Friday, August 9, 2013
U.S., Russia need to make progress on Syria despite conflicts: Kerry
3 Chinese citizens killed, 2 missing in Afghanistan: Chinese embassy
Three Chinese citizens were killed and another two remained missing Thursday in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul, said Chinese Embassy Friday.
Textbooks Aside, Most Russians Liked History Lessons – Poll
Amid a politicized battle over Kremlin-proposed “unified” textbooks on Russia’s turbulent history, a state-run pollster said Friday that almost three-quarters of Russians generally liked history lessons at school, according to a new poll.
Seventy-four percent of Russians told the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) that they “mostly liked” their history teachers and the way they taught the subject. Russians aged 18-24 constituted 78 percent of that figure, the poll said – an age group that would have studied history in the post-Soviet era.
Only 17 percent of those polled said they “mostly didn’t like” their history lessons in high school.
The poll comes a few months after President Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of a unified series of school history textbooks. Last month, he said the number of history textbooks available in Russia – 65 – is “absolutely unacceptable” for teaching high school students, and said that a “canonical version" was needed.
Some experts and critics fear that the unified approach may attempt to whitewash the country’s history, especially such thorny issues as the rule of Josef Stalin and Moscow’s military actions.
In late June, the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, said it would consider a bill that would outlaw criticism of the Red Army’s actions during World War II with fines or a prison term of up to five years. The proposed bill is an apparent step to counter politicians and activists in former Soviet republics and Communist bloc nations who have criticized what they claim are war crimes by the Red Army, such as executions and mistreatment of prisoners of war and civilians, mass deportations and rapes in Eastern Europe, Finland and Germany.
Asked whether there are specific events in Russia’s history that should be given more attention than others in textbooks, 58 percent of the new poll’s respondents said that all events “should be covered equally.” Only 10 percent said that the Great Patriotic War – as the Soviet Union’s participation in World War II from 1941-45 is known in Russia – is worth extra attention.
The poll was conducted on July 20-21 using a nationwide sample of 1,600 adults across 130 residential areas in 42 Russian regions. The statistical margin of error did not exceed 3.4 percent.
"I lost the meaning of Security", Bahrain - In search of security
http://paper.li/Secular_Cafe/1347453283#
Pakistan: Suicide bomber shot dead in Islamabad’s Imam Bargah
http://www.newspakistan.pk/Guards of an Imam Bargah near capital Islamabad Friday shot dead a suicide bomber who was trying to enter a mosque for terrorist attack, police said. The guards opened fire at the bomber on suspicion and killed him at the scene at Barakau, a small town in the outskirts of Islamabad, a police officer and witnesses said. The suicide jacket could not explode and caught fire. Experts of the bomb disposal squad were called to remove the jacket from the body of the bomber. The incident occurred at "Masjid and Imam Bargah Ali Ibne-e-Talib" at the time of Friday prayers and the timely action save lives of the people. Police arrived at the scene and later removed the body for identification.
India-Pakistan Relations are Back on the Rocks
Pakistan: prisoner of a flawed narrative
By Dr Mohammad TaqiThe blame may end with the government of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa this time but the terror won’t stop at its border with Punjab After last week’s Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) jailbreak, the Pakistani media remained preoccupied with the election for the ceremonial office of the president, which might have gone almost unnoticed had the opposition not boycotted it. After the polls the media has found yet another distractive non-issue, thanks to the honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC). The SC, which has claimed to be a ‘people’s court’, took umbrage on its erstwhile supporter Mr Imran Khan’s prickly comments about the judiciary’s role in the general elections earlier this year. Apparently the people’s court is readily offended by what people have to say. Many in the media and the 2007-2009 judges’ restoration movement, including Mr Khan, had elevated the restored judges to the pedestal of infallibility based not on their judgments but what was a highly political — and justified — struggle. The restored judiciary became the new ‘messiah’ that was praised unquestioningly without examining its judgments — replete with ideology, religion and poetry — against the touchstone of the constitution and law. But populism cuts both ways: it can bestow as well as undermine legitimacy. Politicians can be darlings of the people one day and pariahs the next. Judges, however, cannot afford to expose themselves to public praise or pressure like that. Constitutional courts serve the nation better when they confine themselves to within the four corners of the law and steer clear of demagogy. The nation on its part should look no further than the army to know that such self-appointed holy cows are not infallible and allowing them a monopoly over the national interest narrative can have disastrous consequences. The country’s armed forces have a long history of unchallenged control over the national security policy and practice even when civilians have ruled nominally. The list of misadventures in the name of a national security doctrine anchored in ideology is equally long. The Dear Ismail Khan (DIK) jailbreak is yet another such debacle. The abject dysfunction of the state machinery, especially the security apparatus, stands exposed once again. The Pakistani state’s response to the spectacular attack of the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) on the prison, in which they freed about 250 of their cohorts, including potential suicide bombers, was at best abysmal. The Khyber Pukhtunkhwa government of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and the Pakistan army have blamed one another. But there is enough blame to go all around. While the brazen attack was still underway, the PTI’s provincial information minister Mr Shaukat Yousufzai was claiming that all was well and no prisoners had escaped. The PTI chief Mr Imran Khan then blamed the previous Awami National Party government for the security lapses, while his chief minister Mr Pervez Khattak was initially not heard from. Just as the intelligence agencies’ ability to detect and intercept the TTP plan was being questioned, reports in the media started appearing about the intelligence agencies tipping off the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa government a few days before the assault. While there was no official press release from the armed forces, the wording in some op-eds and that of some television anchors defending the armed forces’ position was remarkably similar. The humiliating jailbreak was being thrown in the PTI’s lap. DIK, like many other cities, has a sprawling cantonment with a massive army presence. Also, the routes between DIK and the frontier regions and the tribal areas have several checkpoints, which the terrorists apparently had no difficulty in crossing. While the three-hour long encounter was being reported around the world, the DIK-based army units either did not get a whiff of it, were not equipped to respond, or just did not bother to move. The miserable response of the security forces to the specific jailbreak threat and after-the-fact hyperactivity with red alerts after picking up nonspecific chatter earlier this week does not inspire much confidence. Mr Khattak has now revealed to the media that he indeed had contacted the military authorities ahead of the attack and the army and elite police both had been deployed at the prison. Mr Khattak has alleged that the military and law