#Pakistan - Violent clash erupts between #Christians and #Muslims, few injured

By  Madeeha Bakhsh

Violent clash erupted between Christians and Muslims in Faisalabad’s neighborhood. In keeping with details, few people were injured as a result of this clash. The incident occurred on Friday, February 23, 2018 when miscreants painted a wall in front of a church in Illahi Abad area of Faisalabad.

Details emerged that, the group arrived and started painting the wall, afterwards wrote an Islamic slogan on it. Seeing the malevolent act, local Christians flew off the handle, engaging local Muslims in a brawl. The brawl soon turned into a clash which left few injured.

However, the situation was brought under control by timely intervention of local police. The clash left local Christians are fearful of further act of vengeance. Christian residents of Illahi Abad have urged the Chief Minister of Punjab to take notice of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

#Pakistan's 'FATA Spring'

By Daud Khattak

Protests in Pakistan’s tribal areas signal the rise of a younger, more educated, and technologically savvy generation.

The protests, mostly by youth, in northwestern Pakistan since early February are a clear and visible indication of decades-old resentment among locals against a system based on repression, injustice, suppression of free speech, and widespread corruption in the country’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which are still being ruled under colonial-era laws.

The protests also suggest the replacement of the traditional old guards — the Malaks or tribal elders — by the younger generation, who are educated, well-informed, politically more aware, and ready to challenge the system they believe to be denying them their due rights under the Constitution of Pakistan.

Manzoor Pashteen has become the linchpin of the so-called “FATA Spring.” The 25-year-old youth from South Waziristan tribal district was catapulted to fame and popularity after he led a rally in Islamabad and staged an unprecedented 10-day sit-in protest, which culminated in the acknowledgement of almost all their demands by the authorities.

The roots of the so-called “Pashtun Uprising” date back to 2015, when Manzoor Pashteen, along with 25 comrades from the tribal areas, launched a protest campaign against the landmines in their areas.The key demands included, but were not limited to, the clearance of landmines that often kill civilians, mostly children; the removal of security check-points; the release of all those held in extralegal detention by the security agencies; and the arrest of a police officer who allegedly killed a tribal youth in a “fake police encounter” in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi in January.

However, the real catalyst is more deeply buried: the decades of subjective and discriminatory treatment of the tribal people by successive Pakistani governments, both civilian and military; the incoming al-Qaeda leadership in FATA and the emergence of the Pakistani Taliban after the overthrow of the hard-line Taliban regime in Afghanistan; and the subsequent takeover of the Pakistani security forces, who conducted numerous anti-Taliban operations that also displaced hundreds of thousands of tribal people and damaged their businesses.

Uprooted from their remote and backward villages and towns in the tribal belt, which stretches north to south along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, the tribal people, many of them for the first time, came to settle in the cities. This gave them the chance to see and observe progress, prosperity, and amenities firsthand.

The displacement also provided tribespeople the opportunity to access the media, admit their children to government-run schools, use treatment facilities at well-equipped city hospitals, and observe the legal system, comprising police, courts, and the right to appeal.

The last one in particular was unbelievable for the tribal people who continue to suffer under the colonial-era Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR). Under the FCR, a political agent, who is representative of the federal government, can arrest any number of people from a family, clan, subtribe, or tribe if one member commits a crime. The political agent can also sentence people to prison for any number of days without the right to appeal.

When Manzoor Pashteen was laying the foundation stone of his Mehsud Tahaffuz Movement (Mehsud Protection Movement) in 2015, he was conscious of the rights and privileges enjoyed by his fellow Pakistanis in the cities and towns outside his tribal areas. Unlike the elders, who remained stuck in the old system by providing support to the political agent to ensure their personal and family access to perks and privileges, Pashteen and his young comrades were more concerned about the collective benefit of their people.

The killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, an aspiring model from Waziristan, added fuel to the fire. Youths from other tribal districts rushed to become part of the movement raised from Waziristan, which soon spread to areas as far away as the Valley of Swat and the Bajaur tribal district bordering Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar. The struggle launched to protect the rights of Mehsud tribe people was soon converted into the broader Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement or movement for the protection of Pashtuns.

“We raised those issues while looking into the eyes of the civilian and military authorities in Islamabad, which people were scared to mention even within the four walls of their houses before this,” said Manzoor Pashteen in his Facebook Live message after ending his protest sit-in in Islamabad on February 10.

Since then, massive protests, mostly by youth without the participation of traditional political leadership or tribal elders, have been observed in the Valley of Swat and the Bajaur tribal district.

Swat, also known as the Switzerland of Pakistan, witnessed the Taliban’s brutality when a cleric by the name of Mullah Fazlullah raised an army of Taliban using his FM radio sermons from 2006 till 2008. Mullah Fazlullah, who is now leading the proscribed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), not only started intimidating, taxing, beating, and even beheading locals but also challenged the state by forcefully occupying the government offices in the Malakand region, of which Swat is a district.

