Malala honored by Dutch foundation for girls’ education activism

Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, an outspoken proponent of girls’ education who survived a Taliban assassination attempt last year, has been awarded a top Dutch children’s honor for her activism.

Organizers announced Tuesday that 16-year-old Malala will be presented with the International Children’s Peace Prize next month in The Hague, Netherlands.The foundation that awards the prize hailed Malala as “a brave and talented child who has demonstrated special dedication to children’s rights.” Malala was 15 years old when she and two of her friends were attacked on their way home from school in Pakistan’s northwest Swat Valley. She survived and now attends school in England after being flown there for treatment. Malala will be handed the prize Sept. 6 by Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman.

Karachi: Taliban, police run joint crime rackets in Karachi: report

Secret Agencies in a report have informed the Inspector General of Sindh that Taliban and some police officers were jointly running crime centers in some areas of Karachi. According to the report, the biggest crime center in Nazimabad is operating under the patronage of local SHO. Some high officials of police, CID and SIU are also bribed to overlook the whole activity. The activities of TTP have an enormous impact on life for the citizens of Karachi; criminal undertakings are their favored means for raising funds for the battle in the tribal areas. Taliban also indulge in target killing to settle scores with the rivals or ‘business partners’. Large swathes of Pakhtun neighborhoods in districts west and east, as well as pockets in districts Malir, central and south are reported to be under the influence of the TTP. While all 30 or so of its factions have a presence in the city, the most influence is wielded by the Hakimullah Mehsud and Mullah Fazlullah factions. According to local police and residents of the affected areas, elements belonging to the TTP have entrenched themselves in these areas after having terrorised the local Pakhtun population into submission, and driven out the ANP from most of its traditional strongholds.

U.S: Potential military strike in Syria sparks concern in Congress

Some members of Congress are calling on President Obama to get congressional approval -- or at least consult more closely with the legislative branch -- before launching military strikes against the Syrian government for its alleged use of chemical weapons.On Monday -- giving a clear indication that the administration is readying for action -- Secretary of State John Kerry said the evidence "is screaming at us" that chemical weapons were used in Syria. On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said that the world's most powerful military was "in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take" in Syria. Mr. Obama and his administration have communicated with some lawmakers on the situation in Syria this week, but some congressmen insist the president should follow the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and receive authorization from Congress before using any military force in Syria. Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, began collecting signatures in Congress Tuesday for a letter urging Mr. Obama to get congressional approval before launching any strikes. "Engaging our military in Syria when no direct threat to the United States exists and without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the Constitution," the letter says. "If you deem that military action in Syria is necessary, Congress can reconvene at your request. We stand ready to come back into session, consider the facts before us, and share the burden of decisions made regarding U.S. involvement in the quickly escalating Syrian conflict." Libertarian-leaning Republicans in Congress, including Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. and Justin Amash, R-Mich., said via Twitter on Tuesday that any action without congressional approval would clearly be unconstitutional. On Monday, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, communicated with the White House on the situation in Syria but he urged the administration to increase its engagement with Congress. "The Speaker made clear that before any action is taken there must be meaningful consultation with members of Congress, as well as clearly defined objectives and a broader strategy to achieve stability," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said in a statement. A handful of senior lawmakers have confirmed to CBS News that they've also consulted with the executive branch on Syria. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif., has been briefed by senior Defense Department officials about the developing situation, a congressional spokesman said. On Monday, an aide to Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that members of the administration including Kerry have reached out to Menendez. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke to administration officials a couple of times over the weekend and on Monday about the evolving situation in Syria. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has spoken to both Mr. Obama and National Security Adviser Susan Rice in recent days. Other senators on Monday called for more consultation with Congress. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the use of chemical weapons "despicable" but said that "absent an imminent threat to United States national security, the U.S. should not be engaged in military action without Congressional approval." Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee, said in a statement, "Secretary Kerry was clear that it is now a question of how, not whether, the United States will respond, but Congress still needs to hear from the president directly. More importantly, the president needs to explain his plan to the American people, who are understandably reluctant to support further military engagement in the Middle East." Udall said he has "real concerns" that a surgical strike in Syria could lead the U.S. into deeper involvement in a complicated civil war, but that remaining on the sidelines could also have grave consequences. Other lawmakers, meanwhile, came out more forcefully for action against Syria. Rep. Elliot Engel, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement Monday, "I hope that the Administration will now move quickly to act against the Assad regime and show the world that the use of such weapons will not be tolerated." Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., a member of the Homeland Security Committee, told CNN on Monday that "we have to act." Furthermore, he said that Mr. Obama doesn't necessarily have to get congressional approval. "I believe, as commander in chief, he has the right to take this action," he said. "It's in his interest to consult with the leadership in the House and Senate, but I don't believe he has to." King added that he's still not an advocate of the Syrian opposition, explaining, "I believe that in the last year or so they've become significantly controlled by al Qaeda."

Syria denies chemical weapons claim

Walid Moualem, the Syrian foreign minister, has 'categorically' denied that his country was using chemical weapons on its own people. At a press conference held in Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday, he challenged the world to provide evidence that the Syrian government was behind last week's alleged chemical weapons attack in eastern Ghouta, a suburb of the capital Damascus. The Syrian foreign minister accused John Kerry, his American counterpart, of lying and disregarding the work of UN inspectors when he stated there was “undeniable" evidence of a large-scale chemical attack. "We are all hearing the drums of war being beaten around us. If these countries are willing to launch an aggression or military act against Syria, I believe, the pretext of chemical weapons is false, baseless and groundless. And as I said, I challenge, I dare them to produce any single piece of evidence", Moulem said. He also claimed that the second trip of the UN inspectors to the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack had been postponed to Wednesday due to disputes among the rebels. The Syrian foreign minister said the rebels in eastern Ghouta could not reach agreement about guaranteeing the team's safety. "A comprehensive assessment determined that the visit should be postponed by one day in order to improve preparedness and safety for the team", the UN announced in a statement released just after Moualem's press conference. The UN inspectors were due to begin a second day of investigation into last week's alleged chemical-weapons attack in the suburbs of the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Syrian opposition says more than 1,300 people died when toxic gases were unleashed on Eastern Ghouta and Moadamiya - two neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Damascus - last Wednesday. The UN team came under sniper fire on Monday as they tried to visit an area in western Damascus. The convoy of six vehicles was shot in the buffer zone between rebel and government areas near Damascus as it travelled to Moadamiya and Ghouta.

US military ready to act on Syria immediately, West to strike soon

Syria's opposition expects a Western military intervention against President Bashar al-Assad's regime within days and has been consulted over targets, one of its officials said Tuesday. "There is no precise timing ... but one can speak of an imminent international intervention against the regime. It's a question of days and not weeks," said Ahmad Ramadan, a Syrian National Coalition political committee member. "There have been meetings between the Coalition, the (rebel) Free Syrian Army and allied countries during which possible targets have been discussed," the official said. Ramadan said they included airports, military bases and arms depots. The targets cover "airports used by planes equipped with missiles and explosive barrels, command centres used by regime officers, (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards and by (Lebanese Shiite militant group) Hezbollah," he said. Ramadan also said bases used to fire missiles and Scuds, especially the army's Brigade 155 near Damascus, were targets for Western punitive strikes following alleged chemical weapons attacks last week. Meanwhile National Coalition's envoy in Paris also said they have been informed of a possible military strike on Syria. "We have been informed of a strike by the world powers to punish the Syrian regime but we do not have the details," Monzer Makhous, the National Coalition's envoy in Paris, said. "This is being left for the world powers to decide." He adds: "We will support any move to punish such a regime, which has been killing its own people to remain in power at any expense." Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_08_27/US-military-ready-to-act-on-Syria-immediately-if-asked-Hagel-7295/

Russia ‘regrets’ US decision to shelve Syria talks

Moscow has voiced “regret” over a US decision to put off bilateral talks over Syria. Russia has sought to placate calls for military action over the alleged use of chemical weapons, saying there is no evidence of the Assad regime’s complicity. The US government announced it was postponing bilateral talks with Russia late Monday, citing “ongoing consultations” over the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons. Russian and American officials had been scheduled to meet in The Hague on Wednesday for bilateral talks on the Syrian conflict. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov tweeted a response to the move Tuesday morning, expressing concern over Washington’s decision. “It is a pity that our western partners have decided to cancel the bilateral US-Russian meeting to discuss calls for an international conference on Syria,” Gatilov wrote on Twitter. He added in a later post that discussing terms for a political solution were needed now more than ever in the face of possible military intervention in Syria. Russia on Tuesday warned a military intervention in Syria could have "catastrophic consequences" for the whole region and called on the international community to show "prudence."