enforcement agencies did not resist but colluded with the TTP attackers. If true, Mr Khattak’s charges lend credence to the concerns that jihadists within the ranks of the armed forces — a consequence of decades of consorting — have facilitated jailbreaks and other attacks in the past. The jailbreak will boost both the morale and ranks of the TTP and affiliated jihadist groups and essentially wipe out the gains made perhaps over several years. The 250 hardened criminals sprung from the prison are now on the loose and will replenish the terrorist leadership and cadres. As the DIK episode came on the heels of similar audacious jailbreaks by al Qaeda (AQ) in Iraq and Africa, a link is being sought between AQ and TTP. We have argued here before that the TTP, assorted Punjabi Taliban and the Haqqani network are the AQ conglomerate in Pakistan. The AQ ‘business’ model has been to enable franchises as a force multiplier, not run them directly. The spectre of ‘core’ AQ in Pakistan is almost a red herring at this point. Similarity in timing and tactics of the attacks comes from the shared training history and ideological allegiance to the core AQ. The TTP might very well have responded to or was inspired by Ayman al-Zwahiri’s ‘destroying the walls’ jailbreak call, which was launched last year, but their gains and its fallout will be local first and foremost. The PTI should realise that blaming past governments might be a good excuse but is bad leadership. Also, the PTI cannot expect a police force to fight the terrorists while its leaders keep insisting that the Taliban are not their enemy and it is not their war. If the PTI is still gung ho about talks it must come up with a concrete plan for that, whether it entails Mr Khan’s audience with the military brass or the Prime Minister Mr Nawaz Sharif. The federal government on its part has been Missing In Action through the whole episode letting the PTI take all the flak. But going for optional pilgrimages when the going gets tough at home is a policy Mr Sharif may have to reconsider. The blame may end with the government of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa this time but the terror won’t stop at its border with Punjab. How soon the provincial and federal governments and the security agencies get their act together remains to be seen. In the interim Pakistan will remain prisoner of a flawed narrative while the TTP finds more jails to break.
Ten killed in Quetta during Eidul Fitr prayers
At least 10 people were killed and many others injured on Friday in an attack that targetted a mosque the Eidul Fitr prayers near Quetta's eastern bypass, media reported.
The shooting came a day after a suicide bomber targeted a police funeral and killed 38 people, mostly police officers, in the same city.
"Four gunmen opened fire when people were coming out of the mosque after saying Eid prayers," senior local police official Bashir Ahmad Brohi told AFP.
Brohi said a former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) provincial minister, Ali Madad Jattak, was also in the mosque and could have been the target.
"But we are not sure at the moment and are investigating," he said, adding that Jattak escaped unhurt although bullets hit his car.
Another local police official, Sultan Ahmad, confirmed the incident and casualties outside the mosque, which is also a preaching and research centre.
Nobody has so far claimed responsibility for the shooting. Most recent attacks in Quetta, the capital of oil- and gas-rich Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, have been linked to a Baloch separatist insurgency or sectarian violence.
On Tuesday Baloch separatists shot dead 14 people including three security officials, 70 kilometres southeast of Quetta.
Pakistan: A sickening crime
Daily TimesA stolen motorcycle packed with 5-6 kgs of explosives and heavy ball bearings was exploded by remote control towards the end of a football match in Lyari, Karachi on Wednesday. Eleven people were killed, most of them teenagers, and over two dozen injured. The police are not sure who the target was, provincial minister Javed Nagori or ‘known characters’ of the People’s Amn (Peace) Committee (PAC). Bomb disposal experts revealed that the device was what is called a uni-directional one, meaning the ball bearings, etc, were flung in one direction, aiming at a specific target. To his good fortune, Mr Nagori had just left the venue when the bomb exploded. Despite their theories, the police remain clueless as to the identity of the perpetrators. The cast of usual suspects is headed by terrorists (the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi occupying pride of place since it is said the PAC had been helping the law enforcement agencies against the banned sectarian outfit), gang wars (criminal turf in Lyari’s drug and human trafficking trades is contested fiercely and violently), or, as the police is suggesting, rivals of the PAC. This last possibility may be strengthened by the fact that one activist of the PAC, Yasir Pathan, was amongst the dead. There is so far no claim of responsibility. Pakistan has become a daily tragedy. Almost every day, death and destruction rain down on citizens from unexpected quarters. Many die simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the case of the Lyari blast, the tragedy is compounded by the fact that most of the dead were young football-crazy boys of Lyari, seeking relief from the tedium of daily life in Karachi threatened with violence from all (and unexpected) directions. Lyari is well known as the nursery for many football players who have gone on to represent the country with distinction. For many of them, and for the aspirants who look up to and seek to emulate them, football offers an escape from the daily survival grind and the hope of a better future. How much more sickening is it therefore that the merchants of blood and mayhem chose these young people to kill, whether directly or as collateral damage for a strike at some specific target hardly matters in the final analysis. The bombers would have been well aware that their deadly cargo would take with it many of the young players and spectators enjoying the match. The temptation to hold one’s head, cry and fall into black despair is not the answer, compelling as the circumstances have become. It is disappointing that the PML-N government has not exactly lit a fire under itself to tackle the terrorism issue. The much-vaunted national counter-terrorism policy, reportedly being cogitated amongst government circles, has yet to see the light of day, even two months after the government took office. It was obvious to everyone but the purblind or the totally indifferent that the new government would not be able to avail of the traditional honeymoon period of 100 days for incoming governments. Pakistan’s crisis is far beyond such luxuries of more normal times. Any number of terrorist organizations, criminal and vested interest groups, political interests and others are vying for turf and influence over the increasing toll of the dead bodies of citizens the state is enjoined to protect. The problem of course is of long standing. Over four decades, the state has nurtured and unleashed extremist forces that have by now slipped off the leash of their erstwhile mentors in the military establishment and their intelligence arms. If proof were needed of the impact on what by now appears to be the crumbling writ and capacity of the state to meet the challenge, the Bannu and D I Khan jailbreaks provide salutary examples. It is almost as though each component of the state, civilian and military, political and bureaucratic, federal and provincial, is more interested in protecting its own turf exclusively. This is a recipe for disaster. The terrorists, elusive, dispersed, well organized and armed, are able to exploit the dysfunctionality of the state as a result of these divides and worm their way through the cracks in the edifice to ply their deadly trade. Is there anyone amongst the rulers who can see the writing on the wall and take the tough institutional, organizational and practical measures necessary to salvage the country from the slippery slope it is on?