The Pakistani security forces launched numerous operations against Mullah Fazlullah, finally dislodging him from Swat in May 2009. Since then, the security forces have maintained a presence in the valley to block the Taliban re-entry there.

However, the people of Swat often complain about maltreatment at the check-points established by the Pakistani security forces. On February 18, despite orders from the authorities, youth in Swat Valley’s main town of Mingora organized a massive rally to express their resentment over the presence of security check-posts.

Like the protest in Islamabad, a complete media blackout of the Swat rally was observed. Later, police filed cases against the organizers of the protest under the sections of the Pakistani law relating to terrorism and sedition, although the rally ended quite peacefully.

Days later, another protest was staged in Bajaur, one of the seven tribal districts. Here, as in other areas, Pakistani security forces had conducted numerous operations from 2007 onward to defeat the Taliban.

The protest in Bajaur, the first of its type in more than a decade, was organized to demand the arrest of the killer(s) of a university student from that area who was kidnapped by unidentified people in Karachi. The student’s blood-soaked body was found earlier this month. The news sparked widespread anger in his hometown.

Encouraged and emboldened by the protests in Islamabad and Swat, the youth in Bajaur came out on the roads in large numbers on February 20 and warned they would undertake a march toward Islamabad if the killers were not arrested. The protest was once again ignored by mainstream Pakistani media.

The wave of protests by youth in areas where the people have adopted an enforced silence, partly because of the Taliban brutalities and partly because of the military presence, signals a landmark shift. The old-style Malaks (tribal elders) are ceding influence to the educated and somewhat high-tech generation of tribal youth, who are using the expanding influence of social media to create awareness and protect their rights.

#Pakistan - #PashtunLongMarch - The volcano of Pashtun unrest

By Afrasiab Khattak

The ten days long sit-in by Pashtun youth in Islamabad in the beginning of February has been followed by powerful protests in Swat and Bajour Agency. In Swat people were protesting against security checkpoints where people have to wait in long queues and they are allegedly humiliated. People of Swat were particularly infuriated after a child died while waiting at a security checkpoint. This is an issue which was also raised by the Pashtun Long March and sit-in in Islamabad. Strong public protest in Bajour was caused by the arrival of the dead body of a young student Ahmad Khan from Karachi. Ahmad Khan died in the custody of security forces. It was a sort of repetition of the fake encounter staged by police for killing Naqeeb Masood which had triggered the Pashtun protest. Rao Anwar, the police officer involved in the murder of Naqeeb Masood is still at large. The killing of Ahmad Khan has clearly demonstrated that those at the helm of security affairs in Karachi haven’t learnt any lesson from the tragic death of Naqeeb Masood. Even in Swat, instead of listening to the demand of the people for ending humiliation and delay at security checkpoints, the police have registered cases against some of the leaders of the protest under anti-terrorism law. This has obviously caused concern in the civil society which is reflected in the powerful resolution passed by Peshawar High Court Bar Association.

The pro-Taliban Afghan policy, shaped and implemented by the security establishment of Pakistan, is the root cause of Pashtun unrest in Pakistan. According to the official statements of the Government of Pakistan more than fifty thousand civilians have been killed in terrorist attacks the last fifteen years. But they don’t provide regional breakup of the aforementioned deaths. Pashtuns believe that more than 90 percent of the dead belong to their area. For exporting Talibanisation to Afghanistan the factories for its production are being run in the Pashtun belt. The latest additional grant of Rupees 270 million to Haqqania seminary by PTI’s provincial government indicates the continuation of pro-Taliban policy which has not only brought death and destruction to the area but has also negatively affected economy, culture and life in general. No systematic study has been conducted about the massive dislocated of Pashtuns due to the four decades long military conflict. It is far bigger and larger than the dislocation caused by Mughal invasions on the Afghans in the end of 15th and early 16th century.

Pashtun living in FATA have borne the main brunt of the armed conflict caused by the bankrupt Afghan policy of Punjabi dominated Pakistani establishment. Interestingly General Qamar Javed Bajwa called this policy “myopic” in his speech in the recent Munich Security Conference. But there is still no sign of change in it. FATA has literally become a bleeding wound as it has been used as a launching pad for Taliban’s war in Afghanistan. Flattening of the once large bazaars of Mir Ali and Miram Shah during operation Zaib-e-Azb has been a big blow for the residents of the area. There are more such examples in other political agencies. All the thirteen US drone attacks during the last one year hit their targets in FATA. Government has gone back on its promises for implementing reforms in the area because it still needs to keep the area closed to media and civil society.