"Attempts to bypass the Security Council, once again to create artificial groundless excuses for a military intervention in the region are fraught with new suffering in Syria and catastrophic consequences for other countries of the Middle East and North Africa," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement. "We are calling on our American partners and all members of the world community to demonstrate prudence (and) strict observance of international law, especially the fundamental principles of the UN Charter," he added.

Foreign Affairs Committee chairman of the Russian Duma, Aleksey Pushkov also posted on his Twitter, alleging the US had already made the decision to strike Syria and they had gone too far. Russia has no plans to strengthen its fleet in the region at the Mediterranean sea facility, the naval base at Tartus, a source from Russia’s Defense Ministry told Itar-Tass news agency, adding that withdrawal plans have also not been considered. However , the source did not exclude the possibility that one more military vessel might be transferred to the region from Russia’s Black Sea fleet and one nuclear submarine added from the North Sea fleet. A number of western countries including France, the US and the UK have condemned President Bashar Assad’s government for last week’s alleged chemical weapons attack in a Damascus suburb and called for a response, hinting at possible military action. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told British Prime Minster David Cameron in a phone conversation that there was still no evidence the Assad government was behind the attack. However, Cameron insisted that Assad’s forces were behind the “chemical weapons” attack, saying that the Syrian opposition did not have the facilities to orchestrate such an attack. Cameron also cited the Syrian government’s delay in allowing a team of UN experts to examine the site as an indication that it had something to hide. Washington has also seen an increase in rhetoric, urging action against the Assad government. Samantha Power, the US Ambassador to the UN, decried the Assad government for the attack on her Twitter account, and demanded accountability. Meanwhile, the UN weapons inspectors are due to start their second day of investigations in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta, where the toxic attack happened last Wednesday. The team’s convoy of vehicles came under fire from unknown assailants Monday as they visited the area. In spite of the sniper attack, the team managed to collect samples for analysis and gather witness testimonies at a local hospital. Contradicting claims from the US and UK that the probe was too late to yield accurate results, the UN stressed the mission was still valid, although almost a week has passed since the supposed attack. The alleged attack took place last Wednesday in an eastern suburb of Syria’s capital. Media published conflicting reports on the death toll, ranging from “dozens” to over 1,300 dead. French charity Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) put the death toll at about 355.

Video: 8/27/13: White House Press Briefing

Video: President Obama Awards the Medal of Honor

Aryana Sayeed - Tu Baray Moqadasi 2013

Pakistan: Aitzaz praises first ever peaceful power transition in Pakistan

Leader of the Opposition in Senate, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan on Tuesday congratulated President Asif Ali Zardari and both houses of the parliament on a peaceful and democratic transition of power, the first in Pakistan’s history. Taking part in the debate on the last presidential address to the joint sitting of parliament, he said for the first time in the country's history, the president was constitutionally completing his five-year tenure in a respectable and democratic manner. Asif Ali Zardari is the first elected president of the country who is completing his five-year term on September 9. He also has the distinction of addressing joint sittings of parliament six times. Senator Ahsan said despite reservations, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership accepted results of the recently held general elections for the noble cause of continuation of democracy and peaceful transition of from one democratically elected government to the other. The PPP government was the first in Pakistan's history to complete a full five-year term and transfer power at the ballot box. But after a rudderless campaign, the party lost badly on polling day in May. President Zardari was credited with wheeling and dealing to keep the PPP in power for its full term – helped by the army chief of staff keeping to the sidelines and the opposition's unwillingness to force early elections. Aitzaz Ahsan, in the upper house of parliament today, also urged the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to implement its electoral manifesto and promises made with the people, including raise in the basic salary for labourers to Rs15,000, end of power loadshedding, stoppage to drone attacks, elimination of terrorism among others. The PPP leader said the raise in the estimated cost of Nandipour power project was not justified. Referring to the registration of a case against a private news channel, he said the government should have shown tolerance.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemns killings of PPP workers in Karachi

http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/

Patron-In-Chief of Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has condemned the killings of PPP workers in Karachi’s Quaidabad area and called upon the government to go for the killers immediately and bring them before a court of law. It may be recalled that PPP City Area 128 Information Secretary Alam Khan Swati and his brother Aafreen Swati were attacked and injured with bullet wounds. Alam Khan Swati succumbed to wounds while his brother is in critical conditions. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that PPP workers have immensely suffered during the dictatorial regimes for democratic struggle adding that they need to be protected from the elements directly or indirectly propped up by the undemocratic regimes. He sympathized with the bereaved family and assured that the Party will not leave them alone.

Bangladesh: Reemergence of extremists

WE compliment the law enforcing agencies for the arrest of two groups of potential terrorists from two different parts of the country. However, it should not surprise anyone with a very basic idea of terrorism to see them reemerge. We had in these very columns warned of any smugness in this regard. And we are happy to note that the agencies have so far in the last five years been able to successfully anticipate these groups. But it is their complete obliteration that we have not been able to ensure. If we want to see the end of religious extremism and terrorism then we have to counter effectively the ideology professed by these people, who are driven by distorted motivation and convoluted and warped understanding of the scripture, to recruit new bodies in their ranks. This is very fundamental to any counter-terror strategy, because without a dedicated rank and file no amount of money or other resources will allow the extremists to survive. Furthermore, combating religious extremism successfully depends on having a dynamic counter-terror strategy. Do we have one, and if at all, are we implementing it properly? If anyone in our crop of policy planners and law enforcement agencies thinks that the hanging of a few of the extremist leaders belonging to HUJI (B) or JMB was the death knell of the extremists will commit an elemental but cardinal judgmental error. These groups will cease to exist as an entity only when the rationale for their existence is defeated.

Glamorous Afghan singer Aryan Sayeed wants to make a difference for women

The 28-year-old glamorous female singer Afghanistan, Aryana Sayeed has been widely criticized for her performance, specifically after she appeared as one of the judges on TV talent show, The voice. Despite receving angry ctitics and even death threats, Aryana Sayeed remains committed to cotninue with her efforts in bring changes to women’s lives in a strictly conservative Islamic society. Aryana Sayeed who defies ctitics to remain a symbol of female independent in the country said, want women to have rights, to talk freely, to walk freely, to be able to go shopping when they wish. The glamorous singer quoted by AFP said, “I’m not saying that they have to take their clothes off, or even remove their head scarfs. Freedom is being able to live as a human being.” She said, “I have to be so careful as they’re constantly checking what you are doing, what you are saying, even how you laugh,” she said. “I said ‘I love you’ to one contestant because he was so good. He was 15-years-old. Even that caused trouble. People asked ‘What did she say? This is not something normal in Afghanistan’,”she said. Aryana was born in Afghanistan before moving to Pakitan as a child. She grew up travelling in many different countries and currently lives in London, England. She was the first Afghan Female Artist to break it into the International market with her smash hit song “mashallah”. In one of her songs, Aryana sings “Because I am a woman, I am a slave” against a background of images of women in burqas. “Women have no rights whatsoever here, so I want to be an example as somebody who is constantly fighting,” she told AFP, admitting that her beliefs mean that security concerns dominate her life. “I have a lot of trouble online, receiving messages from people telling me that they will kill me or that they’ll put acid in my face. They tell me to stop singing. “Kidnapping is something to keep in mind all the time. You’d rather die than be kidnapped. I don’t get out a lot.”

Army in Karachi: Khursheed Shah opposes MQM demand

The Express Tribune

Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has opposed Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain’s demand for military administration in Karachi, Express News reported on Tuesday. He criticised the MQM by saying that the party officials usually make big demands and abruptly deny to their own statements. Shah further commented that a military administration in Karachi can consequently be a big mistake and MQM chief’s demand could be a part of a conspiracy. He further stated that army supervision in the city can undermine democracy. Earlier in the morning, MQM deputy convener Farooq Sattar also demanded military control in Karachi. He proposed his demand while addressing the National Assembly. Sattar stated that military administration apparently seems unimportant but only armed forces can control the violence in the city. MQM chief Altaf Hussain has demanded military supervision in Karachi as a result of continuing violence and target killing in the city. He has expressed his concerns on Sindh government failed protection to the residents of Karachi, especially the business community. He stated that police and rangers have failed to do their job and only armed forces can rescue the city from criminal elements.

