Posts Tagged ‘baluchistan’

Pressure Tactics

December 22, 2010

By Ghalib Sultan

The recent New York Times article (NYT, Monday 20th November) that focuses on possible US military operations across the Pakistan-Afghan border into Pakistan to pursue Taliban and destroy sanctuaries may not be accurate but it is not that far off the mark as is being suggested. It has to be seen in the overall context of the pressure being orchestrated to get Pakistan to eliminate ‘Taliban sanctuaries’ in the FATA and Baluchistan. These ‘sanctuaries’ are being seen as the main reason for continued Taliban resistance, even resurgence, in Afghanistan by the US and their hosts-the Afghan government. The US wants Pakistan to ‘sanitize’ these sanctuaries.

The pressure on Pakistan to ‘act’ was always there. It has picked up dramatic momentum after the US Afghan War Strategy Review. Several tracks are being used to create a cumulative effect. There is the impression being created that the political government wants to fast track the normalization process with India and respond positively to US demands for action in the western border areas but the ‘establishment’ (euphemism for the military and intelligence-ISI) are the stumbling blocks. Needless to say both India and the Afghan government support this view. The ‘establishment’ is being projected as the real force calling the shots in the country and having its own agenda linked to its resource requirements. The past is dredged up to focus on old transgressions like interventions and policies that led to negative consequences and a blowback that has destabilized the country. Doubts are periodically raised about the security of strategic assets and a past proliferation episode is repeatedly presented with ‘new’ and ‘just uncovered’ dimensions to involve the military institution. There has been a most significant surge in drone strikes and this has led to outrage in civil society. Linked to this is the media report of possible US cross-border operations against ‘sanctuaries’. Within the domestic context the overall effect is that anti-US sentiment increases, the military gets blamed for passivity and for giving unprecedented access to the US (WIKILEAKS confirmed this!). Inevitably decision making becomes difficult because no military waging a counter-insurgency campaign can afford to be alienated from civil society. The government and the military also cannot act in tandem if there is the perception of a civil military divide-especially if this perception is created and nurtured.

Where this orchestrated campaign takes us cannot be predicted but it is clear that it will not lead to a situation that Pakistan desires. Pakistan (including the ‘establishment) wants a government-military-civil society relationship that is seen to be pulling in the same strategic direction and jointly resisting the attempts to cause discord or create the perception of discord. Pakistan understands its internal environment better than anybody else and knows that economic viability, security and internal harmony are interlinked and sensing the change in the regional balance of power knows that there cannot be a push for anything other than a threat reduction policy – this has implications for Pakistan’s policies towards India and Afghanistan. Pakistan – neither the government nor the establishment – can allow themselves to be railroaded into actions that lead to imbalance and violence across the country in a period of economic vulnerability. There is full understanding in Pakistan that sections of the western border areas are havens for drugs and weapon smugglers, bomb makers, suicide bomber trainers, criminals, kidnappers, insurgents and terrorists and would-be terrorists from across the world as well as Afghan Taliban, Al Qaeda and various other organizations that are active in the region. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the two countries directly affected but legitimate concerns exist in the Central Asian States, Russia, China, India, Iran and countries that have disenchanted segments of society. Why would Pakistan want ‘sanctuaries’ that threaten it on its soil if it can act to destroy them?

So ‘sanctuaries’ are neither a US discovery nor an exclusive concern of the US. It follows that Pakistan would want its writ across its western border areas and stability within the country. The question is what effect is the US presence in Afghanistan having, how long this presence going to continue and how is it going to end – if ever? Clarity on this could do much to shape regional policies. The US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue should either lead to an understanding of respective positions or it should be treated as a façade behind which transactional and expedient policies are being implemented by those who lack the vision to see beyond the tactical domain – the orchestrated pressures and manipulated perceptions then start making sense. The drugs-weapons-dollars chain needs to be seriously challenged. Border security needs to be enhanced by a multi state effort. The ambiguity surrounding drone strikes and their targets is no longer sustainable and an agreed policy has to be evolved. Intelligence coordination on a regional basis is badly needed to track the dispersal of terrorists and exposure of their sponsors. Economic aid and support measures have to be raised to levels that compensate the countries involved for what they are losing. An overall environment has to be created for a negotiated political settlement that is acceptable to all and that survives the US/NATO withdrawal.

The City of Death

October 20, 2010

By: Ghalib Sultan

The politically motivated blood bath in Pakistan’s biggest city Karachi has turned this commercial hub into a city of death. Armed gangs on motorcycles and cars roam the streets targeting innocent people whose only fault is their ethnicity or membership of a particular community. More gruesome is the brutality with which people are tortured, tied up, executed and thrown in the streets. Much of this happens in dark alleys and quiet streets though drive-by shootings in crowded places are also common. Two areas of the city dominated by rival parties and notorious for gang warfare and criminal hang-outs have emerged as the bases from where the killers are launched to kill specific targets. Criminals with scores to settle have joined in the mayhem and are adding to the street body count. All this happens as political parties wrangle with each other and a government-judiciary struggle sets off pathetic debates about the political future with the past being dredged up to create scandals. The dead of Karachi are being ignored.

Violence is not new to Karachi. It has a twenty year old history of ethnic, sectarian and political violence. At one time when doctors of a particular sect were being targeted many of them left the country for good. Most corporate headquarters moved out of the city and relocated elsewhere. Like all big cities it has criminal gangs and mafias with connections to law enforcers, politicians and officialdom. These gangs control prostitution, gambling and drugs-they also provide guns for hire and arrange funds through extortion, bank robberies and kidnappings for ransom. Just before the present surge of violence there was a spate of bank holdups, kidnapping and armed robberies. This time the Taliban and their local extremist partners are an added presence with destabilization and economic destruction as their main thrust. At various times one or other ethnic community or political grouping has dominated the Karachi scene and whenever Karachi has been in the grip of violence the rest of the province of Sindh has been almost without governance and law enforcement—it is no different this time as total anarchy prevails in an environment where the flood hit people are most vulnerable to predators.

The present provincial government is representative of the coalition that rules the country. The general opinion is that this provincial government has failed. There is also a view that in-fighting among the political parties is responsible for the violence. The surprise is that neither the economic decline, nor the devastating floods nor the insurgency in the west nor the extremist threat within the country, nor the destruction by floods and nor the threat to Baluchistan has led to the sort of drastic measures that are needed to stem the tide that has all but engulfed Pakistan. The spectacle that the world sees is horrifying and there is astonishment at the trivialities in which the internal debate within Pakistan is engaged. If this were a film the director would call ‘CUT’ and get down to sorting out all the problems before moving further. The tragedy is that this is not a film-it is real life and real people are dying Statements that ‘take notice’ of killings help neither the dead nor the living and only add to the rage that is building and it is this rage that many are waiting to exploit through a bloody revolution-something that should never happen in a nuclear armed state. When people cower in fear, when children and women are not safe, when streets are killing zones, when terror stalks the land, when hunger and poverty are the lot of the majority—what should you expect? Do we need a rocket scientist to give us the answer?

Afghanistan origin terrorism in Pakistan

January 15, 2010

IN a briefing to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on Tuesday, the Director General ISI Ahmad Shuja Pash pointed out that Afghan soil is being used for terrorist activities in Pakistan, adding that peace cannot be established in the country unless infiltration from Afghan border is stopped.