Diversion of Afghan transit trade to Chah Bahar and fencing of the border has been a big blow to Pashtun economy in general and to the economy of the people living in border area in particular. Colonial type of governance in FATA and adverse impact of war on their economy are the major factors behind shaping the volcano of Pashtun unrest . Under pressure from the security establishment the mainstream political parties failed to raise their voice on these issues. Ultimately Pashtun youth, particularly the ones socialised under the wretched conditions of displacement decided to come to the forefront for raising their own concerns. The spontaneous response they have received so far is amazing. The slogans raised in their sit-in and the poetry recited there has spread like a wild fire. The Army has accepted some of their demands which is a positive development. One hopes authorities will handle the situation carefully. But this unrest is basically caused by war in Afghanistan which is causing death and destruction in Pashtun lands. Pakistani state can win hearts and minds only by revisiting its Afghan policy.

Pakistani media blasts Govt for using terror groups as instruments of foreign policy

Pakistan is drifting towards international isolation mainly due to its policy of using groups designated by the global community as terrorist outfits as instruments of foreign policy, the media here warned today, days after a global watchdog on terrorism financing reportedly placed Islamabad on its watch-list.

“The world, which includes our brotherly friends (China and Saudi Arabia) whom the Foreign Minister (Khawaja Asif) thanked in a prematurely triumphant tweet on Tuesday, is not impressed with what they see as this country’s continued intransigence,” the Dawn said in a stinging editorial, criticising the policies of the Government, especially the powerful military.

Now that the news from the just-concluded round of meetings of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) held in Paris has been digested, it is important to focus on the fact that both China and Saudi Arabia abandoned Pakistan during the proceedings, opening the way for the motion advanced by the United States to a grey list the country’s financial system, it said. 

http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/pak-media-blasts-govt-using-terror-groups-instruments-foreign-policy/

PAKISTANIS DENOUNCE SAUDI ARABIA, GCC COUNTRIES FOR ANTI-PAKISTAN VOTE AT FATF

Pakistani nation is deeply shocked and stunned to know that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and allied-GCC countries also voted against Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that would place Pakistan on terror watch list or so-called grey list.

Former foreign minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri disclosed at a private news channel’s programme that Saudi Arabia also didn't support Pakistan due to US (pressure).
Adviser to the Prime Minister Miftah Ismail told the anchorperson that US officials had exerted pressure on the GCC countries.
It has been made clear that neither United States nor Saudi Arabia/GCC are friends and well-wishers of Pakistan. They are allies against Pakistan and FATF Paris meeting vindicated this stance that Saudi Arabia and its allied-GCC countries cannot be trusted.

http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/pakistan/item/33220-pakistanis-denounce-saudi-arabia-gcc-countries-for-anti-pakistan-vote-at-fatf

#Pakistan's #Saudi Masters - '' Our Saudi connection ''

Umer Farooq

The controversy around the deployment of Pakistani soldiers to Saudi Arabia and its possible fallout.

Myths doing the rounds in military circles recount that Pakistan Army’s SSG commandos took part in the operation to vacate the Ka’aba from a religious extremist group in 1979. There are also reports that an armoured brigade of Pakistan Army was deployed around the cities of Makkah and Madina during the first Gulf War to protect the cities. Later, a part of this brigade also took part in the victory parade of allied armies. However, officially, the military has never confirmed it.

There are two reasons why the deployment of Pakistan Army troops in Saudi Arabia has never generated hue and cry in the past. First, at the time of the first deployment there was no democracy in the country — no parliament, no representative institutions as the country was being governed by military directly. So there was no question of any one raising a voice for or against the deployment.

Secondly, in 1982 the sectarian tensions in Pakistani society were not as high as they are now. Similarly, in the Middle East, sectarian tensions had not penetrated deep into the social fabric of the Arab societies. Hence, we hear a lot of voices in our society, which express apprehensions that becoming part of military situation in the Middle East would aggravate sectarian tensions back home.

Military officials are clear that exactly 1000 troops and officers are being sent to Saudi Arabia under the command of a major general, and the contingent will include elements of Army, Air Force and Navy.

Pakistani military experts do realise that at present all the threats perceived by the Saudi state has a sectarian dimension. Whether it is threat from the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Saudi-Iran tensions or the residual tensions emanating from the political instability caused by the Arab Spring, all have sectarian dimensions.

Pakistani parliament through a resolution in April 2015 had expressed the commitment of Pakistan state with the security and territorial integrity of the Saudi Kingdom, while at the same time ordaining the army to stay away from sectarian conflicts in the Middle East. In the words of an expert, this would be an impossible task to perform “given the sectarian dimensions of the threat faced and perceived by the Saudi state”.

