Pakistan ranked 42nd most corrupt country

Pakistan has been ranked as 42nd most corrupt country, among 180 countries ranked by the 'Transparency International Corruptions Perceptions Index (CPI) 2009' released here on Tuesday. Pakistan is followed by Bangladesh and India. New Zealand has been ranked as the cleanest country, and Somalia ranked 180th as the most corrupt country.
The CPI 2009 has been described as survey of the surveys that measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians in 180 countries around the world. It focuses on perceptions, and not hard data (latter difficult to obtain and validity questionable, eg by comparing number of prosecutions or court cases). CPI 2009 draws on 13 different polls and surveys, from 10 independent institutions, carried out among experienced observers such as business people and country analysts, including local experts.
"The Government is governing Pakistan without governance, and Pakistan has lost credibility all over the world, due to which the country is facing serious economic threats, poverty, inflation, food and electricity shortages and increase in unemployment, which are direct results of the massive on-going corruption," said Adil Gilani, Chairman of Transparency International (TIP), while releasing the CPI at a press conference here.
In Doha United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) conference, held on November 9-13, 2009, the United Nations had put a price tag on corruption--estimating that up to $1.6 trillion in public assets move across borders each year through networks such as money laundering or into secret holdings.
The 2009 Corruption Perception Index looks at perceptions of public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories and is a composite index that draws on 13 expert opinion surveys. It scores countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption.
The vast majority of countries included in the 2009 index score below five on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption). The CPI measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in a given country and is a composite index, drawing on 13 different expert and business surveys.
The 2009 edition scores 180 countries, the same number as the 2008 CPI. According to the chairperson of Transparency International, Labelle: "Stemming corruption requires strong oversight by parliaments, a well performing judiciary, independent and properly resourced audit and anti corruption agencies, vigorous law enforcement, transparency in public budget, revenue and aid flows, as well as space for independent media and a vibrant civil society."
"The international community," she said, "must find efficient ways to help war-torn countries to develop and sustain their own institutions." Highest scores in the 2009 CPI are New Zealand at 9.4, Denmark at 9.3, Singapore and Sweden tied at 9.2, and Switzerland at 9.0. These scores reflect political stability, long-established conflict of interest regulations and solid functioning public institutions.
Pakistan's 2009 CPI score is 2.4 and, out of 180 countries, its ranking as most corrupt country has slipped five ranks--from 47th in 2008 to 42nd most corrupt country in 2009. It also reveals the effects of corruption in the subcontinent, which is more alarming in Pakistan, as Bangladesh which was the most corrupt country in 2001, 2002 and 2003, has improved in ranking from 38th most corrupt country in 2008 to 42nd most corrupt country in 2009.
Gilani said that Transparency International is of the view that terrorism is the direct result of poverty, resulted only and only due to corruption (defined as "misuse of authority for private gains"), and mainly illegal direct/indirect armed forces rules in Pakistan since 1951 to 2007, fully endorsed by corrupt judiciary. The positive impacts will be visible next year of the few steps of good governance taken during last one year of the restoration of judiciary by the Prime Minister by an executive order on March 16, 2009 (after lawyers' movement supported by opposition parties, civil society and above all media), declaration of judiciary by the Chief Justice to be zero tolerance for corruption and withdrawal of draft NRO bill from national assembly (on strong protest of opposition of parties and civil society, he said.
He said Transparency International congratulates Pakistan Army, which has proved to the world that Pakistan armed forces are the best. The elimination of terrorists in Swat in two months by Pakistan Army is what USA and Nato forces failed to achieve in eight years in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has made Pakistan a proud nation.
Army chief has also taken up seriously violation of Public Procurement Rules by Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and army purchases, and advised to follow the rules, which is a healthy sign and warning for those who are violators of rules. Gilani said that the government must make serious efforts to apply rules and regulations across the board, to achieve the goal of reducing corruption.
In the last 10 years, the economic growth of Bangladesh, and deterioration in Pakistan economy can also be judged from the currency parity rates of Pakistan, Bangladesh vs Dollar in 1999:2009, taka/Pak rupee was 49.65: 51.84 and in 2009 it is taka/Pak rupee 70.39: 83.46.
He said that Pakistan needs immediate enforcement of good governance and transparent administration to counter the acute problems of billions of rupees corruption scams reported in Pakistan Steel, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Employees' Old Age Benefit Institute (EOBI), Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), rental power plants, Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), National Insurance Corporation (NIC), National Housing Authority (NHA), Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC), Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco), Capital Development Authority (CDA), DP Division, Defence Housing Authorities (DHs), Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), PC, and many other organisations.

