Pakistan: 40 government employees in Rawalpindi have links to banned terrorist groups

Let Us Build Pakistan

Despite being put on the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) watch list, 40 individuals having links to outlawed organisations (of Takfiri Deobandis and Wahhabis) are working in different government departments in the Rawalpindi division. This was disclosed in an intelligence report sent to the provincial government recently. After observing that the police were not making serious efforts in keeping a vigil on the activities of such individuals, the Punjab home department last week directed all the district police across the province to obtain ‘fresh surety bonds’ from members of the outlawed outfits, especially those who had been released from jails, Afghan returnees, Lal Masjid elements and others put on the watch list. The intelligence report stated that over 460 persons charged with terror activities and delivering hate speeches had been placed under section IV (Schedule IV) of ATA in the Rawalpinidi division, comprising the districts of Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal and Rawalpindi. Of these, nearly 40 were working in different government departments like education and even some sensitive institutions. Anyone put on the watch list under section IV of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 has to inform the respective police before leaving his hometown and upon return. Such individuals after their release from jail are also supposed to provide a surety bond to the police for good behaviour and peaceful conduct. The intelligence report sent to the Punjab government contained the names of individuals, their home addresses and the police registration numbers along with the name of the police stations where they had to report. Their latest job status along with the department names were also mentioned in the report. Of the 40 persons who were associated with government departments and who were placed on the watch list between 2004 and 2010, 19 belonged to the Rawalpindi district. Of the 19 persons, four were working in government schools and the remaining in factories and sensitive institutions. The report, however, clarified that none of them was given the government jobs after being placed under the watch list. A senior intelligence officer told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that all the 40 individuals were low-level employees in government departments. He added that they can be a security risk because low-level employees in any organisation knew each and everything on the premises compared to their senior officers. The report added that in the Attock district, 17 suspects put on the watch list were doing government jobs – five of them in the education department. The number of such persons in Chakwal was four who were placed on the watch-list in 2010. When Naseemuz Zaman, the additional inspector general of police, was contacted and asked if any individual placed on the schedule 4th of ATA could get a government job, he replied: “No person placed on the schedule 4 can get a job in any government department.” He said according to the police department, there were 425 individuals who had been placed on the schedule 4 in the Rawalpindi division. Of the 425 persons, 381 have submitted surety bonds to the police. He added that 22 individuals had left their home addresses while four were declared proclaimed offenders. The AIG was of the view that getting a surety bond from such individuals was not enough to bound them not to get involved in any an illegal activity. “In stead of the police, such individuals should be handled by the courts of law because the police have no powers to confiscate the property of the guarantor or punish the offender,” the AIG suggested. He added: “Sometimes people are wrongly placed on schedule 4 of the ATA that causes problems for them.” The AIG said as the police record showed that 80 to 85 per cent people placed on the schedule 4 obeyed the law but there were very few who did not care about. He also cited the terrorist attack on Justice Maqbool Baqar in Karachi and said the ‘prime suspect’ arrested by the police in connection with the attack allegedly belonged to a banned outfit and had been placed on the schedule 4 of ATA. Talking to Dawn, Raja Saimul Haq Satti Advocate said no individual on the terror watch list can get a government job unless he obtains clearance from the court. Waheedur Rehman Khattak, the superintendent of police Saddar division, was of the view that serious efforts were not being made by the police to monitor the activities of such persons. “If such an individual violates the law, a case should be registered against them under section 11 of the ATA,” said SP Khattak. Critics say if the government seriously wanted to get rid of the menace of terrorism, it should depoliticise the police department and ensure all postings and transfers of officers on merit. - See more at: http://lubpak.com/archives/276337#sthash.BOShIwd9.dpuf

Afghanistan – chaos is inevitable

http://www.timesca.com/

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which will end in 2014, will lead to inevitable changes in the situation in the region and will force almost all major international players to reconsider their priorities and to adapt to the new reality, writes Alexander Shahnazarov in his analytical article in Knews. He says that despite the withdrawal of a large part of the military contingent of the joint anti-terrorist coalition, the backbone of which forms the U.S. military and accounts more than 130,000 people, at least 30,000 well-trained military professionals will remain on IRA territory, which will be placed in set eight bases. It means that the “withdrawal” of U.S. military contingent is some sort of conformity that doesn’t signify no foreign troop remaining in Afghanistan. Regardless the fact that Americans have transferred all rights to control the territory to Afghan government, the last two weeks shows inability of Afghanistsni force to assure security not in Afghanistan as a whole but even in its center. Three major terror attacks happened in Afghanistan for the past two weeks. The responsibility for these acts took Taliban. It is necessary to note that Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Khazarians live in Afghanistan. This complicates interethnic situation in IRA as nowadays, the president, government and parliament is fully represented by one ethnic group – Pashtuns. This all does not contribute to the stabilization of the internal situation in the country. Shakhnazarov brings as an example event took place in Talukan, Takhan province that is on the north of Afghanistan where clashes between Uzbeks and Tajiks happened recently. He refers to Afghan news agency Vice that informed on ethnic Uzbeks living in the area, holding meetings, complaining their poor representation in the government of Afghanistan and their province. Takhar is a home for many Tajiks too, so mass demonstrations of Uzbeks ended by the death of three and 52 wounded. According to the witnesses of the event, Afghan police preferred not to interfere and did not prevent the collision. According to Shakhnazarov, this situation illustrates quite well what will happen in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the major part of ISAF military contingent. He believes that the country will once again plunged into chaos of ethnic violence which Afghan security won’t be able to stop. Taliban taking the power is inevitable in these circumstances. It will happen with the support of western players. Shakhnazarov assumes that this is the particular scenario United States plan to follow having started negotiations with Taliban representatives in Qatar. Afghan President’s objections remain unheard. At the end, Shakhnazarov says, Karzai would need to agree sharing power with Taliban or simply would need to leave the office. Internal situation in Afghanistan will influence neighboring countries – Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. They can expect a deterioration of situation in the border areas with Afghanistan. Shakhnazarov writes that for the part years, large number of national units, opposing the existing regime found asylum in Afghanistan. They are the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and intransigent Tajik Opposition and Turkmen Islamists. Important to note that members of these groups have gone through serious military and terrorist trainings in Pakistan and Afghanistan camps. Of course, leaders of these organizations will certainly take advantage of the confusion that would arise in the IRA, to penetrate into the territory of neighboring countries, Shakhnazarov says. Today, the Central Asia countries are experiencing very difficult time. They do not have enough capacity to grade the security threat and the only guarantor of their stability has been and remains for long period of time membership in CSTO. As Nikolai Borduja, Secretary General of CSTO stated that leaders of CSTO member-states want to minimize the inevitable consequences of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, and inevitable deterioration of the situation in the region. Shakhnazarov says that when it comes to minimizing losses, it is understood that they are inevitable. And the leadership of the region will have to choose between "bad" or "very bad." He believes that CSTO is practically the only force able to solve serious challenges to regional security.

Across US, Thousands Protest Zimmerman Verdict

Thousands of people in the United States have joined nationwide rallies to demand federal action in support of civil rights, one week after a Florida jury acquitted a Hispanic neighborhood watchman in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager. The National Action Network, led by American civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, organized Saturday's vigils in honor of the teenager, Trayvon Martin, outside government buildings in more than 100 cities around the country. They were the latest in a series of national protests against the July 13 acquittal of the former neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty of second degree murder and manslaughter in the February 2012 incident in which he fatally shot Martin in the chest during an altercation. The jury accepted Zimmerman's claim that he was acting in self-defense. The verdict angered many Americans who believe Martin's killing was racially motivated. Race was not discussed in court during the trial. Saturday's main rally was in New York City, where hundreds of people gathered to see Martin's mother Sybrina Fulton, Sharpton and pop superstar couple Beyonce and Jay-Z. Addressing the crowd, Fulton said "today it was my son, tomorrow it might be yours." She also vowed to fight for change in the country to ensure that her son's death is not in vain, saying "I am going to work for your children as well." Fulton's former husband Tracy Martin also led a rally of hundreds of people in Miami, Florida. Sharpton is pressing the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a civil right prosecution of Zimmerman on suspicion of targeting Martin because of the teenager's race. Some legal experts say it would be difficult for federal prosecutors to prove the allegation. President Barack Obama paid tribute to Martin in a surprise appearance before White House reporters on Friday, saying the teenager "could have been my son ... could have been me 35 years ago." The nation's first black president urged people to see the Martin case from the perspective of African-Americans, saying he and others have experienced society perceiving them as threatening because of their race. Obama also said he is looking into ways to examine state and local laws to see if they encourage confrontations like the one in Florida.