Military officials are clear that exactly 1000 troops and officers are being sent to Saudi Arabia under the command of a major general, and the contingent will include elements of Army, Air Force and Navy. Officials claim that there is hardly any chance of 1000 Pakistani troops, who are being sent to the Arab Kingdom, participating in any combat operation.

“We will be in advisory and training role,” says a senior military official. However, Pakistani military and government are not ready to share any operational details about the deployment of Pakistani troops with the public.

Parliamentarians were specifically interested in knowing the area in Saudi Arabia where these troops will be deployed. However, Pakistani Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir refused to divulge this information in the parliament, inviting the wrath of Senate Chairman, Raza Rabbani.

The talks between Saudi and Pakistani officials for this latest deployment have been going on for quite some time. In 2015, when the request for deployment came for the first time, both Pakistani military and government were reluctant to take part in the conflict in Yemen, primarily because of its sectarian dimension. When Pakistan refused to deploy its troops in 2015, it led to coldness in relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The government for its part is clear that the decision to send troops to Saudi Arabia would go a long way in managing the financial crisis the country is expected to face in the coming months.

The ruling Muslim League wants to repeat the performance of 1998, post-nuclear explosions financial crisis, when Nawaz Sharif personally went to the Saudi king and sought oil on deferred payment for the country. “The last visit of Sharif brothers to Saudi Arabia was in connection with getting oil on deferred payment facility for the country,” says a senior official of the ruling Muslim League. “In the wake of nuclear explosion crisis, we were provided with the facility of oil on deferred payments by the Saudi government, which started in 1998 and continued up till 2003. Later this amount was converted into a grant.”

The government officials are unequivocal in asserting that the decision to send troops to Saudi Arabia was taken during Nawaz Sharif’s last visit to Saudi Arabia, although he was not holding the office of prime minister at that time. Independent economists concur with the government’s view of the financial crisis-like situation the country is expected to face in the coming months, and the crucial role the Saudis can play in making Pakistan come out of that crisis.

Saqib Sheerani, an Islamabad based economist, who is a banker by profession, tells The News on Sunday that the country’s current account deficit had reached unmanageable proportions. “And now we are financing this current account deficit from our foreign exchange reserves because we cannot manage it by borrowing from the market,” he says, adding, “Ideally, we should expect a bailout package from the Saudi government as a quid pro quo for sending troops to Saudi Arabia. But we don’t know whether this will happen or not.”

He adds, “If the Saudi government gives us oil on deferred payments, it would be a huge help in this crisis. Our oil import bill is around $12 billion even if we get $4-5 billion on deferred payments, it would be a huge help.”

There is a downside to this expected deal on sending troops to Saudi Arabia: foreign policy experts say that this decision will reinforce the already persisting distrust between Pakistan and its strategically important neighbour, Iran.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are engaged in a regional rivalry and there is a dreadful sectarian dimension to this rivalry.

Foreign policy expert, Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi says that Iranians believe that Pakistan has frozen its economic relations with Iran. “Right now Iranians are desperately seeking economic and financial ties with regional countries… they will go wherever they find the possibility of financial benefit.”

He opined that sending troops under an old arrangement would not become a big factor in deterioration of relations with Iran. However, “it can reinforce the mistrust,” he adds.

This time around Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa had to undertake hectic diplomatic activity to mitigate the effects of this decision. He met Iranian and Qatari ambassadors to take them into confidence about the decision before the army formally announced it.

There is an interesting contrast between what happened in 2015 (when request for deployment came for the first time) and now: In 2015 Pakistani military joined hands with the parliament to say no to their foreign benefactors on an issue that was vital to their security. Now the military is hobnobbing with their foreign friends and saying no to the parliament, which many in the parliament consider vital to the internal security of the country, primarily because of its sectarian dimensions.

A senior official interviewed for this story told this scribe that Pakistan needs Saudi Arabia on two counts: First Pakistan is on a bumpy road in its relations with Washington and Saudis can probably intervene to arrest the deterioration in this relationship, and secondly, in case of worst case scenario if Pakistan faces a default on its international financial obligations in coming months, Saudis can probably come to their rescue.

Both Senate and National Assembly specifically discussed the issue of sending troops to Saudi Arabia after the ISPR announcement in this regard. Parliamentarians specifically expressed apprehension about the Pakistani army troops taking part in the Yemen conflict on the border of Saudi Arabia.

PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar said if the troops were deployed along the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border, they could soon get sucked into quagmire under the doctrine of hot pursuit. “It will be disastrous if, God forbid, it really happens. The deliberately nuanced FO statements condemning the Houthi missile attacks as a threat to the Kingdom and the Holy mosques also seem aimed at justifying sending of Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia for active engagement in the conflict.”