فتنہ غامدیہ ( جاوید احمد غامدی )

فتنہ غامدیہ ( جاوید احمد غامدی )

Pakistani army claimed Sararogha under control

SARAROGHA: Pakistani forces have captured most main Taliban bases in their offensive in South Waziristan and will soon fan out into the rugged countryside to hunt for militants there, commanders said on Tuesday.
Soldiers have advanced faster than expected in their month-long offensive, seizing main roads and Taliban bases but militant leaders have apparently melted away while their bombers have unleashed carnage in towns.
Chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told reporters on a trip to South Waziristan with the army that some militants might have slipped out the region but many were hiding.
‘We still believe many are still here. They have gone to the countryside, the forested areas, to villages and into the caves,’ Abbas said.
‘After taking complete control of the roads and the tracks, we are going to chase them in the forested areas, wherever they are hiding in the countryside,’ he said.
More than 500 militants had been killed in the offensive since Oct. 17 while 70 soldiers had been killed, he said.
There has been no independent verification of casualties as reporters and other independent observers are not allowed into the conflict zone except on an occasional trip with the military.
The army on Tuesday took reporters to the captured Taliban bastion of Sararogha, where former Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed by a missile-firing US drone aircraft on August 5.
Surrounded by barren, rocky ridges and cut through by dried-up streams, the settlement of mud-walled compounds was deserted of civilians. A security force fort that the militants captured was almost completely destroyed in the fighting.
Hiding in caves
Soldiers displayed militant pamphlets including one on making bombs, captured ammunition and weapons, and pouched vests that suicide bombers pack with explosives and strap on.
Brigadier Mohammad Shafiq said his men had battled hard to capture the base: ‘Their defences were well-constructed and we faced extremely tough resistance.’
In the captured militant stronghold of Ladha, Brigadier Farrukh Jamal said his men had surrounded 35 militants hiding in forest-covered mountains nearby.
‘They are hiding in caves and we will capture them soon or kill them,’ Jamal said.
Several rifle shots rang out and smoke rose over the slopes where the militants were hiding.
Jamal said his men had cut militant supply lines and would soon be advancing into deep forest to the west.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, visiting people displaced by the fighting, said he hoped the offensive would be over earlier than expected and civilians could go home.
US President Barack Obama is hoping the Pakistani army will soon direct its attention to the Afghan Taliban factions and has stepped up pressure on Pakistan to go after them, the New York Times reported on Monday.

Abbas said the expected defeat of the Taliban in South Waziristan would create new conditions and opportunities.
‘You have defeated the main, strongest terrorist organisation of the area and it will create effects all around.
It creates voids all around and will open more options for the state and military,’ Abbas said.
‘Maybe you don’t have to conduct more operations. By those effects you can achieve those objectives,’ he said. —Reuters

                                                                                  

Maulana Fazlullah Swat Taliban chief 'has escaped

The head of the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat valley says he has escaped the army and is now in Afghanistan.

Maulana Fazlullah, who was said to be critically wounded by top Pakistani officials in July, was speaking exclusively to the BBC by telephone.
The cleric founded the Taliban in Swat which sought to enforce a hardline version of Sharia law in the region.
Pakistan's government accepted his demands, but later sent in troops after the militants reneged on a peace deal.
Threats
"I have reached Afghanistan safely," Maulana Fazlullah told BBC Urdu.
"We are soon going to launch full-fledged punitive raids against the army in Swat."
He went on to say that those claiming success for the Swat operation should try and prevent drone attacks and the US security firm Blackwater from operating in Pakistan.
"The authorities should beware, especially Mian Iftikhar Hussain, whose fate will be like that of Najibullah," he warned.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain is the information minister in the government of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
Dr Najibullah was Afghan president before the Taliban hanged him in 1996 when they took Kabul.
Talking about President Barack Obama's new Afghan policy, Maulana Fazlullah said there was no need for the US to send in more troops.
"Hundreds of thousands of Pakistani soldiers are already involved in furthering the US agenda in the region," he said.
'Boost for militants'
Maulana Fazlullah has been incommunicado for several months.
During this time a number of reports had circulated about his death and/or capture by the military.
These had gained credence after Pakistani authorities said he was mortally wounded in the army operation.
The Taliban denied reports that he had been injured or was close to death.
News that he is alive and well is likely to be a big boost for the Taliban in Pakistan.
Despite Maulana Fazlullah's claims, the Taliban are effectively destroyed in Swat.
They are also on the run in their main stronghold in South Waziristan where the Pakistani military recently launched a major offensive.

