Veena Malik's first on-screen lip-lock revealed

Bollywood Mantra

It seems Veena Malik and the word ‘controversy’ has become synonymous. The sex bomb from Pakistan has been shrouded in controversies from the very first days that she set her foot in Bollywood. The reality game show ‘Big Boss’ introduced Veena Malik to the Indian television audience. She was an eye candy and effortlessly won the attention of the men. However, very soon her relation with Ashmit Patel started raising questions. The other contestants of the show reported that they were many a time seen in intimate contact and that made others uncomfortable. However, the love birds could not be more indifferent to the hue and cry. As a result the season 4 of Big Boss was a big hit. However the relation between the two soon fizzled out and died out soon after the completion of the reality show.

After keeping a low profile for some time, Veena soon bounced back to the headlines with her photo shoot for the men’s magazine ‘FHM’. She shed her top for doing the photo shoot. The magazine cover and the center spread did catch the attention of the media. Amidst all the hullaballoo, Veena Malik did try to say that the pictures were superimposed. Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to her words. Now she has shed her clothes for her debut Bollywood movie. Though, ‘Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hain’ is a B-grade movie, she hasn’t thought twice about compromising her modesty. In the poster of the film, she is seen using currency notes to cover her well endowed chest. Her hero in the movie is Raja Chaudhary. Anand Balraj is directing the movie. After a long long time Jackie Shroff and Shakti Kapoor will be seen acting in this movie.

As if all these were not enough, Veena has gone ahead and shot her first lip lock on the screen too. It is the music video ‘Drama Queen’ that shows her smooching. The seductive video shows a bolder Veena. She somewhat also tries to copy Priyanka Chopra, whose international music album recently got released. Not a person to let go of a chance to create controversy, she characteristically dedicated the song to all her fans who are homosexual. We wonder about what her next move will be to stay in the limelight. Whatever it might be, there is no doubt that will be bolder and hence entertaining.

Bahrain arrests 29 pro-democracy protesters

Bahrain arrested 29 pro-democracy protesters in the commercial district of the capital Manama on Friday as the protesters marched in the city center in defiance of a government ban, state media said late on Friday. The demonstration was organized by an opposition group called February 14, said Jasim Husain, one of the leaders of the main opposition group, Wefaq, Reuters reported. It came two weeks after protesters and police clashed in the city center for the first time since last year, following months of demonstrations in other parts of Manama and elsewhere in the country. “Rioters hurled petrol bombs, iron rods and stones, endangering both the police and civilians in the area,” the government Information Affairs Authority said in an emailed statement. The government has taken a no-tolerance approach to protests in the city centre, saying unrest in “vital commercial areas” could damage the economy. The statement added that police “used only the necessary force to restore order”, that the 29 people arrested would be referred to the public prosecutor. It said there would be an investigation to identify others involved in the protest. “People should have the right to stage rallies in the capital. A rally on a Friday afternoon is not a big deal. It will not undermine the economy,” said Husain. In Bahrain, the weekend falls on a Friday. The United States urged Bahrain this week to accelerate democratic change and hold talks with the opposition after a meeting in Geneva where Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa pledged “unprecedented reforms”. Since mid-February 2011, thousands of anti-government protesters have been staging regular demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on the peaceful protesters. According to local sources, scores of people have been killed and hundreds arrested in the crackdown. Physicians for Human Rights says doctors and nurses have been detained, tortured, or disappeared because they have "evidence of atrocities committed by the authorities, security forces, and riot police" in the crackdown on anti-government protesters..

Dozens arrested after Saudi prison protest

http://www.brecorder.com

Security forces on Monday detained dozens of men who had staged a protest near a prison in central Saudi Arabia to press for the release of relatives, demonstrators and a rights activist said. The arrests were made after police had confined the protesters, who included women and small children, to a desert area outside the prison where they were kept without food or water for nearly a day, protesters and activists said. It was a rare demonstration in the world's biggest oil exporter, where protests are banned. Saudi Arabia, which has been a target for al Qaeda attacks, say the protesters' relatives are all being held on security grounds. But activists say some are also held for purely political activity and have never been charged. An Interior Ministry spokesman said those accused of "terrorism-related" crimes were undergoing fair judicial process. "As for the the gathering of a limited number of relatives of the detained people at a prison, they have been stopped according to legal procedures and will be dealt with if they are found in violation of the laws," the spokesman said. Activists said police with shields and batons persuaded the protesters at the prison to go home, telling them their message had been heard and their demands would be looked into. "When we left the 'Emergency Forces' followed our cars. They chased us and stopped us to detain the men," said Reema al-Juraish, a protesters whose husband is in the prison. "I saw them grab five and when I tried to intervene they pushed me and hit me with a baton." She said up to 60 men where arrested and taken to an unknown location. More than 100 people, including women and children, had staged a one-day protest in the desert around Tarfiya prison in the Qassim province but were surrounded by police. They said they had been kept without food or water for almost a full day. Police set up checkpoints on the two roads leading to the area and deployed patrols in the desert around it, they said. UNREST THWARTED The kingdom, which has almost no elected bodies, avoided the kind of unrest that toppled leaders across the Arab world last year after it introduced generous social spending packages and issued a religious edict banning public demonstrations. King Abdullah has pushed through some economic and social reforms, including cautious moves to improve the position of women and religious minorities, but he has left the political system untouched. The world's top oil exporter is an important ally of Western countries in battling al Qaeda, which carried out a campaign of attacks in the kingdom from 2003-06. Last year the Interior Ministry said it had put on trial 5,080 of nearly 5,700 people it had detained on security grounds. In April, a court in Riyadh sentenced rights campaigner Mohammed al-Bajadi to four years in prison after he was accused of forming a human rights association, tarnishing Saudi Arabia's reputation, questioning the independence of the judiciary, and owning illegal books, activists said. He had been held for a year without charges after voicing support for prisoners' families. In a separate gathering on Monday, dozens of protesters rallied in front of the government-linked Saudi Human Rights Commission also calling for the release of jailed relatives. "There are some prisoners who have been tortured, some who have completed their sentences, others who have not been charged and even some who have been found innocent but are still imprisoned. We will stay here until we are heard," said one protester who declined to be named.

Shahbaz Sharif continues to sponsor Takfiri Deobandis of Sipah-e-Sahaba

Let Us Build Pakistan

Jaranwala City police have registered two cases identifying 11 men and accusing 600 others for clashes that left 47 people injured on Ishq-i-Rasool Day on Friday. The attempted murder and incitement FIR stated that 47 people, including six policemen, were injured in firing and stone pelting from a Takfiri Deobandi mosque in Jaranwala Main Bazaar which is controlled by banned Sipah-e-Sahaba (Lashkar-e-Jhangvi). According to news reports, Sipah-e-Saahaba activists attacked Sunni Barelvis in front of the Jamia Masjid. Some Sipah-e-Sahaba climbed the roof of the mosque and resorted to aerial firing. A heavy contingent of police reached the spot and tried to control the situation, but in vain. The police team was attacked with bricks, injuring seven policemen. The police had to fire teargas shells to break the protest. In total 50 people were injured and shifted to Civil Hospital. The Police report (FIR) mentions sections 324 (attempted murder), 153 (promoting hatred), 186 (obstructing a public servant from discharge of duties) and 148 and 149 (rioting) of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to a complaint filed by Chaudhry Ghulam Nabi Anjum, general secretary of the Sunni Barelvi “Jamaat Ahle Sunnat (JAS)”, a component organisation of the Sunni Ittehad Council, accuses more than 250 people, identifying 15 members of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (currently operating as “Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ASWJ), of attacking a rally he was leading to mark the Ishq-i-Rasool Day. The FIR has been registered under Sections 324 (attempted murder), 337 H-2 (hurt by rash or negligent act), 148 and 149 (rioting) of the PPC and Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. The complaint said the rally was pelted with bricks and stones by people on roofs of buildings in the vicinity of Jamia Masjid. It said the rally had started from Sabri Masjid, located some 500 yards from the Jamia Masjid on the same road. The 15 men identified in the FIR included Sipah-e-Sahaba Jaranwala chapter president Fida Nafees Inqalabi and general secretary Muhammad Shafiq. Two of the injured Sunni Barelvi men were stated to be in a critical condition at Jaranwala tehsil headquarters (THQ) hospital. Of the others, 38 were given first aid and discharged on Friday and seven hospitalised for a day. Muqaddas Shah, one of the injured, said he was passing by the Main Bazaar when clashes erupted between the two groups. He said was hit in the arm by a stray bullet. (Source 1, 2). It may be recalled that Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister, remains a key supporter and sponsor of Takfiri Deobandis of Sipah-e-Sahaba (Lashkar-e-Jhangvi). He was elected from Bhakkar due to a seat adjustment deal with Sipah-e-Sahaba, in return he agreed to released Malik Ishaq and other dangerous terrorists of Sipah-e-Sahaba involved in murder of hundreds of moderate Sunnis and Shias. According to informed sources, Shahbaz Sharif has given free hand to Sipah-e-Sahaba to dominate over Sunni Barelvi mosques and parties in the Punjab province before the next general elections. According to Khaled Ahmed: Jihadi publication daily Islam (23 Feb 2010) reported that (Shahbaz Sharif’s right-hand) Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah visited Jhang and paid his respects at the tomb of the founder of the greatest banned sectarian-terrorist Deobandi organisation, Sipah-e-Sahaba: Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi. He led a delegation of the PMLN which also counted parliamentary secretary Iftikhar Baloch and party MPA from Jhang, Sheikh Yaqub. He visited the tombs of other Sipah-e-Sahaba martyr-leaders like Maulana Isarul Qasimi and Allama Azam Tariq. The News (27 Feb 2010) in a report titled PMLN sees no harm in seeking banned outfit’s blessing observed: ‘Sipah-e-Sahaba is rearing its head again and its leaders’ participation in an election rally in PP-82 constituency, along with Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, has sent shivers down the spines of citizens here’. Thanks to Shahbaz Sharif, Malik Ishaq and other Sipah-e-Sahaba leaders are free to deliver hate speeches and incite violence against Shia Muslims.