Poor quality and bad management: India ignored warnings in free meal program

The village school in India where 23 children died by poisoning last week had been providing lunch under a government-sponsored scheme without checks or monitoring by local officials to see if the food was stored carefully or cooked properly. Although it is the first such disaster in the "midday meal" project that feeds about 120 million children every day across India, a Reuters review of audit reports and research papers shows officials have long ignored warnings of the lack of oversight and accountability in the program. "You only come and do checks when you get complaints or when there are serious cases," said Rudranarayan Ram, the local education administrator for the village of Gandaman in Bihar state, where the children died. "This was the first time." The poisoning, which police suspect was caused by storing cooking oil in a used pesticide container, killed the children so quickly that some died in their parents' arms while being taken to hospital. Ram, who was tasked with monitoring the program, said the headmistress of the school, who has fled, bought the food and the oil in which it was cooked. He just doesn't know from where nor how the items were stored. Although fatal contamination is extremely rare in the midday meal scheme, auditors in several states have described unhygienic conditions in which the food under the program is prepared and served, and the poor quality of food itself. Two audit reports by the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have said the food in the scheme was often laced with stones and worms. Another survey by the Indian Institute of Management noted children in Gujarat state were made to wash up after their meals by "rubbing the playground soil on the plates and then giving a quick rinse". "If the government checks, they will find that the children who have been eating midday meals are under great physical threat," said Ajay Kumar Jha, professor at A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies, who led a team to monitor the program in Bihar in April. The midday meal scheme of giving school pupils a free lunch is the largest such program in the world. It has been widely lauded as one of the most successful welfare measures in India, home to a quarter of the world's hungry, because it also boosts school enrolments and helps children to continue studies.For millions of poor families, the lunch is the only full meal their children eat in a day. That encourages them to send them to school, and not keep them home to help with chores. For this reason, despite being poorly managed, the scheme draws a lot of support from non-governmental organizations, rights activists and the United Nations. "We need it. It's one of India's most well-thought of programs," said Bharathi Ghanashyam, spokeswoman of Akshaya Patra, an NGO that provides school lunches. Still, audit reports have highlighted the continuing failings of the program, more than a decade after feeding children a cooked meal in schools was mandated by a Supreme Court order. The problems include grain kept in decrepit condition in federal warehouses, and then often stored and cooked in poorly-equipped schools by staff with little or no training.

NO WARNING

P.K. Shahi, the education minister in Bihar state, said there were no warnings from the federal government about the program. "There were general advisories for better hygiene. That's all," he told Reuters. "In Bihar, the midday meal scheme covers 16-18 million children in 73,000 schools and it's run by teachers and school management committees. I can understand the issues about hygiene given the scale of operation, the number of people involved, and given the fact that the individuals who run the program are not experts in food. "But you have to understand that (this) is a pure case of poisoning."Government guidelines for the program are strict, including requirements for every school to display delivery details for grains received from federal stores and list other ingredients purchased. Kitchens should have lockable storage to check pilferage and ingredients should be stored in proper containers, say the hygiene and safety rules. There should be regular inspections at the local and state level, according to the rules which are laid out by the Human Resources Development Ministry. Experts say the problem is not lack of rules but poor implementation and a lack of accountability. "Accountability and monitoring is weak to non-existent," Suneetha Kadiyala, research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in New Delhi, told Reuters in an email. "The right to food cannot be achieved (through any policy or legal instrument) unless the governance of programs and their monitoring at grass roots is strengthened." In Bihar, a 2008 audit report showed that 563.75 metric tons of rice rotted in schools during a three-year period due to poor storage. No "extra nutrients" such as vegetables or fruit were provided although expenditure of 598.7 million rupees (now about $10 million) was incurred by the government. Only 10 percent of the kitchens that were supposed to be constructed were complete as of March 2008, although funds were provided. "There was complete absence of the internal controls, regular monitoring and evaluation of the Scheme as per the guidelines," the 2008 report said.

NO LIGHTS OR FANS

Part of the problem is poor infrastructure. Thousands of schools in India do not even have their own buildings, and are run from community centers with no storage facilities. Many schools are no bigger than a single room. The school where the children were poisoned is a tiny building with only one classroom for 50-60 pupils. The room has no lights nor fans and only a black painted rectangle on the wall for a blackboard.The kitchen was a pile of bricks and charcoal in a corner outside the classroom and parents said the ingredients for lunch had to be brought in every day as there was no storage. "These deaths could had been prevented with strict adherence to protocols for preparing the mid day meal," said the United Nations Children's Fund, after the Bihar tragedy. Many states have faced criticism over the quality of food in the scheme and the way it is provided. In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, a recent pilot audit found underweight sacks of rice. In Madhya Pradesh in central India, a report in 2010 found half the schools did not serve meals regularly and cooks brought utensils from home. In West Bengal, a 2010 report by Pratichi Trust, a research body founded by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, called for more investments to improve the food quality. Hygiene problems are exacerbated by a lack of fresh water and basic sanitation in some rural areas. "We struggle to get basic clean water," said Mridul Salgame, who runs the non-profit Foundation of Food Research and Enterprise for Safety and Hygiene (FRESH). "In remote areas of Bihar and Rajasthan, they have to filter out muddy water and drink it." Salgame wants action and emphasizes the victims of these failings are children. "The time has come to take it up on a war footing," she said.

Sayyeda Zainab’s tomb attacked by Syria rebels, Al Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban

http://lubpak.com/archives/276475

The attack on Sayyeda Zainab’s (A.S.) mausoleum, in the Syrian capital, Damascus, is an instance of the Takfiri Deobandis from Pakistan partnering with Wahhabis and Salafis to form the Global Al- Qaeda that is unwittingly backed by NATO and the Western alliance. Hopefully, this is an error based on misunderstanding by the Western Alliance of just who exactly who these animals are, as there is no doubt, that the American people have not forgotten the terror committed by these same Al Qaeda on 9/11. This is a disaster for the global community! The significance of Sayyeda Zainab (AS) cannot be overstated. She was the co-leader of Karbala with Imam Hussain against an unjust and oppressive Caliphate. Taliban has now set up camp in Syria. It was Al Qaeda, who has paired with Pakistani Taliban, to perpetrate a religious profanity by attacking a Shrine so important to the Muslim community. This attack on the shrine of Sayyeda Zainab (AS) is a disaster not just for Muslims, but for religious communities everywhere. Those of us with a love of history understand that great religious events shape history, and recognize that the desecration of this kind should not be relegated to the back pages of press reports. Why are Pakistani Muslims and world leaders so silent? Perhaps it should be explained, and understood, who Sayyeda Zainab (AS) is. It is well known that on the 5th day of the 5th month of the 5th Hijri, after the completion of the Panjatan, the daughter Seyyada Zainab (AS) was born to Ali (The rightly guided Caliph) and Batool (the daughter of the founder of Islam). Sayyeda is a revered personage for Muslims everywhere. Sayyeda Zainab (AS) had two great missions to reveal the truth. One was to show the true face of Yazid and his followers, and the other was to uncover who the Ahlulbayt really were and what their importance was. At every step of her long journey she fulfilled these two missions. The whole world is indebted to her sacrifices and her courage, as Sayyeda became a verification of the words of Allah; “Those who believed and migrated and strive hard in Allah’s way with their possessions and their lives are far higher in rank in Allah’s view. They are those who achieved salvation.” As you can see, Sayyeda Zainab (AS) can be seen as the Christian saint might be viewed, or, the Rosa Parks, Anne Frank, or, even as wounded Malala and martyred Benazir Bhutto combined into one. Universal belief that Assad is the villain is not proof of the validity of the rebels. The rebels are Islamist. Meanwhile the United States is forgetting lessons of 1980 Afghanistan, and that attempting to put out a fire by pouring oil on it. General Martin Dempsey, the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, incredibly has briefed President Obama on options for military intervention in Syria. The Rebel leader, Jarba is a veteran secular dissident and seen as close to Saudi Arabia which has repeatedly urged the European Union to arm Syrian rebels. This is in spite of some Western and South Asian skepticism of supplying arms to the opposition that could fall into the hands of Islamist radicals. It should not be forgotten that the rebels in Syria are Saudi-funded Wahhabi terrorists fighting against the Assad Government, and are as much our enemies as Assad. The objective of these Salafists is the same as the past destruction of Sufi shrines in Mali, Libya and Syria by Al Qaeda/Taliban affiliated Takfiri Salafi/ Deobandi/ Wahabis. The Muslims leaders have said in their condemnation messages that it is Saudi Arabia that is attempting to attack the sacred places of Muslims, the Baitullah and the Holy Shrine of Our Last Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad PBUH, which is situated in the Masjid e Nabawi Premises. The first step of Al Saud have already demolished the Holy Shrines of all the Family Members of the Holy Prophet in the “Baqee Cemetery” commonly known as “ Janaat ul Baqee.” These Salafists have proven only one thing: In maligning Islam, by creating and sponsoring the Groups Like Taliban, al Qaeda , and allied groups they are simply the descendants of the Munafiqeen, that is, Munafiqeen e Dunya, i.e., hypocrites of the world, who consider themselves Muslims, but in fact, a disputable claim. Whether Jundullah, Boko Haram, Free Syrian Army, or any other group, operating in any part of the world under the banner of Al Saud, they are Takfiri Salafists that kill Muslims, and are nothing but political opportunists, bent on a Caliphate fantasy. Sayyeda Zainab (AS) as the co-leader at Karbala with Imam Hussain (AS), renders the Sayyeda Zainab(AS) Mauseleum as a symbol of courage to all humanity. Humanity needs to stand up for the reverence for historical monuments of humanitarian importance.

