July 2010 | Voice Of Karachi

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Mr David Cameron and Pakistan

By Inayatullah

On July 28, a British newspaper, Evening Standard, published its lead story with the headline: Cameron: Pakistan Exporting Terror. While speaking to Indian businessmen in Bangalore, the British Prime Minister hit out at Pakistan. Mr Cameron said: “We cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country [Pakistan] is allowed to look both ways and is able, in any way, to promote the export of terror, whether to India or Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world….It should be a relationship based on a very clear message: that it is not right to have relationships with groups that are promoting terror.” He added: “Britain stood shoulder to shoulder with India in its determination that such groups (as Lashkar-i-Taiba) should not be allowed to launch attacks on Indian and British citizens.” He also pledged to broaden “UKs counter-terrorism partnership” with India. Later, despite protests from Pakistan and some of the British Labour leaders, Mr Cameron reiterated his frontal attack on Pakistan by saying: “It was well-documented that Pakistan had in the past, used its links with terror groups to pursue its foreign policy.”
This public vilification of Pakistan by the head of government of an influential state came hot on the heels of the WikiLeaks, consisting of 92,000 secret US documents accusing the ISI of collusion with the Taliban and also a plot to kill President Hamid Karzai. Earlier, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her recent visit to Pakistan did not mince words when she referred to certain elements within our military of having links with Al-Qaeda and Taliban. One may also refer to Indian Home Secretary’s brazen assertion (when Indian Foreign Minister was visiting Pakistan) that ISI was involved in the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Nevertheless, the US and other major powers have acknowledged the sustained operation launched by the Pakistan army against Al-Qaeda and Taliban who are now suffering from heavy casualties. Thought unfortunately thousands of civilians have also been killed. It is widely accepted that Pakistan itself is the biggest victim of terrorism and has had the highest number of suicide attacks in most of its major cities. All this loss of persons and property, as well as insecurity and lawlessness, has severely affected the economic and cultural life. In spite of this, the country is committed to ensure that its territory is not allowed for terrorist activities against other and especially neighbouring countries. The fact of the matter is that it is due to continuous drone attacks by the US and ISAF forces in Afghanistan that has resulted in the increase of terrorist activities in Pakistan. There is a widespread feeling that these strikes in Pakistan and infiltration from Afghanistan have spawned unending terrorist assaults all over the country.

In the context of these developments, how can the Pakistani government, which economically is so dependent on the US, afford to undertake anti-American activities? If at all, certain elements for certain reasons indulge in any such acts, it is incumbent on the administration to expose and take drastic action against them.
What is surprising and very much disappointing is that there is no well-devised strategy to identify such objectionable activities. Again as, and when reports and studies emanate from various sources, aiming at demonising Pakistan, it is expected that our intelligence agencies and foreign missions would track them to counter such initiatives. There is indeed a pressing need for well-funded and adequately staffed Public Diplomacy organisations, which have links with think tanks, foreign intelligence agencies, universities, as well as the print and the electronic media. If groups of well-educated and intelligent analysts are developed to trace and examine studies, reports, journals etc, keeping themselves abreast of ideas emerging from seminars and conferences, only then useful material can become available for the purpose of decision making at higher levels.
Presently, and in the past too, all that our government or Foreign Office does whenever volleys are fired, is to issue statements of protest which soon enough fade away. Take the recent extremely serious Cameron assault. Yes, a few feeble remarks have come from the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and the Foreign Office spokesman. The President too has uttered just a few words although he had an excellent opportunity to express national feelings by postponing his visit to the UK. He possibly was advised to do so. He, however, has refused to follow the advice and will be proceeding to the UK in early August, as planned.
Another persisting weakness on our part is the failure to make out a good case when we accuse India or Afghanistan of intruding in our territories and of conspiring to promote subversive action. Mr Rehman Malik, for instance, has been repeatedly claiming in Parliament and outside that India and Afghanistan have been involved in terrorist and anti-state acts in Pakistan. A dossier, according to reports, is said to have been handed over to the Indian officials. When questioned however, India’s Foreign Minister Mr Krishna retorted the other day that no evidence had been provided to the Indian authorities substantiating charges of Indian complicity in seditious and terrorist activities in Balochistan. His point-blank denial did not elicit much response from our side. The conclusion from the general state of incompetence spelt out above is that there can be no great expectation from a weak, vulnerable and tainted government. This is in sheer contrast to the stature and strength India has been able to gather during the last decade or so, which may well be gauged from the write-up in the British press in regard to the British Prime Minister’s visit to India. In a full page splash in the Sunday Times on July 25, this is what inter alia was published (with a giant size Manmohan Singh extending a hand to a diminutive Mr Cameron) under the title The real special relationship: “When Britain and India’s representatives convene for their banquet at the Taj Palace Hotel, who will have the upper hand - the visiting heirs to the Raj or the local heirs to the Mughal emperors?”
Thus, by quoting Omair Ahmad, 35, an author from Delhi, it is clear. He said: “India has gone from being the jewel in the crown of the empire to being the crown and the UK can compete to be the jewel if it wants to.”

