Illegal hunting on the rise in Afghanistan

By Navin Singh Khadka

Illegal wildlife hunting is on the rise in Afghanistan - threatening several key species, campaigners say.

Officials admit it is happening in most provinces despite regulations banning hunting, including a decree by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

There have been claims hunting is carried out by locals and by foreign nationals from Middle Eastern countries.

However, Afghan officials could not confirm this to BBC News.

The country has listed nearly 150 wild animals and birds as at-risk within its territory but there are no detailed records of how many have been killed or poached.

Authorities say the ongoing conflict has made monitoring almost impossible.

But environmentalists have accused some politicians of using illegal wildlife hunting as a means to secure the backing of influential individuals from countries in the Gulf region for their electoral campaigns in Afghanistan. "With the election campaign heating up, some groups and elements that are close to a few [Middle East] countries are bringing people from those places to secure further support to their candidacy," said Abdul Rahman Salahi, a civil activist with the Herat Professional Council.

"Because of the methods adopted by some politicians and the fact that the international forces are leaving Afghanistan, people are quite worried that illegal hunting will now go up."

Traditional hunting

Herat recently saw a street protest against alleged illegal hunting.

"Our demo is against a number of [foreign nationals] who have come to the west of Afghanistan where they have violated Afghan law by hunting wild animals," Khalil Parsa, head of the Afghan Network of Civil Societies, told BBC Persian radio during the protest.

Visuals showing people wearing traditional Arabian male dress arriving in Afghanistan with falcons have been posted on the internet and local media have covered the issue widely.

Officials say that they saw the media reports, but found no clear evidence during their investigation. They added that strict instructions have been issued to local authorities to look out for illegal hunting. But some international organisations working on wildlife conservation also say that foreign nationals have been involved. "Even during the war, people from the Middle East were going there for traditional hunting, which they do using falcons," said Ejaz Ahamad of WWF in Pakistan.

Abdul Wali Modaqiq, deputy chief of Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency admitted illegal hunting was on the rise.

"Of course, it has gone up in most of our provinces for food and recreation," he told the BBC. "In the last few decades, we have indeed lost some species of wild animals and birds because of illegal hunting. But I cannot confirm if [foreign nationals] are involved in all this, although I have heard about them through the media." When another incident of alleged illegal hunting was reported in Herat last year, the government promised an investigation. But conservationists say nothing came of it.

"Hunting using falcons is a tradition in Arab regions," said Raghida Haddad, executive editor of Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia magazine, published by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development.

"But after each hunting season, dozens of falcons are released into the wild... so that their population remains healthy.

"As per the alleged hunting in Afghanistan by people from our region, we have no idea about it." Some Afghan officials agree that illegal hunting has pushed animals like the brown and black bear, Asiatic cheetah, lynx, ibex, Siberian crane and Houbara bustard onto the list of at-risk species in Afghanistan. In neighbouring Pakistan, the federal government allows dignitaries from the Gulf region to hunt Houbara bustard, a migratory bird from Central Asia.

"This is done to respect bilateral relations with the Gulf countries," say officials with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which has listed the bird as vulnerable. "The principle threat is from hunting by Middle Eastern falconers, largely but not exclusively on the species' wintering grounds." A recent court order has put an interim ban on hunting of the migratory bird. Pakistan media reported that the court had asked the government to notify all 33 hunting permit holders from Gulf countries to arrange for representation during the next hearing. Meanwhile, the chief of Kabul Zoo, Aziz Gul Saqib, said: "We know that illegal hunting is going on in many places of our country but we have not been able to control such activities.

"At present, creating awareness against such practices has been our main measure and we hope it will work."

Security Fears Threaten US Future in Afghanistan

Warily watching to see how many U.S. troops might remain in Afghanistan next year, American diplomats and aid workers are facing a drawdown of their own as security threats and dwindling resources limit their 12-year push to develop the mostly primitive nation.

Nearly $100 billion has been spent since 2001 on U.S. projects to better Afghan lives after generations of war and isolation, including boosting security forces, educating young girls and launching mobile phone technology.

But the State Department's ability to continue aid programs, or start new ones, hinges largely on Afghanistan's security — and whether officials can travel to project sites to make sure the money is being spent wisely. A long-delayed decision on whether as many as 10,000 American forces will remain in Afghanistan after the war ends this year will determine how deeply the aid will be cut.

It's an all-too-familiar pattern of anxiety for diplomats who saw years of development projects in Iraq wither away after U.S. troops withdrew in 2011 because of reduced resources and increased security threats.

"It was not ... particularly pleasant to have to take a very large program down to a very small program in a very short period of time," said Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield, who oversaw a gutting of State Department aid to Iraqi police forces two years ago. Violence in Iraq has surged ever since.

Brownfield said he is already anticipating fewer personnel and less money for local legal programs in Afghanistan, including fighting drug traffic and helping prosecutions and prison systems. But he's waiting to see how many security forces might remain before he can predict how deep the cuts will be.

"My intent is to have established a policy and a strategy that can adjust to these realities without having to do the savage surgery that I was required to do in Iraq in 2012," Brownfield said.

Congress already is seeking to cut all foreign assistance to Afghanistan by half, he said.

"There's a credibility question," said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who until last summer chaired a panel on south and central Asia on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "We have plenty of reasons to make sure when the military engagement ends that we really maintain both a diplomatic presence and strategy."

However, he said, "it's very hard for most taxpayers to support" keeping a large military presence in Afghanistan. Negotiations over whether foreign military forces should remain in Afghanistan after the combat mission ends in December have snarled over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign a security agreement with the United States. Without such an agreement, allies have said NATO forces will not remain.

On Tuesday, U.S. military officials said the number of American troops in Afghanistan could drop to as low as 20,000 by mid-summer, and would mainly focus on specific skills needed for training and counterterrorism missions if U.S. forces do stay beyond 2014. It generally takes about 10 months to shut down a massive military base, but officials said the Pentagon is prepared to do it in a much shorter — although far more expensive — timeline. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because they were not authorized to be named while discussing the plans.

So far, the U.S. has allocated $96 billion to build up Afghanistan — more than half of it to train and equip the nation's estimated 344,000 security forces. Continued support for the Afghan troops, which are expected to grow by another 8,000, will be a key predictor to the country's stability after 2014.

"If American troops aren't there, the administration's ability to sustain funding for the (Afghan national security forces) gets a lot more problematic," said Stephen Biddle, a national security and defense expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. "And if that goes away, the whole show collapses. It's very hard to imagine road projects, wells, schools, clinics — the kinds of things we've been sinking into money into — surviving in that kind of environment."

This week, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced a $300 million package of aid to bolster Afghan agriculture projects and provide administrative degree programs at universities. It also will build on Afghan trade and tax programs to ultimately help Kabul gain accession to the World Trade Organization. Larry Sampler, who heads USAID operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in an interview that if the new programs are unable to be properly monitored "we'll pull the plug." But he said USAID has years of experience working in "pretty dodgy places," and described a number of ways to make sure the money is properly spent even if American officials are unable to personally visit project sites due to security threats.

"We're not dependent on international military forces anywhere in the world like we have been in Afghanistan," Sampler said. "And as international military forces leave, Afghanistan will more closely begin resembling a normal operating environment for USAID."

By 2015, officials predict that American aid workers, investigators, auditors and other non-specified U.S. employees will be able to get to only 21 percent of Afghanistan — down from nearly 50 percent in 2009. The special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction said the new limits were the result of the drawdown of U.S. troops. When American forces left Iraq at the end of 2011, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad found itself with neither the resources that the military had nor the ability to travel much of the country. It also lost what former Ambassador James F. Jeffrey in an interview called a "buy-in" from the Iraqi government to continue on its own the programs that the U.S. troops had begun.

"Based on my experience in Iraq, we risk failure in Afghanistan if we do not have a continued U.S. military presence and have to rely on only an embassy to continue comprehensive nation building, security assistance and counter-terrorism," Jeffrey said.

Judge orders to demolish slum settlements of Christians in Capital of Pakistan

pakistanchristianpost.com

By:Shamim Masih

Life is so precious, and everyone in the world would love to live safe and sound life but the people living suburb in Islamabad

(slum areas) are forced to live this kind of life there. I feel pity to think of the circumstances they are living in, how ignorant they are of the harsh realities of life, and the struggling future they have to face, may be they would not ever get the chance to see the bright colors of life. I had been visiting the slum areas since 2009, I used to imagine about slums and people living there, all I can say, it’s pathetic life they will with. It is really eye opening to actually see how people live over there. Houses are made of mud and some with bricks and cement, unpaved streets and the living conditions are outrageous, which differentiate it from the normal living places. People inhale the toxic gases from the nearby ganda naala (seasonal drainage) and God knows how they tolerate its foul smell.