President Zardari to address General Assembly session on Tuesday

President Zardari will raise the issue of blasphemous film which resulted in violent protests across the Muslim world.He will highlight the challenges being faced by the global community. President Zardari will elaborate Pakistan's efforts for ensuring peace and security at the regional and international level. President Zardari will have a chance to interact with the world leaders on the sidelines of the session to further promote bilateral relations. Our special correspondent reports from New York that President will highlight the reaction of the Muslims Ummah specially by the people of Pakistan on the sacrilegious film which caused violent protests across the Muslim world.

Clinton meets President Zardari

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday and thanked him for Pakistan's handling of several days of violent anti-US protests. Clinton greeted Zardari as "my friend" and introduced him to the new US ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson, whom she said she had just been sworn in so he could attend their talks. "We very much appreciate the strong response of your government," she said, at the start of their meeting in a New York hotel, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which opens on Tuesday. Zardari said it had been "a difficult time for all of us" before reporters were ushered out of the room.

Floods affect 700,000 in Pakistan

Flash floods triggered by record rains in southwestern Pakistan have affected around 700,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of crops, officials said on Monday.At least 51 people have died across the impoverished province of Baluchistan and Prime Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf on Sunday declared three districts as calamity-hit areas. He announced assistance worth 2,600 million rupees ($27.5 million) for relief and rehabilitation work in the province where a torrential monsoon spell this month smashed a 30-year record, they said.Heavy rains lashed the province for 32 hours on September 11 and the meteorological department recorded 432 millimetres (17 inches) of rain, head of the provincial disaster management authority Akbar Durrani told AFP. Officials released the figures almost two weeks after the rains hit the sparsely populated province, which is struggling with a separatist insurgency and Islamist militants. Flash floods damaged crops over 380,000 acres (155,000 hectares) of land in 13 districts, he said adding that the worst hit were Jaffarabad, Naseerabad and Jhal Magsi, where a large area remains submerged. At least 22 people have died in Naseerabad alone and eight in Jafffarabad, Mr Durrani said. The remaining casualties were reported elsewhere in the province. Another 115 people were injured in the rains which also killed 1,778 cattle. Around 700,000 people have been affected, many people suffered crop and property losses, Mr Durrani said. "We have already distributed 6,670 tents and 2,378 metric tons of food items, while the prime minister promised to immediately rush 20,000 more tents," he said. The government has set up several medical camps where treatment has been offered to nearly 3,000 people suffering gastrointestinal diseases and more than 2,500 cases of malaria. "We have not launched any appeal for foreign assistance. We are so far relying on own resources and we hope we can handle the situation," Mr Durrani said. He stressed the rescue work is over and rehabilitation work including repair of roads and infrastructure has started. He said the level of disaster was much less than 2010, when unprecedented monsoon rains triggered catastrophic flooding across the country, killing almost 1,800 people and affecting 21 million.

President Zardari arrives in New York

DAWN.COM

President Asif Ali Zardari arrived here on Sunday evening to attend the 67th session of the General Assembly of United Nations and hold meetings with heads of state and governments to discuss international and regional situation. All the arrangements have been finalised for the session of General Assembly which will also be attended by the US President Barack Obama and other world leaders. President Zardari will have a chance to interact with these leaders on the sidelines of the session to further promote and strengthening Pakistan’s relations with the international community. President Zardari, who will stay for couple of days in the New York, will give a comprehensive speech during the general debate of the 67th General Assembly session. The theme of the debate this year is “Adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations by special means” and Pakistan’s role is very important in this scenario due to a front line state in war against terror. President Zardari in his important address to the General Assembly which will be on the first day of the start of the general debate will highlight the crucial role the people and the people of Pakistan have been playing the war against militants and the huge sacrifices made by the people in making the region a safe and peaceful place to live. He will also highlight the need for the international community to undertake concerted efforts on the issues which are critical for success in the war against terror. The President will especially mention the reaction of the Muslims, especially the people of Pakistan, on the sacrilegious film that has created unrest among the Muslims of the world, calling for the need for taking effective measures, by the member states, to stop such attempts of playing with the religious sentiments of any community. During his stay, here in the New York, the President will also interact with the world leaders on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session. The President will also meet head of Microsoft Bill Gates who has been helping Pakistan in eradication of polio.

يوم عشق رسول A sad end

A day venerated as Yaum-e-Ishq-e-Rasool, dedicated to the reverence and sanctity of our Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), should be marred by excessive violence and loss of life is indeed a very sad commentary on our understanding of life and teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He was a man of peace with all, always preached and stood for friction-free interfaith harmony. That the very day devoted to his reverence should be hijacked by elements who stalked the streets inflicting enormous damage to life, property of people besides causing colossal damage to the image of Pakistan as an ideological state is something which is utterly unacceptable. Who is to blame for this national shame some faces are in clear sight. Almost all religious and political parties had announced well in advance that on Friday, September 21, they would hold protest marches and try to reach American embassy and consulates to register their protests. The government joined in by declaring it a public holiday for observance of Yaum-e-Ishq-e-Rasool (PBUH). The official response was grossly inadequate and all that it could do was essentially perfunctory and limited to one solitary function held within the secure confines of the Red Zone of the Capital. Ideally, it should have taken the entire political opposition and religious groups and parties on board well in advance. The parliament did pass a unanimous resolution but the executive branch through the Foreign Office should have taken the lead in spelling out to the world at large our indignation and outrage at the blasphemous film. Other governments, particularly OIC members, should have been informed about the profundity and enormity of the hurt the people of Pakistan feel over the sacrilegious film. The American Embassy should have been given a stiff condemnatory note. (Can you imagine the summoning of the US diplomat to the Foreign Office has been described by his office as a 'meeting'). Now the government says that in his address to the UN General Assembly next week President Zardari will raise this issue asking the United Nations to make law against the hate-mongers. (And, according to a news report, the presidential speech for the UN is now suitably being amended to incorporate this point). What an irony - Foreign Minister Hina Khar now present in the United States, the home country of the condemned film-maker, has yet to be heard on this issue. Consider the enormity of damage caused to the life and property by the demonstrators who soon after starting their march to project the hurt and pain the blasmhemic video clip turned them in violent mobs. For good eight to nine hours the entire country was a vast war zone with running-battles between demonstrators and the personnel of law-enforcement agencies on show courtesy the ubiquitous electronic media that invited the ire of the authorities for stoking the anger of the masses. With the cellular phone service blocked in 15 cities, any inference of demonstrators being spurred into action because of live media coverage is nothing but a baseless accusation as there was no feedback to them that they are visible on television. Although, the destinations to which the demonstrators were to go were well-known in advance and routes leading to these places were blocked with containers and fortified with armed forces, but private property was left at the mercy of mobs to destroy, loot and plunder. At times even the security of diplomatic missions appeared to be a touch-and-go scene. Thank God they remained safe. But losses to life and private property were heavy; some 25 persons lost their lives, over 200 were injured, many cinema houses, banks, gas stations and government offices torched. And as the day set in the demonstrators became looters, at least in Karachi. The shutdown in the country on Friday is said to have caused rupees 100 billion trade losses. In case if all this was not enough as the heavy price the people paid for the government failure to manage the situation add to it the nearly total suspension of cellphone service in 15 major cities. Did this really help the government in any manner? No less stunning is the failure of the political parties, particularly of those from the opposition, who had been crying hoarse for over a week calling for a 'teach-a-lesson' kind of protest marches onto the diplomatic missions of the United States in Pakistan. Did you see anyone of the opposition leaders leading the protestors tilted, even remotely, towards foreign missions? They were conspicuous by their absence; what to talk of them controlling the tempo of protests. Maybe their interest was limited to exploiting the general masses' anger over the blasphemous film for political ends. Or, they couldn't afford to be seen protesting at the American missions. They owe an explanation to the people and the country for their dubious conduct all through this most critical momentum of our national history. Yes the mobs have gone, the dead have been buried and fires are quenched. But the wounds inflicted by the anti-Islam elements remain green, ever festering hurt and hatred. This is not the first time that an anti-Muslim zealot was at work in the United States. On the other side of the Atlantic in Europe there is no dearth of such hate-mongers either. But there is no law in these countries to stop this devilish business, because given the guaranteed freedom of expression curbing propensity to spell hatred was impossible. This is hypocritical. If these countries care enough for the Jews and have declared denial of Holocaust a culpable offence, why cannot they outlaw denigration of Islam? We hope Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf's call for action by the United Nations and other international organisations to put out of action such agents of hatred and discord will not go unheard. At the same time at bilateral level, in the company of all other Muslim countries, Pakistan needs to raise the issue with the US and see to it that the condemned film-maker is brought to book without any further loss of time.

