DesiDiary.Com

False Flag

2012-01-14T11:52:00.001-08:00

A series of CIA memos describes how Israeli Mossad agents posed as American spies to recruit members of the terrorist organization Jundallah to fight their covert war against Iran.

http://is.gd/tqU0xB

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T15:46:00.001-08:00

Wishing you a happy and a prosperous new year.

Pakistan Shuts Karachi-Kabul Route After Boom

War in Iraq | Afghanistan

2011-12-17T07:25:00.001-08:00

A couple of good reads :

Last Post in Iraq: this is the death knell of the American empire

What was intended to be a demonstration of power turned into the most costly boomerang in history, in both blood and treasure

NATO Blockade

2011-12-16T18:20:00.001-08:00

BOY!!! ITS STARTING TO HURT……………….. WHEN THE YANKS RUN OUT OF BURGERS AT THEIR FORWARD OPERATING BASES AND ARE FORCED TO EAT THEIR COMBAT RATIONS (THE ‘MRE’….MEALS REJECTED BY ETHOPIANS) THEN SURELY THEY ARE GOING TO SQUEAK.

Sent by a friend’s friend serving at a FOB in Afghanistan!

I don’t know how long this will be a problem but if the Russians also restrict supplies then the US Army will be marooned in a land locked country- all because an apology is not forth coming from an arrogant American President scared of being labelled as a meek in the next election !

worlds best paan

2011-11-20T07:48:00.001-08:00

Hajj Mubarak

2011-11-05T03:43:00.001-07:00

لبيك اللهم لبيك  لبيك لا شريك لك لبيك ان الحمد والنعمت لك والملك لا شريك لك   امت مسلمه كو حج كا بابركت دن مبارك هو‎ ‎-

Untitled

2011-10-29T16:26:00.001-07:00

the truth about killing Gaddafi

2011-10-29T15:40:00.001-07:00

The Main Reasons:

1: Gaddafi wouldn't bow down to the Rothschild banking cartel.
2: Purposed African Satellite
3: AMF:African Monetary Fund - No Central Bank, own currency - Bank of Investment: To control most investments in Africa
4: United States of Africa - Gaddafi wants to unite!
The countries that are bombing Libya are all Broke, they don't want him rising above becoming a powerful force, that is self-sufficient!!!
5: Gaddafi was returning to a gold standard.
6: Libya sits on Africa's largest oil and natural gas reserves.
7: A few weeks before Libya was invaded, Gaddafi had decided to sell his oil to only Russia, China and India.

New World Order

2011-09-20T17:43:00.001-07:00

London 2012

2011-08-18T16:42:00.001-07:00

Online Communities

2010-10-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

Pakistan Flood Disaster Infograph

2010-09-04T22:16:00.001-07:00

Lifebox Update

2010-09-04T08:50:00.001-07:00

Dear All,

Due to overwhelming response, our all 12 ware houses are full in
Chicago, NY and Toronto. Please stand by till 14th of Sept, We will
notify you.

For US, Canada & UK STOP::: Do not ship or drop any goods to PIA,
STOP::: Standby on LIFE BOX till further notice. We are good till next
ten days, Hold on to your funds, we will need end of this month.
Please note only food boxes will forwarded next 90 days, No clothes at
all!!

[insaf.pk] Imran Khan Flood Relief

2010-08-21T11:14:00.001-07:00

This is the latest and updated information on how to donate, where to
donate for Imran Khan Flood Relief.
And hopefully you will spread this to thousands of other well wishers
of Pakistan and who trust in Imran Khan. Imran Khan has launched Imran
Khan Flood Relief, an independent, non-political Flood Relief Fund to
collect donations for the devastated people of Pakistan.

IN USA:
For all those who are interested in supporting Imran Khan Flood Relief
drive, and are in USA, please go to www.imrankhanfoundation.org
All the information is easily visible on the webpage. Donation is
through paypal, or cheque. The account is established in CA, USA. Info
is written in the right column of that page.
Imran Khan Foundation is 501C-3 which means your donations will be
tax-deductable.

This money will be transmitted to Imran Khan Flood Relief Account in Pakistan.

(for questions regarding Imran Khan Foundation and your money
transfer, please contact Mr.Shafiq Khan, who is managing Imran Khan
Foundation. His contact information is available on Imran Khan
Foundation website)

IN PAKISTAN:

For those who are in Pakistan and want to donate to IKFR (Imran Khan
Flood Relief), please go straight to IKFR account in Habib Bank.
Deposit your donations / zakat at any branch of Habib Bank as per following:

Imran Khan Flood Relief
Account # 06027900799703
Habib Bank Ltd.
Swift: HABBPKKA
Toll Free: 0800 00048

Imran Khan Flood Relief will work with other aid agency who are
working in Pakistan and have the trust of Pakistanis.

It is important to note that IKFR is independent of Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf.

Dr.Asad
Secretary
PTI USA LLC

Give your flood donations to him

2010-08-15T21:21:00.001-07:00

Pak Day LA 2010

2010-08-06T15:54:00.001-07:00

All of you are invited to a fun filled family festival celebrating Pak
Independence Day, on Sat Aug 7 at Exposition Park from 3pm to
Midnight. For info and directions visit http://www.pakdayla.net or
call 1-877-814-1947.

World Champion Lakers on Parade

2010-06-21T21:53:00.001-07:00

While the Lakers and their fans had a vicotry parade today on the streets of downtown LA, Celtics and their fans went fishing. Everyone else is more than welcome to jump on the Lakers bandwagon.

Short history on hacking

2010-05-28T20:40:00.001-07:00

Freedom of speech

2010-05-20T09:12:00.001-07:00

"When you attack African-Americans, they call it Racism. When you attack Jews, they call it Anti-Semitism. Whenyou attack women, they call it Sexism. When you attack homosexuality, they call it Intolerance. When you attack your country, they call it Treason. When you attack a religious sect, they call it hate speech. But when you attack the Prophet of Islam(peace be upon him), they want to call it freedom of speech."

Desi Titanic

2010-05-16T02:13:00.001-07:00

Aik Zaroori Ailaan

2010-05-12T18:58:00.001-07:00

Ek Zaroori E'laan

2010-05-12T12:47:00.001-07:00

May, 2010

Is There Anything More Beautiful ??

2010-05-11T21:44:00.001-07:00

@ Abrar ul Haq Fundraiser, Gateway Sheraton LAX

2010-04-17T21:51:00.001-07:00

Ex-Soldier Speaks Out

2010-04-11T22:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.puffyourad.com/facebook/marosalayko/tarkari.swf

Have fun with Zardari

2010-04-10T19:42:00.001-07:00

Throw a shoe, punch or shoot the bugger.

Abrar Ul Haq Fundraiser LIVE from LA (Saturday April 17th 2010)

2010-04-05T22:34:00.001-07:00

Latest In Advertisements

2010-03-28T21:57:00.001-07:00

Latest In Advertisements

2010-03-28T21:42:00.001-07:00

US Airport Security

2010-03-18T22:50:00.001-07:00

Future Of Cricket

2010-03-14T07:24:00.001-07:00

The bat, ball and stumps will be used in a more productive way in future.

Pakistani Engineer to Become New Owner of NFL Team, The St. Louis Rams

Pakistani Engineer to Become New Owner of NFL Team, The St. Louis Rams

2010-03-12T01:14:00.001-08:00

Shahid Khan is all set to strike a mega deal to become the new owner of the NFL (American) football team St. Loius Rams

Rams owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez have entered into a signed agreement to sell the team to Shahid Khan, multiple NFL sources told the Post-Dispatch late Wednesday night. Khan, 55, is the president of Flex-N-Gate Corp., an auto-parts manufacturer based in Urbana, Ill. Khan has lived in the Champaign-Urbana area for more than 40 years and is married with two adult children. Khan is a graduate of the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois.

Shahid Khan’s rise from immigrant student to wealthy entrepreneur to prospective new owner of the St. Louis Rams began with an automobile bumper. Khan, a native of Pakistan, came to the U.S. in 1967, at age 16, to attend college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
(St Louis Dispatch on Shahid Khan)

And in other news: Mian Muhammad Mansha: First Pakistani on the Forbes Billionaire’s List

How media can manipulate news and views

2010-03-02T20:02:00.001-08:00

Love Your Pakistan

2010-02-19T18:57:00.001-08:00

Internet Arguing Techniques

2010-01-17T21:02:00.001-08:00

Zaroorat e Rishta

2009-12-22T14:51:00.001-08:00

Sent from my iPhone

Love Thy Pakistan

2009-12-17T23:22:00.001-08:00

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN

The invincible 167 million Pakistani’s progressing forward with high hopes and a mission holding an unquenchable thirst to be the world leader’s soon. Despit the chaos, despite the ill spilled by the westeren media to demoralize the nation and to uproot the patriotism from the hearts and minds of people of this country, despite the foreign funded terrorists bombing hundreds of Pakistani’s each day painting the roads red
with the blood of young children, women and men. Every drop of it shouts back loud ” You can never take us down, We’ll fight back till our last breath“. Reminding you this is the nation which has a 7th largest pool of scientists and Engineers in the World[1]. and the country that is ranked 9th in the world where English language is spoken and used as an official language [1].

Pakistan: World's 9th Largest English Speaking Country
Photo by Sultan Dogar: Abbotabad Medical College

Pakistan: World 7th largest Pool of Scientists and Engineer
| Photo : Moin Ali Nawazish making a World Record by passing 23 A level Exams

The Might : 7th Nuclear Power of the World

On May 28, 1998, became the 7th nuclear power of the world giving a loud and clear message to the enemies that this nation is fully equipped and ready to defend it’s sovereignty. Has world 7th largest standing arm forces [1] well trained possessing state of the art technology. (PAF) is the symbol of pride for the nation and a galaxy of highly trained professionals emerged in latest technological developments. The highly skilled PAF personals are renowned for their excellence and handling of aircraft and surely are the worst fear for the enemies.

Pakistan: 7th largest Standing Arm Force in the World

Pakistan: Air force :Air Commodore MM ALAM has a world record
of shoting down 5 Indian planes in less than a Minute

asdasdasdad

Pakistan : The Roof Top of the World
Pakistan the land of grand mountain ranges, a land that holds 4 out of 14 most highest peaks in the world. K2 the second highest mountain in the world with all it’s grandeur symbolizing the pride and strength of the people of Pakistan.

Pakistan: K2 the 2nd highest mountain peak in the World

Hunza is said to be a place ” Where Time Stops and Fairy Treads“, Kalash and Chitral are the natural wonders of the world where poetic verses find their inspirations from the beauty and elegance of high peak mountains, lush green fields and the fragrant breeze singing across the poplar trees. Some of the places which are not highlighted by the media but still due to their magnitude find their places on the World record books are ; Aisa’s Highest Railway Station Kan Mehtarzai [2] that is located 2240 meters above sea level near Quetta.

Pakistan: Asia's Highest Railway Station "Kan Mehtarzai "

Pakistan: Lalazar often termed as most beautiful place on earth

Pakistan: Nanga Parbat 9th Highest Peak in the World

What it would feel like to play a sport that is wild, challenging and manly at the top of the world surrounded by the drumbeats and the music of the reed instrument. Yes Shandur Polo tournament is played every year at World’s highest Polo ground at Shandur, Northern Pakistan.

Pakistan: Shundur Polo festival at the World's highest Polo ground

Karakoram Highway : Eighth Wonder of the World

Karakoram Highway runs through the northern areas connecting Pakistan with China’s Xingjiang province is often described as ” Eighth Wonder of the World” due to the marvel of civil engineering as it has taken 15 years to complete by the Pakistan Army Engineers in collaboration with China. It’s been labeled as ” World’s highest paved international Road” under world’s toughest terrain.

Pakistan: Karakoram Highway World's highest paved international Road

World’s Largest Deep Sea Port : Gwader

“Gwa” means Air and “Dar” means door, and the word Gawadar means ” The door of the wind” is the world’s largest deep sea port lies in southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan. The design and construction of the port is carried out in collaboration with China and it has just started it’s operation.It’ s going to emerge as a world’s biggest skyline due to it’s capacity and infrastructure of handling bulk carriers. It has been declared as a Duty Free Port and Free Economic Zone by the Pakistani government that has increased the commercial worth manifolds. It has an immense geostrategic importance as it is the entrance to the Persian Gulf and is considered to be a substitute of Dubai Port.

Pakistan: Gawader: World's Largest Deep Sea Port

Khewra Mines : Second Largest Salt Mine in the World

Khewra Salt Mine located in Khewra, Jehlum Punjab, Pakistan is the second largest Salt Mine in the world and is considered to be the oldest in the subcontinent. It was said that discovery of Salt mines were not done by Alexander or his army but by their horses as they started licking the stones when they stopped here for rest. Thousand of visitors each year visit Khewra Salt mines and get fascinated by the nature’s miracle in the heart of mountains.

