http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Pakistani authorities sacked some people having "negative tendencies" working with the country's sensitive nuclear programme to keep it safe, according to a report.
"We filtered out people having negative tendencies that could have affected national security," said Brig (retd.) Tahir Raza Naqvi, who works for strategic plans division, the administering body for the nuclear programme.
Those sacked were the "incorrigible" ones, he said, and quickly added: "Our checks are very solid."
The sacked nuclear workers could not clear the personnel reliability programme that was started in mid-2003/04 to screen the employees working on the sensitive programme, Naqvi was quoted as saying by the Dawn.
He was addressing a seminar on Wednesday on 'Future security outlook of South Asia: Trends and challenges' organised by an Islamabad-based thinktank, Centre for International Strategic Studies, and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung of Germany.
Naqvi said all employees of the nuclear programme are periodically checked for family background, education, political affiliation and religious inclinations.
He would not say how many were sacked over the years or why they failed to clear the screening.
At least 12 people linked to disgraced nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan were removed when the proliferation scandal surfaced in 2003. But those firings took place before personnel reliability programme was instituted.
Prof Siegfried Hecker of Stanford University said Pakistan had real security concerns and its perceived need for a robust strategic deterrent was now recognised by the West.
However, he said that concerns remained about the increase in fissile material production and development of diverse delivery systems (missiles).
He said Pakistan must keep its nuclear weapons, material and know-how under strict government control.
"Safety and security is paramount to manage nuclear enterprise," he maintained, adding that safety and security was "not a destination, but a journey and the first line against nuclear terrorism".
Pakistan is believed to be sitting on something like 120 nuclear warheads and has recently brought into play two new heavy water plants that will enable them to produce about 24 nuclear warheads a year.
The West fears Pakistan's nuclear arsenal could be vulnerable to penetration by militant groups.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Pakistan - Former President Zardari stresses priority to education
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com
Former President Asif Ali Zardari has called upon the provincial government of Sindh to give high priority to education as mandated in the 18th constitutional amendment which recognizes right to education as a fundamental right of the citizens.
He said this while presiding over a meeting today at Bilawal House Karachi on education.
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, education minister Nisar Khoro and Sindh Cabinet ministers Mir Hazar Khan Bajarani and Murad Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Sindh Siddique Memon, Secretary Education and other high officials were in attendance. Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians Vice President Sherry Rehman was also present on the occasion.
The former President said that larger increase in the transfer of resources to provincial governments under the 7th NFC Award had raised the expectations of the people and also increased the responsibilities of the provincial governments to reflect this increase in transfer of resources in a matching increase in expenditure on education.
Priority should be given to girls’ education and providing the missing facilities like drinking water, electricity and wash rooms in the existing schools, he said.
The PPP manifesto lays great stress on education he said adding that keeping in view the state of education in the country it would be appropriate to declare an education emergency.
He asked the provincial government to fulfill the promises made to people in the party manifesto particularly with regard to education.
Mr Asif Ali Zardari also stressed the need for merit based appointment of teachers and ensuring in service training for the teachers.
Taking notice of lack of basic facilities in schools directed Sindh government to immediately undertake measures for addressing this issue. He underlined the need to focus on girl’s education and to appoint lady police officials for the security of girl’s educational.
Professor Christine Fair’s lecture on Deobandi ideological roots of terrorism in Pakistan
by Abdul Nishapuri
The following lecture on the common Deobandi identity of Pakistani terrorist outfits including Taliban (TTP), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP aka ASWJ), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), Jundallah, Ahrar etc was delivered by renowned American scholar Professor C. Christine Fair. Here’s a transcript of her talk: The most recent militant group to serve in Afghanistan on Pakistan’s behalf is the Afghan Taliban, they certainly are the most recent but they are not the only one part of that. There is a whole fleet of other organizations that propped up. So that’s in Afghanistan. Now bear with me for a minute because it’s really important to get these groups straight. In Islam, just like there are in Christianity and Judaism, there are many interpretive traditions. Most of the militant that we are talking about come from one and that is called Deobandi and it is important to know this because all of the groups of Deobandis have a common ideological infrastructure eg mosques, madrassas and religious scholars who issue Fatwas to justify what they do and these also become really important recruiting networks, and they also have ties to Deobandi political parties. So, the vast majority of groups that we see operating certainly against our interest in the region are Deobandis. This is important because in 2001 when we forced the Pakistanis to support our war in Afghanistan, many of Taliban’s Deobandis allies turned against the Pakistani State even though the State had been their patron. And think about this for a second. In some sense, these follows were training with the Talibans they were in their camp. In 1988, when we sent cruise missiles to go