Major General Tariq Khan accompanied journalists to the warren of caves in the area of Damadola that he said served as a key militant headquarters until troops overran the complex in an offensive launched in January.
1 hour ago
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Sikh Killings By Militants Confirm Deep RAW-TTP Links
The abduction and killing of two Sikhs by the Pakistani militants on Sunday has confirmed that Pakistan’s Taliban of TTP and Indian intelligence agency RAW were having deep links as RAW has recently launched a comprehensive campaign against the Sikh community, not only across India but also in the other regional countries.
The investigations carried out by The Daily Mail, the two Sikhs who were abducted by militants around a month back and were killed on Sunday, were kidnapped for a huge ransom, despite the fact that they were not very rich and no one believes that their heirs were in any position to meet the demands of the kidnappers who demanded 25 million rupees as ransom. The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that Jaspal Singh and Mahnan Singh who had small shops at Bara were kidnapped as the Indian Intelligence agency RAW was suspecting that both were attached to the Khalistan freedom movement in India and were providing funds to Babbar Khalsa fighters back in Indian Punjab. Both were abducted by TTP militants on the directions of their bosses in RAW and were interrogated to dig out their links with Babbar Khalsa by RAW underworld mafia goons of Chhota Rajan gang who are maintaining very close ties with TTP men via Afghanistan. The Daily Mail’s investigations further indicate that the huge ransom money was demanded to gauge as what actually was the financial condition of the abducted Sikhs and their families however as Pakistani security forces’ operations in the area started increasing with incredible success rate, the abductors were left with no other option but to get rid of the abducted Sikhs as the abductees had become excess baggage for the abducted so they finally eliminated them.
The Daily Mail’s investigations disclose that RAW, after immense failure of Indian government to curb the freedom movement of maoist rebels in Indian Punjab and do defocus the global attention from Maoist rebels’ constantly increasing movement, a couple of months back started highlighting the activities of almost dead freedom movement of Sikhs, known as the Khalistan movement. These findings further indicate that RAW’s motive behind elaborating the Khalistan movement was not just to defocus global attention from the actions of Maoist rebels but the big wigs at Lodhi Road New Delhi were also eyeing on implicating Pakistan’s Inter services Intelligence (ISI) for whatever was going on in Indian Punjab as RAW has for years blaming ISI for supporting the Khalistan movement though it could never brought forward an iota of evidence in this direction.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that as part of its new campaign in the direction of Khalistan movement, RAW just on Sunday issued fake terror alerts regarding expected terror activities by Babbar Khalisa activists. Following RAW fake alerts, the Indian government, Monday, beefed up security around top leaders and vital installations in Punjab. The RAW alerts said that there were reports of Pakistan-based Sikh separatist groups trying to recruit youth from the US and India to revive terrorism in the state while the fact is that there has never been any Sikh separatists group acting in or from Pakistan.
The RAW report further said that reports of a meeting between officials of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wadhawa Singh in December has raised concerns among security agencies in the state, how ever the RAW report, does not at all, indicate any details or any proof such a high profile meeting that it claims. The Indian government had earlier been embaressed by at least four members of the European Union due another fake RAW report last month when RAW announced that certain terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba had purchased around 50 para gliding equipment from different European countries for terror attacks in India. However when the relevant European governments sought proofs in this direction from the Indian government, the RAW officials had to chew their butts as they did not havy any and retreating from their earlier claim, RAW then said that the number of paragliding equipment was just 3 and not 50 and those were purchased from China and not from any European country.
The Daily Mail’s investigations further reveal that now RAW had knitted a new drama as it claims that a top-secret intelligence communication from Punjab Police to security agencies last week states: “To execute this task, Wadhawa Singh is making efforts to mobilise volunteers from Punjab as also from the US, who could be made to travel to India via Malaysia or Singapore.” Security agencies have been asked to take appropriate security measures to protect VIPs and important installations across the state.
The VIPs claimed to be in the target list of the terror outfits include Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu.
Bittu, who is the Punjab Youth Congress president, is the grandson of former state chief minister Beant Singh, who is credited with wiping out terrorism in the state in the early 1990s with ‘super-cop’ KPS Gill. Beant Singh was assassinated by a human bomb in Chandigarh on Aug 31, 1995.
The dramatic RAW report says that Bittu is particularly being targeted by the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF).
“We are taking the RAW inputs quite seriously. We do a day-to-day monitoring of things. Security is being stepped up as required,” Jalandhar Inspector General of Police Sanjiv Kalra told The Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that the Indian Punjab is facing a big threat from Maoists, who are gradually establishing their base in the state, feels the head of the state police force.
“Two years back a Naxalite (Maoist) leader Dubey had come to Punjab; he traveled all across the state and tried to form various committees. Recently we have rounded up one such zonal committee and we are trying to track others,”, Director General of Punjab Police, told reporters in a recent press conference.
He added: “Naxalites have spread all across the state. In the past few months, Punjab has seen agitations by farmers and employee organisations and the left wing extremist (LWE) elements have made inroads into these organisations.”
Punjab Police has recently constituted a special cell in the intelligence wing for monitoring the activities of LWE elements in the state.
“The police response mechanism has been accordingly geared-up to tackle Naxalism. A few months back, we had arrested senior functionaries of the CPI-Maoist and unearthed the state and zonal Maoist committees,” pointed out the DG Police.
Police here has also busted nine terrorist modules and arrested 46 terrorists during 2009.
“Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) modules have been neutralised with the arrest of dreaded terrorists and recovery of rifles, revolvers, RDX, explosive material, detonators, and cartridges,” said the DG.
The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that since India has never blamed Pakistan government or it’s ISI for any activity of Maoists rebels, it feels lost since the global focus had shifted to India’s homegrown separatist movements in different parts of country, having nothing to do with Pakistan’s ISI. It was therefore decided that to defames ISI, the dead movements of Sikhs in Punjab should be glorified through media and ISI should be framed for supporting it. The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that during the last 3 months or so, all the Sikh criminals, arrested by police in Indian Punjab for different crimes, are first sent to the RAW offices in Punjab and from there, many never return as RAW detains them for preparing them to come before media as members of Khalistan movement and to confess that they were trained and funded by ISI of Pakistan.
Saturday, 27 February 2010
We wish all the Muslims around the world a very happy Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi
Evidence of Milaad-un-Nabi from the Qur’an
Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an:
Say: “In the bounty of Allah, and his mercy;- Therein let them rejoice.” That is better then what they Amass.
(Yunus, 58)
In this verse, Allah Almighty tells us that we should be happy when we receive blessings and mercy from Him. Without doubt, the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] is the greateset mercy and blessing of Allah Almighty
Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an:
“And we sent not to you but a mercy for all the worlds” (Al’Anbiyaa’, 107)
AllahAlmighty says in the Qur’an:
Oh Prophet! The communicator of unseen news. We have sent you as a present beholder and bearer of glad tidings and a warner.
And an inviter towards Allah by His command and a brightening sun.
And give glad tidings to the believers that for them is great bounty of Allah.
(Al-aHzaab, 44-47)
AllahAlmighty says in the Qur’an:
…remind them of the day of Allah…
(Ibraaheem, 5)
Hafidhh Ibn Kathir and Qadi Shawkani write that:
“the day of Allah” refers to the day on which AllahAlmighty has done a favour on mankind. For example, the freedom of Bani Isra’il from the slavery of Fir’awn.
[Tafsir Ibn Kathir, and Fath-ul-qadeer, by Hafidhh Ibn Kather and Qaadee Shawkaanee]
Allah’s graetest favour on mankind was the birth of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace]. This means that the Milaad of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] is a “day of Allah”, therefore we should remember it.
Hafidh Ibn Rajab writes that:
It is recommended to fast on those days on which Allah Almighty has sent blessings on us. The greatest favour which AllahAlmighty has bestowed us with, is the sending down of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace]. Allah Almighty says in the Qur'an:
“I have favoured among nations and sent to you a Prophet from among you”(ltaa’if-ul-ma’rif, page 111, by Hafidh Ibn Rajab)
Some other evidences of Milaad
Our Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] celebrated the birth of his son Ibraaheem by freeing a slave. (Tareekh Ibn Kathir, “Birth of Ibraaheem”).