Pakistan: Khewra Salt Mine: Second Largest Salt Mine in the World

Haleji Lake : Asia’s largest Bird Sanctuary

Pakistan is a land of serene beauty , a country with diverse wild life , fresh water lakes, a 1046 km coast lines. Some of the most unique species of birds are found in northern Pakistan with awe-inspiring natural wonders like Lake Saiful Maluk, Lake Shandur, Dudipatsar Lake, kutwal lake, Zalzal lake and many more. But Haleji has it’s own significance as it is Asia’s largest waterfowl reserve. During winter thousands of birds of different species fly down to Haleji from Siberian colder areas

Pakistan: The heavenly Shandur Lake

Thar Desert : One amongst the largest deserts in the World

Thar is a arid region in the north western part of Indian subcontinent, it lies mostly in Indian state of Rajasthan but it covers eastern Sindh province and the southeastern portion of Pakistan’s Punjab province. It is amongst one of the largest deserts in the world rich multifaceted culture, heritage, traditions, folk tales, dances and music. The poetic expression of Kafi written by Sufi poets of Sindh resonates in the cold nights as the Thari musicians start singing them on sorrowing rhythmic beats. In the night the granules of the sand lit up like stars as the moonlight walks on them.

Pakistan: Tharparker

The land of oldest Civilization : Indus Valley and Mohenjo-Daro

Moenjodaro is the province of Sindh, Pakistan and archeology trace back it exitence 5000 years ago. It provides an earliest instance of exemplary form of town planning and community organization and found to be as one of the oldest cities known today. It is said to be the pilgrimage of ancient ruins. The splendor of Indus Valley civilization spread over a thousand mile from the high peak snowy mountains of Kashmir to the glittering sand dunes facing the Arabian Sea. One of the oldest known civilization that flourished in the Indus river Basin embraced within its fold almost the entire country now known as Pakistan.

Pakistan: Moenjodaro, One of the oldest Civilization Known today

Long live PAKISTAN

Google Wave Invites

2009-11-30T23:31:00.001-08:00

If you need a Googe Wave invite, send me your email address.

Eid Mubarak

2009-11-27T02:27:00.001-08:00

Soch raha hai Pakistan

2009-11-10T11:37:00.001-08:00

Ali Zafar Concert In LA: Nov 14, 2009

2009-11-01T21:18:00.001-08:00

Role of Frontline State: Pakistan is Paying a Heavy Price

2009-10-26T21:55:00.001-07:00

Islamabad, October 18, 2009

Role of Frontline State: Pakistan is Paying a Heavy Price

Mathematics of terror: Of the nine terror attacks until 16th October, seven targeted the army, the para-military or the police, suggesting a dramatic surge in attempts by terrorists to inflict as much damage on the security apparatus as possible, ahead of an impending military assault on terror outfits in the rugged and lawless region South Waziristan near the Afghan border. “These attacks underscore a new strategy by terrorists nestled in areas between South Waziristan and southern Punjab (central Pakistan) and require the government to urgently calibrate its counter-terror policy,” opined Tasneem Noorani, a former top bureaucrat of the ministry of interior. Like many others, Noorani, too agrees that Pakistan is now dealing with living bombs – youngsters who are extremely motivated and excessively brainwashed to the extent that they are ready to kill and die.

Militants’ methodology: Militants have also begun tricking security forces by disguising themselves and their vehicles in army fatigues, with their vehicles carrying official vehicle number plates and stickers, making it difficult for the forces to instantly identify and neutralize them. The other upsetting element is the surprise commando raids of the targets; the assault on the GHQ bore similarities to the terror strike on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3 and the attack on the Police Training School at Manawan, Lahore later that month this year. The three attacks on police buildings on Oct.15th in Lahore resembled the ones carried out at GHQ and earlier this year in Lahore, underscoring the growing nexus between militants based in Waziristan and central Pakistan regions of southern Punjab, which had been a hotbed of sectarian terrorism since the early 1980s. Most people refer to this terror network as the Punjabi Taliban.

Terror shaking Pakistan: In the terror-stricken Pakistan, October 15th broke the record for the number of attacks in a day; three dare-devil commando raids on police facilities in Lahore, the country’s second largest city, and one in Kohat, near Peshawar, where a car suicide bombing on a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) building killed about a dozen a day later. This meant terrorists struck seven times against the security establishment since Oct 10, when in the most brazen attempt yet, ten militants staged an audacious attack on the Pakistan army General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the garrison town south of Islamabad. Awe-struck Pakistanis and the world watched helplessly as army commandos eventually freed 39 hostages from the basement of the GHQ after about 20 tension-packed hours. The entire operation cost 23 lives – about a dozen army personnel, three hostages and eight terrorists.

On October 5, five UN World Food Program lost their lives when a suicide bomber dressed in military uniform walked into their office in Islamabad and blew himself up. More than 52 suicide bombers have also rocked various cities sofar this year, killing more than five hundred people – half of them members of security forces.

Intra-Taliban’s cooperation: The claim for responsibility by the Punjabi Amjad Farooqi group also supports the nexus between the Pashtoon and Punjabi militants. Farooqi had belonged to the Jaishe Mohammad terror group and was killed in a 2004 shootout with the Pakistani security forces. The GHQ attack bore unmistakable signatures of the kind of Fidayeen Attacks that the anti India Lashkare Taiba terror group had unleashed in 1998; it involved ready-to-kill disguised zealots charging military garrisons, sensitive installations and para-military security targets. They simply surprise the target through their surprise unfolding of weapons and use of hand-grenades. The LeT staged scores of such attacks in Kashmir as well as in New Delhi– the siege of the Parliament and those in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

Evolution of the Punjabi Taliban: The journey began with the Saudi funding for the Sipahe Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) in Jhang, southern Punjab , to counter the Iranian Revolution’s expansion to neighbouring countries in the early 1980s. It suited the then dictator Ziaul Haq and also the American establishment, which found in parties such as SSP ready volunteers to fight the Russians. The Iranian response to SSP was the Tehreeke Jafria Pakistan and then the Sipahe Mohammad – the militant arm of the TJP. The SSP response to this emerged in the form of Lashkare Jhangvi, which again provided a lot of leadership for Jaishe Mohammad. The fact that Punjabi Taliban a re scattered all over FATA, attached either with the TTP or other outfits also explains the ideological nexus that exists between groups based in and outside FATA.

Musharraf’s ban did not help: Soon after former president Pervez Musharraf proscribed most of the sectarian organizations including the Jaish-e-Muhammad, Sipahe Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Sipahe Mohammad (SM), Lashkar-e- Taiba (LeT) and Harkatul Mujahideen (HM) in a nationally televised speech on 12 January 2002, most of these groups had shifted their assets to FATA. A number of these Punjabi outfits, except for the shia Sipahe Mohammad, had their roots in the anti-Soviet Russian jihad, and had moved to Kashmir after the February 1989 Russian pullout from Afghanistan. But their contacts with the mujahideen-turned Taliban remained in tact through the training camps that the Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harktul Mujahideen were running in Afghanistan.

Once the international coalition against terrorism swept the Taliban from power in December 2001, followed by the ban that General Musharraf slapped on the militant organizations, most of their leadership and hard-core activists gradually sought sanctuary in FATA, where they created alliances with various pro-Al Qaeda Taliban outfits. Most of the Punjabi Taliban are associated with groups like Harkatul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipahe Sahaba Pakistan, and Al Badar – all focused on the Kashmir militancy until recently. Scores of activists and fighters of these Pakistani jihadi organizations were based in Afghanistan when the anti-terror war began. They also suffered huge human losses, losing important commanders and hundreds of warriors to the US bombing. Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami lost as many as 340, Harkatul Mujahideen lost 79, Jaish-e-Muhammad 36 and Lashkare--Jhangvi 27 militants in the coalition attacks.

Militants from Pakistan in Guantanamo: As many as two-thirds of the 450 prisoners at the notorious Guantanamo Bay Camp X-Ray were from Pakistan, all of them captured inside Afghanistan, among them about 14 of Harkatul Mujahideen, 7 of Jaish-e-Muhammad and 11 of Harkatul Jihad, which underscored the presence of hard-core Punjabi jihadis within the militant ranks—both Taliban and Al Qaeda. Punjabi militants also filled and supplemented the ranks of Kashmiri militants, who have been battling the Indian forces since 1989 for what they call ‘independence from India.’ The state of Pakistan now faces an al Qaeda-inspired militant challenge – from South Waziristan to South Punjab. Involvement of external factors, intent on destabilizing Pakistan, is almost certain.

Foreign/hidden hand? Most intelligence officials believe that some of the militant outfits are being used by external forces who want to soften up Pakistan army establishment. Some suggest that the US, India and Afghanistan, for example, still consider Pak army as a source of support for militant groups operating in the region. That is why the US congress added so many conditions in the Kerry Lugar Aid bill for Pakistan, they insist. But how these factors influence and motivate religiously-driven zealots – ready to kill and die – remains a great mystery. What is clear, however, is that the Godzillas – born out of the womb of the Iran-Saudi-Arabian proxy war, and the US-sponsored anti- Soviet Union jihad are now unraveling against their erstwhile supporter.

http://www.crss.pk

Disclaimer:
Any resemblance between the above views and those of my employer, my terminal, or the view out my window are purely coincidental. Any resemblance between the above and my own views is non-deterministic. The question of the existence of views in the absence of anyone to hold them is left as an exercise for the reader. The question of the existence of the reader is left as an exercise for the second god coefficient. (A discussion of non-orthogonal, non-integral polytheism is beyond the scope of this email.)

From Around The Globe

2009-10-24T20:25:00.001-07:00

Priorities

2009-10-19T19:14:00.001-07:00

The first jock strap was used in cricket in 1847

and the first helmet was used in 1947.

It took 100 years for man to realize that the brain is also important.

Operation “Blue Tulsi”

2009-10-16T01:31:00.001-07:00

Operation “Blue Tulsi”

July 16, 2009

Xavia Team

Operation Blue Tulsi: 15 Years in Planning, 10 Years in Preparation and Today in Execution

Every inquiry must start somewhere. We have chosen this inquiry to start in the late eighties when two junior intelligence officers one Pakistani other Indian faced each other on opposite sides of the law. The Pakistani intelligence officer had caught the Indian agent on Pakistani soil with incriminating evidence. Indian agent knew his life had come to an end. However, everything has a price. And his freedom was worth a little less than half a million rupees. A few days later the Indian agent was sitting back at home, free as a bird. And life went on for several more years until the fateful year of 1994 when the two old “chaps” met again. This time officially. The Indian agent had climbed the ladder to an important post in the government. At this side of the border the junior Pakistani agent, against all odds had become one of the top bosses at Federal Investigation Agency. Of course, this was the infamous Rehman Malik.

The Indian side wanted Pakistani Government’s help in reducing cross-border terrorism. But Rehman Malik offered a lot more than mere reduction in “cross-border”. He had been appointed as Additional Director FIA and yielded immense power through the country. Additionally he had become the right-hand-man of Asif Ali Zardari, stashing his looted money all over the world. He offered them direct access to the jihadists which he would capture. Somewhere along the line Israel also became a party to the deal and soon Mossad agents were carrying out investigations of the captured (ISI backed) jihadists on Pakistani soil. There were millions to be made from the deal and of course Rehman Malik was working in tandem with this immediate boss Ghulam Asghar, head of the FIA and under the auspices of Asif Ali Zardari. ISI, Pakistan Military and top brass quietly kept a close watch. Although painful but capture of a few foot soldiers was bearable in the bigger national interest.

By 1995 in a little over a year the Benazir Bhutto government had expelled 2000 Arab mujahidin of the Afghan-Soviet War and imprisoned number of Pakistani mujahidin. Secondly and more significantly, Benazir Bhutto on her official visit to US in April 1995 met in secret with an Israeli delegation. On her return she faced stiff resistance from a block of military and civilian bureaucracy which had generated great suspicions of her dealings with India and Israel. Just four months later she thwarted a coup attempt against her headed by Major General Zahirul Islam Abbasi. Director General of Military Intelligence Major General Ali Kuli Khan tipped-off General Abdul Waheed Kakar who immediately ordered Chief of General Staff Lt. General Jehangir Karamat to suppress the coup. A total of 36 army officers and 20 civilians were arrested from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Then in November 1995 Egyptian Embassy blast occurred. Al-Qaeda was quick to claim it. Although the real reasons of the handlers of bombers remain hidden to this day, but in the next few days a silent but significant event happened. General Abdul Waheed Kakar who was given an extension in his tenure he refused it and Lt. General Jehangir Karamat was appointed as the Army Chief by the then President Farooq Leghari on 18 December, 1995. Lt. General Jehangir Karamat was the senior most general at the time, therefore the least controversial within the military – something which the military desperately needed at the time. The other three generals who were in the position to become COAS were Lt Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi, Lt Gen Naseer Akhtar, and Lt Gen Mohammad Tariq. Lt. Gen. Ghulam Muhammad Malik had already retired in October 1995. Maj Gen Naseem Rana was heading the ISI at the time, taken his charge in October 1995. Lt Gen Shujat Ali Khan was heading the ISI’s Internal Wing.

In the backdrop of these events in Pakistan, in March 1995 Israel’s Air Force chief had visited India with an entourage that included key Mossad officials. It was at this point that in a meeting Pakistan’s nuclear program was discussed. A year later Indian nuclear and missile program head, Abdul Kalam had a “top secret” visit of Israel in June 1996. It was “top secret” because no one knew about it. As it turned out, everyone knew about it even before he left India. All the much publicized secrecy and visit of such a top level official achieved the aim and nearly nobody bothered with the entourage which included a manager from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – Alok Tiwari. The “top secret” meetings between Abdul Kalam and his Israeli counterparts were related to purchase of UAVs. However, in every single one of those “top secret” meetings Alok Tiwari was missing. With all the attention was focused on Abdul Kalam and his “top secret” meetings no one noticed the odd thing.
Just a few days later, after coming back to India Tiwari accompanied Air Chief Marshal S. K. Sareen to Israel in Israel in July 1996. In fact this was his third trip. He had also visited Israel in April 1996 along with India’s first Defence Attaché to Israel.