KARACHI VIOLENCE: Four dead, 25 inujred as violence revisits Lyari

At least four people were killed and 25 others injured in gun and rocket attacks as violence revisited Lyari, Geo News reported Tuesday. Intense firing and rocket attacks that started Monday continued through the night in different parts of the restive neighborhood. Rescue sources said three people were killed and 25 others injured in the fresh violence. Hospital sources said that 10 women were also among the injured. Two bodies were found in Usmanabad and Kalakot areas in the wee hours of Tuesday. According to reports, 14 people were injured in rocket attacks in Kalri and Eidoo Lane areas while five other sustained injuries elsewhere. The injured were taken to Lyarni General Hospital for treatment. Bihar Colony, Agra Taj, Rahimpura, Hangurabad, Alfalah Aath Chown and other areas were affected due to exchange of firing between two groups. Areas adjacent to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) were also affected due to intense firing. Identities of the injured were yet to be ascertained. A large number of people came out of their houses and gathered at the Aath Chowk, staging a protest demonstration against the unrest. Sania Naz, a Sindh Assembly member, claimed that three men belonging to Lyari were kidnapped near the (CHK). Provincial authorities and law enforcement agencies were nowhere to be seen despite Lyari reverberated with gunfire and rocket explosions like a battle field thorough the night.

Karzai extends stay in Pakistan for another day

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has extended his stay in Pakistan for another day,so the leaders of both could continue to confer on matters of common interest in the bilateral and regional context.

A high-level delegation is accompanying the Afghan President including Foreign Minister Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, National Security Adviser Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Finance Minister Dr. Hazrat Omer Zakhilwall, Commerce and Industries Minister Dr. Anwarul Haq Ahady, and Chairman of the High Peace Council Salahuddin Rabbani. The Prime Minister will host a lunch for President Karzai today (Tuesday). This is President Karzai’s first visit since the democratic transition in Pakistan and the formation of the new government in June 2013. The visit reflects the readiness on both sides to work together for the furtherance of shared objectives of peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond.

Pakistan, Taliban and the Afghan Quagmire

By: Bruce Riedel

With American and NATO combat troops scheduled to depart Afghanistan next year, the relationship between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan has become more important than ever. It is a complex and complicated nexus. Without doubt, Pakistan and its intelligence service, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate of the army (ISI), have more influence over the Taliban than any other country or intelligence service. It provides critical safe haven and sanctuary to the groups’ leadership, advice on military and diplomatic issues, and assistance with fund raising. But its influence is not complete, and whether it could persuade the Taliban to settle for a political settlement in Afghanistan, is unclear at best.

Pakistan’s Support for Survival and Revival of the Taliban

Pakistan has been intimately associated with the Taliban since its birth in the mid-1990s. The ISI provided support to Mullah Omar when he founded the organisation in Kandahar. It had trained Omar even earlier in the 1980s at one of its training camps for the mujahedin that fought the Soviet occupation of the country. Pakistan was one of only three countries that recognised the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as the legitimate government of Afghanistan in the late 1990s (Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the other two). By 2001, Pakistan was providing the Taliban regime in Kabul with hundreds of advisers and experts to run its tanks, aircraft and artillery, thousands of Pakistani Pashtuns to man its infantry and small units of its Special Services Group commandoes to help in combat with the Northern Alliance. Pakistan provided the oil needed to run the Taliban’s war machine. All of this despite a half dozen United Nations Security Council resolutions calling on all countries to cease aid to the Taliban because it was hosting al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. According to the 9/11 Commission, the ISI had mid-wifed the alliance between Mullah Omar and bin Laden, so it was no surprise that Pakistan ignored the UN. After 9/11, American and allied forces intervened in Afghanistan with a UN mandate and toppled the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The defeated Taliban fighters were ordered by Mullah Omar to scatter and avoid further direct confrontation with the enemy while they regrouped. Many just went home. The leadership and the hard core fled south from Kandahar into Pakistan. Most relocated in Baluchistan around the city of Quetta, where Omar himself settled. He began rebuilding his Taliban in exile. By 2004, it resumed the war inside Afghanistan. Pakistan gave it critical help and assistance. Without it, the Taliban would never have recovered. A NATO study published in 2012 based on the interrogations of 4000 captured Taliban, al-Qaeda and other fighters in Afghanistan in over 27,000 interrogations concluded that ISI support was critical to the survival and revival of the Taliban after 2001 just as it was critical to its conquest of Afghanistan in the 1990s. It provides sanctuary, training camps, expertise and help with fund raising. Pakistani officers have been killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan operating under cover with Taliban forces. The NATO report concluded “the ISI is thoroughly aware of Taliban activities and the whereabouts of all senior Taliban personnel.” Mullah Omar, who calls himself the Commander of the Faithful, is believed by most experts to be in Quetta and Karachi under the protection of the ISI. He has not appeared in public in years, however, and issues only occasional statements. He continues to be portrayed by the group as fully in command and the ultimate decision maker for the organisation. He has never broken publicly with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, and after the American commando mission killed bin Laden in 2011, Mullah Omar and the Taliban leadership openly mourned the loss of the mastermind of 9/11. For its part, al-Qaeda continues to recognise Mullah Omar as the commander of the faithful and pledge allegiance to him.

Karzai’s Ultimatum

This summer, after years of indirect talks between the Taliban, Washington, Kabul and several other third parties, the Qatari government allowed the Taliban to open an office in Doha with the Taliban flag flying and signs proclaiming the office represented the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. For President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan government, the symbolism was unacceptable. Instead of treating the Taliban as an insurgency or a political partner or a gang of terrorists, they got the symbols of statehood. For Karzai and his government, the announcement, the flag and signs conceded the legitimacy of the Taliban’s claim to be the authentic government of Afghanistan and implied that the NATO forces are nothing more than a foreign occupation illegally backing up a rogue regime. Karzai suspended talks with Washington on a post 2014 long term security agreement until the Afghan Taliban agree to hold negotiations directly with his government. Kabul was also disturbed that the US also backed down on its longstanding demand that the Taliban break publicly with al-Qaeda. Instead the Taliban made vague statements about never letting ‘their country’ be used for terrorism against another. That echoes the Taliban’s statements before and after 9/11 that al-Qaeda was not engaged in attacks on American targets despite all the obvious evidence. al-Qaeda fighters are still on the battlefield in Afghanistan fighting with the Taliban. The Taliban’s Pakistani patrons, the army and the ISI were very pleased with the outcome. They control the lives of the leadership in Pakistan and the lives of the Taliban team in Doha. As the former head of Afghan intelligence, Amrullah Saleh, likes to point out that the Taliban negotiators fly home to Karachi from Doha whenever they want to see their boss or their families. They are not independent players.

Limits to Pak Control

But there are some limits to Pakistani control of the Afghan Taliban. Even when Mullah Omar was in power in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, he refused to recognise the legitimacy of the Afghan-Pakistani border demarcated by the British in the 1890s, the so called Durand line. The Afghan Taliban provides some assistance to the Pakistani Taliban, which is engaged in an insurgency against the army and ISI and is responsible for dozens of terrorist attacks inside Pakistani cities. The Pakistani Taliban recognises Mullah Omar as their emir just like al-Qaeda does. Mullah Omar has never publicly criticised the Pakistani Taliban or its attacks like the attempt to kill Malala Yousafzai. It is an open question whether Pakistan could pressure the Afghan Taliban to make a deal with Kabul on a political settlement of the war. It could certainly make life very difficult for Mullah Omar and his lieutenants if they did not agree to a Pakistani supported deal. If it chooses to shut down sanctuaries and training camps, the Taliban would be under enormous pressure to accept a Pakistani diktat. But all of that seems highly unlikely. Pakistan’s generals believe America and NATO are going to cut and run after 2014. Newspaper reports that say that the White House is actively considering the so called zero option for no American troop presence after 2014 undoubtedly have reinforced the ISI’s belief. Time is on its side and its ally the Taliban will prevail sooner rather than later in the war.

Pakistan and the Killings across the LoC: Tactical Offensive or a Strategic Defensive?