The writer is a political and international relations analyst.
Email: pacade@brain.net.pk

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26 million people struggle against state terrorism by India

The United Liberation Front of Asom has been battling for the indepence of 26 million people in the tea and oil-rich state since 1979.Some 20,000 people have been killed in the struggle.

India's northeastern region is home to more than 200 tribes and ethnic groups and is wrecked by separatist insurgencies.

Four paramilitary troops are dead after a powerful land mine went off in India’s northeastern state of Assam. It’s believed the mine was triggered by suspected militants from the United Liberation Front of Asom… injuring more than twenty-five on Friday.

According to police, the militants targeted a convoy of Central Reserve Police Force paramilitary troops near the highway leading to Goalpara District in the state.

Around 8 a.m. a powerful remote controlled blast occurred when paramilitary personnel were returning to base after patrolling in the dense forest region in the area.

Local media reported critical injuries to ten security personnel.

The injured have been taken to a local hospital.

The United Liberation Front of Asom is a separatist group from Assam, among many other such groups in North-East India. It seeks to establish a sovereign Assam via an armed struggle in the Assam Conflict.

The ULFA is a "revolutionary political organization" engaged in a "liberation struggle" against state terrorism and economic exploitation by India for the establishment of a sovereign, independent Assam. It does not consider itself a secessionist organization, as it claims that Assam was never a part of India and as a matter of fact the Treaty of Yandaboo was signed in 1826 by General Sir Archibald Campbell on the British side, and by Governor of Legaing Maha Min Hla Kyaw Htin from the Burmese side. With the British army at Yandabo village, only 50 miles from the capital Ava, the Burmese were forced to accept the British terms without discussion.

According to the treaty, the Burmese agreed to (1) cede to the British Assam, Manipur, Rakhine (Arakan), and Taninthayi (Tenasserim) coast south of Salween river, (2) cease all interference in Cachar and Jaintia, (3) pay an indemnity of one million pounds sterling in four installments, (4) allow for an exchange of diplomatic representatives between Ava and Calcutta, and (5) sign a commercial treaty in due course.

It claims that among the various problems that the people of Assam are confronting, the problem of national identity is the most basic, and therefore it seeks to represent "independent minded struggling peoples" irrespective of race, tribe, caste, religion and nationality.

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United Liberation Front of Asom

Assam

Guwahati

Land mine

Majority of Pakistanis consider India a threat: poll

Though terror groups continue to strike in their country, a majority of Pakistanis still consider India as a major threat, view US as an enemy and are far less concerned about the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

While Pakistanis express serious concerns about the US, they have also deep worries about neighbour and long-time rival India than extremist groups within Pakistan, according to the prestigious Pew Research Centre opinion poll carried out inside Pakistan.

"When asked which is the greatest threat to their country - India, the Taliban or Al Qaeda - slightly more than half of Pakistanis (53 per cent) choose India, compared with 23 per cent for the Taliban and just 3 per cent for Al Qaeda," it said.

However, despite the deep-seated tensions between India and Pakistan, most Pakistanis want better ties with India. Roughly seven-in-ten (72 per cent) said it is important for relations with India to improve and about three-quarters support increased trade with India and further talks between the two rivals, it said.

Inspite of pumping in billions of dollars in economic and military aid, the US image in Pakistan was at its lowest ever among the 22 nations included in the poll. Fifty-nine per cent of the respondents described US as an enemy and only eight per cent trusted US President Barack Obama.

The Pakistanis saw little threat from the Taliban and Al Qaeda and only 25 per cent of the people said it would be bad for Islamabad if the Taliban takes over again Afghanistan.

While 18 per cent said it would be good for Pakistan 57 per cent were not concerned. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley conceded that there is a huge trust deficit between the US and Pakistan.

"We understand - and the secretary (of state) in her recent trip and also in her trip last October - understand that there's a deficit in trust in our relationship. There are those in Pakistan who recall and sense that they were abandoned by the US and the international community, going back 20 years or more," he said.

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Friday, July 30, 2010

Qadianis secret activities in Indonesia

Cameron committed diplomatic gaffe

The irresponsible statement by UK Prime Minister David Cameron in which he accused elements of the Pakistani state of promoting the export of terrorism, drew severe flak in Pakistan, rendering President Zardari’s scheduled visit to UK a certain degree of uncertainty, Dunya News reported on Friday.
Cameron, however, defended his comments about Pakistan's record on tackling terrorism. He said it was ‘important to speak frankly’ and while Pakistan had ‘made progress... we need them to do more’. Both President Zardari and PM Gilani expressed disappointment over the statement saying that such view could scuttle the war on terror in which Pakistan is playing the role of frontline state. Both the leaders denied the alleged links of ISI with Afghan Taliban. In a knee-jerk reaction, Foreign Office Spokesperson said that the mania of ‘do more’ should now be stopped as Pakistan has done a lot in this war against terror and suffered huge losses. On a visit to India, Cameron said Pakistan should know ‘that it is not right to have any relationship with groups that are promoting terror’.