First Wave

The effect was immediate. In late July 1996 MQM organized a province wide strike. Simultaneously a large bomb exploded at Lahore airport and a second at Faisalabad railway station. On 14th August 1996 12 SSP activists were gunned down during an Independence Rally by unidentified gunmen. By end August Punjab had been engulfed in sectarian violence, Shias and Sunnis were being gunned down in broad daylight. The political and security situation worsened by the murder of Murtaza Bhutto and reinstatement of Manzoor Wattoo as Chief Minister of Punjab. The country seemed in a political and economic turmoil with violence erupting throughout the country. At the same time, out of blue Ataullah Mengal returned from his self-imposed exile.

While everyone was busy with the current crisis a team of agents working directly under Rehman Malik were gathering information on Kahuta and A.Q. Khan. Beginning November 1996 ISI saw an increase in Indian troops movement, which finally sent alarm bells ringing through the echelons of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Suddenly, all the pieces fell in place and Ghulam Asghar and Rehman Malik’s shenanigans seemed a lot deeper than mere money grabbing tactics. By fourth of November a thick load of evidence had been gathered on Ghulam Asghar and Rehman Malik working with the consent of Asif Ali Zardari towards gathering information on the progress of Pakistan’s nuclear program.

On 5th November 1996, Farooq Leghari dissolved Benazir Bhutto’s government. At the other side of the border, this caused the immediate visit of Israeli naval chief Vice-Admiral Alex Tal to India. Back at home, Ghulam Asghar and Rehman Malik were imprisoned on undisclosed charges. Pakistan had narrowly escaped the storm that was brewing in its mists.

Second Wave

In February 1997, Indian Defence Secretary T. K. Banerji led a high level defence delegation to Israel to discuss the “exchange of technology” between two countries. Other than the official purpose the most important topic was Pakistan’s nuclear program. By the end of the visit the two countries had decided to do “whatever” it takes to neutralize the threat.

In March next year the BJP won Indian elections and one of the immediate policies adopted was to tackle Pakistan’s nuclear issue by any means possible. With such enthusiastic approach the government even decided to take the most extreme measures if needed. In the next two months the official and diplomatic delegations between India and Israel came to a halt, however, there was a sudden rise in non-diplomatic delegations between the two countries. The last official visit was of Gen. Prakash Malik to Israel in March 1998, who was also the first serving Indian Chief of Army Staff to visit Israel since normalization. In April 1998 two out-of-the ordinary incidents happened. Air India announced its discontinuation of Tel Aviv flight on 1 April 1998 and early April the Confederation of Indian Industry announced an unplanned “Study Mission” to Israel. This was the prelude to the second wave which officially started on 11th May 1998 when India exploded its nuclear bombs.

Night of 27-28 May

Pakistan resisted testing its nuclear bombs for nearly two weeks until 27th May 1998. On 27 May 1998 in a top level meeting Lt. Gen. [[[Naseem Rana]] (DG ISIP briefed the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief of the increasing intelligence reports of possible Indian attack on Pakistan’s nuclear installations. However, the panic this created was nothing compared to the next two meetings. The first report pertained to the sighting of an unidentified F-16 aircraft at the periphery of Pakistan’s airspace on 27th May. Knowing India did not have F-16, the obvious suggestion was presence of Israeli Air Force in the area (especially with the reports of Indian COAS visiting Israel just a month ago). And the second report coming just before 1am on 28th May recorded unusual movements of Indian aircrafts just across the border which suggested India was preparing for preventive airstrikes against Pakistan. The obvious response of nuclear tests on 28th May.

The tests confirmed once and for all that Pakistan has nuclear capability.

Deduction

It seemed probable that BJP Government had decided to fire its nuclear bombs to force Pakistan into test firing its – if it has any. After a delay of two weeks, doubts had started rising in nearly every analytical discourse that Pakistan did not have the nuclear capability otherwise it would have responded. This was the golden opportunity to take out Pakistan/Pakistan’s nuclear installations before that Pakistan got the capability. The important visit of Indian COAS to Israel in March – in the light of proceeding events – could only be regarding Israel’s support for the planned attack. Whatever, the reasons and aims, the end result was establishment of Pakistan as a nuclear state, which completely changed the Great Nuclear Game.

Third Wave

Pakistan’s test firing of nuclear bombs was a shock for the rest of the world. No one expected, in the first place for Pakistan to have the capability and secondly to fire them if it had. For India and Israel, who were two top most interested parties in destroying Pakistan’s nuclear assets, this meant a complete overhaul of their strategy.

A year later Indian National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra came to meet Barak in September 1999 and this time he was accompanied with a familiar face – Alok Tiwari. Within a year, Alok Tiwari and another security analyst finalized a document based on their discussion the preceding year.
In June 2000 L. K. Advani visited Israel in which new deals related to Mossad and Shabak espionage and cooperation with R&AW are finalized and as a result Israel was allowed to establish its own network to operate from India. Also, L.K. Advani discussed Pakistan’s nuclear program and coordination between the two countries on an operation for disarming Pakistan. During the visit, Alok Tiwari’s report was also discussed.

By July 2000 a heavy deployment of Israeli agents in Indian Occupied Kashmir was reported. Near the end of 2000 Israel’s top intelligence officers were reported to have visited India and discussed amongst other issues, Kashmir and Pakistan’s nuclear assets. One of the meetings on the agenda was regarding the report Alok Tilwar had prepared which had gone through considerable changes in Israel. By the end of the visit the top spies of the two country had agreed to cooperate on the operation detailed inside the thick volume titled: “Operation Blue Tulsi”.

Operation Blue Tulsi: Preparation

We do not know what is written inside the report Operation BlueTulsi. But we can ascertain some of it by the events it had led to beginning 2001. Preparation for the mega Operation Blue Tulsi began fervently in early 2001. By mid 2001 eyebrows were being raised over R&AW and Mossad’s cooperation and in July 2001 Janes Information Group reported that RAW and Mossad are cooperating to infiltrate Pakistan to target important religious and military personalities, journalists, judges, lawyers and bureaucrats. In addition, bombs would be exploded in trains, railway stations, bridges, bus stations, cinemas, hotels and mosques of rival Islamic sects to incite sectarianism. At the same time the Balouchistan Liberation Army rose out of dead like a second incarnation and Balach Marri a Moscow graduate declares himself as the leader of BLA. Within weeks in Balochistan numerous training camps sprouted with each camp reported to be training up to a 100 militants. Intelligence of RAW, Mossad and CIA agents operating in Balochistan started coming in.

In mid 2001 reports appeared that Special Operations Division of Mossad, also known as Metsada, specializing in assassinations and sabotage have been based in India since May 2001 to train RAW operatives and Mossad and Shin Bet or Shabak were operating a number of teams in Indian Held Kashmir and were also operating a delicate spy network from Indian soil. In July 2001 RAW increased its budget for Indian consulates in Afghanistan by nearly 10 times.

Within days after Sep 11, a story was leaked into press that Pakistan is dismantling and spreading its nuclear assets to safer places implying that it would be much more difficult to pinpoint them and much more easier for extremists to get hold of. These news stories were shortly followed by another piece on 28 October 2001 which stated that Pentagon was looking into plans to dispatch an elite unit into the Pakistan to disarm its nuclear arsenal. The special unit which was trained to slip into foreign countries to ferret out and disarm nuclear weapons and operated under Pentagon control with CIA assistance and would be getting special help from Israel’s Sayeret Matkal also known as Unit 262.

On 22 December 2001 C. Raja Mohan wrote, “There is a growing belief in New Delhi that the time has come to call Pakistan’s nuclear bluff. If it does not, India places itself in permanent vulnerability to cross-border terrorism from Pakistan… India is now confronted with the possibility that its restraint in the face of nuclear escalation is taken as a fundamental weakness. India must deal with the possible assessment in Pakistan that its nuclear capability has foreclosed all conventional military options.” Same time at the other side of the globe Prof. Stephen P Cohen was saying, “South Asia may have reached a point where the two countries (India and Pakistan) are really bent on hurting each other one way or another and it may be time to consider more unilateral, more forceful American steps – diplomatically and economically forceful – to get compliance from India and Pakistan separately on some vital concerns. Clearly, we may have reached a point where the peace process is simply too little, too late, and we may have to turn to other forms of diplomacy.”

These two writers one from US and other from India very implicitly had voiced their respective governments’ policies towards Pakistan’s nuclear assets.
In December 2001 Indian PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, while addressing the parliament said, “the question was not whether there should be or should not be a war, [the question was] under what circumstances there will be war … and whether there will be a war.”
Of course the underlying message was, whether India should attack a nuclear armed country or a country which has lost its nuclear capabilities.
In December 2001 Benazir Bhutto while visiting India said in her interviews, “President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, as an army general, had planned the Kargil invasion in Jammu and Kashmir while I was the Prime Minister.” Later she also said, “Pakistan army as an institution had brought back Osama bin Laden”.

This rhetoric of Benazir Bhutto was perfectly in line with the agreement signed by US and India in 2002. Late in 2002 US and India signed an agreement on cooperation in disarming Pakistan’s nuclear assets and the two player offensive team of OperationBlueTulsi found a third partner in the form of CIA. As a result of this deal Abdullah Mehsud was freed from Guantanamo Bay and returned to Pakistan with millions in cash.
Benazir Bhutto’s statements in India were the major reason Pervez Musharraf’s declaration of Benazir Bhutto as a “security risk” during a chat with Pakistan’s leading editors and correspondents in April 2002. Pakistani security agencies already had a great deal of intelligence regarding Benazir Bhutto, Asif Zardari and Rehman Malik’s involvement with Mossad and India in 1995-96 and their collaboration against Pakistan’s nuclear assets.

In January 2002 under orders from L. K. Advani R&AW and other intelligence agencies submited a detailed report on military options for solving Kashmir issue and in case of a full-fledged war, for neutralizing Pakistan’s nuclear assets. One major outcome of the report was creation of Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in March 2002 with the authority to conduct external operations supported by a huge budget.

Also, a Lawyers’ Struggle surfaced in October 2003 under the leadership of Hamid Ali Khan (now drowned under the infamous Lawyers’ Movement). The first prominent protest of the “struggle” was held on 15 October 2003 in which the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Hamid Ali Khan said, “Musharraf’s very presence within the army and holding of other important offices and Shaikh Riaz Ahmad’s continuation as chief justice after his retirement are undoubtedly illegal and unconstitutional… Let’s think collectively, move forward collectively and act collectively to outs usurper generals and judges (who had collaborated with Pervez Musharraf including Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry). However, like a B-grade movie twist, four years later Iftikhar Chaudry becomes the hero to these same lawyers who wanted to oust him. Like a script from past, this protest had followed a “Long March”. And the “struggle” then moved to other cities one by one asking Musharraf, Riaz Ahamad and among others Iftikhar Chaudhry’s removal from office. At this point along with Hamid Ali Khan, Kazim Khan was at the forefront. Lacking the charisma and cunning of their successors, assassination of a leader, and shortage of “unlimited” billions of rupees their names and their Lawyers’ Struggles has been confined to the dusty pages of history with their names ascribed against the words, “traitors”. Also, there is no evidence to support that assassination attempts on Pervez Musharraf were somehow related to the timing of the Lawyers’ Struggle.

By mid 2004 the government had ample evidence that BLA and some Baloch leaders were conspiring against the government, aided by foreign countries.
On 13th August 2004 the Chief Minister of Baluchistan, Jam Muhammad Yousaf is quoted by The Herald (Sep 2004-Karachi): “Indian secret services (RAW) are maintaining 40 terrorist camps all over the Baluch territory”. While this was happening on ground, there was talk of “Peace Talks” everywhere in the air. And Jan Muhammad Jamali had become a laughing stock of the media for his suggestion of foreign agents operating in Balochistan, which despite the ground facts forcefully opposed such thoughts.

However, he was already too late. The preparation for the Operation Blue Tulsi were nearly complete and the Government of Pakistan had wasted all opportunities for stopping the inevitable.

Operation Blue Tulsi: Start

1st January 2005 was the starting date. The local agents got the signal and the operation started with the ominous rape of a female doctor in Sui on 2nd January 2005. As expected the incident created headlines all round and culprits not being found created a much supported backlash. This was shortly followed by rocketing of gas installation at Sui on 7th January which put a hole in Pakistan’s gas supply for nearly a week.

2005 was a busy year with Baloch terrorists continuously creating havoc in Balochistan and adjacent areas and ended with assassination attempts on Musharraf in December. After President Gen Pervez Musharraf escapes a rocket attack on his life in December 2005 and the Inspector General Frontier Corps survives an assassination attempt, Navtej Sarna, the Indian External Affairs Ministry’s spokesman said, “The Government of India has been watching with concern the spiralling violence in Balochistan and the heavy military action, including use of helicopter gun-ships and jet fighters by the Government of Pakistan to quell it… We hope the Government of Pakistan will exercise restraint and take recourse to peaceful discussions to address the grievances of the people of Balochistan”.
The Indian Government had realized that the two assassination attempts would surely result in backfire on the Indian assets in Balochistan, which it needed to safeguard for its final aim, especially Akbar Bugti. Just as suspected, the Government of Pakistan intensifies its operation against Baloch militants.