after Al- Qaida in Khost, we actually killed some of Pakistani militant organizations so they felt that Taliban had finally achieved a Sharia under their ideological umbrella and the State was being forced by Americans undermine this amazing accomplishment. So these Deobandi organizations, some of them stayed loyal to ISI many of them did not, and those groups began targeting the Pakistani State and began doing this actually at end of 2001 and early 2002. And this begins the emergence of what started to operate in 2007 under the banner of Pakistani Taliban. Now Pakistani Taliban, think about them as this is as a kaleidoscope, this is an example I give in my class you got little plastic fletch you look at it you flick it you look at it again, you see some thing else . In any give and take with ISI what they are doing they are negotiating they trying to buy off some of these Deobandi elements. Can you please stop killing us and go kill Afghans and go kill Americans. So some time they ate successful and some time they are not, some time they buy off commanders and some time they can’t . Now the other Jihad that ties into these Pakistani Talibans is the Jihad in India. Again Pakistan has cultivated a zoo of militants exclusively to kill Indians, some of these are Deobandis. So going back to the Pakistani strategy of saying how come you are saying that we are supporting terror we are the victims of terror, while their strategy about TTP and other Deobandi militant groups is like a lumpy soup and then take a part of that soup and say: please, can you go and please kill American in Afghan, and some of them say yes sir, we will, just give us some money and we are on our way. The other part of the strategy is to take these groups that used to be more focused on India and say that any thing we can get you to kill Indians, and one of the primary vehicle for these Deobandi groups is called’ Jaish-e- Mohammad’ and this ties is into shelling in the folk because they use to shelling to insert these terrorists. When Pakistan talk about their own Taliban, they are often simply call them Taliban to deliberately confuse you. So you need to understand these are different organizations they have overlapping membership, they have overlapping Deobandi ideology but they are in many ways distinct in terms of what their goals are and what their areas of operations are.
A Muslim woman can kill 3 Christians and injure 11 in Pakistan and walk free
Dr. Nazir S Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC has expressed surprised on granting bail before arrest by District Session Courts of Lahore to one Muslim lady teacher who ran over his car on Christian protestors of Youhanabad killing 3 Christian youth and injuring 11 others.
Moreover that Muslim lady named Mariam Safdar, a teacher by profession was so influential that police lodged her complained registering FIR against 30 Christian protestors that they harassed her on whom she sped her car which caused killing of 3 protestors and injuring others.
“It is Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Islamic justice where a Muslim can walk free on streets with pride after getting bail before arrest from a Muslim judge after killing 3 Christians but to safe your skin from legal action can file FIR against Christian whom you kill and injure” said Nazir S Bhatti in a statement issued from Central Secretariat of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC
According to sources of Pakistan Christian Post it is learnt that one of Christian injured is in critical condition in hospital that was ran over by speedy car of Muslim woman Mariam Safdar.
On March 15, 2015, twin suicide bombers attacked St. John’s Church and Christ Church in Youhanabad killing 15 and injuring more than 80 Christian worshipers on which anger spread among Christian youth of this locality who blocked Ferozpur Road as a protest.
Police in large number was present on scene and other administration officers were watching the law and order situation.
It was duty of police to prevent entering public vehicles in the area where protester were lodging their protest against bombing of their Churches and killing of worshipers the how Muslim woman Mariam Safdar was allowed to take her car to drive through protestors.
Dr. Nazir Bhatti urged Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab to immediately arrest Muslim woman Mariam Safdar on killing 3 Christians and injuring 11 other Christians.
PCC Chief said that do not force Christians of Punjab to wall but treat them as equal citizen and ensure justice towards them because Christian life is also precious.
Pakistan - Polio Permanent
Do parents have the right to give their children crippling diseases? There are two social norms at play here. The first that parents know what is best for their children, no matter what. A dictum, repeated ad nauseam by parents, whether to control the lives of their children, or actual misplaced belief that they really do know best, just by dint of having given birth. The second is ignorance, now our national pastime. How many of these parents, ready to kill anyone pointing polio drops at their children, have actually gone to a doctor, picked up a medical journal, consulted a library, tried to access internet material… done any independent fact checking apart from believing rumours and mullah created hearsay.
The Sindh home ministry has imposed a ban on pillion-riding till March 23 to thwart any untoward incident in the wake of new anti-polio vaccination campaigns in Karachi. This is the extent to which the polio myopia has spread in Pakistan. Has it come to a point, where the life of a polio worker holds no value, but the risk that someone else’s child might be sterilised by polio drops is all that matters for men with guns on bikes. Gunmen on Tuesday killed two women who were members of a polio vaccination team and a police guard in Mansehra. However, FATA has recorded only six polio cases in 2015 against the 40 cases, recorded during the same period last year, owing to better security situations that ensured frequent vaccination in the militancy-stricken areas. The purging of militants has also purged the area of polio. Vaccinators have been repeatedly vaccinating 90 per cent children during the past seven months in North and South Waziristan, and the drive has been most effective for IDPs.