Aftermath of violent protests

Editorial:DAILY TIMES

After the toll of lives, property and infrastructure during Friday’s violence-laden protests against the film insulting to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Saturday saw another, albeit smaller, outbreak of protest in Islamabad and Lahore. Karachi and Peshawar, which saw some of the worst violence, looting, plunder, arson and even firing from elements in the crowds, mercifully seemed to be just licking their wounds, although some small protest was mounted in Karachi after the funerals of those killed. After four of the injured died overnight, the toll of lives has now reached 21, with some 200 injured countrywide. The toll of property includes at least seven bank branches, five cinemas, seven restaurants of international food chains, six private buildings, three police posts, six shops (this is probably an underestimate), including an arms store and five wine shops. It is interesting to reflect on the interest in looting these wine shops by those who had come out to declare their love for Islam and the Prophet (PBUH). Such contradictions are legion in our society. The protest on Saturday mobilised around 5,000 people marching on parliament, including hundreds of women. About 500 members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa laid siege to the US Consulate in Lahore, but failed to make any dent. Though the madness of Friday was not on display the day after, the angst over the manner in which the Day of Love for the Prophet (PBUH) was commemorated still leaves a bitter aftertaste. It may be premature to declare the dwindling number of protestors shows the steam has run out of the agitation. That will only be determinable in the days ahead. Friday prayer congregations usually provide the fodder for such protests. The week ahead, if not weeks, need careful watching. It must be noted that the most generous estimates of the total number of protestors on Friday have not passed the figure of 45,000 countrywide. That suggests that whereas all citizens, Muslim and non-Muslim, feel anger at the insult and even love for the Prophet (PBUH), the vast majority are not prepared to bring grist to the extremists’ agenda of using the issue for political gains. So whereas there has been much comment on and criticism of the violence, perhaps we should take a minute or two to reflect on the inherent wisdom and peaceful nature of the overwhelming majority of our citizens. It is by now a well known phenomenon that the actions of the few extremists receive more than their just share of the oxygen of publicity in a milieu of media proliferation and freedom. In fact, the sobering message of Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira towards the end of the day of violence, asking the electronic media to show restraint in its coverage of the events seemed to produce a sudden drop in the frantic temperature at which the electronic media had been operating throughout the day. Did incessant media coverage to the point of saturation help or fuel the fire further? Those in charge should do some introspection. We demand from the US and the west that they should not allow the principle of freedom of expression to be extended to blasphemous and insulting matter. Yet we use our relatively new found freedoms without any thought for responsibility and the best interests of the country. Inflammatory coverage only inflames further. Reports say 6,036 people have been booked for violence, arson, looting, etc. Of these, a few (not more than 200 or so according to available reports) have been actually arrested and sent on 14 days judicial remand by the courts. The justice system needs to be cautioned on the police’s penchant for filling the jails with both the guilty and the innocent in such situations just to make themselves look better. Justice must be done, but must also be seen to be dome, not sparing the actual perpetrators, but taking care at the same time not to victimise the innocent. Imran Khan and Shahbaz Sharif have shifted the goalposts by declaring, separately, that criminals (Imran) and hooligans (Shahbaz) were responsible for the violence. To them, it is unthinkable that ‘genuine’ Muslims could perpetrate such acts in the name of defending the honour of the Prophet (PBUH). Well, gentleman, wake up and smell the coffee. It is precisely those who claim a monopoly of the truth about our religion who are the most fanatical, violent, intolerant people around. Let us at least not try to fool either ourselves or the public. Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has spoken of taking the issue of blasphemy to the UN and the OIC. Be that as it may, and in the unlikely event of the west relenting on ‘freedom of expression’ sufficiently to contemplate restrictions on such hate material, how on earth are governments, east or west, intending to control the new media and the Internet, on which such material can easily be posted and has proved very difficult to block, let alone eliminate. Welcome to the brave new world, in which restraint on hate speech and blasphemous material is conspicuous by its absence. Well intentioned, but a tough call, prime minister.

Pakistan Journal of Criminology published

FRONTIER POST

Pakistan Society of Criminology has published the latest issue of Pakistan Journal of Criminology (Vol. 3/No.4/ and Vol. 4/No.1) which is the only research-based journal on crimes, criminal justice and policing studies in Pakistan. The journal is recognized by the Higher Education Commission also. The current issue contains eleven (11) research papers from national and international scholars including articles from USA, UK, Thailand, India, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, and Pakistan. It is worth mentioning that out of the eleven published research papers, four (4) were produced from Pakistani researchers including Tariq Rustam Chohan’s paper on Role of Punjab Police in Control of Narcotics, M. Munir, S. Rashid Ali and other’s research paper on Terrorism: An Evaluation of Students’ Attitude and Awareness at KUST, Dr. Basharat and Gwyneth Boswell’s paper on the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Offenders on Probation, and Fasihuddin’s paper on the Need for a Comparative Criminology of Policing in India and Pakistan. The other important research papers are contributed by Prof. Petter Gottschalk from Norway, Vaibhav Chaudhary and A. Velan from India, Prof. Fida Mohammad from USA, Prof. J.M. (Johan) Ras from South Africa, Samroeng Saengtrong and Sunee Kalyajit from Thailand, Rohan Gunaratna from Singapore, and Prof. Geoff Dean from Australia. The journal is available from all famous book stores in Pakistan like Saeed Book Bank, London Books and Mr. Books (Islamabad), Shaheen and University Book Agencies (Peshawar), National News Agency (Karachi) and Manzoor Law Book House (Lahore). It is also available from the Head Office of Pakistan Society of Criminology situated on Warsak Road, Peshawar. It can also be accessed online from the PSC’s website www.pakistansocietyofcriminolgoy.com

Polio cases reported in Karak, Bajaur

Two more polio cases reported from Karak district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Bajaur Agency were diagnosed on Sunday to raise the total number of polio cases to 35 this year. Both the kids were diagnosed with type-1 polio case. Senior officials of provincial Health Department confirmed that a 48-month old boy identified as Mohammad Asad, son of Mohammad Khalid, had been diagnosed with polio. He is the resident of Sultankhel village in Tor Dhand union council in Karak. An 18-month old baby girl identified as Nisa, daughter of Siraj Khan, was also found infected with the poliovirus. She belongs to Mulayano Koroona in Loi Mamond tehsil in Bajaur Agency. Mamond tehsil in Bajaur was once the stronghold of militants and foreign fighters. Before their expulsion from Bajaur in 2009 as a result of military operation launched by the Pakistani security forces, the militants had banned polio immunisation. The militants even killed Bajaur’s top Health Department official, Dr Abdul Ghani Khan, in 2007 for the heroic work he had done in the field of anti-polio campaign. He was on his way back to Khar town, the headquarters of Bajaur, after convincing reluctant parents to administer polio drops to their kids in Salarzai tehsil when his vehicle was blown up through an improvised explosive device (IED) reportedly planted by the militants. The government awarded him the prestigious civil award, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, posthumously in 2008 in recognition of his work. The health workers and international donors have been facing challenges in vaccination of kids against the crippling disease as clerics in most parts of the province and Fata have been campaigning against polio vaccination. They term it a conspiracy of the West to control birth rate in the Muslim world. Health experts, however, dispel this impression.

Bilour's ''Condemnable remarks ''

IN a more stable and mature polity, the explicit incitement to murder by the ANP Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmad Bilour would have been met with his immediate suspension from politics and the opening of a police investigation to determine what crime he should be charged with. But in the warped and fearful Pakistan of today, the official reaction was characteristically and depressingly spineless. The prime minister has only distanced himself from his minister’s remarks and offered to discuss it with the ANP boss, Asfandyar Wali — while leaving Mr Bilour in his job. And the ANP has only said that Mr Bilour was speaking in his personal capacity and the party does not endorse his demand. Gone is the idea of collective responsibility, of the cabinet and of a political party. Strip away the theatrics, and the reality is even more frightening. Mr Bilour said what he did precisely because he knew he could get away with it. No one will dare prosecute a man calling for the murder of an individual who has committed blasphemy against Islam — though it is unlikely that the railways minister even really knows whose murder he has specifically called for. And Mr Bilour said what he did because he understands better than most that the ANP is headed into an election campaign after a disastrous term in charge of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and with fierce competition expected from the political right in the province in the shape of the religious parties and PTI. So what better way to establish the ANP’s religious credentials in an unfavourable electoral climate? Therein lies the great tragedy of Pakistan. Moderate politicians have long argued that they are helpless in the face of a rising tide of conservatism and extremism in society at large. But the ugly truth is that all politicians — even the so-called moderates — are more than willing to pander to extremism if it means a few extra votes or political survival. To refer to the Taliban and Al Qaeda as ‘brothers’, as Mr Bilour did in calling on anyone to kill the producer of the hate film, Innocence of Muslims, is to desecrate the memory of the thousands who have died, many of them belonging to Mr Bilour’s ANP, at the hands of the Taliban and Al Qaeda. If there is speech that should be criminalised in Pakistan, it is speech enabling and strengthening the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Of course, it won’t happen because political survival is more important to a politician than national survival.