Imam Muslim writes that the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] was asked about the fast on Mondays, which he used to keep, the Prophet replied “This is the day of my birth”.
(Muslim, “Kitaab-us-Sawm”)
This proves that the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] kept fast on Mondays to show gratitude for his birth.
Imam Bukhari writes that:
when Abu Lahab died, someone from his household saw him in a dream, they asked him what happened in the grave he said “I am being punished severely, but on Mondays, I get water from my finger with which I am freed Thuwayba,
(Bukhari, “Kitaab-un-Nikaah”)
Friday is a special day for Muslims because this is the day that Allah created Aadam[May Allah bless him and grant him peace]
(The Muslim book of Jum’ah, also Tareekh Ibn Kathir, vol.1, “Story of Aadam (May Allah bless him and grant him peace])
Hafidhh Ibn Kathir writes that Abu Lahab freed Thuwayba on the day that the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] was born.
(Sirat-un-Nabee, “Birth of Prophet May Allah bless him and grant Him peace]”, by Hafidh Ibn Kathir)
This proves that a kaafir, Abu Lahab, was happy on the day of the birth of the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] and was rewarded by having his punishment reduced. If this is true, then indeed Allah will bless a Muslim who rejoices the birth of the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace]. This Hadith has been used by many ‘Ulamaa’, to justify the celebration of Milad.
Allama Ibn Hajr Asqalani writes that Sohaily said that Abbaas Radi-Allahu-unhu, who was the uncle of the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace], had the above dream. Apart from this, other Muhadditheen have also attributed this dream to Abbaas Radi-Allahu-unhu. (Fath-ul-baari, “Nikaah”, by Hafidh Ibn Hajar Asqalaanee)
A person may ask, “When did Abbaas Radi-Allahu-unhu have this dream? Was it before or after he embraced Islam?” The answer to this is that he had this dream after coming into the fold of Islam (Seerah-Ibn-Hashaam) Abu Lahab died after the battle of Badr before which Abbaas Radi-Allahu-unhu embraced Islam.
Fatwa of Scholars for Milad
Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah writes:
“Those people who celebrate Milaad through the love and respect of the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace], will be rewarded by Allah.
[Iqtidaa’ us-siraat-il-Mustaqeem, page 294]
He also writes that:
If someone celebrates Milaad with the love and respect of Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace], he will have a “big reward”. He says that in Muslim communities, Milaad-un-Nabi gatherings are only done with the respect and love of the Muslims for the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace]
[Iqtidaa’ as-siraat-il-Mustaqeem, page 297, by Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah]
Hafidhh Ibn Kathir wrote that:
There was once a King, Abu Sa’eed Malik Muzaffar - a man of good deeds. In his kingdom, wherever he saw a lack of water, he would build a well. He also established many Islamic study centers. Every year, he would spend half a million dinars on hosting a gathering of his people to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace]
[Tareekh Ibn Kathir, see story of King Abu Sa’eed, Volume 13]
Ibn Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Najdi, in his book, writes:
“Thuwaiba, who was the freed slave of Abu Lahab fed Rasolallah Sallalalhu ‘alaihi wa sallam milk. Abu Lahab freed Suwaiba at the time when she informed him that a son has been born at your brother’s house. After the death of Abu Lahab he was seen in a dream, in which he said ‘I am in severe punishment but this is lessened on Mondays, he showed his forefinger, and said that he would suck from it. This is so because it was with this finger that I freed Suwaiba when she informed of the birth of the Prophet, and she also fed the Prophet Sallalalhu ‘alaihi wa sallam milk”. Ibn Jawzi states: Abu Lahab is that kaafir who has been specially referred to, in the Qur’an. If such a person can be rewarded for celebrating the Milaad of the Prophet Sallalalhu ‘alaihi wa Sallam, then imagine how great the reward would be for a Muslim when he celebrates it.
[Mukhtassar Sirat-ur-rasool, “Milaad-un-nabi”, by Ibn Muhammad bin Abdul wahhaab Najdi].
The above is evidence that celebrating the birthday of the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] in the form of a gathering is permissible. Otherwise Hafidhh Ibn Kathir would not have referred to it as a good deed and Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah would not have said that there would be a “big reward” for doing so.
Some people have the opinion that King Abu Sa’eed introduced the celebrating of this occasion. This is not true because Hafidh Ibn Kathir states that in the 5th Century hijree, a King named Malik Shah celebrated it also with a gathering
[Tareekh Ibn Katheer biography of Malik Shah]
Some people even argue that the Holy Prophet was not even born on the 12th Rabbi Awwal. This argument is baseless, as Hafidh Ibn Kathir has discussed this in Sirat-un-nabi. He states that the majority of the scholars agree that the Prophet was born on the 12th of Rabee’ul-Aawal. The evidence of the people who do not accept this is weak.
(As-Sirat-un-nabi, vol.1, “Birth of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace]”)
Muhammad Ibn Is-haaq states that the Prophet was born on the 12th of Rabee’ul-Awwal.
(Seerah Ibn Hashaam, “Chapter Birth of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace]”)
Ibn Is-haaq was a Taabi’ and was born in 75 Hijrah. His book is the oldest book available of seerah in Islamic history. The first book of Seerah was written by Musa bin Uqba. This book is no longer avaiable for reference.
The Ahl as-Sunnah celebrate the Milaad of the Prophet [May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] with love and respect. If someone does not celebrate it, we do not call them a kaafir because the matter of Milaad does not affect the ‘Aqeedah of a person. The celebrating of this should not cause any divisions among Muslims.
Hafidhh Salaahuddeen Yoosuf [A great follower of Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyyah and Shaikh Najdee] writes:
On the birth date of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant him peace], to give charity to the poor or to build a Masjid. We agree in this type of celebration of Milaad.
(Milaad-un-nabi, by Hafidhh.Yoosuf, page 92)
Hafidh Ibn Kathir writes: “On the day of the birth of Prophet[May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace], Shaytaan cried a lot.”
(Sirat-un-nabi, “Birth of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace]”, by Hafidh Ibn Kathir)
From Ibn Kathirs narration we can see that to feel unhappy on the Birthday of the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant him peace] is the way of shaytaan not the way of a Muslim!
Some questions raised concerning the Milaad
Although the Prophet was born on the 12th of Rabee’ul-awwal he also died on the same date. How then can the 12th of Rabee’ul-awwal be a happy day?
Mourning for someone’s death should not be more than three days, except for a woman, who has lost her husband. The Prophet’s [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] death was over 1400 years ago, so the period of mourning has passed. But, after someone dies, his death is remembered by reciting the Qur'an, remembering his merits, giving alms, and making du’a for him. Even if the period of mourning for the Prophet’s [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] death exists, all the actions mentioned above are included when people gather for Milaad-un-nabee. For this reason, there is not need to separate the celebration of the Prophet’s [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] birth, and the mourning of his death.
How can there be an Eid Milaad-un-nabi when there are only two Eids (Al-Fitr and Al-AdhHaa)?
Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an:
Prophet Isa [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] prayed to Allah Almighty “Oh Allah, our Lord, send down to us a tray of food from the Heavens so that it may be an occasion of Eid for us for the first and the last of us.” (Al-Maa’idah, 114)
Imam Hakim writes that the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] said “Friday is also an Eid day”. Once, in the Prophet’s time Eid came on Friday and the Prophet [May Allah bless him and grant Him peace] said “Allah has given you two Eids today”.
(Mustadrak, “Jum’ah” by Imam Haakim and summary by Imam Dhahabi).
Imam Tirmidhee writes
“Abdullah-bin-Abbaas was reciting verse 3 of surah maa’ida, from the Qur’an. A Jew, sitting close-by heard it and said to Abdullah “If that verse which you recited, was revealed to us, we would make that day an Eid day”. Abdullah-bin-Abbas replied “When this verse was revealed, there were two Eids on that day. One of them was the Hajj day and the other Friday”.
