M WAQAR.....
"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary.Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
--Albert Einstein !!!
NEWS,ARTICLES,EDITORIALS,MUSIC... Ze chi pe mayeen yum da agha pukhtunistan de.....(Liberal,Progressive,Secular World.)''Secularism is not against religion; it is the message of humanity.''
تل ده وی پثتونستآن
In 2016 a total of 4139 cases of sexual abuse were reported in newspapers, which was a 10 percent increase since 2015. 23 percent cases entailed rape or sodomy.
The brutal rape and murder of 8-year-old Zainab was a tragedy that should have been a wake up call for the country and how we raise children at homes, schools and madaris. Instead, it has turned into a sordid game for political elites and a rating contest for mainstream electronic media. Once again, a historic opportunity for reform has been squandered.
When Zainab’s story came into public light, every Pakistani was horrified especially those who are parenting young children. That sexual abuse of children is a part of people’s lives came as an ugly reminder. Celebrities opened up in public arenas recounting the horrors of being abused as children. Earlier, the Kasur child pornography scandal shook the public in a similar fashion but nothing came out of it in terms of setting things right. One hoped that with the outrage and protest over Zainab’s murder things would turn out to be different.
But they didn’t.
For starters, the political opposition narrowed down the curse of child abuse to the person of Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab and his party that is in power. There is no question that Sharifs cannot escape some level of responsibility but to frame the entire issue in such a manner made a mockery of many an elephant in the room — repressed sexuality, ineffective child protection, lack of sex education at homes and outside and the culture of silence that overshadows such ghastly realities.
Sex education is not a taboo, as children need to be made aware of the dangers they may face…it is time to think of a safer and healthier society. Political shenanigans, bloodthirsty vengeance and fake news have only derailed this critical debate
For instance, according to Sahil – a nongovernmental organisation – in 2016 a total of 4139 of sexual abuse were reported in newspapers, which was a 10 percent increase since 2015. 23 percent cases entailed rape or sodomy. In short, 11 children were abused per day and imagine how many cases go unreported. This is nothing short of an epidemic. Once we unpack this data the reality is even more horrifying. 271 children were gang raped in 2016. And, at least a 100 were murdered. It doesn’t end here. 176 child marriages were also reported in 2016. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Organised gangs have been involved in production of child pornography and all of this happens in a context of weak law enforcement and widespread corruption in the justice system.
Zainab’s case once again reminded Pakistanis of this widespread curse. From 2011 to 2016 a total of 19,508 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in the country. This is where the media could have played a constructive role. Instead, mainstream media covered the Zainab story while ignoring all ethics of journalism. Zainab’s parents were blamed for their negligence, his brother was scolded for not protecting his sister and the list goes on. A bereaved family found itself in the midst of rating sharks coping with an uninvited onslaught. The images of dead Zainab have only brutalised us and not helped the cause for child protection.
The machinery of law was set into motion for this was a test case for PMLN in the election year braving a hostile establishment and aggressive media that would rather call for Sharifs to be hanged for their negligence. So the killer was discovered based on DNA samples. The fanfare with which the identity of the alleged murderer was announced was distasteful to say the least. Indeed, the Punjab police did its job but those present at the press conference clapped as if the younger Sharif’s government had fixed all the legal problems afflicting the largest province.
The reality is far from the applause that was aired on television channels. The Punjab police is known for its inefficiencies, corruption and more so for the politicisation it has undergone over the years. Police encounters have been a popular method of ‘law enforcement’ reportedly assented by none other than the chief executive of the province.
But then PMLN that should have been hit harder, delivered on the populist cause. This was followed by irresponsible and fake claims of the accused owning multiple bank accounts, of being part of a transnational gang with powerful persons from PMLN involved in it. At least that is what certain zealous media persons wanted us to believe. The State Bank of Pakistan rubbished these claims but the damage had been done.
