Similarities between PML-N & PTI

IMRAN TALIB FAKE KHAN AND NAWAZ SHARIF LOHAR,BOTH SUPPORT HARDLINE ISLAMIST,TALIBAN AND BOTH ARE SUPPORTED BY PAKISTANI ESTABLISHMENT(MILITARY)AND JUDICIARY.

FOLLOWING ARE SOME OTHER SIMILARITIES REPROTED IN ''THE NEWS''.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) locked in a relentless verbal bout, indicating how poles apart are their approaches. Yet quite surprisingly, they both have some striking similarities as well. Politically speaking, the PML-N and PTI both spare no occasion to unleash attack on the former military ruler ex-president General Pervez Musharraf and the incumbent regime, though of late, they mostly target each other’s leadership. Now, the leaders of both parties want the Supreme Court to decide whether Nawaz is corrupt or Imran, after having almost exhausted their energies on the subject through media conferences and television talk shows. Taking lead, Imran has already announced to sue PML-N’s Khawaja Asif for his corruption charges against him. On the issue of general election, again these two parties share unanimity: they want early elections after seeing back of this PPP-led ruling coalition, which they allege, has failed to deliver on any front, holding it responsible for most of the crises Pakistan faces today. There is again a similarity in their political strategy to welcome in their folds, herds of those who remained a key part of Musharraf regime: though it is said the PTI took lead in opting for this line of action to boost its electoral prospects, welcoming several ‘electables’. These two parties have proved through their actions that for them political expediency is the short-cut to achieving ‘objectives’. Well over 100 politicians, who remained a part of the PML government during 2002-2007,some of them so close to the ex-military ruler, are today associated with the PTI. Few of these are Jehangir Tareen, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, Sikandar Bossan, Dr Shahzad Waseem, Faiz Tamman, Awais Leghari, Jamal Leghari, GG Jamal, Ishaq Khaqwani, Shahid Akram Bhinder, Malik Amin Aslam, Farooq Amjad Mir and Aila Malik. Khaqwani was perhaps the only exception, who would openly disagree over some of the then government policies from the PML platform. Past is past. They all today sit with Imran, who, used to obediently listen to sermons of Musharraf yesterday: how will Imran succeed in changing the rotten political system in Pakistan with this lot is anybody’s guess. Feeling a direct threat from the PTI, PML-N leadership, which had declared in categorical terms that those who were part of Musharraf’s PML regime, would never be accommodated in the party again, received with open arms many in recent months: they include even Amir Muqam, an erstwhile close friend of Musharraf, who had once proudly announced to have been gifted a pistol from him for his safety. There is a long list of the PML leaders, who jumped on to the PML-N bandwagon: some of these are; Tariq Azeem, Tahir Iqbal, Zahid Hamid, Sumera Malik, Safdar Shakir, Saima Akhtar Bharwana, Naeem Hussain, Ghulam Murtaza Maitla, Mansoor Hayat Tamman, Azeem Chaudhry and his spouse Asiya Azeem. Azeem was one of the leading characters as chief organiser behind the formation of the PML over a decade ago, mostly consisting of PML-N faces. Moreover, his wife remained MNA on women reserved seats. Sumera, Tariq Azeem, Tahir Iqbal are among those, who also served in the cabinet during Musharraf rule. Around 45 PML forward bloc is also a part of PML-N, which has also developed a special relationship with PML-Like-Minded that includes Salim Saifullah, Humayun Akhtar and others. With this lot of ex-comrades of Musharraf, the PTI and PML-N want to change the status quo and combat corruption. On apolitical front, the PML-N and PTI leaders share commonality in the form of having their (two each) sons abroad: Imran has his two sons-Sulaiman Khan and Qasim, living in London with their maternal grandmother; while Nawaz Sharif too has two sons-Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz abroad, doing business. Imran’s sons during school vacation days, visit their father in Pakistan, spend some days with him at his sprawling Bani Gala residence, playing with their cricket legend father. Like the PTI chairman, Nawaz Sharif loves cricket so much. But his sons don’t play cricket. Let’s wait some more similarities between these two may come up in the weeks and months to come.