In a related development, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in Abu Dhabi that the war against Taliban should be fought within Afghanistan and there should be no spill over into Pakistan.

Though it is an open secret that the Afghan soil is being used for terrorist activities in Pakistan yet the statement of General Pasha carries more substance and weight as it comes from a person who has the authority and necessary knowledge to speak on the subject. Ground realities also substantiate his assertions because the way the militants are resisting the full might of the Pakistan armed forces for about a year makes it abundantly clear that they have full foreign backing.

Otherwise, it was next to impossible for a handful of elements to put up organized resistance without financial support, training and supply of arms and ammunition.

Pakistan has been complaining since long that Indians were using Afghan territory for harbouring terrorism in FATA and Balochistan but the occupation forces in Afghanistan are not taking these complaints seriously. Again, Pakistan has also been telling the US and NATO forces that their surge in Afghanistan would inevitably lead to pressure on Pakistan as militants would make their way to this side of the border but this concern too has fallen on deaf ears.

This leads one to believe that all this is happening with the connivance of the occupation forces in Afghanistan and the apparent objective is to soften the country. How is it possible that those who see so-called training camps in Muridke are oblivious of what is happening right under their nose?

One day we all will be terrorists!

January 15, 2010

By Dr Haider Mehdi

“Dissent is no longer the duty of the engaged citizen but is becoming an act of terrorism.”

- Chris Hedges (in an article of the same title)

My generation grew up in a different Pakistan. A different Lahore, a different Karachi, a different Peshawar, a different Quetta, a different Islamabad and an entirely different country.

In Lahore, people sat in Pak Tea House and Coffee House and talked about politics, poetry, religion, culture and friendships gave birth, on a daily basis, to youthful romanticism of our times: the mutual seduction of kindred spirits within the confines of our cultural values and the gentleness of Urdu poetry, songs, geets (lyrics) and the Lahori humour. We celebrated basant (the kite-flying festival), maila-charagha (the festival of lights) and Urs Data Gung-Baksh (the festival of a saint). We observed Muharram with great reverence.

Karachi used to be alive 24 hours a day all year round. It was a city of “lights”, “fashion”, hustle-bustle of a truly cosmopolitan metropolis. Ethnic diversity and tolerance was the hallmark of this city.

Peshawar was a beacon of hospitality, a tribute to human gentleness and an affirmation of a rich community life.

Quetta’s apple-laden trees decorated its roads everywhere and the Balochis colourful existence found its spirit in its music, songs and even in its cuisine. Moreover, Pakistan’s rural society existed in purity, simplicity and the zealousness of hard working people.

Pakistan was a different country then: we lived in relative peace, tolerance and mutual harmony. A delicious puri nashta cost one rupee, petrol was Rs 2.50 a gallon, schooling was cheap, sugar and food were plenty, and a round-trip by PIA from Lahore to Karachi was Rs 250.

The majority of Pakistanis were poor even then, but there was no mass starvation, deprivation suicides, forced prostitution, massive collective depressive communities, agonising socio-psychological conditions, economic collapse, and no one knew of crippling demoralising inner fears. We did not know of institutional violence and extensive state terror – though police brutality and legal system atrocities were common, bureaucracy was horribly cruel, corrupt, inefficient and unbelievably powerful vis-à-vis the citizenry, commerce thrived on black marketing and the political class wholly and completely indulged in vested interests, inappropriate use of political power and mismanagement of state affairs.

Even though we lived with a million vices as a nation, but strangely enough, life was not as painful as it is in today’s democratic Pakistan. Neither was the entire nation, every one of its citizens, gripped with such forceful, depleting and paralysing fear – a fear that the management of the survival of this country has gone out of control. A fear that we all may be blown away from existence the next moment, if not literally then at least in a metaphorical sense!

Do you realise the seriousness of our contemporary political crisis?

The present state of our deplorable existence is the work of our decade long political leadership inclusive of Pervez Musharraf’s dictatorship and the incumbent political dispensation in the country.

The fundamental failure of our national policy is this country’s ruling elite’s destructive all time political-economic-military alliance with the US and its allies (now India included).

Even at the time that I have described as the “golden days” of Pakistan’s past, our ruling elite was fully and comprehensively politically engaged with the US and its allies. However the US was in a different political mode then: it was fighting its own self-invented “demons” – the communist ideology and the communist nations (though communism was not a threat – it was a political experiment to solve mass poverty). The objective of American foreign policy was global political-economic and military domination.

In the present day world, the policy objectives of the US and its allies remain same: worldwide imperialist hegemony and exploitation by the west’s multi-national corporations.

However, in the contemporary equation, the west’s enemies have been redefined: Now we are the “demons”. They have declared a war against Muslim nations, their people, their faith, their culture, their traditions, their values and customs, their history and even against their existence as we know it today. Huntington in The Clash of Civilisations warns that if we do not transform our civilisation to a western model, then we must be prepared for an ultimate obliteration through successive wars at the hands of the west: we are given no choices.

Seven hundred Pakistani citizens died in American drone attacks in 2009 alone. It is not accidental!

What the US and its western allies do not understand is that their present war is not against an economic-political ideology (communism). This war is against a people, a faith, a history, an existential reality, an entirety of a civilisation, an actual formidable historical presence and an enduring spiritual entity. They, the US and its allies (which include collaborating political elites in Muslim countries), cannot win this war. Indeed, they can unleash havoc, a wave of destruction (as they are doing now), but they cannot and will not win!

Coming back to the context of Pak-US relations, consider the following most plausible scenario in the immediate future:

Through covertly managed organised violence, collaborations, propaganda, bombings and political manipulations, the US succeeds in destabilising Pakistan to an extent of complete political chaos, limited anarchy and a near civil war situation. Under the pretext of threat to international security, American and NATO forces are moved from Afghanistan to Pakistan. Pakistan’s nuclear assets are seized, a puppet regime is installed: Pakistan is de-nuclearised, India (the newest US ally) becomes a dominant regional power, Iran is contained, China-Russia growing political clout is checked, the US/west’s historical global dominance is achieved – the world is saved!

Is that what the Pakistani nation wants and deserves?

Imran Khan’s perspective on Pakistan’s foreign policy and domestic priorities is correct: we need to politically-militarily disengage Pakistan from the US/west’s global objectives. We need to immediately end this so-called War on Terror against our own citizens. We need to negotiate peace with political dissidents in NWFP, Balochistan and in every corner of Pakistan. We must appreciate the fact that political dissent is not terror!

We ought to, by engaging our own citizens and political dissidents, quietly and secretly do a complete “cleansing” of the foreign elements and local collaborators involved in organised violence in our country. This can only be accomplished by a determined, independent, nationalist and highly efficient political leadership that can make the national policy without American influence and interference. And this is the ultimate requirement of our times.

At last, Mian Nawaz Sharif said something right the other day: the public in Pakistan needs to think in revolutionary ways now.

Allow me to go one step further: what we need is a revolutionary political leadership in this country. We deserve a change in the political mindset and political conduct of this nation’s leaders. We need fresh leadership in Pakistan.

We all do not need to be politically loyal to our contemporary political dispensation or to our present political allies. We must completely reject a global political system of US/west’s dominance.

We all ought to be political dissidents! After all, dissent is a vital element of the democratic political process. It is a duty of an engaged citizenry!

One day we all might be considered terrorists by our western “friends”.

Never mind. So be it!

