Music returns to Pakistan's restive Swat valley

Musicians who fled Pakistan's Swat valley plagued by the Taliban insurgency are returning to their homes as the Pakistani army now controls the area. Swat musicians speak to DW about their lives under the Taliban. Taliban militants forbade musicians from performing in Swat, a former stronghold of the militant group located in the northwestern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the Afghan border. Prior to the military operation against the Islamist militants in 2009 - which forced the Taliban to flee the area - the Islamists would publicly set fire to television sets, CD and cassette players, and audio cassettes and harass local musicians who had been performing in the area for decades. Subsequently, most of the musicians and shop owners selling musical instruments, audio and video cassettes had to run for their lives.Now that the Taliban no longer control the area, musical performances in Swat have slowly but gradually started to make a comeback. Resilience "The situation in Swat is much better now and we have resumed our musical activities," a musician in Swat told DW on condition of anonymity. He said that like others, he also left his hometown after the Taliban took over the area. But Swat residents still fear the Taliban, who continue to carry out random attacks on civilians and military personnel even after retreating from the area. In October 2012, the Taliban shot and injured a 14-year-old Pakistani blogger and activist Malala Yousafzai in Swat. The Taliban said they attacked Yousafzai because she had been promoting "secularism" in Swat. But some brave musicians and singers are undaunted by the Taliban threat. Palwasha, a young singer in Swat, is confident that one day she will make it big in the Pakistani music industry. Her music teacher Shabana lost her life in a militant attack but that did not deter Palwasha. "Shabana used to guide me in music. Before her death, singing was just a hobby for me but now it has become a passion. Now I want to learn and help others learn, too," Palwasha told DW in an interview in Swat.Omar Yunus, a veteran musician in Swat, told DW that he had been able to perform freely in Swat before the Taliban took over. "When we started our musical career, things were still good in our town, but they slowly started to deteriorate," Yunus said, adding that he was happy that things were now getting back to normal. State protection But many Swat artists are not as courageous as Palwasha and Yunus. Many have already left for other countries in the Middle East, Europe or for the US. Those who could not migrate have taken up other professions. Swat musicians and other performing artists demand that the Pakistani government protect them from the Taliban and other militant groups who still harass them. Experts say it will take a lot of time for Swat to be completely normal again.

Hollande praises French troops on Timbuktu visit

Malians say "Thank you, France!" as Hollande visits

Malians chanting "Thank you, France!" mobbed President Francois Hollande on Saturday as he visited the desert city of Timbuktu, retaken from Islamist rebels, and pledged France's sustained support for Mali to expel jihadists.

Hollande, accompanied by his ministers for defense, foreign affairs and development, was on a one-day trip to the Sahel nation to support French troops who in three weeks have ousted fighters allied with al Qaeda from Mali's main northern towns. He met the interim president, Dioncounda Traore, and the two held talks in Timbuktu and later in Bamako, the capital in the south where the French leader also received a rapturous welcome. Speaking in Timbuktu, Hollande said the French operation, which has driven the rebels into the mountains of northeast Mali at the cost of only one French serviceman killed so far, would eventually hand over to a larger African military force. "The combat is not over," he said, flanked by Traore, in a speech praising the French forces. "We are obliged to support the Malians until they have recovered their entire sovereignty. We'll do it with the Africans," he added separately to reporters. Traore said: "Together we will hunt the terrorists down to their last hiding place." The United States and the European Union are backing the Mali intervention as a counterstrike against the threat of Islamist jihadists using the inhospitable and ungoverned Malian Sahara as a launch pad for international attacks. They are providing training, logistical and intelligence support, but have ruled out sending their own ground troops. In Timbuktu, the renowned Saharan trading town and seat of Islamic learning that spent 10 months under rebel occupation, Hollande visited the Djingarei-ber or Grand Mosque and the Ahmed Baba Institute, a library of ancient manuscripts that was ransacked by the rebels. Hollande said it was essential that Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, should be properly protected so that it could "shine" as a cultural treasure for the world. HEAVY PROTECTION Heavily armed French soldiers in armored vehicles and Malian troops protected the French leader as he visited the mosque, which was built from mud bricks and wood in 1325. French and Malian flags fluttered from telephone poles. French sniffer dogs checked for explosive devices. In a dusty square at the Ahmed Baba library, several thousand Timbuktu residents in colorful robes and wraps sang and danced, shouting "Thank you, France" and "Papa Hollande". "I'm so proud of Francois Hollande, we have got our old lives back," Khalifa Cisse, the muezzin or crier who calls the faithful to daily prayer at the mosque, told Reuters. Hollande has said that the French operation, which has 3,500 soldiers on Malian soil backed by warplanes, helicopters and armored vehicles, aims to make way eventually for a U.N.-backed African force, which is still being deployed. Drawn mostly from Mali's West African neighbors, this force is expected to number more than 8,000. But its deployment has been badly hampered by shortages of kit and airlift capacity and questions about who will fund the estimated $1 billion cost. France's role in Mali has raised fears of reprisal attacks by Islamist radicals against French and other Westerners. A Frenchman was among four people killed in Senegal's restive southern Casamance region late on Friday when suspected local separatist rebels clashed with government troops, but the incident did not appear to be linked to Mali. UNVEILED WOMEN DANCE WITH JOY The international community has greeted the liberation of Timbuktu with relief. The town is a centre of Islamic scholarship in the tolerant Sufi tradition, but the radical Islamist occupiers smashed ancient Sufi mausoleums, calling them idolatrous. The rebels also destroyed up to 2,000 of some 300,000 priceless ancient manuscripts held in the city. Experts say the bulk of the texts are secure and safe, however. Timbuktu residents rejoiced at being freed from the severe version of sharia (Islamic law) imposed by the rebels, who had forced women to go veiled and inflicted beatings and amputations. "These so-called Islamists did nothing but evil to us, they beat people, they cut off limbs," said Lala Toure, a woman who went unveiled and wore a short-sleeved white T-shirt with the printed words "Thank you France for your help". Cisse, the muezzin, said the rebels, grouped in a loose alliance that includes al Qaeda's North African wing AQIM, had tried to impose an unfamiliar radical form of Islam on Mali. "We know Islam ... in this town of Islam, the first words a child hears are 'Allahu Akbar (God is Great)'," he said. French air strikes have forced the rebel fighters to retreat into the remote Adrar des Ifoghas mountains near the Algerian border. Hollande said this was where the rebels were holding seven French hostages previously seized in the Sahel. The next stage of the fight against the rebels, in a harsh Saharan battleground, could test the French and Malian forces and their African and other allies. Some Timbuktu residents begged the French never to leave Mali, which became independent from France in 1960.