Pakistan: Survival of state lies in democracy

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Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf

has said that decision about future government will only be made by people of Pakistan through a free, fair and transparent election there is no need to fear of any consequences, adding that PPP would accept the decision of people through votes and it is true democracy. Addressing the ceremony of cheques distribution amongst the deserving families under the Benazir Income Support Program here on Friday, he said we will go into the court of the people and their decision will be fully endorsed. The Prime Minister said he believes the survival of this country only lies in democracy, free and fair elections and in respecting the aspirations of the people. Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf said that the development of the consensus on the election of the Chief Election Commissioner was the first step towards the holding of free elections. Other phases will also be completed with the same spirit and intent. He said nobody should have any confusion or concerns on the matter. Turning to the different initiatives launched by Benazir Income Support Program, the Prime Minister said programs like Waseela Haq Waseela-e-Sehat and insurance scheme have been launched to help the oppressed segments of the society stand on their own feet. He said the program launched on the name of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto has become a role model for the entire world as it is providing financial assistance to the deserving people on merit irrespective of their party affiliation. He expressed the confidence that the future governments will continue with this program for the betterment of the poor families. Pervez Ashraf said that around one hundred thousand families are getting help from this program. He said currently six million people are benefiting from this program and it will be further expanded with completion of poverty survey. Under this program, an education program is being launched with the financial assistance of the UK for the education of three million poor children. He was confident the program will bring revolution in the lives of the people. The Prime Minister further said that almost half of the population of Balochistan is benefiting from various schemes of Benazir Income Support Program. He said Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan as far as its geography is concerned and future of the country lies in that province. Later the Prime Minister distributed checks of one hundred and fifty thousand rupees among women selected under Waseela Rozgar Program. He also distributed debit cards and Life Insurance Certificates among various participants.

Judiciary expelled one Gilani, public elected second Gilani

Former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that judiciary expelled one Gilani but the public elected second Gilni; public’s decision is incredible in comparison to the judiciary’s verdict over court contempt, SAMAA reported on Friday. Yousuf Raza Gilani said in his address at a ceremony in Multan this day that the PPP has never entered from back door in power. He expressed gratitude to voters for success of son in by-polls while terming public’s decision incredible than judiciary’s verdict. All those works will be completed in Southern Punjab which were started during my tenure, assured the former prime minister to the people on the occasion. “Judiciary’s verdicts are at their place but people and history’s decisions use to be different,” Yousuf Raza Gilani added, saying apart from being in power or not, we would continue serving people.

Pakistan provides military flights for civilians as 20 more Shias massacred

After latest incident of civilians from Muslim minority being pulled off bus on major road and shot, Pakistan lays on flights to capital

A series of sectarian massacres on one of Pakistan's most important roads has forced the government to lay on military flights for Shias travelling to and from the country's capital. The decision to allocate C-130 Hercules transport planes for the use of civilians travelling between Islamabad and the north-eastern provincial capital of Gilgit follows the killing on Thursday of 20 Shias. In the third such incident on the road in six months, the victims were pulled off a bus some 100 miles north of Islamabad by armed men, lined up and shot. Local officials said the up to a dozen people wearing army uniforms had stopped the bus before mounting their attack. "After checking their papers, they opened fire and at least 20 people are reported to have been killed," said Khalid Omarzai, administration chief of Mansehra district. Pakistan is struggling to deal with a rising tide of sectarian violence and extremist Sunni militant groups who do not regard members of the Shia sect as true Muslims. The prime minister's office said the flights were a temporary measure as the country heads towards the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. "Normally people would travel by roads but because of the situation people are no long prepared to use it," a spokesman for Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the prime minister, said. The road is critical for connecting Gilgit-Baltistan, the mountainous province that borders China, with the rest of the country. With stunning scenery and access to some of the world's highest mountains, it was once popular with international tourists travelling the Karakoram Highway. But Gilgit and its surrounding area have been repeatedly hit by appalling sectarian violence. In February 18 Shias were forced off a bus travelling to Gilgit and killed. And in April nine travellers were shot dead in a town 60 miles from the city. And in another attack on Thursday a bomb appeared to target a bus carrying Shia students to an anti-Israel rally in Karachi, the megacity on the country's southern coast, which is also frequently racked by sectarian killings. Police said one man was killed and 11 were wounded as the bus travelled to the protest held annually at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Many analysts have criticised the Pakistani government for not doing enough to suppress anti-Shia groups. The government and military are often reluctant to launch crackdowns in the Sunni-majority country, in which radical groups enjoy mainstream support from the public.