Most of the inhabitants are Christians, migrated from different parts of the country and have been settled here in search of jobs and for better future for three decades. These people don’t take care of their health and hygiene. No organization work for the children like sponsoring a child’s education and nutrition expenses. On Friday, a local court ordered the Capital Development Authority – CDA official to remove all illegal “katchi Abbadi”. Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddique of the Islamabad High Court – IHC directed the CDA to clear all settlements from the capital within a month. There are ten colonies (slum settlements) in different sectors of the capital, like Tent colony, 66 quarters, 48 quarters, katchiabadi G-8/1, 100 quarters, France colony, Essa Nagri, Dhuke Najju, Haq bhahu, and Muslim colony. The CDA official estimated that there would be around 5000 families in and around these slums. I wonder that if the Capital Development Authority will take action as per the High Court Judge, where these five thousands families will settle. There is a need to promote responsibility and healthy behaviors among the people so as to improve the social and economic status of the people of the community. Instead they are going to demolish and wanted to remove them. Human rights worker, Basharat Khokher met CDA manager, Amir Ahmed Ali and requested him to take care of the necessary measures for the displaced families. If it happens, UNHCR should come in front and should manage the IDPs

Pakistan’s Walk towards “Sharia”

by Sunny Gill

Negotiators representing Pakistani Taliban insurgents said that there could be no peace until Pakistan embraces Islamic Sharia Law and US-led forces withdraw completely from the neighboring Afghanistan. Sami ul Haq, founder of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and the head of the TTP’s three man talks team, said that there could be no peace in the region while there is NO SHARIA but democracy. The tough conditions appear to deal a blow to hopes that peace talks with the Pakistani government could end the TTP insurgency that has rocked the country since 2007.

Religion is not meant to be – and never was – forced upon an individual against his or her own will. Unfortunately, Pakistan is facing terrorism and some Islamic fundamentalists want to impose their rigid rituals and rights on non-Muslims. The Pakistani government is in a state of confusion about whether to confront them, which could lead to even more rabid mobs in the short-term, or allow the terrorizing of innocents to continue. Amidst all of this turmoil, government is again wasting time in attempting to negotiate, all the while knowing that this process will bring no solid result.

Taliban peacekeeping troops and Pakistani government negotiators are meeting to devise a strategy for formally kick-starting a much-awaited dialogue process. The Taliban had nominated five prominent figures – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf; PTI Chairman, Imran Khan, Jamiat Ullma-e-Islam JUI-S; Chief Maulana Sami ul Haq, Jamaat-e-Islamai JI leader; Prof. Mohammad Ibrahim, JUI-F politician Mufti Kifayat ullah; and Lal Masjid prayer leader Maulana Abdul Aziz – to act as intermediaries between them and the government’s negotiating team. Imran Khan strongly opposes the military operation in North Waziristan. He is also leading the campaign in Pakistan against US Drone attacks of terrorist outfits.

Earlier, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid has said that Pakistani people have been fed-up with the anti-Islam system of democracy and are looking toward the Taliban for “change”. He further stated that Taliban have spilled out to different cities of Pakistan and now their aim is to make Islamabad the stronghold of Islam. This would mean every decision being made according to Sharia law. TTP fellow negotiator Maulana Abdul Aziz also said the TTP’s long-held commitment to imposing Sharia law across Pakistan was not open to debate. Without Sharia law, the Taliban won’t accept (the talks) even one percent.

Terrorism in Pakistan has become a highly vicious reality in recent years. The annual death toll from terrorist attacks has risen up to approximately 60,000 in last 13th years. According to the government of Pakistan, the direct and indirect economic costs of terrorism from 2000-2010 was $68 billion. Former Presidents Asif Ali Zardari, and Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf, had to admit that terrorist outfits were “deliberately created” and looked after by previous governments as a policy to achieve some short-term strategic objectives. This began with Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq’s controversial ISLAMIZATION policies of the 1980s, under which conflicts were started against Russian involvement in Afghanistan. Zia’s tenure as president included when Pakistan’s involvement in the Afghan-Soviet War was well under way, which led to a greater invasion of ideologically driven Mujahideen into the Tribal areas (“FATA”) of Pakistan; it amplified the Kalashnikov Culture and drugs from Golden Crescent.

Zia, who was an extremist Muslim while he was the president of Pakistan, tried to impose Sharia in Pakistan. He was even the person who introduced the famous Blasphemy Law in Pakistan. He wishes and desires that Pakistan should be a State under the Sharia.

When Zia took over in 1977, he used religion as a tool to oppress people and to punish anyone who dared to speak against him. It was during his reign that hundreds of people – including journalists – were publicly lashed. It was on his instructions that the Hudood Laws were formulated. He is the one who started the process of changing things for the worse. In 1984, he instructed the textbook boards to prepare books which showed that ‘Pakistan was not formed on the basis of race, language or geography but based on a common religious experience’. Students should be told about how Pakistan was created on Islamic Ideology. He also instructed them to eliminate the role of Minorities from the books. In 80s he welcomed Mujahideen from Arab, Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and other part of world to fight against the USSR. He puts Pakistan into fire by establishing thousands of Mudassa’s to train these Mujahideen. This was the time When Osama Bin laden along with thousands of Arab terrorist enters in Pakistan. And Pakistan becomes the nursery of Muslim extremists. Zia made every possible effort to make Pakistan pure Sharia country. Even after the Afghan-soviet war these Mujahideen were never disarmed, later on these groups were activated as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harkut-ul-Mujahideen, Saipa-e-Shaba and some of them join the Al-Qaeeda led by Bin Laden.

In 1996, Afghanistan was taken over by these Mujahideens (Talibans). They spread from Pakistan into Afghanistan and formed a Government as the ISLAMIC EMIRATE OF AFGHANISTAN. It gained the Diplomatic recognition from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab emirates. Mohammad Omar (Mullah Omar) who was the Spiritual leader of Taliban, becomes its Amirul momineen. Al-Qaeda supported the Taliban with thousands of fighters from Pakistan and other parts of the Arab world. They were financially supported by Saudi Arabia. The Taliban and their allies committed massacres against Afghan civilians, denied UN food supplies, burned vast areas of fertile land and destroying tens of thousands of homes during their rule from 1996 to 2001. After the 9/11 tragedy, the U.S. and its allies declared war against the Taliban (Terrorists) and called it a “war on terror”. In December 2001, they were removed from power by the U.S. and its allies. The Taliban fled and went into hiding only to later regroup as an insurgency movement against the Karzai Administration and the NATO-led International Security Assistance force (ISAF).

After 9/11 Pakistan also supported the U.S. The Pakistani Army and political government supported the U.S. and its allies in the fight against the Taliban.

On 28th March, 2013 Pakistani Intelligence agencies told the Supreme Court that Pakistan has lost 49,000 lives since the attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon in the United States on September 11, 2001. More than 24,000 people, both civilians and troops were killed in terrorist attacks during the period between 2001 and 2008. The last five years have proved costlier, in human terms. Another 25,000-plus people died during military offensives against Taliban insurgents in the restive tribal regions since 2008. At least 49,000 people, armed forces have suffered 15,681 casualties while fighting Taliban militants in the tribal areas since 2008 – with 2009 being the deadliest year for them.

Since 2008, almost 9,000 people and security men were killed by bombers. As many as 5,152 civilians have been killed, 5,678 injured, in bomb blasts and suicide attacks since 2008. According to the report, there have been 235 suicide hits, 9,257 rocket attacks and 4,256 bomb explosions in the last five years. More than 200 members of tribal peace committees, or Peace Lashkars – including volunteers and chieftains – were also killed along with 275 wounded in targeted attacks by Taliban in the last three years. The report also revealed that 1,030 schools and colleges were destroyed by Taliban insurgents in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from 2009 to 2013.

Since 2008 to 2013, 1,479 soldiers were killed and 5,745 others were injured. The report said that those who died include 675 men of the paramilitary Frontier Corps while 1,978 others were injured. A total of 1,717 policemen lost their lives in five years.