PPP MNA Dr Nafisa Shah said that Pakistani forces are being sent to Saudi Arabia after the COAS visit of Saudi Arabia. She said the National Assembly unanimously approved a resolution that Pakistan Army will not become part of any internal wars of the Middle East, especially Yemen.

Dr Shireen Mazari, a PTI MNA, asked the government to explain to the parliament the role Pakistani troops will be playing in Saudi Arabia, “What will be their role? What will be their duties.”

Nation not interested in why Nawaz Sharif was disqualified: Bilawal

Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that nation is not even concerned about why former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified.

He made the statement after inaugurating a medical facility in Sukkur.

The PPP Chairman said that the nation does not care about the Panama Papers controversy and Iqama.

The went on to say that the main issues of the country is not being discussed.

He added that the nation is more concerned about the inflation rate, health and education.

Criticizing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the PPP Chairman went on to say that he pressurized judges when the verdicts of the case went against him.

He accused him of forgiving a military dictator.

Bilawal said,”You were given life sentence but did not appeal against the sentence. When you came back to Pakistan, you were forgiven”.

The son of former premier Benazir Bhutto stated that the ruling party does not stop complaining despite ruling in the centre, Azad Kashmir and Punjab.

“State institutions are being sold at nominal costs while personal airlines are operating in the country while national airliner is being sold,” he said.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated that policies of confrontation is not in the interest of the country and democracy.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that every life is precious.

“Saving one life is equal to saving the entire the humanity,” he said.

He added that a political party gave preference to a city for the past five year but People’s Party focused on the construction of schools, colleges, universities and six major hospitals.

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Rome's Colosseum turned red to protest Pakistan blasphemy law

By Philip Pullella

Hundreds gathered on a rainy night outside the Roman amphitheatre that is a symbol of the martyrdom of early Christians to hear the husband and daughter of Asia Bibi.

The Catholic woman has been living on death row in Pakistan since 2010, when she was condemned for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbors objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim.

Human rights groups such as Amnesty International say the blasphemy law is increasingly exploited by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle personal scores.

“The aim of the blasphemy laws is crush people who believe differently,” Archbishop Nunzio Galantino, secretary-general of the Italian bishops conference, told the gathering.

The law does not define blasphemy and evidence might not be reproduced in court for fear of committing a fresh offense. There are no penalties for false accusations.

Asia Bibi’s case drew international attention after the murder of two politicians who tried to intervene on her behalf. At the Rome gathering, her husband Ashiq Masih said his wife was innocent of blasphemy. “This is just hate against Christians, who are considered impure,” he said.

The husband and daughter, who broke down in tears as she addressed the group, were earlier received by Pope Francis, who told her: “I think often of your mother and I pray for her”. European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, who has been tipped as a possible Italian prime minister after next week’s election, said that persecution of Christians was “a genocide”.

“A message must be sent from this place. It is the duty of Europe to defend these values (of religious liberty) wherever on earth they are trampled on,” Tajani said. Rebecca Bitrus, a Nigerian Christian woman who was held for two years after she was abducted by Boko Haram Islamist militants, told of how she was repeatedly beaten and raped.

During the event, organised by the Catholic group “Aid to the Church in Need,” there were live link-ups with Aleppo, Syria and Mosul, Iraq, both of whose minority Christian populations have been hit hard by wars.

#Pakistan - OP-ED Asma Jahangir, my fearless friend

Amartya Sen

It is hard to find a measure of Asma Jahangir’s greatness. She was a brilliant intellectual, a superb humanist, a great political leader, an epitome of kindness, a personification of indomitable courage. Asma was all these things — and much more. Professionally she excelled as a magnificent lawyer — who did more than anyone else I can think of to defend and save helpless people from the unjust wrath of authoritarians and tyrants. As one of the most distinguished human rights lawyers in the world, Asma used her legal knowledge to protect the vulnerable and unimaginably strengthen people’s rights.

As it happens, Asma Jahangir’s first legal victory came before she became a trained lawyer. She won a great legal victory in freeing her father, Malik Ghulam Jilani, the Parliamentarian and critic of the military, who had been unjustly incarcerated by the Government. At the time of her victory at the Supreme Court (in a case celebrated as “Miss Asma Gilani vs the Government of Punjab”), Asma was barely twenty years old. Later, with professional legal training and far-reaching vision, combined with her exceptional intelligence, Asma became the leading defender of human rights in Pakistan, in the company of other great human rights activists like I.A. Rehman and Dorab Patel. It is extraordinary to see how much the Pakistan Human Rights Commission has achieved in the cause of justice, without even having the firm legal — and constitutional — status that, say, the Indian or the South African Human Rights Commission can comfortably rely on (those commissions have a much easier job than the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, which — despite that legal handicap — has achieved no less, particularly through powerfully mobilizing public opinion and involvement).