And in April 2006 Government of Balochistan is setup with its offices in Jerusalem under Azaad Khan Baloch. In a laughingly stupid mistake, Azaad Khan Baloch who is representing Balochis of Pakistan decided to spell his name according to Hindi transliteration with double “a” in Az”aa”d, rather than a single “a” as used in Pakistan, i.e. Azad. Or more probable, “Azad Khan Baloch” is not a Pakistani.

Meanwhile in Balochistan the government operation against Akbar Bugti intensified who took shelter in the rugged mountain range and coordinated the activities of his militants from there. Ultimately the military found him and during the process of capture Akbar Bugti died because of cave-roof collapse on 26 August 2006.

This proved a minor setback in the overall plans. However, beginning 2007 events in the country took a completely different turn. Starting March 2007, every incident occurring in the country was tied to the aim of ousting Pervez Musharraf, including the much profitable Lawyers’ Movement. Intelligence agencies were having a field-day bringing in pile after pile of reports proving involvement of CIA, RAW, Mossad and MI6 towards Musharraf’s ouster. True to some extent but unlike analyzed, ouster of Pervez Musharraf was just one milestone towards the main goal, which every agency completely missed. Thus, all their efforts went into controlling the situation to secure Musharraf, while in the backdrop, silently the wheels kept turning. While Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan were burning Swat was sitting quietly, unnoticed and out of radar. Within a period of few months, the numbers of “Pakistani Taliban” in Swat surged and just as well their ammunition, latest military equipment a country like Pakistan would dream of. A portion of this ended up in the ill-fated Lal Masjid. While intelligence and military were busy keeping Musharraf’s seat safe in Pakistan, a new political game started in UAE. Rehman Malik enthusiastically started pursuing the goal of National Reconciliation Ordinance. He became instrumental in the final deal between Benazir Bhutto, US and Pervez Musharraf and NRO. Since Benazir Bhutto did not have much to lose without NRO she was never very interested in it. That was the reason two options were thrown at Musharraf, i.e. either eliminating the two term condition or NRO. Rehman Malik on the other hand was vehemently pursuing NRO, as of the three (Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto and Rehman Malik) the Government of Pakistan only had clear evidence against Rehman Malik and it was enough to put him in jail for life (i.e. involvement in espionage and working with Mossad and RAW). However, at that point no one knew the real motivations of Rehman Malik other than that he was working to get the path clear for Benazir’s return. Amazingly, FBI also was putting its weight behind NRO rather than eliminating the two term condition. While, if US had really wanted Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister of Pakistan, logic dictates that they would want the two term condition eliminated to assure her easy succession to the premiership. It needs to be noted here that Rehman Malik had also tried to do a similar deal in 2005, which never materialized. This time it did.

Near the end of 2007, intelligence and military were convinced that a conspiracy had been hatched in the country with the sole aim of removing Musharraf from power. Assassination of Benazir Bhutto, simultaneous rioting throughout the country, terrorist activities occurring in every province had considerable similarities to the Bush Administration backed Color Revolutions. In order to keep Musharraf in power the government kept giving into one demand after the other. As a result Rehman Malik becomes head of Interior Ministry, Yusuf Raza Gilani becomes the Prime Minister of Pakistan and sweeping changes are made in the security and intelligence community. Still, the government saw the war finally over when in one move Gilani puts ISI under Interior Minister on 27 July 2008. Until that time ISI and top brass had thought all Rehman Malik wanted was to get-rid of extremist elements from ISI and Pakistan’s establishment.

It was the end of July 2008 when the alarm bells started ringing again in the high echelons. Intelligence machinery went into extra high gear and millions later it came back with the name: Operation Blue Tulsi.

Operation Blue Tulsi: the Revelation

The Establishment, only now realized the full extent of the operation which they had been witnessing since the beginning of 2000. More worryingly, the current operation had eerily similar modus operandi to the 1995-96 debacle – which left the country tethering onto its nuclear assets – just that this time it was vastly more sophisticated and greater in size. In matter of hours the priorities changed. Keeping Pervez Musharraf in power suddenly paled in comparison to the real threat. As the agencies reopened recent reports, reading them in the light of newest finding all the pieces fell in place. It was a disastrous lapse on behalf of the multibillion dollar strong organizations. Overnight the report was prepared and the summary was sent to President Pervez Musharraf next morning.

In 1995-96 India came up with a plan to destroy Pakistan’s nuclear facilities before that Pakistan developed a nuclear capability. The plan was prepared by a RAW agent Alok Tiwari (who has recently been compromised). At that time Mossad was already active in Pakistan and once it heard about the project for elimination of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities jumped in by first streamlining the project further and then using its assets in Pakistan. Somewhere in early 1996 the operation was given go-ahead. At that point FIA Director General Ghulam Asghar and his ADG Rehman Malik in a deal with India and Israel were hunting down Pakistan based Kashmiri and Arab militants. These two proved to be the front line in the operation and when contacted by Indian agents fully agreed to supply all the necessary information regarding Kahuta and A. Q. Khan’s operations. Towards mid 96 demonstrations and chaos erupted throughout the country. The aim was to destabilize the country enough that when the two confirmed Pakistan did not have any nuclear capabilities India would go-ahead with all out assault. General Jehangir Karamat who was already weary of the two chaps and Asif Ali Zardari’s complicity took immediate action and Benazir Bhutto’s government was dissolved. The duo of Asghar and Malik and Zardari had already come into military’s radar the year before when they tried to lure General Abdul Wahed Kakar.

Then five years later, Alok Tiwari submited an updated version of his older report. Israel was again consulted and this time L. K. Advani vehemently pursued it. Towards the end of 2000 a delegation of top Mossad brass visited India and the combined operation titled: Operation Blue Tulsi was finalized and put into operation which had only one aim:

Destroy Pakistan’s nuclear assets followed by its Balkanization.

Approach:

1. Resurrect Baloch insurgency. Pakistan was fine with it, as it had thirty years of experience with it, starting with the Afghan-Soviet War.
2. Buy officials in military, bureaucracy, politics and law. ISI was fine with it, as it had sixty years of experience in dealing with traitors.
3. Plant agents in top positions in Taliban, FATA and NWFP. A shocker for everyone.

Taliban were the foster child of ISI and the agency had no contingency for enemy agents in top positions. The best option they came up with was to buy back the agents with more money and as a result they were deceived time and again and again. Top on the list, Baitullah Mehsud. The twenty million dollars he got in suitcases was one of the stupidest moves in the world espionage history and ISI top brass to this day are vengefully pursuing him.

Milestones:

1. Friendly political government. Asif Zardari in place, Aslam Raisani in Balochistan (though first choice Akbar Bugti unfortunately dead, MQM’s omnipresence in Sindh, Fazlur Rehman and ANP in NWFP)
2. Friendly judiciay. Iftikhar Chaudhry, Munir A. Malik, Atizaz Ahsan
3. Friendly secretaries. ??
4. Friendly Civil Society. Ansar Burney, Asma Jehangir
5. Friendly Generals. ??
6. Unrest in NWFP and immediate threat of Taliban taking control of Islamabad. Back in 2002 US had agreed with India that if ever Pakistan seemed to destabilize or falling into the hands of extremists, it would help India in destroying Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities. The situation they agreed upon is well defined by the Pakistani media’s current theme song of “Taliban are coming to Islamabad”

Immediate Countermeasures

By August 2008 the operation was too deep rooted and it was clear if attention was diverted towards saving Musharraf there was more than a probability of loosing nuclear capability in near future. With Musharraf gone, ISI estimated a window of opportunity of 18 to 20 months before either Taliban or Asif Zardari with his shenanigans destabilized Pakistan. In the greater interest Musharraf decided to step down peacefully.

Operation Blue Tulsi: In Operation

Musharraf stepped down and Asif Ali Zardari took over, but by then the order had been sent and the agents in Swat Valley and FATA who had been preparing for the day for the last eight years launched an all out assault on the military with a single aim of destabilizing Pakistan. In the eventful month of December 2007 Baitullah Mehsud had already announced officially the formation of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Although right after the victory of PPP Baitullah Mehsud has negotiated peace with the government which led to the great debacle of US$ 20 million by August 2008 he was again involved with the military in a full on battle. ISI and military by this time had realized the foremost importance of ridding the Taliban off foreign agents and assets by any means and costs.

At one end Pakistan military still is trying to safeguard its own assets while tracing out and eliminating foreign agents, while at the other end US is trying its best to safeguard its prime asset of Baitullah Meshud who had taken over after the death of Abullah Mehsud. Until very recently, there had been not a single drone attack on Baitullah Mehsud, while ISI aligned Taliban had been bombed repeatedly, as a result of which many have turned their backs against Pakistan. Only in the recent months four drone attacks on Baitullah Mehsud’s territory have been reported.

Operation Blue Tulsi and Future

Currently the entire country is gripped by the ongoing operations of military against the Taliban. Media which once championed itself as the sympathizers of the Taliban and were chanting “Taliban are coming to Islamabad” have suddenly changed their tunes, especially after being declared by the Taliban as kafirs and thus “killable”.

The economy is in doldrums and corruption is rampantly high but the top brass knows Pakistan is first and for Pakistan nuclear assets come first. Thus, until the country is cleansed of all the foreign agents in FATA and Taliban, the military and intelligence has only one goal, to stop Operation Blue Tulsi at this stage, making sure it never goes into Phase TWO – attacking and destroying Pakistan’s nuclear assets because extremist elements have destabilized Pakistan.

A Prayer For Pakistan

2009-10-10T21:02:00.001-07:00

The Begging Techniques

2009-10-05T23:27:00.001-07:00

Effective begging techniques to attract donors and get their sympathies

Lashkar-e-Taiba & ISI Responsible For Cricket Debacle: India

2009-10-04T21:47:00.001-07:00

September 30, 2009

Dan Qayyum | PakistanKaKhudaHafiz.com EXCLUSIVE

CENTURION – Within minutes of Pakistan’s last ball defeat at the hands of Australia at the Centurion ground in South Africa, Indian Minister for Extrenal Affairs S M Krishna has sensationally pointed the finger at Kashmir-based militant group ‘Lashkar-e-Tayba’ which it alleges is supported by Pakistan’s InterServices Intelligence Agency (ISI).

‘We know there is no way Pakistan would have lost to Australia after being in a winning position towards the end. We have intercepted calls from Lashkar-e-Tayba masterminds made to the Pakistan dressing room in those last few minutes of the game. You can see why Misbah-ul-Haq went down and asked the physio came out with the message that they have to lose the game.’ He remarked.

Earlier, Home Affairs minister P Chidambaram had talked of Lashkar-e-Tayba using earnings from betting on allegedly fixed matches to fund what he called ‘Terror attacks’ on Indian soil.

“Its the oldest and quickest way to make money to be used for Terror attacks against India”, he said. “Daud Ibrahim has done it in the past and now Lashkar-e-Tayba has bought the Pakistan team and I suspect even the Australian team. The international community must take notice of this injustice on India and punish Pakistan severely. We will take this to the United Nations Security Council and get both teams banned”

“Team India is the best team in the world at the moment and despite not winning any games in the ICC T20 and going out in this tournament, they will still be the number one team in the world. Infact we have arrested today a Pakistani ISI agent who masterminded the fixing of the matches in T20 World Cup in June this year”, added Chidambaram.

Reaction on the streets to India going out of the ICC Champions Trophy has been surprisingly muted. Fans interviewed minutes after Australia’s victory at Centurion declared they never expected India to fare well in this tournament.

“Everytime Pakistan plays we know the games are fixed by the ISI, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Daud Ibrahim and Al Qaeda. They know they cannot beat us fair and square so they have resorted to paying the officials and umpires to make it difficult for India to win. There’s no point watching cricket anymore whenever Pakistan is involved. I just want to kill myself”, said a teary-eyed 24 year old cricket fan in Delhi before jumping off the 7 ft high boundary wall around his slum and breaking his arm in the process.

India is also said to be launching a probe into the rain that washed out their game against Australia on the 28th, giving a point each to both teams which led to India having to rely on Pakistan’s result against Australia today. Alleging the involvement of Chinese weather satellites, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has promised to investigate claims from his cabinet that Beijing had assisted Pakistan’s ISI in changing the weather conditions at Centurion, causing a massive downpour that swept away India’s hopes and rested them firmly on Pakistan’s shoulders.

Meanwhile in another development, a few members of the Pakistan cricket team had to be taken to hospital after being out of breath due to laughing uncontrollably at an Indian TV Programme.

‘The boys are fine, we just happened to tune into this programme, I think it was a comedy show, on Zee News in the dressing room and man those guys are hilarious, we just couldn’t stop laughing’, said star batsman Shahid Afridi before bursting into another fit of laughter and being stretchered off to the emergency ward himself.

NEWS JUST IN:
In response to the Indian allegations, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik called a press conference just moments ago and accepted the Indian claims as true, while promising a full investigation into ISI’s alleged link to the match result at Centurion today.

</End Satire>

Truck And Rickshaw Poetry Featuring Faraz

2009-10-03T23:32:00.001-07:00

Eid Mubarak

2009-09-19T20:41:00.001-07:00

Wishing everyone a very happy, savory and joyous Eid.