Suffering of Religious Minorities in Pakistan, After 9/11 The Original Constitution of Pakistan did not discriminate against Religious minorities in Pakistan but the Amendments made by the Military ruler Zia-ul-Haq has awakened the Islamization and promotes extremism in the society. The controversial Hudood Ordinance and Sharia Courts have given so much strengthen to all the radical Muslims. Later on, when Muhammad Nawaz Sharif took charge as elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, he enforced Shariat Bill in May 1991, and promoted the Anti-Christian Elements in the society. The Amendment made by Zia-ul-Haq – and empowerment provided by the Sharif’s Government – created new war between the Religious minorities in Pakistan. This whole system de-stabilized the peace and harmony, putting Christians and other Religious minorities into a hellish situation. Minorities who were already in a grave situation after these implications were put into fire. After 9/11, Christians and other minorities went through a hard time. Muslim extremists backed by the Taliban ideology, made their lives miserable. Hundreds of attacks have been faced by Christians, Hindu’s, Ahemdi’s and Shia’s in last 5 years. Christians who played a vital role in the development of Pakistan are now leaving Pakistan for the security of their lives. During the last 8 months, thousands of Christians left Pakistan and took refuge in THAILAND, SRILANKA, MALAYSIA and other South Asian countries, waiting for the decision of UNHCR. Thousands of Hindus migrated to India last year. Hundreds of thousands of Shia- and Ahmedis have already left Pakistan and the rest are making efforts to leave the country.

How dialogues will effect Religious Minorities in Pakistan.

A country, which has a long history of Brutal killings of innocent people and targeting and demolishing places of worship of Minorities, is now heading towards the enforcement of Sharia demanded by the Taliban, which has a history of hating other Religions / faiths. The Taliban is now actually having serious dialogue with the current Government of Pakistan. One of the examples of their hatred for other religion is that while they were in the power in Afghanistan, they destroyed the Buddha statues: If these talks will be successful, then there will be no Church or any place of Worship for the Minorities, just like in Saudi Arabia, which is ruled by the same Sharia law the Taliban would like to impose on Pakistan. Saudi Arabia, which is providing the financial support to the Taliban, want to create an Islamic Emirate State in accordance with Sharia and the Taliban is their agent. Over the last few years, it has been observed that several cases of blasphemy have been registered against the minorities in Pakistan. If the Sharia law is imposed – as demanded by the Taliban – there will be no end to the persecution of these innocent people. Those who have already been falsely accused of blasphemy and who are sitting in jails, will be given death sentences without any further trials.

We have even seen the extremism at its peak in this modern time. Two Christian brothers were shot in the courtyard, two died while in the police custody. One Lahore High court judge Arif Iqbal Hussain Bhatti was killed on 17th October, 1997 after acquitting Salamat Masih, 14, and Rehmat Masih, 46, on February 23, 1995 of having committed blasphemy. My apprehension is that after the implementation of the Sharia demand by Taliban, there will be no place for minorities in Pakistan. Even the Modern Muslim will be in great trouble.

- See more at: http://www.christiansinpakistan.com/sharia/#sthash.0XmCpkDn.dpuf

Life on the razor’s edge in Pakistan

Speaking up against the blasphemy law in Pakistan often has fatal consequences as the few who do speak up face death threats

When 69-year-old British Pakistani, Mohammad Asghar came to Rawalpindi in 2010, he was shocked to find that one of the two properties he owned there was occupied by a notorious land grabber. He filed a complaint against him before leaving for the Haj pilgrimage but it was Asghar who was arrested on his return. His crime was that he claimed to be the Holy Prophet and wrote letters in his name and even printed visiting cards, for which he was charged with blasphemy, a criminal offence punishable with death under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

While awarding the death sentence on January 23, 2014, the sessions court which conducted the trial in Adiala jail disregarded his extensive medical records from Scotland in which it is evident he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. An affidavit in June 2011 submitted to the court by Dr. Jane McLennan, a consultant psychiatrist of Royal Victoria Hospital in Edinburgh, where Asghar lived with his family, says that he was her patient in February and March 2010. Records showed that in 1993, he was first referred to psychiatric services and treated for depression. In 2000 he suffered a cerebrovascular stroke and as a result walked with a limp, needing the support of a walking stick. He also suffered from psychiatric symptoms after the stroke which included depression and delusionary beliefs of a paranoid and grandiose nature. He had auditory hallucinations and persecutory delusions, believing that his home was bugged by the Pakistani and international media and that he was being persecuted for having written to Prime Minister Blair and President Bush, telling them the Iraq war was wrong, the affidavit said. He was admitted to a psychiatric hospital on February 17, 2010, under an emergency detention certificate after expressing paranoid delusions regarding a Pakistani TV network and the police. He was diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia by Dr. McLennan when he was admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital. She stressed that though he presented a good social facade, those without sufficient professional training might miss the indicators of his illness. This does not detract in any way from the severity of his illness or nullify the mental illness diagnosis, she said. He also had no insight into his illness and did not think he needed treatment and could not see his beliefs and actions were not rational.

When he was discharged from hospital on March 18, 2010, he required vigorous and ongoing treatment as he remained mentally unwell. However, neither he nor his family had any insight into his mental illness and the need for treatment and neither he nor they engaged with ongoing treatment. When he was visited by his community psychiatric nurse in March 2010, he was clearly exhibiting symptoms of paranoid psychosis. Dr. McLennan said that it seems unlikely that Asghar continued with his medication after he travelled to Pakistan. Even during his time in the Scotland hospital, he often referred to himself as being a very holy man. “If his condition worsened, as it seems to have done, he may have described himself in more exaggerated terms, while not meaning to commit blasphemy,” she said.

He was receiving basic medication and his condition would deteriorate as long as he remained in prison, she pointed out in the affidavit. The probability of him attempting to take his own life is significant and may be increased if he remains in prison, she added, while recommending a comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation plan. Sure enough, Asghar tried to commit suicide on January 8, 2012 and had to be hospitalised. However, the trial court did not take evidence from the hospital into account, and a hastily summoned medical panel certified him as normal. His lawyers were thrown out in October 2013 and not allowed to be present when the verdict was pronounced.

There has been much outrage in the U.K. and elsewhere after this latest conviction. Under Section 295-C of the PPC “Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.” Asghar’s lawyers say that all the evidence against him was produced by the complainant in the form of letters and visiting cards in which he claimed to be the Holy Prophet. While an appeal against the conviction has been filed in the Islamabad High Court, there are serious concerns about his health after his lawyers finally managed to meet him in jail.

Other convictions

This is not the first case where a mentally ill person has been convicted for blasphemy. Two years ago, a mentally ill girl Rimsha Masih was sentenced to death for blasphemy but she was finally acquitted by the court in 2012 and granted asylum in Canada. Her fellow Christian neighbours were forced to flee their homes in Meherabad and live in precarious housing conditions in Islamabad. Rimsha’s persecutor, a cleric, was acquitted in 2013 of filing false charges.

Aasia Bibi, a Christian from the Punjab province, became the first woman in the country’s history to be sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010, according to Human Rights Watch. In 2011, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and former federal minister, a Roman Catholic, Shahbaz Bhatti were killed for anti-blasphemy law statements and for supporting Aasia Bibi who continues to languish in jail. Her appeal is yet to be heard by the High Court. Taseer’s killer, Mumtaz Qadri, is lodged in the same jail as Mr. Asghar and his death sentence is yet to be confirmed by the High Court. Former U.S. Ambassador Sherry Rehman faced threats after she proposed a bill banning the death penalty for blasphemy.

Targeting minorities

According to media reports, over 1,200 people have been charged with blasphemy from 1986 till 2010. The Human Rights Watch World Report 2014 says that abuses are rife under the country’s blasphemy law, which is used against religious minorities, often to settle personal disputes. Dozens of people were charged with the offence in 2013. At least 16 people remained on death row for blasphemy, while another 20 were serving life sentences.

In its State of Human Rights in 2012 report, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) says, “Abuse of the blasphemy law continues to take a heavy toll in terms of human lives and harassment of citizens. A well thought-out plan should be put into place to make the citizens aware of the havoc that the abuse of this law has caused and how important it is to insert safeguards that can prevent that abuse.” Sections 295 to 295-C of the PPC are generally referred to as the blasphemy code. The punishments for offences under these provisions include death (under Section 295-C), life imprisonment, imprisonment for various periods and a fine. Pakistan has not executed anyone under Section 295-C. However, many of the accused have been killed by extremists outside the courts or in prisons, according to the HRCP.

Speaking up against the blasphemy law often has fatal consequences and the few who do speak up, face death threats. With little chance of the law being amended, minorities and those who stand up for them continue to live on an unrelenting razor’s edge.