Pakistan could not export terrorists: Moeed Pirzada
Talking to Dunya News, senior analyst Dr Moeed Pirzada said that even the UK dailies slammed David Cameron for his irresponsible statement regarding Pakistan. He said that Pakistan could not export the terrorists to India, UK and Afghanistan. He also added that President Zardari should postpone or cancel his UK visit.

Cameron committed diplomatic gaffe: Naseem Zehra
Talking to Dunya News, Director Current Affairs Dunya News Naseem Zehra termed the statements by the UK PM as diplomatic gaffe, which put the bilateral ties between the two states at stake. She said that taking a strong diplomatic position, Pakistan should seek apology from the UK leader. She said it seemed as if Cameron was not cognizant of his country’s foreign policy. She said that the President should not directly involve himself in the issue.

Zardari should cancel UK trip: Marvi Memon
PML-Q ‘s member Marvi Memon, while talking to Dunya News, term Cameron’s views as insult to Pakistan, and added that such dual standard would not work in bilateral ties. She also urged President Zardari to cancel his visit to England.

Zardari’s visit may help address misunderstandings: FM
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while talking to Dunya News, said that if President Zardari goes to UK, he would have a chance to talk to David Cameron directly, which would help clear out misunderstanding.
He said that ‘we need each other and such issues should not affect the bilateral ties'. He called upon David Cameron to realize the role Pakistan is playing in the war on terror as the whole world time and again acknowledged it.

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Indian Nazi forces fire on Kashmiri protesters

OCCUPIED SRINAGAR: Clashes erupted again in Indian-occupied Kashmir's main city Friday after two men were wounded when paramilitary forces opened fire on a group of anti-India protesters.

Paramilitary soldiers in an armored vehicle shot at rock-throwing demonstrators, wounding two young men in the Chanapora neighborhood in Srinagar, the disputed region's main city, said a police officer on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media.

One of the wounded was in critical condition in a hospital.

The officer said the protesters began marching on the main road in Chanapora on Friday morning after separatists called for a protest march to Srinagar's central Maisuma district.

Local residents, however, said the injured men were not part of the demonstration, and soldiers shot them near their homes.

As the news of shooting spread, thousands of residents in the city took to the streets chanting, "Go, India! Go back" and "We want freedom!"

Police and paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas to quell the protests, prompting further clashes, the officer said.

The mostly Muslim region, where resistance to occupation by predominantly Hindu India is strong, has been under curfew for most part of the last six weeks as anti-India street demonstrations and clashes surged. Residents say government forces have killed at least 17 people in that period, and local authorities asked two retired judges to investigate the deaths.

The recent tension in the Himalayan region — divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both — is reminiscent of the late 1980s, when protests against New Delhi's rule sparked an armed conflict. More than 68,000 people have been killed, mostly civilians, in the conflict.

Meanwhile shops, businesses and schools remained shut in Kashmir, and thousands of armed police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled largely deserted streets.

In most parts of Srinagar, government troops asked people to stay indoors to prevent protests against Indian rule.

Separatists have told people to observe strikes to protest Indian rule for five days this week, excluding Tuesday and Saturday to allow people to stock up on food and other essentials.

Separatist politicians and militants reject Indian sovereignty over Kashmir and want to carve out a separate homeland or merge with predominantly Muslim Pakistan.

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Srinagar

Jammu and Kashmir

Naxalite Maoist India: Maoist insurgency raging through India

Security Threat- Maoist Insurgency Trip Up Rising India

By Eric Randolph

The Maoist insurgency raging through India’s rural heartlands has come to dominate the domestic security agenda in recent months, but this internal struggle for power should also be seen as a vicious by-product of India’s emergence as a global player.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh repeatedly describes the Maoists – otherwise known as Naxalites after the town of Naxalbari in north India, where the movement’s first uprising took place in 1967 – as India’s “gravest internal security threat.” That much of India’s mineral potential exists in its poorest regions, where the Maoists are strongest, represents a direct threat to the country’s growth trajectory at a time when it struggles to meet demand for coal, iron ore, steel and other commodities.

Although the Naxalite movement is somewhat diffuse, the primary threat comes from the Communist Party of India (Maoist), led by a Politburo of 13 members, with an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 fighters and pockets of influence in at least 20 of India’s 28 states. A series of high-profile attacks dominated the news in 2010, including a 6 April ambush in the state of Chhattisgarh that left 76 paramilitaries dead and a 28 May train derailment by a Maoist-affiliated group that killed 148 civilians.