China eyes international military market

China debuted its new L-15 Falcon advanced jet trainer (AJT) at the Dubai Airshow marking the first time the aircraft has been shown to the public outside of China. Chinese officials from China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) gave a rare press conference on the L-15 AJT on Nov. 16.  AVIC defense president Wang Yawei said the company had made strides in research and development of new aircraft and was anxious to explore the export market.
“The attendance of the L-15 is aimed at exploiting the international market,” he said.  “There is a high demand of trainers of this type in the international market.”
Developed by the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group, an AVIC subsidiary, the Falcon is a multi-purpose supersonic jet trainer.  L-15’s chief architect Zhang Hong, Hongdu vice general manager said Falcon missions include advanced training, lead-in training, companion training and close air support.  The aircraft will also come in a Lead-In Fighter Trainer (LIFT) and Companion Trainer variant.
“The L-15 is a new generation advanced trainer that provides solutions for pilot training,” Zhang said.  The aircraft is “characterized by a modern aerodynamic configuration” and equipped with twin turbofan engines, fly-by-wire system and a glass cockpit.
The Falcon is powered by two Ukrainian-built Ivchenko Progress AI-222K-25F engines with a performance speed of Mach 1.4 and service ceiling of 1,600 meters with a range of 3,100 kilometers.
“The L-15 is a cost effective replacement for old advanced jet trainers, an excellent platform to accumulate flight experience for pilots,” Zhang said.  The aircraft is “capable of armed reconnaissance, defensive counter-air, close air support and anti-terrorism” missions.
The press conference itself was a surprisingly slick presentation for a company that has traditionally shied away from the media spotlight.  Wang said the company would be exhibiting more advanced military aircraft at future international aviation shows.
AVIC officials manning the booth appeared relaxed and comfortable talking about their product line, a clear departure from previous aerospace and defense shows in the past where company officials turned away media inquiries.
The AVIC booth displayed models and brochures on a variety of new aircraft and weapons systems including the FTC-2000 supersonic advanced trainer, CZ-11MB1 light multi-purpose helicopter (Z-11 variant), the K-8 Karakorum jet trainer, the FC-1/JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter and the 500-kg LS-6 standoff strike weapon.



The K-8 and the FC-1/JF-17 are joint aircraft development programs involving AVIC and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).  The K-8 was also on display at the show by PAC.
In a K-8 brochure AVIC identified the engine outfitting the aircraft as a “proven Honeywell TFE-731-2A-2A turbofan engine,” but in a reference to the Chinese Hongdu JL-8 variant it has a “flexible option for Ukraine [Ivchenko] AI-25TL turbofan engine.”  The U.S. restricts the sale of equipment to China for use by the military.
AVIC has benefited from China’s booming economy and has expanded research and development of new aircraft and systems, Wang said.  AVIC is also developing a new “200-ton military cargo aircraft” expected to be unveiled in December.  The program is being jointly developed by AVIC and Xi’an Aircraft Industry Group.
In November 2008 the company reintegrated AVIC I and AVIC II into one entity in the hope of expanding opportunities in the export market and streamlining the company, he said.
AVIC was originally one consortium of aerospace companies, but in 1999 the corporation was split, retaining its original title, in an attempt to modernize its manufacturing facilities and competitiveness.  AVIC I centered on sophisticated fixed-wing aircraft like fighters and bombers and AVIC II focused on smaller fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.  However, the effort resulted in difficulties and AVIC I/II merged back together last year.