Pakistani Taliban Talks To Taliban: 'Committees can do only as much'

'Committees can do only as much'

Those who thought Taliban are down and out and the talks exercise was launched to let them slip away from the back door must review and revise their thinking. Taliban are neither down nor out; they are very much there and want to be accepted as Pakistan's principal stakeholder. Met even halfway a laundry list of demands their leadership is said to have handed over to their interlocutors, we would be a carbon copy of Mulla Omar-ruled Afghanistan. Of these, the three that are of critical importance to the cause of peace in the country are (1) release all prisoners including foreigners and drop criminal charges against Taliban, (2) withdraw army from tribal areas and close down checkpoints and (3) replace democratic system with Islamic system. If these are the 'some encouraging response' from the TTP Shura, as Maulana Samiul Haq would like us to believe, what more the TTP could have demanded. And all of this, he says, is nothing but a 'breakthrough' because the Taliban leadership is ready to hold talks within the 'constitutional limits'. The government is talking to the outlaws who not only question the very basis of our constitutional edifice but want complete amnesty for the horrendous brutality they committed against the people of Pakistan - what a joke. The Irfan Siddiqui-led committee is not the government itself as some would like to argue it is nothing but hogwash. We don't know if some people want to see Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan's Amirul Momineen, but would be definitely moving a step closer to this honorific position though he decides to meet the TTP even halfway. Earlier when Maulana Samiul Haq met the prime minister and claimed he was tasked to initiate peace parleys with Taliban, his claim was rebuffed by the prime minister office. But a month later he is at the head of a team appointed by the Taliban now. What is all this cooking up in the government kitchen?

Before the so-called peace talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban proceed any further Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take the nation into confidence, at least on the following points. One, what rationale is for the apparent move to concede Fata to the Taliban, like Swat was handed over to Maulana Fazlullah. And is it what majority of the tribal people want? Two, what guarantee is that with peace deal cut with Fazlullah-headed TTP its myriad affiliates active elsewhere will too give up on their armed struggle against democratic Pakistan. This is an important issue given the fact that even as the committees of the two sides are in talks the welter of terrorism refuses to abate. One would also like to know if such a deal will secure the life and limb of the Hazaras. Three, if thanks to its terrorist record the TTP in being approached for peace talks why not other terrorists and outlawed entities' like the ones in Balochistan. Can government accommodate their demands also, some of which are as critical as of the TTP in terms of their acceptance under the constitution? No wonder then as the government seems to be surrendering to the dictates of sword-wielding Taliban others with identical but had taken the back seat have returned to the field to demand their slice of the pie. By holding peace talks with the Taliban the government may have initiated a whole new ballgame - which it cannot win at least in the present circumstances. In fact it can backfire, particularly if what the government committee agrees is not upheld by the people and endorsed by the parliament. Consider the complexity of the issue: even the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf which was never short on the need to talk to the Taliban is not prepared to be their representative. Before the committees go any further it would be in the fitness of things that the parliament should get involved. It wants talks with Taliban but is it ready to agree to its demands as reported by the media. Meeting these demands would demand a constitutional cover and that only the parliament can give. The parliamentary resolutions in support of talks with Taliban, yes these are there on record. But now the situation dictates moving beyond the non-binding resolutions and to evolve a hard-nosed, realistic approach to rid Pakistan of demons of extremism and terrorism once for all - of course, not forgetting that military operation is the second best option.

Pakistan: Dead in the water

After the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP’s) negotiating team flew to North Waziristan by helicopter to consult the TTP’s political shura (council), the government was left holding the baby of their 15 demands. If the TTP wish list is anything to go by, the government-initiated negotiations are dead in the water. The demands include introducing the TTP version of Sharia in the courts, teaching it in schools, withdrawing the army from the tribal areas, halting drone attacks, and cutting all ties with the US. However, these are secondary to their primary demand to immediately implement their peculiar tribal-religious legal and political system across the country. Most telling is the demand to hand over control of the tribal areas to ‘local forces’ and remove military check posts while pulling the military out. No one in Pakistan, the TTP included, is under any illusions about what their demands amount to: the deconstruction of Pakistan and the creation of a new state in which the TTP rules the roost according to its version of Sharia, which dooms women to life as dispossessed chattel and everyone else to second class citizenship subject to arbitrary sentences of death and mutilation. Of course, the TTP version of Sharia doesn’t include the relevant Islamic legal injunctions on women’s inheritance, rights for minorities, or the personal aspect of religion; these are subsumed by the tribal mindset that dominates its leadership. This should tell the government something, i.e. the TTP will find a way to ignore what they don’t like and will go so far as to find scriptural justification for it, as past broken peace deals have proved. Even acceding to a limited number of demands, particularly those relevant on the ground in the tribal areas, means ceding a portion of the country to the militants. What the TTP are asking for is tribal territory to be placed under their control, with the high likelihood that if ‘their’ Sharia is not implemented in the rest of Pakistan, they will continue waging war against the state.

Mao Tse Tung famously said, “A small compromise today means a bigger war tomorrow.” The government should keep this in mind when discussing the TTP proposals. The TTP will never stop attacking Pakistan until they are able to implement the kind of political order we saw in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Conceding space now will simply give them greater opportunity to wage war against the state later. That they will claim to be part of Pakistan while doing so is not a panacea, but a way to use Pakistan’s sovereignty to shield them from foreign powers who won’t tolerate a Taliban state anywhere anymore. After all, they currently claim to be fighting for Pakistan’s constitution, as absurd a claim as any made by them over the years. The TTP is apparently not interested in the subtleties and gradations of negotiated peace, as most people said from the start. Their way is the Bush way: you’re either with us or against us. That they may hold off attacks for a year, or six months, is not reason enough for the state to quietly surrender to their whims. In fact, attacks continue despite negotiations, the most recent on a shrine in Karachi which bore the hallmarks of the TTP modus operandi. The people of Pakistan have paid, and are still paying, a high price in the battle against extremism. If the government concedes now to demands that give the TTP greater strategic opportunity, those sacrifices will have been in vain. More importantly, the government should recognise that whatever its own leanings, and despite what the TTP says, the people of Pakistan have repeatedly rejected the extreme views of religious fundamentalists in favour of democratic governance. As representatives of the people, the government can’t accept demands that allow enemies of the people and state to regroup and gain strategic advantage.

Pakistan: Real stakeholders not part of peace talks

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan expressed his criticism of the peace talks with the Taliban, stating that the real stakeholders were not part of the process. Ahsan expressing his views on the talks told senators that there should have been a woman, minority and member of the Shia sect included in the dialogue process. “The decision is for our destiny and the Taliban are holding talks with the Taliban.” Ahsan said that the release of prisoners and not Sharia law was the main issue for the Taliban and the talks illustrated the retreat of the government. The PPP senator added that only 30 per cent of the Taliban were in the tribal areas and the remaining along with their supporters were spread all over the country. “The accused behind a bombing in Karachi is a local and not from FATA.”

Bilawal Bhutto condemns Peshawar cinema blasts

Patron-in-Chief of Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on a cinema in Peshawar today, which resulted into loss of precious human lives and called it an inhuman and beastly act. In a statement, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that mosques, schools, hospitals, cinemas and other public places are being attacked by the terrorists to keep the people illiterate, maimed and spiritually hollow to hold the masses of Pakistan captive. “Terrorists need to be dealt with an iron hand instead of appeasing them to protect Pakistan and its founding ideology”, he added. PPP Patron sympathized with the families of victims who lost their lives and limbs in the blasts and expressed solidarity with them. He also stressed that special arrangements should be made for timely treatment of all those injured in the attack.

Peshawar cinema hit by deadly Pakistan blasts

At least 10 people have been killed and many injured in a suspected grenade attack at a cinema in Peshawar in north-west Pakistan, officials say. No group has said it carried out the attack, but cinema owners say they had received warnings from militants to shut down their businesses. It comes almost two weeks after explosions at another cinema in the city killed five people. Peshawar has suffered numerous bomb and gun attacks over the years. The attack took place at about 15:40 local time (10:40 GMT) while a film was showing inside the cinema. One report suggests that up to 80 people were inside the hall when three grenades were hurled at the patrons. In the last 48 hours the city of Peshawar and surrounding areas, bordering Pakistan's restive tribal belt, have been hit by several small but deadly bomb attacks. Much of the violence to have hit Peshawar in recent years has come at the hand of Taliban militants. Taliban and government representatives are currently engaged in preliminary peace efforts aimed at charting a "roadmap" for negotiations. One of the five conditions set by the government before talks can begin in earnest is a cessation of hostilities.