These attacks are but a few of a daily stream of reports of assassinations, extortion and police gun battles. In the first six months of the year, 389 civilians, 177 members of security forces and 144 insurgents were killed, with the annual death toll expected to far outstrip the 997 people killed in 2009. By comparison, conflict in Jammu and Kashmir claimed 375 lives last year.

Critics blame the government’s counter-insurgency surge launched late last year, nicknamed Operation Green Hunt, for increasing police battalions in affected regions without addressing underlying grievances related to poor governance, lack of development and the denial of basic rights to India’s poorest citizens.

On the surface, the problem appears intrinsically internal. Former links to Nepalese Maoists were severed after the latter entered peace negotiations in 2006, while early support from China has long since dissipated in the face of improving Sino-Indian relations and the embrace of capitalism in both countries. In contrast to many Islamist extremist groups, the Naxalites represent a traditional form of insurgency, with little interest in attracting global attention through attacks on international targets or use of internet-based propaganda.

Nonetheless, India’s growing global stature fuels the Naxalite resurgence. Soaring growth rates of recent years, with the gross domestic product more than doubling to $1.2 trillion since 2003, are to a great extent a product of India’s economic liberalization over the past two decades. India’s potential as a market for foreign goods, the growth of its services and manufacturing sectors, and its critical geopolitical position between China and Central Asia combine to make the nation a central player in 21st century international relations, a position reflected in a raft of free-trade agreements and its exemption from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

But while economic growth has benefited millions of its citizens, government promises to make that growth more inclusive of the poor through improved infrastructure, social-security programs and work-guarantee schemes have scarcely been realized. Most recent figures from the government’s Planning Commission show 41.8 percent of the rural population still lived below the poverty line in 2004-05, and here, Maoists find an abundance of potential recruits. Moreover, as communications increasingly reach these communities, so does awareness that they are excluded from India’s global success story. India has 550 million cell phone subscribers with around 20 million new accounts opened every month in 2010; the number of satellite TVs in rural areas increased by 49 percent in 2009 and 64 percent in 2010 – often reaching the poorest through communal viewing.

In particular, remote tribal communities, lacking in basic government services, have become the core constituency for the Maoists. After years of exploitation by landowners and corrupt forest officials, India’s tribals now find themselves awkwardly sitting atop some of the country’s richest mineral reserves and on land allocated as “special economic zones.” The government sees these resources as vital to boosting foreign investment, ensuring future energy security and meeting soaring demand from domestic industry. By contrast, India’s tribals view globalization largely as a source of intrusion, dispossession and pollution.

Tribal protests against mining and industrial projects have gained international attention through global campaigning groups such as Amnesty International and Survival International. One sustained campaign targets Vedanta, a UK-listed mining company, for plans to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills of Orissa, a deity for the local Dongria Kondh tribe. The campaign has led to a number of shareholders, including the Church of England, selling stock on ethical grounds. Similar protests against land acquisition have delayed major projects such as the $12 billion steel project planned by South Korea’s Posco, also in Orissa.

Regardless of peaceful protests, India’s economic trajectory exercises strong pressure to industrialize remote areas and expand India’s relatively small mining sector, which currently accounts for 2.8 percent of GDP despite vast reserves of coal, bauxite, copper, diamond and many other minerals. That pressure tends to be exercised through corrupt channels of state-level bureaucracy, facilitated by weak systems of property entitlement, that leave many of those affected without decent compensation or effective means of protest or redress.

These issues have provided the Maoists with the ideological underpinning by which to galvanize popular opinion. Theirs is essentially an extreme form of critique of the globalized, pro-capitalist direction set by India since 1991. In the absence of legitimate governance, the Maoists often represent the only form of political representation available to tribal communities. Once entrenched in a region, their presence instigates a cycle of deteriorating security, an exchange of violence with security forces, which embeds them deeper within the local population.

The biggest obstacle to foreign investment in India remains stifling bureaucracy and rigid regulations on foreign ownership, but the Naxalite insurgency and the violent trend of anti-globalization is a growing source of disquiet for investors. The federal government has attempted to address some grievances of local populations through better protection of the environment and tribal property rights, or more equitable disbursement of profits to affected communities. One example is the Forest Rights Act 2006, which aims to recognize ownership of land that a tribe or individual has traditionally cultivated. However, such initiatives often fall victim to corruption or bureaucratic inefficiency at local level, with reports in the press of legitimate claims rejected or ignored. Elsewhere, an attempt to give 26 percent of mining profits to local communities through a revised Mining and Minerals Bill faces vehement opposition from mining lobbyists, and would face implementation problems if passed.

In the meantime, the recent surge in violence reflects a momentum that threatens government efforts to win the allegiance of local populations. Commentators urge improved governance and development, but the task is enormous. As just one example, a 2007 report by the Centre for Environment and Food Security found that Orissa government officials had pocketed 75 percent of funds allocated under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the government’s flagship anti-poverty scheme.