Pakistan Through Pictures

2009-09-15T23:51:00.001-07:00

Pakistani Map

National FLAG

National Flower Of Pakistan

National Bird of Pakistan – Chukar Partridge-(kadalkakka)

National Animal of Pakistan – Markhor

The Great Faisal Mosque – Islamabad

A Night View of Islamabad – Capital of Pakistan

The Clock Tower of Faisal Abad (MANCHESTER OF PAKISTAN) – The TEXTILE Capital of Pakistan

Tomb of the Founder (Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah) of Pakistan – Karachi

Famous University of the Punjab – Lahore , Pakistan

The Famous Badshahi Mosque – Lahore Pakistan (Built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan)

A View of Minar-e-Pakistan from Badshahi Mosque

Noor Palace – Bahawalpur

Masjid Wazir Khan

Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation Building – Mallam Jabba – Pakistan

Sculpture of Lord Budha – National Museum Lahore , Pakistan

St. Patrick's Church Karachi (Was built in 1845 with by the Goans)

A Picture of Old Lahore

Tomb of Bi Bi Jalwandi (A Women Few Centuries Back) – Sind , Pakistan

Dance Floor? No – The Salt Bricks of a Mosque at World's 2^nd Largest Salt Mine

The Salt Mosque at Khewrha Salt Mines

Arts & Cultural Values – Henna Design

Strong Traditions to Help

Unity is our Faith

Passion to Win

Sports Man of the Year – Pride of Pakistan : Imran Khan winner of 1992 World Cup

K2 – World's 2^nd Largest Mountain

A Foggy Morning

The Mountains of Koh-e-Karakoram

Swat and Kallam – Northern Areas of Pakistan

Azad Jammu & Kashmir

The Hunza Valley

The Famous Satpara Lake

A winter view of Northern Areas of Pakistan

The Karakoram Highway – A road Link between China and Pakistan

Our Faith – A blessing to Mankind

Deosai Bridge – Pakistan

A Scene from the Karakoram Mountains Ranges

A view of Northern Areas of Pakistan

Pakistan is not a nation of quitters.

2009-09-05T00:28:00.001-07:00

You wont find this in Grey's Anatomy

2009-08-29T00:50:00.001-07:00

District 9 Lahore

2009-08-28T21:14:00.001-07:00

Courtesty of Flickr

Nothing is impossible for these Pashtuns

2009-08-27T20:18:00.001-07:00

Nothing is impossible for these Paahtuns

2009-08-27T08:37:00.001-07:00

Effects Of Financial Crisis

2009-08-24T08:37:00.001-07:00

Effects of Financial Crisis on Company Logos

JOKE: Why Only Indians Are Reborn

2009-08-18T19:03:00.001-07:00

Mystery solved!
The angel Gabriel came to the Lord and said 'I have to talk to you. We have some Indians up here in heaven and they are causing problems. They're swinging on the pearly gates, my horn is missing, they are wearing Dolce and Gabbana saris instead of their white robes, they are riding Mercedes and BMW's instead of the chariots, and they're selling their halos to people for discounted prices. They refuse to keep the stairway to Heaven clear, since they keep crouching down midway eating samosas and drinking chai (tea). Some of them are even walking around with just one wing!'
The Lord said, 'Indians are Indians. Heaven is home to all my children. If you want to know about real problems, give Satan a call.'
Satan answered the phone, 'Hello? Damn, hold on a minute.' Satan returned to the phone, 'OK I'm back. What can I do for you?'
Gabriel replied, 'I just wanted to know what kind of problems you're having down there.'
Satan says, 'Hold on again. I need to check on something.'
After about 5 minutes Satan returns to the phone and said, 'I'm back. Now what was the question?'
Gabriel said, 'What kind of problems are you having down there?'
Satan says, 'Man I don't believe this .. Hold on.'
This time Satan was gone at least 15 minutes. He returned and said, "I'm sorry Gabriel, I can't talk right now.. These Indians are trying to install air conditioning and making hell a comfortable place to live in by putting out the fire..fire is there to keep them uncomfortably hot!! Since they are so tech savvy, they were trying to start a telephone connection between heaven and hell..I am having such a hard time controlling and dealing with them!! Some were trying to start a chai - pakora shop, which I had to stop..I am requesting Lord to send them back on earth as soon as they arrive as re-birth".
Indians will be Indians..
So this is the story why Indians are re-born!!!

http://www.desidiary.com/blog/2009/08/14/pakdayla2009pics.html

Pak Day LA 2009 Pictures

2009-08-16T22:30:00.001-07:00

Police from around the world

2009-07-14T00:16:00.001-07:00

USA

German

U.K.



Pakistan

&

Finally

INDIAN....

Pakistan Kay Kuchh Nazzaray

2009-07-01T19:55:00.001-07:00

Zinda Hae Bibi

2009-06-29T07:33:00.001-07:00

Dear India

2009-06-23T19:59:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Pakistan for winning the T-20 Cricket World Cup!

Nuclear Deterrence is just a False Myth

2009-06-08T18:11:00.001-07:00

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Nuclear Deterrence is just a False Myth

Nations with Atom bombs could be defeated:

There is a generally perceived myth that countries having Atom Bombs (A-bombs) cannot be defeated or their defense is impregnable. In fact, the history of the nuclear nations belies that. On 16 July 1945, the US Army Corps of Engineers, under the command of General Leslie Groves, directed by a professor of theoretical physics, J. Robert Oppenheimer, undertook ‘Trinity,’ the first-ever, human-engineered, controlled nuclear explosion. From 1959 till 1975, the US military with all its service branches, including the US Army, US Air Force, US Marine Corps and US Navy, fought with the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam called the Vietcong. Vietcong suffered huge losses including a number anywhere from 3 million to 4 million Vietnamese; at least 2 million Cambodians and Laotians and more than 58,000 US soldiers. President Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, had the A-bomb but President Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, was beaten back by Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh and Pham Hung. America had the A-bomb but it was beaten by a hotchpotch, rag-tag Vietcong, Khmer Rouge and the North Vietnamese.

In August 1949, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) under the administrative supervision of Lavrentii Beria, the head of People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, Russia’s secret police organization, and under the scientific supervision of physicist Igor Kurchatov, detonated its first nuclear device. From 1979 to 1989, KGB’s Independent Special-Purpose Motorized Brigade, Russia’s foreign military intelligence directorate along with the 40th Army of the Soviet Union’s Red Army fought with rag-tag Afghan militias. Josef Stalin, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, had the A-bomb and more than 40 years later, Sergei Leonidovich Sokolov, Marshal of the Soviet Union, General Valentin Varennikov, Commander-in-Chief of the land forces, and General Boris Gromov, Commander of the 40th Army, fought with Ahmad Shah Massod, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Ismail Khan and Abdul Haq. Eventually, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, lost and the ragtag Afghans won. Once again, the A-bomb was beaten.

Countries with A-bomb could be attacked: Medinat Yisra'el, or the State of Israel, began building the Negev Nuclear Research Center, with French help, back in 1958. According to Mordechai Vanunu, a nuclear technician at the Negev Nuclear Research Center, Israel had built its first nuclear weapon in 1967-68. In 1973, Muhammad Anwar Al Sadat ordered General Saad El Shazly, the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army (350,000 plus 400,000 reservists) to invade Sinai. The Egyptian Air Force with 200 of its low-flying aircraft, including MiG-21s, attacked Israeli airbases. The Egyptian land assault with some 30,000 soldiers captured each and every one of Israeli fortifications. Israel had the A-bomb but the Egyptian Army invaded Israeli-controlled territory. Israel had the A-bomb but Egyptian MiG-21s attacked Israeli airbases. In 1973, Hafez al-Assad ordered General Mustafa Tlass, the Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army (conscripted 400,000), to invade the Golan Heights. General Mustafa sent in 5 divisions along with 1,300 tanks to capture Mount Hermon, the Israeli stronghold. Remember, Israel had the A-bomb but the Syrian Army invaded the Golan Heights. General Moshe Dayan, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, had the A-bomb but General Mustafa sent his soldiers into Israeli controlled terrain.

Country	Active Warheads	Total Warheads
USA	4,075	5,400
Russia (USSR)	5,162	14,000
UK	160	145
France	300	300
China	180	240
India	60	60
Pakistan	60	60
North Korea	10	10
Israel	80	80

A-bomb nation invaded in recent past: Here’s the record: India had begun its nuclear program back in 1967 (the origin of the nuclear weapons program was the Bhabha Atomic Research Center). Seven years later, nuclear scientists led by Dr. Raja Ramana detonated the Smiling Buddha at Pokhran test range; plutonium for the detonation came from the Canada-India-Research-US, or CIRUS, research reactor while the implosion system was developed under the supervision of Dr Satish Kumar at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh. According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, India began work on a thermonuclear weapon in the 1980s. India has so far conducted a total of 6 nuclear tests the last one was conducted on 13 May 1998. Of the 6, the largest yield was 250 kilotons and that was for the test undertaken on 11 May 1998 (the ‘Little Boy’ that was dropped on Hiroshima was a 15 kiloton bomb). In May 1999, around 5 battalions of Pakistan’s Northern Light Infantry (HQ: Skardu) along with Kashmiri guerrillas entered Indian-controlled territories and captured areas of lower Mushkoh Valley, Kaksar, Dras and Chorbatla. India’s inventory of A-bombs could not stop Pakistan’s Northern Light Infantry.

A-bomb does not ensure lesser defense spending: India’s defense allocation when India didn’t have an A-bomb was around $5 billion. India’s defense budget has since reached a colossal $35 billion. Pakistan’s defense allocation when Pakistan didn’t have an A-bomb was under Rs. 100 billion. Pakistan’s defense budget has since reached a colossal Rs. 400 billion.

Time to trash the nuclear doctrine? The A-bomb’s 64-year history shows that the doctrine of nuclear deterrence belongs to the dustbin. Countries with large inventories of A-bombs have lost wars. And, A-bombs have failed to stop invading armies.

(Islamabad May 31, 2009)

Comments/remarks: pager@crss.pk

Captain Bilal Zafar (Shaheed) SSG

2009-06-03T21:21:00.001-07:00

A memorial website for this brave son of Pakistan.

http://www.captainbilalshaheed.com

How MI5 Blackmails British Muslims

2009-05-26T14:52:00.001-07:00

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/exclusive-how-mi5-blackmails-british-muslims-1688618.html

*Exclusive:

*How MI5 blackmails British Muslims

*'Work for us or we will say you are a terrorist'*
By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor, *21 May 2009*

[image: Mohamed Aden, 25, who was approached by a fake
postman]

*Mohamed Aden, 25, who was approached by a fake postman
enlarge
*

Five Muslim community workers have accused MI5 of waging a campaign of
blackmail and harassment in an attempt to recruit them as informants. The
men claim they were given a choice of working for the Security Service or
face detention and harassment in the UK and overseas. They have made
official complaints to the police, to the body which oversees the work of
the Security Service and to their local MP Frank Dobson. Now they have
decided to speak publicly about their experiences in the hope that publicity
will stop similar tactics being used in the future.

Intelligence gathered by informers is crucial to stopping further terror
outrages, but the men's allegations raise concerns about the coercion of
young Muslim men by the Security Service and the damage this does to the
gathering of information in the future. Three of the men say they were
detained at foreign airports on the orders of MI5 after leaving Britain on
family holidays last year. After they were sent back to the UK, they were
interviewed by MI5 officers who, they say, falsely accused them of links to
Islamic extremism. On each occasion the agents said they would lift the
travel restrictions and threat of detention in return for their
co-operation. When the men refused some of them received what they say were
intimidating phone calls and threats.

Two other Muslim men say they were approached by MI5 at their homes after
police officers posed as postmen. Each of the five men, aged between 19 and
25, was warned that if he did not help the security services he would be
considered a terror suspect. A sixth man was held by MI5 for three hours
after returning from his honeymoon in Saudi Arabia. He too claims he was
threatened with travel restrictions if he tried to leave the UK. An agent
who gave her name as Katherine is alleged to have made direct threats to
Adydarus Elmi, a 25-year-old cinema worker from north London. In one
telephone call she rang him at 7am to congratulate him on the birth of his
baby girl. His wife was still seven months' pregnant and the couple had
expressly told the hospital that they did not want to know the sex of their
child.

Mr Elmi further alleges: "Katherine tried to threaten me by saying, and it
still runs through my mind now: 'Remember, this won't be the last time we
ever meet.' And then during our last conversation she explained: 'If you do
not want anything to happen to your family you will co-operate.'" Madhi
Hashi, a 19-year-old care worker from Camden, claims he was held for 16
hours in a cell in Djibouti airport on the orders of MI5. He alleges that
when he was returned to the UK on 9 April this year he was met by an MI5
agent who told him his terror suspect status would remain until he agreed to
work for the Security Service. He alleges that he was to be given the job of
informing on his friends by encouraging them to talk about jihad.

Mohamed Nur, 25, a community youth worker from north London, claims he was
threatened by the Security Service after an agent gained access to his home
accompanied by a police officer posing as a postman. "The MI5 agent said,
'Mohamed if you do not work for us we will tell any foreign country you try
to travel to that you are a suspected terrorist.'" Mohamed Aden, 25, a
community youth worker from Camden, was also approached by someone disguised
as a postman in August last year. He alleges an agent told him: "We're going
to make your travelling harder for you if you don't co-operate." None of the
six men, who work with disadvantaged youths at the Kentish Town Community
Organisation (KTCO), has ever been arrested for terrorism or a
terrorism-related offence.