Looming threat of Maoists

By Afshain Afzal

      Never in the history of India, New Delhi linked the left wing Maoist movement with Pakistan. But in a recent conspiracy of Indian Intelligence agencies various resistance groups to Indian rule are being linked with Pakistan. The sole aim of this strategically acrobatic move is to malign Pakistan internationally.  In this context, in a recent statement, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while admitting that his government failed to achieve much success against Maoists maintained that infiltration through various routes was going up. Where Indian Prime Minister described the Maoists movements as the gravest internal security threat, the Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram admitted presence of Maoists in 17 states and disclosed that they are responsible for 90 percent of the violence in the country. In fact Indian Prime Minister has for the first time openly admitted that despite efforts, the level of violence in the affected states is continuously rising. Recently, while addressing state Police chiefs at a three days conference at New Delhi, Chidambaram disclosed that last year alone there were 1,591 incidents of Maoist violence resulting in 721 killings while this year until August there had been 1,405 incidents, resulting in 580 deaths spread over 11 states. In fact, as the time is passing, it is becoming more and more difficult to control Naxals but no one is ready to accept the responsibility of bringing the situation to such a critical stage. 

      The Indian Government sources at New Delhi, quoting Indian Home Secretary GK Pillai, claim that India is all set to launch joint Army, Air Force and Para Military Forces operations against Naxals in November 2009. The Indian Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS) had recently approved the Government's plan to counter Maoists in the six affected states. Initially the operation would be carried out in four states namely Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Maharashtra, where according to Indian Intelligence reports most of the Maoist infrastructure, training camps and strongholds are located. On the basis of results of operations in said four states, joint Indian forces will be moved into remaining two states as well as other effected areas. In all, joint operations will be carried out in phases in 20 Naxals affected states. Troops from Indian Army, Indian Air Force and personnel of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), a Central force, with State police in frontal role have already been earmarked for the next month’s operations. Although, Indian Union Home Minister P Chidambaram during his recent visit to Maoist-affected states of Chattisgarh and Jharkand ruled out that there is any move to involve the Army in the fight against Naxals but this is what India is hiding. The government at New Delhi has already allowed Indian Air Force to retaliate if it is attacked by Maoists. Similarly, unusual movement of Indian troops have taken place in Maoist affected areas/

      The Intelligence summaries submitted in the month of October 2009  by Indian Military Intelligence (MI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) highlighted that Naxal menace can be wiped out from across the country only through joint operations of Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Para Military Forces. The operations against Naxals, according to a rough estimate, would last for more than two years in which Israeli and US commandos would assist India with arms and expertise. The government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is confident that they can wipeout Naxals in a period between 12 to 30 months. Before Prime Minister Singh orders ‘go’ to its joint forces against Naxals, there is a need to make an independent assessment about India’s brutal action against Sikhs in the past. Even today any security plan is not complete without mentioning the names of a number of Sikh organizations in possible terrorist attacks. Where the action against Sikhs was generally confined to only one state, what repercussions India has calculated after joint operations against Naxals in 20 affected states. India still has time to rephrase the plan against Naxals before it is too late. Even if talks with Communist Party of India or other groups repeatedly fails, still there should be room for another round of talks, aiming at removing their grievances and carrying out massive development work in Naxals affected areas. One wonders, why Indian politicians and members of civil society are reflecting ignorance on the issue. It is right time to lobby against all those who are interested in misadventure against Naxals as it would lead to popular movements for separatism, allowing foreign conspirators to interfere directly in the internal affairs of the country.

Author has completed Masters in History and International Relations and currently pursuing M Phil in Rural Development. Email: afshainafzal@ymail.com

India destabilising Pakistan

Explosive material used in the deadly bomb blast which took place at Khyber Bazaar Peshawar last month, was identical to what had been used in exploding Samjhota Express in India.
The explosive material - Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) - was used in Khyber Bazaar bomb blast.
Sources say the Pakistani security agencies have found concrete evidences to prove Indian involvement in Khyber Bazaar blast in which VBIED was used.
Sources close the development revealed that the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was behind the terrible blast which left more than 42 innocent people dead and 100 others wounded, including women and children.
“Lt Col Prohit of the Indian Army who is the prime accused in the Samjhota Express explosion case, was the expert and qualified to handle VBIED and its manufacturing process,” sources said.
Sources further disclosed that the security agencies had nabbed several suspects in connection with the Peshawar blast during the recent crackdown from different parts of the country.
“Investigations are underway as the arrested suspects are being grilled. The investigators have found some important leads during the interrogation,” a source privy to the investigators said, but did not mention any further details due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The recent revelations have strengthened the contention that Col Prohit and his team was also responsible for the Samjhauta blast.
Last year, the prosecutor had told an Indian court that Prohit had procured RDX from Jammu and Kashmir while used part of it in Samjhauta blasts. However, the prosecutor retracted the claim the next day under duress.
The Indian government had promised after the Samjhota Express tragedy that it would share its findings with Pakistan. However, little has been shared with Pakistan, sources maintained adding, in the Joint Anti Terror Mechanism (JATM) meetings, India had also admitted that it had “run against a wall” in the investigation.