Poverty-reduction measures are crucial to undermining the Maoist insurgency and softening the impact of global economic processes on India’s most vulnerable citizens. But when endemic corruption undermines these measures, the case for a globalized India has little to recommend it to the millions still below the poverty line.

Global Arab Network

Eric Randolph is freelance writer based in Delhi and London. He is deputy editor of Current Intelligence magazine and working on a forthcoming book on the Naxalite movement for Hurst & Co. Reprinted with permission from YaleGlobal Online (www.yaleglobal.yale.edu). Copyright © 2010, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Yale University.

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Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)

Casting Couches of sports in India

As Indian women’s hockey goes through turbulence with a sexual harassment case grabbing headlines, athletes tell The Daily Mail about manipulation, favours, exploitation, compromises and a sporting casting couch. Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Kiran Bedi calls the M K Kaushik-Ranjitha Devi sexual harassment hockey controversy, the “tip of an iceberg” implying that similar cases exist in other sports too. Maybe, it is just the tip of the icy Everest.
The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that the sexual dynamic and all the tensions that accompany it from sexual harassment to sexual favors and demands exists everywhere home, workplace and — the Everest too. Top mountaineer Sharavati Prabhu says, “sexual harassment happens everywhere but a majority of cases are covered up.”
Sharavati, when approached by The Daily Mail, said that the sexual aspect works both ways, “a genuine victim can open up publicly and know that he/she will be supported by the press, but, sometimes people have used this falsely to gain malicious attention.”
Yet, when asked if women athletes including mountaineers do accede to sexual demands, the sporting equivalent in a way of the casting couch, Sharavati said an unequivocal, “yes.”
The UK-based mountaineer adds, “It happens in mountaineering too. Those who obliged moved on in their careers. But this is not to say that everyone who moves up the ladder and achieves great things indulges in this activity,” Sharavati is quick to qualify, adding that moving ahead on the strength of a casting couch, “mutilates the strong sense of spirit within oneself.” She finishes off with, “it is sometimes difficult for men too, because some women knowing this weakness in men, actually do offer it on a plate.”
Talking to The Daily Mail former skipper of Maharashtra’s Women’s Water Polo team Shirin Merchant said “Why just sexual, some players may offer coaches and officials drinks, dinner to get into the team. Yet, I have little doubt that sexual harassment exists in sport.
“When at competition or at camps, we (the women) would feel uncomfortable wearing swimsuits when certain coaches were present. It is a grey area, I would not pinpoint exactly why because it is so intangible but that feeling existed.” Mumbai-based Merchant also ends saying that, “some players from the boys team would warn us about certain coaches and officials.”
Athlete Ayesha Billimoria, current No 1 400m runner in Maharashtra, “though I have never experienced any harassment directly, I won’t be surprised if it exists. Some girls in sport come from very poor backgrounds. They are gullible and vulnerable, so they may be targeted.
“What is more dangerous is that here, even if you have give a good performance on the sports field, eventually you need good contacts or Public Relations (PR) with the ‘right persons’ to get ahead.”
Another bitter athlete who did not want to be identified, told The Daily Mail “this is the terrible thing about India that genuine talent/hard working people do not get appreciated and get penalized for not giving sexual favors.
“It is not that it does no happen in the West but to a much smaller extent, there, if you are talented you get a chance and recognition.”
Giving her observations to The Daily Mail, woman cricketer Anjali Pendharkar who represented India from 1981 to 1986, and was a BCCI match referee in 2009, says, “sexual harassment does definitely exist. It happens under different pretexts, a coach may call a girl to his room ostensibly to discuss, ‘team strategy’, yet when he keeps calling the same girl you know that something is amiss.”
The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that conceding that not everybody is a wolf in coaching clothing and several male coaches were father figures for girls, Pendharkar adds though specific instances, “when the girls commute in the team bus, there are these unwelcome nudges sometimes from the male support staff.
A coach or official might always sit next to one particular athlete, in the bus, on the dining table, in a theater when the team has gone together for a movie, perhaps.” Pendharkar says, “the harassment might take different shape from some remarks to even touching while demonstrating a batting stroke - maybe, yet again, it is such a grey and tricky area that it becomes difficult to prove,” finishes the former cricket coach who adds that, “every tour or camp is not marked by these instances.”
Players, who did not wish to be named cited examples of when a player and coach or coach-manager were having an affair, “vitiating the team atmosphere completely. When these unhealthy dynamics are part of a tour, players often fare poorly because they are so distracted by all the off-field action.”
Tags:Hockey India Vidya Stokes Sexual harassment New Delhi China Sex scandal

Wikileaks tainted by fake ‘Afghan’ Intel stories fed by India

Moin Ansari

The Wikileak reports do not present new information

The Wikileak reports have been called “a work of fiction” by General Hamid Gul

The Afghan National Directorate of Security is well known for its incompetence and lack of credibility

Till recently the Afghan National Directorate of Security was manned by Pakistanphobic agents tied to the Indian RAW

The Indophiles complied reams of false reports without a shred of evidence–all for a buck and a half

Many in Pakistan think of Wikileaks as an attempt to drive a wedge between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Truth is often the first casualty in any arena of conflict and this is where the crucial role of whistle-blowers comes in. The indignity and physical torture suffered by detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad or the violence inflicted on Iraqis in Basra by British troops would never have made headlines had it not been for conscientious individuals, westerners for the most part, whose moral compass had not been skewed by a seemingly never-ending war.