They have repeatedly complained about their treatment to the police and to
the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which oversees the work of the Security
Services. In a letter to Lord Justice Mummery, who heads the tribunal,
Sharhabeel Lone, the chairman of the KTCO, said: "The only thing these young
people have in common is that they studied Arabic abroad and are of Somali
origin. They are not involved in any terrorist activity whatsoever, nor have
they ever been, and the security services are well aware of this." Mr
Sharhabeel added: "These incidents smack of racism, Islamophobia and all
that undermines social cohesion. Threatening British citizens, harassing
them in their own country, alienating young people who have committed no
crime other than practising a particular faith and being a different colour
is a recipe for disaster.

"These disgraceful incidents have undermined 10 years of hard work and
severely impacted social cohesion in Camden. Targeting young people that are
role models for all young people in our country in such a disparaging way
demonstrates a total lack of understanding of on-the-ground reality and can
only be counter-productive. "When people are terrorised by the very same
body that is meant to protect them, sowing fear, suspicion and division, we
are on a slippery slope to an Orwellian society." Frank Dobson said: "To
identify real suspects from the Muslim communities MI5 must use informers.
But it seems that from what I have seen some of their methods may be
counter-productive."

Last night MI5 and the police refused to discuss the men's complaints with *The
Independent*. But on its website, MI5 says it is untrue that the Security
Service harasses Muslims. The organisation says: "We do not investigate any
individuals on the grounds of ethnicity or religious beliefs. Countering the
threat from international terrorists, including those who claim to be acting
for Islam, is the Security Service's highest priority. "We know that attacks
are being considered and planned for the UK by al-Qai'da and associated
networks. International terrorists in this country threaten us directly
through violence and indirectly through supporting violence overseas."

It adds: "Muslims are often themselves the victims of this violence – the
series of terrorist attacks in Casablanca in May 2003 and Riyadh in May and
November 2003 illustrate this. "The service also employs staff of all
religions, including Muslims. We are committed to recruiting a diverse range
of staff from all backgrounds so that we can benefit from their different
perspectives and experience."

MI5 and me: Three statements

*Mahdi Hashi: 'I told him: this is blackmail'*

Last month, 19-year-old Mahdi Hashi arrived at Gatwick airport to take a
plane to visit his sick grandmother in Djibouti, but as he was checking in
he was stopped by two plainclothes officers. One of the officers identified
himself as Richard and said he was working for MI5. Mr Hashi said: "He
warned me not to get on the flight. He said 'Whatever happens to you outside
the UK is not our responsibility'. I was absolutely shocked." The agent
handed Mr Hashi a piece of paper with his name and telephone contact details
and asked him to call him. "The whole time he tried to make it seem like he
was looking after me. And just before I left them at my boarding gate I
remember 'Richard' telling me 'It's your choice, mate, to get on that flight
but I advise you not to,' and then he winked at me."

When Mr Hashi arrived at Djibouti airport he was stopped at passport
control. He was then held in a room for 16 hours before being deported back
to the UK. He claims the Somali security officers told him that their orders
came from London. More than 24 hours after he first left the UK he arrived
back at Heathrow and was detained again. "I was taken to pick up my luggage
and then into a very discreet room. 'Richard' walked in with a Costa bag
with food which he said was for me, my breakfast. He said it was them who
sent me back because I was a terror suspect."

Mr Hashi, a volunteer youth leader at Kentish Town Community Organisation in
north London, alleges that the officer made it clear that his "suspect"
status and travel restrictions would only be lifted if he agreed to
co-operate with MI5. "I told him 'This is blatant blackmail'; he said 'No,
it's just proving your innocence. By co-operating with us we know you're not
guilty.' "He said I could go and that he'd like to meet me another time,
preferably after [May] Monday Bank Holiday. I looked at him and said 'I
don't ever want to see you or hear from you again. You've ruined my holiday,
upset my family, and you nearly gave my sick grandmother in Somalia a heart
attack'."

*Adydarus Elmi: 'MI5 agent threatened my family'*

When the 23-year-old cinema worker from north London arrived at Chicago's
O'Hare airport with his pregnant wife, they were separated, questioned and
deported back to Britain. Three days later Mr Elmi was contacted on his
mobile phone and asked to attend Charing Cross police station to discuss
problems he was having with his travel documents. "I met a man and a woman,"
he said. "She said her name was Katherine and that she worked for MI5. I
didn't know what MI5 was." For two-and-a-half hours Mr Elmi faced questions.
"I felt I was being lured into working for MI5." The contact did not stop
there. Over the following weeks he claims "Katherine" harassed him with
dozens of phone calls.

"She would regularly call my mother's home asking to speak to me," he said.
"And she would constantly call my mobile." In one disturbing call the agent
telephoned his home at 7am to congratulate him on the birth of his baby
girl. His wife was still seven months pregnant and the couple had expressly
told the hospital that they did not want to know the sex of their child.
"Katherine tried to threaten me by saying – and it still runs through my
mind now – 'Remember, this won't be the last time we ever meet", and then
during our last conversation explained: 'If you do not want anything to
happen to your family you will co-operate'."

*Mohamed Nur*

Mohamed Nur, 25, first came into contact with MI5 early one morning in
August 2008 when his doorbell rang. Looking through his spyhole in Camden,
north London, he saw a man with a red bag who said he was a postman. When Mr
Nur opened the door the man told him that he was in fact a policeman and
that he and his colleague wanted to talk to him. When they sat down the
second man produced ID and said that he worked for MI5.

The agent told Mr Nur that they suspected him of being an Islamic extremist.
"I immediately said 'And where did you get such an idea?' He replied, 'I am
not permitted to discuss our sources'. I said that I have never done
anything extreme." Mr Nur claims he was then threatened by the officer. "The
MI5 agent said, 'Mohamed, if you do not work for us we will tell any foreign
country you try to travel to that you are a suspected terrorist'."

They asked him what travel plans he had. Mr Nur said he might visit Sweden
next year for a football tournament. The agent told him he would contact him
within the next three days. "I am not interested in meeting you ever." Mr
Nur replied. As they left, the agent said to at least consider the approach,
as it was in his best interests.
*Related articles*

- **Home Secretary was warned of MI5's 'blackmailing of
Muslims'
  - Exclusive: How MI5 blackmails British
Muslims
  - Pauline Neville-Jones: MI5 must use persuasion – not
coercion
  - Bombings spooked security
services

OUR MINISTERS IN NEW YORK

2009-05-26T00:11:00.001-07:00

Load shedding and wedding night

2009-05-24T00:50:00.001-07:00

"Where I stand" - Article by Imran Khan

2009-05-24T00:42:00.001-07:00

Saturday, May 23, 2009

By Imran Khan

It was Goebbels who came up with the brilliant theory that if the government wanted people to follow its policy, it must first instill fear in them and then slap all dissenters with the unpatriotic card. Anyone like me, who disagrees with the current indiscriminate military operation is accused of being a Taliban apologist.

Let me state categorically that I have been against the military operations since the disaster of what was formerly the East Pakistan. From East Pakistan to the present Swat operation, the political mantra has always been “no option but the military”. Successive military operations in Balochistan have only added to the sufferings of the Baloch people, which nurtured the seeds of their disillusionment with the Pakistani state.

When Bush decided to attack Afghanistan in less than a month after 9/11, I opposed this US policy at every forum, including through the print and electronic media. Later, when he ordered the invasion of Iraq, I joined the nearly 2 million marchers in London opposing the Iraq war. It is noteworthy that at the time, over 90 per cent of Americans supported Bush’s Iraq invasion. Today, the overwhelming opinion in the US is that Iraq was a disaster. Moreover, the so-called “good war” in Afghanistan is being lost and its support dwindling.

It is not surprising to see the findings of a Rand Corporation study of the last 40 years of terrorist or asymmetric conflicts, which reveal that only 7 per cent of these conflicts were resolved through military means.

When Musharraf buckled under the US pressure and sent the Pakistan Army into Waziristan, I opposed it in parliament and through the media. Speaking to the editors, Musharraf called me a “terrorist without a beard” – as if terrorism is the sole domain of bearded folk. When the Pakistan Army was sent into Waziristan, there were no militant Taliban in Pakistan. As a result of the Army operation, the tribal social and political structure was destroyed throughout Fata and Malakand, and the vacuum has been filled by nine major militant Taliban groups.

Again, at the time Musharraf commenced military action in Balochistan I opposed it and was accused of backing the “anti-state” elements. Today, what was a movement for Baloch rights and autonomy within Pakistan has morphed into a Baloch independence movement. On opposing the Lal Masjid operation, some of the self-appointed “liberals” accused me of backing the Islamic fundamentalists. But soon most of the indefatigable crusaders for human rights joined the critics of the Lal Masjid operation. More sobering is the fact that there were 60 suicide attacks in the aftermath of the slaughter of the Lal Masjid inmates and a steep rise in extremism. The Swat flare-up is a direct consequence of the Lal Masjid operation.

While discussing my opposition to the current military operation, I must state where I stand politically and ideologically. My political inspiration is derived solely from Quaid-i-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the constitutionalist and democrat who believed in the rule of law above all else. My ideological moorings are firmly rooted in the political and spiritual dimensions of Allama Iqbal’s exposition of Islam, which not only liberates society from bondage but also the human soul from material desires – releasing the enormous God-given human potential.

Above all, I am an ardent follower of our Prophet’s (PBUH) example of inspiring the heart and the intellect rather than forcing ideas through the sword – a far cry from what has been happening in Swat in the name of Islam. So on no count can I possibly either support the un-Islamic acts such as beheadings, flogging of women, or forcing a way of life on others, nor am I an apologist for such people – I am only answerable on this count to my conscience and to my God.

As for my opposition to the Malakand military operation, first and foremost I believe that the military option, if it has to be used should always be a last resort. Yet in Swat, the military operation was started barely two weeks after the presidential signing of the accord without alternative political strategies being given a chance. In my opinion, a national conference of all stakeholders, including religious and political parties and groups, particularly those representing Swat, should have been called prior to the operation. A delegation from such a conference should have been mandated to visit Swat and talk reason to the militants and report back to parliament. In other words, every effort should have been made to make the militants abide by the peace deal. All along the political effort, a concerted effort should have been made to gain time to revive civil administration, police, and the paramilitary presence in Swat.

The diehard militants who consistently refused to adhere to peace agreement could have been isolated over time – a key counter-insurgency tactic followed by precise military action to decapacitate the leadership.

Assuming, there was no alternative to the military option, then while it was being planned, arrangements should have been made for the people who were going to be displaced. Sadly, and shamefully, the military operation began suddenly under increased US pressure, timed with Zardari’s US visit and with the least concern for the people of the area.

The unfolding tragedy that is taking place in Swat is mindboggling. To flush out a few thousand militant Taliban, more than two million people have been forced to live in misery in camps not fit for animals in civilised societies. Even more disturbing is the use of heavy artillery shelling and bombing from the air alongside helicopter gunships in areas with significant civilian population. Despite a heavy blackout, the news coming from the war zone tell tales of dozens if not hundreds of innocent civilian casualties.

Given the collapse of governance in the country, can we adequately look after so many displaced people – especially as summer temperatures soar? And for how long? The wheat crop has already been lost. If the IDPs cannot return within two months, the fruit cash crops will be at risk. Hence how will they sustain themselves for the coming year? Perhaps most dangerous is the possibility of IDPs’ anger and frustration that besides resulting in riots may also swell the ranks of the militants.

In such a situation, according to the Army briefing given to the parliamentarians, there is every possibility of the Taliban resurfacing not just in Malakand Division but elsewhere in the country – possibly the urban centres. Can we afford further spread of terrorism in our cities given the precarious security and fragile economic situation? Military action breeds more militancy.

An Army action which has already led to almost 2.5 million displaced countrymen cannot simply be accepted without questions. And, as if we do not already have a crisis, Zardari has declared that the war in Swat is merely the beginning of a wider war, which is likely to engulf other parts of the country. It is time to take stock and stop ourselves from committing collective suicide. What needs to be done is the following:

* The military action unfortunately is already underway but there is no political, particularly governance, strategy which is guiding this operation. That should be the first priority so that the military action does not continue in a political vacuum.

* A clear governance and political strategy that allows the IDPs to return following a swift end to military operation is needed. This strategy should be focused on a system of speedy justice through the Nizam-e-Adl and effective civil administration. The writ of the state and the rule of law go together and this has to be ensured if violent challenges to state and government are to be avoided in the future.

* The military action, if at all, should have been extremely limited in scale and targeted with precision to minimise civilian casualties. Tragically, this did not happen and my fear is that widespread use of aerial weapons would only result in greater civilian casualties, swelling the ranks of the militants. So the military action needs to be revised to focus more on specific targeting and commando action.

Will any of this happen? Unfortunately in the present mood of the ruling elite, this does not seem likely. Instead, we will see increasing military action in the tribal areas as long as the US is in occupation of Afghanistan.

In other words, as long as US troops in Afghanistan are perceived to be an occupying force that is anti-Pushtun and anti-Islam, there will be no peace in this region. We are heading in a fatal direction unless we change our strategy and pull out of this insane war that is sinking us into chaos. The longer this persists, the deeper we will find ourselves in this quagmire and we will confront a deeply divided society.

Finally, my heart bleeds for the poor soldier confronting his own people turned into misguided and brutalised militants and giving his life for a war wrought on him by a corrupt and decadent ruling elite that cannot see beyond the lure of American dollars that have become as much of a curse for this hapless nation as the criminal extremists in our very midst.