Biden raises possibility of direct U.S.-Iran talks

The United States is ready to hold direct talks with Iran if it is serious about negotiations, Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday, backing bilateral contacts that many see as crucial to easing an international dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Biden said Iran - which says it is enriching uranium for peaceful energy only - now faced "the most robust sanctions in history" meant to ensure it does not use its program to develop nuclear weapons. "But we have also made clear that Iran's leaders need not sentence their people to economic deprivation and international isolation," Biden said. "There is still time, there is still space for diplomacy backed by pressure to succeed. The ball is in the government of Iran's court."

To date, fitful talks on Iran's nuclear program have been between Tehran and the EU's top diplomat representing six world powers including Washington. But analysts have suggested that with his re-election behind him, President Barack Obama might have more leeway to take on direct negotiations with Iran. That makes the year ahead critical for chances of overcoming a stand-off which, if left to fester further, could see Iran approach a nuclear weapons capability and possibly provoking military action by Israel that could inflame the Middle East. Progress on Iran would also help ease regional tensions as the United States prepares to pull most combat troops out of Iran's neighbor Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Asked whether Washington might consider direct talks with Iran to smooth the process, Biden said, "When the Iranian leadership, Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), is serious. "We have made it clear at the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally with the Iranian leadership, we would not make it a secret that we were doing that, we would let our partners know if that occasion presented itself. "That offer stands, but it must be real and tangible and there has to be an agenda that they are prepared to speak to. We are not just prepared to do it for the exercise." Negotiations with Iran have so far been overseen by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on behalf of France, Britain, Germany, China, Russia and the United States. But they have made scant headway, raising fears Iran is simply playing for time while it develops its nuclear know-how. Ashton has asked Iran to hold a round of talks this month and on Friday called on Tehran to abandon plans to install and operate advanced centrifuges that would speed up its ability to enrich uranium - potentially making it easier for it to produce the highly enriched uranium needed for nuclear weapons. Many believe no deal is possible without a U.S.-Iranian thaw, requiring direct talks addressing myriad sources of mutual mistrust and hostility lingering since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and the hostage crisis at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Iran has avoided direct, public talks with the United States, though some suggest Tehran would eventually welcome an opportunity to end its international isolation.

"DECISIVE YEAR ON IRAN"

With Iran holding its own presidential elections in June, hopes of progress before then are limited. The United States and its allies, however, do not have an indefinite amount of time to negotiate. Notwithstanding the current stalemate, Iran's nuclear program is advancing and an international consensus on sanctions may be hard to maintain. Israel, which describes the prospect of Iran being able to weaponise enriched uranium as an existential threat, has made clear it would be ready to bomb the nuclear sites of its arch-enemy to prevent that outcome. The United States has also said it would not rule out the use of military force. Speaking at the Munich conference, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that "2013 is the decisive year on Iran, especially for political reasons. "We had elections in the United States and Israel, we will have elections in June in Iran; we see increasing capabilities especially with the issue of enrichment - let us be very frank, we did not have progress in the last 12 months, so it is obvious that we have to use this year.." Russia, which has been impatient with decades of U.S. hostility to Tehran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution but backed U.N. Security Council sanctions since 2006, repeated on Saturday the need to find a diplomatic solution. "Iran must know the overall game plan, it must see what is in it for it in this process. We need to convince Iran that this is not about regime change ... this mistrust must be overcome," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the conference. That comment was echoed by Westerwelle. "If we want to reach this goal, it would be wrong to discuss all these military options and possibilities. It is now important to focus our whole attention, all our effort for a diplomatic and political solution." This would have to include a relief from sanctions as well as recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium to the lower levels needed for civilian nuclear fuel, security analysts say.

