Gujrat: Attack on four Christians accused of blasphemy feared at the coming court hearing

According to details, an extrajudicial assault is anticipated when four Christians who were charged of committing blasphemy will be presented for a court hearing before the court on October 16.

The Christian respondents of blasphemy are Pastor Aftab Gill, Younatan Gill and two other Christians are due to be presented before the court on October 16. They are in danger of being killed in an extrajudicial killing. These Christians are at present behind the bars as they were hooked by police once charges were brought against them.

Since blasphemy cases are extra sensitive because public agitation is widely anticipated and mobs gather during the court hearings of blasphemy cases. However, in this case, court has declined to grant them a protective escort. As the situation remains tensed, their family members and local Christian are fearful of a possible and expected attack on them while being taken to the court for hearing; radicals may try and kill them taking matters in their own hands. 

After these four Christians were arrested bail petitions were filed but the court turned down their bail pleas however, at the same time bail was granted to the Muslim printer who had printed these contentious posters. In this regard, a local NGO CLAAS which has been following the case stated that “the judge was biased because the term ‘rasool’ is found in the Bible in Urdu and Christians had no blasphemous intention”.

Previously this year, blasphemy accusations were brought against them for allegedly insulting Islam by printing and circulating, posters in which the word “rasool” Apostle was used. It was accused that this word is attributed to Prophet Muhammad. These posters were published for the death anniversary of a decease pastor. 

The Defence counsel of these Christians Advocate Imtiaz Shakir, who is a Muslim himself while talking with Fides said, “The trial is an exaggeration, one is abusing the word rasool, which in Urdu means messenger. The accusation is preposterous, the whole system is biased, and local authorities are looking for an opportunity for another extrajudicial killing.”

“My religion does not allow me to endorse such injustice: these innocent people are suffering because of a misunderstanding of Islam. This is a failure of the judicial system and an abuse of power. Not only Christians but all Pakistani citizens who believe in the rule of law and justice should speak out to defend these innocent people”. - See more at: http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/detail.php?hnewsid=5625#sthash.6ZASdyKy.dpuf

Pakistan - BANNED TAKFIRI ORGANIZATION DISRUPTED THE NATIONAL ACTION PLAN IN WHOLE COUNTRY

Banned Takfiri outfit ASWJ disrupted the National Action Plan in whole country     

Banned takfiri organization Ahl e Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) formerly known as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) , openly mocked the National Action Plan (NAP) and Loud speaker act in different cities of Pakistan, including the capital Islamabad, of the country while the government and security agencies remained silent spectators on the rally of the banned outfit declared by the state itself over the outfit involvement in sectarian killings and fanning sectarianism in the country.

 According to details, the third Caliph’s Hazrat Usman (RA) martyrdom day, that is 17th zil Hajja and according to some authentic books it has been told to be in the first decade of zil Hajja, has been observed by the banned takfiri terrorist organization ASWJ on 18th Zil-Hajja and it even organized gatherings and processions in this regard despite the Government ban on the outfit activities. The events have been used by the leaders of the banned organization to promote hatred against Muslims and for making anti-Shia speeches rather than speaking about the third Caliph.

It should be remembered that 18th zil Hajja is being celebrated by Muslims across the world as "Day of Ghadeer" specially the Shia Muslims as Eid e Ghadeer in accordance with Wilayat day and this sectarian anti- Pakistan organization, on the basis of few weak historical books, observed the third Caliph’s martyrdom day so that they could incite violence against Shia Muslims under cover of 18-Zij-Hajj rallies.

An important point is that banned Ahl e sunnat wal Jamaat also organized gatherings and processions in this regard which is a clear violation of National action Plan as banned organizations have been forbidden to arrange any gatherings and processions under the National action Plan but the organization arranged programs in the whole country and openly shows the weapons. Such measures and freedom of banned organizations are making the National Action Plan dubious and led to peoples’ distrust on it. The terrorists outfit ASWJ organized the rallies in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and others parts of the country.

http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/pakistan/item/18788-banned-takfiri-organization-disrupted-the-national-action-plan-in-whole-country

Outdated Bureaucratic Structure of Balochistan

Adnan Aamir

Since the inception of Pakistan, bureaucracy – along with civilian leaders and military – has always been a major player in the power structure. Bureaucrats like Malik Ghulam Muhammad, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali and Ghulam Ishaque Khan occupied offices of Governor General, Prime Minister and President respectively. However, the role of bureaucracy and the bureaucratic structure as a source of problem has mostly been ignored. Especially in Balochistan’s case, the outdated bureaucratic structure is one of the reasons behind the province’s plight.

Over 75% budget of Balochistan is used up by non-development expenses. Perks and privileges of bureaucrats make up a significant share of that non-development expenditure. Despite that, bureaucracy as a whole is a stumbling block for any positive step in most of the cases. In fact, it’s due to this bureaucratic structure that Balochistan has not been able to take full advantage of the provincial autonomy granted in aftermath of 18th amendment.

A few days back the students of Government Girls Primary School in Killi Shahnawaz Sariab area of Quetta were forced out of the building as the government had not paid its rent. After this issue was highlighted by the media, the government explained that amount of Rs. 2.7 million, as the grant for the school’s rent, had been approved last year but funds have not been released yet. This is just a tiny example of how the bureaucratic structure is hurting the people of the province.

The first reason for the problems in bureaucracy is that it’s outdated in nature. Most of the rules and regulations of bureaucracy in practice today were drafted in the colonial era. British Raj made those rules to govern their colonial subjects. Today the same rules are being used for governing citizens of a sovereign country.