Once again, sexual abuse of children was not happening due to the warts in our society and socialization but due to the evil PMLN, the ‘outsiders’ and for monetary rewards. A public discussion about sex education was avoided. In lieu of a proper policy debate, we heard calls for public hangings by legislators as if that would solve the endemic issue at hand. Public floggings and hangings were experimented by Gen Zia’s odious rule in 1980s with no impact on the crime rates.
Zainab’s father could not help air his prejudice against an Ahmadi heading the joint investigation team. It is a pity that the alleged serial killer and his daughter’s murderer is a Muslim and that too a devout one as far as the rituals go. He is reportedly a follower of religious fanatics who organized a sit-in last November against the government and were supported by elements within the state.
This is the time for legislators to strengthen laws on child protection, admit that there is a larger problem at hand. Sex education is not a taboo, as children need to be made aware of the dangers they face. More importantly, it is also the time to acknowledge that sexual repression may be playing havoc with the minds of many young men. Above all it is time to think of a safer and healthier society. Political shenanigans, bloodthirsty vengeance and fake news have only derailed this critical debate.
Taliban fighters, whom US-led forces spent billions of dollars trying to defeat, are now openly active in 70% of Afghanistan, a BBC study has found.
Months of research across the country show how areas the Taliban threaten or control have surged since foreign combat troops left in 2014.
The Afghan government played down the report, saying it controls most areas.
But recent attacks claimed by Taliban and Islamic State militants have killed scores in Kabul and elsewhere.
Afghan officials and US President Donald Trump responded by ruling out any talks with the Taliban. Last year Mr Trump announced the US military would stay in the country indefinitely.
How was the research carried out?
The BBC investigation - conducted during late 2017 - provides a rare snapshot of the security situation in every Afghan district between 23 August and 21 November.
A network of BBC reporters across Afghanistan spoke to more than 1,200 individual local sources, in every one of the country's 399 districts, to build up a comprehensive picture of all militant attacks over that period.
These conversations happened either in person or by telephone and all information was checked with at least two and often as many as six other sources. In some cases BBC reporters even went to local bus stations to find people travelling in from remote and inaccessible districts in order to double check the situation there.
The results show that about 15 million people - half the population - are living in areas that are either controlled by the Taliban or where the Taliban are openly present and regularly mount attacks.
The extent to which they have pushed beyond their traditional southern stronghold into eastern, western and northern parts of the country is clearly visible. Areas that have fallen to the Taliban since 2014 include places in Helmand province like Sangin, Musa Qala and Nad-e Ali, which foreign forces fought and died to bring under government control after US-led troops had driven the Taliban from power in 2001. More than 450 British troops died in Helmand between 2001 and 2014.
"When I leave home, I'm uncertain whether I will come back alive," said one man, Sardar, in Shindand, a western district that suffers weekly attacks. "Explosions, terror and the Taliban are part of our daily life."
The BBC research also suggests that IS is more active in Afghanistan than ever before, although it remains far less powerful than the Taliban.
How much territory do the Taliban control?
Gathering accurate and reliable data on the conflict has been getting harder since foreign combat troops pulled out and handed responsibility for security to Afghan forces.
Previous assessments of Taliban strength have not always had access to information from every district of the country, and have often carried the caveat they may have underestimated the real situation.
The BBC study shows the Taliban are now in full control of 14 districts (that's 4% of the country) and have an active and open physical presence in a further 263 (66%), significantly higher than previous estimates of Taliban strength.
In the areas defined as having an active and open Taliban presence, the militants conduct frequent attacks against Afghan government positions. These range from large organised group strikes on military bases to sporadic single attacks and ambushes against military convoys and police checkpoints.
Attacks registered during the research period happened with varying degrees of frequency - from once in three months (low Taliban presence) to twice a week (high Taliban presence).
For the purposes of the investigation, districts controlled or held by the government are defined as having sitting representation from Kabul in the form of a district chief, police chief and courts.
Amruddin, who runs a local transport company, lives close to the front line in Baharak district in northern Badakhshan province, where the BBC monitored violence suggesting a medium Taliban presence.