Eastern Afghanistan residents wary of U.S. departure

http://www.usatoday.com

Along a sprawling roadside market, where butchered animals hang next to tiny, wooden stalls filled with auto parts, an Afghan man squats next to his apple cart, hoping to sell enough produce to feed his family. It's only been in recent months that Abdullah, who like many Afghans goes by a single name, returned to the Moqur market. For years, the Taliban controlled the Moqur district and much of Ghazni province, forcing schools and businesses to close and imposing strict Islamic law. The U.S. and Afghan forces here pushed out the Taliban fighters and allowed the market's vendors to return, giving hope of a normal life. But now that U.S. forces are preparing to depart, people here live in fear that the Afghan soldiers who are supposed to take over security will not be up to the task. "There are still a lot of bad guys in the area," says Abdullah, as a crowd on onlookers nods in agreement. By June 2014, security in every province in Afghanistan will have been turned over to Afghan forces following 11 years of hard-won battles against the Islamist Taliban in which more than 2,000 Americans have died. As NATO stated in its latest report Thursday, the success of the transition will rest on whether the Afghans can ensure that the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists. "Developments over the past year show they can," concluded NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen.Eastern Afghanistan will be the greatest test of that transition. U.S. Marines and Army soldiers succeeded in vanquishing Taliban fighters from the strongholds in the south in campaigns lasting years in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. Rather than reinforce the south, the Taliban attacked to the east, where fighters from militant-infested northwest Pakistan bolstered their forces. U.S. forces responded last year by shifting troops to the east, intensifying efforts in Ghazni to combat a persistent enemy as a deadline issued by President Obama closes in for U.S. troops to withdraw. Ghazni is an important thoroughfare for the Taliban and other militant groups in eastern Afghanistan. The country's main route, Highway 1, runs through this market halfway between the country's two largest cities, Kabul and Kandahar. Just off the highway are vast stretches of barren crop fields covered in winter frost and surrounded by snow-topped mountains. Winter is typically when many Taliban fighters return to Pakistan to rest and re-arm for the spring. But this winter the Taliban remained active, perhaps to test the strength of the Afghan forces that have taken up positions turned over by the U.S. military. Polish forces were leading the NATO effort in the province. The arrival of U.S. troops and Afghan soldiers kept the Taliban out of the bigger population centers. But some locals say the Taliban is still firmly in control of most districts and just waiting for U.S. forces to leave so they can take on the Afghan forces left behind. "They didn't bring security, the weather did," says Abdul Kaim, waving a bony finger at the American forces in the market as he explained that the recent snowfall is what stopped the fighting by making it too hard for either side to travel. Lt. Col. Jeremy Schroeder disagreed and said the region was secured well before winter's arrival. "I guess that's a good problem," says Schroeder, interpreting the Taliban's willingness to brave the cold months in Afghanistan as a sign the militants are concerned about losing too much ground to NATO and Afghan forces come spring. "It means you are having success." Under the protection of patrolling coalition troops, Afghans fill the Muqor market that acts as an open-air department store with clothes, produce, food and merchandise. During the summer -- when the Taliban controlled the market and much of the province -- Abdullah and other merchants were forbidden from doing business in what is the largest roadside bazaar between Kabul and Kandahar.Not all areas of eastern Afghanistan have such protection, and they can be at the mercy of the Taliban. Some have begun fighting back. In nearby Andar District, locals rose up against the Taliban and its strictures, according to the Afghan government. Some have taken up arms against the militants and forced them from villages, allowing Taliban-banned schools and shops to reopen. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has said the talk of life without Taliban control is an illusion. Mujahid says that much of Andar and Ghazni remains in Taliban hands. "People (residents of Ghazni) like to help the mujahadeen, they know it is their responsibility," he says. "But even if they can't help, they aren't making real problems for us." Townspeople in Moqur District are not banking solely on Afghan troops protecting them once U.S. forces go. A group called the Moqur Movement is helping to keep the Taliban out of the market and village, says the U.S. military. The groups in Andar and Moqur are critical to security because they can readily identify outsiders, particularly those who belong to the Taliban. "They have a certain amount of access (to the local population) and anonymity that Afghan forces do not," says Schroeder. Schroeder notes however that the groups can frighten some locals, such as when they enter homes after dark in search of suspected Taliban. U.S. forces are trying to bring members of the Moqur Movement into the fold of the Afghan Local Police, a constable force trained and equipped by Special Operations Forces. Several members have already been incorporated into the ranks of the ALP, but the police have issues too. People have complained that some in the ALP abuse their new-found authority by extorting bribes at checkpoints. "They are taking our money and even torturing us," Mullah Shamsullah, an elder in a nearby village says of the Afghan Local Police. U.S. forces say there are some ALP abusing their authority but that most cases involve men impersonating the police. In Afghanistan, where rumors are how many rural towns get their information, there is speculation that the uprisings against the Taliban were manufactured by Kabul to spin a positive storyline out of Ghazni. "At first it appeared it was a Pashtun (the predominant ethnic group in Ghazni) initiative to rise up," says Saeed Parto, an analyst with the Afghanistan Public Policy Research Organization. "Another version is the Afghan government and U.S. forces wanted to see a feel-good story, something to show that Afghanistan is worth saving."

Trilateral with Afghanistan,Pakistan Leaders

http://www.number10.gov.uk

David Cameron hosts trilateral at Chequers. Discussions expected to focus on the Afghan-led peace process and how the Pakistanis and international community can support it.A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister will host the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan at Chequers on Sunday and Monday as part of his ongoing efforts to help to strengthen Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, support an Afghan peace and reconciliation process and promote regional peace and stability. “For the first time, we will bring together the political and security establishments from both Afghanistan and Pakistan, with Foreign Ministers, Chiefs of Army Staff, Chiefs of Intelligence and the Chair of the Afghan High Peace Council attending the meeting. “Discussions are expected to focus on the Afghan-led peace process and how the Pakistanis and international community can support it. We also expect the Afghans and Pakistanis to make further progress on the Strategic Partnership Agreement they committed to in September. “The Prime Minister initiated the trilateral last Summer at the request of both parties. This will be the third meeting hosted by the Prime Minister, following meetings in Kabul in July and in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York in September. The UK’s role has been to encourage ideas, identify areas of agreement and provide a forum for open dialogue. “And this trilateral process sends a very clear message to the Taliban: now is the time for everyone to participate in a peaceful political process in Afghanistan. “As the Prime Minister has set out previously, a stable Afghanistan is not just in the interests of Afghans, but also in the interests of their neighbours and the UK. We share the same vision for Afghanistan: a secure, stable and democratic country that never again becomes a haven for international terror. “We are working together to achieve it and Afghanistan’s neighbours have a vital role to play. It is vital not just for the future security of their citizens, but for their prosperity too.”