Mr. Mahfooz Ali Khan, former Secretary Finance of Balochistan and an expert on bureaucratic matters agrees with this assertion. He says that bureaucratic rules are not compatible with modern day requirements.

The second reason that bureaucracy has become a menace in the province is the prevailing corruption in the institution. There are numerous examples where bureaucrats coming from middles class families ended up becoming billionaires due to unchecked corruption opportunities available to them. Along with politicians, bureaucrats in Balochistan are a major beneficiary of resource exploitation, especially after the 7th NFC award. In most cases, bureaucrats exploit the loopholes in the system to get away with their corruption. For instance there is no planning manual in Planning and Development Department of Balochistan. Bureaucrats use their discretion in planning related decisions and embezzle the funds in the process. The same bureaucrats resist efforts to prepare the planning manual because that would close the doors of corruption for them.

Moreover, the third reason for the failure of bureaucratic apparatus in Balochistan is that provincial bureaucrats are ill-trained. Officers of Balochistan Civil Services and Balochistan Secretariat Services, selected by Balochistan Public Service Commission, are not trained as rigorously as CSS officers. Provincial bureaucrats only attend trainings which are mandatory for promotions or visit foreign countries for sightseeing in the name of training. Apart from few notable exceptions, most of the provincial bureaucrats are incapable of running the government machinery adequately. However, this doesn’t mean that federal bureaucrats are any better than their provincial counterparts.

The fourth reason is related to the incompetence of lower level bureaucrats and staff which are recruited directly by departments. Most of these people are completely unfit to perform bureaucratic duties due to their incompetence and lack of required skills. A well-placed source within Civil Secretariat told this writer that a former Additional Secretary of an important ministry didn’t know how to write a summary. This speaks volumes about the incompetence of bureaucrats in the province. How can one expect such bureaucrats to draft and implement policies that would bring the needed change in the province?

In short, bureaucrats of the province along with their political patrons, are looting the resources of the province without contributing anything meaningful for the province at large. In fact, human development indices in Balochistan are inversely proportional to the increase in perks and privileges and fortunes of bureaucrats and politicians respectively.

At the moment there is a dire need to bring reforms in the bureaucratic structure. First of all the unnecessary red tape should be cut down to as minimum as possible. Secondly, rules and regulation governing the bureaucracy should be updated and made compatible with 21st century requirements. Thirdly, reforms are needed to eliminate every possible loophole in the system which can be exploited by bureaucrats. There are plenty of experts available in Balochistan who can assist the government in reform process if government shows the resolve and willingness for this herculean task.

Successive governments in Balochistan have failed to harbor the thought of reforming bureaucracy because they use the same institution for implementation of their illegal orders. Therefore, it’s also in the interests of the political class that bureaucracy remains corrupt and incompetent because then they can use it to pursue their vested interest.
The incumbent Balochistan government hasn’t bothered to make any headway in this regard either. Dr. Malik Baloch and company, like their predecessors, are not interested in reforming bureaucracy and providing relief to masses. If bureaucracy is not reformed then there is no way the problems of Balochistan can be solved even if the insurgency ends.

Pak-Afghan after Kunduz

By Afrasiab Khattak

After the extremely deep involvement of the Pakistani state in Afghan “Jihad” in 1980s (subsequently recognized to be the largest covert US anti communist operation) and after becoming a hub for international “Jihadist” project attracting every known “Jihadist” entity to its soil from around the globe, many people thought that it is impossible for Pakistan to grow out of this quagmire any time soon. The problem was not confined to just using militant outfits as “assets and instruments” of foreign policy in countries like Afghanistan and India. Uighur separatists from Xinjiang China who initially operated from Taliban’s Afghanistan shifted to Pakistan after 9/11 and worked from here against China, the best friend of the country. Iran faced similar problem from our soil as Jandullah and some lesser-known outfits launched regular attacks in the border areas of that country. In 1990s there would be hardly any terrorist attack anywhere in the world that could not be traced back to Pakistan. This was obviously poisonous for the country’s international image and resulted in its large-scale isolation.

After 9/11 when all eyes turned towards Pakistan as supporter of the Afghan Taliban who had given shelter to OBL, General Musharraf’s government did take some action against terrorist outfits but it also proved to be haphazard and without a clear long term strategy, the rhetoric about “enlightened moderation” not withstanding. Particularly his U turn on Afghanistan proved to be a double U turn as Taliban who retreated from Afghanistan were allowed to regroup here and launch yet another war in Afghanistan from Pakistani soil. Military operation in FATA was more aimed at containing the Taliban than fully eliminating them. Even those operations were dubbed as US inspired by pro Taliban political parties not without the tacit support of the establishment. Al-Qaida had to be around as “trainer, financier and supporter” of Taliban. Hence the presence of OBL in Abbotabad. The rest is history.

After the launching of the long delayed Operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorist sanctuaries in June 2014 and approval of National Action Plan (NAP) in December 2014 it appeared that finally Pakistan has decided to go through a paradigm shift in it’s war against terror. All political parties and state institutions publicly declared that it is our own war and no distinction will be made among good and bad Taliban while fighting against them. It was clearly hinted in the end of 2014 that the country’s Afghan policy, which is, now overtly and formally handled by the country’s military is changing in favor of establishing friendly and peaceful relations with Afghans. After all the fight was about the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan and now when they were leaving there is no justification of war. Military operation in Waziristan did target bases and training camps of Afghan Taliban but their leadership, in some cases relocated, remains firmly based in Pakistan.