Clue of every crime points out North Waziristan

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Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that clue of every crime points towards North Waziristan and criminals form Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan are sheltered here. Speaking to media on Friday, he said that politicians should refrain from doing Taliban Branded Politics, referring to Sheikh Rashid’s latest speech. Malik said that four terrorists who attacked airbase in Kamra had been identified. He said that that sensitive installations located near populated areas would be shifted. To a question, the minister said that families of Naran bus attacks victims would be compensated. Malik said that after the passage of 18th amendment security had become provincial.

PPP concerned over CJP’s ‘political’ statement

DAILY TIMES

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary General Senator Jahangir Badr on Thursday expressed concern over the reported statement attributed to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry regarding the people’s disappointment with the government. Badr said that such political statements attributed to the chief justice did not seem appropriate, adding that as long as Justice Chaudhry was the chief justice of Pakistan, he could not associate himself with politics. The judges of superior courts could participate in politics after two years of their retirement, he said. The PPP leader said his party respected the judiciary, adding that it was the right of the people to elect their representatives. It was also their right to exercise their opinion by casting vote in favour or against any political party in the election, he said.

Pakistan: Militants in mosques

By:Ershad Mahmud

The recent terrorist attack on the airforce base in Kamra reminds me of last Friday’s prayers wherein I strongly realised that the present peace is fragile and violence can revisit us anytime in the days ahead. As luck would have it, I incidentally bumped into a mosque to offer prayers and experienced the unexpected. The mosque, which is just a couple of miles from Pakistan’s military headquarters, was filled with worshippers but the sermon was not delivered by the local imam. Instead a young and fairly well-built man was addressing the people from the pulpit. After listening to him a little I thought that he would make a traditional anti-American diatribe where the United States is roundly criticised for all the evils bedevilling the Muslim world. But he suddenly took a turn to enliven the last two decades of the previous century of ‘jihadi’ activism. A returnee from the battlefront in Paktia, Afghanistan, he flaunted his heroics of ‘jihad’ against the USA-led Nato forces. Chest-thumping he claimed that he had killed several ‘enemies’ in his two years service, he boasted of several successes against the US forces. In his words, the Taliban are winning the battle in Afghanistan and the US has been forced to run for its life. This young ‘mujahid’ sent us into a state of déjà vu when he asked the worshippers to spare at least one of their sons for the holy ‘jihad’ as this was the ripe time to inflict maximum destruction on the enemy which is on the run. So they could win the final round. He promised his group had arrangements in place for military training of such aspirant ‘jihadis’. Not quite long ago this was the routine practice in Pakistani mosques. He cleverly appealed to the collective emotion of the people by bringing in the case of Aafia Siddiqui, an American-educated Pakistani woman who was sentenced to 86 years by the US court for terror charges. He told the audience that ‘mujahedeen’ had taken oath not to rest till she was released from the US prison. Probably the financial crunch had forced this man to fall back on the old tactics of raising funds during Friday prayers in Pakistani mosques. He made an appeal to the people that the Taliban needed huge financial resources to continue this war as a small operation would require huge financial input. He convincingly asked everyone to contribute as much as they could. Pointing towards his colleagues at the gate, who were combing their long beards with their fingers, the speaker said that they would collect the charity and facilitate the recruitment. At the end of the prayers I noticed people queuing up at the gate to contribute whatever they could for ‘jihad’. It was a baffling experience for me as I was of the view that radical activism in such a way was a thing of the past, at least in urban centres. The government has taken several steps to dismantle the infrastructure of these groups and open activism is banned. There are also programmes for de-radicalisation of militant youth in order to rehabilitate them and bring them back into mainstream society. However, it seems that the state has largely failed to stop these groups from routine activities of raising funds and recruiting fresh blood in the name of jihad in Afghanistan. This is just one example and there are surely more but one wonders if the top guns at the policy level know of such development. As this personal experience shows, counterinsurgency efforts have not yet produced the desired results and need close introspection at the top level. Such brazen escapades of ‘jihadism’ in mosques in the centre of the country fly in the face of Pakistan which vehemently rejects any mention of Pakistan being used by terror groups for terror activities in Afghanistan. Straight denial and negligence of such activities will not do it good. Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, had to face embarrassment recently in a public meeting at Washington when she criticised the coalition forces for not being able to stop Afghan terror groups from intruding into Pakistan’s territory and attacking the army and civilians alike. An American official slapped her with a counter question as to why her country was not doing anything to stop infiltration of terror groups into Afghanistan in the first hand. How could Pakistan expect Afghanistan or the US to do what they have been asking it to do for a very long time? Although this is not an excuse but the Pakistani state is fast becoming an ineffective state and has failed to establish the rule of law in the country. The government’s ability to police and timely gather intelligence seems flawed as well, and not much has been delivered. These groups know and exploit this weakness and thus take advantage of it. A comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy should be adopted and seriously implement which should also target mosque committees warning them of consequences if banned outfits are allowed to go about their activities. This is a critical time for Pakistan to put its house in order and eschew any negligence or tolerance of such radical groups.