Pakistan Militant Groups

Attacks by militant groups in Pakistan's 700-kilometer northern tribal belt, which stretches from southeastern Balochistan to the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP), are making international headlines on almost daily basis.
Little, however, is being said about these groups, numbers, affiliations and funding.
IslamOnline.net's correspondent recently visited the troubled region and reported back on the main militant groups operating there.
The militants, known as local Taliban, can be divided into pro and anti-government forces.
Yet, they all follow the same ideology and recognize Mullah Omer, the leader of the ousted Taliban regime in neighboring Afghanistan, as their leader.

Baitullah Mehsud
Foreign Militants
Punjabi Taliban
Mangal Bagh
Mohajirs
Funding

Baitullah Mehsud
According to local tribesmen and intelligence sources, Baitullah Mehsud commands the largest Taliban group in the tribal belt.
Intelligence sources say he commands an armed and high-trained militia of 20,000 to 25,000 soldiers.
However, local tribesmen estimate the real number between 7,000 and 8,000.
Mehsud is being blamed for the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, which he vehemently denies.
He was recently elected as leader of all anti-government Taliban groups operating in the tribal belt under the banner of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, making him the most influential person in the area.
His group's major strongholds are Laddah, Makeen, Tiarza, Shakai, Spinkai Ragzai, Nawazkot, Tauda Cheena and Kotkai areas in South Waziristan, which have been under constant bombings by the security troops for the last many months.
His tribe, from which he gets his last name, is the most powerful in troubled South Waziristan.
Foreign Militants

Yuldashev and his men sought shelter with ethnic Pashtun tribesmen after fleeing Afghanistan.

Foreign fighters, mostly from Central Asian origin, were pushed out from Wana, the capital of South Waziristan, last March by Ahmedzai Wazir tribe, the second biggest tribe in the region, with the help of security forces.
Some 2500 to 3000 foreign fighters have since moved to Mehsud-dominated areas of South Waziristan and Mir Ali town of North Waziristan.
Most of the foreign militants belong to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
They fled from their country in the mid 1990s after an unsuccessful coup against President Islam Karimove and settled in different parts of Afghanistan.
They were pushed towards Pakistan's northern tribal belt after US-led forces ousted the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
Their leader Jumma Namangani was killed in a US air strike in Kandahar in November 2001.
Tahir Yaldashev, who was elected as leader of the Uzbek militants after Jumma's death, managed to escape Afghanistan after a gunbattle with Pakistani security troops in 2004 near Wana.
Punjabi Taliban

Mullah Nazir commands a militia of some 600 fighters in South Waziristan.