Pakistan: 203 incidents of sectarian violence in 18 months

Daily Times

In the last 18 months, 203 incidents of sectarian violence in Pakistan resulted in 1,800 casualties, including 717 deaths, of which 635 were Shia. Sectarian and religious violence in Pakistan is on the rise, and between January 2012 and June 2013, the Shia community has been the worst victim of these incidents, disclosed a detailed Fact Sheet issued by US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Thursday. The fact sheet prepared under the Pakistan Religious Violence Project, an undertaking of the USCIRF, took into account publicly reported attacks against religious communities in Pakistan during the past 18 months. The report stated that while Shias are more at risk of becoming victims of suicide bombings and targeted shootings, the already poor religious freedom environment for Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadis continued to deteriorate, with a number violent incidents occurring against members of these communities. "The Shia bore the brunt of attacks from militants and terrorist organisations, with some of the deadliest attacks occurring during holy months and pilgrimages," said the report. The report said that the information used in the fact sheet was acquired from newspaper reports and news articles available in the public domain. "The Project seeks to be inclusive, tracking all reported incidents involving physical attacks targeting a member of a religious community or a major religious gathering place (temples, churches, shrines, or mosques). However, it is not exhaustive and some acts of violence are certain to have been overlooked. While each incident has not been independently verified, it is based on the newspaper stories and articles," the fact sheet made it clear. Since January 2012, the Shia community was attacked 77 times, killing 635 members and injuring 834. They also suffered 18 incidents of bomb blasts and 46 times witnessed targeted shootings. Christians, the second biggest religious community of Pakistan, were attacked 37 times in which 11 Christians were killed and 36 injured. They were also attacked in targeted shootings that claimed 3 lives, while 5 Christian girls were also raped. Ahmadis witnessed 54 attacks including 1 bomb blast and 26 incidents of targeted shootings in which 22 Ahmadis were killed and 39 injured. In terms of rape victims, Pakistani Hindus are the worst victims as per the report. In 18 months around 7 incidents were reported in which Hindu girls were raped. Not this alone, but 2 Hindus died and 4 were injured in 16 attacks. Besides that 3 Hindus were killed in targeted shootings, the report went on to add. The Pakistani Sikhs, a minority within a minority, was attacked 3 times in which one was killed. Some other groups of different minorities were also attacked 16 times, in which 46 people died and 195 people were injured. The Project's findings paint a grim and challenging picture for the new government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "It was positive that the Prime Minister raised concerns about religious minorities during his maiden speech before the National Assembly, as well as travelled to Quetta after a recent bombing targeting Shia and tasked his government to act. However, concrete, resolute action is needed to ensure that perpetrators of violence are arrested, prosecuted and jailed. To stem the rising tide of violent religious extremism, groups and individuals responsible for attacks on religious communities must be punished," stated the report. In addition, while banned militant groups and private citizens are responsible for the majority of attacks on religious communities, government actors are not blameless - police officers have turned a blind eye to mob attacks or have refused to file police reports when victims are religious minorities, the report further stated. "The climate of impunity threatening all Pakistanis, regardless of their faith, also is exacerbated by the much abused blasphemy and anti-Ahmadi laws," stated the report of the project.

Lahore: City still at high risk for measles

The Express Tribune

Despite the government’s claims of running a successful measles vaccination drive in the province, a recently submitted Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) report has declared Lahore ‘high risk’ and the Health Department has recommended monitoring and surveillance of measles in the district, The Express Tribune has learnt. The report has been drawn up by EPI Senior Medical Officers Ashfaq Ahmad Joyia and Dr Waqar Hammid, appointed observers by the Directorate General of Health Services for the measles vaccination ‘catch-up’ campaign in Lahore. The report says Ravi, Wagha and Iqbal Town are among the worst affected towns in the district. The observers have identified major weaknesses in the campaign. The report lists the names of children and areas not covered in the vaccination. “Lahore is now a high risk district because the measles virus has been here for some time. District health authorities must ensure more than 95 per cent EPI coverage among children in nomadic settlements,” the report reads. It suggests that nomadic settlements should be included in the EPI’s tour plan. It warns that the routine EPI coverage in these settlements is alarmingly poor, especially in Ravi Town’s Khokhar village. It says 94.74 per cent children have not been vaccinated and 5.26 have been only partially vaccinated in a nomadic settlement on Khokhar Road, which has been there for eight years. “The routine EPI coverage among the nomadic population in UC 12 (Iqbal Town), which lies in the vicinity of Family Health Hospital, is extremely poor. As many as 85.7 per cent children have not been vaccinated and 14.3 per cent have been partially vaccinated.” The statistics have been shared with the Deputy District Officer Health (DDOH), who has decided that those responsible for the poor coverage must be tried under the PEEDA Act [Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability]. A list of names of unvaccinated children and their parents is attached to both reports. “EPI, is the single most effective tool to reduce infant mortality. It can lead to the eradication of diseases like measles. A delay in the implementation of EPI programmes at any level can expose the target population to the measles virus. This will ultimately increase morbidity and mortality due to preventable diseases, like measles,” the report adds. The observers have recommended that the district health authorities be more vigilant and vibrant. The district health management should make a distribution plan for the cold chain equipment provided by the EPI directorates, so that incidents of vaccine waste can be avoided. The DDOH and area in-charges must be held accountable if they don’t achieve more than 95 per cent EPI coverage in their areas. Union council medical officers should also be part of the campaign in their catchment areas, the report suggests. The observers have suggested stern action against the DDOHs and vaccinators responsible for vaccination in Ravi, Wagha and Iqbal Town. Copies of the report have been provided to the health secretary, director general, the EPI Director, the district coordination officer and the health district officer. EPI Director Munir Ahmad told The Express Tribune that the department had taken action against those responsible for low EPI coverage in the three towns. “When the campaign was completed, the health secretary chaired a meeting to evaluate progress on the vaccination in Lahore. The areas left out earlier, have now been covered,” he said. The anti-measles vaccination drive in Lahore took place between April 29 and May 5. As many as 190 children in the Punjab have died of measles since January including 86 of the children from Lahore. In Punjab, 22,250 measles patients have been reported, of which 5,800 have been from Lahore.