Pakistan: Asking for moon

If these are the TTP\'s demands for peace, the outlawed militant outfit is really asking for nothing short of the moon. It is demanding overall fundamental change in the nation\'s prevalent political, financial, educational and judicial systems. The democratic order it wants to be thrown out lock, stock and barrel and replaced by what it calls Islamic system. It expects its decisive say in the country\'s foreign affairs. Not just that. It wants all its native and foreign prisoners released and quashing of criminal cases against its people. And on a platter, the militants want the control of the tribal areas under the cover of a demand for the army\'s withdrawal from these regions and handing over the charge of their security to what they call local forces, that in plain language means levies and khasadars. What else the demands to this effect could aim at if not this? Fabulously-funded as they are and well-stocked with deadly weapons supplies as they are, could a khasadar or a levies personnel, at best armed with an obsolete gun, face up to a charging horde of the banned outfit or its equally-lethally-equipped bloodletting cohorts. And yet the prime minister says that the talks with the outlawed outfit are moving in the right direction. Is it, really? Indeed, by every reckoning, the government is now in a bind of its own making and has at the same time pushed the nation into a downright unenviable predicament. With these demands and their leaking, the outlawed outfit has arguably played its cards very cleverly. Of course, its demand like end to the US drone incursions in our territory goes in tune with the widespread public outcry and anger over this American adventurism. But the other demands are patently aimed at particular segments of the polity and are potentially going to strike a responsive chord among the targeted sections of public. Unmistakably, its demands for reorientation of the country\'s political, financial, judicial and educational systems are intended to further deepen its appeal to the polity\'s conservative sections and spawn and expand it beyond as well. But quite lethal are its canny demands for recompense of drone attacks\' as well as military operations\' victims and removal of security check-posts. With a corrupt, apathetic and unresponsive political administration in place to administer the tribal region all though these past several years, there is a very fertile ground for these demands to appeal to the tribal people massively and generate positive feelings for the militants to the state\'s utter grief. So indifferent has been the political administration throughout to local residents\' distresses and miseries caused by anti-militancy security operations in the region that a public feeling of anger and animus against the state has perceptibly bred over there. Never has this administration been seen acting feelingly and humanely to aid the distressed populace afflicted by the operations by way of collateral damage or displacement internally. What to speak of being proactive to come to the aid of the distressed and put some balm on their wound with some help in reconstructing their devastated lives, this lackadaisical mandarinate has bothered not ever to look after the internally displaced any tenderly. It stayed lukewarm and apathetic even when the courts took compassionate notice of the tribal IDPs\' doleful plight in refugee camps of the settled areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and intervened to order relief and succour for them. It always has been more intent on washing its hands of these woebegone tribal people than helping and aiding them out. The security check-posts have caused no little resentment among the region\'s natives, either. They generally complain sourly of impolite and crude behaviour of the security staff there. No lesser they bemoan of being put to inordinate waiting at the posts, which they also complain have no shelter and essential facilities for the waiting public. More worrisomely, a public accusation is galore all over the region for sometime that security people take away valuable household goods during search operations. And truthfully or untruthfully, accusations of innocent residents being shot dead in search operations are gaining currency increasingly. In short, the growing public anti-state antipathy in the tribal region can neither be ignored nor underestimated. Rather, it has be taken fully into account in all earnestness and the impact of the banned outfit\'s demands on the public mind in the region has to be realised in all its ramifications. For, it has the dire implications for the ultimate security and stability of the state. Indeed, the evidently unthoughtful talks foray of the government with the outlawed outfit is palpably working as a big catalyst for other violent groups and other gangs operating in the country, giving potent fillip to their vile activities. The insurgents in Balochistan have visibly become more active over these days, killing people, blowing up gas pipelines, blasting off rail tracks and attacking murderously security personnel, their posts and convoys with increasing frequency. Other fissiparous elements in the country\'s other parts will arguably take heart from the weakness of the state that the government has put on display with this talks move and conclude they, too, can exact from the government what they want at gunpoint. Verily, the government has put the nation in a quagmire it would not come out without being bruised hurtfully.

Pakistan: Talks only with those who accept constitution, state: PPP, ANP

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) have demanded of the government to hold talks only with those who accept the Constitution and the state of Pakistan. Speaking on point of order during the Senate session presided by Nayer Hussain Bukhari, Senator Raza Rabbani called for taking all the political parties on board over Taliban talks besides setting up a parliamentary committee to be briefed daily on progress of dialogue process. ANP Senator Haji Adil warned of opposition if talks were held with those who don’t recognize the Constitution.

China urges int'l alarm over Japanese comments

The international community needs to be alarmed by Japan's right-wing moves and resolutely safeguard historical justice, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Monday. Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing that China noticed the remarks of a Japanese media official on the atomic bomb attacks on Japan and the United States' response. Naoki Hyakuta, a board member of Japan's national broadcaster NHK, recently said Americans staged the post-war trial of Japanese leaders to cover up their own war crimes, including the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A U.S. Embassy spokesman called the charges preposterous and expressed hope that people in positions of responsibility in Japan would avoid comments that inflame tensions in the region. Hua said Japan's recent false statements on historical issues aimed at whitewashing Japanese militarist aggression in the past and challenging the results of World War II as well as the post-war international order. People should always be alarmed by this history, Hua said, noting that Japan's right-wing political force is on a retrograde track regarding historical issues and has adverse impacts on regional peace and stability. She emphasized that the international community should be highly alarmed and resolutely safeguard historical justice, the post-war international order and regional peace and stability. Hua also said that Japanese leaders' recent mistakes on historical issues have provoked conflict between Japan and the victims of World War II, including China and the Republic of Korea. It is clear that Japanese leaders are running contrary to the trend of world peace and stability, a move which has been opposed by the international community, according to the spokeswoman. China hopes all people who love peace and prize justice can work together to safeguard the results of World War II as well as world stability, she added.

Sochi to become an all-year-round resort after Olympics – Putin

http://voiceofrussia.com/

Russian president Vladimir Putin thinks that the booming interest in Sochi due to the Olympics should become a permanent trend.

“It’s very important to use everything that has been created there during the last six-seven years efficiently. One has to take into account the number of tourists will increase,” Putin said Monday at a Sochi-2014 Public Council meeting. He pointed out that the number of freighted vessels, able to carry 2,500 to 3,000 people on board, has reached 86 about twice as much as a few days ago. “That means that Sochi is gaining in popularity. We should find other features, apart from Olympic buildings to attract tourists,” Putin added. The president thinks that the Olympics are only a primary impetus which should be developed further. The president pointed out that the infrastructure, created during the last years, provides an opportunity to do this. For example, the number of hotel apartments has increased twice. “Big hotel chains began to build hotels there, thus redirecting people from other resorts of the Black Sea to Sochi,” Putin said. ”These are economic and not administrative means of attracting tourism. I think that we will manage to turn Sochi into an all-year-round resort,” Putin concluded.

EU urges Turkey to change internet law

Turkey's crackdown on the internet raises "serious concerns" and "needs to be revised in line with European standards," the European Commission has said.

The commission's spokesman on enlargement, Peter Stano, on Thursday (6 February) noted that the new regime “would lead to a further reduction in internet freedom.” "Turkish people deserve more freedom of information and transparency, not more restrictions," he added. The bill also attracted criticism from European Parliament President Martin Schulz, who described the bill on Twitter as a “step back in an already suffocating environment for media freedom.”

The law, which was passed by the Turkish parliament late on Wednesday, allows a government agency, the Telecommunications Communications Presidency (TIB), to block access to websites without a court order if they are deemed to violate privacy or seen as having "insulting” content. Personal browser histories will also be kept for two years, with no judicial review of the measures. The new law amends 2007 legislation which was used to stop Turkish people from using YouTube for two years and which caused the shutdown of thousanfs of websites. The European Court of Justice in Strasbourg in 2012 already ruled the old law to be in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights. For its part, the Vienna-based Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has warned that the latest amendments put "a disproportionate burden on internet service and hosting providers,” and would harm investigative journalism by potentially exposing reporters’ sources. At the start of Turkey’s parliamentary debate on Wednesday, opposition lawmaker Hasan Oren compared Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Adolf Hitler. “When you came to power you talked of enhancing democracy in Turkey, Now you are trying to implement fascism … Remember that Adolf Hitler used the same methods when he rose to power,” Oren said. The crackdown is the latest in a series of measures designed to quash a corruption affair involving Erdogan’s inner circle. He already faced EU rebukes in January for sacking hundreds of police officers and prosecutors investigating the allegations and for putting judicial appointments under political control. More broadly, Turkey last year topped world rankings for jailing journalists. The EU candidate country recently restarted accession talks after a long pause. German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier this week urged the EU to also open talks on chapters relating to justice and human rights issues in light of Erdogan’s actions, but Cyprus is vetoing the move amid its 40-year-old frozen conflict with Turkey.