Rimsha Masih’s case sent to juvenile court

A judge on Monday rejected the district administration’s decision to hold the hearing on the ‘Rimsha Masih case’ in jail and ordered the police to submit a charge sheet in the special court in accordance with the juvenile laws Rimsha Masih spent three weeks on remand in an adult jail after she was arrested on August 16 for allegedly burning pages from the Quran in a case that prompted worldwide condemnation. Police on Saturday told the court the girl was not guilty and a cleric who allegedly framed her should face trial instead. “We have received the medical report which says she is aged 14. The investigation report of her case must be submitted in a juvenile court,” a judge said on Monday. Rao Abdur Rahim, the lawyer for Rimsha’s neighbour Hammad Malik, who originally accused her, objected to the medical report, but Abbas told him he should apply to the juvenile court when it takes up the case. An official medical report has classified her as “uneducated” and aged 14, but with a mental age younger than her years. Others have said she is as young as 11 and suffers from Down’s syndrome. Earlier, Rimsha Masih had been awarded bail and flown to an undisclosed location with her family, over security concerns. The bail was awarded after it was revealed that a prayer leader of the neighbourhood mosque, Khalid Jadoon had had placed two pages of Quran with the burnt papers in order to aggravate the situation. The court has also passed the matter of animosity over the charge sheet between the investigating officer and the district attorney to the relevant court.

New Pak-India visa accord fails to take shape

http://pakobserver.net

The much publicized Pakistan-India Visa Agreement signed on September 8, 2012 on the eve of Indian foreign minister’s visit to Islamabad has failed to fulfill the dreams of thousands of people who wanted to see its implementation. Pakistan and India agreed to facilitate visits of veteran citizens and Visa-on-arrival (valid for 45 days) is to be issued to senior citizens (65 years and above) and to children below 12 years at the Wagah-Attari border. The officials failed to take into consideration the fact that 65+ senior citizens or small children cannot travel alone and someone from the family has to go with them. The care-taker has to go through the same old long process and senior citizen will suffer once again despite so much fanfare about new visa regime. Visa seekers from Pakistan including divided family members and senior citizens continue to faces serious hurdles in fulfilling the enormous requirements which not only include a sponsorship from their relatives in India but also attestation of the Sponsorship Form by Indian official or principal of a Government college or school. What is more difficult for Pakistan visa seekers is the requirement of attested copy of Service Card of the official who would attest the sponsorship filled and signed by the Indian relative of Pakistani visa seekers, according to the information available on Indian High Commission website. Minister for Interior Rehman Malik was quoted as saying last week that Pakistan had implemented the new visa regime. However, diplomatic sources say that the implementation may take several months and that is no good news for visa seekers. While Pakistani mission has simplified the requirements for a Pakistan visa for Indians to be presented on a normal Visa Form, the Indian Government requires Pakistanis to fulfill an Online Form with a series of questions and compiles full data of the visa seekers, his or her background, parental or spouse backgrounds and his relatives in India. Indians have made a condition that “Sponsorship certificate is mandatory for all visit visa cases.” Apart from that Indian invitee’s passport (preferred), copy of electricity bill or telephone bill and ration card or Election ID-card, clearly mentioning the address and contact telephone numbers, are also required by the Indian High Commission. The news about liberalization of visa regime three weeks ago had injected a new life to a 75-year old Pakistan lady who is longing to visit her ailing brother in India. Talking to this correspondent the veteran woman said that she had been trying to visit India but her relatives are facing serious difficulties to attest her Sponsorship Form which has been signed by her brother who never came to Pakistan. The new agreement has no good news for her “because the condition that sponsorship certificate should also be countersigned by any of the following Indian government officials (DM/ SP/SDM/ Tehsildar/ BDO/ SHO/ Groups A officer of State and India’s Central Govt. could not be met.” She says that some people who know her brother were ready to certify but no one agreed to meet a more tougher condition that “the Indian government official should also attach a self attested copy of their photo identity card along with his/her contact phone number.”

COMPLETING HIGHWAYS IN BALOCHISTAN

The Prime Minister had once again directed the National Highway Authority to complete all the on-going highway projects in Balochistan lessening the financial burden on the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) as most of the projects are in hand for the past one decade or more. For unknown reasons, the establishment refused to give priority to the building of a decent infrastructure, mainly building the highways, in Balochistan giving a boost to economic development. The Gwadar Deep Water Port had been rendered useless for the past seven years as the Government failed to construct its basic infrastructure and link the deep water port with rest of Pakistan and the landlocked Central Asian countries, including Afghanistan. To this date, there is no development in building the roads, highways and bridges linking Gwadar Port with the Central Asian countries, nor its basic infrastructure are developed granting complete monopoly to Iran to handle the transit trade between the Central Asian countries and rest of the world. Iran is presently earning more than 10 billion US dollar a year from transit trade facilities to the landlocked countries. Earlier, the Iranian earnings from the transit trade were confined to a few billion dollars as Tehran used Bandar Abbas to transport the transit goods to Central Asia. Now Iran is planning to expand and use Chah Bahar Port in Iranian Balochistan for transit trade with Afghanistan and other Central Asian Countries to outmatch the importance of Gwadar where real estate Mafia is dominating the undeveloped economy of the Baloch coast. Pakistan needs the second port more for developing its trade and commerce with rest of the world as Gwadar is located at the mouth of Central Asia, South Asia and West Asia—an advantage no other Pakistani port enjoyed. There should be road link between Balochistan and rest of the three provinces developing communication and strengthening national unity with the frequent movement of people of different provinces. It is also needed to develop the national economy in Upper Sindh, Southern Punjab, parts of KPK and northern Pakistan by boosting internal trade and developing local markets generating employment for the people of Pakistan. The National Highway Authority was a complete disappointment for the people of Balochistan as it had not completed a single important project to this date barring the Coastal Highway that was washed away extensively in two deadly cyclones and torrential rains that lashed Baloch coast in the recent past. The NHA or the National Economic Council approved several schemes costing over Rs 37 billion during the past six or seven years. The NHA had spent merely Rs seven billions on those schemes and works on all other schemes stopped taking the pretext of law and order. When law and order was stable and people were demanding development why the NHA had completed the project during the peace time? Now the situation in Balochistan had taken an ugly turn and it is not very easy for the Government and people stabilizing the law and order situation in foreseeable future. We welcome the good gesture of the Prime Minister taking interest in speedy development of Balochistan by asking the NHA to complete all its projects in the Province. The top priority should be given to the highways connecting Gwadar Port with rest of the country, mainly Punjab and KPK through the Indus Highway giving a boost to the local economies of these regions. Equally important is the completion of the Highway connecting Karachi with Zahedan, Capital of Iranian Balochistan. It passes through the main heartland of Balochistan and it is also considered as the economic artery of the Provincial economy. The NHA should complete the damaged portion of the RCD Highway between Khad Kocha and Lak Pass which is under construction for the past six years. The NHA failed to pay to the contractors involved in building that portion of RCD Highway. If the NHA makes the payment to the contractors, it will be easy for them to complete the reconstruction work in Central Balochistan.

Zardari condemns burning of a church in Mardan

Radio Pakistan President Zardari while condemning burning of a church in Mardan says it is contrary to the teachings of Islam. President Asif Ali Zardari has condemned and deplored the attack and burning of a church in Mardan on Friday by a mob protesting against the anti-Islam film. In a message‚ the President said that the highly provocative anti Islam film had been roundly condemned throughout the world and particularly in Pakistan by Muslims and non Muslims alike. But he said ransacking public and private property particularly the places of worship of other religions was itself unislamic and highly condemnable. The President said that ransacking and vandalizing revered places of worship and inflicting self damage in retaliation amounted to playing into the hands of perpetrators of the crime who produced the anti- Islam film. Describing torching of the church as 'unfortunate and reprehensible ' President Zardari said that it was contrary to the teachings of Islam which ordained respecting places of worship of all religions. The President called upon Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to take all appropriate measures for protecting the places of worship of Christians and other minorities and address their grievances. ======= Pakistan Peoples Party's Human Rights Cell has also strongly condemned the burning of the Church. Central Coordinator PPP Human Rights Cell Dr Nafisa Shah in a statement said it is a conspiracy to give a bad name to Muslims. She also condemned the violence on Friday that led to the taking of innocent lives‚ besides burning of private and public property that led to the loss of millions. The PPP Human Rights cell called upon the authorities to take severe action against all the miscreants that have used the occasion to perpetuate violence and to take special measures to protect religiuos minorities.

Top Chinese security official makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

China's top security official on Saturday made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, the first time in 46 years that a Chinese leader set his foot on the soil of this landlocked Asian country. Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, arrived at the Kabul airport late in the afternoon. The four-hour visit had not been announced by Beijing due to security concerns. It followed a two-day trip of Zhou to Singapore, where he met Singaporean leaders on bilateral ties. Zhou, who is also secretary of the Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, will also go to Turkmenistan. The last visit by a Chinese leader to neighboring Afghanistan was made by Liu Shaoqi in 1966 when he was the President of China. During the past half century, Afghanistan was afflicted with series of military coups and two major wars commenced by the former Soviet Union and the United States respectively. The country is still the front line in the U.S.-led war against terrorism and is undergoing daily bombing and bleeding. In Kabul, Zhou was warmly received by Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting.