Although Afghanistan faced a winter of fierce fighting in 2014 but she was given to understand that it is only temporary and that Pakistan will broker peace between Taliban and Afghan government in the spring of 2015. Moreover the blueprint of a coordinated war on terror by the armies of Pakistan And Afghanistan on both sides of the Durand Line was also discussed to defeat terrorists. It is not that these promises did not materialize but Afghanistan also saw the summer offensive by Pak based Taliban that has been the fiercest in so many decades.

And then comes the fall of Kunduz to Taliban fighters. There was no Pak official condemnation of the death and destruction inflicted on the citizens of Kunduz for almost twenty-fourhours. It means terrorism in Pakistan will be fought but if the attack is in Afghanistan, Pakistan remains “neutral”. Taliban are RAW agents in Pakistan but “freedom fighters” in Afghanistan. The double standards have gone too far. The way most of the Pak media and pro Taliban political circles started gloating over the reports fromKunduz the first evening shows that there is almost no change in the country’s Afghan policy. Afghan Taliban had been promising over the years that they will part with Al-Qaida and other foreign terrorists when they go back to their country. But they have taken hordes of Chechens,Uzbeks, Arabs, Uighur and a good number of Pakistani fighters with them into Afghanistan for the current offensive.How has Pakistani state reacted to this breach of promise by Taliban? Like always it has turned a blind eye to it. But how can Pakistan remain indifferent to the shifting of transnational terror syndicate to Afghanistan once again. Apart from destroying peace in Afghanistan the presence of this multinational group of terrorists threaten the countries of Central Asia. Is this the way that we want to have an entry into Central Asia? Last but not the least we should be concerned aboutthe Taliban’s designs in Badakhshan. They are trying to capture parts of that northeastern Afghan province that borders at the restive Chinese Autonomous Region of Xinjiang. How would our great friend react to become a neighbor to a militant group that has a history of having links with the separatists of the so-called Islamic Movement of Turkistan? The penetration of such elements into Wakhan Corridor creates security threats for the CPEC.

Pakistan’s tacit support for Afghan Taliban has not only buried NAP in Pakistan but has also put the National Unity Government in Afghanistan in general and President Ashraf Ghani in particular in a very awkward position. The only way out after events in Kunduz is a drastic rethink of Pakistan’s Afghan policy and taking bold decisions. After such military “victories” of Afghan Taliban in their own country Pakistan can’t afford any more their presence in Pakistan. How can we allow existence of Afghan Taliban’s Shuras (who claim to be parallel governments) in Pakistan? They should go back to their own country. That can revive Pakistan’s position as a neutral facilitator in the intra Afghan dialogue that should not be hostage to the whims of any side and should have a clear time line. Pakistan can make similar demands from Afghanistan on TTP sanctuaries in that country. Distancing itself from the discredited brand Taliban fighters Pakistan’s case for demanding action against TTP shall get stronger. If we don’t come clean on Taliban, Afghans will be justified in claiming that Pakistan is still following the policy of strategic depth towards Afghanistan and its ultimate aim remains to install a puppet government in Kabul.

Pakistan - #MyInspirationSMBB - A Stagnant Trial

Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has come out all guns blazing, denying the testimony given by American journalist and lobbyist Mark Siegel in the Benazir Bhutto murder case. Being the primary accused party, his explanations, denunciations and questions against the main prosecution witness were to be expected, and as a consequence mean too little to be given any importance. What matters is the manner in which the former president has spoken out.

Publicly talking about issues that are sub-judice, i.e. under the consideration of the court is an offence the former president should have refrained from. His comments do not follow legal procedure, are not substantiated by proper evidence, yet they will still affect the outcome of the case because the affect public opinion and the opinions of the judges.

For a man that has been ostensibly hospitalised and is “too weak” to attend court proceedings, this furious and forceful denial seems out of character. Instead of hiding behind medical complications and keeping his head down to ride out the storm Pervez Musharraf – perhaps buoyed by a new sense of confidence – has lashed out immediately. Does this reflect on the nature and extent of the worsening civil-military imbalance? After all, it was the military’s insistence that forced the government to dial down the pressure on the Benazir Bhutto trial.

Considering the increasing influx of military power in civilian affairs such a statement won’t be too far from the truth. Since the men in boots stepped in the Benazir Bhutto trial has almost ground to a halt. The other key witnesses have retracted their stories, and it took years to even record the testimony of Mark Siegel. Now Musharraf’s denunciations will make all news bulletins, while the testimony – unsupported by any other evidence – will eventually lose the impact it has.

Pakistan - Claims emerge of PTI receiving funding by US nationals

IRFAN HAIDER 

The case filed by founding member of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Akbar S. Babar, alleging financial corruption and violation of laws in collecting donations and managing the party funds, took a new twist when the petitioner claimed that the party was receiving funding from foreigners including US national Barry C. Schneps and US-born Indian Inder Dosanjh.

The former close confidant of PTI Chairman Imran Khan alleges that PTI and its leadership acted in violation of Articles 3, 5, 6, and 13 of the Political Parties Order, 2002 (the “2002 Order”) read with Rules 4, 5, 6 of the Political Parties Rules, 2002 (the “2002 Rules”).

Talking to Dawn.com, Babar said after waiting three years for the PTI leadership to take notice of the documented financial wrongdoings in the party and hold the corrupt accountable, he was left with no choice but to pursue the legal course.

The case was filed in November 2014 and the first hearing took place on January 19, 2015.

Read: Imran refutes allegation of party fund misuse

Babar said the PTI special auditor, appointed by Imran Khan in March 2013, was refused access to full information and was not allowed to audit party expenses including audit of donations and expenses of funds received for the 2013 elections.