European Parliament identifies Wahabi and Salafi roots of global terrorism

It is not merely the faith or oil that flows out of Saudi Arabia. The oil-rich Arab state and its neighbours are busy financing Wahabi and Salafi militants across the globe. A recent report by the European Parliament reveals how Wahabi and Salafi groups based out of the Middle East are involved in the "support and supply of arms to rebel groups around the world." The report, released in June 2013, was commissioned by European Parliament's Directorate General for External Policies. The report warns about the Wahabi/Salafi organisations and claims that "no country in the Muslim world is safe from their operations ... as they always aim to terrorise their opponents and arouse the admiration of their supporters." The nexus between Arab charities promoting Wahabi and Salafi traditions and the extremist Islamic movements has emerged as one of the major threats to people and governments across the globe. From Syria, Mali, Afghanistan and Pakistan to Indonesia in the East, a network of charities is funding militancy and mayhem to coerce Muslims of diverse traditions to conform to the Salafi and Wahabi traditions. The same networks have been equally destructive as they branch out of Muslim countries and attack targets in Europe and North America. Despite the overt threats emerging from the oil-rich Arab states, governments across the globe continue to ignore the security imperative and instead are busy exploiting the oil-, and at time times, blood-soaked riches. The European Parliament's report though is a rare exception to the rule where in the past the western governments have let the oil executives influence their foreign offices. From the United States to Great Britain, western states have gone to great lengths to ignore the Arab charities financing the radical groups, some of whom have even targeted the West with deadly consequences. While the recent report by the European Parliament documents the financial details connecting the Arab charities with extremists elsewhere, it is certainly not the first exposition of its kind. A 2006 report by the US Department of State titled, International Narcotics Control Strategy Report - Money Laundering and Financial Crimes, reported that “Saudi donors and unregulated charities have been a major source of financing to extremist and terrorist groups over the past 25 years.” One of the WikiLeaks documents, a cable from the US Consulate in Lahore also stated that “financial support estimated at nearly 100 million USD annually was making its way to Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith clerics in the region from ‘missionary’ and ‘Islamic charitable’ organisations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ostensibly with the direct support of those governments.” The European Parliament’s report estimates that Saudi Arabia alone has spent over $10 billion to promote Wahabism through Saudi charitable foundations. The tiny, but very rich, state of Qatar is the new entrant to the game supporting militant franchises from Libya to Syria. The linkage between Saudi-based charitable organisations and militants began in the late 70s in Pakistan. A network of charitable organisations was setup in Pakistan to provide the front for channeling billions of dollars to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. Since then the militant networks have spread globally, emerging as a major threat to international security. Charlie Wilson’s War, a book by George Crile that was made into a movie, details the Saudi-militancy nexus as well as Ahmed Rashid’s Taliban. While ordinary citizens in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries have suffered the deadly consequences of militancy supported by the Wahabi and Salafi charitable organisations, the Saudi government had remained largely dormant. This changed in 2003 when militants attacked targets in Riyadh. Since then, the Saudi government has kept a close watch on the domestic affairs of charities, making it illegal to sponsor militancy, but the government has done precious little to curtail activities by Saudi charities abroad. In fact, evidence, as per the European Parliament’s report, suggests that Saudi and Qatar-based charities have been actively financing militants in Egypt, Syria, Libya, Mali, and Indonesia. Pakistan has suffered tremendously over the past three decades from domestic and foreign inspired militancy. The Soviet invasion in Afghanistan and the US-backed Afghan militancy forced Pakistan into a civil war that has continued to date. The faltering Pakistani economy did not help. Successive governments have rushed to Saudi monarchs asking for loans and free oil in times of need. However, Saudi money comes bundled with Saudi propaganda and a license to convert Pakistanis to a more 'puritan', read Wahabi, version of Islam. In late the 70s, Iranians also intensified their influence in Pakistan. While hardline Sunnis were being radicalised by the Wahabi influences from Saudi Arabia, Iranian influence on Pakistani Shias was also increasing. And whereas Pakistan did not need any further radicalization of its people, the Saudi-Iranian tussle spilled into the streets of Pakistan with devastating consequences for religious minorities and liberal streams of Sunni Islam. At the same time, the economic collapse in Pakistan forced many to find jobs abroad. Millions of Pakistanis left for the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. While the remittances kept their families and the Pakistani government afloat, the migrant workers returned to Pakistan after being radicalised during their stay in Saudi. They became the brand ambassadors for the Saudi-inspired Wahabi flavours of Islam, thus expediting the pace of radicalisation in Pakistan. Pakistan was equally vulnerable to foreign influences after the devastating earthquake in 2005 and floods in 2010 and 2011. The European Parliament’s report revealed that these disasters provided Saudi and other Arab charities to channel millions of dollars in aid, of which an unknown amount was used to fund militant organisations who have broadened their reach in Pakistan resulting in over 45,000 violent deaths in the past few years alone. Pakistanis have a very strong spiritual link with Saudi Arabia. However, they are suffering for the unbound devotion to the oil-rich state, which has done a poor job of curbing the financial support for militancy in Pakistan. Seeing the plight of violence stricken Pakistanis, one hopes that Saudi charities could be more charitable.

Pakistan: Quetta, other parts of Balochistan still without electricity

THE FRONTIER POST

Seventeen districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, are still without electricity, local tv reports on Saturday. Furthermore, no security clearance hindering restoration of electricity to the 17 districts of the province. Failure to achieve security clearance is hindering the restoration, repairs of recently destroyed electricity tower in Bolan, creating a 1380 MW shortfall in 17 districts of Balochistan. Unknown persons had blown four towers of 132 Kv, 220 Kv electricity tower at Bibi Nani, located between Sibi and Machh on Wednesday-Thursday midnight, plunging 17 districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, Mastung, Qalat, Qila Abdullah, Naushki, Chagi , Ziarat and others into utter darkness. The remaining districts are being supplied periodical electricity, at every alternate hour through district, agro and rural regions. The people of the affected parts of the province have demanded for rectification of the situation, besides taking stringent security measures.

Trayvon Martin: Protests across US at Zimmerman verdict

Protests have taken place in more than 100 US cities, a week after George Zimmerman was cleared of murdering unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. Demonstrators demanded federal charges to be brought against Mr Zimmerman, 29, over the February 2012 incident. A Florida jury agreed that the neighbourhood watch volunteer killed the 17 year-old in self-defence. In his first comments, President Barack Obama admitted many black men in the US experienced racial profiling. The protests against the court's decision were led by the National Action Network, headed by civil rights activist the Reverend Al Sharpton. "We are not coming out with violence, we are coming to denounce violence. The violence that was perpetrated on an unarmed, innocent man named Trayvon Martin," Mr Sharpton told at a rally in New York. Thousands gathered for "Justice for Trayvon" protests in at least 100 other cities across America, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami. Mr Sharpton told supporters on Saturday morning that he wanted to see the scrapping of "stand your ground" self-defence laws, such as that in force in Florida. "We are trying to change laws so that this never, ever happens again," he said. The teenager's mother, Sybrina Fulton, told the crowd: "Today it was my son. Tomorrow it might be yours." Rapper Jay Z and his wife, the singer Beyonce, appeared on stage at the New York rally. In Miami, Trayvon Martin's father, Tracy Martin, was among those who gathered to the words of the civil rights song We Shall Overcome. 'Could have been me' In an unexpected press call on Friday, Mr Obama said very few black men in the US had not experienced racial profiling. Mr Obama said the pain that African-Americans felt around the case came from the fact that they viewed it through "a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away". He said African Americans were also keenly aware of racial disparities in the application of criminal laws. "That all contributes to a sense that if a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different," Mr Obama said. "When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago." He shared his experiences of being racially profiled in the past, such as being followed while out shopping. "There are very few African-American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. "There are very few African-Americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she has a chance to get off," he said. Mr Obama called for the protests to remain peaceful, saying any violence "dishonours what happened to Trayvon Martin". He said that although criminal matters and law enforcement were traditionally dealt with on a state and not a federal level, it would be useful to examine some state and local laws to see if they encourage confrontation in certain situations. On Wednesday, US Attorney General Eric Holder cited the case as he urged a nationwide review of the "stand your ground" laws, which permit the use of deadly force if a person feels seriously threatened. The issue was never raised during the trial, though the judge included a provision about the law in her instructions to the jury, allowing it to be considered as a legitimate defence. Trayvon Martin was shot dead by Mr Zimmerman after an altercation in a gated community in Sanford, Florida. Last Saturday, the all-female jury of six found him not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter.

President Obama’s Anguish

President Obama did something Friday that he hardly ever does — and no other president could ever have done. He addressed the racial fault lines in the country by laying bare his personal anguish and experience in an effort to help white Americans understand why African-Americans reacted with frustration and anger to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Mr. Obama’s comments during a surprise appearance at the White House press briefing crystallized the dissonance around this case. In the narrow confines of the trial, all talk of race was excluded, and the “stand your ground” element in Florida’s self-defense law was not invoked by Mr. Zimmerman’s lawyers. But in the broader, more profound and more troubling context of Mr. Martin’s death, race and Florida’s lax gun laws are inextricably interwoven. On the first, Mr. Obama said: “The judge conducted the trial in a professional manner. The prosecution and the defense made their arguments.” The jurors, he added, “were properly instructed that in a case such as this reasonable doubt was relevant, and they rendered a verdict.” But on the broader context, Mr. Obama eloquently rebutted those — like Representative Andy Harris, a Republican, with his dismissive “get over it” remark on Tuesday — who said that the verdict should have ended discussion of the case, especially talk about race and gun laws. “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago,” Mr. Obama said, adding that “it’s important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn’t go away.” He said there are “very few African-American men in this country who haven’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store” or “the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off.” “That,” he said, “includes me.” Mr. Obama said African-Americans are also acutely aware that “there is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws — everything from the death penalty to enforcement of our drug laws.” He said it would be naïve not to recognize that young African-American men are “disproportionately both victims and perpetrators of violence.” But using those statistics “to then see sons treated differently causes pain,” he said. Mr. Obama called on the Justice Department to work with local and state law enforcement to reduce mistrust in the policing system, including ending racial profiling. He also called for an examination of state and local laws to see whether they “are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of altercations and confrontations and tragedies that we saw in the Florida case.” Mr. Obama raised questions about the message that “stand your ground” laws send, telling a citizen that he “potentially has the right to use those firearms even if there’s a way for them to exit from a situation.” Mr. Obama noted that Mr. Zimmerman did not invoke that defense. But he said it was still relevant. In one of the most powerful parts of his remarks, he said: “I’d just ask people to consider, if Trayvon Martin was of age and armed, could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk? And do we actually think that he would have been justified in shooting Mr. Zimmerman, who had followed him in a car, because he felt threatened?” If the answer is “at least ambiguous,” Mr. Obama said, “we might want to examine those kinds of laws.” Mr. Obama said Americans needed to give African-American boys “the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them.” He said he was not talking about “some grand, new federal program” or even a national “conversation on race,” which he said often ends up being “stilted and politicized” and reaffirms pre-existing positions. In a way, Mr. Obama began that conversation with these remarks, while speaking directly to African-Americans who have longed to hear him identify with their frustrations and their anger. It is a great thing for this country to have a president who could do what Mr. Obama did on Friday. It is sad that we still need him to do it.