[Tirmidhee , “Tafsir”, and also Tafsir Ibn Kathir, surah 5, verse 3]
From the references above, it is proved that the term “Eid day” does not specifically apply to the two Eid days (Al-fitr and al-adhHaa), but instead, it could be used for any Islamic holy day. This means that we can refer to “Milaad-un-Nabi” as “Eid-Milaad-un-nabi”
Books on Milaad-un-Nabi
Imam Tirmidhi, in his book even gives the title of one of this chapters, the name “Milaad-un-Nabee”. (Tirmidhi, shamaa’il)
Imam Waaqdi (A second century Scholar) also wrote a book entitled “Milaad-un-Nabi”. The original copy can be found in Cairo.
Allama Ibn Al-Jawzi, wrote a book called “Milaad-un-Nabi” in which he gives very strong proofs permitting the celebration of Milaad.
Friday, 26 February 2010
Abdolmalek Rigi confesses to offers of unlimited support by the US
Jundallah terrorist leader Abdolmalek Rigi confesses to offers of unlimited support by the US spy agency, the CIA.
In a televised confession on Press TV, Rigi said that in a Dubai meeting with CIA agents, he was promised unlimited support that included a military base anywhere near the Iranian border equipped with weaponry and training facilities.
Rigi added that he was to meet a top US intelligence official in the US military base of Manas in Kyrgyzstan to work the details of the support US will provide for his group.
The terrorist leader emphasized that the US operatives insisted in their meetings with him that Iran is their primary focus in the region, even more important than al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Rigi added that the CIA agents also explained to him that since a US military attack on Iran would be very difficult, they intend to support all anti-Iran groups that have the capability of waging war inside Iran and to destabilize the country.
ایران کے سرکاری ٹی وی نے گرفتار کیے گئے جنداللہ کے رہنماء عبدالمالک ریگی کا بیان نشر کیا ہے جس میں انہوں نے دعوٰی کیا ہے کہ انہیں امریکی حمایت حاصل تھی۔
یہ معلوم نہیں ہوسکا ہے کہ عبدالمالک ریگی نے یہ بیان اپنی مرضی سے دیا ہے یا کسی دباؤ کے تحت ان سے دلوایا گیا ہے۔ دوسری جانب امریکہ نے جنداللہ کے ساتھ کسی بھی طرح کے رابطوں کی تردید کی ہے۔نشر کیے گئے ٹی وی بیان میں ریگی نے الزام لگایا ہے کہ امریکہ نے ان کے گروپ سے وعدہ کیا تھا کہ وہ انہیں فوجی ساز و سامان دے گا اور افغانستان میں ایرانی سرحد کے قریب ایک فعال اڈہ فراہم کرے گا۔
ریگی کے بقول وہ اسی سلسلے میں ایک اعلٰی امریکی عہدیدار سے ملاقات کے لیے کرغستان جا رہے تھے کہ راستے میں انہیں گرفتار کر لیا گیا۔ جنداللہ پر الزام ہے کہ حالیہ برسوں میں ایران کے جنوب مشرقی علاقوں میں ہونے والے کئی جان لیوا حملوں میں اس کا ہاتھ ہے۔
اس سے پہلے ایران کے خفیہ اداروں کے وزیر حیدر مصلحی نے کہا تھا کہ جنداللہ رہنماء عبدالمالک ریگی سے تفتیش ان کے امریکی اور دیگر مغربی ملکوں سے تعلقات کو بے نقاب کرے گی۔
انہوں نے الزام لگایا تھا کہ گرفتاری سے چوبیس گھنٹے پہلے ریگی ایک امریکی اڈے پر تھے۔
ایرانی ٹیلی ویژن پر نشر ہونے والی ایک پریس کانفرنس میں حیدر مصلحی نے کہا تھا کہ ایران کے پاس مغربی ممالک کی طرف سے ریگی کی حمایت کے متعلق ٹھوس ثبوت ہیں۔
’ہمارے پاس اس شخص کے امریکی اور دیگر یورپی اور غیر یورپی ملکوں سے تعلقات کے مضبوط اور ٹھوس ثبوت ہیں۔‘
مسٹر مصلحی کا کہنا ہے کہ ریگی سے تفتیش ان سے امریکہ اور یورپ سے تعلقات کو بے نقاب کر دے گی۔
’تفتیش کے دوران ہم ان کے سامنے وہ شہادتی مواد اور دستاویزات رکھیں گے جن کا انہیں یقین بھی نہیں ہو گا کہ ہمارے پاس ہیں، جس طرح انہیں اس بات کا یقین نہیں آ رہا کہ وہ گرفتار ہو چکے ہیں۔ تفتیش کے دوران وہ ایسے انکشاف کریں گے جن سے امریکہ اور یورپ کا اصلی چہرہ سامنے آ جائے گا۔‘
ایران کے مطابق ریگی سیستان بلوچستان صوبے میں کئی بم دھماکوں اور دیگر وارداتوں میں ملوث ہیں۔
جند اللہ سنہ دو ہزار دو میں قائم کی گئی تھی اور اس کا مقصد ایران کے جنوب مشرق علاقے میں بلوچی اقلیت کی مفلسی کی طرف توجہ دلانا تھا۔
پچھلے سال اکتوبر میں ایران کے صوبے سیستان بلوچستان میں ہونے والے ایک خود کش حملے میں ساٹھ کے قریب افراد ہلاک ہوگئے تھے اور ایران نے عبدالمالک ریگی کی تنظیم جند اللہ کو اس واقعے کا ذمہ دار قرار دیا تھا اور پاکستان سے احتجاج کرتے ہوئے الزام عائد کیا تھا کہ حملہ آور پاکستان سے ایران میں داخل ہوئے تھے۔
پاسدارنِ انقلاب کے زمینی دستوں کے سربراہ بریگیڈیر جنرل محمد پاکپور نے ایرانی حکام پر زور دیا تھا کہ انھیں پاکستان کی سرحد عبور کر کے وہاں موجود جنداللہ کے شدت پسندوں پر حملے کی اجازت دی جائے۔پاکستان کے دفترِ خارجہ نےان الزامات کو مسترد کیا تھا۔
Indian white lies have begun to get exposed
No sooner the British took over; the Hindus became their most obedient servants and joined hands with the new masters to persecute the Muslims. At the time of partition of India in 1947, Indian Congress leaders including Nehru got around Mountbatten and Lord Cyril Radcliff to snatch the whole cake and give only crumbs to Quaid-e-Azam led Muslim League that had demanded independent Pakistan. Having gobbled the cake they now want to eat the crumbs also.
Indian leaders religiously follow the guidelines given by their guru Chankya how to go about spreading doubts, suspicions and misgivings among target audiences. Going by Chankyan teachings, Indian leaders and psychological operators disregard morals and scruples, utter falsehood unhesitatingly and convert truth into half truths to achieve ulterior motives. They are adept in art of deceit, drama and propaganda warfare. They turn reality into fiction and indulge in all sorts of underhand tactics to create bad blood between friendly neighbors, communities and sects. They bend over backwards to win over a particular country which is powerful and can serve their interests.
Apart from subversive acts to create cleavages within various communities in Pakistan, Indian propaganda machinery has been consistently painting Pakistan in black by accusing it of all acts of terror in India. These included terrorist attack on Indian Parliament on 13 December 2001, Mumbai train blast on 11 July 2006, Malegaon blasts on 8 September 2006, Samjhota Express Train blasts on 19 February 2007, Hyderabad Mecca Masjid blast on 18 May 2007, Ajmer Sharif Dargah blast on 11 October 2007, serial blasts in Utter Pradesh courts on 23 November 2007, Jaipur blasts on 13 May 2008, Ahmedabad blast on 26 July 2008, Malegaon blasts on 8 September 2008, Delhi blasts on 13 September 2008 and Mumbai carnage on 26 November 2009. Even some of the plane hijackings in 1999 were lumped on Pakistan including the one to Kandahar. Majority of victims of all those acts of terror were Indian Muslims. In case of Samjhota Express, most victims were Pakistanis returning to Lahore. Suicide attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul in July 2008 was also put on the doorstep of Pakistan. India uses Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shiv Sena and right wing Hindu political organizations to whip up frenzy against Pakistan. Recently, India has added a new weapon in its arsenal in the form of water terrorism and as an instrument of war.