He claimed that Imran Khan instead of taking swift action against the corrupt in late 2011 had decided to ignore the claims and chosen to protect and patronise the corrupt within the party.

After detailed hearings on jurisdiction as well as the merits of the case, Election Commission of Pakistan issued an order dated April 1, 2015 ordering PTI to produce the details of foreign funding.

Also read: ECP seeks PTI foreign funding details

The order was issued after review of all PTI audit reports submitted with the ECP which lacked the details of foreign funding required under the Political Parties Order 2002 despite a certification by the party chairman, Imran Khan.

On the next date of hearing of May 6, 2015, instead of producing the necessary details of foreign funding which the PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen had agreed to, the PTI changed its lawyer and appointed Anwar Mansoor Khan – the former Attorney General of Pakistan.

The new lawyer once again contested the jurisdiction of the ECP to hear the case instead of sharing foreign funding details.

In previous hearings, the PTI had claimed that the details of all the funds received have been duly recorded in the annual audit reports submitted to the ECP.

During the scrutiny of PTI audit reports by the ECP, the PTI lawyer failed to show any details of foreign funds in the audit reports as required under the law despite repeated inquiry by the CEC.

The PTI lawyer contended that since the audit reports were accepted by ECP at the time of submission, the commission cannot question the authenticity of the audit reports now.

The CEC responded that now that the matter is in dispute and a pile of evidence has been produced which allegedly shows that foreign funds from forbidden sources were allegedly received; it has the right to scrutinise audit reports submitted earlier by PTI.

During the hearings, the CEC on several occasions warned the PTI lawyer that the matter was extremely sensitive and the PTI counsel should be cautious in making arguments that may boomerang.

In one hearing, the ECP member from Balochistan Justice (retd) Fazlur Rehman read the relevant clauses that demand that political parties must submit details of foreign funding whereas the PTI audit reports show no details.

The PTI lawyer contended that all the political parties submit similar accounts to which the CEC responded that now that the matter is before the commission and in view of the seriousness of the allegations, the PTI must submit full details about source and scale of foreign funding.

The petitioner’s lawyer Ahmed Hasan contended that the PTI initially refused to acknowledge foreign funding whereas it operates a dollar account which is forbidden under the law and all the money received could fall into the category of money laundering.

Talking to Dawn.com, Akbar S. Babar stated that PTI continued to change its stance during the hearings.

In one hearing the PTI had questioned the authenticity of the evidence presented regarding over $ 2.3 million dollars donations received from the US from allegedly illegal and prohibited sources.

Babar stated that foreign donations must be accounted for as it raises questions about national security of foreign funding.

He said the three out of five board of directors of the Limited Liability Company registered in the US under the signatures of Imran Khan are identified as US Citizens. Similarly foreign companies and foreign nationals also funded PTI which is prohibited under law.

Babar said that during the last hearing held on September 15, 2015, the PTI’s lawyer Anwar Mansoor conceded that the ECP has the powers to confiscate funds of any political party received from illegal sources.

Babar said that case would prove to be a landmark to regulate political parties with far reaching consequences to bring transparency and accountability within political parties.

He said political parties are public entities and must be regulated under relevant laws. He said as long as political parties are not institutionalised, democracy would remain a tool to enter the corridors of power to serve vested interests.

He said the lack of regulation of political parties has turned them into personal fiefdoms which are run by individuals acting as emperors.

PTI must change from within if it is serious about changing society, PTI's founding member added.

After several hearings, finally a four member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan headed by the CEC Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza reserved the judgment on the jurisdiction and/or merits of the case to be announced on October 8, 2015.

However, Imran Khan has repeatedly refuted the allegations of misuse and embezzlement of party funds as baseless.

When contacted, PTI lawmaker Dr. Arif Alvi said “it is unfortunate that some former PTI leaders like Akbar S. Babar are involved in blaming the party due to their personal grudges and nothing else”.

He claimed that PTI leadership has always been fair in the financial dealings of the party while it’s the other political parties — including PML-N and PPP — which remained involved in the cases of money laundering.

Shazia - Pakistan’s first female fire fighter

A young woman Shazia Parveen is going to become Pakistan’s first female fire fighter, a foreign news channel reported.

Twenty-five-year old Shazia, who lives in a small village in South Punjab, wanted to prove that women could work alongside men regardless of how challenging the job was. Her training included learning to swim, jump, fight fire, and climbing up roofs with the help of ropes.

Rescue 1122 said that Shazia is the first female firefighter in Pakistan, and perhaps in all of Asia. “Some women avoid and hesitate to work with men. That is where I differ with them and think that we, women, can work shoulder-to-shoulder with men,” she said.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/04-Oct-2015/shazia-pakistan-s-first-female-fire-fighter

Bilawal Bhutto denounces abysmal performance of Water & Power Ministry, asks Water & Power Ministry to compensate overbilled consumers