Now, after Iraq, it has emerged that Nato troops in Afghanistan wilfully under-reported civilian casualties in the battle in that country. The documents published the other day by the website Wikileaks show, in emphatic fashion, how Nato troops belonging to not just the US but also its European allies covered up their atrocities and failures in Afghanistan. A large number of civilians have been killed by mistake, we are now informed by sources that ought to have been official. At the same time, there seems to be an acknowledgment that the Taliban are not going to lay down arms any time soon. The skill and ferocity of the adversary was perhaps underestimated early on but certainly no longer. But the main point here is that major human rights violations appear to have been the norm since America invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to rout the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

There is nothing new in Wikileak’s allegations that Pakistan’s intelligence apparatus is lending logistic or moral support to Afghan insurgent groups like the Haqqani network. This has been said dozens of time before, without any concrete proof proffered by either Nato or Afghan officials. Here it must be noted that reports incriminating Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence are usually based on ‘information’ provided by Afghanistan’s leading spy agency, the National Directorate of Security. The NDS is dominated by personnel affiliated with the former Northern Alliance which, perhaps for good reason, holds a lingering grudge against Pakistan. In short, it is questionable if the views of the NDS should be accepted on face value. What we need are solid facts. And whistle-blowers are wholly welcome.

In any case, the Wikileaks documents have embarrassed Nato much more than Pakistan. It has highlighted not just the alliance’s desperation in Afghanistan but also the questionable means it is willing to adopt in a war that remains outside of a time frame. Several thousand more field reports are still being vetted by Wikileaks and they make even more startling disclosures. All such charges, termed by some as war crimes, must be thoroughly investigated. Nato and Isaf cannot be allowed carte blanche in their activities in Afghanistan.

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Wikileaks has exposed US crimes and designs

Asif Haroon Raja

War diary is an account of daily events occurring during war. Each HQ/unit/intelligence agency maintains this diary which subsequently helps in finalising war history. While the unit in the field records the events based on its limited internal resources, higher HQ and intelligence agencies make their assessments based on intelligence reports, agents, intercepts, information provided by friendly intelligence agencies, source reports, electronic and print media, internet, satellite communication, etc. These reports are marked as classified and placed in folders marked as restricted, secret and top secret. Very few are authorised to handle top secret documents, stored in special lockers which can be opened using codes.

In Afghanistan, US military has been maintaining record of day-to-day happenings since the start of war on terror in October 2001. Since the US is up against faceless enemy fighting guerrilla war and great majority of Afghans are anti-Americans, hence human intelligence of US military is very weak. Any Afghan trying to fraternise with Americans is dubbed as an American spy and shot dead by militants. For the fear of reprisals very few among the Pashtun Afghans risk working for US intelligence agencies. For this reason, outreach of CIA and FBI in southern and eastern Afghanistan in particular is limited. The latter have therefore been banking a lot upon RAAM as well as RAW to complete their daily/weekly/monthly reports which they have to forward to Pentagon in Washington. As is well known, RAAM, which is filled with non-Pashtun Northern Alliance elements only, is the reincarnation of KHAD. This setup came to life in 2002 with the help of oxygen provided by RAW. Both have therefore become complimentary to each other and have been operating as a close knit team and have common objectives.

Wikileaks has gained access to 92201 US classified documents titled ‘Afghan documents 2004-2009’through an Australian Julian Assange. Out of these, it has leaked 75000 confidential documents provided by an Australian named Julian, while a little over 15000 containing sensitive information have been withheld. The report covers the period from 2004 to 2009 and is silent about the initial period from October 2001 till 2004 and six months of 2010. New York Times, Guardian and Der Spiegel were the first to leak. Wikileaks had first time revealed US military wrongdoings in Iraq.

Glancing through the leaked 75000 documents one gets an impression as if these are Pakistan specific but in actuality 37000 make some mention of Pakistan and 35000 documents are about the role of US-NATO in Afghanistan and Afghan security forces. Of 92000, 180 mention ISI and in it only 30 mention ISI disparagingly. Documents that are yet to be disclosed reportedly contain sensitive information about agents used by US intelligence agencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan as double agents with focus on Pakistan and objectives to be achieved.