----

More:

Imran Khan and Taliban - Article by Naeem ul Haque (Member CEC)

PTI CEC Decleration - Text and Video

Eleven Most Expensive Accidents In History

2009-05-20T20:24:00.001-07:00

Top 11 Most Expensive Accidents in History

Throughout history, humans have always been prone to accidents.
Some, such as the exotic car crashes seen on this page, can be very
expensive. But that's trivial compared to the truly expensive accidents.
An accident is defined as "an undesirable or unfortunate happening that
occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or
loss". Our aim is to list the top 11 most expensive accidents in the
history of the world as measured in dollars.
This includes property damage and expenses incurred related to
the accident such as cleanup and industry losses. Many of these
accidents involve casualties which obviously cannot be measured in
dollar terms. Each life lost is priceless and is not factored into the
equation. Deliberate actions such as war or terrorism and natural
disasters do not qualify as accidents and therefore are not included in
this list.

# 11. Titanic - $150 Million
The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident
in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 11 most expensive. On
April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and was considered
to be the most luxurious ocean liner ever built. Over 1,500 people lost
their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and sunk in frigid waters.
The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today's dollars).

# 10. Tanker Truck vs Bridge - $358 Million
On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a tanker truck
containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge in Germany . The
tanker crashed through the guardrail and fell 90 feet off the A4
Autobahn resulting in a huge explosion and fire which destroyed the
load-bearing ability of the bridge. Temporary repairs cost $40 million
and the cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $318 Million.
cid:3324277880_411934

       # 9. MetroLink Crash - $500 Million
On September 12, 2008, in what was one of the worst train
crashes in California history, 25 people were killed when a Metrolink
commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in Los
Angeles . It is thought that the Metrolink train may have run through a
red signal while the conductor was busy text messaging. Wrongful death
lawsuits are expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metrolink.

# 8. B-2 Bomber Crash - $1.4 Billion
Here we have our first billion dollar accident (and we're only
#7 on the list). This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking
off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed
distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the
system. This resulted in the aircraft making a sudden nose-up move which
made the B-2 stall and crash. This was 1 of only 21 ever built and was
the most expensive aviation accident in history. Both pilots were able
to eject to safety.


# 7. Exxon Valdez - $2.5 Billion
The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large one in relation to
the world's biggest oil spills, but it was a costly one due to the
remote location of Prince William Sound (accessible only by helicopter
and boat). On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled
when the ship's master, Joseph Hazelwood, left the controls and the ship
crashed into a Reef. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion.

# 6. Piper Alpha Oil Rig - $3.4 Billion
The world's worst off-shore oil disaster. At one time, it was
the world's single largest oil producer, spewing out 317,000 barrels of
oil per day. On July 6, 1988, as part of routine maintenance,
technicians removed and checked safety valves which were essential in
preventing dangerous build-up of liquid gas. There were 100 identical
safety valves which were checked. Unfortunately, the technicians made a
mistake and forgot to replace one of them. At 10 PM that same night, a
technician pressed a start button for the liquid gas pumps and the
world's most expensive oil rig accident was set in motion.
Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was engulfed in flames. It
eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting in $3.4 Billion
in damages.

# 5. Challenger Explosion - $5.5 Billion
The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after
takeoff due on January 28, 1986 due to a faulty O-ring. It failed to
seal one of the joints, allowing pressurized gas to reach the outside.
This in turn caused the external tank to dump its payload of liquid
hydrogen causing a massive explosion. The cost of replacing the Space
Shuttle was $2 billion in 1986 ($4.5 billion in today's dollars). The
cost of investigation, problem correction, and replacement of lost
equipment cost $450 million from 1986-1987 ($1 Billion in today's
dollars).

# 4. Prestige Oil Spill - $12 Billion
On November 13, 2002, the Prestige oil tanker was carrying
77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil when one of its twelve tanks burst during
a storm off Galicia , Spain . Fearing that the ship would sink, the
captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers, expecting them to
take the ship into harbour. However, pressure from local authorities
forced the captain to steer the ship away from the coast. The captain
tried to get help from the French and Portuguese authorities, but they
too ordered the ship away from their shores. The storm eventually took
its toll on the ship resulting in the tanker splitting in half and
releasing 20 million gallons oil into the sea.
According to a report by the Pontevedra Economist Board, the
total cleanup cost $12 billion.

# 3. Space Shuttle Columbia - $13 Billion
The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space worthy shuttle in
NASA's orbital fleet. It was destroyed during re-entry over Texas on
February 1, 2003 after a hole was punctured in one of the wings during
launch 16 days earlier. The original cost of the shuttle was $2 Billion
in 1978. That comes out to $6.3 Billion in today's dollars. $500 million
was spent on the investigation, making it the costliest aircraft
accident investigation in history. The search and recovery of debris
cost $300 million.
In the end, the total cost of the accident (not including
replacement of the shuttle) came out to $13 Billion according to the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

# 2. Chernobyl - $200 Billion
On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the costliest accident in
history. The Chernobyl disaster has been called the biggest
socio-economic catastrophe in peacetime history. 50% of the area of
Ukraine is in some way contaminated. Over 200,000 people had to be
evacuated and resettled while 1.7 million people were directly affected
by the disaster. The death toll attributed to Chernobyl , including
people who died from cancer years later, is estimated at 125,000. The
total costs including cleanup, resettlement, and compensation to victims
has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion. The cost of a new steel
shelter for the Chernobyl nuclear plant will cost $2 billion alone. The
accident was officially attributed to power plant operators who violated
plant procedures and were ignorant of the safety requirements needed.

# 1. Zardari - Priceless
On 5 March 2008, Mr Zardari was cleared of five corruption
charges only because the courts "abolished the cases against all public
office holders",including corruption and illegal use of property under
NRO, the National Reconciliation Ordinance. He had another trial on the
remaining charges on 14 April 2008, when he was cleared under the same
NRO. On 19 April 2008, Zardari announced in a press conference in London
that he and his sister, Faryal Talpur, would participate in the
by-elections taking place on 3 June and that, if necessary, he would
contest to become the country's next Prime Minister. Mr Zardari
subsequently became President of Pakistan. By all accounts, he ranks as
the biggest and the most expensive accident in history.

Alamgir fundraiser @ Cerritos Sheraton

2009-05-10T19:32:00.001-07:00

Creativity In Advertising

2009-05-02T22:56:00.001-07:00

Tragedy of Pakistan

2009-04-24T18:57:00.001-07:00

How to clear the mess: by Imran Khan

2009-04-23T09:21:00.001-07:00

How to Clear the Mess
Thursday, April 23, 2009

By Imran Khan

The reason why there is so much despondency in Pakistan is because
there is no road map to get out of the so-called War on Terror - a
nomenclature that even the Obama Administration has discarded as being
a negative misnomer. To cure the patient the diagnosis has to be
accurate, otherwise the wrong medicine can sometimes kill the patient.
In order to find the cure, first six myths that have been spun around
the US-led “Global War on Terror” (GWOT) have to be debunked.

Myth No. 1: This is Pakistan’s war

Since no Pakistani was involved in 9/11 and the CIA-trained Al Qaeda
was based in Afghanistan, how does it concern us? It is only when
General Musharraf buckled under US pressure and sent our troops into
Waziristan in late 2003-early 2004 that Pakistan became a war zone. It
took another three years of the Pakistan army following the same
senseless tactics as used by the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan
(aerial bombardment) plus the slaughter at Lal Masjid, for the
creation of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). If our security
forces are being targeted today by the Taliban and their suicide
bombers, it is because they are perceived to be proxies of the US
army. Iran is ideologically opposed to both Al Qaeda and the Taliban
yet why are its security forces not attacked by terrorists? The answer
is because their President does not pretend to be a bulwark against
Islamic extremism in return for US dollars and support.

Michael Scheuer (ex-CIA officer and author of the book Imperial
Hubris), writing in The Washington Post in April 2007, cited
Musharraf’s loyalty to the US even when it went against Pakistan’s
national interests by giving two examples: the first was Musharraf
helping the US in removing a pro-Pakistan Afghan government and
replacing it with a pro-Indian one; and, the second, for sending
Pakistani troops into the tribal areas and turning the tribesmen
against the Pakistan army. To fully understand Musharraf’s treachery
against Pakistan, it is important to know that almost a 100,000 troops
were sent into the tribal areas to target around 1000 suspected
Al-Qaeda members - thus earning the enmity of at least 1.5 million
armed local tribals in the 7 tribal agencies of Pakistan.

The most shameful aspect of the lie that this is our war is that the
government keeps begging the US for more dollars stating that the war
is costing the country more than the money it is receiving from the
US. If it is our war, then fighting it should not be dependent on
funds and material flowing from the US. If it is our war, why do we
have no control over it? If it is our war, then why is the US
government asking us to do more?

Myth No. 2: This is a war against Islamic extremists ó an ideological
war against radical Islam

Was the meteoric rise of Taliban due to their religious ideology?
Clearly not, because the Mujahideen were equally religious - Gulbadin
Hekmatyar (supported by the ISI) was considered an Islamic
fundamentalist. In fact, the reason the Taliban succeeded where the
Mujahideen warlords failed, was because they established the rule of
law - the Afghans had had enough of the power struggle between the
warlord factions that had destroyed what remained of the country’s
infrastructure and killed over 100,000 people.

If the Pushtuns of the tribal area wanted to adopt the Taliban
religious ideology then surely they would have when the latter was in
power in Afghanistan, between 1996 and 2001. Yet there was no
Talibanisation in the tribal areas. Interestingly, the only part of
Pakistan where the Taliban had an impact was in Swat where Sufi
Mohammad started the Shariat Movement. The reason was that while there
was rule of law (based on the traditional jirga system) in the tribal
areas, the people of Swat had been deprived of easy access to justice
ever since the traditional legal system premised on Qazi courts was
replaced by Pakistani laws and judicial system, first introduced in
1974. The murder rate shot up from 10 per year in 1974 to almost 700
per year by 1977, when there was an uprising against the Pakistani
justice system. The Taliban cashed in on this void of justice to rally
the poorer sections of Swat society just as they had attracted the
Afghans in a situation of political anarchy and lawlessness in
Afghanistan. It is important to make this distinction because the
strategy to bring peace must depend on knowing your enemy. Michael
Bearden, CIA station chief in Pakistan from 1986 to 1989, wrote in
Foreign Affairs magazine that the US is facing the same Pushtun
insurgency that was faced by the Soviets in Afghanistan. According to
him, as long as NATO is in Afghanistan, the Taliban will get a
constant supply of men from the 15

million Pushtun population of Afghanistan and the 25 million Pushtuns
of Pakistan. In other words, this Talibanisation is not so much
religion-driven as politically-motivated. So the solution to the
problem in the tribal belt today does not lie in religion and
“moderate” Islam but in a political settlement.

Myth No. 3: If we keep fighting the US war, the super power will bail
us out financially through aid packages.

Recently, the Government’s Adviser on Finance stated that the war on
terror has cost Pakistan $35 billion while the country has received
only $11 billion assistance from the US. I would go a step further and
say that this aid is the biggest curse for the country. Not only is it
“blood money” for our army killing our own people (there is no
precedent for this) but also nothing has destroyed the self-esteem of
this country as this one factor. Moreover, there is no end in sight as
our cowardly and compromised leadership is ordered to “do more” for
the payments made for their services. Above all, this aid and loans
are like treating cancer with disprin. It enables the government to
delay the much needed surgery of reforms (cutting expenditures and
raising revenues); and meanwhile the cancer is spreading and might
become terminal.

Myth No. 4: That the next terrorist attack on the US will come from
the tribal areas.

First, there is an assumption, based purely on conjecture, that the Al
Qaeda leadership is in the tribal areas. In fact, this leadership
could well be in the 70 % of Afghan territory that the Taliban
control. More importantly, given the growing radicalisation of the
educated Muslim youth - in major part because of the continuing US
partiality towards Israeli occupation of Palestinian land - why can it
not follow that the next terrorist attack on the US could come either
from the Middle East or from the marginalised and radicalised Muslims
of Europe, motivated by perceived injustices to Islam and the Muslim
World.

Myth No. 5: That the ISI is playing a double game and if Pakistan did
more the war could be won.

If Talibanisation is growing in Pakistan because of the covert support
of ISI in the tribal areas, then surely the growing Taliban control
over Afghanistan (70 % of the territory) must be with NATO’s
complicity? Surely a more rational understanding would be to see that
the strategy being employed is creating hatred against the US and its
collaborators. Aerial bombardment and its devastating collateral
damage is the biggest gift the US has given to the Taliban. According
to official reports, out of the 60 drone attacks conducted between 14
January 2006-April 8 2009, only 10 were on target, killing 14 alleged
Al Qaeda. In the process almost 800 Pakistani civilians have been
killed, while many lost their homes and limbs.

Despite its military surge effort, the US will eventually pack up and
leave like the Soviets, but the “do more” mantra could end up
destroying the Pakistan army - especially the ISI which is being
targeted specifically for the mess created by the Bush Administration
in Afghanistan.

Myth No. 6: That Pakistan could be Talibanised with their version of Islam.

Both Musharraf and Zardari have contributed to this myth in order to
get US backing and dollars. Firstly there is no such precedent in the
15-hundred years of Islamic history of a theocracy like that of the
Taliban, outside of the recent Taliban period of rule in Afghanistan.
However, as mentioned earlier, the Taliban’s ascendancy in Afghanistan
was not a result of their religious ideology but their ability to
establish order and security in a war-devastated and anarchic
Afghanistan.