Indian lies began to unveil when Mahrashtra anti-terror squad Chief Hemant Karkare bumped across hard evidence of involvement of Hindu terrorist groups linked with certain Indian army officers. The accused Lt Col Purohit and other co-accused had confessed their crimes and trial was in advanced stage. Karkare’s investigations revealed that most acts of terror in which Pakistan was accused were executed by this gang. He also learnt from confessional statement of Purohit that number of colonels and majors of Indian army like Col Raikar, Col Hasmukh Patel and Col Bapaditya Dhar were part of Malegaon and Samjhota Express terrorism and that there was an established nexus between RAW-Army-Hindu terrorists.
A retired Indian defence artillery officer Col Chitali who lives close to Purohit house in Pune, runs Maharashtra Military Foundation. After Mumbai incident he proudly stated that he has 1000 boys serving in three services and that each one has been brainwashed and motivated by him to perform any task assigned. Purohit had also remained his trainee. Recent terrorist attack in Pune on 13 February has a definite connection with Chitali. Retired Lt Gen Hoon (a contemporary of Qari Hussain) had openly declared that he runs a Hindu suicide bombers centre. Successive Indian governments have known about the evil linkage between military-Hindu terrorists-RAW, but turned a blind eye to it considering it to be in national interest.
The revelation involving BJP, RAW, Shiv Sena and serving and retired senior army officers was so damning that RAW had to hurriedly plan a drama in Mumbai to kill several birds with one stone. Karkare received life threats as disclosed by his wife. Trained terrorists of Atma Ghatak Phatak (AGP) were picked up for the gory job to eliminate him in a way that the blame could be put on Pakistan and ISI. Karkare and his assistant were assassinated in Mumbai on 26 November and blame pasted on Pakistani national Ajmal Kasab. But India fell into the hole it dug for Pakistan. Inefficiency of Indian police, army, navy, coast guard and intelligence agencies came under intense Indian public censure. Finding itself cornered the Indian government had to play up Pakistan bashing card and has shamefacedly continued to blame Pakistan and has spurned repeated Pakistani offers to resume dialogue which India suspended in a huff. Had India been serious in finding the real culprits it would have jumped to the Pakistani offer of joint investigations?
The lone witness Kasab on whom the whole evidence had been built has started to talk. He disclosed before the session court in Mumbai that he had been arrested by Indian police much before 26 November and that he was taken to the site on that fateful day, shot and injured and later tortured to give statement as per their dictates. He also disclosed that Indian nationals had attacked Oberoi Hotel. Sensing their rigid stance cracking up, Indian Home Minister grudgingly admitted that some Indian handlers might have been involved in guiding the ten terrorists.
On 23 November 2009, Indian leading newspapers disclosed that Liberham Commission has finally come out with its finding and has held top guns of BJP like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Advani, Manohar Joshi and others responsible for demolishing Babri mosque in Ayodhia on 6 December 1992 and killing thousands of Muslims. No action has been taken against the killers of Muslims. Likewise, murderers and rapists involved in carnage of Muslims in Gujarat have not been touched.
While Indian leaders blame Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad for perpetrating acts of terror in India, they ignore hundreds of Hindu terrorist outfits and dozens of insurgencies within India. Baal Thakeray head of Shiv Sena is renowned for fanning hatred against Muslims and for indulging in subversive activities. He has urged Hindus to prepare suicide bombers to challenge Islamic extremism. Sangh Parivar patronised by BJP, Avidhar and serving and retired Indian army officers are involved in almost all terror acts in India including demolition of Babri mosque in 1992, Samjhota Express bombing and bomb attacks in Muslim heavy Malegaon in which Pakistan was blamed. Sangh Parivar runs training centres in Gujarat and Maharashtra in full knowledge of all concerned.
All extremist Hindu outfits hate Pakistan and Indian Muslims as well as other religious minorities residing in India and vie for Hindutwa. Hindu extremists consider Indian Muslims biggest threat to Indian existence and advocate that they should either convert to Hinduism or else they should be exiled or eliminated. This was the pattern adopted by the Spanish Christians against the Muslims when they conquered Spain in 1492. Hindu extremists have penetrated Indian armed forces particularly Army in a big way. Elections in India are manipulated by Hindu extremists using high handed tactics and all Indian governments remain at their mercy. If there is any nuclear country where nuclear weapons are in danger of falling into the hands of terrorists it is none other than India.
Having failed to coerce Pakistan and to make it accept its childish demands of dismantling India specific terrorist networks in Pakistan and to punish culprits named by India allegedly involved in Mumbai attacks, it has now reluctantly agreed to resume talks from 25 February onwards. India has not shown any large heartedness or has succumbed to US pressure but has softened its mulish stance after realising that it has gained nothing and has lost a lot. For the consumption of home audience, Indian leaders continue to insist that terrorism would be the chief focus of talks. Pakistan has for a change taken a firm stand that Kashmir and water would take precedence over all other issues. As far as terrorism is concerned, India, Israel and USA are the biggest terrorist states and all others are victims of their terrorism. I am giving it in writing that nothing would come out of talks since India is only interested in gaining time through never ending monkey tricks and conceding nothing.
A H Raja
http://www.daily.pk/indian-white-lies-have-begun-to-get-exposed-16718/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailypk+%28Pakistan+Daily%29
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Khalistan: KLA – KZF Sikh separatists’ bid to gang up again
Reports of a meeting between officials and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wadhawa Singh in December have raised concerns among security agencies in the state.
A top-secret intelligence communication from Punjab Police to security agencies last week states: “To execute this task, Wadhawa Singh is making efforts to mobilise volunteers from Punjab as also from the US, who could be made to travel to India via Malaysia or Singapore.”
Following this, security agencies have been asked to take appropriate security measures to protect VIPs and important installations across the state. The VIPs said to be in the target list of the terror outfits include Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu.
Bittu, who is the Punjab Youth Congress president, is the grandson of former state chief minister Beant Singh, who is credited with wiping out Sikh’s in the state in the early 1990s with ’super-cop’ KPS Gill. Beant Singh was assassinated by a human bomb here Aug 31, 1995.
The intelligence report says that Bittu is particularly being targeted by the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA). Another intelligence report from Punjab Police has said terror groups could target shrines in Amritsar as well as the Nangal Dam and railway stations at Ropar, Ludhiana and Pathankot.
“We will not let any of these groups revive terrorism in the state,” Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said in Chandigarh. “We are taking the intelligence inputs quite seriously. We do a day-to-day monitoring of things. Security is being stepped up as required,” Jalandhar Inspector General of Police Sanjiv Kalra said.
In the last two months, Punjab Police have found explosives, grenades and weapons outside vital installations at various places in the state. Several kilograms of explosives were found Jan 19 outside an Indian Oil LPG bottling plant near Nabha town in Patiala district. Two grenades were found five days later outside an Indian Air Force (IAF) establishment at Zirakpur near Chandigarh. A car laden with explosives was found last month outside the IAF station at Halwara in Ludhiana. Two people were arrested in Patiala on Sunday. Eight kilograms of explosives and 40 gelatin sticks were recovered from them.
Though the secessionist movement for Khalistan was comprehensively defeated in 1993, there remain a handful of terrorist outfits chiefly supported by NRI Sikh groups who continue to propagate the ideology of Khalistan. One of the most prominent among them is the BKI, among the oldest and most organised Khalistan terrorist groups. It is headed by Wadhawa Singh, who is reportedly hiding in Pakistan. Mehal Singh is the deputy chief of BKI. Both of them are among the 20 terrorists whom India wants.
http://www.daily.pk/khalistan-kla-kzf-sikh-separatists%E2%80%99-bid-to-gang-up-again-16594/
Saturday, 20 February 2010
The importance of Kashmir for regional peace
Kashmir has been at the center of a long-standing territorial dispute between Pakistan and India, resulting in several wars, as well as ongoing military operations by India against Kashmiri separatist militants. The decades-old rivalry and suspicion between India and Pakistan has persuaded them to act at cross-purposes in Afghanistan. Pakistan wants a pro-Islamabad regime in Kabul to achieve its goal of strategic depth as a cushion against India. India, on the other hand, seeks a pro-New Delhi government to deny Pakistan this advantage.