The leaked report is in disjointed form in bits and pieces and lacks coherence, continuity and objectivity. There are too many frills and less of meat in this overstuffed document. It exposes war crimes of coalition troops against Afghans in great details. Excessive use of force by trigger happy US military against innocent civilians has been recorded on videos some of which are gruesome. These videos are good enough to indict the culprits in court of law. However, reports mostly based on source reports which are initiated by very low level officials of spy agencies lack credibility and hence cannot be termed as authentic and an instrument for indictment.

Perusal of documents related to Pakistan mostly provided by Afghanistan intelligence indicate joint effort of RAW and RAAM to involve ISI in most terrorist acts in Afghanistan. ISI has been accused in attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul, in plotting to kill Karzai, arranging militant attack on Indian nationals working on road project, linkage with Taliban and Haqqani network and supporting them to wage attacks in Afghanistan. Each story has been skillfully devised to prove the hand of ISI.

Western analysts have commented little on other aspects and focused more on ISI’s linkage with Taliban and Haqqani network and are trying to impress upon the world that whatever they have been writing have now been further reinforced by US intelligence documents. None has questioned as to how Julian gained access to the documents?

ISI-Taliban linkage is an old allegation which has been in circulation since 2004 in various forms. The US and western newspapers, think tanks and officials have been harping upon this theme with regularity. As such there is nothing new that has come to light through Wikileaks disclosure except that the timings of this leakage are of consequence. It has been leaked at a time when pressure on Pakistan has been maximised and its arm is being twisted to make it fall in line and do as told to do during the forthcoming final phase of USA in Afghanistan.

Unsubstantiated and fabricated allegations against Pakistan and its premier institutions are so absurd and decayed that it gives nausea to the reader. Only ones who enjoy the stale jokes are its manufacturers or the game players. ISI-Taliban closeness has been drummed up in such a manner as if it is the biggest sin ever committed. Each time it is presented with a new flavour to make it look more breathtaking. This unholy practice has been going on systematically and incessantly for the last six years to condition the minds of the world audience and to convert falsehood into truth. Story of this nature is routinely published in western media every fortnightly.

In the last few months writeups on this subject have suddenly gained impetus. Previously, accusations were in the form of allegations made by newspapers and think tanks. Now top US civil and military officials have jumped into the arena with loins girded up and have started using high-handed tactics openly without caring for diplomatic decorum. Propaganda assault together with verbal assaults by visiting officials and drone attacks have become a norm. They have become xenophobic and overbearing. This can be gauged from the mood of the three US visitors who visited Islamabad recently.

Prickly Hillary Clinton can see ghost of Osama sauntering in Pakistan each time she lands in Pakistan. Through her lens she sees ISI in cahoots with Taliban. She again reminded our harried rulers that any attack on US homeland with connection to Pakistan would have devastating consequences upon Pak-US relations. She conceitedly dangled few carrots to make them do more. Grim looking Holbrooke and tense ridden Adm. Mike Mullen harboured similar ideas. The trio wanted Pak Army to cut off its entire links with Taliban, consider Indians as friends and to promptly launch an operation in North Waziristan to chase out Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the two outfits most dreaded by USA. LeT has been put on the hit list to please India.

Wikileaks is a followup of London Report and some of the objectives behind it are to keep Pakistan pressured and cornered, authenticate Indian allegations about ISI’s involvement in various acts of terror in Afghanistan, demonise LeT and defame ISI, exert pressure on Obama Administration to effect a change in its policy of softness towards Pakistan, reconciliation with Taliban and withdrawal of coalition forces. India together with Northern Alliance and pro-war American senior officials are possibly behind the Wikileaks scandal. This report is less harmful for Pakistan and more injurious for USA. Moreover, such manipulated leakages would further widen rather than build trust gap between USA and Pakistan.

The US leadership has understood the repercussions this report will have on war on terror in Afghanistan at this critical stage and has therefore played it down. Realising that the leak is fast turning into a big embarrassing scandal, Washington has ordered a probe and private serviceman Bradley Manning is under interrogation.

Tags:Wikileaks Julian Assange Barack Obama Taliban

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Pakistan Navy to move some of its units for help Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani telephoned Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Haider Khan Hoti, twice on Monday and expressed his grief over the loss of life and property, caused by heavy rains and flash floods. During the second telephonic contact on Thursday evening, the prime minister told the Chief Minister KP that since the government has limited resources that's why he has ordered the Pakistan Navy to move some of its units for immediate help to the effected province. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister contacted the Chief Minister KP and expressed his grief over the loss of life and property.