August 8th,2013-A Dark Day For Balochistan Police
The Baloch HalIn one of the worst terrorist attacks ever on the Balochistan Police, the Tehreek-e-Taliban killed at least 30 policemen in a suicide bombing in Quetta on Thursday. As top officers gathered at Police Lane, the local headquarters of the police department, to attend the funeral of Mohibullah Dawai, a sub-house officer (S.H.O.), who had been killed in Quetta just a few hours earlier, a suicide bomber struck. The massive blast killed Deputy Inspector General (D.I.G.-Operations), Fayaz Ahmed Sumbal, three deputy superintendents of police (D.S.P.s) and several other police officers who had gathered to pay tributes to one of their slain colleagues. The fact that this incident took place just a day before the Muslim festival of Eid makes it deeply tragic. Policing has become a very thankless job in Pakistan in general and in Balochistan in particular. Throughout the year, the policemen face constant threats to their lives. The Baloch nationalists, the Sunni militants (headed by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi) and the Taliban regularly target them. August is generally considered to be a month when policemen have to prepare for attacks from Baloch nationalists. During this month, the nationalists mark Balochistan’s “Independence Day” on August 11th amid extremely tight security which is soon followed by a black day on August 14th, Pakistan’s Independence Day. On August 14th, the government increases the police deployment across the province in order to thwart any attacks from the nationalists on Independence Day celebrations. In the recent times, it has become almost impossible for August 14 events in Balochistan to take place peacefully. The third dangerous occasion during this month for the police is August 26th, the death anniversary of Nawab Akbar Bugti, the veteran Baloch leader who was killed in 2006. In addition, the police in Balochistan have to take extraordinary caution during the month of Muharram when Sunni extremist groups carry out deadly attacks on Shia Muslims. These are some of the times when the police can prepare for any assaults but there are numerous occasions when it is impossible for the police to predict an assault, and Thursday was one such day. The funeral bombing on Thursday merits special attention because it was carried out by the local umbrella of the Pakistani Taliban. While most suicide attacks in the past had been carried out by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi against Shia, Hazaras, this attack targeted predominantly Sunni police officers. In other words, it was not a sectarian attack. According to Dawn, Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack and warned of “another big attack in the next coming days.” “We are at war with police and other security agencies. They are attacking us and we are targeting them…anywhere and whenever we get the chance, we will target security forces, government officials and police,” he warned. Since their ouster from power in Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban, headed by Mullah Omar, have reportedly found safe sanctuary in Quetta. The Pakistani authorities have done nothing to check the Taliban presence in the provincial capital. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban provide active support to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi that has been carrying out endless attacks on Shia, Hazaras in Quetta. The Taliban, on their part, have kept a low profile all these years. They have carried out only a few attacks but they continued to assert their presence from time to time. For instance, in 2007, the Taliban carried out several attacks in various parts of Balochistan. On February 17, 2007, they killed 13 people, including a senior judge in a courtroom suicide bombing in Quetta. In 2009, Engineer Asad, a self-proclaimed spokesman of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Balochistan, emerged in the local media and confirmed the existence of a Balochistan chapter of the Taliban although he insisted that his organization was not related to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan of Baitullah Mehsud nor did it approve of suicide bombings. The government should take Taliban’s warning of “another big attack” very seriously. Unfortunately, the police in Balochistan remains deeply demoralized. Since the days of Nawab Raisani as the chief minister, the police have been traded with the Frontier Corps (F.C.). Instead of building their capacity, the government has adopted the F.C. as a solution to the law and order problems. The policemen are not motivated to work because they enjoy little support from the political government. For example, when a Superintendent of Police (S.P.) recently prevented the armed private guards of the Pakistan Muslim League provincial chief Sardar Sanaullah Zehri from entering the surroundings of the Balochistan Assembly, the entire provincial government ganged up against the poor officer. Much to our disappointment, Chief Minister Dr. Malik Baloch suspended the police officer for his honesty and professionalism. While every citizen desires peace in Quetta and elsewhere in Balochistan, it is important for the government and the community to cooperate with the police. The brave men who lost their lives on Thursday deserve our utmost respect. The government should not only recognize their sacrifices but also provide immediate financial compensation to assist their families in the wake of the unimaginable losses.
U.S. pulls diplomats from Lahore, Pakistan, amid terror threat
The State Department has evacuated most of its diplomats from Lahore, Pakistan in response to a terrorist threat against the U.S. consulate, senior State Department and other senior U.S. officials told CNN.