By Lt. Gen. Arvinder S Lamba Former Vice-Chief of Army Staff

The recent killing of five soldiers in Poonch has reverberated the calculated and tested strategy of the Pakistan Army once again. Pakistan’s dubious track record of such events since the killing of Captain Saurabh Kalia and five other soldiers in May 15 1999 to the killing five of our brave men on Aug O5, 2013, inside our LoC are indicative of a revival of such dehumanization. The emotions and concerns raised by the nation each time may well be justified, but undue intensity in responses and reactions may often go to consolidate success of the perpetrators. In a contextual perspective, recurring events of this nature fall in line with the processes of authorization, routinization, and dehumanization, used by Kelman and Hamilton in studying My Lai and related events, to explain the dimension of Pakistan’s Military psychology. Pakistan military can learn from its record of atrocities in Bangladesh with larger ramifications of isolation in international relations, a possibility that Nawaz Sharif Government cannot allow. At a tactical level, Pakistan’s military psychology may be seen focused on a sense of achievement vis a vis India within the vacuum created by enormous disparities of conventional combat power or as a moral ascendancy/supremacy in the prevailing imbalance. While the dare exhibited in this raid may certainly be a shot of Adrenaline for the Pakistani military, but this may not be without a risk of escalation. India therefore, cannot and need not be cowed down by the hyped responses and talks of nuclear retaliation built up by Pakistani military establishment, to any action taken by the Indian Military and reiterated by every single Pakistani participant during television debates or panel discussions . Perhaps Our responses need to be fearless, timely and appropriate at the tactical level, and beyond glare of the media. While objectives of such or similar actions identified by India’s Security and Defence Experts during recent debates and discussions are extremely relevant, the outcome intended this time may well be more subtle and strategic. It is pertinent to bring here the internal security dynamic and declining influence of the Pakistani Military in the post elections scenario. The divergence in the civil military relationship between the Army, the PML-N and PTI on several security issues has been increasing . India’s role in Afghanistan, and cooperation between India and Pakistan towards peace and tranquility may well be the most serious differences that may threaten peace. In its first steps towards its strategic objectives of return to constitutional hierarchy, the Government’s focus is on the place of the Military denying it its traditional space of decision making on national issues. The federal government’s recent decision to initiate a high treason case against former military dictator Pervez Musharraf for subverting the constitution of Pakistan twice, which led to exile of Nawaz Sharif, and landing the shame/ humiliation of Kargil upon Pakistan are significant . Commencement of investigations , fully supported by the PTI and PPP’ have added to concerns of the Military , as any such prosecution would threaten many to similar fate. Silence of the Army chief, General Kayani during the entire process of campaigning and elections, and of keeping the Taliban at bay while propagating opportunities of their conditional return to main stream, while a step in the good and orderly direction, was viewed with serious reservations from many quarters within the Army. The implicit intent of the civil government may well be the nemesis of the Pakistan Army from a place of pre eminence and control, to a place of irrelevance or relative insignificance. The only field left where the Military can draw or perhaps redraw its significance is the LoC and issues of terrorism that may turn focus from civilian engagement to military incidents that tend to rally nations and people against each other reversing the entire process of restoring peace. Katharine Houreld from Reuters on 20 May this year, quoted Lieutenant Talat Masood who viewed the past five years significant in this context , in that, while the military remained the most powerful force behind the scenes, it no longer wanted to take direct power, Musharraf, the last military dictator, was in detention, Generals had been hauled up before Pakistan's feisty courts and accused of vote-rigging, corruption and extrajudicial killings. The army does not have the monopoly of the power it once did. With a judiciary supportive of the Prime Minister s and a pro government media, an Army with a reformed, pro-democracy mindset, will complement the underpinnings for change in the overall environment in both Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Towards this, Nawaz Sharif will have to address the singular and greatest obsession of the Pakistan Military leadership and the rank and file, from its perceptions of India being the entire reason de etre of its existence to one of relevance in the national interests and internal contingencies. The fragile peace between India and Pakistan is once again under threat, but this time, the unease and tension may not be between India and Pakistan but between Pakistan and Pakistani Military establishment. For the latter, it may be a last strategic defensive for the Military’s relevance than a tactical victory vis a vis India.

Pakistan: Sharif in Wonderland

IT may have not been difficult for Nawaz Sharif to reclaim the top position. But he certainly does not appear comfortable there. His morose demeanour portrays a man in deep agony, inspiring little confidence in the nation he is supposed to lead. It was a rare moment in recent months when he was seen smiling in public, curiously enough, during the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry last month. Mr Sharif’s first 80 days in his third term in office have not been promising enough to build public confidence in his government. His much-delayed first address to the nation lacked focus and direction. His tentative approach and indecision on almost all key policy issues has reinforced the state of inertia afflicting the republic. Now almost at the end of the honeymoon period, the government does not have much to show for its performance. The prime minister’s dithering is proverbial. Several key diplomatic and government positions are lying vacant because he cannot make up his mind. Mr Sharif has never been known for the delegation of powers, but the situation seems to have worsened this time with him keeping several key portfolios such as foreign, defence and commerce for himself. The rest are the same old faces, part of the previous PML-N administration some 13 years ago, thus bringing no new vision or ideas relevant to a radically changed domestic and external environment. His unwillingness to induct new blood illustrates Mr Sharif’s old cliquish style of governance. The consultations on important matters are restricted to close family members and a few trusted hangers-on. It is a government running in neutral gear. There has not been any substantive move yet to implement the party’s much-touted reform agenda. Take for example, the economy, said to be on top of Mr Sharif’s priority list. There seems to be no clear policy direction. Despite his comfortable majority in the National Assembly, Mr Sharif is not willing to take the tough decisions urgently needed to put the economy back on track. It is ad hocism at its worst. In last week’s address, the prime minister spoke at length about what had gone wrong, but nothing on what is to be done. Reforming the taxation system certainly does not seem to be Mr Sharif’s priority. That was quite apparent from what he said in an interview to London’s Telegraph last week: “I have not yet discussed this matter because … these are very initial days.” So how long will it take for Mr Sharif to think about this critical issue? Mr Sharif has also hinted at cutting income and corporate taxes. “We will have to lower the taxes in the country, the income tax, the corporate tax and all the taxes,” he told the Telegraph. With the tax collection now accounting for less than 9pc of GDP, one of the lowest in the world, cutting taxes for the rich, without widening the tax base, is a recipe for disaster. Mr Sharif’s government has already agreed to a $5.3billion IMF bailout package that will give breathing space to Pakistan’s ailing economy. The programme also requires Pakistan to bring down the whopping fiscal deficit. But can this be possible without radical tax reforms? Given this situation, the government will find it extremely difficult to comply with the terms of the IMF programme. Mr Sharif appears much more conflicted and confused on the issue of terrorism. A large part of his address last week was devoted to the human and financial cost of rising militancy. He was right when he said that political stability and economic development is not possible without eradicating the menace. But his resolve seemed to weaken when it came to the issue of taking action against those challenging the state’s authority. While holding out the possibility of a military option, Mr Sharif still seems to be hung up on the idea of a negotiated peace deal with the militants. What he does not realise is that such an approach has not worked in the past and there is no hope of it succeeding this time either. While the Taliban have made it very clear that they are prepared to talk only on their terms, the government seems to be hell-bent on placating them. The government’s desperation to appease the Taliban was evident from the comment made by Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan during a TV interview that the previous administrations were not sincere in negotiations. He ruled out the use of force against the militants saying that dialogue was the only option. Such remarks not only legitimise the terrorists, they may also weaken the resolve of our security forces battling them. The minister does not even want to have preconditions for the so-called peace talks. Nothing could be more defeatist than this. There is an increasing perception that Mr Sharif is willing to reconcile with the militants as long as they spare Punjab from terrorist attacks. The reported divide between the Punjabi Taliban and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan over Mr Sharif”s offer for peace talks lends credence to the prevailing impression. Many believe that the prime minister has put on hold the hanging of two convicted members of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi after the threat from the Punjabi Taliban. The group threatened to target top government leaders if the men were executed. So, it was not surprising that the group welcomed Mr Sharif’s peace talks offer after the suspension of the execution order. Buying peace for one province at the cost of the country’s stability is certainly not going to work. One expected that the third Sharif government may have learnt from past mistakes and would bring political stability to the strife-torn country. But the performance of the government so far does not instil much hope for the future. Mr Sharif needs to come out of his Wonderland before the situation becomes irreversible.