These ‘Muslims’ are not innocent

by Mahim Maher

one of the saddest days in Karachi’s history. Six of its downtown cinemas were attacked by mobs and set on fire. That’s pretty much the major ones completely destroyed. Only two big ones remain, one at the edge of downtown and one by the seaside. The mobs, which were in the thousands, swept through the centre of the city on Friday setting banks, businesses and the cinemas on fire as part of protests against the Innocence of Muslims film. The pillaging and arson was condoned by our toothless and two-faced ‘religious’ leaders heading the protests. Whenever anarchists sweep through the crowd, these clerics disown them and have the gall to later say that the men were not part of their group but were ‘criminal elements’ as if this was a lesson from the periodic table. The mobs wanted to storm the US consulate in Karachi, which was protected from all approaches by the police and strategically placed shipping containers. The protesters first swept through the main financial artery of Karachi, MA Jinnah Road, to converge at Native Jetty bridge which leads to the consulate. Along the way they ransacked the banks, kicked in windows, stole money, even food from the cinema’s bars. In the morning as I turned on the TV the violence seemed to be mostly concentrated in Islamabad and Peshawar up north in Pakistan where cinemas were attacked as well. The government had made the mistake of caving in to the extremists and declaring Sept 21 Ishq-e-Rasool (pbuh) day, or Love for the Prophet (pbuh) Day. You see, in Pakistan we have to beat our breasts about these kind of things. The government’s reasoning was that it would save itself by appearing religiously correct. What I don’t think it had bargained for was the protests that were planned. This was a failure of police intelligence. Also, since we only have about 3,000 cops we can actually use in Karachi of 20m people, they are stretched to thin. As far as I understand, via our reporter Saba Imtiaz, the police did not have orders to take action unless the US consulate was attacked. We’re trying to find out what exactly happened there and why the police did not have the kind of backup they needed from the paramilitary Rangers force who we pay billions of rupees to keep. The irony is that we showed our love for Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) by setting our own city on fire. I’m sure he’s really happy and all the ‘criminal elements’ will get a special place in heaven for the great work they did. The non-violent residents of Karachi watched on in dismay at the complete anarchy that descended on the city. We are a cursed metropolis, unable to get through any day without some kind of disaster. Just last week 289 garment factory workers perished in the worst fire in our history simply because the exit doors were sealed. As the city editor of The Express Tribune, I’m supposed to know by now the way events will unfold in Karachi. But I confess, each day for the last month has stripped away my naiveté. I never thought it would get so bad and this happens to me each time. I’m never prepared to predict the extent of the depravity. I feel like a fool because I err on the side of the goodness of human nature. But as the footage rolled, I realised that there was no limit to the madness. The same thing happened to me when Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007. All of us in the newsroom were unprepared for the fires that would sweep through the province. Each time I’m caught on the backfoot. The neighbourhood where I live in is relatively protected but as I drove to work I had to pass through a shopping strip where tyres were burning on the road. A group of young men were gathered at the end. I had to somehow get through them by driving carefully around the scattered flames. “Stop her!” I heard one of them scream. “Get her!” cried another. I was wearing my press badge but I had a feeling it wouldn’t help. I rammed my foot against the accelerator. My subeditors had a hard time getting to work as well. One of them found mobs around the office and turned back. He went home, changed into a shalwar kameez, grabbed a skull cap and pretend to be a protester to reach the office. Before heading out to work, I had to raid my fridge to get food together as my subeditors at work messaged me that they were hungry and there wasn’t going to be any access to food that day. Plus I had reporters out in the field who I knew would return hungry. So I’ve learnt my lesson and have decided to stock the office with food supplies. Petrol is another concern. In Karachi you can never let your tank be close to empty because what if you need to drive reporters or subeditors home? Sometimes even water runs out at the coolers and you need to keep bottles in your car. I can only imagine it was much worse for newspaper offices that are located downtown. But perhaps the worst part was that the government decided to suspend cell phone services on Friday. Two of my reporters were downtown covering rallies and protests and the cinema burnings. When we lost contact with Saad Hasan for an hour or so our hearts were in our mouths. All I could say to his wife, Rabia Ali, who is also my reporter, that he’s smart, he’ll always know what to do to protect himself.

Top Chinese official makes landmark Afghan visit

China's top security official has made the first high-level trip to Afghanistan by a senior Chinese leader in nearly half a century, meeting President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.

Zhou Yongkang made the four-hour visit on Saturday, in a secretive trip aimed at shoring up ties between the neighbours, China's Xinhua news agency reported. Karzai's office said Zhou came to the war-battered nation to discuss the implementation of a strategic cooperation agreement that Karzai signed with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in June. During a meeting with Zhou in his Kabul palace, Karzai said "China is a good and honest friend of Afghanistan," his office said in a statement. Beijing has stepped up diplomacy with Afghanistan in recent months as the 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of US and NATO troops approaches. China, which shares a 76-kilometre (47-mile) border with Afghanistan's far northeast, has already secured major oil and copper mining concessions in Afghanistan, which is believed to have more than $1 trillion worth of minerals. Karzai urged China to further invest in his poverty-stricken nation's underground treasures, the palace statement said. The scramble for influence in Afghanistan is expected to intensify in the run-up to 2014, with its central position in a volatile region having shaped its history for centuries. Xinhua provided few details about the visit, other than quoting Zhou as saying: "It is in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples for China and Afghanistan to strengthen a strategic and cooperative partnership... conducive to regional peace, stability and development." The visit was not previously announced due to security concerns. Late president Liu Shaoqi, the last senior Chinese official to visit Afghanistan, visited in 1966, Xinhua said. Zhou, ranked ninth in China's ruling Communist Party hierarchy, is China's top security official and oversees a crackdown on religious extremism, terrorism and separatism in his nation's Muslim-populated Xinjiang region, which borders Central Asia and Afghanistan. Zhou's appearance in Kabul comes after Karzai pledged to work with China to fight terrorism and extremism in the region during a visit to Beijing in June, where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting. The grouping, which is led by China and Russia and was set up to counterbalance US and NATO influence, granted Afghanistan observer status at the meeting.

Pak-U.S: '' Era of new relations''

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Foreign Minister Hina Rabani Khar

has said that the new era of better relations with US has been started and mantra of “Do More” is being decreased and US has clarified that it had no role with blasphemy film. While addressing a press conference along with Pakistani Ambassador in Washington Sherry Rahman she said the relations are getting strengthened with USA and Pakistan wants trade not aid with US. She said there is a big difference between September 2011 to September 2012, adding that the statement which given by Mullen never repeated again. Khar said in 2011 we had to talk through media but today we are discussing many matters privately. Hina Rabbani Khar said due to the announcement of reconstruction of Peshawar Torkham Road by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton it means that America has agreed on our demand to compensate our lose of infrastructure, caused by the NATO containers . She also said with the cooperation of US aid many hundred magawat electricity projects would be completed during the current year. Khar said that Pakistan has not changed stance regarding drone strikes, adding that the drone strikes are illegal and counterproductive. Meanwhile US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has dubbed the anti-Islam film as “disgusting and repulsive”, but also condemned violent protests in Pakistan saying “violence cannot be tolerated”. Speaking to reporters with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar before their scheduled meeting at the Department of State, Clinton thanked Pakistan’s government for its efforts to protect American embassy and Consulates. She urged people everywhere to stand up and speak up against violence. She added that these protests should not be hijacked by people with extremist agendas. Clinton said that while the past year and a half has been challenging for the Pakistan-US relationship, both countries still had work to do together. “We can achieve more when we have a focused agenda,” Clinton said and added that she was looking forward to seeing President Asif Ali Zardari next week at the UN General Assembly in New York. “Our shared priority remains joint counterterrorism objectives to ensure security of US and Pakistani citizens.” Thanking Foreign Minister Khar for reopening the Nato supply routes, Clinton said they would talk about Afghanistan, especially on the meeting of the safe passage working group. Clinton added that she agreed that the US needed to shift from aid to trade and investment in Pakistan, and expressed hope that a bilateral investment treaty would be finalised soon. Khar said the condemnation of the sacrilegious video by Clinton and President Obama had sent a strong message that the US government does not support it. She added that the two countries needed to build together on the architecture of mutual trust and each country’s national interests. Khar said terrorists of all breeds and races threatened both Pakistan and the United States. The two countries have a unique opportunity to work together on Afghanistan and ensure there is no security vacuum during the transition period in Afghanistan, she added. The Clinton-Khar meeting was ongoing at the time of filing this report, and was scheduled to last for two hours. Expected attendees included Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Marc Grossman, Deputy Secretary of State Tom Nides, Pakistan’s Ambassador Sherry Rehman and Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani.

Pak riots cost: Rs. 42 billion

http://www.hindustantimes.com

The economic cost of the riots that erupted in Pakistan on Friday to protest an anti-Muslim film may be as high as Rs76 billion (R42.84 billion), local business associations have warned. As the country picked up the pieces of the rioting and mayhem on Saturday, the government said that arrested and would be sent to anti-terrorism courts in Karachi and Lahore. Militant groups like the Jesh-e-Muhammad and the Jamaat-ud Dawah (JuD) teamed up with other religious parties to stage the demonstrations. In Some of the damage may be irreversible. The Bambino Cinema in Karachi, which was once owned by Hakim Ali Zardari, the father of President Asif Zardari, was gutted along with ten other cinema houses in the country. Famous Karachi cinemas like the Nishat, Prince and Capri were set also ablaze. Nawab Hasan Siddiqui, the owner of Nishat Cinema, said he will never open it again. “Now I know there is no guarantee of our safety.”