"We live with constant fear. Whenever the government side starts fighting with the Taliban, we're caught in the crossfire, bringing life to a standstill. It's quiet at the moment but the Taliban are still here."
In Taliban-controlled Sangin, father of eight Mohammad Reza, described life as "better" under the militants because there was peace.
"It only got violent when the government forces arrived."
Can Afghan military turn the tide in Taliban fight?
Four days behind the Taliban front line
Who are the Taliban?
During the research period, the BBC study found 122 districts (just over 30% of the country) did not have an open Taliban presence. These areas are ranked as under government control, but that does not mean they were free of violence.
Kabul and other major cities, for example, suffered major attacks - launched from adjacent areas, or by sleeper cells - during the research period, as well as before and after.
"People have no choice but to leave their homes, farms and orchards or stay and live with Taliban rule," Mahgul, a teacher from a northern district in Kabul province, told the BBC.
She said her family fled their village in October. They went to seek refuge in the government-controlled district centre, only for her brother to be killed there two days later by a suicide bomber.
To the west of the capital, Jamila, a mother of five, said: "Two Taliban rockets landed in our back garden last month. We live just a few hundred metres from the district chief office. It's not safe here."
During the investigation, evidence of a hike in Taliban taxation across the country was also uncovered. In districts where they are openly present, the militants force farmers, local businesses and even commercial goods convoys to pay them tax while still leaving it to the government to foot the bill for basic services such as schools and hospitals.
"They are charging people for the electricity that we supply!" one chief of a southern district reported.
The BBC's research has been reviewed by the Kabul-based Afghanistan Analysts Network, which has been reporting on Afghanistan since 2009.
Co-Director Kate Clark said: "Such a well-researched investigation into the Afghan war is rare and very welcome. The findings are shocking, but unfortunately not surprising - they ring true as an accurate mapping of the extent of the conflict.
"But it is disturbing to realise that each bit of orange shading on the map translates into lives lost and damaged."
Who are the Taliban?
The hardline Islamic Taliban movement swept to power in Afghanistan in 1996 after the civil war which followed the Soviet-Afghan war, and were ousted by the US-led invasion five years later
In power, they imposed a brutal version of Sharia law, such as public executions and amputations, and banned women from public life
Men had to grow beards and women to wear the all-covering burka; television, music and cinema were banned
They sheltered al-Qaeda leaders before and after being ousted - since then they have fought a bloody insurgency which continues today
In 2016, Afghan civilian casualties hit a new high - a rise attributed by the UN largely to the Taliban.
How bad is violence in the cities?
Violence has soared since international combat troops left Afghanistan three years ago.
More than 8,500 civilians were killed or injured in the first three-quarters of 2017, according to the UN. Final figures for the year are awaited. The vast majority of Afghans die in insurgent violence but civilians often suffer as the military, with US backing, fights back, both on the ground and from the air.
Although much of the violence goes unreported, big attacks in the cities tend to make the headlines. Such attacks are occurring with greater frequency and the Afghan security forces appear unable to stop them.
During the research period, gunmen stormed the headquarters of Kabul's Shamshad TV, leaving one staff member dead and 20 wounded. IS said it carried out the attack. There were other attacks in Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad.
In the last 10 days of January three attacks left the capital reeling, with more than 130 people dead. Last May, Kabul experienced the deadliest single militant attack since 2001.
At least 150 people were killed and more than 300 injured when a massive truck bomb was detonated in what was supposed to be the safest part of the city. No group has said it carried out the attack.
The rising toll of violence has left the capital's residents feeling increasingly vulnerable.
Will I make it back home today?
Karim Haidari, BBC Afghan, Kabul
I haven't been sleeping well this week. It happens every time another tragedy hits our city. "You look old, Dad," says my seven-year-old bouncing into my bedroom to remind me it's his birthday. As if I would forget. I laugh and get up.
As I leave the house I pause to look back at my family having breakfast. Will I make it back home today? Will this be the last time I see them? We all think like this in Kabul now.