The writer is Islamabad-based freelance journalist and consultant. www.ershadmahmud.com

Pakistani film Lamha wins awards at New York Film Festival

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Pakistani feature film Lamha bagged two awards at the New York City International Film Festival (NYCIFF). Lamha (publicized as Seedlings in English internationally), won the Best Feature Film award and its leading lady Amina Sheikh won the Best Actress in Leading Role award in a late night ceremony at the Angelika Film Center, New York. Lamha, starring Mohib Mirza, Amina Sheikh and Gohar Rasheed is a production of Meher Jaffri and Summer Nicks while a new talent Mansoor Mujahid directed the venture. The film was nominated in five categories including Best Actor in Leading Role (Mohib Mirza), Best Actor in Supporting Role (Gohar Rasheed), Best Score, Best Original Screenplay (Summer Nicks) and Best Director (Mansoor Mujahid). The movie was one of the 100 films out of 3,000 film entries to be screened at the festival. The film’s premiere at the festival, on August 10, was a sold out affair at the Tribeca Cinema.

Bomb hits bus carrying Shiites killing 1, Pakistan says

A senior Pakistani government official says a bomb hit a bus carrying Shiite Muslim students in the southern city of Karachi, killing one person. Roshan Ali Shaikh says Friday's attack also wounded 11 people. Shaikh is the top administrative official in Karachi. The attack came a day after Taliban gunmen in northern Pakistan forced 20 Shiites off buses, lined them up and killed them. Pakistan has faced a growing wave of sectarian killings at the hands of Sunni extremists over the past year. Shaikh says the Shiite university students were on their way to an anti-Israel rally that is held every year at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/17/bomb-hits-bus-carrying-shiites-killing-1-pakistan-says/#ixzz23oKlO3zS

Another Afghan police attack kills 2 US troops

A newly recruited Afghan village policeman opened fire on his American allies on Friday, killing two U.S. service members minutes after they handed him his official weapon in an inauguration ceremony. It was the latest in a disturbing string of attacks by Afghan security forces on the international troops training them. Later Friday, an Afghan soldier turned his gun on foreign troops in another part of the country and wounded two of them, a spokesman for the NATO coalition said. The attacks in the country's far west and south brought to seven the number of times that a member of the Afghan security forces — or someone wearing their uniform — has opened fire on international forces in the past two weeks. Such assaults by allies, virtually unheard of just a few years ago, have recently escalated, killing at least 36 foreign troops so far this year. They also raise questions about the strategy to train Afghan national police and soldiers to take over security and fight insurgents after most foreign troops leave the country by the end of 2014. The NATO-led coalition has said such attacks are anomalies stemming from personal disputes, but the supreme leader of the Taliban boasted on Thursday night that the insurgents are infiltrating the quickly expanding Afghan forces. Friday's deadly attacker in the far western province of Farah was identified as Mohammad Ismail, a man in his 30s who had joined the Afghan Local Police just five days ago. He opened fire during an inauguration ceremony attended by American and Afghan forces in the Kinisk village, the Farah provincial police chief Agha Noor Kemtoz said. "As soon as they gave the weapon to Ismail to begin training, suddenly he took the gun and opened fire toward the U.S. soldiers," Kemtoz said. Ismail was shot and killed as the coalition and Afghan forces returned fire, the police chief said. A spokesman for the international coalition force, Jamie Graybeal, confirmed that two American service members were killed Friday by a member of the Afghan Local Police. The ALP is different from the national police and represents a village defense force under the Ministry of Interior that is being trained by international forces, including U.S. special forces. Graybeal gave no other details on the Farah attack other than confirming the shooter had been killed. Kemtoz, the police chief, said the attack took place about 8 a.m., after the U.S. forces arrived in the village to train the local police. He said one Afghan National Police officer was also seriously wounded in the shooting. Later Friday, an Afghan army soldier fired on coalition troops in the southern province of Kandahar. Two of the international troops were wounded but none was killed in that shooting, Graybeal said. He added that the soldier was shot and died later Friday of his wounds. So far in 2012, there have been 29 attacks reported on foreign troops by Afghans they are training, compared to 11 attacks in 2011, according to an Associated Press count, and five attacks in each of the previous two years. Seven such attacks have come in the past two weeks alone, with six American troops killed last Friday in two separate shootings in Helmand province in the south and another American killed a few days previously on a U.S. base in Paktia province in the east. The trend raises questions about potential resentment by Afghans after more than a decade of international presence since the American-led intervention to oust the Taliban regime from power for harboring the al-Qaida terrorist leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S. The insider attacks also renew concern that insurgents may be infiltrating the Afghan army and police, despite intensified screening. Insurgent infiltration or recruitment was behind only about 10 percent of this year's reported attacks on coalition forces by Afghan allies, Graybeal said earlier this week, citing investigations into attacks before those of the past week. Graybeal insisted the deadly violence is relatively small scale compared to the nearly 340,000 Afghan security forces now being trained. The international coalition has said that Afghan forces are increasingly able to lead operations and already have started to assume responsibility for security in areas of the country that are home to 75 percent of the Afghan population. However, the Taliban have been quick to seize on the increasing number of attacks as a sign of Afghan rejection of foreign forces and the insurgents' own successful recruitment. The group's supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar said Thursday night that the insurgents "have cleverly infiltrated in the ranks of the enemy" and were successfully killing a rising number of U.S.-led coalition forces. In an email to media organizations, Omar said the plan to transfer responsibility to Afghan forces by the end of 2014 is a "deceiving drama" that the international community has orchestrated to hide its defeat. The Taliban leader's message came on the same day that a U.S. military helicopter crashed during a firefight with insurgents in a remote area of southern Afghanistan, killing seven Americans and four Afghans in one of the deadliest air disasters of a war now into its second decade. The Taliban claimed they gunned down the Black Hawk.