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party has denounced the abysmal performance of the Ministry of Water and Power as reported by the power sector regulator NEPRA recently. He stated that after the scandalous Nandipur and Quaid-e-Azam solar park projects, both of which have become liabilities for the government, the NEPRA Annual Report lays bare all the inefficiencies, mismanagement and corrupt practice of the present incumbents and exposes the government’s total failure to address the problems as it promised it would in 2013 elections.
The NEPRA report states that the Ministry of Water and Power has failed to the check the underutilization of power generation companies (Gencos) and corrupt practices of distributing companies (DISCOs) who have been covering up their mismanagement by robbing the consumers by overbilling, as 70 per cent of the inspected meters are found faulty by the regulators.
Appreciating PPP lawmakers for submitting adjournments motion in the house, the PPP Chairman stated that for three years we heard the State Minister for Water and Power accusing the people of different provinces as ‘thieves’. Will the Minister now please answer who the real thieves are?
To add insult to injury, instead of putting its house in order the Ministry of Water and Power is now calling for explanations of NEPRA, which is ironical as it is the Ministry which has to give explanation to the nation.
Will the Ministry explain why despite massive oil price falls, electricity is still unaffordable for the consumers? Will it also explain why the power companies are hiding their inefficiencies, and line losses by overcharging the consumers due to faulty metering? Will it inform the nation why Gencos are working under capacity and why government is forcing shutdowns of power companies, including Nandipur.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari demanded that the Ministry of Water and Power compensate the consumers who have been overbilled and honestly inform the nation about the true picture of the power sector failures.

https://ppppunjab.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/bilawal-bhutto-denounces-abysmal-performance-of-water-power-ministry-asks-water-power-ministry-to-compensate-overbilled-consumers/

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Video - SURROGATE INDIAN MOTHERS - Lifting the veil: why does the Middle-East need a sexual revolution?

ISIL Militants Fleeing Russian Airstrikes in Syria – Lebanese Media

Members of the ISIL terrorist group have reportedly started to evacuate their families from the city of Raqqah after the start of Russia’s military operation in Syria, the Arabic television channel Al-Mayadin revealed.

According to media reports, terrorists evacuate their families to Iraq, fearing the renewed start of Russia’s airstrikes.

During the first two days of the military operation, Russian aircraft reportedly hit over 10 targets, among them an explosives factory, an arms depot and an ISIL coordination center.

A representative of the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that a secured command post, an underground bunker as well as an explosives and ammunition warehouse have been destroyed as a result of a surgical airstrike near the city of Raqqa.

Russia started its military operation in Syria on September 30, after receiving an official request from the president of the country Bashar al-Assad. 

The operation is designed to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group, which occupied large territories of Syria and is responsible for numerous kidnappings, executions as well as the destruction of buildings and historical monuments.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151003/1027976479/isil-fleeing-russian-airstrikes-syria.html#ixzz3nXVDyDaF

Russian Air Force hits 50 ISIS targets in Syria over 3 days, ‘significantly’ damaging militants

The Russian Air Force has conducted more than 60 flights and bombed over 50 Islamic State targets in three days, according to Russia’s top armed forces official. He added the strikes have significantly reduced the terrorists’ combat capabilities.

“The airstrikes were being conducted night and day from the Khmeimim airbase and throughout the whole of Syria. In three days we managed to undermine the terrorists’ material-technical base and significantly reduce their combat potential,”Lieutenant General Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Main Operation Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces, told reporters on Saturday.

He added that according to Russian intelligence the militants are fleeing the area that was in their control.

“There is panic and defection among them. About 600 mercenaries have left their positions and are trying to reach Europe,” he said.

Washington has notified the Russian Defense Ministry that there were only militants in the areas of Russia’s military operation against IS in Syria, he added.  "The Americans informed us during contacts that there was no one except terrorists in this region," he said.

“Over the past 24 hours, Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-24M fighter jets have performed 20 sorties and hit nine Islamic State installations,” Igor Konashenkov, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman, reported.

Konashenkov added that yesterday evening Russian aircraft went on six sorties, inflicting strikes on three terrorist installations.

“A bunker-busting BETAB-500 air bomb dropped from a Sukhoi Su-34 bomber near Raqqa has eliminated the command post of one of the terror groups, together with an underground storage facility for explosives and munitions,” the spokesman said.

Commenting on the video filmed by a Russian UAV monitoring the assault near Raqqa, Konashenkov noted, “a powerful explosion inside the bunker indicates it was also used for storing a large quantity of munitions.

“As you can see, a direct hit on the installation resulted in the detonation of explosives and multiple fires. It was completel

No anti-aircraft activity has been registered within the Russian task force’s sector of interest in Syria.

“No operable air-defense systems have been spotted in the Russian Air Force zone of action in Syria. Nevertheless, all operational flights are being performed with activated defensive onboard [radioelectronic combat] gear,” the spokesman said.

y demolished,” the spokesman said.

Konashenkov noted the crosshair visible on the drone video footage is not a target, but merely a focus point of the UAV’s camera “maintaining control over an airstrike.”

Another bomber on a sortie from Khmeimim has dropped a KAB-500 air bomb on an Islamic State camp near Maarrat al-Numan. It destroyed fortifications, ammunition, fuel and seven units of equipment, Konashenkov said at a media briefing on Saturday.

KAB-500 bombs are accurate to within five meters.

The Russian Air Force has also eliminated a workshop in Idlib province, where terrorists have been mounting large-caliber machine-guns and other heavy armaments on pickup trucks.

Assault aircraft from at Khmeimim airbase have also inflicted airstrikes against terrorist forces near Jisr al-Shughur in Idlib province, destroying vehicle storage depots used for organizing terror attacks.

Regarding the airstrike on a target near Jisr al-Shughur, Igor Konashenkov pointed out, “footage of a huge pillar of smoke indicates a direct hit resulted in the total elimination of the facility.”

Drones stationed at Khmeimim airbase are maintaining “round-the-clock monitoring of the situation in Islamic State’s operation areas,” Konashenkov said.

“All disclosed targets are promptly engaged, regardless of the weather or light conditions,” said the Defense Ministry’s spokesman.

Hillary Clinton: Those kicked out of military for being gay should get honorable discharges

By Anne Gearan

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton proposed Saturday that military records be amended to upgrade dishonorable discharges imposed on gay, lesbian and transgender military veterans.