Mullah Nazir commands a militia of some 600 fighters in South Waziristan, comprising tribesmen of the Ahmedzai Wazir tribe, which has had old rivalries with the Mehsud tribe.
This group has a limited number of militants and is restricted to Wana but is considered the second influential group in the region because of government support.
Commonly known as Punjabi Taliban, it is believed to have been formed by security forces copying the US strategy adopted in Iraq to counter Al-Qaeda through local Sunni tribes.
Punjab is the most populated of Pakistan's four provinces with almost 50 percent of the total 160 million population.
It is considered the powerbase of the country's politics and armed forces.
Mullah Nazir escaped an assassination attempt in Wana a few months back, which he blames on foreign militants.
Mangal Bagh
This group has been operating in Kyber agency, located some 25 Kilometer from Peshawar, the capital of NWFP, for the last many years.
It was formed by Mangal Bagh, a local who had fought alongside Taliban against the West-backed Northern Alliance and later against US forces.
The group has some 500 militants and is associated with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Mohajirs
This is new group of some 200 militants that shot to fame after the bloody military attacks on Islamabad's Red Mosque in July of last year.
Khalid Umer, the mysterious commander of the group, made headlines after he captured a local mosque and shrine in Mohmind agency, some 50 Kilometers from Peshawar, and named it after the Red Mosque.
Unlike all other militant groups, this group is dominated by "Mohajirs", people who had migrated from India after the independence of Pakistan and settled in different parts of the country, particularly in the urban areas of southern Sindh province.
Umer stunned the newsmen at his first encounter with media, saying he could not speak Pushtu, the language of Pushtuns.
He replied to all the questions in Urdu, the language of Mohajirs.
The majority of his militants do not even know a single word of Pushtu.
Little is known about Umer's background.
He claims he had fought alongside Taliban in Afghanistan and came to Pakistan after the US invasion.
"But we don't know when and how he formed his group?" local sources told IOL.
Funding
Security and defense analysts believe that pro-government Taliban are financed and armed by government agencies.
"The pro-government Taliban have no finance problem. They are being fed by the government very well," local sources told IOL.
"However, the anti-government Taliban use every tactic to get finances and arms."
The major such source is Rahdari (corridor) system.
"They provide safe passage to the transporters, and smugglers, who smuggle goods from Iran and Afghanistan to Pakistan. In return, they pay them hefty amounts as taxes," an intelligence official told IOL.
He said smugglers normally use unconventional mountaineer routes, which are almost inaccessible for security forces.
"It's almost impossible for security forces to cover all such routes. If we block one route, they find a new way with the help of local tribesmen or militants, because they don't consider it smuggling. They call it a trade."
The corridor system was also the major source of income for the Taliban government.
The intelligence official claimed the international drug mafia also pays militants to provide them a safe passage.
However, local tribesmen contest the claim.
"This is not true. Yes, they do provide safe passage to goods smugglers but not to narcotics smugglers."
The intelligence official asserts that Al-Qaeda gives money and logistical advice to local militant groups, particularly Baitullah Mehsud.
"Al-Qaeda funds don't always come in cash. They come in different forms. Many Afghan and Pakistani businessmen, mostly settled in the Arab world and harboring sympathy for the cause of Al-Qaeda, are given money to buy high-priced goods like cars. These goods are shipped to Pakistan and sold, often tripling Al-Qaeda's investment," he said.
"The businessmen, with sympathy to Al-Qaeda, take a small cut while the network spreads the wealth among its allies."
South Waziristan is known as a famous route of Afghan trade transit for trade of re-assembled vehicles in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Intelligence sources say different foreign secret agencies are also funding the militant groups.
"They may not know who is funding them, but it is realty that the Indian, Israeli and Afghan agencies are providing them funds, arms and training because they are operating against Pakistani forces," said the intelligence official.
"They are financing militants as they want a permanent unrest in the country raising concern about safety of its nuclear program," he added.
"The tribal belt has become a battlefield for the international secret agencies. I believe this all is part of the Great Game," the official.
"We have proofs that various suicide bombers were trained by Indian intelligence agency RAW at its training camps set up across the border (in Afghanistan)."
Taxes imposed by militant groups are another source of income.
"They have imposed taxes of meager amount on the local residents as they provide protection to them, and are responsible for curbing the crimes in their respective areas
 