Obama better for world economy: poll

Twice as many business executives around the world say the global economy will prosper better if incumbent U.S. president Barack Obama

wins the next election than if his Republican challenger Mitt Romney does, a poll showed on Friday. Democrat Obama was chosen by 42.7 percent in the 1,700 respondent poll, compared with 20.5 percent for Romney. The rest said "neither". The result was different among respondents in the United States, where a slim majority thought Romney would be better for their businesses than Obama. Obama maintains a seven-point lead over Romney among registered voters in the race for the November 6 presidential election, despite the fact Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the future, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week. The FT poll was conducted before Romney picked Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate at the weekend, a move that could dramatically shift the election debate between two sharply contrasting views of government spending and debt. Romney's choice for running mate gave him no immediate boost to his White House prospects, a Reuters/Ipsos poll suggested on Monday.

Saudi shame on Islamic world

As the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) concludes its emergency summit in Mecca this week with the suspension of Syria, its member states should now consider amending the body’s name - to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation with United States Imperialism (OICUSI). For the OIC stands as a violation of every principle it is supposed to represent. In calling for this conference with its flagrantly politicised agenda, Saudi Arabia emerges as the shame of the Islamic world. Admittedly, the acronym OICUSI is a bit clunky, but it would be far more truthful than the present OIC. The 57-member organisation, founded in 1969, represents some two billion Muslims worldwide and is charged with “promoting solidarity among members and upholding peace and security”. Far from promoting solidarity and peace, the OIC has shown itself to be a political instrument serving the geopolitical interests of Washington and its allies in the destruction of Syria and their designs for entrenching hegemonic control over the Middle East. That control is all about exploiting the resources of the region to enrich Western corporations and banks, paying off elite rulers and impoverishing the mass of people. Of course the Syrian people want reform and more democracy. But they won’t achieve that so long as Saudi Arabia and the other Western proxies remain on their thrones of deception colluding with the foreign enemies of the people. Just at the hour when the people of Syria are desperately in need of international solidarity and peace, the OIC delivers a kick in the teeth. In this way, the OIC is following in the disgraceful footsteps of the 21-member Saudi-dominated Arab League, which suspended Syria last November. These sanctions against Damascus are based on the entirely bogus claim fomented by Washington and the former colonial powers London and Paris that the conflict in Syria stems solely from repression and violence perpetrated by the government of President Bashar Al Assad against his people. This propaganda narrative turns reality completely on its head. The violence in Syria over the past 17 months has largely stemmed from armed groups that are supplied, directed and infiltrated by the Western powers in collusion with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel. The US-led axis is attempting to tear Syria apart by fuelling sectarian bloodshed between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and between Muslims, Christians, Druze and Kurds. The desecration of Islam is particularly vile. Mosques have been turned into sniper posts to fire on civilians, and whole villages have been massacred - the throats of children slit - by so-called Holy Warriors. These jihadists, who have gravitated to Syria from Britain, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, among other countries, are directed by Washington, London and Paris in time-honoured fashion of these powers’ criminal involvement with Islamic fundamentalists under the catch-all nom de guerre of Al Qaeda. They are weaponised by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel; they are trained and based by Turkey and Jordan. And their brains are weaponised by Saudi Wahhabism, with all its intolerant pathological hatred to anyone who opposes its tyranny and Western objectives. In the context of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, this conspiracy of terror and mass murder should be matter of diabolical shame for member states Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Jordan. These supposedly Islamic countries are