Cambodian communist militants in the 1970s banned the import and production of western medicine. It led to famine and malaria epidemics. At least a million people died. Can the state take away the right of a parent to refuse medicine? Beliefs cannot serve as a proxy for science, but they do here in Pakistan, from chemistry books quoting Quranic verses to maulvis being authorities on health care.
Pakistan - Health workers boycott anti-polio drive in Mansehra
The local lady health workers and their supervisors, after the killing of their two colleagues in Tuesday’s attack, decided to boycott anti-polio campaigns till provision of complete security to them.
Two female health workers and a police guard were shot dead by militants in mountainous Danna area of the district on Tuesday when they were vaccinating children.
The funeral prayers of both the health workers -- Sattara Gul and Kaniz Nurgis – were offered in Sheikabad area. A large number of people including health employees took part in the funeral prayers.
Deputy Commissioner Aamer Khattak, who also attended the funeral prayers, told journalists that the ongoing polio campaign in the district was postponed till further orders. He said that the decision was taken in a meeting, which was also attended by District Health Officer Dr Sardar Bashir.
Mr Khattak said that provincial government had also announced Rs1 million each for the families of the killed health workers and employment to one family member of both the victims. “We put off the anti-polio drive till next orders for the protection of polio workers,” he asid.
The funeral prayers of policeman Mohammad Mushtaq, who was also shot dead in the attack, were offered in Lassan Nawab area of the district.
LHWs and policeman killed in Tuesday’s attack laid to rest
Dr Sardar Bashir told journalists that the district had remained peaceful for the polio workers. He said that district committee for polio eradication would decide when the next round of polio drive could take place.
The health workers have announced three-day mourning over the killing of their colleagues.
Following the funeral prayers of their killed colleagues, lady health workers and their supervisors gathered at district health offices and announced that they would not perform polio duty until complete protection was provided to them.
The LHWs, who had gathered from across the district, sought Shuhadda Package for the families of both the victims and job for their kin.
Speaking on the occasion, district president of Paramedical Association Khalid Khan said that the government should change the way of door-to-door vaccination and establish fixed centres for the purpose.
TEACHERS: The education department terminated services of 68 women teachers after a high level committee found that their appointments were made in violation of rules and criteria.
“I have sacked 68 female teachers by the orders of education secretary as their appointments were made against the rules and criteria,” said DEO Naghmana Sardar.
She said that the teachers who, were terminated on the recommendations of a high level committee, were also hurling threats at her. She said that sacked teachers were appointed in 2011 and 2012 by the then district education officer Umer Khan Kundi in violation of rules and criteria.
The DEO said that the committee, which was headed by Syed Hidayat Jan, the special secretary of agriculture department, also advised Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to remove Mr Kundi from his service.
The official said that the vacant posts of teachers were being filled to ensure imparting quality education to girl students in the district.
Pakistan - Lahore carnage
The extreme frustration of the marginalised and brutally victimised communities with the PML-N is not just because of the latter’s inaction but also its active hobnobbing with extremist jihadist groups
Fifteen people, including a police guard, were killed when the jihadist terrorist group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which has recently remerged with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), bombed two churches in Lahore right at the time of mass this past Sunday. The casualties could have been much higher were it not for the fallen volunteer and policeman who tackled the suicide bombers and prevented them from entering the church naves. The targeted Christians immediately took to protests, which turned violent. Two bystanders were beaten and then burnt by some in the crowd, something that cannot be condoned at all. It was a gruesome lynching by any standard and a judicial inquiry must ascertain the facts and bring the offenders to book.
The Federal Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, took it a step further, however, claiming that the lynching witnessed on Sunday is “the worst form of terrorism”. Mr Khan said that incidents like the brutal attack on the Lahore churches happen all over the world and when “a similar incident occurred right in the heart of Paris where a synagogue was attacked the minority Jews did not react violently in the French capital”. The protesting crowd’s excesses notwithstanding, it is rather disingenuous of Mr Nisar to compare the Christians of Pakistan to the Parisian Jews. The massive vitriol and disgusting slurs unleashed on social media by several Pakistanis against their Christian compatriots right after the Lahore tragedy gives some idea of the hate, prejudice and the denigration the Christians go through daily. Treated as second-class citizens and relegated to the periphery of society and slums of the cities, the Christians have been insulted and humiliated since long. They have been burned and bombed for years and now are being maligned too as anti-Pakistan traitors.