The writer is an academic, political analyst and conflict-resolution expert.
Email: hl_mehdi@hotmail.com

India’s unhelpful attitude

January 15, 2010

By Tariq Fatemi

India’s long tradition of democracy has given the country an image of a responsible and restrained nation. But this view is not shared by India’s neighbours, especially the smaller ones.


An India’s Border Security Force (BSF) soldier patrols near the fenced border with Pakistan in Suchetgarh, southwest of Jammu, January 12, 2010. An Indian soldier was killed on Monday in cross-border firing in Kashmir, the latest in a spurt of violence in the disputed region that has raised tensions with Pakistan, officials said. – Photo by Reuters.

The past 60 years have shown India’s tendency to throw its weight about and browbeat its neighbours. With those that are bigger and more powerful, India tends to adopt a moralistic and intellectually superior tone, as noted by some American leaders. With its smaller neighbours, it does not hesitate to take off its gloves.

Of course, we are no paragons of virtue either, and in many cases, it has been our own arrogance and folly, more than Indian machinations, that have contributed to our failures and losses, whether in view of the East Pakistan debacle or the Kargil adventure.

It had, however, been expected that with the restoration of a democratic dispensation in Pakistan and with virtually all major political parties committed to establishing a cooperative relationship with India, New Delhi would engage in a comprehensive dialogue aimed at resolving the differences that have plagued ties between the South Asian neighbours.

The Mumbai terror attack in November 2008 angered the Indian government, which thereafter had to cater to massive popular outrage. The consequent decision to suspend the dialogue with Pakistan was understandable.

Since then, the Pakistani leadership has been engaged in a major effort to convince New Delhi that it was sincere in its desire to cooperate with India with the common objective of confronting the extremists. In fact, the most remarkable thing was the near unanimity with which the Pakistanis not only condemned the Mumbai attacks, but also acknowledged that their country needed to take concrete steps to assuage India’s anguish.

None of this, however, appears to have had much impact on the Indian establishment. Even the expectations raised at the Gilani-Singh meeting in Sharm El Sheikh were snuffed out when Manmohan Singh’s colleagues publicly expressed their misgivings.

Then again, while Singh’s statement last October in Srinagar that he was not setting preconditions for the dialogue had raised fresh hopes, it did not indicate anything new, for he placed his readiness for talks in the context of Pakistan being able to create an environment conducive to negotiations. His pronouncement neither accompanied nor followed any move to re-engage Islamabad. Instead, Delhi declined to respond to the road map for resuming talks that Pakistan had conveyed to Indian officials.

This led many to believe that Prime Minister Singh’s remarks in Srinagar were merely meant to coincide with US Secretary Hillary Clinton’s visit to Pakistan, as well as his own visit to Washington a few weeks later.

In the meanwhile, the Pakistanis kept pleading for the resumption of dialogue, while the Indians continued to rebuff these offers. The Indian foreign minister ridiculed even the offer of back-channel exchanges. It was then that realisation dawned on the Pakistani leadership that the country’s repeated requests were becoming demeaning.

In the meanwhile, India appears to have raised the ante, with the Indian army chief Gen Kapoor remarking that “the possibility of a limited war in a nuclear overhang is still a reality, at least in the Indian subcontinent”.

What has been particularly galling is the failure of the Obama administration to act on its seemingly wise policy pronouncements during the election campaign. Instead of encouraging India to reduce its presence in Afghanistan and ceasing to stir up trouble in Balochistan, the US appears to have gone along with Indian allegations, agreeing to inject into the US-India joint statement a provision “to work jointly to deal with terrorism emanating from India’s neighbourhood”.

This was strange, coming from an administration that had publicly expressed a desire to promote Indo-Pakistan normalisation and to work for the resolution of the Kashmir problem.

The Indian army chief’s latest statement in which he spoke of his army’s capacity to fight a two-front war has evoked great surprise and disappointment. But while it conveyed hostility and belligerence, his words are neither realistic nor achievable as India does not have the capability to successfully initiate its much-heralded ‘cold start’ strategy, much less wage two wars against two neighbours simultaneously.

This does not mean, however, that we can dismiss these statements as mere rhetoric. It could be more evidence of the increasing inclination of the Indian forces to have a role in the India-Pakistan equation.

According to some observers, there has been a slow but perceptible change in India where an increasing number are reported to have insisted on being given more than merely a ‘hearing’ on issues relating to Pakistan, especially Siachen and Sir Creek. The Indian armed forces have gradually come to believe that given the growing challenges that India faces both domestically and on its frontiers, a more visible role for it is in order.

Another important factor is the newfound confidence acquired from the special relationship that the US has so eagerly conferred on India, not only as its strategic partner, but also as a potential counterweight to China. No less important could be the growing influence of rightwing parties and religious groups that want India to adopt more nationalist policies vis-à-vis its neighbours.

Whatever the reason, our leaders should not react in haste or with similar belligerence. What must be avoided at all costs are provocative steps, such as refusing to cooperate against the militants or brandishing nuclear assets.

Instead, what is required is a dispassionate analysis of what these signals portend for Pakistan and sensitising our friends to Indian actions. While we must not be distracted from the objective of seeking a peaceful resolution of our differences with India, we must not show undignified haste towards that end.

AMERICANS MUST ASK; WHO IS BREEDING TERRORISM?

January 14, 2010


The World’s Worst Terrorists Based In Washington

by Pakalert

The above-captioned article was written by John Pilger in the daily The Yumiuri Shimbun, of Japan, dated 30th August, 1998. He says “In recent years Muslims have been the greatest sufferers from state terrorism.” The excerpts of his above-mentioned article are as below.

“By knowingly killing innocent people, for political ends, President Clinton is a terrorist. By supporting his actions, the Prime Minister and the Defense Secretary, of Britain, are accomplices. The dictionary meaning of terrorism allows no other interpretation; the rest is willful obfuscation, or propaganda. What matters now is our informed reaction.

In 1986, there was an ‘evil’ Colonel Gaddafi, whose country President Reagan bombed from bases in Britain, killing mostly women and children, including Gaddafi’s 16- month-old daughter.

In 1990, there was the ‘evil’ General Noriega, said to be a dangerous drug trafficker, whose capture by US Marines required a full-scale invasion of his country and the death by bombing of at least 2,000 Panamanians, mostly the poorest of the poor in their barrios. Noriega and drugs had precious little to do with it. The aim was to put Panama, its canal and its US base under direct American sovereignty, managed by other Noriegas.

I the same year, there was ‘the truly evil’ Saddam Hussein, another one of Bush’s and Reagan’s old pals, whose regime they had armed and backed (along with Margaret Thatcher, who sent most of her cabinet to Baghdad as supplicants of arms salesmen). Saddam’s use of American and British weapons in his attack on the “evil” Mullas in Iran in 1980 was perfectly acceptable. A million people died in that ‘forgotten’ war; and the Americans and British arms industries never looked back. Then Saddam Hussein attacked the wrong country, Kuwait, which was effectively an Anglo-American oil protectorate. “An uppity bastard” as one (US) State Department briefer described him more in sorrow than anger. Punishing Saddam Hussein cost as many as 200,000 Iraqi lives, according to a study by the Medical Educational Trust. These were ordinary Iraqis who died during and immediately after a period of military and economic carnage whose true scale has never been appreciated outside the Middle East.

