit and was recorded and telecast on Monday midnight. “We owe it to the people and to the peace and stability of the country and the region to bring these areas into the mainstream of national life,” he said. “Last year, on the eve of Independence Day, I had signed the regulation for reforms in tribal areas. Under that package, the FCR was replaced with Fata Regulation 2011. The political parties were also allowed to reach out to the people in tribal areas with their message,” he said, adding: “This was our gift to the people on the Independence Day last year. It was a major change in hundred years. It was historic. The process continues.” In an apparent reference to the ongoing confrontation between the government and the judiciary, the president called for safeguarding the dignity and honour of the elected parliament and for protecting it “from new forms of assaults”. He said parliament was the voice of the people and could not be silenced and would never be. The Independence Day this year, the president said, was being celebrated at a time when a democratically-elected government was about to complete its mandated term in office. “This is a historic milestone. It augurs well for democracy and democratic traditions in the country. Unfortunately for most part of our independent existence, people were often denied right to rule and the Constitution was repeatedly abrogated.” It was reassuring that the present parliament had unanimously restored, to a large extent, the ‘democratic’ Constitution of 1973, he said, adding that today the people of Pakistan had reasons to celebrate as they were an independent and a strong nation. But, he continued, there were dangers and threats also and said militants posed the greatest threat to the country. “A great challenge that we are faced with is defeating the militant mindset,” he said, adding: “For this, we must defend democracy and promote tolerance, discussion and debate.”

Did Jinnah dream of this kind of Pakistan?

EDITORIAL : Time to introspect

On this Independence Day, as Pakistan turned 65, we find as many views on democracy, secularism and Islam as there are people living in the country. Confusion is one word the youth that comprises 65 percent of this country uses often to describe their understanding of the situation in Pakistan. There is complete disorientation as to the purpose of creating Pakistan in the first place, and then the direction it should have, and still needs to take. If the idea was to create a nation with multiple cultural dimensions, with human values at its core, then the way we have dealt with our citizens by depriving them of a decent living goes against that grain. There is a need to reinterpret, redefine and shed the dust covering the original concept of Pakistan envisioned by Jinnah and Iqbal. They certainly did not talk of a Pakistan enslaved by the current dominant and self-defeating narrow interpretation of Islam. So-called Islamisation, starting from Zia’s era, has reduced the state and society to being entrapped by religious intolerance and lack of direction. The phenomenon of extremism, with a handful of people hiding in the mountains of northern Pakistan demanding Shariah to be the leitmotif of state and society is an indicator of things getting out of hand. The country is fast moving toward a debacle woven into a pattern of hatred, religious intolerance and crude understanding of Islam. Did Muhammad Ali Jinnah dream of this kind of Pakistan? The oft-repeated speech of Jinnah that he delivered at the first session of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947, clearly suggests the role of religion in the state that he envisaged. He delineated the position of minorities in Pakistan by granting them complete freedom of religion so that they could practice their faith in whatever manner they thought fit. This was the spirit that became the cause for the creation of Pakistan. Today it is a different country we are living in, where minorities are harassed and are forced to either convert to Islam or leave the country for safer havens in India or elsewhere. The domination of right wing groups and opinion in the political, social and economic spheres has affected our relations with the world. We are not at peace with our neighbours. An air of hostility swirls across Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. The India-Pakistan animosity paradigm that saw trillions of dollars lining the pockets of political elites and arms dealers from the western countries in the name of defence and security, brought nothing but economic deprivation for our general public. The case of US enmity sown in the hearts of Islamists played out as an expedient way to exploit public sentiment rather than establishing Pakistan as a country free of political, military and economic dependence. Pakistan is surviving on the periphery of the world’s mainstream, where the purpose, cause and reason for Pakistan’s creation is lost in a welter of noisy and contradictory voices, adding more heat and fury rather than reason and wisdom to the country’s striving for direction, stability and prosperity. We are unfortunately directionless even today after 65 years and the freedom that we so lovingly guard in the name of sovereignty has itself become a redundant formula of false claims of national success and pride. We are in need of deep introspection. And what could be a better time for this than Independence Day?

PPP has roots all over Pakistan

DAILY TIMES

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Tuesday said the Pakistan People’s Party is a federal party, which enjoys representation all over the country, including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The premier was talking to a FATA delegation of lawmakers, led by MNA Munir Khan Orakzai, which called on him. Raja said the role of mainstream political parties was of paramount importance in furthering democracy and bringing progress and prosperity to the country. The PM said that the tribal people were brave, hospitable and an invaluable asset of the country. Orakzai greeted the PM on Independence Day. He also praised the government’s decision to introduce local government system in FATA. The delegation thanked Raja for the government’s special focus on FATA and informed him that the people were appreciative of the efforts being made by the government to improve their lifestyle. The delegation apprised the PM about the developmental projects and ongoing schemes in their constituencies. The premier assured the delegation that the government would extend all possible assistance for the early completion of developmental projects in FATA. The delegates were SAFRON Minister Engineer Shaukatullah, State Minister for Commerce Senator Abbas Afridi, Senator Hidayatullah, Senator Najamul Hassan, Senator Muhammad Idrees Khan Saafi, Senator Saleh Shah, MNA Sajid Hussain Turi, MNA Jawad Hussain and MNA Noorul Haq Qadri.