NOOR JAHAN - OLD PAKISTANI PUNJABI SONG - BABRA SHARIF

Pakistani music....Tha Yaqeen keh...........

Afghanistan polio: First case in Kabul since 2001

By David Loyn

An Afghan girl has been diagnosed with polio in Kabul - the capital's first case since the Taliban's fall in 2001. The health ministry ordered a vaccination campaign across the capital after the three-year-old was diagnosed. Polio remains endemic in Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern Nigeria, but has been almost wiped out around the world. In all three countries Islamic extremists have obstructed health workers, preventing polio eradication campaigns from taking place. Since the Afghan Taliban changed their policy, allowing vaccination in recent years, there has been a decline in cases in Afghanistan. There were 80 cases in 2011, 37 in 2012, and 14 in 2013. The emergence of a new case in Kabul is worrying health officials.

It was discovered in a very poor community of Kuchis, formerly nomadic herdsmen, now settled on a hillside in the east of the capital. In response, health workers have tried to visit every home in the community. There is no running water or electricity, and some of the ex-nomads still live in tents, despite the cold of winter in Kabul. Once the workers have put drops into the mouths of infants they find, they mark their hands with a blue line, and write the date on the wall. It seems rudimentary, but tens of thousands of volunteers in campaigns like this across the country have succeeded in almost beating the disease.

Cross-border transmission

The girl who contracted the disease, Sakina, was diagnosed after she became paralysed. Her father is a taxi driver who often goes to the frontier region with Pakistan, and has now taken her there for treatment. Her uncle, Mohammed Azim, said that she complains: "I can't stand up. The other children are playing and I cannot." The polio strain in the two countries is identical, and with 1.5 million children crossing the frontier every year, cross-border transmission is inevitable. Nearly all of the cases in Afghanistan last year were in regions close to the Pakistan border. Afghanistan has health workers at the border crossings, attempting to monitor all children who cross, and vaccinating those at risk. But many people do not cross at formal customs posts, instead using tracks across the mountains and deserts that line the porous frontier.

'Undermining efforts'

The Taliban in Afghanistan remain a nationalist movement, who have been persuaded of the values of modern medicine. But the Pakistani Taliban are a far more ideological group, similar to Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, who are focused on global jihad, and unwilling to believe anything the west tells them. As well as killing health workers, the Pakistani Taliban have campaigned against vaccination, spreading the malicious rumour that it is a covert policy of sterilisation. Their opposition, along with continuing insecurity in some parts of Afghanistan, could prevent continuing progress towards global eradication of the disease. Afghan Health Minister Soraya Dalil said the continuing opposition of the Pakistani Taliban was a threat, "undermining efforts" to eradicate polio in Afghanistan. After the initial local vaccination campaign, routine campaigns would continue, she said, to keep up the pressure, and ensure that this is an isolated case and not a new outbreak.

"This new case in Kabul tells us that the effort on polio eradication is not over yet, and we have to accelerate the effort to make sure that every child, no matter where they are, receive polio drops."

Video: Hollande and Obama at Monticello

U.S. President Obama and French President Hollande visited Monticello, the home of America's third president Thomas Jefferson.

U.S: The First Lady Announces New Hiring Commitments

U.S: Health Insurance Enforcement Delayed Again for Some Employers

The Obama administration announced Monday that it would again delay enforcement of a federal requirement for certain employers to provide health insurance to employees, giving medium-size companies extra time to comply. The “employer mandate,” which had already been delayed to Jan. 1, 2015, will now be phased-in beyond that date for some businesses with more than 50 employees. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees were already exempt.

Under the Affordable Care Act, larger employers are generally subject to tax penalties if they fail to offer “minimum essential coverage” to full-time employees and their dependents.

The administration laid out a three-tier approach.

For larger employers with 100 or more employees (about 2 percent of employers): Seventy percent of employees must be offered coverage in 2015, and in later years at least 95 percent of employees must be offered coverage. Employers that do not meet these standards will be subject to tax penalties.

For employers with 50 to 99 employees (about 2 percent of employers): Companies with 50 to 99 employees will have an extra year, until 2016, to provide coverage or pay tax penalties. For small businesses with fewer than 50 employees (about 96 percent of all employers): These companies will not be required to provide coverage or fill out any forms in any year.

Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Obama, announced in blog post on July 2 that “we are giving businesses more time to comply.” No penalties would be assessed for 2014, she said.

Members of Congress asked how the president could unilaterally waive provisions of the law. J. Mark Iwry, deputy assistant Treasury secretary for health policy, said the administration had broad “authority to grant transition relief” under a law that directs the Treasury secretary to “prescribe all needful rules and regulations for the enforcement” of tax obligations.

This authority has often been used to “postpone the application of new legislation when immediate application would have subjected taxpayers to unreasonable administrative burdens or costs,” Mr. Iwry said. The announcement Monday followed numerous other steps by the administration to postpone and cushion the impact of the health care law. In mid-November, Mr. Obama asked insurers to reinstate policies being canceled because they did not comply with minimum coverage requirements of the law. A week later, the administration extended the initial deadline for people to sign up for coverage that starts in January. A few days after that, health officials announced a one-year delay in online enrollment for small businesses using the federal insurance exchange.

The administration then moved the sign-up deadline for individuals to Dec. 23 and extended by one month, to the end of January, a special insurance program for people with serious illnesses. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, announced on Dec. 19 that people facing the cancellation of individual policies could buy cheaper catastrophic coverage on the exchange and would be exempt from penalties if they went without insurance next year.

Video: Hollande arrives in the United States

Taliban Killing Greater Numbers of Children in Afghanistan as Prison Breaks Swell Ranks

http://guardianlv.com/

By Melissa Roddy

Taliban fighters previously held in Afghan and Pakistani prisons have returned to wage jihad, killing more of Afghanistan’s civilians in 2013 than in any year since 2009. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) issued a report on February 8, 2014 showing a 34 percent increase last year in the number of children killed or wounded over 2012.

The UNAMA report attributed only three percent of casualties to international forces. The lion’s share (74 percent) was caused by anti-government elements (AGE), with 11 percent attributed to Afghan National Security Forces. Of the 2,959 civilian deaths reported, over half were caused by civilians stepping on or driving over improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Other civilians suffered in the 962 battles between security forces and groups identifying as Taliban, including members of the Haqqani Network, Hezb-e-Islami Hekmatyar and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Three large prison breaks from 2011 to 2013 have resulted in the return to Afghanistan of over 1,000 Taliban jihadists responsible for the killing of far greater numbers of Afghan children in 2013 than in 2012. Two of the breaks were from Pakistani prisons and one from an Afghan prison.

Last July 248 prisoners broke out of jail in the western Pakistani town of Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan). In April 2012, in the town of Bannu, located in northern Pakistan, 384 prisoners escaped from jail, and a year earlier, the Taliban liberated 541 of their fellow militants by digging a tunnel 360 meters (1,181 feet) under the prison in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Guards and other employees at the Bannu jail, located in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, reported that 150-200 men stormed the prison, engaging in a two-hour pitched battle with prison guards. The fighters and escapees then departed in over 50 trucks, which had been parked on the main highway near the jail. Shahab Khan, the prison telephone operator, claimed throughout the battle, he sent requests to the Pakistani military for backup. Every time he was told that help would be there soon, but reinforcements never arrived. Dozens of trucks loaded with escaped prisoners and fighters then drove through Bannu and into nearby North Waziristan, passing unimpeded through numerous military checkpoints in the city and along the highway.

Last summer a very similar event occurred in DI Khan, also located in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, just southeast of North Waziristan. This time, the military and provincial governments received advance warning that a jailbreak would occur, complete with numerous details about the attack, including how many vehicles to expect, where they would be parked and which prison barrack was the intended target. In the midst of the bust-out, the attackers stopped to enjoy a leisurely pizza with some of the guards. While inside, they also took time out to find and behead four ethnic Shia inmates.

Pakistan’s media reported the attackers and escapees melted into the surrounding city and countryside. Local witnesses, however, described a very different sight. Over a dozen trucks loaded with fighters and prisoners were said to have roared through the streets and up the highway, whooping, hollering and shooting into the air “like a wedding parade,” again blowing unimpeded past numerous military checkpoints, on their way to Taliban-controlled North Waziristan.