The old fashioned colonial massacre was called the Gulf War. The dead included thousands of Kurdish and Shia people who were Saddam’s bitter opponents and whom Bush had called upon to rise up against their oppressor. Long after it was over New York Newsday revealed, from official sources, that three brigades of the US 1st Mechanized Infantry Division – “The Big Red One” had used snow ploughs mounted on tanks to bury alive Iraqis conscripts in more than seventy miles of trenches. A brigade commander said, “For all I know we have killed thousands”. This is a war crime.

The following year, Bush attacked Somalia in what was called a “humanitarian intervention”. He was in the midst of his re-election campaign. Bush said the marines were doing “God’s work saving thousands of innocents”. Like this moralizing over the Gulf war, this was generally accepted by the British media, with honorable exceptions.

American television crews were waiting as the Marines landed in a beautiful African pre-dawn: “prime time” at home. From the Somalian side there was perpetual darkness; “chaos” and “tribalism” and “warlords”. When the American warlords had completed their adventure in Somalia and taken the media home with them, the story died, as we say. According to CIA estimates, the Marines had left between 7,000 and 10,000 Somalis dead. This was not news.

Soon after he was elected in 1992, Clinton attacked Baghdad with 23 Cruise missiles which destroyed a residential area, killing, once again mostly women and children, including Iraq’s most distinguished artist, Leila al-attar. Interviewed on his way to church with his wife, Clinton said, “I feel quite good about this, and I think the American people feel quite good about it.” The pretext for attack was an Iraqi “plot” to kill George Bush on a visit to Kuwait. There was no hard evidence and the plot story widely regarded as fake.

In 1996, Clinton attacked Iraq again, this time insisting that he was “defending” Kurds against Saddam Hussein, who must pay the price”. Once again thousands of civilians, mostly innocent women and children paid the price.

In earlier 1998, Clinton very nearly attacked Iraq again. Virtually the same footage of missiles looking sleek against the dawn light, courtesy of the Pentagon, appeared on British television. What stopped him..?.

Like spontaneous combustion, public opinion all over the world raised its voice. The cameras have also shown glimpses of Iraq’s silent holocaust, the consequences of the imposition of “economic sanctions” by the United States and Britain (under the usual UN flag of convenience) against the Iraqi civilian population.

Tony Blair said he wept for the children who were killed in Omagh by the terrorist act; but he was silent on the children who died in Iraq as a result of one of the most enduring terrorist acts of the late 20th century, conducted largely by his government and its principal ally, the USA. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, both UN agencies, more than half a million children have died as a direct result of sanctions. Other sources put the figure at over a million which could be more authentic as compared to of UN organizations which could more likely be biased. Baby food and enriched powdered milk were blockaded along with vital hospital equipments.”

What an irony of fate that Iraqi people whose country was the 2nd biggest oil producing country in the world, had been invaded by US on false pretexts, to rob off their oil and genocide of millions of Muslim Iraqi people, mostly women and children, who were slaughtered by indiscriminate bombing by US Air Force and dozens of cruise missiles by US Naval aircraft carriers. The only fault of theirs was that they belonged, to the 2nd biggest oil producing country in the world. Their one million children died of starvation because of non-availability of baby food, milk powder; ordinary medicines, not to speak of life-saving drugs and hospital equipments. Could there be a bigger terrorism of 20th and 21st centuries committed by USA and its allies, than this, and yet these countries call themselves as the flag carriers of Human Rights..? shame on them.

And when “Oil for Food” programme was launched for Iraqi people by UN, of course with the ‘permission’ from USA, number of people including then UN Secretary General’s son, Indian ex foreign minister and many other notables of the world made millions of dollars in this biggest world-fame scam. The then UN Secretary General announced for a high-level enquiry into it which is s but the enquiry into, the ‘Report’ of which is still awaited or has been hushed-up. UNO is a totally biased against Muslims as well as the most corrupt organization in the world. Muslim countries should better say ‘goodbye’ to UNO and give a stealth spine to OIC to counter terrorism of USA and its allies effectively, as a Muslim Nations Organization.

As John Pilger came out with the facts and has criticized USA and its main ally, Britain, for state terrorism and genocide of Muslims, renowned American scholar, thinker and an intellectual superstar of the 20th century, a philosopher of languages and political campaigner of towering academic reputation, Dr. Noam Chomsky, has also declared “US a terrorist state and the US foreign policy is straight out of mafia”. By the way what does he mean of “mafia”…? He means the American Jews in White house, US administration, CIA, and the Pentagon. Dr. Chomsky also said, “United States did not seek authorization for launching air strikes on Afghanistan from the United Nations because the involvement of the world body could have limited its unilateral power to act.” He did not agree that the American people had supported US attacks on Afghanistan and accused US and Britain of abusing power in ‘war’.

In addition to the above statements, from John Pilger and Dr. Noam Chomsky, a British journalist, George Monblot has said, “US treats the rest of the world as its doormat”, in Guardian News Service. He further said, “Since Bush, Jr. came to office, the United States has torn up more international treaties and disregarded more UN conventions than the rest of the world has done in 20 years. It has scupper-ed the biological weapons convention while experimenting, illegally, on its own. It has permitted CIA hit squads to recommence covert operations of the kind which included, in the past, the assassination of foreign head of state. It has sabotaged the small arms treaty, undermined the international criminal court”.

After taking-over as the President of USA, George W. Bush has also been following the footprints not only of his father but of his predecessors, as well. He also attacked Iraq on illogical pleas as he changed the justification on attack on Iraq twice. At first, Iraq was named as potential target because it was “assisting Al-Qaida”. This turned out to be untrue. Then the US government claimed that Iraq had to be attacked because it could be developing weapons of mass destructions (WMDs), and was refusing to allow weapons inspectors to find out if this was so. Whereas, in fact Saddam Hussein had only a few lame Scud missiles. This allegations also proved to be untrue when Bush himself confessed that he acted on a false and unconfirmed report from CIA, but the damaged had been done as at least half-a-million innocent Iraqis had be massacred, so what…? Iraq had a few lame Scud missiles and nothing else whereas US, Britain, Israel have multiple types of WMDs in abundance but that can’t be questioned. This is terrorism of USA, Britain and Israel. Moreover, according to George Monblot, US have to remain on war with any country so that its war-ammunition factories keep on working, throughout the year. After Iraq it is Afghanistan and Pakistan, then its Iran or Sudan, and Yemen, on USA’s agenda of war.

The Muslim states are always ‘suspected’ of making WMDs, by USA and its allies, whereas the blamers have stored numerous types of WMDs piled up in their respective countries, their ammunition factories running 24 hours preparing WMDs to be used on weaker Muslim civilians/countries with the only objective of genocide, of Muslims, and to have control on their natural resources as they are getting oil for free by printing dollars which is NOT backed by gold which means that it’s just a piece of printed paper.

Similarly, under the guise of “War-on-terror”, Bush Jr. invaded Afghanistan, in the name of “Crusade”, killing at least about a million innocent Afghan civilians in the process while unleashing the rain of cruise missiles, Daisy Cutter bombs, the Cave-busters and also experimented the Mother-of-all bombs on poor Afghan civilians, treating them as “collateral damage’ and afterward the files closed. Isn’t it biggest terrorism of the century…?