colluding with the Western powers and their criminal Zionist proxy in the murder of Muslims and other Syrians in the service of imperialist domination of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia in particular is seen as abusing its historic role as custodian of the holy Islamic centre of Mecca to further a despicable political agenda. By calling the extraordinary meeting of the OIC in Mecca - supposedly to discuss the violence in Syria - Saudi Arabia is covering its blood-soaked hands with a mantle of religious sanctity. By contrast, Iran’s delegation to the OIC conference, headed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stood out as upholding the principles of the organisation. Iran rightly pointed out the basic injustice that the Syrian government was not even invited to the Mecca conference to hear the charges being levelled against it, and to have the opportunity to defend itself against such charges. One shouldn’t be surprised by the absence of jurisprudence for Syria at the Saudi-orchestrated event. After all, thousands of ordinary Bahrainis are being dragged through military courts in Saudi-backed Bahrain solely on the basis of trumped up prosecutions with no right to defend themselves either. Iran’s foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi noted at the beginning of the three-day conference: “Every country, especially OIC countries, must join hands to resolve this issue in such a way that will help the peace, security and stability in the region.” He warned: “By suspending [Syria’s] membership, this does not mean you are moving towards resolving an issue. By this, you are erasing the issue.” Unfortunately, Salehi’s sound advice was ignored. With typical Wahhabist attitude of no discussion, no explanation, the Saudi-hosted conference ended with the formal suspension of Syria from the OIC. The heavy-handed conclusion achieves what it was meant to: to not give Syria a fair hearing, to further isolate the country in the eyes of the world, to conceal the violent involvement of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Jordan in the destruction of Syria, and to give political cover for their imperialist masters in the dismemberment of Syria. The Mecca summit has all the signs of a tawdry show trial, shamefully under the banner of Islam, conducted, of all places, in the holy city. Current OIC chief is Turkish national Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. He said the decision to suspend Syria sent “a strong message” to Damascus. A statement issued at the end of the summit said participants had agreed on “the need to end immediately the acts of violence in Syria and to suspend that country from the OIC”. The suspension was “also a message to the international community stating that the Muslim world backs a peaceful solution [in Syria], wants an end to the bloodshed and refuses to let the problem degenerate into a religious conflict and spill over into the wider region,” the OIC chief Ihsanoglu added. Absolutely not true. First, if the OIC was serious about “ending immediately the acts of violence in Syria” then it would have suspended the memberships foremost of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and Turkey - the instigators of so-much bloodshed, terrorism and crimes against humanity in Syria that are inflaming the region. Second, on the claim that “the Muslim world backs a peaceful solution in Syria”, it should be noted that the Geneva accord agreed by the UN Security Council at the end of June, which calls for an inclusive political dialogue in Syria, has been continually violated by the Western, Arab, Turk, Israeli backers of the Jihadist terror army assailing that country. Indeed, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says these parties have sabotaged the Geneva accord. At the OIC summit, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in particular have arrogated the banner of the Muslim world, when in truth they are the unseemly standard bearers for imperialist butchery in the Middle East. In this holy month of Ramadan, where faith, compassion and truth before God is supposed to be adhered to more than ever, the Saudi OIC conference is truly an abomination of all that is supposedly represented by “Islam/peace”.

Bahraini forces attack al-Quds Day protesters

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have attacked demonstrators who were staging a protest to mark the international al-Quds Day in support of the Palestinian resistance against Israel.Protesters in Bahrain took to streets on Friday to mark the international al-Quds Day. They held the rallies despite a government ban.

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

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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.