The same people, including Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who have rationalised the TTP’s relentless terrorist campaign as a response to US drones, are unwilling to consider the mitigating circumstances in the Lahore lynching. The people who are loath to identify the thousands of victims of terrorism by their religious, sectarian, ethnic or tribal identity, are now suddenly playing up the Islamic faith of the unfortunate lynching victims and, like Mr Nisar, conflating a law and order disaster with terrorism. What also seems to be lost on Mr Nisar is that the agitation by the Christian crowds was a vote of no confidence against his government and party, which have done absolutely naught in their six terms and 17 years of cumulative rule in Punjab to protect the beleaguered Christian community and punish its tormentors. From the caste system perpetrated on the Christians and the colossal socio-economic injustice it entails to being the perennial targets of the anti-blasphemy laws, the doomed community has reeled under prejudice without even a whimper. However, the decades of bombings and burnings, mostly on the watch of the PML-N, might have pushed the bruised and battered Christians over the edge. As the Persian adage goes: tung aamed, ba-jang aamed (frustrated to the extreme, one opts to fight back).
The extreme frustration of the marginalised and brutally victimised communities with the PML-N is not just because of the latter’s inaction but also its active hobnobbing with extremist jihadist groups. The PML-N’s consorting with the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) aka the Ahle-Sunnat-wal-Jamaat, is rather well known. The SSP is said to have been involved in the July/August 2009 rioting against the Christians in Gojra, Punjab, in which, according to official reports, seven Christians were burnt alive and 68 houses, including churches, were torched. None of the culprits were punished. The recent documents introduced in the US versus Abid Naseer trial in a New York court include materials captured from Osama bin Laden’s lair in Abbottabad, again reminding us of the PML-N’s active courting of the vicious TTP. On page 61 of the dossier is a 2010 letter from the al Qaeda operative Atiyah Abdal-Rahman to his boss bin Laden, which notes, “Regarding Tehreek-e-Taliban: we have informed Hakeemullah Mehsud and his companion Qari Hussain that the Punjab government (Shahbaz Sharif) sent them a message indicating they wanted to negotiate with them, and they were ready to re-establish normal relations as long as they do not conduct operations in Punjab [in their governmental jurisdiction, which does not include Islamabad or Bandy (Pindi)]. The government said they were ready to pay any price...and so on. They told us the negotiations were under way.” Qari Hussain Mehsud was the notorious Ustad-e-Fedayeen, i.e. teacher of the suicide bombers, who was killed in a drone strike in October 2010.
The PML-N spokespersons have denied such contacts and termed the Osama bin Laden dossier’s surfacing now, a “conspiracy”. However, exactly five years ago, in a ceremony on March 14, 2010, Mr Shahbaz Sharif stated, “The Taliban and PML-N both opposed former military dictator Pervez Musharraf” and, therefore, he was “surprised that this common stance has failed to stop the Taliban from carrying out terror attacks in Punjab”. Mr Sharif said, “General Musharraf planned a bloodbath of innocent Muslims at the behest of others only to prolong his rule, but we in the PML-N opposed his policies and rejected dictation from abroad, and if the Taliban are also fighting for the same cause then they should not carry out acts of terror in Punjab.” As abhorrent as the PML-N’s overtures to the TTP were, even more disgusting was its pitch to spare just Punjab as the rest of the country went up in flames.
The PML-N’s Punjab dispensation did not just stop at negotiations with the TTP. The very same Punjab government has funded the Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s Muridke centre, allowed the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba’s Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi a life of comfort in jail and given stipends to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s sectarian terrorist Malik Ishaq whose hands are soaked in the blood of dozens. The Punjab government has given all minorities every possible reason to doubt its motives and actions. Is it a surprise then that the Christian protestors, having zero confidence in the Punjab government’s hollow pledges to deliver justice, protested aggressively? The minorities, whether Christians or others, must however realise that in a bigoted and radicalised society, they have a really minuscule sympathy cushion that would evaporate quickly if protests turn violent, something an agent provocateur could easily accomplish. The lynching of two bystanders is out of character for a community known for its patience and peaceful conduct, and has to be thoroughly investigated. On the other hand, the suicide bombers who attacked the churches had, in all likelihood, help from Punjab-based jihadists. The Lahore carnage has put the Punjab government in the dock again for tolerating and fraternising with extremists of all shades.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
UN: IS Appears To Have Presence In Afghanistan
Nicholas Haysom was speaking to the UN Security Council on March 16.
He said the UN mission's assessment is that IS has not stuck "firm roots" in Afghanistan.
However, Haysom said IS had the potential "to offer an alternative flagpole to which otherwise isolated insurgent splinter groups can rally."
Haysom's view was echoed by Russia, which urged the Security Council to stop the militant group's expansion.