As a matter of fact the post WW-II generation of US leaders, specifically the Presidents, CIA and Pentagon chiefs, have developed the psyche of terrorism, in the name of “US Interests”, all around the world, compared to of pre-WW-II era. The majority of hawks, mostly Jews who crept into the important organizations, US administration, CIA, Pentagon, US Justice Dept, FBI, National and Homeland Security, the Police, as a planning and succeeded in their objectives of taking control of these important pillars of US government, and thus running the US government as they want. In other words the Jews are ruling the world that is why a vast difference could be observed between the psyches of the generations of US leaders of pre and the post WW-II generations, as said earlier, and this phenomenon occurred, after the birth of Israel, in 1948. As a matter of fact Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, is more active in USA than anywhere else in the world as it’s an anytime-life-threat to non-Jewish politicians of USA as the American Jews have spread in almost all the important domestic organizations of the US, like FBI, the Justice Dept; the Police, National/Homeland security, like cancer.

According to Hesham Tillawi’s (Ph.d.) Report, John F. Kennedy and his brother, “Bobby”, Robert Kennedy, who were against Israel’s nuclear development programme, were killed by Israel, in collaboration with some Jewish CIA agents, as proved by him. The documentary could be viewed on the video.

By virtue of being US citizens the Jews have also taken-over control of international financial and media communication. On the media front the Jews own 6 out of 9 international media organizations including all TV channels of USA, hence, they control the world media and give fabricated news of their interest only. They can not tolerate and let survive Muslims in these two fields, for example they couldn’t tolerate fast expansion and popularity of Al-Jazira TV network, therefore, by taking some bogus pleas they arranged (CIA) sponsored attack on the head office of Al-Jazira TV because this (Muslim) TV net-work used to telecast the news without any fabrication and used to give the true picture of events and the news which and was against the western (Jewish) media. Isn’t it terrorism…?

Then, on financial side, the western (Jewish) bankers and financial top guns, became afraid of the fast expansion and patronization, of BCCI, by Muslims states i.e. Gulf and the M.E. Therefore, foreseeing that all the Muslim wealth which they were using from decades may out-flow from their banks to this Islamic bank, BCCI, so, they leveled and framed false allegation of money laundering and malpractices in the money markets. Whereas, on the other, almost all the banks of Switzerland and Britain are openly involved in money laundering and other malpractices but these banks have never been pointed out for ‘crimes’, BCCI was punished. It’s a well known fact that Britain, Switzerland and Spain are the main hubs of money laundering. According to a survey only in London 50% of global money laundering is being done by the banks in London, having their head offices in US and Israel, so, where are those “Policemen of the world Financial markets” who got BCCI closed for money laundering and irregular banking practices..?. Isn’t it terrorism against Muslim countries by US…?

The Jews own world biggest banks and the financial institutions which lend to the third world countries on their terms and conditions. The big question is from where they got so much money to control finance of the world. The answer is simple; they made fool of the Sheikhdoms and sucked their wealth of oil by giving them paper-money, printing dollars, after de-linking with equivalent gold reserves, in 1970, so that they may print as much (paper) dollars as possible as the dollar had become the only currency in the world which was always in demand because the world finance controllers, the Jews, had put conditions on international trading, through US administration, that the payments of not only oil but also of all the business transactions, will be made in dollars, therefore, they printed dollars as much as they could as they were NOT supposed to keep equivalent reserves in gold, and sucked-in the whole worlds’ resources, particularly and, in fact, practically they started getting oil almost for free, against ‘paper money’. The Arab Sheikhs did not realize that the dollar they are getting against selling trillions of barrels of oil has no backing of gold reserves, that is how the Jews, in US administration made fool of these Arab Sheikhs and sucked their oil wealth sitting in US.

There is an open ended excuse of US administration, given by the ‘Hawks’, the American Jews, is to safeguard “US Interests” which, predominantly, is a big threat not only to the third world countries but to those EU countries, as well, which oppose US against its discriminatory policies. I have written in one of my previous articles that the US may even bomb a EU member country under the garb of “US Interests” as the ‘war-on-terror’ is going on in Afghanistan and Pakistan as, Obama has recently said, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan may attack USA. Is it really believable that tiny countries like Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan may attack US, in the presence of her bases in the whole of Europe, M.E and the Far East, plus the 9 roaming naval fleets equipped with all sorts of WMDs and even nukes …? These US bases in Britain and also in almost all European countries plus the year-round roaming USA’s 9 naval fleets, are there to terrorize the weak and the third world countries, specially the Muslim.

The US economic terrorism could also be vouched through its’ economic policies for the third world countries so that these countries may not be able to stand on their feet, ever, and keep begging before US, IMF or the World Bank. The book “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”, written by John Perkins, a former respected member of the international banking community: John Perkins verifies it as he described “How the U.S. Uses Globalization to Cheat Poor Countries out of Trillions. And how as a highly paid professional, he helped the U.S. cheat poor countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars by lending them more money than they could possibly repay and then take over their economies.” While giving an interview to Amy Goldman he disclosed, “I was initially recruited while I was in business school back in the late sixties by the National Security Agency, the nation’s largest and least understood spy organization; but ultimately I worked for private corporations. The first real economic hit man was back in the early 1950′s, Kermit Roosevelt, the grandson of Teddy, who overthrew of government of Iran, a democratically elected Mossadegh’s government, who was Time’s magazine person of the year; and he was so successful at doing this without any bloodshed-well, there was a little bloodshed, but no military intervention, just spending millions of dollars and replaced Mossadegh with the Shah of Iran. At that point, we understood that this idea of economic hit man was an extremely good one. We didn’t have to worry about the threat of war with Russia when we did it this way. The problem with that was that Roosevelt was a C.I.A. agent. He was a government employee. Had he been caught, we would have been in a lot of trouble. It would have been very embarrassing. So, at that point, the decision was made to use organizations like the C.I.A. and the N.S.A. to recruit potential economic hit men like me and then send us to work for private consulting companies, engineering firms, construction companies, so that if we were caught, there would be no connection with the government.”

Exactly, the same US/CIA has created “Blackwater”, the mercenary force to get USA achieve its’ (heinous) objectives against smaller and weaker states like Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Pakistan the “Blackwater” is known as “Xe-Services”, hired by DynCorp through a Pakistani sub-agency, so that USA could not be blames of its’ direct involvement in “Blackwater” or Xe-Services’s activities of killing, abduction, bombing the crowded market through remote controlled car/truck bombings as had been done in Iraq and now going on in Pakistan.

Perkins further writes, “The book was to be dedicated to the presidents of two countries, men who had been his clients whom I respected and thought of as kindred spirits-Jaime Roldós, president of Ecuador, and Omar Torrijos, president of Panama. Both had just died in fiery crashes. Their deaths were not accidental. They were assassinated because they opposed that fraternity of corporate, government, and banking heads whose goal is global empire. We Economic Hit Men failed to bring Roldós and Torrijos around, and the other type of hit men, the CIA-sanctioned jackals who were always right behind us, stepped in.”

John Perkins goes on to write: “I was persuaded to stop writing that book. I started it four more times during the next twenty years. On each occasion, my decision to begin again was influenced by current world events: the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1980, the first Gulf War, Somalia, and the rise of Osama bin Laden. However, threats or bribes always convinced me to stop.” But now Perkins has finally published his story. The book is titled Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. John Perkins joins us now in our Firehouse studios.