"We have picked up what we regard as a threat worthy of taking this action," one senior U.S. official told CNN.
The State Department issued an "orderged departure" for all of its diplomats in Lahore Thursday, except for a handful of emergency personnel. The diplomats were moved to Islamabad, the nation's capital, officials said.
A travel warning issued by the State Department said the department "ordered this drawdown due to specific threats concerning the U.S. Consulate in Lahore" and warned U.S. citizens against travel to Pakistan."The presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups poses a potential danger to U.S. citizens throughout Pakistan," the travel warning said.
It was unclear whether the latest threat to the consulate was related to a current threat against U.S. facilities and personnel that prompted the United States to close diplomatic posts throughout the Middle East, Asia and Africa.While one U.S. official said it was not related, a second U.S. official said the connection wasn't clear.
"We are still digging and trying to trace whether it is related," the senior U.S. official said about the possible link between the heightened threat against the U.S. in the region and the threat against the consulate in Lahore. "I'm not willing to say it's related, but can't say it is unrelated. We just don't have that level of granularity yet."
No U.S. diplomatic posts in Pakistan were closed as a result of the earlier warning.
Most of al Qaeda's core leadership is believed to reside in Pakistan, and the city of Lahore is home to other extremists sympathetic to the group. Lahore is well-known as a base for Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States.
This week, the local government in the province of Punjab, where Lahore is located, tightened security measures, including police checkpoints at the city's entrance and exit points. Minister for Environment Protection Shuja Khanzada said the measures were taken after the government received intelligence reports of possible terror threats around the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.
Over the last decade, the United States has waged a persistent campaign against the terror threat in Pakistan, using drones and working with the Pakistani military and intelligence. While the country remains a hotbed of terrorism, President Barack Obama has touted the U.S. gains in fighting al Qaeda, which has been based there.
During an address to Marines at Camp Pendleton, California, Wednesday, Obama said that al Qaeda has been "decimated," making a distinction between the terror network's leadership and affiliates that are spread throughout the Middle East and parts of Africa.
"Because of you, Osama bin Laden is no more," Obama said. "Because of you, al Qaeda's top ranks have been hammered. The core of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan are on the way to defeat."
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Malaria vaccine shows early promise in clinical trials
U.S. and Russia seek to keep working ties despite Snowden, summit fuss
U.S. and Russian officials will seek to maintain a working relationship when they meet in Washington on Friday, even though the political mood between their countries has hit one of its lowest points since the end of the Cold War.
President Barack Obama's cancellation this week of a summit in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin finally put to rest any notion that a much-vaunted "reset" of ties sought by the United States in recent years is alive.
China no longer in ‘rule of people’ era
Debate around the investigation and ruling process of some high-profile cases has been dominating public opinion. The deep reason is some people's distrust of the judicial system. They constantly criticize China for not being ruled by law but by people. Such discontent and condemnation have had a great influence on the public's understanding of the country.
China has long called for the rule of law, which has been the consensus from the top down. "The rule of people" has never been the political ideal of China. It stems from the political and social chaos of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) era.
The rule of law is China's key objective in its political evolution. It is open to discussion what we have achieved in this regard, while China is definitely not ruled by people any more.
No one person has the dominant say in today's China. People who do not obey the law can be exposed. It is entirely possible for an ordinary person to challenge a powerful man who goes against the law.
But the rule of law in China is not the same as that in the West, at least for now. It is unlikely to be so in the future either.
China's political system differs greatly from that of the West. So does its social development level. That means the Western legal system cannot be the absolute template for China's rule of law.
As long as we understand this, we will have an objective evaluation of the construction of the rule of law in China and promote its progress rather than indulge in hopeless fatalism and nihilism.
We are now living in an era of transformation, when the law should take the main role in social governance. The construction of China's rule of law should go hand in hand with the consolidation and improvement of its political system. The West managed to do it. So will China.
The biggest problem in China's judicial practice is the law's lack of authoritativeness. Judicial corruption comes out of social construction and political construction. The prevalence of petitions, skipping the courts' final judgment, particularly exposes the drawbacks of social construction.
The chances that the Chinese people resort to law or experience law in their daily lives are lower than in Western societies. Many people voice their opinions on the Internet as a "law promulgation movement," which can add populist pressure onto the hearing process.
All these entanglements have one certain aim: to let the law make the final judgment, which will become fairer as time goes by. As long as people don't view the country's political system from the Western perspective, everybody can hold a positive attitude toward China's construction of the rule of law.
Problems and uncertainties remain in this process. The most important reason is that China is learning from the West while trying to find its own effective way. The rule of law will remold China, and China will remold the connotation of the rule of law.
President Zardari urges nation to share Eid festivitiy with victims of terrorism, sectarianism
PPP Social Media Cell
INDIA: Let’s not be so predictable
The ambush and killing of five Indian soldiers on the Line of Control has produced exactly the reaction that the perpetrators must have wanted — an overheated political and media pushback in India against moves by the two countries to restart their stalled dialogue. Over the last month, New Delhi and the new government in Islamabad were quietly setting the stage for the resumption of talks that had been derailed by the beheading of an Indian jawan at the LoC in January. Emissaries shuttled between the two capitals, and both sides were said to be on the verge of restarting the process. A meeting between Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York had also all but been finalised. But it has been clear since the Mumbai attacks that whenever the two countries take even the most tentative steps forward, there are elements out to ensure such attempts make no progress. This time, the efforts at sabotage appear to have begun with the recent attempted bombing of the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, except that it was foiled and instead ended up killing hapless Afghan civilians, including children. Rather than seeing through this game, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which made bold moves for peace with Pakistan while in power, has chosen to be predictable. The Congress’s craven surrender on earlier occasions, when it hit the “pause” button on talks out of sheer political panic, has only encouraged such grandstanding.