HUNDREDS DIE IN BALOCHISTAN FLASH FLOODS

Thousands of people have been killed in flash floods triggered by torrential rains in Jaffarabad, Naseerabad and Jhal Magsi districts of Balochistan while no serious steps are being taken by the Government to provide relief to the flood-stricken people. This session of the Balochistan Assembly started 25 minutes late and chaired by the Deputy Speaker Syed Matiullah Agha on Friday. Speaking on point of order, Provincial Minister for Zakaat Saleem Khoso said that flash floods caused by hill torrents of Dera Bugti and Sui after the heavy downpours lashed the region had played havoc at a large scale, killing hundreds of people of Naseerabad, Jaffarabad and Jhal Magsi districts. He said that although less number of deaths was told adding that but there were high number of casualties in areas affected by gushing floods. Khoso said that flash floods had destroyed total area of Jaffarabad district as still four feet deep flood water is standing in Dera Allahyar, the district headquarters of Jaffarabad. He said that most land area of Naseerabad district was also inundated by flash flood that had caused widespread destruction. He alleged that if Irrigation Department had not paid serious attention to strengthen embankments of canals flowing in Eastern Balochistan after the 2010 floods, then minimum losses might take place in recent floods of 2012. “Canals of Eastern Balochistan have developed several breaches and irrigation system of the region is badly damaged,” he said. The Balochistan Minister also blamed Sindh Government for diverting flash floods from Jacobabad district of Sindh to Jaffarabad district of Balochistan. He opined that due to wrong designing of Jaffarabad Bypass, level of devastation surged in the region as this several feet high Bypass stopped the flash floods from draining out to barren land from populated areas. Saleem Khosa said that tens of thousands of flood-hit people were deprived of food and potable drinking water and were falling prey to epidemics. Meanwhile The lawmakers of the Balochistan Assembly in the Saturday session adopted two resolutions, the first sought punishment to makers of anti-Islam film and the second withdrawal of road and other taxes from tribal areas of Balochistan respectively. The assembly session started with Deputy Speaker Syed Matiullah Agha in chair. Pakistan Muslim League-Q MPA Sheikh Jaffar Mandokhel moved the resolution that strongly condemned the blasphemous film made in America and sought punishment to the perpetrators who made it. The mover and the provincial ministers including Aainullah Shams, Eng. Zamarak Piralizai, Nasreen Khaitran and Habibur Rehman Muhammad Hasni demanded punishment to hate-mongers who made anti-Islam film to hurt the sentiments of Muslims. The house adopted this resolution unanimously. Another resolution was tabled by the legislators including Molvi Sarwar Musakhel, Sardar Masood Loni and Sheikh Jaffar Mandokhel that sought declaring nine districts of Balochistan exempted from road tax, income tax and motor vehicle tax. They opined that under Article 246 of the Constitution of the country, the districts of Balochistan including Zhob, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Shirani, Musakhel, Loralai, Barkhan, Kohlu, Dera Bugti and Dalbandin have been giving status of tribal areas. They were of the view that according to the relevant laws, these areas are exempted from paying road tax, property tax and motor vehicle tax adding therefore, these taxes should not be collected from these nine districts. The lawmakers also approved this resolution unanimously. Later, after completion of other proceedings of the assembly, the chair adjourned the houses till September 24.

PML-N leaders power hungry

Pakistan Peoples party (PPP) Deputy Parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Shoukat Mehmud Basra said that leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) were power hungry mongers and were leveling fabricated corruption charges against the PPP-led Federal government to cover up their own failures in the province. Talking to sources at the opposition leader’s chamber he said,”Sharif brothers have forgotten about their corruption worth billions of rupees from which they built ‘The Raiwind palace’.” Basra said that democratic institutions were stable owing to reconciliation policy of President Asif Ali Zardari. He said that during the last four and half years the country has made a tremendous progress in federalism and constitutionalism. Referring to cases instituted against him by the Punjab government, he said that he was a follower of the Bhuttos and would not be deterred by under hand tactics of the opposition benches. He advised Sharif brothers to work for the welfare of people of Punjab by doing away with corruption and cronyism.

Blasphemy case: Police declares Rimsha innocent, cleric guilty

The Express Tribune

Police officials investigating a blasphemy case against Rimsha Masih submitted an interim charge-sheet on Saturday declaring cleric Khalid Jadoon Chishti guilty before the trial court. Submitting the charge-sheet, Investigation Officer Munir Jafri said that three eyewitnesses had recorded their statements against Chishti. Though District Attorney Mehfooz Paracha raised objection over the charge-sheet, he put his signature on the document. Talking to The Express Tribune, Jafri said Rimsha appears innocent according to the charge-sheet since there is no evidence to prove the blasphemy charges against her. “Neither the complainant, nor any eyewitness recorded a statement against her,” he added. The officer said that Hafiz Zubair, the mosque’s muezzin, had already disclosed in his statement that Chishti added some pages of the Quran to the ashes of the pages Rimsha allegedly burnt. Two other witnesses, Hafiz Awais and Khurram Shahzad, endorsed Zubair’s statement as well. Jafri alleged that the district attorney tried to pressurise him into declaring Chishti innocent, but the former refused to do so. The charge-sheet was submitted before District and Sessions Judge Raja Jawad Abbas due to the civil judge’s absence. The case was adjourned till September 24. On September 7, the court had given the police a final warning against delaying the charge-sheet and directed them to submit it by September 21. The court had also granted bail to Rimsha against two surety bonds of Rs500,000 each. She was flown off to an undisclosed location upon her release from jail. Rimsha was arrested on August 16 for allegedly burning a booklet used to familiarise children with the Arabic used in the Quran. The Ramna Police Station registered a case against her on the insistence of a mob incited by Chishti.

Sindh minister's resignation

http://www.brecorder.com

It is not rare in democracies for ministers to acknowledge responsibility for tragic incidents involving loss of life on their watch, and resign. Not so in Pakistan, though. Creditably for him, the Sindh Minister for Industries Abdul Rauf Siddiqui, took the first step in that direction when he resigned from the provincial cabinet following the fire in a Karachi garment factory in which 289 lives perished under most horrific circumstances. Siddiqui said that he found himself "helpless and with no authority to move against the people responsible for the deadly factory fire." Contending that the two relevant departments, civil defence and labour, "responsible for safety measures and labour rights are not under my authority", Siddiqui averred "I was compelled to see people dying in the fire." His detractors might argue that in taking the step he has while pointing a finger at others, the minister tried to shift the blame and earn political mileage. That though would be unfair, considering that in the absence of any precedence he was under no pressure to give up the ministry. Besides, Siddiqui said he was quitting so as to allow the investigations to be conducted in a transparent manner. Whatever the reason, his decision sets a good precedent. There are numerous examples from other democracies, including our neighbour India, wherein ministers have given up office after tragic incidents involving loss of life. The first such resignation in India was tendered by railways and transport minister Lal Bahadur Shastri as far back as 1956 after a train accident in Tamil Nadu in which 114 people were killed. The then prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, accepted the resignation citing constitutional propriety. The precedent has since been followed, the more recent example being that of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who took "moral responsibility" for an Air India plane crash during landing at Mangalore in May 2010 that resulted in the deaths of 160 people - Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh though rejected the resignation. We have had two devastating plane crashes in Islamabad during the last two years alone (Air Blue and Bhoja Air accidents in Islamabad claimed 202 lives in August '10 and 127 in April this year, respectively) yet no one at the top received as much as a rap on the knuckles. The present example therefore is an important assertion of the principle of accountability. The buck must stop at the office of the minister in charge. Of course, when Indian railways and aviation ministers resigned they were not driving or flying the machines involved in accidents, yet they felt answerable for the conditions that might have contributed to accidents and the consequent loss of life. It is about time ministers in this country, too, begin doing the honourable thing and take the fall for any such loss.