USA has developed a complex of all types of ammunition producing factories, including WMDs, and in order to keep these factories working throughout the year she needs to use the ammunition, as briefly mentioned earlier. The British journalist George Monblot, of The Guardian News Service, writes, “The United States also possess a vast military-industrial complex which is in constant need of conflict in order to justify its’ staggeringly expensive existence. Perhaps more importantly than any of these factories, the hawks who control the White House, perceive that perpetual war results in the perpetual demand for their services. Therefore, the hawks know that they will win, whoever loses. In other words, if the US were not preparing to attack Iraq, it would be preparing to attack another nation. The US will go to war with that country because it needs a country with which to go to war.” He was totally justified in saying it as US took false pleas to attack Iraq and simultaneously also attacked Afghanistan, after finishing the ‘jobs’ of genocide of Muslims and continuously sucking in Iraqi oil for free. Isn’t it US terrorism…?

Now US eying to have control of worlds largest gold and copper reservoirs of Balochistan apart from vast gas, oil and rich mineral resources of Afghanistan, and that could only be achieved by denuclearizing Pakistan, first. Since India and Israel will be the prime beneficiaries so US/CIA also using their “investment” in the shape of supply of ammunition to militants, the TTP, US mercenary army, military training of Afghans gorillas in India, exactly as India trained 300,000 Mukti Bahinis, sent inside E. Pakistan, to attack (E. Pakistan) from 9 inside. Whereas, US is apparently ‘partner’ of it’s an old ally, Pakistan but stabbing in the back (of Pakistan) to achieve the desired objectives, which are as under, therefore, the hawks, the Jews, giving their total attention to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

* Denuclearize Pakistan, in order to provide security to Israel and India, USA’s two hands for terrorism in the third world.
* Take control of worlds’ largest gold and copper reservoirs, apart from other rich metals & minerals in Balochistan whereas Afghanistan is rich in having big reservoirs of precious stones, as well.
* Genocide of the world’s greatest warrior race, the Pashtuns, whom US have seen fighting with USSR, therefore, is afraid of and wants either to tame them or turn them into a very small tribe, and
* Prepare India as a Super power in the S.E to bring her at par and be a threat to China.

The hawks, the American Jews, in US administration, CIA and in Pentagon, just can not tolerate a Muslim country with Nukes so they are now after Pakistan and keeping the bogy of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaida, alive under the slogan of “war-on-terror’, on. But they are also afraid of Pakistan’s nukes that is why they are reluctant to attack on Pakistan as Pakistan has the capability to attack Israel with all its might as Pakistan’s missile are capable to hit Israel to the extent of wiping it off from the map of the world. Pakistan army and the people are prepared of a backlash of nukes but they are in favor of to defend the country at all costs, come what may. Although India will also face thousands of casualties if there is s nuclear war in this region but the US is NOT concerned about casualties of any other nation/s except of Americans or Jews, in any war.

Another glaring example of US’s terrorism was Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, of Pakistan about whom Kissinger said in an interview to Oriana Falaci, who asked him, “which head of the state impressed him most..?” Kissinger paused for a moment and said, “Ali Bhutto of Pakistan, I used to think twice before talking to him”. In view of Indian hegemonies after she successfully detonated the first nuclear test in Oct;1974, Bhutto made lot of hue and cry before the world but no country spoke against India and rather no sanctions were applied on her, therefore, Bhutto also decided to go for nuclear telling the west clearly, “India has become a nuclear power and constantly threatening and terrorizing Pakistan, therefore, we also want to go for nuclear but for peaceful purposes as this is our right to use nuclear technology, to produce electricity, for medical treatments and to enhance agriculture output by enhancing yield, apart from meeting the balance of power in the region, which has been tilted towards India.”

But the US hawks, the American Jews, did not want that a Muslim country to go for nuclear, therefore, they first tried to bribe him to not to go for nuclear but when they failed they threatened and terrorized him of dire consequences, through Henry Kissinger in a crucial meeting at Lahore on 15 August, in 1976. Bhutto remained adamant and Pakistan had almost succeeded in achieving the desired results of nuclear capability, Bhutto was overthrown by Chief of army, Gen. Ziaul Haq, on lame excuses but, as said, CIA bought a bunch of generals, including Ziaul Haq and also a religious political party which had strong street power, and got Bhutto overthrown in the mid night of 4th & 5th July, 1977. Bhutto was invited by US ambassador, on the evening of 4th July, 1977, the USA’s Independence Day party and at the midnight between 4th & 5th July,1977, the US ambassador told Bhutto that the “party is over”. Bhutto, being sharp enough, took the lead and went back to his residence and enquired if all is well but the ISI and the MI chiefs, had already bargained their loyalties, therefore, it was too late to do anything, as according to John Perkins, “the CIA-sanctioned jackals had stepped-in”..

As a matter of fact rampant terrorism flourished after the birth of Israel as USA, Britain, Australia, Canada and France have played a key role in making Israel a real terrorist state in the Middle East. Israel is an undeclared nuclear power with more than 150 nukes in her stocks, a permanent threat and a terror in the region, for Palestinians, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the tiny Gulf states. But, on the other, another Islamic state, Iran, is under heavy threats of attack from US, Israel and Britain for being accused of developing nukes, therefore this is an open terrorism of US and Britain that no Muslim country can become a nuclear power. Bhutto has written in his book, “If I am assassinated”, “Why is it so that Muslims, despite being the richest nation in the world, have no nuclear umbrella for their safety and security”, that is why he wanted to go for nuclear which the US and its’ allies did not like and they got him overthrew, by buying off a dozen top generals of Pakistan army in 1977, as said.

Likewise Israel, now USA preparing India to be practically a dominant regional super power and keep on terrorizing her neighbors, particularly Pakistan and Bangla Desh as Afghanistan is already in her lap, plus the Central Asian States, if required, moreover, USA also wants India to match China which is asking too much, I believe. But probably USA betting on a wrong horse as India, despite being a big country and having one of the largest armies in the world, won’t be able to deliver the desired results as the Hindus are NOT a warrior race, as compared to the Muslims of Pakistan and Afghanistan, therefore, even if Hindus are many times more in numbers, compared to Muslims of Pakistan and the Pashtuns tribes of Afghanistan, but they can’t stand before Muslims, which is a proven fact.

There are four evils states in the world i.e. USA, Britain, Israel and India, as these countries carrying on genocide of innocent Muslim civilians labeling them as ‘terrorists’, but in view of the ruthless slaughter of Muslims in Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and now going on in Pakistan, the readers could very well imagine which are the real terrorist states in the world, US, Israel, India and Britain or Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the small weak and meager states..? What the US and its arch allies, Britain and Israel, have been doing since 1956 when Britain Israel and France attacked Egypt to take control of the Suez Canal. In 1967 Israel invaded Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon and extended her borders. Apparently that was only Israel’s war with Arabs but in fact the US army and USAF fully participated in it. An air bridge had been made between Washington and Tel Aviv of aircraft bringing in ammunition and the army personnel to Israel. Syria captured 20 USAF pilots and “presented” to the US ambassador.

Israel has become a real terrorist state not only for Palestinians but also for all Muslim states in the M.E and the Gulf. The massacre in Gaza, in 2008 of innocent men, women and children and particularly the way Israel killed innocent school children through the rain of white sulpheuric powder is a vital proof of it, whereas, US, Britain, Canada, Australia and other EU countries, the champions of Human Rights, are keeping quite on Israel’s terrorism as it is backed by US. Moreover, Israel’s terrorist activities, through Mossad, have been extended to Pakistan and Afghanistan, in collaboration with India, backed by US, Britain and other EU countries.