My BBC colleagues are waiting in the car. We swap news about the latest attack. One of them, a mother of two young children, starts sobbing. "Sometimes I just wish I could blow myself up to end all this. But I don't want to hurt anyone else."
We can get you counselling if it would help, I say. But she's not listening. The driver switches on the radio, to try to change the mood. A pop song comes on with nonsensical lyrics. It's just another day in Kabul. Just another day of hoping we'll all stay alive.
How strong is the Islamic State group?
While Islamic State has shown they can hit targets in places like Kabul, they are largely confined to a relatively small stronghold on the border with Pakistan in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
During the research period at least 50 people were assassinated in the provincial capital, Jalalabad. Some of the victims were shot dead and others blown up. Three were beheaded, a hallmark of killings by IS.
"My uncle was assassinated on his doorstep," said businessman Mashriqiwal. "He was a city security official. I had to leave Jalalabad. My home is still there but it is just too dangerous to live in and go out in public."
Local people and officials the BBC spoke to said IS now has a presence in 30 districts - not just in the east but also in places like Khanabad and Kohistanat in the north.
The group is fighting both the Afghan military and the Taliban for territorial control.
During 2017 the number of attacks attributed to the group increased, with many targeting urban centres and often Shia Muslims in sectarian attacks almost never seen before in Afghanistan's 40-year conflict.
IS does not fully control any district at present. However the group has seized parts of the northern district of Darzab, displacing hundreds of people from their homes.
How much territory does the government say it controls?
Presented with the BBC's findings, President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazavi said: "In some districts areas may change hands. But if you look at the situation this year [2017/18] the activities of the Taliban and IS have been considerably curtailed.
"The Afghan security forces have won the war in the villages. It is no longer possible for the militants to take control of a province, a major district or a highway. There's no doubt that they have changed the nature of the war and are launching attacks on Kabul, targeting mosques and bazaars."
He added: "My understanding is that the BBC report is influenced by conversations with people who may have experienced some kind of incident maybe for an hour in one day. But the activities and services provided by our local administrations across the districts show that the government is in control in the absolute majority of districts - except for a handful where the Taliban are present."
However, in an acknowledgement of how far security has deteriorated, President Trump agreed last year to deploy 3,000 more soldiers, taking the size of the US force in Afghanistan to about 14,000.
The subject of militant gains and territorial control is disputed.
On the eve of the publication of the BBC study, the US military denied trying to prevent a government watchdog from disclosing the amount of Afghan territory believed to be under the control of the Taliban. In its latest report the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar) had said it found the move troubling.
Meanwhile, there is no prospect of an end to the conflict and a new generation of Afghans live in the shadow of violence.
"My kids are not safe outside the family home so I don't let them out," said Pahlawan, a Kabul carpet seller with 13 children.
"They are basically under house arrest. I have built them a school in my warehouse. Their world is walls and carpets. Although we are in Kabul, it's like raising them in a jungle."
President of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) and co-chairman of PPP, Asif Ali Zardari has said that merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is the principled stance of his party.
He stated this while presiding over a meeting of PPPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) held at Zardari House Islamabad on Saturday.
Current political situation of KP was discussed in detail in the meeting and Asif Ali Zardari was briefed about bad governance in province.
He said that the writ of Peshawar High Court should be extended to FATA as soon as possible. The co-chairman of PPP directed office bearers of party to extend all help to the family of innocent girl Asma who was raped and killed in Mardan.
President Women’s Wing of the Party Mrs. Faryal Talpur, Secretary General PPPP Senator Farhatullah Babar, President PPP KP Humayun Khan and General Secretary PPP KP Faisal Karim Kumdi were also present on the occasion.
World’s youngest Nobel laureate and education campaigner Malala Yousafzai has expressed her support for Muhammad Iqbal Lala’s quest for justice in Mashal Khan murder case.
Mashal Khan, son of Iqbal Lala and a journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, was lynched to death on April 13 last year by a violent mob of fellow students on false charges of blasphemy.