Russian Deputy UN Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said Moscow is worried about what he said was an increased terrorist threat in Afghanistan, especially in the formerly quiet north bordering former Soviet republics in Central Asia that he called Russia's friends and allies.
The two were speaking on March 16 at the start of a meeting during which the Security Council voted unanimously to extend the mandate of the UN mission in Afghanistan until March 17, 2016.
Afghanistan's UN Ambassador Zahir Tanin agreed that there are reports of Islamic State militants group penetrating more areas including Afghanistan, "but the main enemy we face is the Taliban that continue to fight against us."
He added that there may also be "some splinter groups with more extreme orientations."
Safronkov said extremists in the north are actively engaging in propaganda activities and recruiting, and were setting up camp.
The resolution adopted by the council calls on the Afghan government, with help from the international community, to continue to tackle threats from the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, other extremist groups, and drug traders. It does not mention the Islamic State militant group by name.
In its resolution extending the UN mission in Afghanistan, the Security Council stressed the importance of an "Afghan led and Afghan-owned" political process to support reconciliation for all those who renounce violence, have no link to terrorist groups, and respect the constitution including the rights of women.
Tanin said the peace and reconciliation process was the government's first priority, especially "when violence affects increasing numbers of civilians and when the crippling triple threat of terrorism, extremism, and criminality threatens to undermine the future of the Afghan people and the wider region."
Ghani’s Gambit - Can Afghanistan and Pakistan Ever Get Along?
By
President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan is taking a risk most leaders would shun: He is proposing to improve Afghanistan’s contentious relations with Pakistan in the hope of paving the way toward both peace with the Taliban and regional economic cooperation. Much of the Afghan public is skeptical, because Pakistan has long treated Afghanistan like a client state. Mr. Ghani will need to show results fast.
The U.S. government should do its utmost to support him when he comes to Washington on an official visit next week. For the United States, the stakes are greater than whether President Obama can extract American troops by the end of his term without destabilizing Afghanistan.
Mr. Ghani is hoping the Pakistani government will respond to his efforts by curtailing the military capacity of the Afghan Taliban, whose leaders have sought refuge in Pakistan, and pressing them into entering negotiations with the Afghan government and eventually giving up their armed struggle. The objective is to make the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan more open and more secure and then help “connect South Asia to Central Asia,” as Mr. Ghani put it during his first trip to Pakistan last fall.
“Alone we can strive,” he said, addressing a group of Afghan and Pakistani business leaders, “Together we will thrive, and let’s thrive together.”
Afghanistan and Pakistan have been at odds over borders and other issues since the creation of Pakistan in 1947. But Mr. Ghani’s recent overtures try to address some of Pakistan’s concerns. He has suspended a request by the Afghan government to purchase heavy arms from India, of which Pakistan has long been wary. He has sent Afghan cadets to study at the Pakistani military academy. He has offered Pakistan unprecedented cooperation on military and intelligence matters.
Mr. Ghani has also offered Pakistani investors generous access to Afghanistan, including free industrial zones. In November, the Afghan and Pakistani governments agreed to a detailed list of proposals to promote trade, including the opening of 15 new crossing points along their shared border, even though Afghanistan has long disputed its legitimacy.
When I visited Pakistan last month, I was amazed at the change of attitude expressed by Afghan and Pakistani officials alike. I have worked on the region for over three decades — including as adviser to the U.N. special representative of the secretary general for Afghanistan in 2001 and as adviser to the U.S. State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2009-2013 — and it was the first time I heard both sides describe the relationship in hopeful terms. The officials said the Pakistani military had told the senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban living in Pakistan that they had to talk to the Afghan government or lose their freedom to operate in Pakistan.
What’s more, these changes in Afghan-Pakistani relations are occurring against the background of a more favorable regional environment than ever before. The withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan combined with the international community’s continued commitment to assisting the Afghan government, the possibility that tensions between the United States and Iran may ease if a nuclear deal succeeds, and China’s increased engagement with the region all offer the promise of concrete benefits if Afghanistan and Pakistan cooperate with each other.
China, after decades of developing exports from its coastal regions, is investing in its interior and western parts. Linking this landlocked area to foreign markets requires massive investment in infrastructure beyond China. President Xi Jinping is seeking to create a Silk Road Economic Belt through Central Asia, an economic corridor through Pakistan and a maritime Silk Road through the Indian Ocean.
To support this new growth strategy, Beijing is encouraging ethnic Chinese workers and professionals to resettle in western China. This has created tensions between the government and the indigenous Muslim Uighur population in Xinjiang, and generated inter-ethnic clashes and terrorist incidents. Uighur militants have gone to fight in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria, and the Chinese government has grown increasingly concerned that militancy in Afghanistan threatens its internal security.