Rallies for Trayvon Martin begin across U.S.

A week after a Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, rallies began across the country as activists press federal authorities to prosecute the former neighborhood watch volunteer on civil rights charges.

Zimmerman was found not guilty of both second-degree murder and manslaughter by a six-woman panel in last year's shooting death of Martin. His attorneys successfully argued that Zimmerman's use of force was justified as self-defense in the altercation with the unarmed teen. The case has spurred a national debate about gun laws, the use of justifiable force and racial profiling, even prompting President Barack Obama to weigh in with personal remarks Friday on race relations in the U.S.The "Justice for Trayvon" rallies are being organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network and will take place in outside federal buildings in at least 100 cities, including New York, Miami and Los Angeles. They are scheduled to happen at noon local time.

In New York, hundreds of people, including the music superstars Jay-Z and Beyonce, were assembled along with Sharpton and Sybrina Fulton, Martin's mother. Last Saturday's verdict spurred protests throughout the week, leading to sporadic violence and some arrests - mostly in California - but there have been no widespread disturbances. Organizers hoped for a day of peaceful protest Saturday. This week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the department would investigate whether Zimmerman could be charged under federal civil rights laws, which would require evidence that he harbored racial animosity against Martin. Most legal experts say that would be a difficult charge to bring. Police in Sanford, Fla., say the Justice Department has placed a hold on all evidence related to case, including the gun Zimmerman used and which he would otherwise be legally entitled to reclaim.Speaking to supporters earlier in the morning, Sharpton said he want a rollback of "Stand Your Ground" laws that make it easier for people to shoot each other if they feel threatened. He also repeated calls for the Justice Department to investigate the case. "We are trying to change laws so that this never, ever happens again," Sharpton said. Fulton, Martin's mother, saidm "Today it was my son. Tomorrow it might be yours." Earlier this week, Fulton told "CBS This Morning" that she was "stunned" by the verdict."I thought surely that he would be found guilty of second degree murder, manslaughter at the least. But I just knew that they would see that this was a teenager just trying to get home. This was no burglar. This was somebody's son that was trying to get home." Martin's brother, Jahvaris Fulton, was also attending the New York event. Martin's father was scheduled to participate in a rally in Miami, where a crowd also gathered Saturday morning. Several of the jurors, who are still anonymous, have spoken out since delivering the verdict. In a CNN interview Monday, Juror B37, revealed that the jury was evenly split on a conviction in the initial vote. But she felt that both Zimmerman and Martin were equally responsible for the physical confrontation and that race played no factor. The following day, four other jurors released a brief statement saying "the opinions of Juror B37, expressed on the Anderson Cooper show were her own, and not in any way representative of the jurors listed below." The six-sentence statement - signed by Jurors B51, B76, E6 and E40 - did not specify what parts of the other juror's comments they disagreed with, but they did say that "serving on this jury has been a highly emotional and physically draining experience for each of us. The death of a teenager weighed heavily on our hearts but in the end we did what the law required us to do." On Friday, in a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, President Obama delivered extensive remarks about the case and about more broadly about the state of race in America."When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said this could've been my son. Another way of saying that is, Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago," he said. "There are very few African-American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping at a department store, and that includes me," he said. He spoke about hearing the locks click on car doors while crossing the street -- something Mr. Obama said he experienced before he was senator -- or seeing a woman nervously clutch her purse while in an elevator with an African-American man. "I don't want to exaggerate this, but those sets of experiences inform how the African-American community interprets what happened one night in Florida. It's inescapable for people to bring those experiences to bear." The president acknowledged that Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law was not actually cited as part of Zimmerman's defense. Nevertheless, Mr. Obama said that kind of law does not necessarily send a positive message. "If we're sending a message in our societies ... that someone who is armed potentially has the right to use those firearms even if there is a way for them to exit from the situation, is that really going to be contributing to the peace and order?" he asked. "For those who resist that idea, I'd just ask people to consider if Trayvon Martin was of age and armed, could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk? Do we actually think he would've been justified in shooting Mr. Zimmerman because he followed him in a car?" Finally, he said the nation shouldn't lose sight of its progress on issues of race and equality. "When I talk to Malia and Sasha, and I listen to their friends and I see them interact, they're better than we are," he said. "That's true of every community that I've visited all across the country."

Explosion hits Beijing airport

An explosion occurred Saturday evening at Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport, police said. A wheel-chaired Chinese man, identified as Ji Zhongxing from eastern Shandong province, set off a home-made explosive device outside the arrivals exit of the Terminal 3 at around 6:24 p.m., an initial police investigation showed. The device was detonated after the 34-year-old was stopped from handing out leaflets to get attention to his complaints, according to the probe. Ji himself was injured, but suffered no life-threatening injuries and is currently under treatment. The explosion caused no other injuries. The police cordon at the arrivals exit has been removed, and the airport has begun to resume normal order. Police authorities are further investigating the case.

President Obama's weekly Address

Dozens injured in Bahrain as police, protesters exchange fire - reports

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Dozens of people were reportedly injured in Bahrain early Friday, after police fired birdshot to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters in several Shiite villages. A policeman was also wounded after being shot by a homemade gun. The protests, which erupted late Thursday and lasted until the early hours of Friday, were called by the opposition February 14 Coalition youth group, according to witnesses cited by AFP. “We will remove you [King] Hamad,” was reportedly the banner slogan issued by the group to rally protesters against the Sunni monarch.Activists said that dozens were injured in clashes as police responded to protests by firing birdshot. Meanwhile, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior posted on Twitter that “security forces confronted a terror group” near Manama, and that a policeman was wounded after being shot with a homemade gun. AFP quoted witnesses confirming both the police fire and the shooting, but said that an official list of casualties was not immediately available.Demonstrators have repeatedly clashed with security forces since the start of protests against the Sunni dynasty. The demonstrations have not ceased, despite a 2011 crackdown backed by Saudi-led Gulf troops. The Bahraini government has often referred to protesters – mostly Shiite Muslims - as “terrorists,” and recently used a car bomb explosion outside a Sunni mosque as a pretext to ban the opposition protests in several Shiite villages. At least 80 people have been killed in Bahrain since the uprising began, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.

Saudi rights activist Iman al-Qahtani given travel ban

A Saudi Arabian activist and journalist has been banned from travelling abroad. In a message on Twitter, Iman al-Qahtani said she had been stopped from flying to Istanbul. Only then, she said, was she told of her travel ban.

Ms Qahtani has been outspoken in her support for fellow human rights campaigners in the Arabian kingdom. Saudi officials were said to have been unhappy with her reporting. In April, she said she would stop tweeting to protect her family from reprisals. In a brief, dramatic tweet, she told her followers she was doing it for her mother's sake. Live-tweeting trials There were reports Ms Qahtani had been coming under pressure from the security services over her reporting of the trials of two leading Saudi human rights activists, Mohammad al-Qahtani and Abdullah al-Hamid. The two men founded the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA). They were tried on a variety of charges including breaking their allegiance to the king and setting up an unlicensed organisation. Iman Qahtani was among a group of activists and journalists who live-tweeted the hearings, posting pictures from inside the court. This allowed a rare transparency for the legal process in Saudi Arabia. One of the judges originally ordered Ms Qahtani's arrest for providing false information, although this charge was later dropped. Both the ACPRA founders were finally found guilty and given sentences of 10-11 years in jail. Several other rights activists have been imprisoned in the past two years - indication the Saudi authorities are taking a harder line on dissent in the wake of the Arab Spring upheavals. Iman Qahtani's silence on Twitter had raised concerns for her. Now, she has broken that silence - if only to show she is clearly being closely observed by the security services. A travel ban is a common penalty in Saudi Arabia for those who are believed to be stirring political unrest. On Twitter, there have been messages of support from Saudi tweeters for Iman Qahtani, as well as fears expressed that the government's campaign to silence critical voices is intensifying.