Militants hit Pakistan army camp, kill 23

Militants armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, automatic rifles and suicide explosive vests launched a predawn raid on a Pakistani army camp in the country’s volatile northwest Saturday, killing 23 people and injuring at least eight. The attack took place at a camp and checkpost in Lakki Marwat, a region just east of North Waziristan, the tribal area that the Pakistani Taliban, Al Qaeda and other militant groups continue to use as a primary base of operations, according to Pakistani security officials and local authorities. The militants converged on the camp at about 3:45 a.m. and engaged in a fierce firefight that lasted more than two hours. Thirteen of the dead were security personnel -- nine army troops and four officers with the Frontier Constabulary, a security force that polices the country’s northwest, said a Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on such matters. The attackers also broke into a nearby house and killed a family living there, including four men, three women and three children. During the attack, 12 militants were killed, the security official said. At least two of them were wearing suicide explosive vests. Ahsanullah Ahsan, spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban, said his group claimed responsibility for the attack, adding that it was in retaliation for U.S. drone strikes that recently killed two Taliban commanders in Pakistan’s tribal region along the Afghan border. Ahsan accused the Pakistani military of “providing logistical support” for U.S. drone strikes. In the past, the Taliban has accused the Pakistani government of cooperating with Washington in the drone campaign, which has over the years killed numerous top Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders. The Pakistani government publicly denounces U.S. drone attacks as violations of their country’s sovereignty, but has also tacitly allowed them to continue. Last year, the frequency of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal regions dropped off. The U.S. carried out 46 drone missile strikes in 2012, compared to 64 in 2011 and 117 in 2010, according to the Long War Journal website, which tracks drone activity. However, Washington stepped up drone attacks in January, launching seven missile strikes on militant targets in Pakistan’s tribal belt. One of those strikes, the Jan. 2 attack on a house in the village of Angoor Adda in South Waziristan, killed Pakistani Taliban commander Maulvi Nazir, who had abided by a peace pact with the Pakistani military and had focused his efforts on U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. Another drone strike the following day killed Shah Faisal, a top aide to Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mahsud. The Taliban faction led by Mahsud regards the Pakistani government as its main enemy and is responsible for hundreds of suicide bombings and terror acts across the country in recent years. Staff writer Alex Rodriguez reported from Islamabad, and special correspondent Zulfiqar Ali reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.

ANP demands crackdown on terrorists in Karachi

The Awami National Party (ANP) on Friday called for a targeted operation against terrorists in Karachi, where sudden surge in violence killed 18 people in less than 24 hours. Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House, ANP Senator Zahid Khan said the Sindh government was responsible to protect life and property of citizens. He said Interior Minister Rehman Malik reaches London whenever something happens in Karachi. The government, he demanded, should crackdown on terrorists in Karachi. The government has failed to maintain law and order, he said, adding that issuing warnings alone would not work. Another ANP senator, Haji Adeel, said that faces of the killers could be seen in the CCTV footage aired by media on Thursday. He said that Karachi should be cleared of illegal arms.

US will not scale back drone warfare

http://rt.com

The US is engaged in a global war on terror, and drone strikes are an effective tool to eliminate Al-Qaeda militants planning terror attacks on America, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told AFP, adding that drone operations should stay covert. The US will not curtail its extrajudicial assassinations in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, Panetta said in a farewell interview: “We are in a war. We're in a war on terrorism and we've been in that war since 9/11.”

"The whole purpose of our operations were aimed at those who attacked this country and killed 3,000 innocent people in New York [on 9/11] as well as 200 people here at the Pentagon," he said. Over a decade has passed since the beginning of the global war on terror; in that time, two countries were occupied by the US, and the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Osama Bin Ladenm was shot dead by American marines. Still, the war on terror must continue, Panetta said. "I think it depends on the nature of the threat that we're confronting,” he explained. Since terror threats continue to originate in Muslim countries – from Afghanistan in 2001 to Yemen in 2013 – it is unlikely the US will scale back its drone program in the foreseeable future. Though US drones assassinate Al-Qaeda operatives in these countries without a court verdict or any form of due process, Panetta said that those governments are “pursuing the same goal” as the US. He said that the Yemeni government, for example, is strongly in favor of the US drone program.But in October 2012, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed that the majority of the people killed by American drones in Pakistan are civilians. A US study in September 2012 revealed that only 2 percent of those killed in drone strike in Pakistan are actually top militants. "I think we had a responsibility to use whatever technology we could to be able to go after those who not only conducted that attack but were planning to continue to attack this country," Panetta said. The departing US Secretary of Defense also rejected the idea that overseas drone operations should be turned over from CIA control to the US military, which would require open reporting on every operation: “When you got those kind of operations where, because of the nature of the country you're in or the nature of the situation you're dealing with, it's got to be covert.” An avid supporter of drone warfare, Panetta was largely responsible for the dramatic increase in drone attacks in Pakistan when he served as head of the CIA from 2009 to 2011. As the CIA director, he likely knew that the Hellfire missiles shot from drones have killed hundreds – if not thousands – of civilians, including children. But the drone program has only expanded in recent years. At the start of 2013, the CIA escalated its use of drones in Pakistan, launching seven deadly strikes during the first 10 days of 2013 and killing at least 40 people, 11 of whom may have been civilians. Because of the widespread claims that drone attacks are war crimes and an encroachment on national sovereignty, in January 2013 theUN launched a probe into civilian casualties from US and UK drone strikes and their legal implications.

Anti-polio drive postponed in Karachi

Health authorities in Sindh have decided to postpone anti-polio campaign in Karachi due to deteriorating law and order situation, Geo News reported. The decision to put off the campaign was taken at a high level meeting attended by DCOs and health officers. The campaign was to start on February 6. Police, paramilitary Rangers and other law enforcement agencies have failed in maintaining law and order in Karachi. At least four polio workers including three women were gunned down by unknown attackers last month. Geo News correspondent said that a meeting would be held on Monday to chalk out security plan to carry on anti- polio campaign in the city.

