Khalistan: KLA – KZF Sikh separatists’ bid to gang up again

Security around top leaders and vital installations in Indian Punjab has been increased following intelligence reports of Sikh separatist groups trying to recruit youth from the US and India to revive liberation of Khalistan.
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/

The importance of Kashmir for regional peace

At long last, a series of conferences and engagements has given us tentative hope for the resolution of the 62-year-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. If these efforts reach their goal, it could not only transform long-troubled relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, but also substantially contribute to peace in nearby Afghanistan.
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

WASHINGTON: Wrapping up one of its most vexing investigations, the FBI concluded that Army scientist Bruce Ivins acted alone in the 2001 anthrax mailings that killed five people and further unnerved Americans still reeling from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

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.

Daily Express News Story

Daily Express News Story

Hindutva terror probe haunts Pune blast investigation

PUNE: Back in November 2008, as Lieutenant-Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit walked into a Nashik court to face trial for his alleged role in the bombing of a Malegaon mosque, Hindutva activists showered the rogue military officer with rose petals.
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

عدلیہ غیر جانب دار نہیں رہی, عاصمہ جہانگیر

Patriotism In Balochistan

ALI SUKHANVER 


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

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