US Centcom chief lauds Pak Army sacrifices

General James N. Mattis, Commander United States Central Command called on Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at General Headquarters on Monday. The visiting dignitary remained with him for some time and discussed the matters of professional interest.

According to military sources this is the first visit of General James N. Mattis, Commander United States Central Command to Pakistan after he assumed his responsibilities in place of General Petraeus.

He briefed the Army Chief on host of issues of bilateral issues like defense and military fields in depth.

He said that he would continue from where General Petraeus left the policy towards Pakistan.

Sources say that General James N. Mattis, Commander United States Central Command highly acclaimed the sacrifices and services of Pakistan army adding US will keep on supporting Pakistan.

He expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of numerous lives in one of the devastating floods in the history of Pakistan.

US is with Pakistan in this hour of crises, he said.

General James N. Mattis, Commander United States Central Command again told Army Chief that US cannot win war against terrorism without the sheer cooperation of Pakistan at any cost.

Both the high ups also threw light on strengthening military relations between the two countries, sources added.

SCBA chief to appear in Sialkot lynching case

KARACHI: Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Qazi Muhammad Anwar will appear in the case of lynching of two brothers in Sialkot to represent not only the bereaved family, but also to the sentiments of the citizens of Pakistan.

This was announced by the Convener of the Human Rights Committee of Supreme Court Bar Association, Zia Ahmed Awan, here on Monday. He said the tragic incident of Sialkot has shocked the whole nation. It has exposed the tall claims of upholding law and provision of security to the citizens.

Welcoming the suo moto notice of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, he said this kind of judicial activism is needed by the nation and country. He said the Bar would fully support and back this pro-people judicial activism.

Zia Awan said the lynching of two real brothers in the presence of police officers is not a lone case, but the incidents of police torture are rampant in our society. Quoting the research-based data of Madadgaar, Pakistan’s first helpline for women and children, he said during last nine years (2001-2009) as many as 2,530 cases of police torture against women and children were reported in the country. During the first seven months of current year 451 cases of police torture of women and children have been recorded. The number of police torture cases on males during this period is 207.

He said the Sialkot tragedy shows the country is being virtually ruled by the law of the jungle. He said the citizens are totally dissatisfied with the performance of police and demand immediate police reforms and purging the department from the black sheep. He regretted the government is still reluctant to introduce the police reforms, adding the Police Order Ordinance is yet to be implemented.

He said the drastic reformation in our police system is the need of the hour.

Zia Ahmed Awan said he had contacted the President of Sialkot District Bar Association, Rana Nasrullah, who has already deputed lawyers to conduct an inquiry into the incident. He said the report of this fact-finding mission would be made public soon. He said that SCBA President Qazi Muhammad Anwar and he (Zia Awan) himself will appear in the case to represent the victimized family and also to the sentiments of the Pakistani citizens.

Awan said the citizens have overwhelmingly condemned the brutal lynching of two real brothers in Sialkot and now the political parties and Parliament have to show their role in taking solid and serious steps to ensure that no such inhuman incidents ever repeat in this country in future.

India Causes Fresh Pakistan Floods

And Donates $5 Million To Victims

At least 148 Pakistani villages have been evacuated today because of the Indian action

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan-While Pakistani foreign minister and his government were busy accepting Indian aid for Pakistani flood victims, New Delhi released a massive 18,000 cusec feet of water from a dam in Indian-occupied Kashmir into Pakistan, prompting fresh fears of floods in the plains of Punjab and Sindh.

On 17 Aug., Pakistani website PakNationalists.com released a report ["Check Indian, Afghan Dams For Floods In Pakistan"] providing indications that minor flooding in northern Pakistan following torrential rains was worsened by India releasing water form tens of small dams that litter occupied Kashmir. These Indian dams have been full for the past two to three years.

An Afghan dam near the Pakistani border, called the Sarobi Dam, is also suspected of releasing vast amounts of water into river Kabul. The Afghan dam is run by an Indian company.

Until a week ago, on 16 Aug., Pakistan’s Meteorological Office confirmed there was no chance of flooding in the northern rivers of Ravi and Satluj.

According to a report in TheNation today, India has released 18,000 cusec of water into Ravi in the early hours of Saturday. It is not clear if the Indians gave Pakistan a 24-hour advance warning in accordance with the water treaty between the two countries. It is also not clear if the release of this amount of water is warranted considering that India has constructed a network of small- and medium-sized dams across Indian-occupied Kashmir adjoining northern Pakistan.

According to the newspaper report, ‘flood warning has been issued here to five drainages of River Ravi catchment areas in wake of possible flood due to release of water in river Ravi by India here on Saturday. As per details, India has release 18000-cusec water in river Ravi that could cause flood in five drainages of Narowal and Shaker Garh. Metrological department had predicted water level in river Ravi would remain low during next 24 hours but after release of water by India low-level flood has hit drainage Bhutsen and Basantar of River Ravi catchment area.

At least 168 villages along river Ravi have been evacuated in wake of possible flood while district administration has been red alerted in Narowal and Sialkot. The flood center in Lahore has given prior high flood warning in drainage located in Shakar Garh. More four drainages Basantar, Jhajri, Oojh and Khattar could be affected by the possible flood. Water inflow of 70,000 cusec at Shahdara could cause massive destruction.

Despite sharing rivers with Afghanistan and Indian-occupied Kashmir, no flooding has been witnessed in either Afghanistan or Indian-occupied Kashmir. Successive waves of flooding in Pakistan despite no rains for the past ten days raise a question mark on the amount of water India has released from its dozens of dams in Kashmir exploiting torrential rains and what initially started as limited flooding in northern Pakistan.

The key point here is that the initial flooding in pockets of northern Pakistan was natural but the subsequent flood waves in the absence of rain are possibly linked to opening the floodgates of Indian dams and the Indian-run Sarobi Dam in Afghanistan. The selective melting of Himalayan glaciers into Pakistan is also a point of consideration. The theory of some experts that the speed of melting at certain glaciers doubled to coincide with torrential rains is highly unlikely and does not explain the successive flood waves in River Kabul coming in from Afghanistan.

There are no Pakistani observers posted at the main Indian dam of Baglihar to check how much water India released into Pakistan during the last two weeks. Baglihar has been a point of contention between Islamabad and New Delhi since 2005. Some analysts in Pakistan have described the dam as a national security threat. The last two years have confirmed Pakistani fears when India blocked Pakistan’s share of the rivers flowing from Kashmir, turning vast agricultural lands of central Pakistani plains into arid zones.

A pro-US Pakistani government is loath to raise this issue with New Delhi in order not to alienate Washington and London, the two capitals that worked for the return from exile of key figures in the incumbent Pakistani government.

On US prodding, the Pakistani government officials have been indirectly defending the Indian position by denying that India is stealing Pakistan’s water and that Pakistan’s problem is water wastage.