Even though Asma has left us, musn’t just bask in her glory, but also continue to be guided by what she has taught us. The angel of humanity may have gone, but the great inspiration and the penetrating education we have got from her are here to stay

I personally think that in understanding Asma’s success, it is important not only to appreciate the strength of her skilled arguments, her trained reasoning and her deep-rooted courage, but also the tremendous warmth of her personality including her radiating friendliness. She generated enthusiasm across the world, but particularly on the two sides of the subcontinental divide. Asma was loved in Pakistan, but no less in India, and whenever she gave a talk in India, the room — whatever its size — was always overfull. She communicated an amazing closeness that was felt by all. It was her companionable personality, in addition of course to the force of her reasoning, which helped her to bring judges, even in most difficult cases, to see her arguments with sympathetic clarity. It is amazing how Asma won case after case against what seemed like insurmountable adversity.

I have been extraordinarily privileged to have Asma as a close friend for nearly two decades. I first met her when we were both members of a joint Indo-Pakistani initiative to engage the citizens of the two countries to talk more with each other (Asma was the co-chair of the group, along with the former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral on the Indian side). I was awestruck by the clarity of Asma’s mind as well as her boundless humanity and warmth. We had the chance to talk a great many times in many different places when we met (as we did frequently), but we had the most wonderful opportunity to talk endlessly when she and her wonderful husband, Tahir Jahangir, stayed with us at the Master’s Lodge of Trinity College in Cambridge. We were often joined by her younger daughter Sulema, also a lawyer. I learned a huge amount from Asma about how to think about one’s priorities and duties in the most complex of circumstances.

One of the most fulfilling moments of my life came last year when Asma spoke at the London School of Economics, in a lecture named after me — I have not done anything to deserve it (I hasten to add) but the LSE has such an annual series. Asma explained to nearly a thousand students and teachers at the LSE how to fight injustice related to religious intolerance, using democratic means (a subject that seems to become more and more important across the world). Her ideas were buzzing around the LSE for many weeks.

Activist lawyers, especially those who lead human rights movements, are often in danger of violent attack by people whose despotism and oppression are threatened. In Shakespeare’s Henry the Sixth, Part Two, when Jack Cade with recently acquired — indeed ill-acquired — power talks about his policy priorities, one of his followers, Dick the Butcher, says, “The first thing we do let’s kill all the lawyers” (4,2,1,78).

Asma had to face many such Dick the Butchers in her committed and dedicated life. But my fearless friend continued to speak, argue, plead, guide, and lead the movements she had founded and built, without being at all deterred. Threats and dangers could not stop her. Nor could they reduce the force of her reasoning. Nor diminish her extraordinary warmth and humanity which captivated all.

Even though Asma has left us, we can still not only bask in her glory, but also continue to be guided by what she has taught us. The angel of humanity may have gone, but the great inspiration and the penetrating education we have got from her are here to stay. At this tragic moment, there is comfort in that thought — and we can have pride in having known so perfect a human being.

#Pakistan - Bilawal Bhutto inaugurates National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Institute in Sukkur

Chairman, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Bilawal BhuttoZardari has said that the PPP government has taken revolutionary steps in providing health facilities to the people of Sindh, adding that he has challenged to all chief ministers of the other provinces to establish similar facilities in their provinces.

He said this during the inauguration of the fifth satellite center of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Sukkur on Saturday

He said that facility established in collaboration with the Sindh government was in consonance with PPP’s policy aimed at providing quality healthcare facilities to the masses at their doorstep, 

He appreciated the NICVD for setting a precedent by providing free of chargequality care to its patients without any distinction.

PPP Chairman said that It is heartening to see that they are now fast on their way to initiate major cardiac facility for both adults and children in comparatively smaller towns of the province.

Bilawal on the occasion particularly appreciated doctors and other personnel associated with NICVD for getting materialised the vision of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.

PPP Chairman further said that issue-based politics, not Panama or Iqama, are the need of the hour.“No one is focusing on issue-based politics, no one is paying any attention to the issues faced by the common man, he added.

He continued to claim that his party had done extensive development work in the province, when others have only destroyed the province.

He said that we must have made mistakes too, but we have done the most to make lives of this province’s citizens better.

On the occasion, Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Leader of the opposition in NA Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Information and Labour Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah Health Minister Sindh Dr Sikandar Ali Mandhro, NICVD Chief Executive Dr Nadeem Qamar also spoke on the occasion.

#Pakistan - No one pays attention to health, education, employment in the country: Bilawal Bhutto

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said, alluding to deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s narrative, that issue-based politics, not Panama or Iqama, are the need of the hour. “No one is focusing on issue-based politics, no one is paying any attention to the issues faced by the common man,” said Bilawal, while addressing the inauguration ceremony of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Sukkur. In another apparent reference to Nawaz, he said that some people are trying to wreck the entire system just to save their family’s reign.