The uproar against talking to Pakistan and on Defence Minister A.K Antony’s alleged “escape route” to the Pakistan Army misses the point that despite the bluster of a “befitting response”, there is no alternative to dialogue. Whether it was Pakistani soldiers or terrorists in military uniforms who killed the Indian soldiers is not germane. This is not the first time the truce along the LoC has been violated in the past 10 years of its existence. It is only by engagement that the two sides can protect this ceasefire, the value of which cannot be overstated. And, it is only through engagement that Islamabad can be held to its 2004 commitment not to permit terrorists to operate from territory under its control, and be pushed to act against those responsible for violence against India. Prime Minister Sharif has given every indication that he is sincere in his wish for friendship with India but equations between him and the Pakistan Army are yet unsettled. Which way the civilian-military balance tilts will depend in large measure on how Prime Minister Singh reacts to Mr. Sharif’s overtures. If India fails to grasp the civilian hand this time, that balance will only end up tilting in a way that will further harm its interests.
Indo-Pak relations, let down by 'bad drafting' again
Soon after concluding the nuclear deal with the United States, fending off stiff political opposition in 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had set his eyes on his next diplomatic target - finding a breakthrough in relations with Pakistan.
But the domestic resistance to improving ties with Pakistan has been much more resilient than Singh had expected.
In the beginning of the UPA-2 in 2009 and now towards its end, two serious attempts to gear up engagement with Pakistan triggered political volatility.
“Poorly drafted” statements related to Pakistan further eroded the limited political capital the government has to pursue peace with the neighbor, both times.And both times, more than the resistance from the BJP, Congress’s own reluctance to share the prime minister’s enthusiasm on Pakistan poured cold water on the peace initiative.
The joint statement in Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt on 16 July 2009 between Indian and Pakistan PMs became an instant controversy as it sought to delink talks from Pakistan’s action against terrorism.
The statement also acknowledged Baluchistan as a subject of bilateral concern.
When the BJP launched an all-out attack on the prime minister, Congress maintained silence for full ten days. And when the party spoke, it merely said that the PM would explain his position.
The prime minister’s statement in the lower house of Parliament on 29 July 2009 clarified the meaning and context of the joint statement.
He said no ‘meaningful dialogue’ was possible unless Pakistan acts on terror, but reiterated that there could be no substitute to dialogue. The dialogue process remained grounded until early 2011, when in Thimpu, both countries restarted it.
Just as talks were gaining momentum, the beheading of two Indian soldiers in January 2013 set them back by months.
Then the government of India decided to wait until a new government takes charge in Pakistan.
With Nawaz Sharif making the right noises after being reelected as prime minister of Pakistan, hope began to rise for bilateral relations, and both PMs are now expected to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next month in New York.
Perhaps in a miscalculation, strategic leaders of India decided that the defence minister should understate the involvement of Pakistani forces in the killing of five Indian soldiers on the LoC - which has now become yet another controversy.
Congress party has made its disapproval clear, though the party has made the right noises in support of the talks.
Creating a political constituency for peace with Pakistan in India is never easy, and is more difficult when terrorism remains a big challenge.
Even former prime minister Vajpayee could not trash out a joint statement with Musharaff in Agra in 2001, as the then home minister LK Advani insisted on a reference to “cross border terrorism” in it.
Singh will in all likelihood shake hands and exchange pleasantries with Sharif in New York, but taking relations with Pakistan to a better level seems beyond reach during his tenure that ends in May 2014.
Caustic Light on White House’s Reaction to a Terrorist Threat
Bahrain Bans Protests: Human Rights Activist Says 'Physical, Psychological, Sexual' Torture Continues
President al-Assad performs Eid al-Fitr Prayer at Anas Bin Malek Mosque in Damascus
http://sana.sy/index_eng.html
Meanwhile, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi denied reports suggesting that Assad’s motorcade had come under attack while he was on his way to the mosque. “These reports are totally false. The president was driving his car himself, he attended the prayer and greeted people… everything is normal,” the minister stated. Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. Clashes between foreign-backed Takfiri militants and the Syrian army continue on a daily basis.