As a result, China has made clear to its close friend and ally Pakistan that it opposes seeing the Taliban rule Afghanistan again and instead favors a political settlement under which the Taliban would demobilize and integrate into the political mainstream. Since last fall the Chinese government has held several meetings with Taliban officials urging them to negotiate, and has reportedly offered China as a venue for talks.
The U.S. government, for its part, has already taken steps to facilitate negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban. In addition to announcing the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, it has removed the names of some Taliban leaders from a Bush administration-era blacklist. It has supported differentiating the U.N. sanctions that apply to Al Qaeda from those that apply to the Taliban, so as to allow the lifting of travel bans on members of the Taliban. Washington has also transferred some Taliban leaders from the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar.
The U.S. government must further strengthen Mr. Ghani’s negotiating position. For example, it could transfer to the Afghan government the Afghan detainees still held at Guantánamo. Mr. Ghani has asked the Chinese and U.S. governments to cooperate on Afghanistan, and they have started to do so through embryonic joint assistance programs and increased diplomatic coordination. Washington should do more still, including publicly committing to take account of China’s plans in the region as it develops its own regional infrastructure project, the New Silk Road initiative, to better connect Afghanistan to Central Asia, Pakistan and India.
Mr. Ghani’s recent diplomatic overtures — toward the Taliban, Pakistan and China — are a chance for Washington finally to engage with Afghanistan not just as a source of threats, but also as a land of opportunities.
Pakistan - Left with no choice: APS students to sit for exams despite doctors’ warnings
Ninety-three days on, the wounds of Army Public School (APS) victims are still fresh. Flashbacks still haunt the survivors and rehabilitation is still under way. Yet in the middle of perhaps the most challenging times of their lives, the affected APS students confront another hurdle in shape of the looming board examinations. At the moment, the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams are scheduled for March 25 and 27 for grade nine and grade ten students respectively. There is no official or unofficial indication that APS students will be allowed to give these exams at a later date.
Perhaps not enough has been written and said about the post-traumatic stress disorder which students who witnessed the horrific ordeal of 16/12 are expected to suffer from – one way or the other. While some survivors of the horrific massacre have been able to recover from their physical injuries, others continue to battle both physical and psychological distress. Signs of both were quite visible with the 30 odd students who were brought to Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi for medical assistance. Parents of some survivors who are still in Peshawar have reported symptoms of PTSD.
“Trauma of such nature affects the hippocampus (an area in the brain responsible for recollection of facts and knowledge)… which can lead to academic difficulties and poor performance in exams,” says the letter signed by AKUH Assistant Professor Dr Tania Nadeem from the psychiatry department. This document which has been given to the students under treatment at AKUH is addressed to the federal board of education, Peshawar Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, the chief of army staff and the APS administration.
“Appearing for board exams in the near future will be extremely stressful to them and may even be detrimental to their coping and long-term recovery,” added the letter, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune. The psychiatrist has further recommended a change of learning regimes, assessment based on previous performance rather than coercing the victims to compete with children who prepared for their board examinations under normal circumstances.
Tenth grader Maaz Irfan is one of the fortunate students who managed to escape alive from the hell that struck the school auditorium. His right hand and arm are yet to recover fully and he worries his health is deteriorating by the day. With fresh check-ups scheduled at AKUH for the week of March 23, he does not know how he will appear for the exams in Peshawar.
Twelfth grader Aamir Mehboob has been discharged and has returned to Peshawar and will continue his treatment at Combined Military Hospital. “I don’t know what will come of my exams. My college applications are also due,” Mehboob told The Express Tribune over the telephone.
The evident psychological duress of these students appears rather too trivial to authorities who, according to insiders, refuse to “disrupt the entire system” in order to facilitate schoolboys who suffered at the hands of terrorism. According to clinical psychologist Nida Khan, a lack of legislation has resulted in the marginalisation of psychological care in Pakistan.
A copy of the letter issued by AKUH Psychiatry Department.
APS exam cell in charge Waqarullah Khattak said the only concern at this point is the students who wish to withdraw and not appear for board exams voluntarily. He said students Sartaj Aziz, Obaid Sajid, Sadat Siraj, Hasan bin Qaiser and Irteza Bakhmal in SSC and Aamir Mehboob and Waheed Anjum in FSc, will have replacements write for them while they dictate the answers.
However, Khattak disagreed with the recommendations of AKUH and said the students are “quite capable” of appearing for the exams. “SSC exams are scheduled to begin from March while FSc exams are expected to start in April,” he said.
Lack of will
While talking to The Express Tribune, former K-P minister for education and ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak said the entire issue is based on trivial bureaucratic procedures and a lack of political will. “The problem can be resolved with a mere stroke of a pen,” he maintained.