Chaudhry Nisar: ''Alarming virulence''

THE FRONTIER POST

What kind of an alarming virulence is this that Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the leader of opposition in the National Assembly, has been indulging in so arrogantly over these days? Now he says he would not talk with the government party over the nomination of the interim prime minister. Does he think that he is above the constitution or enjoys some sort of a veto power? The constitution specifically lays down that as leader of opposition he is to talk this with the leader of house. This is a must. So he will be doing no favour to anyone if he talks. It is his bounden duty to do it. And the taxpayer is paying him not to flout the constitution but to abide by it and carry out all the duties, tasks and responsibilities the constitution enjoins on him. Ironically, he never tires of reading out constitution even at the drop of a hat, when it suits him. When the PPP-led government struck a deal with Tahirul Qadri, he was furious. How could Qadri be consulted for interim prime minister's nomination, he thundered. It is unconstitutional, he fumed, reminding all and sundry that constitutionally this consultation could only be held between the leader of house and the leader of opposition. And now he says he would not talk about this with the leader of house. Why indeed he is so resolved to ratchet up the tensions where should exist none? Why indeed is he behaving as if he and his party are not going into an electoral contest but in a war? Like a little czar, he says all the governors must be changed; the entire top echelons of the provincial administrations must be changed; and the secretaries of several ministers at the centre must be changed. Are we going into an election or into an administrative overhaul? Appallingly, he says he would not accept the nominations of the interim chief ministers in Sindh and Balochistan. But who is he to accept or reject those nominations if made in line with the stipulations of the constitution? After all, this country is not the real estate of anybody; nor is it the sultanate of anybody. No wrestling ring either is it of anyone. It belongs to 180 million people, who overwhelmingly are disgusted of the present crop of the political class from one to all and fed up with its shenanigans. With his rancour, stridency and arrogance, he may be getting the headlines. But the people's loathing he is culling in volumes. And how does he square up such contradictions in his stances that when Qadri asked for the re-composition of the election commission, he was all hue and cry? And now he himself is staging sit-ins for what he calls the empowering of the election commission. In any case, his is not the party alone that is flapping its wings feverishly to jump into the electoral fray. There are many other contenders, some even presently carrying more wider nationwide credentials. So who is he to arrogate to himself and his party the sole prerogative of agreeing this or disagreeing that when many other putative power contenders also are in the field? Why indeed is he so hell-bent on fraying the tempers when even otherwise the upcoming poll, by every indication, portends to be very contentious, divisive and controversial? Why is he after confrontations so insanely when the nation cannot afford even a slight confrontation at this point in time, so delicately-placed it is? Gigantic challenges are confronting it both internally and externally, to cope with which it needs harmony, solidarity and unity among the ranks of the nation, not chasms, fissures and divisions. This is not something that is hidden or not in full public view. Even a babe knows of it. And by no stretch of imagination the Chaudhry could be unaware of it. Yet he is behaving rashly and recklessly. He must tone down. He is no emperor or czar and the people are no slaves of him. He is just a politician like so many of them strutting on the national political landscape. And behave he must like one. He must speak logic, rationality and sanity. Pungency and rancour he must eschew. The people would surely do well without his insanity.

Ed Koch dies at 88: the former mayor who 'gave New York its swagger back'

Over three terms, charismatic leader saw city through bankruptcy but also presided over a spike in violent crime Ed Koch, a former New York mayor admired for his fiscal discipline and beloved for his big mouth, died Friday morning of congestive heart failure, a spokesman said. He was 88. "New York City has lost an irrepressible icon and our most charismatic cheerleader," the current mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said in a statement. "Ed Koch was a great mayor, a great man, and a great friend." Koch was admitted to a city hospital Monday with shortness of breath and was moved to intensive care Thursday. He had battled heart disease since leaving office in January 1990. "I'm not the type to get ulcers. I give them," he wrote in Mayor, his autobiography, in a passage quoted by the Associated Press. Koch won office in 1977 as the city struggled to recover from a bankruptcy bailout, a power blackout and a looting crisis. Through three terms, Koch cut city programs while improving popular services such as the subway. His sure leadership inside City Hall was sometimes invisible in the streets, however, as crime spiked with the crack cocaine epidemic and homelessness and the Aids crisis spread. Koch bustled through each crossroads by force of personality. "I met him right after elected mayor," Jonathan Alter, the journalist, wrote Friday. "He gave New York its swagger back." "RIP to one of NYC's great political characters," Tina Brown, the former New Yorker editor, wrote on Twitter Friday. "Koch made the Big Apple bigger." The mayor's mischievous side is apparent in a video obituary produced by the New York Times with his participation. In the opening scene an elderly Koch turns to the camera, smiling, and asks, "Do you miss me?" As part of a video Q&A series, Koch was asked what it was like to guest star alongside the Muppets in the 1984 movie Muppets Take Manhattan. "Better than playing with human beings," he answered. "Much more decent." At times Koch's penchant for unvarnished speech drew the wrong kind of publicity. During the 1988 presidential race Koch, mayor of a city with ethnic and racial fault lines, said Jews would have "to be crazy" to vote for Jesse Jackson, the black candidate. Norman Mailer, the novelist, wrote that Koch "may have succeeded in blasting the last rickety catwalk of communication between Jews and blacks in this city" with the comment. On Friday the Rev Al Sharpton, head of the National Action Network, said Koch was "never a phony or a hypocrite. He would not patronize or deceive you. He said what he meant. … May he rest in peace." In his ninth decade the mayor kept a Twitter account. One of the last messages posted was a happy birthday wish for himself – and a note of reciprocation for the affection his hometown had shown. "Citizens, thank you for all your birthday wishes. I am 88 years old today and still lucky to live in the greatest city in the world."

Beyonce sings national anthem at Super Bowl press conference

Beyonce stepped onto the stage at a press conference held ahead of her performance at the Super Bowl and sang the "The Star Spangled Banner." The singer was criticized for lip-syncing the song at President Obama's second inauguration.

Behind the scenes with Hillary Clinton

Teen performing at Obama inauguration killed

Blast in front of U.S. embassy in Ankara, some wounded: media

An explosion in front of the U.S. embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara on Friday wounded several people, Turkish media reported. A Reuters witness reported a loud explosion in the area and the Dogan news agency said ambulances and fire engines went the to the site.