People drummed out of the armed services in years past for being gay should  be able to get their records changed to reflect an honorable discharge, Clinton said.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell is over, but that doesn't change the fact that more than 14,000 men and women were forced out of the military for being gay, some long before Don't Ask, Don't Tell even existed," Clinton said, referring to the 1993 law that allowed gays and lesbians to serve in the military if they did not reveal their sexual orientation.

"They were given less than honorable discharges," Hillary Clinton said. "I can't think of a better way to thank those men and women for their service than by upgrading their service records."

Addressing the influential gay rights organization Human Rights Campaign, Clinton thanked gay rights activists for their strong support over her political career and was frank about her own change of heart about gay marriage.

"You helped changed a lot of minds, including mine," Clinton said to applause. "I personally 

am very grateful for that."

Politically active gay and lesbian people are an important constituency for Democrats, in no small measure because of strong financial support for Democratic candidates. Clinton has held several lucrative fundraising parties at the homes of gay supporters this year.

She pledged Saturday to build on the Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing marriage equality, and got in a few digs at Republicans for opposing the expansion of gay rights and legal protections.

"I see the injustices and the dangers you and your families still face, and I am running for president to end them once and for all," she said to cheers and chants of "Hill-a-ry, Hill-a-ry."

She spoke to a crowded ballroom on Saturday morning, hours before Vice President Biden, a potential challenger to Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination, gives the top-billed address to the group's annual political rallying meeting. Clinton did not mention Biden, whose support among gay rights activists is as strong or stronger than her own.

She promised not to forget the gay rights cause if elected, or treat LGBT support as a "political bargaining chip."

"Those of you who know me, know that's not me," Clinton said.

She endorsed proposed legislation to guarantee protection on the job and in housing and other areas for gay, lesbian and transgender people, and pointed to what she said are gaps in legal protection despite the universal right to marry.

"I wish that all the progress that we have made was so deeply ingrained in our laws and our values that you didn't have to keep constantly defending them, but we're not there yet," Clinton said. "There are still public officials doing everything in their power to interfere with your rights," she said.

Clinton did not identify Kim Davis by name, but she denounced the Rowan County, Ky., court clerk and Davis's backers for flouting the law by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Progress is not secure, Clinton said, "especially when you turn on the TV and you see a Republican candidate for president literally standing in the courthouse door in Kentucky, calling on people to join him in resisting the Supreme Court ruling," Clinton said. "Celebrating a county clerk who is breaking the law by denying other Americans their constitutional rights."

That was apparently a reference to former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who stood with Davis when she was released from jail last month. Clinton also criticized Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, another GOP candidate, who calls the Supreme Court ruling issued in June "tyranny."

A military record upgrade process is already available on a case-by-case basis to individual gay veterans who submit requests. Clinton was not specific about what she would do differently, but she appeared to be endorsing a more comprehensive or automatic upgrade for those expelled under Don't Ask Don't Tell, the 1993 law her husband, former president Bill Clinton signed, as well as new government action to clear the records of  veterans kicked out before 1993.

Legislation proposed by Democrats in Congress would make that process simpler.

Outserve-SLDN, an activist group that pushed for the 2011 repeal of Don't Ask Don't tell, now helps discharged gay veterans apply for records upgrades. The group says 13,650 people were involuntarily discharged for homosexual conduct or identification under Don't Ask Don't Tell, and that nearly 6,000 have received upgrades to an honorable discharge.

The group estimates that 100,000 veterans were forced out for being gay prior to the 1993 law. The group is now working to secure honorable discharges for veterans from as far back as World War II, said interim executive director Matt Thorn.

"The onus is on the service member to provide documentation they were kicked out because they are gay or lesbian," Thorn said. "It would be great if that got switched a little bit, and the process was made easier."

Hillary Clinton Mocks Ben Carson, Ted Cruz on Gay Rights

By LIZ KREUTZ

Hillary Clinton on Saturday mocked Republican presidential candidates Ben Carson and Ted Cruz over their positions on gay rights during remarks to the Human Rights Campaign, where she also called for new laws to support and protect the rights of transgendered people.

"Ben Carson says that marriage equality is what caused the fall of the Roman empire," theDemocratic presidential candidate said to laughter during a breakfast at the LGBT rights organization's annual gathering in Washington, D.C.

Clinton then mentioned Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, which drew hisses and boos from the crowd gathered inside the grand ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel, and went on to challenge him to join her at a gay pride parade.

"Ted Cruz slammed a political opponent for marching in a pride parade. He clearly has no idea what he's missing. Pride parades are so much fun. I was marching in them back when I was first lady. You should join sometime Senator, come on," she said.

Both Carson and Cruz have said they believe marriage is between a man and a woman. ABC News has reached out to their campaigns for comment to Clinton's remarks.

"Hillary would have everyone believe she's been in favor of marriage equality since the fall of the Roman Empire," Carson campaign spokesman Doug Watts said. "When she's not lying, she's spinning!"

Cruz's campaign did not respond to ABC News' request for comment.

Clinton, who supports same-sex marriage, also took a forceful stance on transgendered issues during her remarks, and called for the military to allow transgender people to serve openly.

"We need to say with one voice that transgender people are valued, loved, and one of us," she said. "Transgendered people are still banned from serving ... that is an outdated rule. I support the policy review that Defense Secretary [Ash] Carter recently announced in the Pentagon. I hope the United States joins many other countries and lets transgendered people join openly.”

She later called out the Republican presidential candidates for ignoring the issue all together.