A solution to Kashmir would considerably reduce the trust deficit between India and Pakistan and most likely promote cooperation on Afghanistan.
Over the past few months, India and Pakistan have engaged in closed-door dialogues on Kashmir in Bangkok, bringing together such individuals as former Pakistani Ambassador to India Aziz Khan and A. S. Dullat, the former chief of India’s external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Simultaneously, the process is being supported by back-channel discussions between New Delhi and Kashmir’s moderate separatist conglomerate, the All Parties Hurriyat [Freedom] Conference, to resolve those issues that are specific to India-Kashmir relations.
Even though not publicly acknowledged by the United States, these efforts are seen as part of the broader remit of the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. Even Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently stated that US interest in the region is served by encouraging all steps that “these important nations [India and Pakistan] take to regenerate their ‘back-channel’ process on Kashmir.”
On the civil society side, several conferences were held between September and December 2009 addressing the controversy over Kashmir, attended by leading intellectuals, politicians and civil society activists from both the countries.
One such conference, “A Roadmap to Peace”, held in December in New Delhi, called for the resumption of stalled dialogue between the two countries. Before this, two intra-Kashmir conferences were held in October in Srinagar and London. The larger aim of these initiatives was to find a way for India and Pakistan to reconcile their differences and focus on jointly tackling terrorism in the region, from Kabul to Kashmir.
Although the cumulative effect of these efforts has helped both countries advance toward peace in South Asia, there is still a long way to go. There is also the constant danger of the entire process unravelling if India and Pakistan’s governments fail to act and build upon the ongoing efforts.
The two countries are now looking towards yet another summit meeting during the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) conference in April in Bhutan. And India has already indicated its readiness to begin a formal dialogue through the Pakistani and Indian foreign secretaries who are meeting later this month.
There are several factors at play in the renewed engagement. One is the larger geo-politics of the region with the war in Afghanistan at its core. The unfolding situation in Kabul, where the Taliban are now being considered as part of the political solution, has suddenly reduced India’s capacity to influence the outcome in the war-torn country.
Accordingly, Pakistan is suddenly in a greater position of leverage, and safeguarding India’s interests in Afghanistan and its role as a party to the ongoing struggle for peace and security may provide incentive for normalized relations between India and Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistan would benefit from a friendly India to ensure continued stability on its eastern flank.
The challenge before India and Pakistan is not only to address the dispute over Kashmir, their long-standing bitter bone of contention, but also to bring their divergent policies and positions on Afghanistan in line. With stakes in Kabul getting bigger with every passing day, much hinges on this new round of bilateral contact.
###
* Riyaz Wani is a Kashmir-based journalist working for the leading Indian daily, The Indian Express. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 16 February 2010, www.commongroundnews.org
Failure for the Obama administration
The much-talked-about London Conference has brought another failure for the Obama administration and its allies as the Taliban instantly rejected the talks offer, which lacked incentives for the combatants who are already achieving successes in Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, the allied forces are yet to learn lessons from the mistakes committed by the Bush administration in its war on terror. Throughout the London moot, Prime Minister Gordon Brown kept elaborating on the speech delivered by Obama only two days back, the US president's State of the Union Address. Since there was no incentive for the Taliban, they rejected the conference outright.
Why did one of the most prudent politicians of Afghanistan – Hamid Karzai – not spell out the contradictions in the new US policy on Afghanistan? Also surprising is the failure of the proficient Shah Mahmood Qureshi in convincing his US and UK counterparts on mending the confusions in the new Afghan strategy. Even the so-called shrewd and futuristic Western think tanks have failed in preventing their governments from a policy which would bring nothing to Afghanistan but bloodshed.
The new US policy is supposed to encourage initiation of talks with those Taliban elements which denounce terrorism. Prior to any talks, you have to create a conducive environment, and confidence-building measures are a must for bridging the gulf between the warring factions. The Taliban and Hekmatyar are clubbing talks with the exit of allied forces from Afghanistan while on the contrary the Western states are dispatching more troops to Afghanistan to take the battle temperature to new highs.
The icing on the cake is the covert efforts launched by the allied forces to divide the Taliban. Under the plan, $500 million have been allocated to win the loyalties of Taliban elements in order to isolate the Taliban leadership. This means that the US is not willing to hold talks with Mullah Omar, only with those who would be willing to ditch the influential Taliban leader.
Irrespective of the fact that neither were such efforts successful in the past nor would these bear fruit now, it is hard to believe that the Taliban would agree to sit at the dialogue table. Only an insane person would expect talks in such high temperature with increasing doubts between the warring factions.
The new US policy on Afghanistan is based on an assumption that the Karzai government would acquire stability. To the contrary, the US policy is further destabilising the Karzai regime. Due to the same policy, even the election of Karzai became much controversial. Now the allied forces have made the provision of aid to the Karzai government conditional on eradication of corruption. The question to be asked is: if the elimination of corruption by the Afghan government was so easy, could it not have achieved this target to restore its credibility in the comity of nations in the past? Keeping in view the fact that the Karzai government was made so frail that the president had to seek support from Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum and Qasim Faheem in the recent elections, how would a feeble and meek government consisting of people like Qasim Faheem and Dostum be able to achieve the ambition of corruption-free governance? So neither will this government be able to abolish corruption within its ranks nor the Western nations provide the Karzai administration the required financial assistance. Thus the dream of the stability of the Karzai government will never materialise.
Moreover, the sincerity of the US administration to Afghanistan and Pakistan could be gauged from the fact that the Afghan election commission had to delay the Afghan polls for six months due to the non-provision of a few hundred million dollars. In such a situation, it is hard to believe that the Karzai government would be stabilised by 2011.
The premature announcement of the Afghan exit plan has also given a new life and hope to the combating militant forces and the morale of the Taliban and Hekmatyar groups is now sky high. Since they are foreseeing success, it has become more difficult to get them to the dialogue table while they are winning on the battlefield.
The stability and peace in Afghanistan is linked with direct talks with Mullah Omar and Golbadin Hekmatyar. It would be prudent to form a government in Afghanistan based on national consensus, in consultation with the neighbouring states. Not only could that bring peace to the country but it could also protect and ensure the interests of the international and regional players.
It seems that Hamid Karzai has realised this reality and his efforts to strengthen his ties with Pakistan and Iran are an indication of that. However, ever since the new US policy has been made public, the gulf between the US and Pakistan is widening by each passing day. This is a bitter truth that both the friendly states today are at daggers drawn vis-à-vis the Afghanistan issue.
Neither is Pakistan willing to accept any role for India in Afghanistan nor does it agree to the notion that India is a stakeholder in this regard. On the other hand, for the first time Iran has boycotted any international moot on Afghanistan, and the absence of an Iranian delegate from the London Conference reflects the disagreement of the Iranian establishment with the new Afghan policy.
The issue of a missile defence system for Georgia has also warmed the temperature between Russia and the USA. The US media is also issuing reports on increasing Chinese investments in the Afghan province of Logar – clearly reflecting US concerns over the increasing influence of China in Afghanistan.
Since the allied forces are once again failing to focus on efforts to address the concerns of the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, it could be safely said that no formula can hold its ground until the concerns of the regional players and neighbours are not fully redressed.
The writer works for Geo TV.
Email: saleem.safi@geo.tv
Shining India: Woman Abused in Indian Jail
The UP police is in the news again... and like most times for the wrong reasons. A report says... an SHO abused and slapped a woman within the police station premises. This happened in Musafir-khana police station under Sultanpur district.
FBI closes anthrax case, says scientist was killer
The agency formally closed the case Friday, ending the long, frustrating hunt for the killer after years of false leads, no arrests and public criticism.