Farewell dinner: Zardari exiting Presidency as a ‘satisfied man’

Outgoing President Asif Ali Zardari says that after overseeing the first-ever democratic transition of power in Pakistan and relinquishing presidential powers to parliament, he is leaving the presidency as a satisfied man. “Democratic transition to power means strengthening of democracy and I’m confident that Pakistan will be the ultimate winner,” said President Zardari while speaking at a farewell dinner he hosted for journalists at the Presidency on Monday. “I’ve no regrets. I’m exiting the Presidency with honour and dignity.” President Asif Zardari will step down on September 8 after completing his five-year constitutional term. PML-N leader Mamnoon Hussain, who won the July 30 presidential election, will step into Zardari’s shoes. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will extend complete support to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in tackling the challenges like terrorism and economic recovery, Zardari told journalists. The PPP lost the May 11 elections to the PML-N and is now the main opposition party in parliament. “We [PPP] accepted the elections despite our reservations,” he said. “But at the same time it is also our democratic right to criticise wrong decisions of the government.” Speaking about the performance of the previous PPP government, the president admitted that it might have committed failures but democratic transition of power is its biggest achievement. He, however, added that the PPP, a populist political party, could not implement its welfare agenda due to scarce resources. “Today even Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto would acknowledge that democracy is the best revenge,” he said referring to the PPP’s slain chairperson. “People failed to understand when I used to say, ‘we have come to create history, not to make headlines’.” The president said that he believed in the freedom of expression as an inalienable democratic right of the people. “We tolerated scathing criticism for the sake of democracy,” he said. “Others should learn from the criticism I and my party faced. Politicians are people’s representatives and people have the right to criticise them.” The president reiterated that the PPP would support every positive move of the government. He added that he had arranged Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s meeting with Nawaz Sharif with the aim to ensure continuity of policies which is important for progress.

سیاستدانوں کو تنقید برداشت کرنا سیکھنا چاہئے: صدر زرداری

(دنیا نیوز)

صدر آصف علی زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ 65 سال میں ایوان صدر سے عزت سے رخصت ہونے والا پہلا صدر ہوں ۔ جمہوریت اور معیشت کے

استحکام کے لئے نواز حکومت سے تعاون کریں گے تاہم جہاں ضرورت پڑی تنقید بھی کریں گے۔ ایوان صدر میں صحافیوں کے اعزاز میں عشائیے سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے صدر آصف علی زرداری نے کہا کہ گڑھی خدا بخش میں کہا تھا کہ ہم ہیڈ لائن نہیں تاریخ بنانے نکلے ہیں کچھ لوگوں نے اس کا غلط مطلب لیا ،پانچ سال میں جمہوریت کی جڑیں مضبوط کیں، ہو سکتا ہے ہم کئی جگہوں پر ناکام رہے ہوں۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ انتخابات پر تحفظات کے باوجود نتائج تسلیم کئے ، سیاستدانوں کو تنقید برداشت کرنا سیکھنا چاہیئے۔ صدر زرداری نے کہا کہ یہ جمہوریت کا تسلسل ہے کہ نواز شریف کو چینی وزیر اعظم سے ملک کے نئے وزیر اعظم کے طور پر متعارف کرایا، چین کے ساتھ معاشی تعاون کی پالیسی میں نے شروع کی۔ امید ہے نواز حکومت یہ پالیسی جاری رکھے گی۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ یہ جمہوریت کے ثمرات ہیں کہ آج کل زیادہ مصروف نہیں ہوں۔ ٹی وی دیکھنے اور اخبار پڑھنے کا وقت مل جاتا ہے۔

President Zardari extends full support to PML-N in fighting against extremism

http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/

President Asif Ali Zardari extended full support to the new government of the PML-N in addressing the economic issues and in its fight against extremism and terrorism. He was speaking at a dinner he hosted in honour of the journalists here at the President House that was part of a series of farewell dinners, as the President concludes his five-year term in the office. President Zardari said the Opposition, however has a right to criticise the policies of the government where necessary in the national interest.The President said his tenure has been marked with “accomplishments” in many areas as well as some “failures” and proved his word that he had uttered in Garhi Khuda Bux that “we have come to make history, not to make headlines.” He said scarcity of resources in a country, with a growing population, were a major impediment in implementation of his welfare agenda. “I have no regrets, while leaving the office of the President,” Zardari said and pointed that he transferred all his powers to the Parliament and strengthened the democracy. He said he was satisfied as he was leaving this House today, with honour, peace and total responsibility. He said rarely in the country’s history anyone has left the Presidency with grace, but he was leaving it with peace. The President said now “we can proudly say that Pakistan has won at the end, after a successful democratic transition.” “A whole lot of burden has been lifted off my shoulders, and now I can relax and read the newspapers,” the President said, who earlier shook hands with a long line of senior journalists, editors, columnists invited for the dinner. He said he has his full support to the journalists and said he will now be more available to meet them, with less of protocol. President Zardari said over the years the media has matured a lot and hoped they will continue to grow in the times ahead. He said the politicians too need to learn to face criticism, as they have a public life and the people also have a right to criticise their representatives. The President recalled his numerous visits to China and mentioned the agreements inked between the two countries in many areas and expressed the hope that the new government would honour these. He particularly mentioned the barter trade with China and stressed continuation of the policies for stronger bilateral ties. President Zardari referring to the results of the general election said despite having issues with it, and there was no reason to challenge these and added “we accepted the results for the sake of democracy.” The President concluded his short speech with the famous quote of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto that democracy is the best revenge. “Time has proved and these words have come true,” the President said.

President Zardari for Pak-India talks, end to LoC violence

Emphasising the need for resolution of all issues with India through dialogue, President Asif Zardari on Sunday asked India to stop violations at the Line of Control (LoC).

The president said this during a meeting with the AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed at the Bilawal House here.Kashmir issue, unprovoked Indian shelling at the LoC, political developments in AJK and other issues came under discussion during the meeting in which Faryal Talpur was also present. Zardari expressed his satisfaction at the briefing on the AJK situation by the AJK prime minister. He also thanked Nawaz Sharif for adhering to the spirit of the CoD and accepting the PPP mandate in the AJK. Majeed said Kashmiris were against the war and not against the Pakistan-India dialogue. He said Kashmiris were not against Pakistan-India CBMs and trade but this development should not be at the cost of their blood. He also appealed to the UN to take notice of unprovoked Indian shelling and firing at the LoC. He expressed solidarity with those killed in the firing and ordered Kotli administration to pay them compensations. He said India should know that the mountains of Kashmir will be the graveyard of its forces in case of war. He appealed to the international community to play its role to stop the casualties. He said violations of human rights and abuse of children and women posed a challenge to the UN. He appealed to the civilised world to ensure the Kashmiris’ right to plebiscite, adding that regional peace was linked to Kashmir issue in South Asia. He said the PPP founder ZA Bhutto had based his party on the Kashmir cause, for which the late leader had vowed to fight for a thousand years. He said Benazir Bhutto also raised voice for Kashmir and won its representation in the OIC, adding that the late leader had said they would sweat blood for the rights of Kashmiris. He also addressed the Kashmir community in which MNA Qadir Pateel, Senator Saeed Ghani, Najam Aalim and others participated.

US Blames Assad Regime for Syria Chemical Weapons Attack

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday blamed the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad for the “cowardly” chemical weapons attack in a rebel stronghold near Damascus last week, and said the United States and its allies were preparing a response. “The reported number of victims… and first-hand accounts strongly indicate that chemical weapons were used in Syria,” Kerry told a news briefing in Washington, five days after the attack in which the medical charity Doctors Without Borders said 355 people were killed. “Moreover, we know the Syrian regime maintains custody of these weapons, has the capacity to do this with rockets, and is determined to clear the opposition from the very places where the attacks took place,” Kerry said, adding that the United States has more information about the attack that it will “provide in the days ahead.” Kerry called the attack a “moral obscenity” and “a cowardly crime,” and accused Assad’s regime of making a “cynical attempt” to cover it up by barring immediate access to the site of the attack to a team of UN investigators. “I made it clear to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem that if Syria had nothing to hide, their response would be to give unrestricted and immediate access to the UN investigators, but instead for five days, they refused access to the site of the attack that would allegedly exonerate them,” Kerry said. “Make no mistake, President Obama believes there must be accountability for the use of the world’s most heinous weapons against the world’s most vulnerable people,” Kerry said. Shortly after the Kerry speech, White House spokesman Jay Carney said, “What we are talking about … is a response to the clear violation of an international norm and it is profoundly in the interest of the United States and of the international community that that violation of an international norm be responded to.” Obama is discussing “a range of options” for Syria, including military intervention, with his national security team, but has not yet made a decision on what action the United States will take, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters after Kerry’s speech. Obama said previously that the US would intervene in the Syrian conflict in the event of a chemical attack. British media reported the country’s forces are already preparing for a joint naval operation with the US against Assad’s forces. Kerry’s statement came hours after a UN team in Syria came under attack from sniper fire while going to investigate the chemical weapons attack. Assad has denied launching last week’s chemical attack.