The US have labeled false and baseless allegations against the Muslims states, under the garb of “war-on-terror”, taking the plea of 9/11 about which former Italian President Francesco Cossiga, who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio, has told Italy’s oldest and most widely read newspaper that the 9-11 terrorist attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad, and that this was common knowledge among global intelligence agencies. The details of the proofs could be viewed by visiting this link. and this link.

“On September 10, 2001, the Army School of Advanced Military Studies issued a report written by elite US army officers, which was made public just prior to 9/11. The report gave the following description for the Mossad: “Wildcard. Ruthless and cunning. Has capability to target US forces and make it look like a Palestinian/Arab act.” [Washington Times, 9/10/01]

But US slaughtered millions of Muslims civilians by indiscriminate bombing through its’ forces, in Iraq and Afghanistan, under the wake of 9/11 and “war-on-terror”, and the killing, of civilians, declared as ‘collateral damage’, a new terminology to hush-up the killing of innocent civilians. Well, if it was so then the civilians killed in Twin Tower, on 9/11, could also be considered as ‘collateral damage’ because the US considers 9/11 affair as a ‘war’ against US and then why cases have been filed in the US courts against Saudis, blocking their 3.4 trillion dollars until decision of the cases. Then, likewise, should Iraqis, Afghans and Pakistanis killed in Drone attacks, also file cases against the US in their respective countries’ courts and also get the US assets, in these countries, be blocked, until decision of the cases.

The massacre of Muslims in Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and now in Pakistan, apart from the massacre of Palestinian Muslims through mini USA, the Israel, is a glaring example of genocide of Muslims by USA through sheer terrorism, as rightly declared by the independent journalists, John Pilger, George Monblot and many others, including the living legend, thinker and scholar Noam Chomsky that USA is the world’s worst terrorist state, can’t be wrong.

The US Presidents and their accomplices can’t be tried at The Hague for War crimes or Crime against Humanity as the US cunningly did not sign The Hague protocols, because she knew that US will have to go for illegal wars, on reasons beyond logic. So what if they are not punished, in this world, for their crimes against humanity, but they will be tried by Allah on the day of judgment as it is very clearly written in Quraan, “the cruel will be dragged to the Hell with chains in their necks by fiercely looking angels. They will be thrown in the bottom of the hell for ever after”, and Quraan speaks the truth, believe it or not.

SURVIVAL

January 8, 2010

First published on: Mon Dec 21, 2009

The last government in Pakistan was seen as military backed because the President was the Chief of Army Staff! The present elected government is seen as US backed because that is where they seem to be looking for their survival. This creates the perception that the government is giving in to every US demand even if it is against Pakistan’s own interests. First it was the ambiguous stand on drone attacks, then it was the silence over Indian machinations against Pakistan from Afghanistan, then came the mysterious silence over US contracted ‘civilian agencies’ like Blackwater, Xe etc and the expanded presence in the US embassy plus the row over visas and now there are the revelations about the danger to Pakistan from the transit trade to Afghanistan through Pakistan. The US is reported to have ‘asked’ Pakistan to expand military operations into North Waziristan, Baluchistan and against ‘jihadi’ organizations operating from Pakistan. The US is also reported to have ‘said’ that if Pakistan does not do this then they will do it themselves—they have not explained how but presumably it will be through expanded drone strikes and other technological means. To some in Pakistan from the mysterious activities of US ‘diplomats’ it seems that the US already has ‘ boots on the ground’ in Pakistan—they may not look like boots but they are considered boots!.

It is in this context that the recent Jamaat e Islami (JI) rally should be seen. The demand made was for an end to the relationship with the US and the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan. The public rally on the streets was well timed in terms of the ‘surge’ in negative public opinion against the US and the ongoing political turmoil with the government backed against the ropes and seemingly looking to the US for survival. In the 2002 elections a military ruler had sidelined the main political parties and the US attack in Afghanistan had created negative opinion against the US. The religious parties came in riding this wave. Is a similar situation on the cards? By apparently opting to ‘face’ and ‘ride out’ the consequences of the Supreme Court decision and by seen to be looking to the US for life support such an environment gets a boost. There also seems to be a covert anti-military mud slinging campaign underway by those who are hanging on the governments coat tails and if not checked this can lead to a coalescing of the forces that are now on the sidelines by choice. This would have implications for the military operations underway. More and more people on the street in Pakistan are listening to those who preach standing up to the US and an end to the war against their own people. The US by its actions and pronouncements is actually speeding up this process—–people ask if this is part of a broader strategy to destabilize Pakistan. It is for the US to comprehend the situation and make policy adjustments. The US option, if there is such an option, of ganging up against Pakistan with India after ‘staging’ another Mumbai is fraught with extremely serious consequences but Pakistan should evolve possible scenarios and prepare—just in case!

December 27 is the date on which Pakistanis lost the leader on whom they had pinned their hopes. Benazir would have looked beyond the NRO to create a sustainable environment with all institutions on board. It would be in the fitness of things if the government uses that date to make announcements that can change the internal landscape. Declare the ‘neutrality’ of the Presidency and the Governors, shift all powers where they belong in a Parliamentary Democracy, ‘right size’ the Cabinet, order a joint civil-military review to forge an Afghan policy and a policy for FATA, declare a willingness to begin a ‘composite strategic dialogue’ with Afghanistan as and when Afghanistan has a government in place, suggest a wide ranging US-Pakistan strategic dialogue by specially constituted teams with the sole aim of balancing the US-Pakistan relationship by addressing all concerns and suspicions, state that a dialogue with India could be resumed if India wants it, announce that all appointments will based on merit and no ‘controversial’ persons will be retained and finally hold out the assurance that all policies will be presented in Parliament before implementation and that all policies will be people centric and in their interest. Lastly hold out the promise of working with the judiciary to keep the system stable and functional.

GHALIB SULTAN

Chaos and Confusion

January 8, 2010

First published on: Wed Dec 9, 2009

The mind boggling attack on General Headquarters in Rawalpindi shook the nation. Then came the disclosure that an ex army man—a deserter—was involved. An enormous blast in a Peshawer market targeted women and children and over a 125 were killed. Last week there was an attack on a mosque in Rawalpindi in which army men including generals and their sons were killed—an eye witness saw men being killed at point blank range, execution style. Yesterday there was a blast in a crowded Lahore market and 47 died with over a 100 injured. And today a blast in Multan Cantonment has killed 12 and injured many more. Media reports that an ex army commando has been arrested and has confessed to being the facilitator behind attacks on senior military personnel. There have been smaller attacks by suicide bombers including one at the Naval Headquarters entrance in Islamabad. Two tracks seem to be operating—attacks on security personnel in high security zones and bomb blasts in crowded markets aimed at maximum civilian casualties. Both originate from the TTP but include local jihadist organizations with networks that include former military and intelligence personnel with expertise in target selection, penetration, planning, preparation, training and implementation.