Film,TV actor Nadeem turns 72

Famous film and television actor Nadeem Baig turned 72 Friday. Born as Mirza Nazeer Baig Mughal on July 19, 1941, Nadeem is a Pakistani actor who is considered as the best actor of his time in Pakistani film industry. He has acted in several films, telefilms, and TV drama serials. He was born in Vijayawada in Andhra Pardesh state of India in 1941. He was interested in singing and used to take part in musical competitions, and was noticed by the famous singer Firdousi Begum. She was impressed by his singing talent and encouraged him to try playback singing in Dhaka's film industry. Nadeem's film career spans more than 45 years. He started his career in 1967 and appeared in his first film Chakori in a leading role with Shabana as opposite actress. The film was produced and directed by Captain Ehtesham, who, in real life, became his father-in-law in 1968. The film did well in both circuits of Pakistani film industry, i.e., West and East. He achieved Nigar Award in the best actor's category for Chakori. With consecutive hit films, like Chotay Sahab and Sangdil, he became one of the leading film actors of Pakistan in the 1970s and 1980s. Nadeem's commercially successive films include Nadan (1973), Anari, Pechan (1975), Talash (1976), Aina (1977), Hum Donon (1980), Lajawab, Qurbani (1981), Sangdil (1982), and Dehleez (1983). Besides acting, Nadeem has sung many songs for films.

After Supermodel, no bikinis for Veena Malik

Pakistani actress Veena Malik says she has worn so many bikinis in her upcoming film Supermodel that she doesn't want to wear the two-piece garment ever again.

"The number of bikinis that I have worn in this film, I have never worn as many before. I don't even intend to wear a bikini again," the 29-year-old said.

"Probably this is going to be the only Bollywood film in which you will see me in a lot of bikinis. From now onwards, I have decided not to wear bikinis," she added. Directed by Navin Batra, the film, shot in Fiji, also features Ashmit Patel as a photographer.

US rules out post-2014 presence sans BSA

http://www.afghanistantimes.af/

There would be no American troops on the ground in Afghanistan post 2014 without the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) being signed, a top US general said the other day.

BSA negotiations suspended by President Hamid Karzai after the United States announced the opening of the Taliban’s political office in Doha and plans for direct talks between the two sides. “That's right, sir,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey told Senate Armed Services Committee members, when Senator Carl Levin said any US presence after 2014 was dependent on working out a bilateral agreement with the Afghans. “I hope President Karzai is listening to that answer,” Levin said. But Dempsey, who is travelling to Afghanistan later this week, exuded confidence the BSA would be reached in time. Dempsey said the US military had made several recommendations to President Barack Obama on the residual force in Afghanistan. “We've provided several options. We've, as the Joint Chiefs, made a recommendation on the size and we've also expressed our view on when that announcement would best meet the campaign objectives.” In his remarks, Levin said while the campaign was on track to transition responsibility for the country's security to continue to draw down over the next year and a half, significant challenges remained to secure the hard-won gains. “Among those challenges is putting the US-Afghanistan partnership on a sound footing for the long term, including through the conclusion of a bilateral status of forces agreement to ensure our troops have the legal protections necessary for any post-2014 US military presence in Afghanistan,” he said. Recent statements by President Karzai had complicated negotiation of such an agreement and “I’ll be interested in what our witnesses have to say about the prospects for a successful negotiation, as well as what the status is of the efforts in Afghanistan militarily,” Levin remarked. Dempsey said Afghan security forces were on track. ISAF Commander Gen. Dunford, who hoped to achieve his campaign objectives in developing the Afghan forces, acknowledged there were potential gaps that he would like to have clarity on after the fighting season, the general concluded.

Afghanistan: Funds for roads end up in private pockets

http://www.pajhwok.com/

Only a fraction of Kabul’s streets are paved properly. The vast majority of roads are nothing but potholes and dirt, yet contractors regularly overshoot road-building budgets. The Independent Media Consortium Productions (IMCP) investigates the money trail.* The Kabul Municipality has accused the Turkish-owned Copy International and three Afghan firms -- Hewadwal, Latifi and Quyash Niazi -- of inflating road-construction costs. A committee appointed by the president’s office in end-2008 to probe the charges of embezzling funds and failing to adhere to the terms of the contract had representatives from the ministries of economy, public works, and finance, the State Administration Office and Kabul Municipality. The findings were submitted with evidence to the presidential palace. Kabul residents complain the roads that have been repaired are in the10th, 1st, 2nd and 17th districts where the rich and powerful live. Meanwhile, work has not finished on a 2 km stretch from Campany to Mahtab Qala that should have completed in end 2011. In the 13th district, Reza, a resident says, “The work is going on very slowly on Barchi road, a grinder works like an ant …” The findings, which IMC has made public for the first time, has been endorsed by its authors Engineer Abdul Ahad Wahid, Technical and Construction Deputy Mayor of Kabul Municipality, Muradi, representative of the palace, Engineer Adel Shah, representative of Ministry of Public Works, Nayeb Khail representative of Finance Ministry and Bismillah Bismil, the technical adviser to Kabul Municipality. The companies that claimed the entire budget for the projects, did not bother to return the money for work that remains outstanding. Instead, additional funds handed out by the Kabul Municipality have also been pocketed. Investigations by IMC reveal that Quyash Niazi spent 4.43 million dollars to pave a 70 metre wide road in the west of Kabul but charged Kabul Municipality 7.2 million dollars. Copy International spent 16 million dollars on the road from the airport to Intercontinental Hotel, but collected 18 million dollars. Documents submitted by Hewadwal show the cost of work on Qala Zaman Khan in the 16th district was 5.1 million dollars but Kabul municipality has disbursed 10.5 million dollars. Receipts and invoices also show that the cost of repair work for the 60 metre-Ahmad Shah Mena road in the 12th district through Bagrami executed by Latifi was 11 million dollars but Kabul municipality paid 12.95 million dollars.

Taliban-style edict for women spreads alarm in Afghan district

One of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's main religious advisers will not overturn a decree issued by clerics in the north re-imposing Taliban-style curbs on women, in another sign of returning conservatism as Nato forces leave the country. Just days after the United States launched a $200 million program to boost the role of women in Afghanistan, a senior member of the country's top religious leaders' panel said he would not intervene over a draconian edict issued by clerics in the Deh Salah region of Baghlan province. Deh Salah, near Panjshir, was a bastion of anti-Taliban sentiment prior to the ousting of the austere Islamist government by the US-backed Northern Alliance in 2001. But the eight article decree, issued late in June, bars women from leaving home without a male relative, while shutting cosmetic shops on the pretext they were being used for prostitution — an accusation residents and police reject. “There is no way these shops could have stayed open. Shops are for business, not adultery,” Enayatullah Baligh, a member of the top religious panel, the Ulema Council, and an adviser to the president, told Reuters late on Friday. Residents of Deh Salah described the order as a “fatwa”, or religious edict, although only senior clerics in Kabul should issue such a binding religious order. But underscoring opposition to the edict, a mayor was shot dead by a teenaged shop owner while trying to enforce the order, which also barred women from clinics without a male escort, threatening unspecified “punishments” if they disobeyed. Afghanistan has one of the world's highest infant mortality rates and more than a decade after the US-backed toppling of the Taliban, it still ranks as one of the worst nations to be born a girl. Under Taliban rule from 1996 until 2001, women were forced to wear the head-to-toe covering burqa and sometimes had fingers cut off for wearing nail varnish. The decree, signed by a conservative cleric in the area named Zmarai, contained a warning of holy war if authorities tried to block it: “If officials do react to our demands, we will start a jihad.” There is growing fear among many people in Afghanistan that the withdrawal of Nato-led forces and efforts to reach a political agreement with the Taliban to end the 12-year-old war could undermine hard-won freedoms for women. “Like the Taliban again” In the deeply conservative, male-dominated country where religion often holds more sway than legal authority, religious leaders have often been a major barrier to women obtaining the rights granted to them under the constitution. In Deh Salah, home to about 80,000 people, most of them ethnic Tajiks rather that the majority Pashtuns, the main community from which the Taliban draw support, a cosmetic shop owner named Abdullah stood before his business — now hidden behind plywood sheeting — and said clerics were increasingly flexing their muscles.“They want to bring back the Taliban days. If they have their way they will take control in this district and make life impossible,” said Abdullah. “We are poor people and they have closed me down. I want the government to take action or we are going to have mullahs running the place like the Taliban again,” he said. Shah Agha Andarabi, a doctor, said the rumour of prostitution and adultery in Deh Salah was without foundation and was being used as an excuse by conservative clerics to crack down on women. “There is nothing going on in these shops and I guarantee that. There was no proof. They just wanted to close these shops to women,” he said. Deh Salah police commander Colonel Abdul Ahad Nabizada also rejected the claims underpinning the decree, but said the mayor who was shot while closing the shops had been frightened into action by the threat of jihad against him if he was deemed to be blocking the edict. “Everyone here is Muslim. We haven't seen any behaviour like they claim in this small city. There were women coming to get their needs in the market and conservative people were against it,” said Nabizada. US aid officials this week announced a $200 million assistance package for Afghan women, to be matched by other international donors allied with the Nato-led coalition in the country, due to end combat operations by the end of next year. Human rights and women's groups have accused Karzai's government of backtracking on pledges to protect women's freedoms, highlighted by parliamentary opposition to a presidential decree outlawing violence against women. The government also appointed a former Taliban official to the country's new human rights body, while criminal laws under consideration in parliament would prevent women and girls testifying against family members accused of abusing them.