President Zardari: Pakistan has consistently supported promotion of peace, stability in Afghanistan

Pakistan has been consistently extending every possible support for promotion of peace and stability in Afghanistan and has been making efforts for intra-Afghanistan reconciliation to be peaceful and stable, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Monday. In a meeting at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Zardari

told Afghan President Hamid Karzai that a united Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s own interest and stressed the need for joint efforts and close coordination to cope with the evolving situation in the region with focus on peace process in Afghanistan and the post-withdrawal scenario. Later, the spokesman to the president, Senator Farhatullah Babar said the two leaders discussed matters pertaining to Pak-Afghan ties, evolving regional situation, peace process in Afghanistan and other issues of mutual interest. The president reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong resolve to working with Afghanistan as well as regional and international partners for sustainable peace and development. “We firmly believe that our dreams of peace and prosperity cannot be realised as long as Afghanistan remains in turmoil,” Zardari said. Discussing bilateral relations, the president reiterated that Pakistan was committed to deepening and broadening fraternal relations with Afghanistan, adding that relations between the two countries should be defined by a strong trade and economic partnership. He said the two countries had covered a long distance in forging closer ties in the last few years and urged for further strengthening it to the mutual benefit of both countries. President Zardari emphasised on optimum utilisation of the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) and its extension to Central Asia for promoting trade and economic activities in the region. He said early implementation of the agreement besides enhancing regional connectivity would also help promote Afghanistan’s access to foreign markets through Pakistani sea-ports and land routes. He also reiterated that Pakistan supported an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation and peace process and it would continue to play a positive and supportive role in facilitating the reconciliation. He also wished the Afghan president and the people of Afghanistan well in the ongoing reconciliation and peace process in the country. Zardari expressed hope that President Karzai’s visit would give impetus to the ongoing efforts for an enhanced relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan and further strengthen joint endeavours of the two countries in the pursuit of durable peace, stability and prosperity. President Karzai was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Zalmai Rassoul, National Security Adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Minister of Finance Hazrat Omer Zakhilwal, Minister of Commerce and Industries Anwar ul Haq Ahady, High Peace Council (HPC) Chairman HE Salahuddin Rabbani, Chief of Staff to the President Abdul Karim Khurram, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ershad Ahmadi and Ambassador of Afghanistan Mohammad Umer Daudzai.

- See more at: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/08/26/news/national/pakistan-has-consistently-supported-promotion-of-peace-stability-in-afghanistan-zardari/#sthash.1GAqrgwv.dpuf

Landmark Chinese copper deal with Afghanistan at risk

A consortium of Chinese investors has demanded a review of a landmark $3 billion deal to produce copper in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Mines said on Monday, putting at risk one of Kabul's greatest hopes for economic independence. It said China Metallurgical Group (MCC) CNMET.UL and Jiangxi Copper JXPROM.UL want new terms that would cut their royalties to the government, release them from building a power plant and copper smelter, and postpone the laying of a railway. "The Afghan government is trying its best ... to negotiate with the company but contract conditions are clear and previously both sides have agreed about it," a spokesman for the ministry said. An independent anti-corruption monitor, Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA), said the Chinese venture also wanted to delay the start of production by five years to 2019. A spokesman in China for the consortium declined to comment immediately. The copper deposit is among the world's largest but is situated in a dangerous province and the site has often come under attack by insurgents, who have succeed in halting work on the mine by forcing workers to flee. Donors hope the largest foreign investment project in Afghan history will help wean it off international aid, which is expected to fall short of the amount needed to pay for its security forces and sustain economic growth. IWA said that renegotiating the deal, which was agreed in 2007, would dramatically reduce the benefit to Afghanistan and set a bad precedent for others seeking to invest in the already unpredictable country. "The terms of the contract they want to renegotiate were the terms that made them the winners in the bidding process," said Javed Noorani of IWA. Noorani said the Chinese investors were seeking to cut royalty payments to the government by almost half to 10 percent as well as delay production to 2019. The Afghan president is expected to travel to China with the minister of mines to discuss salvaging the project. The government was split between accommodating Chinese demands and cancelling the contract. "Others for strategic reasons want it to happen... so China remains committed to helping Afghanistan when the money dries up in this country," Noorani continued. Once production starts, the mine will generate a quarter of a billion dollars a year and create around 75,000 jobs, according to a "low-impact" scenario by the World Bank.

More violence not the answer in Syria

http://gulfnews.com/

The pace with which western action on Syria has developed over the past few days has been worrying. Western states have lined up to offer military solutions to the conflict, provoking their international adversaries to issue their own warnings. The solution in Syria is not to fuel an even larger confrontation by further arming one party in the conflict or its adversary, as some in the West have suggested. It is time to stop settling international scores between major powers and focus on saving more lives from being lost in the war-ravaged country. Further arming the Syrian rebels will only lead to Bashar Al Assad’s allies to drum up their own support for his regime, further fuelling the cycle of violence. The tragic events of last week should perhaps be used as an opportunity for the international community to push the threatened and cornered Al Assad to go to the negotiating table. The international fury over the massacre in Ghouta has weakened him enough to be pressured into negotiations. His closest allies, including Iran, have said that those responsible for the alleged chemical attack should be held responsible. The advances made on the ground by the regime in the past few months were significant enough for the opposition to reject negotiations from a position of weakness. Now, the tables have turned and the regime knows it faces tough choices. Western states, instead of rubbing their hands in anticipation of invading yet another Arab country, should recognise that this is a chance to finally find a solution to the conflict that has claimed more than 100,000 lives.A call for negotiations, however, should not mean that the perpetrators of last week’s massacre should go unpunished. Under no circumstances should a negotiation process — and the subsequent concessions that may be made by the regime — be presented as the regime’s ‘way out’ from being held accountable for this massacre, if it is proven to have been responsible for it. Or indeed for its other 
crimes.

Lavrov urges world to wait for results of UN investigation in Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the international community to wait for the results of the U.N. investigation into alleged uses of chemical weapons in Syria.