PAKISTAN: Stop Merger of Ministry of Human Rights with Ministry of Law & Justice
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the government of Pakistan has merged the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) with the Ministry of Law and Justice (MoLJ) on June 7, allegedly to pursue its policy of denying people their fundamental rights under the constitution. The government’s decision will result in Parliament not being able to closely monitor human rights issues. This will undermine the importance of human rights and human rights violations in the country. It is not the first time that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has abolished the ministry of human rights as an independent entity. When he came in power in 1997, he did the exact same thing with the MoHR, due to his political rivalry with former Prime Minister Benazir Butto. Benazir Butto had, during her first tenure in 1988, also formed a Human Rights Cell in the Prime Minister Secretariat. This too was abolished in 1990 Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. History repeats itself now with Nawaz Sharif again deciding to abolish the MoHR, recreated in 2008 by the previous government of Pakistan People’s Party. The incumbent government has also lifted the moratorium on death sentences, which had remained in force for the past five years. Please sign the urgent appeal and urge international human rights organizations, including the UN, to use their influence on the present government so it may restore the Ministry of Human Rights as an independent entity and abolish the death sentences.After the merger of the Human Rights Ministry, there would only be one minister dealing with law and legal affairs, matters related to the justice system, and all issues pertaining to human rights and survivors of HR abuses. In other words, affairs related to human rights will most likely become a third priority for the minister in-charge. Difference between the mandates of the Ministry of law and the Ministry of human rights is inconceivable for the government under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The mandate of the Ministry of law and justice is to defend laws and represent the state in courts on all matters including those pertaining to human rights violations by the state. On the other hand, the mandate of the Ministry of human rights is to redress the grievances of the survivors/victims and to protect and safeguard the rights of the people and their interests. The merger decision will also affect the rights of women. The subject of Women’s Development had been retained federally under the Ministry of human rights and now women issues will lose priority and focus. The same will be the case with the rights of children, youth, and religious minority groups, which will all be undermined. The ill-intentions of the incumbent government against human rights can be judged by its lifting the moratorium on death sentences and starting the process of hanging prisoners on death row. The previous government of the Pakistan People’s Party had suspended executions during its tenure that expired on June 30 this year. The government has not consulted other political parties in taking its decision to proceed with executing death sentences. Further undoing undo steps taken by the last government towards reform, the government of Nawaz Sharif has suspended the process that was leading to the formation of a National Human Rights Commission (NCHR) supposed to be established in accord with an act of Parliament passed in May 2012. The MoHR had been working on drafting legislation on custodial torture and rehabilitation of torture survivors . It had almost completed consultations with civil society. After the merger, legislation against torture will be put on the back burner. Read More: http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAG-003-2013
Pakistan: Fighting terrorism
The executive summary of the Nacta draft for a counterterrorism policy seems to gravitate around a singular state narrative — that terrorism in Pakistan is linked with the Afghan war of the 1980s and continues due to foreign intervention. Moreover, the source of all violence is North Waziristan, and by association, Afghanistan. Such a diagnosis creates problems in comprehending the issue in its entirety. Many people erroneously believe in such theses, resulting in the conclusion that the withdrawal of the US will automatically bring peace in the region. Notwithstanding the fact that America’s invasion was a costly blunder, the US withdrawal at this quick pace will not be sufficient to deal with terrorism. Following are the reasons which establish that the menace of terrorism will not be addressed with the above perspective in mind. First, such an explanation doesn’t help in taking into account the manner in which sources of terrorism have expanded in the country. The foreign intervention next door may be a driver of terrorism in the tribal areas and the Pashtun-belt in general, but this framework certainly does not explain what is happening in the rest of Pakistan. Second, an overemphasis on America’s involvement in creating jihadis in South Asia, not taking cognisance of the past or present links of the military with militant organisations, does not help in understanding the penetration of these outfits within the security and law-enforcement establishments, and the government in general. There is no doubt that militancy, as a menace, dates back to the 1980s when the Zia regime willingly allowed radicalisation of society in order to fight the American war against the Soviet troops. However, we cannot deny the fact that our security establishment held on to these jihadis, which were used on other fronts. Third, such a connection has compelled the military and state in general to turn a blind eye to sectarian violence, which is considered as an unpleasant consequence of the jihadi agenda that is tolerated because of the efficacy of the jihadis in countering the external threat or the internal threat in the form of Baloch and Sindhi nationalism. These groups create political and diplomatic space for the state. Their services will be critical after the foreign troops withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014. Fourth, the problem with the Afghanistan-centric narrative is that it is limited to dealing with criminal-cum-ideological gangs like Hakimullah Mehsud’s TTP but not with much larger problems in the form of Punjab-based militant networks. The popular narrative constructed and spread is that every terrorist activity, taking place in Punjab, is controlled from North Waziristan, which tends to take attention away from the expansionist designs and the rabid ideology of the Salafi and Deobandi groups ensconced in the largest province. This is also an excuse to focus on North Waziristan because the level of violence in the rest of the country, especially Punjab and Sindh, is not proportional to the jihadi presence there. The Punjab model of jihadism and extremism is different from that of Fata as these groups carefully engage society to avoid attracting attention. This makes it look like as if the problem has come from somewhere else. But if we begin to look at their literature, we will be able to see that they are much more expansionist and cunning in their tactics than those in the tribal areas, who are exposed due to their violence. In fact, violence as a measure of extremism is problematic as it fails to capture the extent of radicalisation of the society. Violence can be described as the tip of the iceberg of radicalism that is difficult to measure, especially when people continue to confuse radicalism with conservatism, which, in turn, is owned as part of the local culture. Sectarian violence is one of the examples of how the culture argument is used to downplay this crime. Surely, there were always sectarian differences but not the kind of violence that we see today. Therefore, any problem-solving will have to, on the parallel, deal with countering radicalism. This is, indeed, an issue that is gently broached in the Nacta draft policy. However, this is also a Herculean task, which no one has a clue about how to undertake this at the moment. Fifth, due to our limited analysis, we are unable to see that the jihadi leadership of the Salafi and Deobandi groups is middle class and thus much more capable of expanding their message and membership. The militant outfits in Punjab and Sindh do not just operate as groups but as a network, which has means to penetrate the society through welfare outfits and madrassas, and also influence policies through political partnerships. For instance, the JUI-F is a formidable umbrella for the expansion of militancy in Sindh. The Deobandi Tableeghi Jamaat must also be reviewed in the role it has played in expanding a particular mindset and ideology. In one particular case of an attack on the Ahmadi community in Lahore, the attackers allegedly stayed at the Tableeghi Jamaat’s centre. We also fail to see the growing trends of radicalism and radical movements in non-Pashtun Pakistan that takes various shapes and forms. For instance, while the various Deobandi and Salafi networks infiltrate society selectively at the levels of the lower and middle class in general, there are other forms like the Hizbut Tehrir (HuT), which do not necessarily encourage violence but have managed to penetrate the upper-middle class and succeeded in convincing its members to support the establishment of a khilafa and a sharia-based system in the country. This is easier said than done, especially when there are ideological differences within the religious discourse. The risk is that the khilafa formula will create more chaos and violence. More important, all these groups with differing agendas converge at the same point. This is not to undermine the argument that there may be foreign intervention. However, how can the state tell the difference between local versus foreign-sponsored if it allows jihadism, be it friendly or unfriendly? No security establishment has a master switch with which it can ensure that those who join the friendly militants will not become unfriendly tomorrow.