With so many Taliban fighters returned from prison to the field, it is not surprising that Afghanistan suffered the killing of hundreds more women and children in 2013.

Afghanistan: Anti-Taliban sentiments at its apex

Anger against the Taliban among Afghans has reached its boiling point. From Ghazni’s Andar district to Kunar, from there to Kandahar’s Panjwai and Logar, there is searing fury against the barbarism of the Taliban. Residents of the Baraki Barak district of Logar province are in high dudgeon and started resistance against the Taliban. Their life has become agonic at the hands of the Taliban. They are furious and say if anyone prevents their children from going to school or blocks people’s participation in the coming elections will face the dire consequences. Toward the end of the year 2013, residents in Paktia also said none should support Haqqani network and if anyone was found abetting terrorists, his house will be burnt and his family ostracized.

The shameless Taliban still claim to be the representatives of the people of Afghanistan, fighting against own government to liberate their people. This seems to be not only shameless but nonsense as well. Being highly perturbed by Taliban’s insurgency, as many as 1,000 residents of Baraki Barak took up arms to drive the insurgents out from their villages. Because of insurgents’ infestation, the area had become highly insecure where people’s lives had come to a still.

The move is not only worth appreciation but needs to be supported by the government, the National Directorate of Security as the spy chief said the other day that insurgent groups were busy to sabotage elections. Anger against militants is at its apex across the country, but citizens are hapless in front of them. They shouldn’t be left prone to their atrocities rather the government and its security organs should enlist peoples’ support in fight against militancy.

The province that started this noble job to start uprising against the Taliban uprising is Ghazni. Andar district of the province will be remembered in Afghan history. Paktia and Khost were two other provinces that followed the suit. But this time it is Baraki Barak in Logar province that is standing against the Taliban.

If the government supports those who have taken up guns against the Taliban, they day is not so far that they will be completely weeded out. Now that Residents say they have taken up guns against the anti-government fighters after long suffering at their hands, it should make a difference. Though, the government’s efforts for peace should continue, but unfortunately despite the desperate attempts, the nation is still in limbo. When the government finds an opportunity like the one in Baraki Barak it should exploit it to consolidate its writ and power against militants.

The peace road goes nowhere but it has become a cul-de-sac and all the stakeholders are faced with a dead end. Nevertheless, this is good that Afghan masses are taking up arms against the Taliban. The Taliban are there, their financiers are there and their supporters as well, but they should know that eventually when the world will pull out, followed by America and the Taliban don’t come to the table of negotiations and their atrocities increase with each passing day the people of Afghanistan will get tired of terrorism, then they will rise up and it will be the worst defeat of the Taliban and worst instance of Muslims on Muslims violence. So, before it happens the Taliban should think over what did they get of the 13-year war, which is still going on with no end in sight and for how long they will hold out for?

Pakistan: Our Sharia enforcers

BABAR SATTAR

IS enforcement of a certain conception of Sharia the TTP’s precondition for peace or that of its apologists who view the terror threat as an opportunity to enforce their skewed ideology and worldview on Pakistan? The demand for Nizam-i-Adl in Swat was understandable. Swat had experienced a swift justice system under the Wali-i-Swat. After being absorbed by Pakistan their justice system became as dysfunctional as that of the rest of Pakistan and they wanted amends.

But why is Sharia an issue in Fata? Fata doesn’t have the common law justice system that is criticised for being un-Islamic. It still functions under the FCR and the jurisdiction of Pakistani courts is specifically ousted. Disputes within and amongst tribes are settled through jirgas on the basis of tribal riwaj and not common law. How is the state of Pakistan preventing Fata residents from leading their lives in accordance with Islam?

The key demand of the pro-enforcement brigade is not that they are unable to lead their lives in accordance with their faith. These zealots are demanding that others should lead lives in accordance with their interpretation of Sharia. This isn’t about the freedom of those seeking Sharia enforcement to practise their religion, but about curbing the freedom of thought, action, choice and faith of everyone else, coupled with the suggestion that those who disagree are no Muslims at all.

The enforcement brigade tells us that in not ‘enforcing’ Sharia on their fellow Muslim citizens the state is acting in breach of Article 2A (the Objectives Resolution) and the Principles of Policy laid down in Part II of the Constitution.

Article 2A does state that “principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by Islam shall be fully observed” and that “Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam”. But it also states for example that, “adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to profess and practise their religions and develop their cultures”. The point is that the Constitution embodies various principles. How they are to be read in conjunction and given effect is a matter of interpretation. But in the realm of religion what our Constitution emphasises is enablement and not enforcement. Whether it is Article 2A, Article 20 (the right of every citizen to profess, practise and propagate religion) or Article 28 (the right of citizens to preserve and protect their language or culture), our Constitution embraces diversity and the individual right not to be dictated to by others on how to practise one’s faith.

Our Constitution is minimalist and not maximalist when it comes to religion. It mandates that none of our laws must breach Islamic injunctions, but doesn't require the state to ‘enforce’ Sharia. Islamic provisions in Part IX only require that Pakistani citizens be ‘enabled’ and ‘encouraged’ to live their lives in accordance with Islamic principles. And inherent in the composition of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) under Article 228 is the assumption that there exist legitimate differences of opinion between various schools of Islamic thought on what living in accord with Islamic principles might mean.

To state the obvious, the Constitution also leaves no room open for vigilantism when it comes to matters of faith. It provides two formal mechanisms to prevent breach of injunctions of Islam: one, the CII which can advise parliament on how to encourage Muslims to practise Islamic principles or opine on what laws are repugnant to Islam; and two, the Federal Shariat Court, which can issue mandatory judicial pronouncements. The claim by any other entity, group or citizen that Islam is under threat in a 97pc Muslim country can only be personal opinion.

Article 31 with the Principles of Policy in Chapter II also speaks only about enablement and not enforcement of Islam. Those who cry themselves hoarse over the breach of Principles of Policy must also read Articles 29 and 30 that unambiguously establish that these non-judicially enforceable principles are like a statement of purpose meant to guide citizens and state organs alike and not to be shoved down their throats.

That some consume alcohol in Pakistan despite it being a punishable crime, that some women dress in ways that bigoted men find disagreeable, or that the Sharia court is still considering whether or not all forms of interest are exploitative and amount to riba are not the burning issues posing an existential challenge to Pakistan. It is the education and population emergencies, our energy crisis, governance and justice system meltdown, violent insurgencies and terror all across Pakistan that paint a bleak future for our country and our kids. Our salvation lies not in the moral outrage of cavemen backed by threats of violence but in real life solutions proposed by serious people focused on and trained to address complex problems of a 21st-century polity. The pro-enforcement brigade threatening to reconvert by force the Muslim majority of Pakistan into better Muslims is no outcome of 9/11. This tendency of some to declare other Muslims apostates and liable to be killed in the name of religion is much older than Pakistan.

Can there be a bigger irony that in a country created to enable Muslims to practise Islam freely, the overwhelming Muslim majority now lives in mortal fear of being killed in the name of the same religion that they claim to profess, practise and love?

Pakistan: Sindh Festival: Basant celebrations electrify the Karachiites

The Seaview of Karachi woke up to a sunny weekend with normal winds as a large number of people turned up at the beach to fly kites.

The sky was dotted with scores of kites at Karachi beach, as Saturday and Sunday saw the Basant celebrations to mark the Sindh Festival with shouts of ‘boo-kata’. Sindh Festival is being celebrated from February 1-15 at multiple cities of the province to promote the Sindhi culture. The two-week festive season began with an opening ceremony at ruins of Mohenjodaro. For all participants, children and adults, the joy of flying kites mattered most with ultimate goal to keep their kites high up in the sky.

With string in their hands, people mostly from nearby areas, had geared up for kite-flying sessions to participate in ‘Basant Festival’ celebrations in a fun and frolic atmosphere.

Participants queued up before a makeshift stall, which was set up to provide coloured kites and threads free of cost. The dominant colours remained red and white with ‘Sindh Festival’ printed logos on them. However, many participants preferred to bring colourful objects of their own.

“I am flying the kite fore the first time ever in my life. It is a great experience,” said Hassan Abbas who had come there along with his peers.