There is very little doubt that these are reprisal attacks against the military action in FATA. The increase in the tempo is because Pakistan has yet to make up its mind on the US troop surge in Afghanistan and the demands being made by the US. The chaos created is understandable but the confusion that prevails cannot be explained. The confusion stems from the widespread perception that these attacks are being orchestrated by the US, the Afghan government and India to destabilize Pakistan and to keep it engaged on the western border in support of US operations in Afghanistan and against the jihadist organizations that India blames for attacks within India. The sabotage and subversion in Baluchistan is also perceived to be from India with Afghan government support and silence from the US. This confusion feeds on the perception that the US is fighting Islam and that it cannot stomach a nuclear Pakistan. The aid being given to Pakistan is to keep it afloat and to make sure that its government does what the US wants it to do. There is a cycle of sorts that perpetuates itself.

As a first step the government and all its institutions and agencies including the media and public opinion should speak with one voice. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure this. Unfortunately exactly the opposite is happening. People sense a civil-military divide. They see rifts within the government. They see a no holds barred struggle that is using the media and dragging in all sorts of people. They see a non-governing government and hierarchy barricaded and hidden in bullet proof vehicles. They see stratagems for survival but none for economic, political and social stability. This adds to the chaos, confusion and uncertainty. The vulnerable internal environment is exploited and we are seen as a country that cannot get its act together even when faced with an existential threat. The men, women and children dying seem to be dying in vain because their deaths do not matter to those who can change the internal environment so that Pakistan speaks with one single voice. Once this happens, Pakistan’s voice will be heard and heeded. As long as this does not happen we will be exploited and there will be chaos and confusion.

GHALIB SULTAN

Blackwater’s Black Shadow

January 8, 2010

by GHALIB SULTAN
First Published on: Sep 29, 2009

Much water—most of it black—has flowed under the bridge ever since the Pakistani media started educating their viewers on the mercenary contractor Blackwater and its many clones. By now it is clear that the US relies on contractors like Haliburton, Blackwater, Xe International and others to provide ‘security’ and ‘training’ services that include intelligence, surveillance, target identification and illumination, use of weapons, explosives, extraction operations, subversion, sabotage and elimination of selected personnel. It is also clear that mercenaries of all nationalities are hired and ‘host’ country organizations and personnel are used to give an acceptable ‘face’ to the broad range of activities by these ‘specialists’. Most of this information has been culled from US sources where there is domestic concern stemming from ethical and financial concerns. There is confirmation of some stories by the media like hiring of hundreds of houses in Islamabad and special security measures as well as involvement of local firms like Inter Risk that now stands exposed for illegal activities but there is no clear statement from the government backed by statistics and proof. Till that happens there will continue to be speculation based on misinformation.

If, as is being made out, there has been clandestine penetration of Pakistan and the departments responsible are silent for some reason then the question is being asked that — who will confront these elements and force them to leave? The answer is not hard to guess but the result will be chaos and that is leading to the next question that– is internal chaos the environment required to do what these people are in Pakistan to do? The fact that there is also confirmation of massive embassy and consulates’ expansion plans adds fuel to the speculation about motives and intentions. Again a factual report by the government would clear the air—in the absence of such a report questions will continue to be asked and debated in the media.

It is in this environment of hostility and suspicion that the conditions in the Kerry-Luger Bill are being debated. It is as if these conditions have been just discovered and this is because no preparatory work was done to explain the conditions—if that was at all possible. Now there are those who are attacking the bill and those who are defending it—the defense is half-hearted and lacks credibility. The requirement is that only the ministry concerned should put out reasoned factual information and not rely on shrill political voices to shout down critics. At stake is the future of the US-Pakistan relationship. India’s approval of the condition makes matters worse because the perception is that anything that India approves of is bound to be against Pakistan’s interests!

An unfortunate and totally unnecessary ‘us’ and ‘them’ grouping is being created. ‘Us’ being those in favor of the US interests in relation to Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, the war on terror, Islam and nuclear proliferation even at the cost of Pakistan’s sovereignty if US support and aid continues unabated. ‘Them’ being those who are ‘dragging their feet on relations with India’, hedging their options on the western border because of Indian inroads into Afghanistan and support of subversion in Baluchistan and an overall identification of Pakistan’s interests even if they are not in line with US interests. In an unstable and politically charged atmosphere and with increasing social pressures such a divide if not checked can have serious consequences especially if the major political groupings move towards confrontation forcing institutions like the judiciary and military and the religious lobby to choose sides. The need is for the government to take steps to gain credibility and focus on governance and for all to seriously move to establish political stability. This is not the time for infighting—this is the time to come together and be on the same page so that differences cannot be exploited to create divides. Pakistan is fortunate that today it has democracy, an elected government and institutions that are strengthening themselves and the country by focusing on their own jobs—it would be unfortunate if they are distracted in other directions.

Kashmir and Dialogue

January 8, 2010

by GHALIB SULTAN
First Published on: Sep 7, 2009

Figures from Indian sources all indicate that the violence is way down in Indian Held Kashmir. The number of civilian deaths in 2007 were 170, in 2008 147 and in 2009 58 up to July. These include people killed by Indian security forces. Indian security force personnel casualties were 122 in 2007, 85 in 2008 and 39 up to July 2009. The cease fire violations on the Line of Control were 21in 2007 and 77 in 2008 and overall incidents are down from 1504 in 2002 to 236 in 2009 so far. The trend is definitely towards a reduction of violence and the credit for this must go to Pakistan. India has neither acknowledged this to Pakistan nor has it reciprocated in any way.

Again according to Indian sources the voter turnout in the last elections was ‘massive’ and that the various militant organizations within Indian Held Kashmir have lost their clout and credibility but that they still exist there. India has not been able to close them down in spite of intelligence on their leadership and activities—probably because the backlash may revive the freedom struggle. The rape and killing of two teenage Muslim girls in the Shopian area of Indian Held Kashmir led to protests that were put down with excessive levels of force. There was also a furor in the State Assembly indicating the fragility of the ‘political’ environment that is supposed to replace the ‘violence prone’ environment. India has done nothing tangible to promote the political track to encourage and reassure those who have doubts and fears. Nor has India reined in its brutalized security forces.

As summer sets in the Indian authorities have started their usual talk of ‘camps’ in Pakistan. This time locations are being indicated. Indians are voicing fears of renewed violence completely ignoring the statistical trends indicated by their own observers. Also being ignored is their own observation that ‘jihadi’ elements within India and Indian Held Kashmir could trigger events and situations to disturb the India-Pakistan situation. If India is not willing to credit Pakistan with the reduction in militancy and violence and if it is not prepared to carry out demilitarization in proportion to the reduction in violence and if it is not ready to eschew the use of lethal force against Kashmiris then what options do others have?

The logical course of action is to start a dialogue—whether it is called composite or something else does not matter. Even here Indian fears of non-state actors retaliating to progress in talks tend to dominate. The Indian Army Chief has made a totally unwarranted and confused statement about ‘Pakistani capacity exceeding deterrence level requirements’. Surely he should know that it is Pakistan’s prerogative to decide the level of sufficiency in deterrence just as it is India’s prerogative to decide how much it wants to spend on its military build-up and how much on poverty alleviation! The Indian Army Chief has also talked of increased levels of ‘infiltration and violence’ in Kashmir without mentioning any statistics. No one in India wants to discuss Indian involvement in Baluchistan and FATA—in fact the US should note that if this involvement is proved with evidence then the public and media support for the military action in those areas could change. This is not the time for hare brained pro-active policies of the past. The recent indications that the trail of the attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore goes back to Tamil Tigers may well take it to Indian support of the Tamil Tigers! India and Pakistan need to talk to each other before it is too late.


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