Pakistani Army Accused Of Killing Indian Soldiers In Ambush
Radio Free Europe/Radio LibertyFor the first time, India has openly accused the Pakistani army of being directly involved in an ambush that killed five Indian soldiers. India's Defense Minister A.K. Antony told parliament on August 8 that it was clear that Pakistani "specialist troops" were behind the attack on an army patrol in Indian-administered Kashmir on August 6. Antony indicated that the attack would harm the country's bilateral relations and warned of possible military retaliation. "Our restraint should not be taken for granted, nor should the capacity of our armed forces and resolve of the government to uphold the sanctity of the Line of Control ever be doubted," he said Antony was referring to the de facto border dividing Kashmir, which Islamabad and New Delhi both claim and have fought two wars over. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack.
DIG Operations among 15 killed in Quetta blast
DIG Operations and fifteen other people were killed, while 24 others were injured in a suicide blast at Police Lines, Quetta, on Thursday.
The blast took place just before the funeral prayers of SHO City Mohib Ullah commenced at the Police Lines mosque.
Around 300 to 400 people, including DIG Operations Fayyaz Sumbol, IG Balochistan and CCPO, were attending the funeral procession. While DIG Operations died on the spot, IG Balochistan and CCPO survived the attack.
The police immediately cordoned off the area and rescue operation was started. Injured were shifted to the hospital.
Earlier in the day, an SHO City Mohib Ullah was killed, while his four children and driver sustained injuries, during a firing incident in Alamu Chowk, Quetta.
Pakistan: Power tariff plan needs a rethink
As a part of new National Power Policy announced on Wednesday, the government has made more than a 50 percent increase in power tariff for industrial and commercial consumers from August 1 and for domestic consumers from October 1. There will be no change, though, in the rates for households using 200 units or less in a month. The concession will benefit as many as 64 percent of users who are least able to pay extra price. The average rate for the rest of domestic consumers will be about Rs 15.50 per unit.
Hardest hit by this new tariff plan will be the salaried middle class. While the prices of essential commodities have risen sky high and the surge in energy rates pushing the transportation costs and consequently every item of daily use, salaries have stayed the same or increased only marginally during the last few years.
Explaining the rationale for the increase at a news conference, Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif said that since the burden of subsidies ultimately fell on people, an attempt had been made to burden those who could afford it to avoid accumulation of Rs 600 billion circular debt next year. Understandably, the government is under pressure from the IMF to remove subsidies and also to pay the circular debt that exacerbated the present energy crisis. However, the unpleasant reality is also that power theft is rampant. The minister himself acknowledged that theft and system losses cost up to Rs 200 billion a year. The thieves, he revealed in a TV talk show, include many members of the rich and influential sections of society. That in fact is not a new disclosure. From time to time press reports have been uncovering the names of prominent politicians and their relatives involved in electricity stealing for both domestic and industrial use. And law-abiding citizens who pay their bills regularly end up shouldering the burden of such thievery. It is worthwhile to note that if ordinary citizens do not pay their bills, the concerned authorities waste no time in cutting their supplies, but in the case of privileged classes, they tend to look the other way. No wonder the losses are as high as 200 billion a year.
Instead of raising power tariff for the salaried middle class already struggling to make ends meet, the government should focus on recovering dues from those who refuse to pay, such as consumers in parts of KPK, and the big power thieves in urban centres of both Punjab and Sindh. It is good to note that the government has already started a serious campaign against electricity and gas stealing in Punjab and KPK and plans to do the same in Sindh. Special measures are being put in place to ensure recovery of dues and punish the offenders. It should also rethink the 200-unit limit, extending it to consumers using up to 300 units per month who ill afford bearing an extra burden.
Eidi for the jailed: President Zardari grants special remission in sentences to prisoners
The Express Tribune
Pakistan: Plan for polio-free world by 2018
With an overarching framework for vulnerable areas, a comprehensive and long-term strategy has been developed to ensure a polio-free world by 2018.
Major new elements in the “Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-18” are strategic approaches to all polio diseases, emphasis on improving immunisation systems, introduction of new technologies, enhanced risk mitigation and contingency strategies, and timeline for completion of the initiative.
For Pakistan, the coordination between security and local authorities to generate area-specific assessments has been institutionalised in the plan with the setting up of provincial committees.
The World Health Organisation and Unicef — the two implementing partners — are taking steps to ensure their intensified support for the programme despite escalation in security threats.
The strategic plan brings together a comprehensive approach to completing polio eradication. It is built on primary principles that the programme must be institutionalised within the broader health agenda and must maintain neutrality.
The plan developed by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in consultation with national health authorities, global health initiatives, experts, donors and other stakeholders in response to a directive of the World Health Assembly has the goal of eradicating and containing all wild, vaccine-related and Sabin polioviruses so that no child ever again suffers paralytic poliomyelitis. The basic elements of the strategy are to reduce the exposure of vaccinators to potential threats by holding campaigns that are of shorter duration and lower profile.
For safety and security, the plan seeks enhanced coordination between civilian and security services. It incorporates religious leaders’ advocacy to build up ownership of and solidarity for polio eradication across the Muslim world, including for the protection of children against polio, the sanctity of health workers and the neutrality of health services.
The GPEI says in a report that in addition to declining cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan, evidence demonstrates that these countries and Nigeria have showed marked improvement in increasing vaccination coverage last year.
In Pakistan, the proportion of highest-risk districts achieving the estimated target threshold of 95 per cent increased from 59pc in January 2012 to 74pc in October.