“No one cares about Panama [case] or iqamas,” he said. “No one is paying attention to health, education, and employment issues in the country.”

Lashing out at Nawaz further, the PPP scion further said that while the deposed premier now insists on respecting the sanctity of vote, he was frequently absent from parliament sessions during his tenure.

“A VIP accountability process is underway with Nawaz and his family,” he said. “The law should be one for all.”

He questioned former president Pervez Musharraf’s exit from the country.

“What is it in Nawaz and Musharraf’s blood that is different from Sharjeel Memon and Dr Asim Hussain?”

The PPP chairman continued to claim that his party had done extensive development work in the province, when others have only destroyed the province.

“We must have made mistakes too, but we have done the most to make lives of this province’s citizens better.”


http://www.thesindhtimes.com/sindh/no-one-paying-attention-health-education-employment-issues-country-bilawal-bhutto/

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SAUDI STABS PAKISTAN IN THE BACK ON TERROR WATCH LIST OF FATF

A non-Indian diplomatic source from one of the FATF countries confirmed that the group had decided Pakistan would be put back on the watch list because the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has stabbed Pakistan in the back by dropping opposition to the US-UK move against Pakistan.

Earlier in the week China, Turkey, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were opposing the US-led move against Pakistan but by Thursday night both China and the GCC dropped their opposition, the diplomatic source said.
Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal took to Twitter to thank Turkey for its unwavering support “against all odds”.
“The decision was taken yesterday,” the diplomat said.
He added that the financial consequences would not kick in until June, which, in theory, could allow Pakistan the wriggle room to fix the terrorist financing issues. “But the odds of that, particularly in an election year, seem slim,” he added.
Washington has spent the past week lobbying member countries of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to place Pakistan on the so-called “grey list” of nations that are not doing enough to combat terrorism financing.
Pakistan’s last-minute efforts to avoid being placed on the list, which included taking over bodies linked to a powerful figure, proved insufficient.

http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/pakistan/item/33195-saudi-betrayal-brings-pakistan-back-on-terror-watch-list-of-fatf

Geopolitical Interests And Moral Rhetoric In States’ Policy Options: Analysis Of Pakistan’s Policy Making

By Umm-e-​Habiba

Introduction

Although moral/religious values have lesser to do with geopolitics, states do invoke moral rhetoric when it suits their geopolitical interest. Pakistan’s policy choices strengthen the aforementioned dictum. For, Pakistan which proclaims itself as ideological Muslim state, has often used religion to create a favorable opinion for its official policies. Nevertheless, such play of morality/religion and politics in a diverse society like Pakistan has often proved itself dearly for the state. The following article analyzes how the state’s interplay with moral values (religion) and politics helped it to gain public support for its foreign policy choices. The article will also illuminate that how its chase for regional geopolitical interests have deteriorated the state’s internal social order, specifically, with reference to the current Middle Eastern crisis and policy debate going on in the state.

Harking Back

The geostrategic environment of the bipolar World, forced Pakistan to favor the US and Saudi backed pro-militant policies in the 1980s. The state used religious discourse as sweetener and pursued its geopolitical interest in Afghanistan as Jihad — the Islamic concept of Just War. Such policies bore no fruits desired in terms of Pakistan’s long sought strategic depth in Afghanistan. However, at the expanse of its internal peace and stability the policy makers continued to pursue regional objectives. For, sectarian violence emerged as counterproductive outcome of such policies which diminished intra-faith harmony and ripped the social fabric of Pakistan.

The following decades witnessed a surge in massive sectarian violence and target killings. Subsequently, the country’s social cohesiveness continued to bleed.

Additionally, with transition in the global power structure the interest of extra-regional states declined, so was their interest in the ‘project’. Neither they forged a policy to ‘undone’ what they sowed nor Pakistan bothered to analyze the ramification of its policies.

Post-9/11 Policy Shift

In the wake of 9/11, the global security discourse underwent a shift which subsequently shrank states’ space for independent policy making. Pakistan was not an exception. It had to revisit its polices to go with the current of global geopolitical environment. In fact, it had double dilemma to overcome.

On one hand, it had to realign its policies. Therefore, it enthusiastically joined the US led anti-terror camp. And, on the other hand, it had to build some logical argument to pacify its public sentiment. For, in Pakistan the public opinion based upon religious sentiment was predominantly against the policy shift.

Post-9/11, addresses of the then military dictator – Musharraf endorsed that once again moral rhetoric i.e. religion came as a handy source to justify state policies, hence, pacify masses.1 However, till date the state has failed to take all stakeholders on board.