“Suffice it to take a look at websites: many of them provide information and photos of the shell that was exploded [in Damascus’ suburb of Ghouta on August 21] and describe the substance it contained,” the minister said at a press conference on Monday, August 26. Experts say that these videos and images raise many questions. “When they show bloodcurdling images with dozens of killed children, the question arises: why and how did they all happen to be in the same place at the same time? No one has explained this,” Lavrov said. He also wonders why the symptoms described in the videos do not quite coincide with the symptoms that are characteristic of poisoning with sarin or other toxic agents, and why aren’t the people who are helping those affected wearing means of protection. Lavrov referred to intercepted e-mail messages posted on the Internet, which indicated that certain chemical agents had been brought in for the rebels from abroad. “I cannot assert anything, but it’s absolutely clear that there was no political or military sense for the Syrian government to use chemical weapons at a time when [U.N.] experts were working there, the military situation was in favour of the government and an American-Russian meeting to prepare Geneva II [conference on Syrian crisis settlement] was to be held,” Lavrov said. “On the contrary, it would have been of certain interest for the other side to organize such a provocation for the reasons I mentioned above, if they want to provoke strikes against the regime from abroad.” “We must wait for the objective investigation by the group of experts, if no attempts are made of course to obstruct their work as it happened today when they were fired at,” the minister said. On the night from August 20 to August 21, several pan-Arab news channels reported that chemical weapons had been used on the eastern outskirts of Damascus. They cited sources in the armed opposition, but the official authorities and the military command denied these reports. The reports prodded several countries into asking the U.N. Secretariat to redirect its team of experts who are investigating alleged chemical attacks in Aleppo to the outskirts of Damascus. The Syrian army found a depot with chemical weapons belonging to rebels outside Damascus, the state television channel Al-Ikhbariya said. Army troops found barrels with chemicals marked “Made in Saudi Arabia”, a large number of gas masks and medicines which are used in the event of chemical poisoning and which were made by a joint pharmaceutical company created by Qatar and Germany, SANA said. Upon entering Jobar, an outskirt of Damascus where the chemical weapons had been found, some of the army soldiers started choking and were taken to hospital. The exact number of troops affected was not disclosed but some of them were said to be in critical condition. Rebels had earlier used chemical weapons in this area. However they claim that government troops had shelled the outskirts of Damascus last Wednesday, using ammunition containing toxic agents. The official authorities denied this as slander. Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said such claims on the part of the opposition were illogical and had been fabricated. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was “shocked” to hear the reports of the alleged use of chemical weapons in the suburbs of Damascus and “is aware that a number of Member States, the Arab League and the European Union have expressed grave concern about the most recent reports of the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria. The Secretary-General reaffirms his determination to ensure a thorough investigation of the reported alleged incidents that are brought to his attention by Member States,” his deputy spokesperson Eduardo del Buey said earlier in the day. He quoted Ban as saying that “any use of chemical weapons by any side under any circumstances would violate international humanitarian law.” Ban said the use of any chemical weapons in Syria would amount to a “crime against humanity” and there would be “serious consequences” for the perpetrators. “Any use of chemical weapons anywhere, by anybody, under any circumstances, would violate international law,” he said on Friday, August 23. “Such a crime against humanity should result in serious consequences for the perpetrator. Once again, I call for an immediate investigation of this latest incident.” The U.N. inspector arrived in Damascus’ suburb of Ghouta and visited a military hospital there. On the way, the convoy of cars was attacked by a sniper and the inspectors had to return to Damascus to replace the damaged automobile. The team of U.N. experts led by Professor Ake Sellstrom, will take samples at the site of the alleged chemical attack and conduct a forensic examination. They will also question those affected by the attack, the medics who attended to them, and eye-witnesses. Rebels claim that more than 1,000 people might have been killed by the attack. Official Damascus dismissed reports about the use of chemical weapons as slander aimed at undermining the work of the U.N. experts in the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the shell with a toxic agent had been fired from the positions occupied by rebels. Previously Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared he knew what position on Syria the West would assume in the United Nations if it took the matter there at all. “Western leaders are making statements indicating that they are not going to wait for the results of the [U.N.] investigation [into alleged chemical attacks in Syria], they have already made up their mind,” Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday, August 26. He said the Russian report on the incident in the Syrian town of Aleppo in March of this year was “absolutely professional and concrete.” “Experts of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons do not make accusatory decisions, they only establish facts: whether a shell was made at a factory or at home, whether sarin was used or not. Further decisions are to be made by the U.N. Security Council. There can be different situations in the U.N. Security Council and consensus cannot be always reached,” Lavrov said. “The peremptoriness and the confidence in its correctness, which the West is demonstrating by stating that they know everything allow us to assume what position they can take in the U.N. Security Council if they go there at all,” the minister said. Lavrov said no one had seen “undeniable evidence” of the Syrian regime’s responsibility for the events in Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus. “We in the U.N. Security Council will use all the information that is available in the world,” he added. Moscow called for an “objective and professional” investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria by government troops. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on August 21, following an alleged chemical attack on the outskirts of Damascus, that the aggressive information campaign related to purported use of chemical weapons on the outskirts of Damascus suggests that this is a provocation and undermines chances for convening a conference on Syria commonly referred to as Geneva-2. “All this looks very much like an attempt to create a pretext any cost for demanding that the U.N. Security Council side with the opponents of the regime and thus undermine the chances for convening the Geneva conference the preparation of which will be discussed at a meeting of Russian and American experts on August 28,” Lukashevich said. The Foreign Ministry urged “all those who can influence armed extremists to exert every effort to stop provocations with the use of chemical weapons.” The ministry said that a rocket with a toxic agent had been launched in the eastern suburb of Damascus from the positions occupied by opposition militants. Syria’s military command denied the opposition’s claims that the government troops had used chemical weapons on the outskirts of Damascus. Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said such claims on the part of the opposition were illogical and had been fabricated. The Syrian authorities denied Arab and Western media reports which claimed that chemical weapons had been used in the eastern suburb of Damascus. “Reports about the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian capital’s suburb have nothing in common with the truth,” a government official said. Volunteers working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Syria said they had no access to the place where chemical weapons had allegedly been used. “We have not travelled to Eastern Ghouta where this reportedly happened. We have not been able to get there for several months even though people there are in dire need of aid,” an ICRC official said. “We cannot make any conclusion as to whether chemical weapons were used in Syria or not because we have not seen the results of any thorough investigation,” he said. Some Arab mass media reported that 20 to 500 people had been killed as a result of the chemical attack. However these are unconfirmed reports coming from the armed opposition. The attack occurred in Damascus’ suburbs of Ain Tarma, Jubar and Zamalkh, where the nerve gas sarin was used.

Ahmad Faraz Ghazals.....

In the Loving Memory of Ahmed Faraz

By Mwaqar

Ahmad Faraz born Syed Ahmad Shah on 14 January 1931 in Kohat, died 25 August 2008 was a Pakistani Urdu poet. He was acclaimed one of the modern Urdu poets of the last century. 'Faraz' is his pen name, (in Urdu takhalus). He died in Islamabad on 25 August 2008. He was awarded Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz and after his death Hilal-e-Pakistan by the government.He was not only romantic but also a great revolutionary poet.

I started listening to the ghazals of Faraz with a heavy heart after hearing news of his death, what a incredible loss. Then somehow came away feeling more at peace than before after replaying his ghazals like, "Ab ke hum Bichhray’’ And "Ye alam shoke ka dekha na jaie." It was indeed a shock for every progressive-minded person in Pakistan. Faraz was not just a romantic poet

but also a poet of revolution, struggle and he never hesitated to challenge dictators through his poetry. Faraz not only supported the struggle against dictatorship, issue of civic movements or movement of lawyers through his poetry but he himself participated in these movements. The amazing thing about Ahmed Faraz is that he is still able to provide consolation even when we are mourning for him. He will never stop speaking to us and enriching our lives. Just try listening to “Sunna hai log usse ankh bhar ke deykhte hain” without smiling…it’s not possible. Faraz poetry is both traditional as well as liberal.

Collections of his poetry have been quite popular and some of these have won major literary awards. He is widely acclaimed and admired because of the essence of his classical poetry. His poetry verses recite life. The way he wrote on social issues is appreciable. Nature had placed the magical magnificence, reflecting truly in his poetry. Faraz was also a literary man. Faraz was best known for his progressive political poetry, with his poem Mohasara (The Siege), written in criticism of Pakistan's political regime, perhaps his most widely praised work. But he also wrote romantic poetry, and his poem "Dekhtay Hain" (Let us gaze) is seen today as a classic of modern romance. Ahmad Faraz was a passionate and popular voice for progress and change. His death is a great tragedy, at the time when Pakistani nation is already short of people with dynamic thinking, losing Faraz is another blow from the blue. Ahmed Faraz was not mere a poet, he was a Pakistani with keen eye on pros and corns of the nation. Ahmed Faraz, a man of principle, a man of words, a man whom we say proudly a true Pakistani. He is the true chain linking from Ghalib, Meer, Iqbal to Faiz, and I pray as his soul rest in peace, the link of positive and constructive thinking should continue. Faraz was not scared of dictators and narrow-minded people. One day Faraz heard loud banging at his door. He rose hurriedly to open it, only to see four or five bearded men in white skullcaps. “Can you recite the Kalima?” one asked. “Why, has it changed?” Faraz inquired. He had to spend many years in exile during the period of dictator Zia. During his life Ahmad Faraz received a number of honours, including the Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2004. He returned this award to President Musharraf two years later, saying that his conscience would never forgive him for associating with a military dictator. He always remained active to safeguard the basic human rights, freedom of opinion and promotion of the democracy. From Ayub, through Yahya, through Bhutto and down to Musharraf, Faraz was always viewed by the establishment as the rebel he was. He was never afraid to write what others only whispered about and he never let adversity stray him from the path he had chosen for himself. More of his poetry is remembered and recited by his admirers. Few people know that in 1947 when the uprising in Kashmir against the Maharaja’s rule began, among the volunteers who went in to fight on the side of the Kashmiris was the teenager Ahmed Faraz from Kohat. He had the courage to stand up for what he believed in. It was an admirable quality. Faraz was indeed a leader of revolution in Pakistan, a revolution which is needed in Pakistan. Future revolutionaries will find fiery slogans in Faraz’s poetry, as will hapless lovers groping for the right phrase to convey the most sublime of their emotions. Faraz’s burning poetry pitted itself against the injustices of dictatorships and authoritarian regimes — and certainly, Pakistan has provided plenty. His work will command a following so long as love itself lives, and the Muse finds a voice through a poignant Urdu ghazal. He was in the true sense a poet of masses, not just a poet of romance and love. A poet, whose revolution didn't stop in his Divan, rather a crusader who fought against oppression, raised his voice against injustice and never shied away from taking on the establishment. This Pathan poet never compromised in life. Syed Ahmed Shah, who was known as Ahmed Faraz, had become a legend in his life time. I offer my condolences to his family. Ahmed Faraz, was a good man, good soul, and one of the greatest poet ever. He will live for ever. May his soul rest in peace.

iPhone 5S to be 31 percent faster than iPhone 5, includes motion tracking chip

http://www.techradar.com/

With just over two weeks until the supposed September 10 iPhone 5S launch event, rumours of what to expect from the new iPhone are flowing in thick and fast.