"See if you are ever in a forum with any of them, if you can get them to say the word transgendered," she said.

In addition, Clinton called on Congress to pass the Federal Equality Act. And she said she would upgrade dishonorable discharges of service members who were forced out of the military in years past for being gay.

Clinton, who announced her support of same-sex marriage in March 2013 in a video produced by the Human Rights Campaign, today thanked the organization for the work it has done to help get it legalized in all 50 states.

"The people here today deserve a lot of credit for making it happen. You've helped change a lot of minds, including mine, and I am personally very grateful for that," she said.

There were plenty of jokes at the event playing on the fact that Clinton and the Human Rights Campaign share the same initials: HRC.

During the opening of her remarks, Clinton said, "It is great to be back with the other HRC ... there’s no one else I’d rather share my initials with.”

And later, when promising to fight for LGBT rights as president, she said this: "That’s a promise, from one HRC to another."

Video - Jeb Bush critized for saying 'stuff happens'

#UCCShooting - The Political Ritual After Mass Shootings

The Republican presidential candidates were quick to offer sympathy but little else to the nation, to the grieving families and to the terrified town where the latest in American gun carnage took 10 lives on Thursday at an Oregon community college.

“We have to really get to the bottom of it,” Donald Trump, usually the most voluble candidate in offering quick-fix certainty about national challenges, told The Washington Post. “It’s so hard to even talk about these things.”

Now, as the presidential campaigns intensify, is precisely the time that he and the other candidates must talk about these things — about the horrendous toll the mass shootings haveinflicted on the nation, with no end in sight. Like other Republican politicians, and many Democrats, too, Mr. Trump simplistically narrowed the topic of the gun massacre to “another mental health problem.” This has become the standard political line, particularly among Republicans, for ducking the crucial fact that easy access to powerful arsenals — the Oregon murderer reportedly had 13 firearms, six of which he brought with him — is the great modern enabler for individuals, mentally ill or not, to massacre the innocent in shooting sprees.

The contrast could not be greater between the bromide-driven slate of Republican candidates promising thoughts and prayers after “this senseless tragedy” and President Obama in his understandable fury and near despair over the political cowering to the gun industry and its lobbyists. Mass shootings have become an unsurprising part of American life, with lame public rituals in which politicians express grief and then retreat quickly into denial about this scourge.

The gun lobby has such a grip on Congress that it has successfully squelched most federal research on the problem. It wasn’t until last year that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, prompted by the White House, issued a report confirming that mass shootings have been rising significantly in recent years.

In a 13-year study, analysts found that while the average number of annual shooting sprees with multiple casualties was 6.4 a year from 2000 to 2006, that number jumped to 16.4 a year from 2007 to 2013. The study found that many of the gunmen had studied previous high-profile shootings and were attracted to the attention that mass killers received when they staged lethal attacks.

Modern high-powered weapons, adapted from war and unscrupulously marketed on the home front, have unfortunately provided the means for a shooter to act out his anger and despair in a matter of minutes. The state-sponsored citizens report on the gun massacre of 20 schoolchildren and six workers in Newtown, Conn., in 2012 concluded there is “no legitimate place in the civilian population” for fast-firing rifles and large-capacity magazines that were invented for the military but have flooded the American marketplace.

These are the problems that political leaders should be discussing after the latest gun tragedy. Democratic presidential candidates have not ducked the issue. Hillary Rodham Clinton has repeatedly called for greater gun safety, telling voters, “We have to take on the gun lobby.” Bernie Sanders, who as a senator from Vermont has been criticized for not being strong enough on the issue, firmly endorsed President Obama’s gun control agenda after the Oregon massacre. He said he is tired of sending condolences to grieving families after these brutal murders.

Republican candidates should be no less tired of sending condolences. In the presidential debates, they should not be allowed to retreat behind the mental health issue and avoid confronting the grim reality. They should explain what actions they will take, if elected, to avoid being the nation’s serial griever-in-chief.

Video - President Obama's Weekly Address: Congress Should Do its Job and Pass a Serious Budget

Pashto Music - Sardar Ali Takkar دَ وخت ضَرب ـ عبدالهادي مُلا

په کندز کې د شوو بشري سرغړونو پوښتنه دې وشي

یادو فعالینو چې د شنبې په ورځ په کابل کې سره راغونډ شوي وه ویل چې لا هم په کندز کې د بشر ضد کړنې روانې دي او حکومت دې ژر تر ژره جنګ ته خاتمه ورکړي. افغان حکومت او د بشري حقونو کمیسیون هم راپور: یوسف خان څدران، ویدیو او ایدت: تمیم اخګر

Pakistan and the Taliban: Past as Prologue?

By C. Christine Fair

After riding the Islamist militancy tiger for decades, Pakistan now has a problem.

To understand the significance of the Taliban to Pakistan, it is important to understand the historically fraught ties not only between India and Pakistan, but also between Pakistan and Afghanistan. While it is commonly believed that Pakistan’s relationship with groups such as the Taliban emerged during the anti-Soviet jihad, this is a considerable understatement of the relationship. In fact, Pakistan’s dalliance with Islamist politics and Islamist militant groups in Afghanistan dates back to the earliest days of Pakistan’s independence. This attests to the enduring security challenges that Pakistan perceives in Afghanistan. Whether these fears are founded or not, Pakistan acts upon them as if they are fact.