Despite the fact that the state and citizens have paid (and are still paying) very heavy price in the War on Terror (WoT) and almost seventeen years of the coalition have been passed; there exist bulk of opinionmakers within state institutions, politicians, clergy, intelligentsia and masses who believe that the decision to join the Western bloc was irrational choice (read: anti-Islam). The backlash came forward in the form of increased militant activities against the state and its citizens. However, the recent concern is not about what choice did state make or should it make. The gruesome fact is the realization that state institutions have learned nothing from the past choices. Most recent example of such realization is manifested in the Inter Services Public Relations’ recent proclamation to send its troops to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). 2

The Middle-Eastern Conundrum and Pakistan’s Policy Shift

Since the Yemen Conflict Pakistan maintained that diplomatic channels must be utilized to bridge up gaps between the Muslim World.3 Besides it did not support the KSA’s military intervention in Yemen, at least, officially.4 Apparently, the recent release declares the matter as ‘continuity’ of existent bilateral defense ties between the two and further maintains that Pakistan’s troops would not be stationed outside the KSA.5

However, the move came after the KSA’s ambassador visited Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff.6 Not only that it has rung the bell among regional strategic analysts but also provided the country’s political elite ample reason to raise eyebrows. For, it was equally surprising for the country’s parliament which overtly refrained from military engagement in the Middle East. Back in 2015, the parliament unanimously decided against sending its soldiers to join the Saudi-led military coalition.7. For now, the Chairman Senate has summoned Defense Minister to explain how come the political opposition was kept blind8 over the issue? On one hand, it shows how weak the parliament is as state institution. And, on the other hand, it indicates that the state’s policy making process is elite’s domain only. The public (who eventually suffer due to backlash of such policies) and its opinion are largely ignored in the policy making process.

It is also evident that almost three years have been passed but the Saudi-led campaign has failed to restore peace in the troubled region. The boiling cauldron in Yemen is not a merely ‘civil war’ turned conflict. Instead, it is blend of multifaceted regional, local, and global power tussles infused by geopolitical interests. The historic sectarian strife restructured by the Iran-Saudi rivalry, the Palestine-Israel conflict, rapid rise of militant Islamic groups in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen have overwhelmingly contributed to the subsequent regional instability.

For almost seventeen years, Pakistan’s military forces have been engaged in the WoT. Since mid-2000s the state’s Western border is a source of trouble. Whereas, cross border tensions on its Eastern border are congenital problem for Pakistan. Against such backdrop, sanctioning new military engagement is not a viable option for the country’s war-weary forces. For, the move would likely escalate tensions in the Middle East. Subsequently, coldness in Pakistan-Iran relations would be inevitable. The policy makers need to think that can Pakistan afford unfriendly ties with all neighboring states, simultaneously.

Moreover, Pakistan’s population has diverse socio-cultural and ideological affiliations. Precedent suggests that state’s direct/indirect intervention in the Middle Eastern mayhem would likely infuriate and segregate its masses further upon sectarian lines. Hence, this will certainly add fuel to the sectarian fire. Reportedly, Pakistan’s Interior Minister has also admitted during the latest National Assembly session that incidents of violent sectarianism have been increased for last five years.9 In the recent scenario, being a party in the Middle-Eastern conundrum is the worst possible choice the state can make. As long as, there is no threat to the integrity of KSA and the holy places, Pakistan’s military engagement with the state should be avoided as per the parliament’s resolution.

In fact, being a responsible Muslim state, Pakistan must suggest to the KSA and Iran to refrain their overt and/or covert involvement in the Yemen. In past, such policies smacked Pakistan in the middle of highly inflammatory situation. It’s time for the state to revise its policies and reset regional priorities. Pursuing regional objectives at the cost of national peace and stability would be repetition of the same old policy mistake. Moreover, the move will strengthen the rift between the Muslim world. Therefore, this time it will be difficult for the state to do window dressing of its geopolitical interest upon moral/religious grounds and buy popular support.

#Pakistan - #PPP workers instructed to spread the message of the party

Former President of Pakistan and President Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Asif Ali Zardari has asked party workers to take the message of the party to every corner of the country.

Asif Ali Zardari said this while addressing officer bearers of Rawalpindi City. He said that Pakistan Peoples Party has always served the people of Pakistan especially it has worked for women and youth. He said that PPP services for the downtrodden masses are innumerable.

Former President said that the country has a young leader and every party worker should spread the message of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He said that all the workers of the party are ambassadors of the party Chairman. He said that party will win the next elections and will form government in centre and all provinces. He instructed party workers to start election campaign in their respective constituency.

https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2018/02/23/ppp-workers-instructed-to-spread-the-message-of-the-party/

Video - Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressing party workers in Lahore

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