PAKISTAN: Women in Karak barred from leaving home without 'mehram'

dawn.com

A committee of local clerics (ulema) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak district banned the entry in markets of women who are not accompanied by a 'mehram' (close male family member). The local clerics committee of Khattak Ittehad held a meeting at the Tehsil Masjid Karak, headed by former district amir of Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam Hafiz Abne Amin on Friday decided that women roaming in the city bazaars (markets) without male members of their family were a source of spreading vulgarity in the society and should be stopped. The meeting which was also attended by Mualana Mir Zaqeem, Mualana Abdul Rehman and other clerics. The clerics also met the local administration and the police to implement the decision but they had refused to facilitate the implementation of this decision. When contacted, Mir Zaqeem who is the head of Khattak Ittehad, Karak city said that the decision was taken because most unaccompanied women were becoming a source of spreading vulgarity, especially in the holy month of Ramazan. He added that a group of such women (without a mehram) were also involved in theft and robberies. The Maulana further said that unaccompanied women in bazaars was not only against local Pakhtun culture but also against religious norms. He added that those women who were accompanied by a mehram would not be stopped from coming to bazaars. The clerics committee also requested local shopkeepers not to sell goods to women who are shopping alone in bazaars. Reaction of civil society Resident Director of Aurat Foundation Shabina Ayaz said that the decision of the ulema was a violation of fundamental human rights and was a denial of a woman's right to live on her own will. She added that the state must act swiftly to ensure women rights. She further said a few individuals should not have the authority to decide for 48 per cent womenfolk who had equal rights as any male member of the society in Pakistan. Qamar Nasim the programme coordinator of a civil society organisation has termed the ban a gross violation of the women rights and demanded that authorities take action against the culprits invloved. Nasim said a similar step was taken last year before Eid as well but due to pressure from the civil society the administration had the decision reversed. The chief executive of Paiman Trust, Mussarat Qadeem is of the view that this order is morally, ethically and humanly an act of gross women right violation and an injustice with women. If the jirgas and the local committees are so concerned about the women, they should come to their help and provide the daily needs to the destitute women at their doorsteps.

Pakistan: Imran Khan’s proposal

Daily Times

The All Parties Conference (APC) to reach consensus on a viable national security strategy was supposed to be held on July 12, but was postponed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. There may be good reasons behind the delaying of the APC, such as the realization that the much-touted negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) may not be the best way, by themselves, to tackle national security issues. The Prime Minister (PM) has consulted the ISI and has also been briefed by the interior ministry on the menace of terrorism, which may have caused a shift in the PML-N leadership’s attitude. The PM has recently become less vocal about negotiating with the TTP, unlike previously when he was enthusiastically promoting the rhetoric that negotiations were the only way out of this conundrum. Imran Khan’s recent statement in which he asks the PM and the Chief of Army Staff to have a closed-door meeting with him further jeopardizes the prospects of an APC taking place soon. He claims that an APC on national security may be ‘inappropriate’ at this time because disclosing all facts regarding national security publicly will not be prudent. He further says that a closed-door meeting to ascertain all the facts should be held first before making an attempt to formulate a holistic anti-terrorism policy. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader has previously also expressed his party’s lack of faith in an APC as similar meetings held in the past did not prove to be successful. Imran Khan shed some light on why previous APCs did not produce results and said that the PPP government continuously lied to parliament and the people about its covert agreements with the US regarding the war on terror and issues such as drone strikes. Imran Khan’s proposal is puzzling to say the least. He may be right in saying that certain sensitive information concerning national security should not be disclosed publicly, but if he wishes to have a meeting behind closed doors with the PM and COAS, why shouldn’t the rest of the political leadership be taken on board and apprised of the situation in similar fashion? One individual should not be given such a privileged status that his request to be privately briefed by the civil and military heads of the country is obliged. Moreover, Imran Khan’s incessant claims that the root cause of terrorism in Pakistan is our involvement in the war on terror are flawed, as the Pakistani Taliban came into existence years after Pervez Musharraf allied Pakistan with the US. The TTP, in fact, was the result of the Lal Masjid operation carried out by the military regime in 2007. The TTP’s goals are to topple the state system and impose their version of Shariah on the people. As has become manifest over the years, the TTP and its affiliated organizations have no qualms about ruthlessly killing soft targets such as civilians just to bring the government to its knees and force it to comply with their unreasonable demands. Negotiations can only take place where there is room for compromise. Considering that the TTP does not even believe in the political process and considers many political leaders of Pakistan to be infidels worthy of being killed, how can anyone expect to hold meaningful negotiations with such irrational people? Imran Khan is right in saying that the civilian-military leadership should be on the same page and that the people deserve to know the truth about any secret deals with the US. However, he should understand that the leadership of every major political party has an equal right to be consulted regarding terrorism. Also, Imran Khan should realize that the right way to deal with the Pakistani Taliban is to adopt a firm approach, although the door for negotiations should never be closed for any faction of TTP that believes in dialogue. The federal government, provincial governments and the security apparatus should all build consensus on adopting a zero-toleration policy against these miscreants who have caused immense damage to Pakistan.

Pakistan: All-out war against extremism

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom on Thursday painted a grim and challenging picture of growing religious extremism that had claimed lives over 700 people in Pakistan during the past 18 months, urging Islamabad to take concrete, resolute action to curb religious violence and emphasizes the need to ensure that perpetrators of violence are arrested, prosecuted and jailed. The US Commission forms the basis of its report on 203 publicly-reported incidents in Pakistan, resulting in over 1,800 casualties including those of 700 dead. Sectarian violence in Pakistan is of a prime concern for every Pakistani haplessly watching human bodies falling down like dried leaves in autumn every other day. The most of the religious militant organizations, born to resist the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, had been declared outlawed over the years yet they are relentlessly operative in many parts of the country but not without the foreign funding they are receiving even today. Thus any action against the outlawed extremists have become a difficult proposition despite the successive governments have planned to do so. The religious extremism has attained a complex dimensions. Many of the extremists of the outlawed religious outfits have formed their own splinter groups and have developed their nexus with the notorious bandits, the eminent political figures and the foreign contractors. Of late, the gangsters of notorious Chhotu Mazari gang operative in south Punjab, who are said to be linked to the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, had kidnapped the eight policemen to use them as a bargaining chip for the release of three arrested gang members and the annulment of criminal cases against them. One of the kidnapped policemen has already died in the captivity. Police, restraining from using force against them for obvious reasons, are negotiating with the kidnappers through a local PML-N law-maker without a success. The talks between the two reportedly broke off when the authorities refused to free one of the arrested men on the kidnappers’ demand. In a state where the police had to negotiate with the criminals for the release of their colleagues, the rooting out such hardened criminals is, of course, a challenging task for the government that had assumed power just a little over month ago. Thus in the given scenario, any emphasis on the government to go after them is little over-ambitious call. The findings of the US report are, no doubt, sobering. The religious extremism is number one enemy of the state that the government and its security forces had firm resolve to root out the menace at the earliest. But it needs the cooperation of the world community to help stop foreign funding of the banned outfits, militants and disgruntled elements working against the existence of Pakistan. The situation existing today reminds foreign interference that cut off Pakistan in two pieces in 1971. After their own failure in the decade-long war on terror, the Americans are sharing a negotiating table with Taliban how can Pakistan on its own do what the US is urging it to do. First, the US and allies have to stop abetting and harboring the splinter groups and disgruntled elements living in there respective states only then Pakistan Government can purge the society with vengeance and commitment even it can successfully launch cleansing against the state actors that the US thinks are not blameless either. Pakistan has reached a point of do-or-die where it had to go for all-out war against all ills that are threatening its survival.