“We have brought around 40 kites,” said Hassan. His friend Usman Shakil lauded the previous day’s musical concert. “Last night’s performances of Shazia Khushk and Komal Rizvi were superb,” said Usman who had come there on the second consecutive day. Another family, headed by Dr Ali, was roaming around. “It is good to see and witness such a colourful and sparkling event,” said Ali who had arrived here from Hill Park Society area. Shahroze Sabzwari, another participant, had a different tale to tell.

“Kite-flying is a rare sight in Karachi nowadays. I wish I could see more kite flying events in the coming days,” said Shahroze.

The entire area had been decked up with Sindh Festival wooden frames of kites. The two-day ‘Basant Mela’ was held in Karachi on Saturday and Sunday. The participants, especially children, had other reasons to celebrate too – camel and horse riding and the glorious mascots that left a lasting memory on kids’ minds. However, a number of families, who were least concerned with kite flying, were seen enjoying and having snacks while kids were seen playing games.

The two-day celebrations also witnessed the brilliant singing performances by Sukhbir Singh, Shazia Khushk, Humera Arshad, Ainee, Komal Rizvi and Hassan Jahangir.

Pakistani Blasphemy Laws Escort To Discrimination Of Minority Groups

Blasphemy law in Pakistan is becoming more and more strong weapon for Muslim extremists. Even though there has never been a death sentence under the act, vigilantes repeatedly deceive and from time to time kill believers of minority faiths blamed of blasphemy.

According to U.S.-based Human Rights Watch criticize Pakistan’s documentation of defending its religious minorities, says that 2014 world report shows that “mistreatment has extensively risen under Pakistan’s offensive blasphemy law, which is used against minority faiths, often to settle personal quarrel. They enclose an environment of terror, power terrified judges into pending court conferences within prisons and preventing eyewitnesses to give statement to the protection of those on trial.The national religious affairs ministry has denied the statement. Government officials did not responded on the comment.

Secretary-general of Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam, Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi abandoned the accusation that the law is generally altered to settle personal issues, although he said he supports a thorough police inquiry before accuses are filed. He said those who were actually harassed had conveyed the aggression upon themselves by enraging Muslims’ emotions.

According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, last year 34 people were charged with blasphemy. As per of government statistic 27 were charged in 2012. At least 16 people are presently on death sentence for blasphemy, while another 20 are serving life imprisonment, according to Human Rights Watch. Rescue Christians, a U.S.-based charity working for four years in Pakistan, its head Keith Davies stated that “In the last three years we have seen a large increase in the number of cases of blasphemy”

Pakistan is not the only state with such commandment on the books. Blasphemy felony are punished in more than 30 nations, including some with majority of Christian populations, such as Poland and Greece, as well as Muslim countries like Indonesia and Pakistan, according to a 2012 report by the Interfaith Center of New York. The majority of Pakistan’s 180 million people are Sunni Muslims, who don’t support the militants’ interference or their loathing for religious minorities. On the other hand, the minorities, as well as Muslims who belong to the Shiite section of Islam, say even the smallest argue can let them in jail on fabricated blasphemy charges.

The hostility connected with Pakistan’s blasphemy law has been vicious. Three years ago, moderate Govt. Salman Taseer was gun downed by his own security guard for defending a Christian woman accused with blasphemy. In a separate attack, militants assassinated Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti after he operation for modification in the law. Last year in July, two brothers charged with insulting Islam’s prophet were murdered as they stepped out of a court. A Christian, Tariq is presently in hidden after authorities accused him with blasphemy charges. He said the charges came over a fight he had with two customers who bought defective firecrackers from him. When he refused to apologize, he said the customers went to the police in Lahore and lied that he had stuffed the firecrackers with pages from the Quran. Fearing capture by Pakistani forces he seeks asylum outside of the country.

- See more at: http://www.christiansinpakistan.com/pakistani-blasphemy-laws-escort-to-discrimination-of-minority-groups/#sthash.5mdXjb5L.dpuf

Former President Asif Ali Zardari condemns attack on faith healer place in Karachi

http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/

Former President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned attack on Sunday night at a place of a faith healer in Baldia town Karachi. Nine people have been reported killed and ten injured. In a statement former President said that it is most unfortunate that people performing their faith are being targeted by terrorists who want to impose their own political and religious agenda. These attacks cannot and will not weaken the resolve of the people and our security forces to fight these terrorists till the finish. Asif Ali Zardari prayed to Almighty Allah for grant of eternal peace to the departed souls and for early recovery of injured. He also prayed for courage and strength to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss with equanimity.

Shrine of Sufi poet set afire in Pakistan

indiatimes.com

The shrine of Pakistani Sufi poet Mast Twakali, revered across the subcontinent, has been set afire by unknown persons in the restive Balochistan province. The shrine, visit by hundreds of devotees each day, has been partially damaged in the fire, authorities in Kohlu district said. Kohlu deputy commissioner Ejaz Haider said some unknown persons had entered the shrine on Saturday and set it afire. "But because people of the area gathered quickly and put out the fire the shrine was saved but a big portion has been damaged," Haider said. Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, he added. Towaq Ali Mast - popularly known as Mast Twakali - was born in 1828. He spread the message of love for the humanity through his poetry. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other militant groups, which consider going to shrines as un-islamic, have in the past targeted them.

Pakistan suicide bomber kills four women in Peshawar

A suicide bomber killed four women in northwest Pakistan on Monday in an attempted attack on mourners at a funeral, police said. The blast hit a house in Peshawar, a frontline city in Pakistan's battle against Islamist insurgents, close to where a group of people were holding funeral prayers, senior police official Najeeb Ur Rehman told AFP. According to Rehman, the mourners spotted three would-be suicide bombers coming towards them but managed to scare them off. Two fled the scene while the third entered a nearby home, unconnected to the mourners, and blew himself up at the entrance, said Rehman.

"Four women died and six people were wounded in the suicide blast," he said. Shafqat Malik, chief of Peshawar's Bomb Disposal Unit, confirmed the suicide attack and told AFP that the bomber used around six kilograms (13 pounds) of explosives along with ball bearings in his suicide vest. Jamil Shah, a spokesman for Peshawar's main Lady Reading hospital where all the dead bodies and injured were taken, told AFP that five of the injured were women. The attack highlights Pakistan's fragile security situation as the government is engaged in peace talks with the Taliban. At least eight people were killed in a suicide attack in the northwestern city of Peshawar last week. The insurgents have set tough terms for peace talks, demanding the release of all imprisoned fighters and the withdrawal of troops from the tribal areas.

Pakistan: Shariah already exists in country

Busniess Recorder

Former Prime Minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani has said Shariah already existed in the country in the form of 1973 Constitution as no legislation could be made repugnant to the Islamic teachings. Talking to media persons at his Lahore residence after his meeting with Chief Minister Gilgit-Balistan Syed Mehdi Shah on Sunday, Yusaf Raza Gilani said that the Taliban had come up with three major demands including enforcement of Shariah in the country, release of Taliban prisoners and withdrawal of troops from militancy hit areas and it is up to the government either to accept or not these demands. He said that PPP and other political parties gave mandate of peace talks to the government and now we have to wait for the results of dialogues with banned outfit. Gilani said that he had talked to Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif six months ago asking him to play his role for release of his abducted son Ali Haider Gilani. He hoped that now when the issue of release of Taliban prisoners was raised, the PM would remember his son also, he added. The former premier said PPP government during its era gave provincial status to GB besides facilitating people with equal rights enjoyed by people of other provinces of country. Speaking on the occasion CM GB Mehdi Shah said that PPP led government spared no efforts to resolve problems faced by the people and it was hoped that his party will clean sweep in general elections scheduled in December 2014.

Pakistan: Kaira expresses reservation on negotiation committee

http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/

Pakistan People’s Party information secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that his party is supporting efforts to eliminate terrorism and extremism from the country. Talking to newsmen here on Sunday, he said that the PPP would continue to support the government for ensuring peace in the country. He, however, expressed his reservation on the negotiation committee and ceasefire with Taliban. Kaira particularly referred to Major (retd) Aamir, who according to him, was notorious for his anti-democracy stance. He said that it was deplorable that some ministers of the ruling PML-N were supporting defunct outfits. He said that his party would support the government for continuation of the democratic system in the country. He said that the PPP believed in fair trial of former President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf. He threatened the PPP would stage demonstrations outside courts if Musharraf trial was not made on merit. He said that the PML-N government came to power with promises to bring down prices of essential commodities and to end gas and power loadshedding, but it had so far failed to fulfill any of its promises. Later, Kaira visited the residence of PPP city president Akhtar Hussain Butt and condoled with him over the death of mother, who had died recently. Earlier, he inaugurated a store on Alipur Road.