‘Ball is in their court’
Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Islamabad Controller Examinations Qasim Ali Kazmi said the board has facilitated the school administration with whatever they have requested. “Any medical reports or doctors’ recommendations are not in my knowledge. If the school sends a request, we will take it up with the federal ministry and act accordingly,” he said.
K-P Minister for Education Muhammad Atif could not be reached despite repeated attempts.
Pakistan - Polio enigma
Despite a major ongoing offensive against the Taliban, there is no end to attacks on polio vaccination workers who pluck up courage to carry out this risky mission. Since December 2012, a total of 71 such casualties have been reported across the country. The death toll rose further on Tuesday, March 17, when a two-member team of polio workers escorted by a policeman came under fire by militants from a nearby mountaintop in Mansehra. The two lady health workers and policeman were killed in the ambush. This killing spree has been going on in the country since the Taliban launched a revenge campaign against Dr Shakil Afridi, who was allegedly hired by the CIA to trace out al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden through a fake vaccination campaign. In another unfortunate incident, the Taliban also killed the lawyer who had defended Afridi in court. “Samiullah Afridi had represented his case that is why we decided to eliminate him when we cannot approach Dr Shakil.” This was the statement accepting responsibility for the murder by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Jamaatul Ahrar spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan. Although the victim lawyer had abandoned the case almost one year ago and gone abroad because of threats to his life and that of his family, yet the terrorists shot him dead after his return. The terrorists are not only killing innocent health workers but also spreading negative propaganda against the polio vaccination campaign. Rumours were spread that polio vaccination drops were part of a western plot to sterilise Muslims. Uninformed people easily became a prey to such conspiracy theories. Resultantly, many have been hesitant about administering polio drops to their children.
This situation has led to Pakistan becoming the largest reservoir of the polio virus while India, which has a population seven times larger, has been successful in completely eradicating this disease. The government has failed to protect health workers and refute the rubbishy theories about the polio vaccination. Some serious efforts are required to avert this horrible phenomenon that threatens the future of our children. The government needs to take stringent measures to ensure the security of health workers and polio vaccinators. Some positive steps were taken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially when the government issued hundreds of arrest warrants for parents who refused to allow their children to be vaccinated. Along with measures to ensure the safety of health workers during polio vaccination campaigns, there is a need to give them more incentives because they do their jobs at the risk of their lives. If the situation is not controlled now, the chances are rife that Pakistan will be declared a pariah country and suffer extreme isolation in the international community.
Christians in Pakistan are 'sitting ducks' for terrorist attacks
The former Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, has called on the Pakistani government to send in the army to root out terrorists and said the United Nations must address the plight of persecuted Christians in the Islamic world.
Dr Michael Nazir-Ali's spoke to Christian Today in response to the bombings in Lahore at the weekend, in which 17 people were killed and nearly 80 injured.
Born in Pakistan, Nazir-Ali was Britain's first non-white diocesan bishop. Since stepping down from Rochester in 2009, he has served as president of the organisation Oxtrad, building up church leadership in countries where Christians are persecuted such as Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Nigeria, as well as working in advocacy and human rights.
He is visiting Pakistan this Friday to teach at the Forman Christian College in Lahore, a theological college attended by equal numbers of Muslims as Christians.
Before leaving, he made an urgent plea for immediate protection for churches, communities, schools and hospitals: "There is such a lot that the Christian community does in Pakistan, in spite of the terrible persecution and discrimination that it suffers. All of these are sitting ducks for any kind of terrorist to do whatever they like. All of these places are used by large numbers of people."
Protection had to go beyond the police and to involve the military and even the army, he added. "It is a daunting task. It is easier to say than to do."
Nazir-Ali, who was ordained in 1976, worked in Lahore in the community where Sunday's bombings took place, as well as in Karachi. He was the first Bishop of Raiwind in West Punjab, and the youngest bishop in the Anglican Communion, when he was granted refuge in England in 1986 when his life was at risk, thanks to the intervention of the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie.
Just 2 per cent of Pakistan's population is Christian but large numbers live in Lahore.
"There are scores of churches there of every kind and a very large Christian population," he said. "The government of Pakistan really needs to deal decisively with terrorism, not with one hand tied behind its back, not with qualifications or distinguishing between one extremist group or another. This has to be done decisively, once and for all, not just for the sake of the Christians but for everyone in the country."
Shia and Ahmadiyya Muslim minorities are also persecuted in Pakistan.
The roots are political, he said. Sunday's bombings were by a Taliban offshoot, and the Taliban were tolerated in Pakistan for a long time because they were seen as an insurance policy against an India-friendly government in Afghanistan. Extremists have also been tolerated because of their role in furthering the Kashmiri separatist movement.