IMF and Pakistan

According to a report carried by a section of the press, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a draft report stated that active political support is required at the highest level to implement essential reforms in Pakistan and that it would be worthwhile to consider the president for co-signing the letter of intent (LoI) for any future arrangement. All multilaterals, without exception, acknowledge that without active political support any programme loan accompanied by an entire range of politically challenging reform conditions is unlikely to succeed. At the same time, the IMF traditionally restricts its interactions to the Finance Ministry and the central bank as its focus is to discuss the state of the economy, provide guidance and seek a consensus with the debtor country's economists on identifying reforms considered critical to jump-start the economy. The subsequent agreement then forms the basis of the LoI which is submitted by the government seeking assistance to the IMF board of directors for approval of the assistance package. The implicit assumption made by the IMF is that the Minister of Finance, a very senior member of the ruling party in most democracies, has sufficient clout within the Cabinet to successfully persuade his colleagues into the need to accept the conditions dictated by the Fund. In the case of Pakistan, regarded as a perennial borrower from the Fund, there is overwhelming evidence that suggests that political commitment to reforms proposed by multilaterals is lacking and the signatories to LoIs, namely the Finance Minister and the State Bank Governor, have traditionally not had the clout necessary to convince their colleagues to support politically challenging reforms. Pakistani finance ministers by and large have neither been senior members of a political party or indeed regarded as political heavyweights by our military dictators. This country has seen many a bureaucrat promoted to the post of finance minister (Ghulam Ishaq Khan) or an international bureaucrat who has spent his/her working life as staff of a multilateral (Hafeez Sheikh). Conspiracy theorists spend an inordinate amount of time arguing which powerful institution recommended which finance minister and given the trichotomy of powers their choice is one of three. It is therefore little wonder that reports indicate that the IMF team met with the Chief of Army Staff however there is no confirmation from ISPR on this yet. Be that as it may, two facts are fairly evident in today's Pakistan. First and foremost the need for foreign assistance or going on another IMF bailout package is overwhelming given the state of the economy. The country is struggling with a rising budget deficit, expected to be over 8 percent for last fiscal year (higher than the 7.4 percent this government inherited in 2008 which necessitated going on the 7.4 billion dollar Stand-By Arrangement with the Fund), a rising trade deficit, a deteriorating balance of payment position, declining productivity of large-scale manufacturing sector due to the energy crisis and a farm sector heavily reliant on weather for greater productivity. In short, there is a need for an IMF programme and it is only a matter of time before the government would seek new programme lending from the Fund. Second, it is no secret that the centre of power is the President and not the Prime Minister irrespective of what our constitution states. Therefore, in this context it is not surprising that some wise person advised the IMF staff to meet with the President and seek his signature to an LoI. But perhaps two pertinent mitigating factors need to be considered. The President has succeeded in sustaining a coalition against all odds but even he has had difficulties in convincing Sindh government, where the PPP has an overwhelming majority, not to exercise its constitutional right to collect the sales tax on services and allow the Federal Board of Revenue to do so. And equally importantly, the PPP does not have a simple majority in parliament and therefore is not in a position to enforce reforms that maybe opposed by other parties both within and outside parliament for political reasons. Ideally, it is the consensus approach that would take all stakeholders on board - both within and outside parliament. As matters stand today even the coalition partners lament that they are not taken into confidence with respect to the budget document and, what has assumed a political dimension as the general elections near, or in terms of policies to resolve the severe energy crisis. Additionally, documents reveal that there is concern amongst cabinet members about the credibility of data presented by to them, a mistrust that is permeating the people of this country who witness the erosion of the value of each rupee they painstakingly earn almost daily with the Finance Ministry claiming that inflation is coming down. Inaccurate data also compromises the credibility of data presented in the budget. It is therefore necessary to delink the statistical gathering branch from the Finance Ministry and make it autonomous to ensure data integrity.

Punjab Governor warns sending another PM home will harm democracy

Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa has said sending the Prime Minister home will harm democracy. He was addressing at a ceremony held for special children in Lahore on Tuesday. He said PPP accepted the disqualification of former Prime Minister despite reservations‚ however‚ undermining the State institutions will neither serve democracy nor the country. He said the Chief Minister Punjab is involved in damaging public properties by provoking people in the name of load shedding.

NRO review petition: AG objects to SC's bench

A five-member bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa was hearing the petition. The Supreme Court on Wednesday resumed hearing of the review petition filed by the federation against the July 12 judgment in NRO implementation case. During case proceeding, Attorney General Irfan Qadir requested the formation of a larger bench to hear the appeal, adding that the bench which gave July 12 judgment should hear the review petition. Attorney General said that Prime Minister can not be made party in the case. He also argued that the judges should act according to the constitution. The government, last week, challenged a court order that asked Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to write a letter to Swiss authorities seeking the reopening of money laundering cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The peitition was filed in the backdrop of the issuing of a show-cause notice for contempt of court to Prime Minister Ashraf over his failure to implement the court’s directive of writing the letter.