The latest report comes from Fox News anchor Clayton Morris, who claims that his sources are telling him that the A7 chipset inside the upcoming iPhone 5S will offer a 31% speed boost over the current iPhone 5. "I'm hearing it's very fast," said Morris in his tweet. Given the A6 doubled performance of the previous A5 chipset when it was unveiled in the iPhone 5 last year, a 31% performance boost is not quite as big a step up, although rumours are suggesting that there could be a lot more to the iPhone 5S than just a power boost.Shortly after his chipset tweet, Morris was back at it, tweeting that he's also hearing about a dedicated motion tracking chipset in the upcoming Apple smartphone. While details are obviously scarce, Morris himself argues that it "should be an interesting camera upgrade". Of course, the rumour mill has always run overtime in the leadup to iPhone launches. Combined with the reported fingerprint scanner, 13MP camera with dual-LED flash and wireless charging, the iPhone 5S is looking like a much bigger jump up from the current iPhone than the iPhone 5 was from the iPhone 4S. However, how many of the rumours actually come true will only be confirmed when we actually get to see the device. Fortunately, that is probably only a few weeks away now.

‘Turkey’s partiality’ adds to bloodshed in region

The main opposition leader Kılıçdaroğlu says government’s biased approach in regional foreign policy is one of the main factors behind the escalating bloodshed in the ‘Islamic world’

The Turkish government’s biased approach in regional foreign policy is one of the main factors behind the escalating bloodshed in the “Islamic world,” the main opposition leader has said, while also slamming Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for crying in front of cameras, which he described as “pitiful.” The remarks from Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu came in a speech delivered in the town of Bayat in the western Anatolian province of Afyonkarahisar, which he was visiting on the 91st anniversary of the “Great Offensive” against Greek forces during the War of Independence. Despite the government’s self-proclaimed foreign policy of “zero problem with neighbors,” Kılıçdaroğlu said Turkey was no longer friends with any of its neighboring countries, including Iran, Iraq and Syria. He described the use of chemical weapons in Syria as “a crime against humanity,” while claiming that the only place in the world that was scene of such bloodshed was the Islamic world.

‘Training in Turkey’

“Such blood is not shed anywhere else. But it is shed in the Islamic world. Why? We are taking sides,” he was quoted as saying by the Anadolu Agency. “We are training them in Turkey, sending them away to kill his sibling. Isn’t it a shame, a sin?” Kılıçdaroğlu’s words were referring to claims that Syrian rebels have been secretly given military training in Turkey, which have been constantly denied by the Turkish government. In addition to the government’s policies, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan himself was a personal target for Kılıçdaroğlu, who criticized Erdoğan’s shedding of tears live on television on Aug. 22. Erdoğan cried over an Egyptian father’s letter to his daughter, who was killed by the security forces in Cairo. After listening to a prerecorded video of the letter being read out, he sat speechless for a few moments with tears in his eyes. Crying in front of cameras does not suit the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey, and such crying was a sign of desperation and pitifulness, Kılıçdaroğlu said. “The Republic of Turkey is a proud state. A proud man is the man who resolves problem of his country and whom we respect, no matter who he is. Arriving at the point of deadlock, falling into a position of gradual loneliness in the world, being dressed down by everybody, and then crying on television screens, do not befit the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey,” he said, adding that “reason should prevail” while governing a state.

Afghanistan: Analysts Doubt Positive Outcome from Karzai's Pak Visit

http://tolonews.com/

In light of Karzai's visit to Pakistan on Monday, a number of political commentators expressed doubts over Islamabad's willingness to adopt a clear policy regarding the peace process, citing the Pakistani military's tight hold on policy decisions in Islamabad. President Karzai is on an official visit to Islamabad,where he plans to discuss a number of key issues such as Pakistan's cooperation on counterinsurgency, the expansion of bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the release of the Taliban prisoners to kick-start the peace negotiation process. "Whatever talks happened between the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan was not encouraging at all. Pakistan did not pledge on its willingness to honestly fight terrorism," said Muhammad Nateqi, a regional political analyst. "Pakistan's military formulates the country's foreign policy. Unfortunately, the civilian government is not allowed to shape the country's foreign policy," said Mir Ahmad Joyenda, an Afghan civil society activist. With tensions recently mounting between Kabul and Islamabad over border disputes and suspicions of subterfuge, the trip was highly touted as a signal a positive shift in relations between the two neighbours, or at least an attempt at one. Encouraging statements from Pakistani officials were voiced earlier this week in the lead up to President Karzai's visit. "Pakistan will honestly cooperate whether it is regarding the release of Taliban prisoners or holding a meeting of the clerics in Kabul," Mr. Chadhary said. "Pakistan is committed to working sincerely to accelerate the stalled peace process." However, many analysts and other onlookers are not persuaded. "I think no one in Pakistan expects anything special from Karzai's tour because Karzai is a person who changes policy day-by-day; today he says one thing and tomorrow another," commented Rahimullah Yousafzai, a famous Pakistani journalist. At the beginning of August, President Karzai rebuffed an invitation to visit Islamabad,However, as Afghan officials have explained over the past two weeks, an agenda for the trip was eventually formulated and agreed upon by the two governments. This trip marks the eighteenth time President Karzai has visited Pakistan during his tenure as the Afghan head of state.

PTI workers attack newsmen in Lahore

http://tribune.com.pk/

PTI workers attack newsmen in Lahore by TheExpressNews Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers attacked reporters and cameramen during a protest in Lahore on Monday, Express News reported. The party has been protesting against alleged rigging in the August 22 by-elections and over 70 PTI leaders and workers had been baton-charged and arrested by the Punjab police on Saturday. However, they were released hours later on the orders of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. PTI’s Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhary apologised and tried to control the situation. Party members also claimed that those who had attacked the newsmen were not members of the party. Witnesses said that the attackers were carrying PTI flags and used the sticks to beat up the newsmen. An injured cameraman was shifted to the hospital.

Ahmad Faraz remembered on 5th death anniversary

The fifth death anniversary of renowned and progressive Urdu poet, Ahmed Faraz was observed across the country on Sunday. Syed Ahmed Shah, with pseudonym (takhallus) Faraz was considered one of the greatest modern Urdu poets of the last century who died in Islamabad on August 25, 2008.

Ahmad Faraz was born in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) to Syed Muhammad Shah Barq. Faraz holds a unique position as one of the best poets of current times, with a fine but simple style of writing. Ethnically a Hindko speaking Pashtoon, Ahmed Faraz studied Persian and Urdu at Peshawar University, where he later became a lecturer. During Zia-ul-Haq’s regime, outspoken about politics, he went into self-imposed exile after he was arrested for reciting certain poems at a mushaira criticizing the military rule. He stayed in Britain, Canada and Europe for six years before returning to Pakistan, where he was initially appointed Chairman Academy of Letters and later, Chairperson of the Islamabad based National Book Foundation for several years. Ahmed Faraz was awarded with numerous national and international awards. He was awarded Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2004 in recognition of his literary achievements. He returned the award in 2006 after becoming disenchanted with the government and its policies. Despite his deteriorating health, he was quite active in the Judicial Crisis in 2007. He himself joined the lawyers to protest against the government, and also encouraged his colleagues to do the same. In July 2008, a rumor was spread that Ahmed Faraz had died in a hospital in Chicago. Faraz’s physician, Tahir Rohail, who was a childhood friend of Faraz’s son Shibli Faraz, was quick to deny this erroneous report, but it was confirmed that Faraz was exceedingly ill.Faraz’s health continued to deteriorate and he died from kidney failure in a local Islamabad hospital on August 25, 2008.