Ivins killed himself in 2008 as prosecutors prepared to indict him for the attacks. He had denied involvement, and his family and some friends have continued to insist he was innocent.
Many details of the case have already been disclosed, but newly released FBI documents paint a fuller portrait of Ivins as a troubled researcher whose life's work was teetering toward failure at the time the letters laced with anthrax were sent. As the U.S. responded to the mailings, that work was given new importance by the government, and he was even honored for his efforts on anthrax.
The documents also describe what investigators say was Ivins' bizarre, decades-long obsession with a sorority. The anthrax letters were dropped in a mailbox near the sorority's office in Princeton, New Jersey.
The letters were sent to lawmakers and news organizations as the nation reeled in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Postal facilities, U.S. Capitol buildings and private offices were shut for inspection and cleaning by workers in hazardous materials "space suits" from Florida to Washington to New York and beyond.
In closing the case, officials also released reams of evidence and a 92-page summary of their findings.
To the FBI's critics, the mountain of new documents could not paper over what they say are glaring holes in the case.
"The evidence the FBI produced would not, I think, stand up in court," said Rep. Rush Holt, a Democrat whose New Jersey district includes the Princeton mailbox used in the attacks. "But because their prime suspect is dead and they're not going to court, they seem satisfied with barely a circumstantial case."
Ivins' lawyer, Paul Kemp, said he saw nothing new in the findings. "All they have confirmed is that they suspected him belatedly after finding out he had psychological problems," he said. "Sadly, they substitute that for proof."
Authorities say Ivins' death capped a yearslong cat-and-mouse game with investigators, in which he repeatedly offered to help the FBI catch the killer, cast suspicion on his colleagues and tried numerous forms of subterfuge.
He passed a polygraph in connection with the probe in 2002, but investigators learned years later that he had been prescribed psychotropic medications at the time, and examiners who reassessed the results concluded he exhibited classic signs of the use of countermeasures to pass the test.
Authorities say Ivins nursed a secret fascination with the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma that dated back decades, and at one point years ago, they say, he stalked a member of the sorority.
The new documents also present a novel theory why the anthrax notes featured block writing that highlighted specific letters within words.
Investigators believe Ivins' use of the letters was part of a secret code that had two possible meanings: pointing to a colleague or stating a specific dislike of New York. Two of the letters were sent to New York — one to the New York Post, another to NBC's then-anchor Tom Brokaw.
Investigators had tried earlier to build a case against biowarfare expert Steven Hatfill, who had worked for a time in the same military lab as Ivins, but ultimately turned away from that theory and had to pay him a multimillion-dollar settlement.
The anthrax spores killed five people: two postal workers in Washington, a New York City hospital worker, a Florida photo editor and a 94-year-old Connecticut woman who had no known contact with any of the poisoned letters. Seventeen other people were sickened.
Friday, 19 February 2010
Hindutva terror probe haunts Pune blast investigation
Last week’s bombing of the German Bakery in Pune has brought the ugly story of Abhinav Bharat — the Hindutva terrorist group Purohit helped found — back from the obscurity to which it was consigned by the Mumbai carnage, which took place just days after the trial in Nashik began.
In private, Hindus sympathetic to the ultra-right have been saying the bombings demonstrate the moral legitimacy of Purohit and his Hindutva terror project. Even as the police detained more than two dozen young Muslim men for questioning, some community leaders have been arguing that the bakery attack could just have easily been carried out by a Hindutva group.
Part of the reason for the controversy is that key suspects involved in Abhinav Bharat’s terror campaign have never been held. Jatin Chatterjee — better known by his alias Swami Asimanand — is thought to be hiding out in Gujarat’s Adivasi tracts, where he runs a Hindu proselytisation organisation. Ramnarayan Kalsangra, Abhinav Bharat’s key bomb-maker, is also a fugitive.
Founded in the summer of 2006, Abhinav Bharat was set up as an educational trust with Himani Savarkar — daughter of Gopal Godse, brother of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin — as its chairperson. But, documents filed by Maharashtra prosecutors show, members of the group were soon involved in discussing armed activity. In June 2007, Purohit allegedly suggested that the time had come to target Muslims through terrorist attacks — a plea others in Abhinav Bharat rejected.
But, the evidence gathered by the police suggests, many within the group were determined to press ahead. At a meeting in April 2008, key suspects including Madhya Pradesh-based Hindutva activist Pragnya Singh Thakur and Jammu cleric Sudhakar Dwivedi, also known as Amritananda Dev Tirtha, met Purohit to hammer out the Malegaon plot. Explosives were later procured by Purohit, and handed over to Kalsangra in early August 2008.
Abhinav Bharat’s long-term aims, though, went far beyond targeting Muslims: its members wanted to overthrow the Indian state and replace it with a totalitarian, theocratic order. A draft constitution prepared by Abhinav Bharat spoke of a single-party system, presided over by a leader who “shall be followed at all levels without questioning the authority.” It called for the creation of an “academy of indoctrinization [sic.].” The concluding comment was stark: “People whose ideas are detrimental to Hindu Rashtra should be killed.”
Purohit’s plans to bring about a Hindutva state were often fantastical. He claimed, the prosecutors say, to have secured an appointment with Nepal’s King Gyanendra in 2006 and 2007 to press for his support for the planned Hindutva revolution. Nepal, he went on, was willing to train Abhinav Bharat’s cadre, and supply it with assault rifles. Israel’s government, he said, had agreed to grant members of the group military support and, if needed, political asylum.
Many believe that Abhinav Bharat carried out many attacks earlier attributed to jihadist groups — notable among them, the bombing of the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad in May 2007, and a subsequent attack on the famous shrine at Ajmer. Despite persistent questioning of Abhinav Bharat cadre, though, the investigators have not been able to link the group to the attacks.
Matters are complicated by the fact that some of the operations attributed to Abhinav Bharat may not have had much to do with the group — even though its leading luminaries claimed responsibility for the attacks.
For example, Purohit allegedly claimed to confidants that the attack was carried out by the Dewas-based Hindutva terrorist Sunil Joshi, who was murdered in December 2007. But the United States Treasury Department later imposed sanctions on Lashkar-e-Taiba activist Arif Kasmani — a Karachi-based jihadist with close links to the Taliban and al-Qaeda — for financing the attack.
In January this year, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik went further, admitting that “there were some Pakistan-based Islamists who had been hired to carry out the Samjhauta Express attack.”
Judging by recent Hindutva terror attacks, like last year’s bombings in Goa, it is unclear if they still have the capabilities to mount a sophisticated attack of the kind seen in Pune. Few investigators believe that the organisations — or other Hindutva cells — mounted the operation. “Still”, says one Maharashtra police official involved in investigating both Hindutva and jihadist attacks, “you can’t help wondering — what if?”
Signs are the investigation into the bombing of the German Bakery will take time. All that investigators have by way of suspects are three men recorded holding brief meetings before the blast by a poor-quality closed-circuit television camera. From the videotape, it is unclear if the men had anything to do with the attack.
The longer the investigation takes, the more time conspiracy theories and speculation will have to proliferate — likely deepening the communal fissures the bombing is already opening up
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Patriotism In Balochistan
My moon is every body’s moon; this poetic phrase seems no more limited to the expression of love between a lover and the beloved; with the passage of time it has become more appropriate and more suitable for the sincere and truthful lands like that of Balochistan. Located on the northern tip of straits of Hormuz, Balochistan has no doubt become ever body’s moon. This is the area through which much of the world's oil supply passes. Moreover it is God giftedly rich in natural resources with an estimated 19 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves and 6 trillion barrels of oil reserves. Therefore, many countries including USA, Russia and India see Balochistan as a strategically important zone of influence. The international realization of this strategic importance of Balochistan has deprived its people of their calm and peace by pushing them into an artificially created series of trials and tribulations. Mercilessly exploding bombs and cruelly piercing bullets have targeted nothing but the atmospheric serenity and tranquility of this land.