Suicide bomber attacks Pakistani mosque, 21 dead

Associated Press

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a Shiite mosque in northwestern Pakistan as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers, killing at least 21 people and wounding 36 in the latest apparent sectarian attack in the country, police said. Shiite Muslims in Pakistan have increasingly been targeted by radical Sunnis who consider them heretics, and 2012 was the bloodiest year for the minority sect in the country's history. The attack on the mosque took place in the town of Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has experienced previous clashes between the Sunni and Shiite communities that live there. The bomber staged his attack at one of the mosque's exits leading to a bazaar, said Hangu police chief Mian Mohammad Saeed. At least 21 people were killed and 36 wounded. One policeman who was guarding the mosque was killed and another was injured, he said. Most of the dead and wounded were Shiites, but some of the casualties were also from the country's majority sect since there is a Sunni mosque nearby, said another police officer, Naeem Khan. Hangu has experienced conflict in the past between the Sunni and Shiite communities that live in the town. Both sides have attacked each other's shops and burned them. The worst sectarian violence in Pakistan in recent years has been in southwestern Baluchistan province, which has the largest concentration of Shiites in the country. A twin bombing last month at a billiards hall in the provincial capital, Quetta, killed 86 people, most of them Shiites. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 400 Shiites were killed in targeted attacks in Pakistan in 2012, including over 120 in Baluchistan.

Young Afghans Face Backlash Over Music

By MARGHERITA STANCATI

Laila Nabizadeh, a 13-year-old Afghan drummer, will be performing in New York's Carnegie Hall this month, as part of Afghanistan's only national orchestra, which has been touted as a symbol of the country's progress since the Taliban's downfall. But when she returns from her U.S. tour, the new, more conservative winds blowing in Kabul are threatening her budding music career. Ms. Nabizadeh and 10 other members of the youth orchestra are residents of a charity-run girls' shelter in Kabul. She was sent here to get an education by her parents, who live in the remote eastern province of Nuristan, much of which is under Taliban control.The tour was planned in late 2011, but in September, Afghanistan's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs ordered the shelter to halt its music program and replace it with religious classes. Music other than the national anthem and patriotic songs risks "tempting people toward immorality and is against Islam," said Wasil Noor Momand, the deputy minister for social affairs who signed the order. "Afghanistan is an Islamic country and we want our children to be raised in an Islamic way." The order added that once the girls turn 18, they must leave the shelter, and return to their families in the countryside. Ms. Nabizadeh doesn't know what she will do if she can't become a drummer. But she knows for sure that she doesn't want to go back to her home valley, where girls marry young and music is taboo. "I love playing the drums," she said in an interview at the Kabul shelter. "I want to stay here." As the U.S.-led coalition withdraws in coming years, the move against young musicians is one sign Afghanistan is backsliding on basic rights acquired following the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban regime, which considered music un-Islamic and banned it. Although the central government's official position is that it supports music education among children, music is viewed as blasphemous by Taliban mullahs and some Afghan government officials, and girls face an even-stronger backlash. "We support the promotion of music, especially of Afghan music," said Aimal Faizi, spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who he said wasn't aware of the ministry's order. But political uncertainty and the possibility of a Taliban comeback, is emboldening some officials to promote more conservative agendas. "Everyone is getting more conservative because they are worried that the Taliban will come back or join the government," said Afghan lawmaker Elay Ershad, a member of a parliamentary committee that pushed for a ban on teaching music—a decision she opposed. "It's killing me." The Afghan Child Education and Caring Organization runs Ms. Nabizadeh's shelter. Some 30 other girls studying music live there, many of them from the country's most violent regions. The charity running the shelter partners with the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, the country's recently established music academy, which encourages the girls to audition. Ms. Nabizadeh, who moved to Kabul at the age of 9, enrolled in the academy two years ago. For now, in the shelter's basement-turned-music room, drum rhythms still accompany the piano. Andeisha Farid, who runs the charity, said she has launched a complaint against the ministry's order and is still waiting for a reply. The parliamentary committee is also reviewing her request to let the girls continue their music classes. It isn't clear, however, how long she could resist the crackdown. "We are scared these voices will get louder," she said. "It's not only under the Taliban—it's still very difficult for these girls to play music." Years of Taliban rule and war took a toll on the country's once-flourishing music scene. "The Taliban destroyed all my instruments and hanged some of them from trees," said Ustad Amruden, a player of dilruba, a traditional Afghan stringed instrument. The frail-looking, soft-spoken 70-year-old, who is now a teacher at the music academy, recounted having to flee overnight to Quetta, Pakistan, fearing for his life. Though the Taliban have softened their prohibitions on photography, television and girls' education in recent years, "Music is strictly forbidden in Islam," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. The music academy where Mr. Amruden teaches and Ms. Nabizadeh studies has around 140 students, boys and girls from the age of 9. Sponsored chiefly by the World Bank, the academy operates under the auspices of Afghanistan's Ministry of Education. Ahmad Naser Sarmast, the academy's director, said he is confident that music education will survive. "The time when children were deprived of music is gone now," said Mr. Sarmast, a musicologist who started the academy three years ago with the aim of reviving the country's moribund music scene. He said the academy—unlike the girls' shelter— hasn't faced pressure to curb its music-education program. As part of the school's policy, half of the student body comes from underprivileged backgrounds. A majority of them, like Ms. Nabizadeh, were recruited from shelters scattered around the Afghan capital. Others are former street hawkers, who sold chewing gum and plastic bags in Kabul before taking up clarinets, violins and cellos. One recent morning, boys and girls carrying tablas, xylophones and guitars shuffled noisily between classrooms, as members of the school's orchestra crammed in a wood-paneled room for rehearsals ahead of their U.S. trip. They played "The Four Seasons of Afghanistan," a version of Antonio Vivaldi's violin concertos adapted to include Afghan instruments like the plucked string rabab. Their tour, partly funded by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, includes stops at Washington's John F. Kennedy Center on Feb. 7, and a performance in New York's Carnegie Hall on Feb. 12. The young musicians said they are looking forward to the trip. For most, it will be their first time outside Afghanistan, or on a plane. "I'm really happy to be going to America," said Sapna Rahmati, an aspiring pianist. But she is aware of music's uncertain position in her country. "The Taliban don't want the music school, and they don't want girls to go to school," said the 10-year-old, who lives in the same shelter as Ms. Nabizadeh. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said it wouldn't welcome attempts to restrict music education for children. "Music and music education teaches tolerance, it brings everyone together in a spirit of peace," said embassy spokesman David Snepp. "Once that happens, it's very difficult to reverse." But Ms. Ershad, the lawmaker, fears what will end up happening as U.S.-led troops leave and the global spotlight shifts away from Afghanistan. "Women's rights and music are soft targets," said Ms. Ershad, a former government adviser on gender issues and a mother of two. "I'm really worried."