Mashal’s father Muhammad Iqbal Lala spoke at Oxford University, where he was greeted by Malala Yousafzai.
“I am honored to welcome Muhyammad Iqbal Laka to s speak at Oxford University” she said in a Twitter message on Tuesday.
“His son, Mashal Khan, was brutally killed by a mob in Mardan Pakistan, based on malicious allegations of blasphemy. Mashal advocated against injustice & corruption.”
“We stand with Lala to seek justice for Mashal,” she added.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Abbottabad is due to announce the verdict in the Mashal Khan murder case on February 7. ATC Judge Fazal-i-Subhan Khan heard the case in a heavily guarded Haripur Central Jail.
I was honored to welcome Muhammad Iqbal Lala to speak at Oxford Uni. His son, Mashal Khan, was brutally killed by a mob in Mardan Pakistan, based on malicious allegations of blasphemy. Mashal advocated against injustice & corruption. We stand with Lala to seek justice for Mashal.
Safia Rani, the sister of murdered Kohat medical student, has claimed that Asma Rani's murder was pre-planned and that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police was aware of life threats to her.
In an interview with Geo News in London, Safia claimed that both the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police and Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) Kohat chapter president Aftab Alam knew about life threats to Asma Rani, but did nothing to stop Mujahid Afridi from killing her.
During the interview, she shared details of the terror her family has had to face over a long period of time at the hands of Mujahid Afridi, nephew of PTI Kohat district president Aftab Alam.
Asma Rani, a third-year medical student, was shot on Saturday afternoon in Kohat, 120 miles west of the capital Islamabad.
Footage showed Asma Rani in hospital shortly before her death, naming Mujahid Afridi as her killer.
The victim's family claims Mujahid Afridi comes from an influential family and used his clout to openly threaten Asma for turning down a marriage proposal.
Safia said her sister faced a constant campaign of harassment and threats from Mujahid Afridi, but no one came to their rescue despite the fact that she, her sister, and her family spoke to Aftab Alam, begging for help at least three times.
“Mujahid Afridi came to our house and issued threats to me, my family and my sister. We informed the police about these threats but no action was taken because he belongs to a rich family and we are a poor family. I have heard that policemen have been talking how rich Mujahid Afridi is,” said Safia, adding that the “Tabdeeli” slogan by the PTI is just a slogan and KP police takes action only against poor people who have no clout and resources.
She said the KP police could have arrested Mujahid Afridi if they had wished, but they chose not to.
Safia said that, on the death bed, her sister named Mujahid Afridi as the killer.
“I asked Asma to speak to Aftab Alam and tell him what his nephew was doing. She told who her killer was and she never recovered after that. Aftab Alam should have asked the hospital staff if she spoke after that or not.
“The police had 6 hours to act before Afridi took flight to Saudi. The name of the killer was known but no action was taken,” said the sister of the murdered girl.
Safia claimed her sister called Aftab Alam and cried for help against his nephew, but nothing was done.
“Asma told me that Mujahid Afridi harassed her, chased and terrorised. She told Aftab Alam she faced death threats from his nephew, told him she didn’t want to marry him. I got number of Mujahid Afridi and family, and from London I called them and requested them to stop harassing my sister. Instead, they threatened that they will harm me in London. He told me not to interfere.
“My sister told Aftab Alam that his nephew will kill her but he didn’t move,” she said. “Asma told how she was going to Abbotabad one day, when Mujahid Afridi made attempt on her on the way and snatched her purse. We told Aftab Alam but we didn’t get a response. My mum even spoke to a police officer. We didn’t know she will be killed. We could never think that Asma will be killed in the cruellest manner in front of our family home.”
Safia said her sister didn’t want to get married because she aspired to be a medical specialist. “She wanted to fulfil her dreams of becoming a doctor, she had big plans; she dreamt for us too and wanted to come to UK for specialisation after getting medical degree. She didn’t want to get married.”
She said Asma’s murder was pre-planned and Mujahid Afridi had support and planning and that’s the reason why he already had visa for Saudi Arabia.