A few days back, all newspapers and electronic media channels were replete with the news of two boxers from Balochistan, Naimatullah Khan and Mohammad Waseem who won gold and silver medals, respectively, at the South Asian Games. Talking on the occasion, the medalists said that they are very happy that they secured medals for their country Pakistan and promised that they would work more hard in the same spirit to win more honour and respect for their motherland in future. Silver medalist Waseem said that justice was not done with him in the final because he is a Pakistani and he was winning the contest against an Indian boxer.
But on the other hand one finds a lot of propaganda statements of few self-generated Baloch leaders who are enjoying all possible luxuries of life, staying abroad in Western countries, in palace-like houses. They claim that the people of Balochistan want separation from Pakistan. Ironically, most of such leaders have never ever tasted even a grain of the hardships which have become a routine matter for a poor Balochi. These leaders introduce them as the leaders of the so-called Independence movement ongoing in Balochistan. They also claim that the federal government of Pakistan is depriving the people of Balochistan of their basic human rights. The above mentioned two boxers also represent the common man of Balochistan but whatever they said talking to the media, negates the views of ‘the leaders of the Balochistan Independence Movement’.
The worsening law and order situation in Balochistan does not belong to the people of Balochistan. It is nothing but an international attempt of weakening Pakistan. A handful of paid terrorists who have no sympathy with Balochistan are safeguarding the foreign interests in the same way as they are doing in other parts of the country including FATA, NWFP and Karachi. The most important role played, in this context, is that of the Indian consulates along the Pak-Afghan border. These unnecessary Indian consulates are providing hub for the Indian intelligence activities and are solely responsible for dispatching trained militants in Balochistan. The Indian consulates in Jalalabad and Kandhar are pumping money into Balochistan. The US under Secretary of State for political affairs Mr. William Burn’s statement could be a very strong proof in this reference. In one of his recent statements he asked the Indian government to ‘trim its consulates in Jalalabad.’
Another proof of the foreign hand in Balochistan is the statement of The Khan of Kalat. While forming the 'Council for Independent Balochistan' in London, he said that he is enjoying the support of ‘Like-minded and friendly' countries who have promised him all help and cooperation. The situation could become more easily understandable if his statement is put together with the statement of former RAW agent B Raman's who once said that struggle for an independent Balochistan is part of the unfinished agenda of the partition.
The deep seated Indian hostility against Pakistan is the root cause of most of the problems Pakistan is facing. Although most of the Pakistanis are always in favour and support of good friendly relationship with India, yet their desires are never welcomed by the Indian hi-ups. Recently it came to the surface that the increasing international pressure has compelled India to resume peace talks with Pakistan. This news was surely good news for the people of Pakistan but all their joy and happiness vanished when they at once found different Indian leaders singing their old favourite song that Pakistan must hand over to India the culprits involved in the Mumbai blasts tragedy. Shockingly at the same time the human rights violations of the Indian armed forces in the Occupied Kashmir became more flagrant. The situation in Balochistan can never be normalized unless Indian influence in the area is curtailed and checked upon. The first and the most urgent step in this regard is to close the unnecessary Indian Consulates along Pak-afghan borders. It is the responsibility of all those forces which claim that they desire for a permanent peace in the South-Asian region to keep an eye on nefarious Indian designs in the region. If India kept on interfering in Balochistan the situation is surely going to be more dangerous not only for Pakistan but also for Iran and at a later stage for China.
Iran has a large Baloch population on its side of border with Pakistan and the Indian desire of weakening Pakistan by creating independent Balochistan will cost heavy to Iran itself as the map of Greater Balochistan includes Sistan province as well. Although Pakistan and Iran both are fully aware of the Indian conspiracies and the armed forces of both the countries have a very strong capability to counter Indian desires yet the situation demands more concentration on the part of the government of Pakistan. It must do all the best possible for the betterment of the people of Balochistan. Unless they are politically, economically and educationally contented and satisfied, they won’t be in a position to counter the conspiracies of the so-called ‘freedom fighters’. It is the most urgent need of time to remove the atmosphere of mistrust between the Baloch and the Federation. The Balochis are no doubt very sincere and patriotic Pakistanis like the people of other provinces but a continuous Indian propaganda joined together with their social and political problems may pollute their feelings. The political demands of the actual and original Baloch leaders must be given weight and accepted through negotiation. They must be taken into confidence regarding Indian designs of creating unrest in Balochistan.
Gawadar Port development program will bring a lot of prosperity to people of Balochistan, so it must be completed on priority basis. It is the moral right of the local Baloch population to get the maximum benefits of the Gawadar Port Project. New jobs and vacancies must be created for these local people so that they may strengthen them economically. The government of Pakistan must not ignore the fact that most of the Balochis are fed up with the Sardari system which never allows them to grow prolifically according to their own desires. They are of the opinion that without getting freedom from the clutches of the Sardari system, they can not make their lives prosperous and peaceful.
Different Baloch political leaders blame the previous governments of Pakistan for ignoring the political leaders of Balochistan and for giving undue importance to the sardars. Such type of grievances must be redressed as soon as possible. The people of Balochistan are demanding the complete return of the Army troops which were posted in Balochistan for the maintenance of law and order situation in the past. This demand must also be accepted as soon as possible and these troops should be replaced with the F.C troops.
The people of Balochistan have a culture of their own. They have their particular traditions and values. History tells us, if they are trusted upon, taken into confidence, they are the best friends and the most reliable companions. They are always extremely honest and devoted to their soil. In the name of trust and confidence they can sacrifice each and everything they have. Pakistan is their motherland. These sons-of- the soil expect a very deep and caring love from their motherland.
Author is a Pakistan based bilingual analyst on national and international strategic and defense affairs. Email: alisukhanver@hotmail.com
http://kashmirwatch.com/showarticles.php?subaction=showfull&id=1266394865&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3&var1news=value1news
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
US grand conspiracy
Afshain Afzal
US is facing defeat like situation in Afghanistan, which compelled top bosses at Pentagon and White House to reconsider US’ Afghan strategy. The heavy toll of alien forces at the hand of Taliban since last two years, especially in the months of December 2009, January and February 2010 forced the foreign forces to pullout their troops from Afghanistan. The latest one or two odd operations against Mujahideen have been, in fact, conducted by the soldiers of Afghan National Army (ANA) while the command was held by the NATO troops. This is being done with the spirit to minimize casualties of NATO forces. Fact here cannot be denied that till to-date the maximum punch has been absorbed in Afghanistan by ANA while the US and allies only perform supervisory and command roles. As per the latest plan chalked out at Pentagon, alien troops would start withdrawal from mid next year. However, many analysts have not noticed that the withdrawal has already taken place and instead of combatants as replacement, fresh groups of trainers and members of reconstruction team have already started arriving in Kabul and Islamabad. The most striking feature of the new US strategy is that a new private Army is being raised on the lines of SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) teams. To achieve this goal, Washington has started recruiting non-US citizens in its Army. The controversial plan of opening Recruitment Centres in Afghanistan and Pakistan is already underway and more foreigners from Asia and Arabia are being offered citizenship. The concept is not new as most of the US personnel in Afghanistan are not Americans but foreign citizens, serving as mercenaries to achieve US’ objectives. By doing this, obviously, the total size of US military would be expanded to ensure presence of US ground troops in most of the troubled zones of the world as well would minimize American casualties. Today foreign intelligence agencies and their front offices claim that they have brigades of Pakistanis serving and retired government officers and staff who are working for them. They include bureaucrats, Armed Forces personnel, government employees and others. One wonders, how come we have allowed these people to work for our adversaries and rivals. When we talk about the writ of the government, it really sounds meaningless that those who are the employees of foreign government are being given red carpet receptions while those are mere suspected to be agents are ruthlessly killed. It is criminal on the part of foreign government and their agencies to employ Pakistani serving and retired officers and staff without seeking permission in writing from Islamabad. We need to impress upon the foreign governments through their embassies and consulates in Pakistan as well as through our representatives in foreign countries about