Nazir-Ali said: "I can see the government's interest in having a friendly government in Afghanistan but this cannot be in any way at the expense of the security of the nation itself." The government now has no choice but to deal decisively with all extremists, he said.
The problems were exacerbated by a background of the teaching of "hate" in madrassas and sometimes even in mosques, the bishop added. "This must be stopped. These text books must be revised." They were already being phased out in many places, but this needed to be accelerated, he said. "There has to be reform of religious education as a whole. If people grow up with a teaching of hate, not everyone will carry out terrorist attacks but it makes them more likely."
Finally, he called for the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations Human Rights Council to address formally the plight of Christians in the Islamic world.
"Persecution of Christians is now systemic. There are large numbers involved. What is happening to them is horrific. If this had happened to any other group, it would have caused international intervention many times over."
Pakistan's Christian community - Not Just Another Mob
It is a clear indication of the erosion of trust between the Christian community and the state. It seems they are convinced that the government is unwilling and to an extent, incapable of providing security or holding culprits accountable. They have learnt this from experience. The latest attack has proven to be a test of their patience, and they’re lashing out in frustration. This is different from a neighbourhood cleric riling up a crowd of protestors on a matter of religious principle that presents the aggrieved party with no bodily harm. The Christian community has dead bodies and amputated limbs to show for its outrage. It is not a matter of perceived offences or ideological disagreements, but that of direct victimisation and injustice. While it is necessary to hold those involved in lynching and rioting accountable under law, it is important to understand that it is lawlessness and impunity for their aggressors, which has created the current scenario. Unless the government doesn’t fulfill its responsibility, it will only have more victims-turned-aggressors to deal with.
The government can of course always be expected to make the worst of a bad situation. It is unwise of Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan and others to rile up the issue of lynching, even though it is a heinous crime, because it allows an intolerant majority greater arsenal for justifying its own violence. When a clash between a Christian mob and a Muslim mob appeared imminent, the Punjab government had to call in Rangers to control law and order. This shows that they understand the gravity of the situation. But their statements reveal that they really don’t, and the decision had more to do with their lack of faith in the police. The government is advised to maintain presence of law enforcement agencies in Youhanabad and other sensitive areas until tensions go down. Certain people and groups may instigate violence and attempt to lead mobs to Christian neighbourhoods. The government must prevent further clashes and choose its words wisely.
Pakistan - PPP delegation visits victims of Youhanabad bomb blasts, expresses solidarity with Christians
https://ppppunjab.wordpress.com
As per direction of the Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, President PPP Central Punjab, a representative delegation of the PPP Punjab visited General Hospital, Lahore, today to convey the best wishes of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, Co-Chairman Asef Ali Zardari and Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, for the persons of the Christian community who were injured in the abhorrent terrorist attack on Youhannabad Churches the other day.
The members of the delegation presented bouquets to the wounded persons on behalf of the Party top leadership and prayed for their early recovery.
The delegation also enquired about the health of the injured police constable and paid rich tributes to the bravery of him and his martyred colleagues who successfully prevented the entry of suicide bombers into the Churches and thus saved hundreds of precious lives of Christian community.
The PPP delegation included, Jahanara M Wattoo, Head S Media Punjab, Raja Amir Khan Information Secretary Punjab, Haider Zaman Qureshi Senior Vice President South Punjab, Dewan Ghulam Mohiuddin Dy Gen Sec, Sohial Malik Vice President Punjab, Allama Yousaf Awan President Ulma Wing, Mian Abdul Waheed, Junaid Qaiser, Ahsan Abbas Rizvi, Ali Asghar Awan, Aamir Sohail Butt, Mujtaba Subhani, Dr Ajmal Khan, Giffson Sabir, Usman Awan and representatives of the PPP minorities wing visited General Hospital today and inquired about the health of victims of Youhanabad incident and presented them bouquets. Haider Zaman Qureshi represented Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood president South Punjab.
The delegation strongly condemned the twin suicide attacks on churches at Youhanabad, which claimed 15 innocents lives and injured scores of people on Sunday. And expressed grief and sorrow over the lost of innocent lives as well as expressed solidarity with the deceased families and prayed for the early recovery of the injured. The delegation maintained that the Pakistani nation is standing with its Christian brethren in their hour of difficulty.
Talking to media after inquiring about health of the injured, Jahanara M Wattoo said that the religious minorities in Punjab was victim of terrorism because of the anti-minorities policies of the PMLN. She said that the PPP was with their Christian brethrens in the time of grief and sorrow and was standing with the Christian brethrens over this tragic incident. She has demanded the Punjab government to take immediate action against those responsible for this dastardly attack against vulnerable Pakistani citizens in their places of worship.
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