Taliban govern openly in Nuristan

           soon they will be knocking at doors of Kabul

One month after US forces abandoned outposts in the Kamdesh district in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nuristan, the Taliban are operating in the open, without fear of retaliation.
The Taliban and their commander Dost Mohammed recently flaunted their control of the district to Al Jazeera. Dost, who some had claimed was killed during US and Afghan raids in Nuristan, granted an interview with the news organization from Kamdesh. Coalition forces attacked the Taliban in mid-October after the battle of Combat Outpost Keating and the subsequent US withdrawal. Mullah Abdul Rahman Mostaghni, a district-level Taliban commander, was thought to have been killed in the raid.
The Taliban have created "administrative units and the officials have been appointed," an unnamed commander told Al Jazeera.
"We also established the judiciary department and the commission for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice section," the commander told the news agency. "We are working on providing people's basic needs."
The promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice section will enforce the Taliban's strict, repressive brand of sharia, or Islamic law.
The Taliban also hold "scores" of Afghan police and soldiers who have been captured since the fall of Kamdesh, and claim to have seized large quantities of US munitions left at Keating [see video below].
Local Afghans acknowledge the Taliban's control and say they do not believe the government will return.
"The area is currently under the control of Taliban, who walk freely in the Kamdesh District," a local resident told Al Jazeera. "I do not think that the government plans to regain control over it. The local authorities, especially the security ones, are very weak and cannot do anything."
Last month, the US military withdrew from Camp Keating, Camp Fritsche, and several small, remote outposts in Kamdesh just four days after a major battle that pitted more than 350 Taliban fighters backed by al Qaeda and members of the Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin against platoon-sized forces of US soldiers and Afghan police. More than 100 Taliban fighters, eight US soldiers, and seven Afghan police were killed during the fighting.
The Taliban entered the perimeter of Camp Keating's defenses, and damaged three Apache helicopter gunships, according to ABC News. Several Apache pilots were said to have been shocked by the scale of the Taliban assault. Most of Keating was destroyed during the battle.
The US military shrugged off Taliban claims of victory and said the closure of the outposts was part of a planned withdrawal.
"In line with the counterinsurgency guidance of Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, ISAF commander, ISAF leaders decided last month to reposition forces to population centers within the region," the US military said in a statement released in October.
"Despite Taliban claims, the movement of troops and equipment from the outposts are a part of a previously scheduled transfer," the military continued. "The remote outposts were established as part of a previous security strategy to stop or prevent the flow of militants into the region."

Northeastern Afghanistan and Northwestern Pakistan. Map from the Asia Times;

The Taliban mocked the US after the withdrawal from Kamdesh.
"This means they are not coming back,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in October. "This is another victory for Taliban. We have control of another district in eastern Afghanistan."
Clearly, the abandonment of Keating and other outposts has ceded territory to the Taliban.
"Make no mistake, this is a setback," a senior US military intelligence official told The Long War Journal. "Somehow, some day, we are going to have to fix this. Until then, the Taliban has an uncontested safe haven in Nuristan."
Al Qaeda and Taliban commanders operating in Pakistan's tribal agencies of Bajaur and Mohmand, and in the Swat Valley, have described developments in Nuristan as positive. The US withdrawal has allowed Taliban commander Qari Ziaur Rahman to reorient forces across the border in Pakistan and open new fronts while the Pakistani Army is focused on South Waziristan.
Al Jazeera video of the Taliban at COP Keating

Musharraf approved Blackwaters terror operations in Pak

Former Pakistan Army Chief Mirza Aslam Beg has claimed that ex-President Pervez Musharraf had given Blackwater the green signal to carry out its terrorist operations in the cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Quetta.

He said that Blackwater was directly involved in the murder of Benazir Bhutto and Lebanese leader Rafiq Hariri.

It is pertinent to note that the foreigners affiliated with the notorious private military contractor Blackwater, whose security company Blackwater was later renamed as Xe Services LLC, arrived in Islamabad during the first week of November.

A wave of fear and insecurity has been felt among residents of the sector due to alleged presence of operatives of Blackwater and the late night movements of suspicious foreigners and some locals clad in suits.

According to frightened residents of the locality, there was fair amount of activity between 11 pm and dawn.

The Nation quoted some residents as saying that that one of the alleged operatives of Blackwater was seen manhandling a local for having a post-dinner stroll.

According to the New York Times August 20, 2009 report by Mark Mazzetti, the Central Intelligence Agency in 2004 hired contractors from the private security contractor, Blackwater USA, as part of a secret programme to locate and assassinate top operatives of Al-Qaeda.

It has also drawn a controversy. Blackwater employees hired to guard American diplomats in Iraq were accused of using excessive force on several occasions, including shootings in Baghdad in 2007 in which 17 civilians were killed. Iraqi officials have since refused to give the company an operating licence, the report said.

The newspaper report said that despite publicly breaking with it, the State Department continued to award the company, formerly known asBlackwater, more than 400 million dollars in contracts to fly its diplomats around Iraq, guard them in Afghanistan and train security forces in anti-terrorism tactics at its remote camp in North Carolina. - ANI