In Swat, the present mess has arisen because of poor governance
issues. Also, it was the manner in which the government handled the
situation - simply sending in the army rather than providing better
governance - that created space for the Taliban. Just as in
Balochistan (under Musharraf) when the army was sent in rather than
the Baloch being given their economic and provincial rights, similarly
the army in Swat aggravated the situation and the present mess was
created.

What Pakistan has to worry about is the chaos and anarchy that are
going to stem from the radicalisation of our people because of the
failure of successive governments to govern effectively and justly.
Karen Armstrong, in her book The Battle for God, gives details of
fundamentalist movements that turned militant when they were
repressed. Ideas should be fought with counter ideas and dialogue, not
guns. Allama Iqbal was able to deal with fundamentalism through his
knowledge and intellect. The slaughter of the fundamentalists of Lal
Masjid did more to fan extremism and fanaticism than any other single
event.

Pakistan is staring down an abyss today and needs to come up with a
sovereign nationalist policy to deal with the situation. If we keep on
following dictation from Washington, we are doomed. There are many
groups operating in the country under the label of “Taliban”. Apart
from the small core of religious extremists, the bulk of the fighting
men are Pushtun nationalists. Then there are the fighters from the old
Jihadi groups. Moreover, the Taliban are also successfully exploiting
the class tensions by appealing to the have-nots. But the most
damaging for Pakistan are those groups who are being funded primarily
from two external sources: first, by those who want to see Pakistan
become a “failed state”; and, second, by those who wish to see the US
bogged down in the Afghan quagmire.

What needs to be done: A two-pronged strategy is required - focusing
on a revised relationship with the US and a cohesive national policy
based on domestic compulsions and ground realities.

President Obama, unlike President Bush, is intelligent and has
integrity. A select delegation of local experts on the tribal area and
Afghanistan should make him understand that the current strategy is a
disaster for both Pakistan and the US; that Pakistan can no longer
commit suicide by carrying on this endless war against its own people;
that we will hold dialogue and win over the Pushtuns of the tribal
area and make them deal with the real terrorists while the Pakistan
army is gradually pulled out.

At the same time, Pakistan has to move itself to ending drone attacks
if the US is not prepared to do so. Closure of the drone base within
Pakistan is a necessary beginning as is the need to create space
between ourselves and the US, which will alter the ground environment
in favour of the Pakistani state. It will immediately get rid of the
fanaticism that creates suicide bombers as no longer will they be seen
to be on the path to martyrdom by bombing US collaborators. Within
this environment a consensual national policy to combat extremism and
militancy needs to be evolved centring on dialogue, negotiation and
assertion of the writ of the state. Where force is required the state
must rely on the paramilitary forces, not the army. Concomitantly,
Pakistan needs serious reforms. First and foremost we have to give our
people access to justice at the grassroots level - that is, revive the
village jury/Panchayat system. Only then will we rid ourselves of the
oppressive “thana-kutchery” culture which compels the poor to seek
adjudication by the feudals, tribal leaders, tumandars and now by the
Taliban also - thereby perpetuating oppression of the dispossessed,
especially women.

Second, unless we end the system of parallel education in the country
where the rich access private schools and a different examination
system while the poor at best only have access to a deprived public
school system with its outmoded syllabus and no access to employment.
That is why the marginalised future generations are condemned to go to
madrassahs which provide them with food for survival and exploit their
pent up social anger. We need to bring all our educational
institutions into the mainstream with one form of education syllabus
and examination system for all - with madrassahs also coming under the
same system even while they retain their religious education
specialisation.

Third, the level of governance needs to be raised through making
appointments on merit in contrast to the worst type of cronyism that
is currently on show. Alongside this, a cutting of expenditures is
required with the leadership and the elite leading by example through
adoption of an austere lifestyle. Also, instead of seeking aid and
loans to finance the luxurious lifestyle of the elite, the leadership
should pay taxes, declare its assets and bring into the country all
money kept in foreign banks abroad. All “benami” transactions, assets
and bank accounts should be declared illegal. I believe we will
suddenly discover that we are actually quite a self-sufficient
country.

Fourth, the state has to widen its direct taxation net and cut down on
indirect taxation where the poor subsidise the rich. If corruption and
ineptitude are removed, it will be possible for the state to collect
income tax more effectively.

A crucial requirement for moving towards stability would be the
disarming of all militant groups - which will a real challenge for the
leadership but here again, the political elite can lead by example and
dismantle their show of guards and private forces.

Finally, fundamentalism should be fought intellectually with
sensitivity shown to the religious and heterogeneous roots of culture
amongst the Pakistani masses. Solutions have to be evolved from within
the nation through tolerance and understanding. Here, we must learn
from the Shah of Iran’s attempts to enforce a pseudo-Western identity
onto his people and its extreme backlash from Iranian society.

The threat of extremism is directly related to the performance of the
state and its ability to deliver justice and welfare to its people.

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The truth about Facebook

2009-04-20T18:06:00.001-07:00

Amreeka described in a few words

2009-04-14T20:02:00.001-07:00

Amreeka described in a few words

2009-04-14T19:56:00.001-07:00

[2] http://hindustantimes.com

Pakistan's 3/30: Tracing Munawan Attack in Lahore

2009-04-06T18:15:00.001-07:00

This is the weekly pager from the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Islamabad, Pakistan. CRSS believes in academic neutrality and focuses on regional and domestic issues that affect the State and Society of Pakistan. We are a non-profit organization committed to promoting critical thinking in a democratic Pakistan.

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Pakistan’s 3/30: Tracing Munawan Attack in Lahore

What happened: Munawan police training facility is on the road to the international border between India and Paksitan and border is hardly a few kilometers away. On 30 March 2009, at 7:30 a.m. local time, nearly a dozen gunmen, some faking as police officials, attacked and took control of the training facility. The militants killed five police recruits & two trainers and injured dozens others. It took Punjab Police’s special anti-terrorist force called “Elite Force” 8 hours to recapture the school buildings. At least 3 of the militants reportedly blew themselves up while 3 others were taken into custody, one of them arrested from just outside the building when he tried to blow up an Army helicopter. Identified later as Hijratullah, he turned out to be an Afghan national from Paktika and was sent on a mission by Baitullah Mehsud’s Tehrik-e-Taliban Paksitan (TTP).

The following day, Fedayeen-e-Islam, a little-known but Taliban affiliated group, claimed responsibility. It should be noted that the same group had claimed responsibility for the bombing at the Marriott Islamabad on 20 September 2008. The same day, Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (formed: December 2007), called The Associated Press and Reuters to claim responsibility.

Three pronged situation building: Like many other terrorist incidents, it would be difficult to trace all the trails of the planning, execution and funding of this terrorist operation but three scenarios could be built on the basis of the publicly available information:

Did Baitullah Mehsud’s TTP do it? On February 21, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani left for a week-long official visit to the U.S. just when the Obama Administration was in the process of reviewing America’s Pak-Afghan strategy. On February 27, Chairman U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen told a news conference at Pentagon that the visit of Pakistan Army Chief to the U.S. was “fruitful”. On March 25, the U.S. Department of State authorized a reward of “up to $5 million for information leading to the location, arrest, and/or conviction of Baitullah Mehsud the senior leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.” The same day, CIA drones fired two missiles and killed eight in an attack on a Taliban convoy in Makeen, the hometown of Baitullah Mehsud. Baitullah Mehsud, during his conversation with Reuters, said that he attacked the police academy in response to drone attacks.

Or was it Lashkar-e-Taiba executed operation? Lashkar-e-Taiba – the organization that has been banned by Pakistan, India, the U.S., the U.K., the European Union, Russia and Australia – or disgruntled elements within the Lashkar. Although the Lashkar has little or no past history in directing its attacks against Pakistan but given the recent history of the militant organizations in Pakistan, it could be established that the LeT may have orchestrated this activity. None from LeT thus far has claimed any responsibility.

Any chance of Indian involvement? Bahukutumbi Raman – the former head of the counter-terrorism division of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) and also a former member of the Special Task Force of the Government of India for the Revamping of the Intelligence Apparatus – within hours of the Mumbai tragedy (Nov. 26, 2008) presented his recommendations to the Government of India. B. Raman proposed that when Ashok Chaturvedi, then Director RAW who retires on 31 January 2009, must be replaced by someone from outside RAW preferably a top-notch covert operator to re-energize RAW’s covert capabilities to undertake operations inside Pakistan. On January 25, K.C. Verma, a career officer of the Intelligence Bureau, India ’s internal intelligence agency, was named as the new chief of the Research & Analysis Wing. K.C. Verma’s appointment came as a surprise to India’s bulging intelligence bureaucracy because P.V. Kumar was the senior-most RAW officer after Ashok Chaturvedi’s retirement.

B. Raman, in a previous paper, raised the question of “how to make Pakistan pay a price…” made this recommendation: “Through covert action, which is deniable para-political and para-military action meant to make Pakistan’s sponsorship prohibitively costly to it. Such a covert action would be directed against the Pakistan State and society and not against terrorists.”[1] B Raman, enjoys a close and trusted association with India’s official security and intelligence apparatus.

Dr C. Raja Mohan, widely acknowledged as one of “India’s leading foreign policy analyst,” has argued that if Pakistan is “not willing or is unable to deliver an end to cross-border terrorism” then perhaps India ought to execute alternatives. On 10 December 2008, the Hindustan Times carried a column by Gurmeet Kanwal, head of the Center for Land Warfare Studies, recommending that “To achieve a lasting impact and ensure that the actual perpetrators of terrorism are targeted, it is necessary to employ covert capabilities…..” against Pakistan.[2]

Another angle: Christine Fair, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation, suspected the Indian involvement in Balochistan has increased with encouragement from Kabul.[3] It is an interesting assessment as most of the militant organizations operating in Pakistan have their ideological and financial base operating from Afghanistan.

Comments/remarks: pager@crss.pk

[1] http://www.saag.org/common/uploaded_files/paper1893.html - last accessed on April 4, 2009.

[3] The News, April 6, 2009.

Thought Transformaion

2009-04-06T18:08:00.001-07:00

Thought Transformation

BY Adnan Gill

Tuesday, 07 April 2009 00:00

The final straw for me turned to be the disappointing remarks widely circulating among the journalists' forums. In short, their remarks toe the line Taliban and their apologists, the ANP have adopted on the deplorable episode. After reading their comments my conscious didn't allow me stay quite anymore. At the risk of inviting wrath of many, I would like to state the following:

1. Please don't label capitulation to the oppressors as the so-called ‘national interests'; as if allowing a state within a state merits to be called a state to begin with. Please don't take refuge behind ‘national interests' when it comes to chauvinism. Bravery doesn't mean locking women (mothers, daughters, sisters or wives) behind 7 doors. A real man gouges the eyes out of a pervert who even dares to looks at them with malice. A man of his salt defends the weak and not incarcerates them.

2. Shoot the message and not the messenger. I was hoping to see a healthy debate on the subject from highly educated and esteemed journalists, but not personal attacks on Ms. Summar. What a shame!

3. Flagrant abuse of women's rights at the hands of self-righteous Taliban isn't actually a secret in an age of camera equipped cell phones. I am old enough to remember how Taliban slowly tightened their noose around women's rights in Afghanistan. At the height of their rule, birthing mothers were allowed to die, over allowing them to be taken to hospital without a ‘mahrum'/male-escort. Others died because they were forbidden to seek medical help from male physicians. While the lady-doctors were not allowed to work altogether under the pretexts of: they can't work in the same facilities where male counterparts worked too; and allegedly, there was no money to build or run schools and hospitals, exclusively for women. Bravo, what a justice system!

4. If the video is fake, then why did ANP minister Mian Iftikhar and the Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan earlier accepted the occurrence of incident? Didn't they also allege that she was punished for illicit relationship with her father-in-law? They even had nerve to suggest, that she should have been thankful that she wasn't stoned to death. Latter on, these men first launched attacks on Ms. Summar and then started to question the authenticity of the tape. I cringe to imagine how some people could even give a second thought to their doubletalk.

5. Two wrongs don't make a right. Just because bloody and senseless war in Sawat was wrong, doesn't mean abuse of women's rights cannot be condemned either. Pacification of abuse of any sort should be condemned loudly, or it would bread even more severe abuse.

6. Can someone please enlighten me how many ANP politicians (along with their families) are currently residing in the Sawat Valley? What a brave trendsetting men they are!

7. If Talibanization is a just cause and has become all too real, then instead of going on defensive, shouldn't they accept their actions with courage? I call them to stand up and be counted for condoning Talibanization!

8. If it was my daughter, starting with the man delivering lashes, I would have put a bullet through everyone's eyes gathered there. At minimum, I would shoot her and I before becoming a spectacle for the (na-mehrum) perverts watching whole perverse episode.

I can't stress enough, my disappoint with those defending the most deplorable, shameless, barbaric and un-Islamic actions of these self-righteous barbarians.

Real State Of Pakistan

2009-03-27T12:41:00.001-07:00

s

Pakistan Resolution - March 23, 2009

2009-03-23T21:38:00.001-07:00

Extrasolar Pakstani Astronaut wishes you a very Happy Pakistan Day.

(Image was modified from Flickr)

What is Zardari doing thesedays?

2009-03-19T16:04:00.001-07:00

This dude is serious about getting married!

2009-03-19T15:22:00.001-07:00

iPhone OS 3.0

2009-03-19T14:41:00.001-07:00

Coming to an iPhone 3G near you this summer. The features include, cut/copy/paste, MMS, stereo Blueotooth and more. Read here: http://bit.ly/ocvep