Ex-Government Servants’ Employment with Foreign Governments (Prohibitation) Act. We have treaty of extradition with a number of countries of the world and Pakistan must get back its criminals so that exemplary punishment should be awarded to them as they are breaching the security of the country. US plan to recruit soldiers and Marines from Afghanistan and Pakistan has been authenticated by law. Few years back, Pentagon policy restricted only those immigrants who were legally residing in the US to be eligible for joining Armed Forces. But this has been overcome by change in US law, which gave Pentagon authority to bring immigrants to the US if it determines it is vital to national security. Pentagon is confident that that it would achieve recruiting goals in Afghanistan and Pakistan. No doubt, those would are willing to work for US interests in lieu of minor attraction like US citizenship can never be loyal to either Afghanistan or Pakistan. They are fifth columnist and enemies in our files but our countries should no give them free hand. They need to be treated as traitors and apprehended on that account or should be forced out in exile for good. Ironically, there are many bureaucrats, Armed Forces personnel, government and other employees who are unaware of the Employment with Foreign Governments (Prohibitation) Act and claim that if simply a No Objection Certificate (NOC) is awarded by parent department they may take-up employment with anywhere. This is not only disgusting but speaks of casual attitude from ministries, departments and other offices in guiding their employees about the rules under which they are governed. Gone is gone, we still have time to warn beforehand that anyone taking up employment in federal or provincial governments would not beallowed to take up job with foreign government and their agencies. Weak clause such as “except with previous permission in writing of the Federal Government…” need to be ignored as no sane person would provide a chance to a pensioner, retired officials or an ex-employee to share national secrets with foreign government. Specifically talking about sensitive departments under Ministry of Defence including Armed Forces and other sensitive offices, they cannot be permitted under any condition. The authority giving a NOC may be asked to give in writing that by undertaking employment of the ex-employee with foreign government it will in no way compromise classified information and security of Pakistan. As regard to the Pakistani Armed Forces and other government departments, it is duty of every Pakistani to furnish information to Police about deserters and those who are employees of foreign governments in Pakistan and abroad. Armed Forces personnel who have deserted or joined foreign governments diplomatic or counselor representatives including their information, public relations, trade or commercial agency, service or foundation established or maintained by any such government or by any person who is a national of foreign country required to be immediately arrested, even by an ordinary citizen of Pakistan. Such individuals are not only criminals in the eyes of law but have breached national trust and are enemies of Pakistan. Thus, any person who apprehends or who furnishes information which leads to the apprehension of a combatant, including a reservist or non-combatant who is in the state of desertion or absent without leave form Army and who does not surrender himself voluntarily will receive a reward. To this effect a list is maintained by District Superinendent of Police which can be easily accessed by general public. Penalty is already clear in the law that whoever contravenes the provision of section shall be punishable with the imprisonment for a term that may extend to seven years, or with fine that may extend to fifty thousand rupees or with forfeiture of property, or with any two or more of the said punishments. In the prevailing situation, this act of the National Assembly which received an assent of the President on 7th July, 1966 and was published in the Gazette of Pakistan needs to be made further rigorous so that no one dare to violate national security by joining files of enemies and rivals. afshain@hotmail.com
Maoist Attack in West Bengal, India
About 100 Maoist rebels stormed a police camp in the region of Shilda in West Bengal on Monday. The rebels fired indiscriminately and set fire to the site, killing 24 policemen.
Authorities say the rebels took away a huge cache of weapons in the latest assault.
Police say that the camp is located in the same area where a major anti-Maoist offensive was launched last year.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
China dismissive of India's missile power
The Global Times, a Communist Party-backed Chinese newspaper, has front-paged a report that quotes a top Chinese naval officer, who is also a defence analyst, as saying that India was at least a decade and more behind China in missile technology. The report was prominently splashed across the Chinese media.
In the Friday report, Chinese rear admiral, Zhang Zhaozhong, was quoted as saying, ''India's technology for its measurement and control system, which is used to trace launched missiles, remains at a very low level, and they are unable to constitute a complete and reliable missile defense system.''
This, of course, makes nonsense of all Indian achievements in the field of missile defence so far, as intercepts are not possible if you should have ''low level measurement and control systems to trace launched missiles,'' according to Adm Zhaozhong.
Indian missile defence technology initially relied on imported Israeli long range Green Pine radars to constitute its tracking apparatus. In the last round of tests Indian defence scientists revealed that they had developed a more advanced version of the Green Pine, a 'super' Green Pine so to speak, to track missile launches.
Adm Zhaozhong's assertion is in keeping with past displays of what may be characterised as a deep seated inferiority complex that China exhibits towards most Indian achievements. It may be recalled that at the time India launched its Chandrayaan-1 moon mission, the Chinese media went berserk with the 'news' that the lunar orbiter had failed to reach the required orbit for eventual transit into moon orbit. The 'news' was put down to some 'analysis' carried out by private Chinese space 'experts.'
Advani recalls Nehru's ''blunders'' on China, Pakistan
''There can hardly be a more glaring instance of Nehrujis unconcern for the Indias own strategic interests than his refusal to accept a U S offer in 1952 of a permanent seat in the U N Security Council, till then held by Taiwan,'' says Mr Advani. '
'He insisted that the seat be given to China. Interestingly, this fact is mentioned in his recent book on Pandit Nehru by Shashi Tharoor, an MOS in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Government,'' said Mr Advani.
''When Mr Nehru declined to accept the U S proposal, his argument was that he did not want U S to marginalise China. We thereby only hurt our own interests,'' he said.
Mr Advani pointed out that in 2008, a conclave of foreign ministers of BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) was held at Yekaterinburg (Russia), at which Russia pressed that the conclave support Indias plea to secure a permanent place in the U N Security Council. Russias move did not succeed because it was strongly opposed by China!
The Congress has always projected Pandit Nehru as an exemplary helmsman of Indias foreign policy, but Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, on the other hand, regarded Panditjis handling of Pakistan, as well as China, as two egregious blunders of his, the BJP leader said.
''Sadly, the shock that Nehru suffered when confronted by Chinas gross betrayal in 1962 virtually cost him his life. His mishandling of Pakistan has left terrorism and Kashmir as two festering sores for our body politic right up to this day,'' he said.
Mr Advani quotes approvingly from a book of Fareed Zakaria, Editor of Newsweek International that ''Nehru rooted Indias foreign policy in abstract ideas rather than a strategic conception of national interests. He disdained alliances, pacts, and treaties, seeing them as part of the old rules of real politik, and was uninterested in military matters.''
'Ironically, Fareed Zakaria writes, Indias policies became'especially tough-minded and shrewd during the reign of Nehrus daughter, Indira Gandhi,'' says the BJP leader.
Mr Advani says that now all know that it was during her regime that Bangladesh was carved out, and that India took its initial step into the field of nuclear weaponry.
Those who have been following the development of India into a full fledged nuclear weapons state are aware that Pokharan I took place in 1974, during Ms Gandhis tenure, and the process then started was completed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee through Pokharan II, where on May 1, 1999 three underground nuclear tests were successfully conducted, he said.
Zakaria, Mr Advani adds, in his Penguin publication titled 'The Post American world', says that the ''central paradox of India'' today is that ''its society is open, eager and confident ready to take on the world'', but its state - its ruling class - is ''hesitant, cautious and suspicious of the changing realities around it''.
''Nowhere is this tension more obvious than in the realm of foreign policy, the increasingly large and important task of determining how India should fit into the new world''.
He says Zakarias book recalls that when Mountbatten suggested that there be a powerful chief of defence staff, Nehru turned down the suggestion, and a week into his new government, he walked over to the Defence Ministry and was furious to find military officers working there (as they do in every defence ministry in the world).
''Since then all armed service personnel work in New Delhis South Block wear civilian clothes''. Mr Advani said Pandit Nehru remained Indias Prime Minister from 1947 to 1964 and throughout his tenure he was his own Foreign Minister.
Quoting from the autobiography of K P S Menon, one of the India's first Foreign Secretaries, Mr Advani said,''We had no precedents to fall back upon because India had no foreign policy of her own until it became independent. Our policy therefore necessarily rested on the intuition of one man, who was Foreign Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.''
Monday, 15 February 2010
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