Gwadar Port move being seen through skewed lens

On Wednesday, Pakistan approved a deal that transfers operational control of Gwadar Port from Singapore's PSA International to Chinese Overseas Port Holdings Limited. Gwadar Port is in a critical strategic location: It is at the apex of the Arabian Sea and the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and only about 400 kilometers away from the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil supply route. Gwadar Port will be of crucial economic interest to China because it gives western China access to the sea. It will also benefit a large part of the oil trade of China, which is the second largest oil importer in the world. If a pipeline connecting the port to western China is built, the shortest route for oil imports from the Middle East can be realized. The port will also give a great boost to developing China's vast western areas. Maintaining the security of commercial and energy routes is vital to any country. Western countries have attached great attention to sea lanes. The shadow of Western countries can be found in most other critical strategic straits and canals such as the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and the Mandab Strait. Not surprisingly, China's intentions in taking over Gwadar Port have been interpreted through a military perspective. Many analysts from the West and India believe that China harbors the intention to build naval bases there. Chinese operational control of Gwadar has seemingly set off alarm bells in India as it feels it is being encircled by China. The Chinese presence in Gwadar has also been seen as a threat to the US fleet in the Middle East. In fact, China is not so powerful, nor is India so weak, so as to make it possible that the transfer of a mere civil project can "encircle" India. Due to China's rise, many Chinese companies' overseas activities have been painted with a heavy military tint. If observers interpret China's every move on the premise that China's rise will definitely challenge the current international order, all China's overseas moves would be seen as having a military purpose. China has repeatedly reaffirmed its intention and strategy of peaceful development. Perhaps only actions over time can dismiss these doubts. But at least it is good to see that most Pakistani people have welcomed their country's cooperation with China.

Afghan widows would 'rather die'

Afghan widows are struggling for survival. After their husbands' deaths, the women are faced with rape, poverty and social condemnation. One of them considers her life to have ended before it ever really began. Gulghotay's world fell apart she when heard the news of her husband's death. They had been married for only three months and now he was suddenly dead. But Gulghotay didn't want to lead the life of a widow. She decided to drink a small bottle of acid and end her life. Gulghotay lives in the eastern Afghan province of Maidan Wardak. She had been doing housework when a bicycle bomb went off in front of a police station in the neighbouring province of Ghazni, killing two people. Seven civilians were hospitalized, among them Gulghotay's husband. He died shortly thereafter from sustained injuries. His death was a shock for Gulghotay, says Mohammad Azim, brother of the young widow. According to Azim, his sister was very happy with her husband. But now he is deeply concerned about her: "Gulghotay was at home with a friend when she drank the acid," he said. Fortunately, her friend managed to get her quickly to a hospital.

Women pushed "over the edge"

But Gulghotay's fate is shared by many other Afghans. Over the past three decades, thousands of women have lost their husbands or other male relatives during the war. Since they depend on them, the women find it difficult to cope emotionally and financially with the loss and often fall into a state of depression. The chief physician of the hospital in the city of Ghazni, Mohammad Hemat, says that up to three women are hospitalized every week after attempting suicide. "For the most part, we are dealing with emotional stress and family issues that often push women over the edge," Hemat says. Fortunately for Gulghotay, she was admitted to hospital just in time. "She is now in a good condition in one of our hospital wards," the physician adds. Gulghotay was lucky and will be able to recover. But her physical health is not her main concern. At the young age of 22, she must now continue her life as a widow. It is unlikely that she will find a new husband. According to Afghan tradition, the widow will now get married to her brother-in-law.

"Women prefer to die than to live"

In a country where the future of a woman depends on her husband, widows are often powerless according to Wazhma Frogh, women's rights campaigner and Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Research Institute for Women, Peace and Security. With the death of her husband a woman doesn't only lose her identity, but also her place in society. "These women actually prefer to die than to live," says Frogh, adding they are not even allowed to continue life as a widow. The campaigner also mentions cases of women being sexually abused by their fathers and brothers-in-law. There are currently about 2.5 million widows living in Afghanistan, up to 70,000 of them live in the capital Kabul. These women account for almost 12 percent of the entire Afghan population. Most are illiterate and relatively young.

No government protection

Shajan, from the eastern city of Jalalabad is one of them. She says the only reason she forced herself to go on with life was because of her children. Now she is struggling to lift herself out of poverty. "I don't have a husband who can support and guide me." Her children are still young and she has a job cleaning at a school where she makes 1,200 Afghani, an equivalent to around 17 euros, a month. "There are almost no jobs. I wish the government would help poor people, particularly widows and those in need of protection," she adds. However, the Afghan government does provide for widows, Frogh says. When a police officer or a soldier dies in the line of duty, it is not his wife and children who receive monthly financial support payments, but his father. This clearly shows that not even the government recognizes the widows' standing in Afghan society, Frogh explains. A widow is seen as a bad omen by Afghan society. Gulghotay now faces all these challenges. She will survive and eventually recover, but at what cost? Her family hopes that the suicide attempt was her last one.

Jawad Ahmed pays tribute to victims of Baldia factory fire

The Express Tribune on 23 January published a long interview with IMT sympathiser and musician Jawad Ahmed who recently released a song in honour of the victims of the Karachi fire in September last year. You can read the article in the epaper edition or on the website of the Tribune.