Pakistan – unlike the United States – is asymmetrically motivated to stay the course in Afghanistan. Having successfully manipulated jihadi groups for decades, Pakistan has grown insouciant about its ability to continue riding this tiger. However, recent developments such as the announced death of Mullah Omar and the splits within the Taliban, as well as the emergence of ISIS in Afghanistan and Pakistan, raise the stakes for Islamabad. It is unlikely that Pakistan will be able to regain the kind of control that it exercised over the Taliban in the past. The most likely outcome is ever-deepening violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Unfortunately, as the world saw on 9/11, the sequelae of these developments are not likely to be confined to Afghanistan or Pakistan.

A Quest for Strategic Depth

Pakistan has been motivated to manipulate affairs in Afghanistan since the earliest years of Pakistan’s independence in 1947, when the British decolonized South Asia by cleaving the subcontinent into two independent states, India and Pakistan, in a bloody partition that killed as many as a million and instigated the largest migration of humans known to modern history. The sanguinary legacy of partition and the communal cleansing it galvanized, as well as the territorial dispute over Kashmir which Pakistan commenced in 1947, has left India and Pakistan as bitter rivals ever since with Pakistan seeking to change maps through violence. While Pakistan’s antagonisms with regard to India are well known, Pakistan also has pursued an interventionist agenda in Afghanistan from the earliest years of independence. The reasons for this are numerous.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/pakistan-and-the-taliban-past-as-prologue/

Pakistan - India - The old chorus and a false note

India’s response to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s latest comments at the United Nations General Assembly marks a shift in the government’s strategy in dealing with the periodic references to Kashmir that Pakistan has made it a practice to make at UN fora. To begin with, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that he intends to stick to his ‘red lines’ on Kashmir. So any talks between the two countries will not be on terms set by Pakistan, which seeks to make Kashmir the central point of such exercises. That Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif stayed in New York at the same hotel and attended the same conference along with world leaders, and yet did not make the time for a bilateral meeting — they settled for a simple hand-waving gesture while at the peacekeeping summit — indicates that there has been no diplomatic headway since National Security Adviser-level talks between the two countries were cancelled in August. Later, in its sharp response to Mr. Sharif’s speech at the General Assembly, India demonstrated a major shift in its approach on Kashmir at the UN. In a point-by-point reply to Mr. Sharif’s reference to Kashmir as a land “under foreign occupation”, India brought up the condition of Kashmiris in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), saying it was up to Pakistan to vacate Kashmir and not the other way round. Consequently, India dismissed Mr. Sharif’s four-point formula that included points on demilitarising Kashmir and the Siachen glacier. It was delivered not directly to India but to the UN, in yet another attempt to internationalise the issue rather than offering a sincere solution.

However, India’s decision to reply to the Pakistani line on Kashmir with counter-allegations on the PoK seems to be a false step. Despite all its attempts over the years, Pakistan has been unsuccessful in getting the United Nations or the P-5 Security Council members to consider any reference on Kashmir; the subject was last discussed by the UNSC in 1971. All of its references and pleas to UN committees to take up the dispute have been disregarded, and every P-5 nation has counselled both countries to resolve the issue bilaterally. At a time when India’s position on this question is actually being upheld, it is puzzling why New Delhi wished to take this new line at the UN; it would only invite the multilateral spotlight back on to the Kashmir issue. As an active aspirant to a permanent seat in the Security Council, India’s stature would be enhanced internationally if it instead sets in motion a bilateral process to resolve issues with its neighbour, with a view to ending the decades-old dispute. That will need the bricks-and-mortar of sustained discussions on the basis of common interests. Such a process cannot possibly be replaced by a simple wave between the two Prime Ministers across a crowded floor at a UN meeting.

Malala questions “silence” of Pakistani leaders on terrorism

Questioning the “silence” of Pakistani leaders on terrorism, 18-year-old Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Saturday said she harbours the hope of becoming the Prime Minister of her country.

Ms. Malala, who was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with New Delhi-based child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi last year, also expressed her desire to visit India.

Ms. Malala, who survived an extremist attack on her in Pakistan’s restive Swat valley for promoting education, said she will continue her activism and termed former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto as a major inspiration.

“Many people denied that a woman can be a leader. She [Bhutto] has shown that a woman can be a leader,” she told India Today TV channel in an interview.

Asked if like Bhutto she would like to become the prime minister of Pakistan, she said, “Hopefully, if people vote.

But my dream is to help children to get education.”

However, she also added that “there are more ways to bring change in society”.

“Why are they [Pakistani leadership] silent if terrorism is happening in Swat valley? Why are they silent if girls are denied education or women are flogged on the streets?” she asked.

The good thing about India, she said, was that people don’t care about her religion or from where she belongs adding that she’s big fan of Bollywood and praised Salman Khan starrer ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ for delivering message of “peace” between India and Pakistan.

“I am very surprised and happy that people in India love me a lot...People stand with me knowing that I am doing a good work. This is what is good about India and I would love to visit India. I would love to see Delhi, Mumbai and other places,” she said.

Ms. Malala, whose life is the subject of an upcoming film, further said that she cannot tolerate women being denied the right to have an identity and girls being denied education.

Recounting the fateful day of attack in October 2012, she said, “When I was targeted, I was a little afraid. But I realised on that day no power in the world can stop my fight for education. This fight for education will continue.”

Ms. Malala said she is saddened that some of her friends have “stopped going to school and got married” while expressing hope that “some of them will still continue their education.”

“Yes, I talk to my friends, especially on Skype and phone and they keep me updated about what is happening there [Swat],” she said.

Empowering the future generation against terrorism would require investments in education, she said. “The weapons that we need are our books and pens and our voice that is the most important thing.”

Keywords: Malala Yousafzai, "silence" of Pakistani leaders, terrorism, India Today TV channel, Swat