Safia said: “We voted for Imran Khan because we thought he’s our Pashtun brother and he will do something for us but he has done nothing for us. Look at what happened to Naqeeb and then to my sister. If these leaders can’t give us justice, they shouldn’t ask for our votes.”
She appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan, army chief and Imran Khan to play their role in getting her family protection. She said Mujahid Afridi must be brought back from Saudi Arabia and her family in Kohat must be provided protection because Mujahid Afridi’s family is influential and powerful.
Mujahid’s brother Sadiqullah has been arrested by the police and Mujahid is believed to have travelled straight to Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad after committing the crime, boarding a flight to Saudi Arabia that evening.
A red notice has been issued by the Interpol for his arrest on the request of Pakistani police.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday took suo motu notice of the murder of a medical student in Kohat.
Asma Rani, a third-year medical student was killed in her hometown of Kohat after she refused a marriage proposal. The victim’s family claims she was shot dead by the prime suspect Mujahid Afridi who fled the country to Saudi Arabia on Monday.
The chief justice has summoned a report from the Inspector General Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Salahuddin Mehsud within 24 hours.
Chief Justice Nisar remarked while hearing a separate case on Tuesday that the suspect is said to be a relative of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader.
The chief justice questioned how the suspect was able to flee the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, DPO Kohat announced that Sadiqullah, the brother of primary accused Mujahidullah, who was present at the time of the shooting had been arrested.
Rani’s family has alleged that Mujahid Afridi had issued threats to her in the past. In a disturbing video made just before her passing, Asma named Mujahid as her killer.
On January 27, Mujahid, who the victim's family claims is the nephew of PTI district president Aftab Alam, along with his brother, Sadiqullah Afridi, was waiting outside Asma’s residence.
The suspect shot her thrice after she stepped out of a rickshaw with her sister-in-law. Asma succumbed to her wounds a day later.
Slamming the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for allegedly going soft on criminals, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Zardari on Tuesday accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders of protecting killers in the province, ARY News reported.
Expressing concern over alleged negligence of the KP government and its police in ferreting the culprits behind medical student Asma’s murder and other cases of heinous nature, he said, “It appears that PTI has become a party of several ‘Ladlas’ ganged up together to protect and guard killers, murderers and even terrorists.”
In a statement, the PPP chairman said that reports that the killers of medical student Asma Rani, Sharifan Bibi, minor girl Asma, and student Mashal were still at large because of backing of influential people belonging to the PTI were disgraceful.
Asma Rani a third year student at Ayub Medical College was lately shot dead after she rejected a marriage proposal.
Abbas Majeed Marwat, DPO Kohat, said red warrants for the arrest of suspect Mujahid Afridi who fled to Saudi Arabia after murdering the girl have been issued and he would soon be nabbed and brought back to the country.
He, however, said accomplice Sadiq Afridi had been arrested and was being interrogated pertaining to the case.
The PPP chairman said that a local PTI leader suspected of inciting a mob for lynching Mashal Khan had not been arrested even after nine months.
Reports have also confirmed that nephew of the PTI Kohat president and the identified killer of medical student Asma have fled to Saudi Arabia, which was not possible without collusion of the KP government, he added.
Bilawal claimed that as per media reports the killers of Sharifaan Bibi and minor girl Asma were also being shielded by influential PTI leaders.
He said the criminal complicity of PTI’s leaders in such horrific crimes and the silence and laxity of their “chief Ladla, who talks on everything under the sky minus what is happening under his nose. It seems that PTI has turned into ‘grand-mother’ of heinous crimes in KP,” he added.
This should be noted that the minor girl went missing on January 13 from Jandarpar Gujjar Garhi area of Mardan and her body was later found in a sugarcane field in the same area on January 17.
According to the post-mortem report, she was subjected to sexual assault and torture before her captors strangulated her to death.
The police have so far failed to nab the culprit behind the grisly incident, which came to the light following the rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab in Kasur.