Singer Jawad Ahmed is all set to make a comeback with his single Mein Bhi Insaan Hoon, a tribute to the victims of a fire that engulfed Ali Enterprises in Baldia Town and claimed over 200 lives on September 11, 2012. Ahmed first became popular when the release of his single Allah Meray Dil Ke Andar, a song that talks about the transcendental existence of God. Listeners appreciated the catchy tune and quick rhythm, along with its message of inner peace. After appealing to his audience’s spiritual side, Ahmed is now trying to connect with a wider audience through Mein Bhi Insaan Hoon. The new track is part of his initiative to create awareness about labour laws in Pakistan. It seems that Ahmed is leveraging his popularity to create social awareness and consciousness; if you ever see him out in public, you’ll notice that a crowd is usually following. “People had said that the Baldia fire tragedy was a serious issue,” says Ahmed. “But the masses did not understand why.” He further added, “There are really no labour rights in this country. For me, this is important, because I am part of the working class and my efforts will now highlight the struggle of peasants and workers.” At a press conference to announce his concert in December, he described Mein Bhi Insaan Hoon as a song that dedicated to the Baldia factory workers as “change can never come until they realise it’s importance.” At the concert organised by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler), the stage was simple; but large images of rescue teams combing through the factory debris, as well as those of burn victims being treated at hospitals loomed in the background. Men and women who lost their family members in the fire gathered to remember their loved ones; as they held up photographs of young men who perished, women cried and clutched their shawls to their faces. The video of Mein Bhi Insaan Hoon was filmed during the concert, and is scheduled for release in February. “We invited the victims for a concert because we wanted to capture pure emotions which people could feel when hearing the lyrics of the song,” says Ahmed. “These lyrics convey that pain of these victims; they describe the misery and death… the helplessness of these workers.” “When I heard the stories of children, sisters, brothers and fathers dying, I got such a weird feeling. I sat down and penned this song within an hour,” he says. Reaching out “Music for the underprivileged in Pakistan was only available through PTV,” says Ahmed. “But since that has become a commercial institution, music for the less privileged is not available.” He also laments that Bollywood music is accessible while our content is for a niche market. “Indian music is for everyone, but Pakistani music is now elitist. It is only available for a certain group of people,” he says. Ahmed blames the structure of the music industry and the trend of releasing tracks online for the limited availability of music; he feels that while the urban population can listen to music online, the common man is estranged. This development has changed the scenario from what it used to be a decade ago when Ahmed burst onto the scene with Bol Tujhay Kya Chahiye. Apart from his awareness campaign, Ahmed says he intends to continue to produce commercial music. His next 10-track album will be released on March 23 in Pakistan and India.

Polio transmission: India may restrict travel from Pakistan

The Express Tribune

India may be the first country to impose travel restrictions on Pakistan because of its polio problem which threatens to become an international headache. India Today reported on January 28 that the Delhi government has written to its transport and railway authorities to allow screening of children coming from Pakistan or going there. It wants the health department to set up a permanent system at the Ambedkar Stadium and Old Delhi railway station where the Samjhauta Express arrives. Such screening is also carried out in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Munabao, in Rajasthan from where a train goes to Karachi. Delhi has been polio-free since 2009, said the newspaper. “We will be pushed back by at least two years if another case now comes up,” Delhi health minister Dr AK Walia said in the news report. Indian alarm can be seen in the light of reports earlier this month that samples of a strain of polio virus linked to Sukkur were found in Cairo. Egypt has been polio-free since 2004. The panicked Pakistani Embassy in Delhi has written to the Pakistan Polio Cell about this news that Delhi wants to take no chances. An official working with the PM’s polio cell said, “This is a crucial time for Pakistan to take the polio issue seriously. Lowering the number of cases in 2012 was a big achievement but now transmission of the virus to other countries is a serious cause of concern.” For its part, the Civil Aviation Authority has told all airport managers to fully cooperate with health officials to set up vaccination counters in all international departure lounges in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s beheading charge false: Antony

indiatimes.com

India on Thursday rejected Pakistan's claims that Indian troops had beheaded several of its soldiers in the past, with defence minister AK Antony dubbing the allegations "totally baseless". The Indian Army said it "did not indulge in unsoldierly acts" like the Pakistan army, "regular" troops of which had beheaded Lance-Naik Hemraj and mutilated the body of another soldier of 13 Rajputana Rifles after crossing over into the Mendhar sector in J&K on January 8. As per some reports, Pakistan army has complained to the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) that Indian troops over the last 15 years had executed, beheaded several of its soldiers in cross-border raids. "The very fact that Pakistan has not raised any such issue in bilateral interactions, including DGMO-level talks, since 1998 shows the allegations levelled against the Indian Army are misleading. Moreover, since the 1972 Simla Agreement, the relevance of UNMOGIP itself is questionable," a senior officer said. Antony, on his part, said though the tension along the line of control in J&K had "reduced" after the two armies stopped exchanging cross-border fire on January 16, India will not be hasty in normalizing relations with Pakistan. "We can't lower our guard. We have to be vigilant all the time ... we have to wait and watch," he said.

Pakistan: Judicial Overreach

In June 2012 Pakistan’s independent Supreme Court removed Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani from office for refusing to bring criminal charges against the president, an act widely dubbed a “judicial coup.” The judiciary muzzled media criticism of itself in 2012 through threats of contempt of court proceedings. In October the high courts in Islamabad and Lahore issued orders to stop the broadcast of television programs critical of the judiciary. This bar on the media came in the aftermath of a multi-million dollar corruption scandal involving Arsalan Iftikhar, the son of the Supreme Court chief justice. The Supreme Court continued to take apparently political actions in January 2013 by admitting for hearing a malicious petition filed against Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, because of her 2010 campaign to reform the country’s blasphemy law. “Pakistan’s Supreme Court exercised its new-found independence by taking transparent political decisions,”Hasan said. “Its actions risk a backlash that could allow future governments to limit its independence in the name of good governance.”