Murtaza Bhutto: what he really stood for

DAILY TIMES:BY LAL KHAN

Murtaza had his shortcomings but his charisma and honesty were beyond dispute. He admonished the lust for wealth, power and office. His courage and determination were implacable Sixteen years ago on September 20, 1996, in the dusk falling into darkness, Mir Murtaza Bhutto, aged 42, was riddled with the bullets of this ferocious state. He was assassinated along with six of his comrades in front of his house, 70 Clifton, Karachi — the most renowned political address in Pakistan. At the time, ironically, his sister was the prime minister and the chief executive of the country. Innumerable conspiracy theories and accusations have been doing the rounds since. Yet none of the culprits have been apprehended or indicted and those personnel of the state forces who were named and arrested have gone scot-free. Murtaza had led a turbulent and challenging life. After his father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was deposed and later assassinated on the gallows in April 1979 by General Ziaul Haq, a wily Islamist stooge of imperialism, manipulating Islam to perpetuate his tyrannical despotism, Murtaza’s life was shattered. This one traumatic event plunged him into a tumultuous political struggle. All his efforts to mobilise support to save his father’s life, appealing to heads of state, much-touted international organisations and political figures failed. Supported by US imperialism, the cowardly ‘pious’ general had no mercy. The US and Zia at the time were manipulating Islam to perpetuate his tyrannical despotism serving imperialist interests. To avenge his father’s harrowing murder and advance the mission of revolutionary socialism etched in the origins of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), founded in 1967, Murtaza chose the arduous path of armed struggle. However, in spite of several attempts, his organisation, Al-Zulfiqar failed to eliminate the brutal dictator and dislodge his despotic regime. Paradoxically, the devious and cynical experts of the regime used these violent individual acts to exacerbate their brutal repression of the youth and workers in Pakistan. During the hijacking of a PIA plane in 1981 in which more than 200 political activists were freed from Zia’s notorious torture cells and incarceration, a military captain was killed. This was also a period when a mass revolt was simmering in society against Zia’s regime. The vicious dictatorship used this pretext to carry out some of the most brutal atrocities to crush the rising revolt. In 1983, the Zia regime carried out a massacre of workers, peasants and youth who had come out to defy the repression of the state. In Sindh alone, 1,063 people were killed by military gunship helicopters and the sheer brutality of the army. However, like so many other guerrilla organisations of armed struggle, Al-Zulfiqar also began to wither as successes were rare and state repression was mounting. Intrigues and betrayals were inevitable in such stagnation. But Murtaza never wavered, although through the experience of armed struggle, he had come to the conclusion that to succeed, a mass mobilisation and class struggle were decisive. The row between US imperialism and Ziaul Haq resulted in the latter’s elimination in an air crash, while another mass upheaval on Benazir Bhutto’s return in 1986 had already sent tremors through the echelons of power. The imperialists, in connivance with the strategists of the comprador elite, conveniently switched from a brutal military dictatorship to a paralytic democratic setup based on the same economic, social and political strategy. Benazir was brought into power sharing after scrupulous preparations and assurances for the continuation of the status quo. Murtaza was revolted that a party founded to change the destiny of the oppressed was now being inducted into the mechanism to perpetuate bourgeois exploitation, the rule of the rich and powerful. The PPP’s anti imperialist stance was turned into its opposite. Appeasement of foreign and domestic capital became the core policy of the new PPP regime. He vowed to return and overturn this degenerative trend. It was a daring step to take as being a sworn enemy of a vicious state, he was putting everything at stake. On his return, he was arrested and incarcerated, and this was during the tenure of his own sister. Media melodramatics and personal spite apart, it was the same old Zia’s state calling the shots. Eleanor Roosevelt had once remarked, “I always forgive but never forget”, but the reactionary bourgeois state neither forgives nor forgets someone who had taken up arms against it. Events were manufactured, family feuds stirred up, and events were engineered in such a manner that Murtaza was refused a party ticket by the PPP. Although he won a provincial seat in Sindh as an independent candidate, his umbilical relationship with the PPP had not severed. He was putting forward a bold revolutionary programme, mobilising the masses and trying to reorganise the PPP as a party of the working class. During his exile, he had read Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky and other revolutionary teachers. During a meeting with activists, he once used Trotsky’s lengthy quotation from the Brest-Litovsk talks of 1918 to substantiate his arguments. Murtaza was prepared to accept arguments on various ideological issues even after intense debates. However, his rapid predilection to the left and rising popularity in the party’s mass base was alarming for sections of the state. He brushed aside provocations without being subdued and maintained his stance with dignity and valour. But the critical mistake was that he was coaxed to declare a separate party from the traditional setup led by his sister Benazir by some devious political leaders masquerading as Bhutto loyalists. There was not one activity that he could not have done in the mainstream party. By building a Marxist cadre network, he could have carved out a revolutionary wing that could lead the struggle to achieve the party’s socialist ideals. The split isolated him, but he was still a threat to the capitalist political superstructure and the socio-economic system. Hence, sections of the state struck with a bloody vengeance. Lenin remarked long ago, “Only fools don’t make mistakes.” Murtaza had his shortcomings but his charisma and honesty were beyond dispute. He admonished the lust for wealth, power and office. His courage and determination were implacable. Trotsky once wrote, “No struggle ever goes in vain.” Murtaza fought for the founding principles and the genuine mass traditions of the PPP. His struggle and blood are a challenge for the youth that orientate towards the party and those who aspire to change this system. It is the historical task of this generation to ensure the redemption of the unfinished revolutionary transformation he strove and died for.

Afghanistan bans Pakistani newspapers

Associated Press

Afghanistan banned all Pakistani newspapers from entering the country on Friday in an attempt to block the Taliban from influencing public opinion via the press. The order, issued by the Ministry of Interior, adds to the mounting tension between the neighboring countries. It focuses specifically on blocking entry of the papers at Torkham, a busy border crossing, and directed border police to gather up Pakistani newspapers in the three eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan. In a statement, the ministry said the newspapers were a conduit for Taliban propaganda. "The news is not based in reality and it is creating concerns for our countrymen in the eastern provinces of Afghanistan," the ministry said in a statement. "Also, the newspapers are a propaganda resource of the Taliban spokesmen." The tensions between the two countries were highlighted Thursday at a U.N. Security Council meeting, when Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul called on Pakistan to stop shelling in the border province of Kunar, which he said has killed dozens of civilians. He said the attacks were jeopardizing bilateral relations "with potential negative consequences for necessary bilateral cooperation for peace, security and economic development in our two countries and the wider region." Many Pakistani Taliban fighters have fled to Kunar and surrounding areas after Pakistan's army pushed them out of its tribal region, taking advantage of the U.S. military's withdrawal of most of its forces from these Afghan border provinces in recent years. In an interview on Thursday with The Associated Press, Pakistan's foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said that her country would soon hold confidential talks with the United States and Afghanistan to improve a three-way counterterrorism relationship beset by misunderstandings. She told the AP that senior officials from the three countries have been instructed to come up with a strategy for repairing cooperation that has suffered since U.S.-Pakistani relations collapsed a year and half ago. A key element of the talks will be to determine which militant groups can be persuaded to lay down their arms as part of an Afghan peace treaty — a crucial if so far lagging part of the U.S. strategy to stabilize the country as it withdraws forces over the next two years. Separately in Afghanistan, five civilians were killed and eight others were wounded Friday in Naway district of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, according to district police chief Ahmad Shah Khan Pupal. Two children and three men were among the dead. NATO reported that two service members with the international military alliance in Afghanistan died Friday of non-battle related injuries in the south. NATO did not provide details about the deaths or the nationality of the service members who died.

Drones capture mountain scenery in Pakistan

By REBECCA SANTANA | Associated Press

The use of drones in Pakistan normally brings to mind images of U.S. spy planes attacking tribal areas. But drones now are being used to capture a different kind of picture in the country — showing some of the world's highest mountains being scaled by world-class climbers through some of Earth's thinnest air. Drones, or remote-controlled aircraft, have long been the domain of the American military and are used extensively in Pakistan's tribal areas near the Afghanistan border to spy on and target militants. Recently, however, civilians have increasingly turned to drones to shoot ground-breaking footage of adventure sports. This summer a Swiss expedition used remote-controlled helicopters to shoot rare footage of climbers on the Karakoram, one of the world's most demanding and formidable mountain ranges. "People are going to see footage from the Karakoram that no human being has ever seen," said Corey Rich, a photographer and videographer from Lake Tahoe, California, who was on the expedition. The expedition was a joint project between outdoor clothing and equipment company Mammut, and Dedicam, a firm that specializes in using remote-controlled helicopters to shoot video. Their goal: to document world-class mountaineer David Lama and his climbing partner Peter Ortner as they climbed Trango Tower. The sheer granite tower in the Baltoro Glacier is more than 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) above sea level and is one of the most technically difficult climbs in the world. Filmmakers long have used helicopters to capture aerial footage of climbers — as well as other extreme sport athletes like surfers and skiers —that is hard to capture from the ground. But helicopters are costly and can be dangerous if they crash or get too close to the people on the ground. Additionally, their beating rotors often kick up dust, snow and wind — and can push climbers off balance. Drones, which can weigh just a few kilograms (pounds) and cost between $1,000 and $40,000, are a fraction of the size and cost of the helicopters traditionally used in adventure photography. Newer models tend to have all of their rotors facing into the sky, making them look a bit like a mechanical flying spider or insect. The main concern for the summertime expedition was how — and if — the drone would perform in Pakistan's rugged conditions and high altitude. "The main challenge was that the air is much thinner, and we didn't know how the flight controls would work with this and the propellers and motors," said drone operator Remo Masima, from Lucerne, Switzerland. He brought two on the Pakistan expedition — one with four propellers and another with six. From the ground, he flew them with a handheld console that resembles a video game console, and wore goggles to let him see the camera's view. Another challenge was to find the climbers on the mountain. Tracing the planned trek route, Masima directed the drone up the mountain until he spotted them — more than a mile (roughly 2,000 meters) away. The result was stunning images of the Karakoram and the climbers making it to the top. Experienced climbers say the Karakoram puts the rest of the world's mountain ranges to shame. Neighboring Nepal has Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, but Pakistan has four of the world's 14 peaks that soar to more than 8,000 meters (26,246 feet) above sea level, including the second highest mountain on earth, K-2. Lama and Ortner said climbing the legendary Pakistan mountains was an amazing experience. "Here there are so many mountains, and so many difficult mountains, and mountains that haven't been climbed," said Lama. "That's probably why the Karakoram is known as paradise for us." This year has been particularly successful for Pakistan's climbing industry, which plummeted in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in the U.S. In addition to hosting the renowned Lama for the first time, Nazir Sabir, Pakistan's elder statesman of climbing who was the country's first person to scale Everest, said 30 climbers summited K-2 in 2012, the first summits from the Pakistani side of the mountain since 11 people died trying in 2008. And the drone footage obtained during Lama and Ortner's climb will expose even more viewers to the legendary Karakoram mountain range. Drones also increasingly are being used in other adventure sports to push conventional photography boundaries. Cameras on drones have been used to capture video of surfers on Hawaii's North Shore and to chase mountain bikers speeding down mountain trails. "I've filmed anything from kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, to track and field to just casual walking," said photographer and videographer Mike Hagadorn, who has begun to build his own drones to support his Colorado-based firm, Cloud Level Media. "Anything you can dream of — and as long as you don't crash — you can make it happen." Experts predict drone cameras eventually will become an integral part of every sports shoot. But for now, they're definitely a novelty. The Swiss team filming Lama said villagers in Pakistan stood in awe, staring at the drones as they buzzed around, whenever he used one on the expedition. "We were trying to do this shot that showed this quaint village," Rich said. "But every single person in the shot is standing, stopped in the street, looking up at the helicopter."