Pakistan:Father of Christian girl victim of rape by Muslims threatens to commit suicide if justice not ensured

LAHORE:Christian leaders presented a 14 years Christian girl, student of class 7, before media in Lahore Press club to tell horrifying incident of abduction and rape of this Christian girl that government may step forward to arrest Muslim culprits to ensure justice. The father of victim girl, who is illiterate told media representative that “Today I want to draw your kind attention on the unpleasant incident of the kidnapping and rape of my innocent daughter Humera aged 14, student of class 7th. Through this press conference I also demanded the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the High officials in the ruling government to take stern action against the rapists and ensure that the justice will be done. On July 13, 2013 in between 05:00pm to 06:00pm my daughter Humera was alone at home and was kidnapped by Zubair for the purpose to commit rape. The accused shifted her at undisclosed location and raped her on gun point for several hours. I along with relatives was worried about the whereabouts of my daughter Humera and started searching here and there. While I was searching for my daughter and later informed by Pervaiz Masih and Samson Masih that Zubair & Murtaza riding on the motor bikes taking Humera along with them and striding out towards the neighboring village Adha 367/EB. They also informed that my daughter was secretly put out of sight some here at the Bashir Memorial Trust. I along with my relatives and respectable in the local village council politely asked the accused Zubair & Murtaza for the safe return of Humera but the accused denied for the custody of Humera neither admit her kidnapping. Later near about 10:00pm I along with relatives went to the Bashir Memorial Trust and the moment we reached in the compound the accused Zubair and Murtaza escaped from the place of occurrence and I found my daughter naked and in critical condition. Immediately we covered her and she informed that the accused Zubair and Murtaza on gun point raped and sexually assaulted her severely. The accused also threatened and forced me for compromise and prohibited me for not to take any legal action against the accused. The accused person’s by attention delayed in the registration of case FIR. The Accused Zubair is cable operator by profession while the co-accused Murtaza is land lord in the vicinity and linked surrounding areas and has repute in the district. The accused party is influential and the police are following their instructions. Whereas on 15-07-2013 I went to the area police station Gago Mandi for the registration of criminal case FIR under kidnapping and rape against the accuse persons. The police was biased and even was not ready to listen my plea. Finally, after the strong resistance and agitation of my relatives the police got registered a criminal case FIR No. 529/13 offence under section 365-B and 376 (ii) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against accused Zubair and Murtaza at the Police Station Gago Mandi, District Vasari. The police have arrested accused Zubair and have obtained four day remand and the other accused namely Murtaza with the help of police has obtained on month pre-arrest bail starting with 15-07-2013 till 13-08-2013. According to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) the offences are non-compoundable and at this stage one month’s pre-arrest bail and release of accused is unjustified. The story of barbarism has not been ended and the doctors at the authorized local government’s hospital has joined hands with the accused party and has prepared bogus medico legal report. According to the medical report the doctors has falsely declared that victim Humera is habitual and nothing has happened with her neither the accused has raped Humera. I have a question in my mind that instead of helping my daughter to get justice, why the police, local political leadership, doctors and the law enforcement agencies are against my daughter? The accused party also influential and has strong political background and the local political leaders of the ruling party are backing the accused persons. The police are also giving favor to the accused party while misbehaving with all of us. The father of the victim Christian girl presented following demands;

1. I am appealing to the President of Pakistan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chief Justice of Pakistan, Chief Minister Punjab, Law Minister and relevant institutions for justice and demanding unsympathetic punishments for the nominated accused. 2. The local police has joined hands with the accused party and demanded the government to initiate the inquiry again and demanding for the composition of district level medical board for complete medical examination for my daughter. 3. I want to ask the Prime Minister of Pakistan that why the local political representative of your political party are backing the accused party and protecting Zubair and Mustafa (the rapists). 4. The accused party and their well wishers have warned that if I will not compromise or to will not withdraw the FIR, the Christian proprieties will be attacked and churches will be set into fires. The accused are influential and has strong political background and threatening me and my family for life and warning for the dire consequences. If I will be failed to get justice I along with my wife and children will commit suicide at the front of the residence of Main Muhammad Naas Sharif (Prime Minister of Pakistan). I want justice and please consider my daughter as your daughter and take stern against the responsible so that the accused rapists may not able to disgrace any woman. I thank all of you for your kind attention and consideration Sohail Johnson (Chairman Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan), victim Humera, Rasheed Masih (aggrieved father Humera), Bishop Yahoo Paul (Chairman Pakistan Christian Party), Aslam Pervaiz Sahotra (Chairman Human Liberation Commission), Nadeem Anthony Advocate (Program Manager SLMP), Yousaf Karman (Field in charge SLMP), Shaleem Samson (Volunteer SLMP) and Salem Shaker (Social Worker

Malala and mattersof the mind

By Kamila Hyat

The eloquent, poised speech from Malala Yousufzai at the UN Headquarters to mark a day named after her – and on her 16th birthday – should have filled us all with pride. Few teenagers possess the maturity Malala demonstrated and even fewer have moved the world as she has. We should be proud she comes from our country, and should certainly stand ashamed of what was inflicted on her and her schoolmates last year. The events in Swat on October 9, 2012 should have – in the first place – created a much bigger response amongst us. They, however, did not and the same confusion, the same dichotomy in mindset, was reflected after her UN speech. For a number of warped reasons, Malala Yousufzai has become an object of controversy rather than admiration. As a nation we are well-versed in the art of pulling people down to the ground, rather than helping rise them up and stand tall. This is what we have tried to do to Malala. Even though we desperately need heroes – male and female – who can act as role models, we refuse to accept Malala as someone who can play this part. This may be because to some degree we are unwilling to accept a young girl, indeed a mere child, as a symbol of courage and inspiration. But the problem goes beyond this. First, there are the conspiracy theories; the ‘suspicions’ that the whole incident may have been faked, with western support, to ‘damage’ Pakistan. It would appear some people actually believe the shooting incident was staged. There have been suggestions, from those one would have considered perfectly reasonable people, that there is ‘more’ to the Malala story than meets the eye. This story begins, essentially, with a bullet in the head. They do not explain if Malala and her parents deliberately allowed her to be shot, leaving behind extensive damage that could so easily have killed her. How can there be more to this sequence of events? It is hard to understand such thinking, harder still to analyse it. We have simply developed a diseased, twisted mindset in which anything or anyone praised by the west is considered evil. This thinking is driven on by leaders, such as those from both the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl, who questioned last year if the child had been shot at all. This while she was undergoing emergency surgery in Peshawar and then, on medical advice, was whisked away to the UK for further care in an air ambulance provided by the UAE. Her distraught father, Ziauddin Yousufzai, was quickly portrayed as a ‘dollar digger’, presumably one who had his own daughter and her friends shot. No one who has met the determined schoolteacher from Swat – a valiant fighter against the Taliban, a man known in Mingora as a quiet humanitarian helping many however he could and an obviously devoted father who is proud of his eldest child – would believe this for even a moment. Still more shocking has been the response after the speech. Yes, there has been some openhearted praise and a sense of pride. But this seems to come from a minority group. The BBC and other online sites broadcasting the speech were flooded with snide, openly hostile comments and abusive comments even before the speech ended. Most accused Malala of being a ‘US stooge’ or agent. Others asked why she had not spoken about drone strikes – an entirely irrelevant issue, given her focus on promoting universal education – and around many of the remarks the ugly, green snake of jealousy seemed to have wrapped itself, grudging Malala the global attention and standing ovations she received, rather than celebrating this as a national success. Beyond sections of the English language media, coverage was largely muted. In some cases the speech, which made global headlines, was relegated to inside pages even by mainstream publications. While there were touching pictures of schoolchildren in England crying as they heard the speech, describing Malala as an ‘idol’, no such images seemed to come from her own homeland. Even people who one would expect would know better reacted in an odd fashion. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, rather unwisely, tweeted from a personal Twitter account, commenting that the speech was tailor-made for global audiences. Since Malala was addressing the UN, a speech suitable for an international audience was only appropriate. The comment from the CM was removed some time later as criticism poured in – alongside support from his many Twitter followers. The PML-N has pointed out that this was not Shahbaz Sharif’s official account. However, he has used the account often and it is his opinion as a leader that is relevant. The remark simply reinforces suspicions regarding certain political parties’ thinking, sometimes hidden behind a thin veneer of ‘progressiveness’. The president of the country, Asif Ali Zardari – in his official capacity – felicitated Malala after her speech. Some PPP and ANP figures are reported to have at least sent personal messages. No other major political figure or leader of a party did so. The lack of comment from the prime minister, the education minister and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister were perhaps particularly obvious – glaring omissions that reflect the broader state of thinking in the country. Clearly, something has gone very wrong with a nation that hesitates to promote education or welcome open-heartedly those who do. In many ways, this way of thinking is even more dangerous than the bullets fired by the Taliban or the bombs used by them over the years to kill thousands of innocent people. We have become confused – almost dazed – living in a hallucinatory world and convincing ourselves that, like some kind of badly-written fantasy, almost every force is pitched against us and every event is orchestrated to malign our country and its people. The realm of rationality has slipped away. Malala Yousufzai has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. If she wins it, she would, at age 16, become the youngest ever recipient of what is almost certainly the most prestigious award in the world. Even the fact that she is one of the frontrunners for the award is a huge honour. The question we need to ask is: if Malala is named as the Nobel laureate for the year, will we shun her as we did our previous Nobel prize winner, Dr Abdus Salam Khan? Will we refuse to acknowledge her as we did Dr Salam? Why is it that we refuse to accept our heroes with magnanimity? Clearly something has gone very wrong with our thinking processes. The Malala Yousufzai saga has simply highlighted this and shown just how much we need to do to stay in step with the rest of the world using logic rather than paranoia to guide us and determine how we act.