Pakistan: An ill-advised tactic
Balochistan plunges into darkness
Daily TimesBalochistan’s 17 districts plunged into darkness once again when heavy storms damaged the recently repaired 220kV towers of circuit transmission line in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the details released by Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO), two towers of 220kV were damaged in the Aabgum area of Bolan in the heavy floods on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, cutting supply of electricity to 17 districts of the province. Officials said supply was soon restored to the capital city Quetta from private powerhouses. They added that the other district headquarters of the province would only get one hour of electricity. They said that only 120MW of electricity was available for the 17 districts which will consequently result in longer hours of load shedding. The QESCO officials also conveyed an official apology to the people for delayed start of repair work on damaged towers due to security clearance. It may be recalled here that four towers, two each of 132kV and 220kV, were blown up on August 5 in Bolan, heavily damaging the transmission lines. The recent storm two of them again.
Balochistan: Bloodshed in Bolan
In the latest incident of the senseless violence that seems to be the country’s fate, 13 people lost their lives on Tuesday near Mach in the Bolan district of Balochistan. The victims had been travelling in two coaches out of the province to their home districts in Punjab when the vehicles were ambushed by scores of gunmen disguised as security personnel. Twenty-one passengers were taken away. Thirteen of them, identified from their identity cards as belonging to Punjab, were killed. The others were released. The Bolan killings are quite evidently ethnic in nature – nothing new for Balochistan where such murders have routinely taken place before. Those killed were mainly labourers from various Punjab districts, including Faisalabad, Sadiqabad and Muzzafargarh.
It comes as no real surprise that the Baloch nationalist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army, has taken responsibility for the ruthless killings, which have been condemned . It is uncertain what purpose the nationalists hope to achieve through such violence. The killings have only added to the misery that is already in abundance in most homes as a result of poverty and militancy. The tragic incident also highlights just how ungovernable the province of Balochistan increasingly continues to become. Any pretence of law and order has now crumbled completely and it is obvious that heightened security alone will not solve the problem. Indeed security forces too have been facing tough times, with personnel repeatedly targeted. There is no easy solution to Balochistan’s many issues and the place the provincial government finds itself in is unenviable. But perhaps some hope can be found in the fact that – gauging from media statements and online conversation – public opinion in the province appears to be swinging away from the militants. This is something CM Abdul Malik Baloch and his team need to capitalise on, so that a consensus can be created against any and all kind of violence. The people of Balochistan need to stand united so that the future of the province looks a little brighter than is presently the case. Unless this happens, greater darkness will descend not only on Balochistan but the country as well.
Balochistan: Has CM Malik what it takes
The Tuesday tragedy of the murders of 14 labourers travelling by buses from Quetta to their homes in Punjab has again shaken the country and made it realize that the situation in Balochistan is still as volatile as when Dr Abdul Malik Baloch took over as the chief minister of the province. The change in government, it seems, instead of violent incidents become few have increased in number and intensity. The most authentic version of the recent tragedy is that the convoy of buses carrying passengers to Punjab was guarded by the security forces but the escorts were diverted towards another violent accident when a militant attack took place on an oil tanker nearby. The FC and Balochistan Levies men were engaged in crossfire with those attacking the oil tanker.
The explanation seems plausible except for the fact that the passengers travelling by the vans were in dozens while the oil tanker at the most could have had only two to three men. How could a trained force risk dozens of people and leave at the mercy of militants go to defend two or three individuals in the tanker baffles the mind.
The militants were said to be numbered between fifty to one hundred and fifty armed men who stopped the buses, calmly checked the papers of all the passengers and kidnapped only those from Punjab: during all that time, the armed escort were engaged with the attackers on an oil tanker where only a couple of lives were at stack.
While one can say that the diversion was created by the same group which kidnapped and later killed the passengers, the question is how they could know that a small distraction would be enough to lure the escorts from their original and more important job. It just doesn't stands to reason. Like the attacks on Bannu and DI Khan prisons, so in this attack on the buses full of passengers, there are many implausible excuses for the strange behaviour of those entrusted to guard against militants..
All this happened under Chief Minister Abdul Malik's watch and while it is too early to say for sure, it, however, seems that Balochistan's new chief minister is all wise talk and no smart action when it comes to bringing peace and order in his province.
It was said, and truly said, that CM Malik was a nationalist and was once the partner of those Baloch leaders who have now crossed the line and become outright separatists. It was said that even among the separatists, Dr. Malik had credibility, as he knew most the separatist leaders and was on first name terms with quite a few of them. He was considered the ideal person to assure them of the government's good intentions and convince them of the benefits of a much autonomous Balochistan within the federation of Pakistan rather than fighting for the unrealistic dream of an independent state. But Abdul Malik did not meet the expectations. It seems the separatists have become more hopeful of achieving their goals with Malik as chief minister.
It would seem that the nationalist militants, the sectarian terrorists and the gangs lawbreakers all are out of the control and reach of the chief minister. What is worse, he has been unable even to correct the direction and organise the provincial law enforcing agencies under his rule.
He has not been able to make a dent either in the will of the separatists commanding the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), nor has he posed any threat to the religious fanatics ravaging his province.
He is failing miserably in consolidating his authority even in areas which are supposed to be under the direct rule of the law enforcing agencies.
At the same time, the Islamabad government cannot be absolved of the responsibilities when it comes to acts of terrorism.
How can it be that scores of armed men would be moving or waiting in ambush so near an important road, and there would be no intelligence about them? And how could it be that there was no fast response force to reach and help the embattled men of FC and Balochistan Levies. After all this particular attack on buses may be new, the phenomenon of terrorism and their mode of operating are decades old.
The intelligence part is important because Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar had promised the nation of intelligence sharing and coordination between all forces assigned to turn the tides of all kinds of terrorist and otherwise organised violent activities.
The nation is still waiting even for some initial signs that the process of intelligence sharing and coordination among the relevant departments has begun. Already is too late.
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