Pakistan-US ties doing 'better than expected': FM

Pakistan: Friday’s violence

PRIME Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf’s speech at the Ishq-i-Rasool conference in Islamabad on Friday combined denunciation of the anti-Islam movie with an appeal to the people to be peaceful, an appeal also made by all major political parties — the PPP, PML-N, ANP, MQM and PTI. Yet even before the prime minister had finished, the strike had turned violent. By the time the faithful headed towards mosques for the Friday prayer, violence had spiralled out of control in several cities. The intensity of the violence was shocking. Reason fell victim to emotions, even though the hate-filled film, made by a man who can only be described as a bigot, was condemned by American leaders, including President Obama. In principle there’s nothing wrong with a strike which is a democratic way of expressing protest and resorted to only when all other options have been exhausted. In Pakistan, unfortunately, political parties and even professional bodies like those of lawyers and doctors have abused this principle irrespective of its consequences for citizens, and often for themselves. Horrifying as it is, every Pakistani crowd is now violence-prone: whether it is a justifiable protest against power outages or an Eid rush for railway tickets, people attack unrelated targets. Political rhetoric has much to do with it, for we have developed a popular culture in which citizens have come to believe that violence pays. Those who call for strikes cannot escape their responsibility by blaming violence on outsiders, for it is their duty to control their acolytes. The violence the day saw in no way advanced the cause of the world’s Muslims. Instead, it painted Pakistan as a country where bloodthirsty mobs roamed. Friday is a day that is meant for congregational prayers and piety. But for some strange reason, our religious parties invariably choose this day for tormenting the Pakistani people. The government’s eagerness to share the people’s sentiments and not let the opposition make political capital out of it can be understood. But the way it chose to express its solidarity with the people was astonishing — by declaring a holiday. The result was a total shutdown, with banks and business transactions frozen for three days. We have seen protests in many Muslim countries, but nowhere did political parties call for a nationwide strike and find the government ‘cooperative’. A government’s job is to keep the state going and not to help strikers. Yesterday’s violence should goad our politicians and leaders of civil society into realising the damage the ‘wheel jam’ strikes and the accompanying violence are doing not only to the economy but to the nation’s moral fibre.

Peshawar traders suffer huge losses during protests

Despite being first in announcing solidarity with the protesters on Yaum-e-Ishq-e-Rasool (PBUH) on Friday, the traders suffered losses amounting to millions of rupees as their business centres were attacked and damaged in parts of the city. At least in one mobile phones market in Peshawar Saddar, the mob damaged the shutters, smashed the showcases of shops and got away with the mobile phone sets. The traders and businessmen suffered the first loss when a group of protesters reached the Hashtnagri Chowk in the afternoon and attacked the main office of the Khyber Pakhuntunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road. The KPCCI office, known as Chamber House, is adjacent to the Chacha Yunas Park, where the protesters turned every swing and play-game machines upside down.The Chamber House is the headquarters of the prime body of the traders and businessmen of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The angry mob smashed the façade panes and the front board of the Chamber House before setting fire to a private bank sited on the ground floor of the building. The protesters also burnt four cars belonging to the bank officials and employees of the Bilour Industries office parked in the courtyard of the Chamber House. The Bilour family belonging to the ruling ANP own the Bilour Industries. President KPCCI Afan Aziz, during his visit to the Chamber House in the evening told The News that the traders were part of the protest as upholding the reverence and respect of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and condemning any blasphemous act were the first and foremost duty of every Muslim. “We had fixed banners on Chamber House condemning the sacrilegious film produced in the US,” he reminded. He said the chamber condemned the so-called freedom of expression of the Americans which they used as pretext to carry out many sacrilegious acts. He deplored that the protesters even burnt the banners that condemned the profane movie. Afan Aziz said the way the protesters gave vent to their rage against the sacrilegious film was not appropriate. “It is not the way to put across the message. The protesters should have sent their message to the world the way our Holy Prophet (PBUH) would do,” he maintained. He said there were peaceful ways to record condemnation and protest against the film. About the losses to the Chamber House, he said it was difficult to asses it at the moment but it would not be less than a million rupees. He said the most shocking thing the protesters did was ransacking of the mosque at the back of the chamber building and taking away ceiling fans from there, he added. “They also rummaged around the new Research and Development block and looted some 20 computers and other equipment from different sections,” he added. To a question as to why the mob attacked the chamber building, he said, “they might have mistaken it for a government building.” Proceeding further on the GT Road, the protesters after setting ablaze the Shabistan, Shama and Naz cinema houses also broke shutters of various shops and looted various items from shops and roadside shacks on the Pajjagi Road and the Jinnah Park area. The traders on the University Road and in Saddar suffered huge losses. President Markazi Tanzeem Tajran, Sharafat Ali Mubarak said they held peaceful protest after the Juma prayers to condemn the profane film, but some protestors attacked and looted their businesses in Saddar. He said the protesters went on a rampage in the Muslim Market and smashed the showcases of cellphone shops and looted hundreds of mobile phones sets.

The international film fury: Pakistan edition

http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com

When people began pouring out onto the streets in Pakistan to protest on Friday, there was little chance that the government would take any action against them. After all, it was a declared public holiday to mark love for Prophet Mohammad, and religious and political groups had taken the government's move as a sign that the protests were sanctioned by the state. Pakistan has been engulfed with protests against the controversial film the Innocence of Muslims. Over the course of a week, members of a religious grouphave broken through police cordons to amass outside the US Consulate in Karachi and protestors attacked the enclave reserved for diplomatic missions in the capital city of Islamabad. In Hyderabad, the second largest city in the Sindh province, a businessman was accused of blasphemy for not participating in the protests. Friday was a free-for-all in Pakistan. Television channels broadcast footage of riots from nearly every major city. Protestors burned down cinemas in Karachi and Peshawar, as well as a church in Mardan, andattacked banks, police vehicles,buildings and evena public hospital. In Karachi, hundreds of members of groups as diverse as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a mainstream political party, to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan dominated the streets. Dozens of effigies of U.S. President Barack Obama were burned along with American flags, and protestors chanted against the U.S., Israel and the filmmaker behind Innocence of Muslims. Police weredeployedat several key locations, but did not act to stop the protestors. In any case, they were largely outnumbered: about a half-dozen police officers are no match for hundreds of angry rioters. The issue in Pakistan is not just of one day, or one week, of protests. The problem is institutional. The outrage at issues like an allegedly blasphemous film or cartoons has a legal basis, whichstems from controversial laws that make blasphemy punishable by death, and excommunicate an entire sect. Government officials not only support the law, but the Interior Minister Rehman Malik once declared that he would kill a blasphemer himself. In a speech on Friday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf questioned why those denying the Holocaust were punished whilethere was no consideration for the feelings of Muslims. The government has supported the outrage ensuing from the film, not just by declaring a holiday, but also by summoning the current U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Pakistan to protest the film, blocking YouTube and reportedly approaching Interpol. These measures do little to control violence. More importantly, the government has failed to act against banned organizations that operate openly and protest without anyone batting an eyelid. Acting against the protestors -- as the Karachi police did when members of a Shiite group protested outside the U.S. Consulate -- is construed in Pakistan as the state attacking civilians for the sake of protecting ‘foreign governments.' The outrage is also politicized, though not entirely. Many of the groups protesting are used by political parties for support during election campaigns. The Difa-e-Pakistan Council, a coalition of over 40 religious organizations that also protested on Friday, seeks to become a pressure group to raise issues of religious ‘honor' and issues related to foreign policy, and will likely support many of the candidates from coalition parties in the upcoming elections. However, many protestors in Karachi said that they were not linked with political parties or religious groups, but had taken to the streets because they genuinely felt angry over the film. In a country where religious honor is tied in with nationalism, it is not surprising that many felt the need to protest. The protestors were from a wide spectrum, ranging from office workers to students to clerics. And for many of them, it was an opportunity to vent: President Asif Ali Zardari was condemned as vociferously as President Obama was. The protests will likely die down in a few days, if not earlier. The pattern of these protests has been fairly consistent over the years, and the issue will be abandoned in favor of something else. But the question of what the government can do to stop the protests may now be too late. The rot in Pakistan has been many decades in the making. Sectarian conflict has been stoked by successive rulers, including military dictators, religious outrage has received state approval by governments and political parties, and those responsible for massacres of various religious sects continue to fundraise to kill more. The military backs anti-U.S. sentiment, as evidenced during the debate in Pakistan over the Kerry-Lugar bill, or the outrage over the May 2 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. What is undoubtedly worse, though, is that there is no attempt to reverse any of the damage that has been done over the decades. Instead, the current government - and successive ones - will likely play a game of appeasement with religious groups in the hope that they will one day back them. That bet, as history has proven, will not pay off.