Over 200 people were reportedly killed in the rain related incidents in various parts of the country as 106 casualties and over 30 injured were reported only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where torrential rains and flash floods played havoc damaging houses, roads and bridges on Thursday. Reports say that flash floods wrought havoc in the KP where a large number of human lives were lost while several bridges washed away cutting off various areas. Several people were rendered homeless. At least 1300 people were trapped at various places and the district administration declared emergency seeking help from the army for rescue of the stranded people. Addressing a press briefing, the Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar said that 22 people died in Shangla while 30 others received injuries disrupting telecommunication system completely. The minister said eight people died in Peshawar only, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 12,400 people trapped in Jogiyan Kalay and Lala Kalay while adding that the provincial government has dispatched 50 tents and Rs 6 million in aid. Mian Iftikhar said nine people died in upper Dir, Sahib Abad and Shiringil University was partially damaged. Outskirts of Peshawar, such as Akbarpura, Tarujaba, Qasim Ali Baig and Tarnab Farm have been submerged by water and Rs 6 million released for relief works, he added. He disclosed that 200 Chinese construction workers have been stuck in Dobair valley Kohistan among them nine have gone missing whereas 46 have been rescued. Mian Iftikhar said 300 students have been stranded in Malakand University while in another incident 73 families have been struck by the flood in Amandara headwork. In Kohat heavy rains continued lashing the district for two consecutive days leaving score of people dead in the collapsing of the Jerma Bridge. At least 15 people, including a technician of cable TV network, died after the collapse of Jerma Bridge amid heavy rain. All the people standing on the bridge came under the debris of collapsed bridge, said an eye witness Gul Nawaz. Similarly several people were swept away in flood water when a dam in Darmalak area of Lachi Kohat collapsed amid heavy rains. Several houses near Kaghazai village of Kohat were also destroyed. Power supply remained suspended in Kohat throughout the day. In lower Dir Zulm bypass and main road have been washed away whereas in Kohistan two Chinese construction companies have caved in, the minister said. Mian Iftikhar said in Lakki Marwat 60 houses have completely been destroyed while 169 damaged partially and added that the provincial government has dispatched 200 tents and Rs 1 million rupees. In Charsadda three people died, 10 children were rescued whereas 800 houses have been inundated by the flood, similarly in Karak four people died and the gas pipeline damaged causing unconsciousness to the residents of Ahmadi Baanda. He warned that there has been 162,000 cusec water in river Swat which has increased to 175,000 cusec by heavy rainfall which can cause an increase in the water-calamity and catastrophe. He added two people were drowned while 300 rescued in Tank. Four helicopters sent to Tarujaba, Dag Ismail Khel, Jogyani, Tarnab Farm, Bodhnia and Dag Besut were busy in rescue. The downpour in Swat and Shangla and flooding in Swat River caused huge devastations, killing at least 64 people in Bahrain, Madyan, Matta, Kanju and Kabal areas of Swat and Shangla. Sources said that Mingora Police Lines has been evacuated in view of devastating floods there. Silk Highway had to be closed down as a link bridge was washed away in rains in Shangla district, cutting off Gilgit-Baltistan from rest of the country. Due to continuous raining in the district road from Gilgit to Hunza has been blocked creating problems for Ataabad affectees residing in different relief camps. They said it was their first bitter experience to face the heavy rain in camps. Floods also washed away at least seven hotels, 60 shops and nine houses in Kalam while several tourists were stranded in Kalam due to heavy downpour. A government rest house, Nogram Bridge and Biyari Bridge were washed away in Batgram tehsil of Allai area and at least four people were swept away in flooding and one died when his vehicle plunged into a ravine while a large numbers of houses and shops were destroyed in different parts of Alai tehsil of this district. Four persons, who drowned in floodwater, were identified as Muhammad Iqbal, Aqa Jan, Irshad and Zar Muhammad while one person identified as Asghar Ali Shah was killed when his vehicle plunged into a deep ravine because of heavy rain. Various areas including Nowshera Kalan, Azakhel, Khairabad and Pir Sabaq were inundated by floodwater. Azakhel Refugee Camp was being evacuated. The traffic on GT Road was held up by the floodwater from a rain drain. Kabul River surged with more flooding, leaving thousands of people trapped without any relief team making it to their rescue. Jindi river bridge on Motorway has also been washed away. In Upper Dir areas, dozens of houses, 21 link bridges, 13 schools, and thousands acres of land washed away in flood, trapping at least 1200 people at various places. In Lower Dir also, persistent downpour triggered floods, which took away eight people and washing away six link bridges. In Balam Butt tehsil , the house of former MNA Inayat Khan was also washed away by floods. In Charsadda, hundreds of houses collapsed as a result of rains and floods. Pak Army provided two boats for rescue operation. Various areas in Kohat are facing flood condition as a result of two days of stormy downpours, causing 143 houses to cave in. The high tide flooding at Gilgit River deluged several villages. Also, the historic Chinar Bagh and Legislative Assembly came under water. In Bannu, search for five minors, who went missing in flood tide, is afoot. In Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, at least 40 houses were washed away, while two children were injured as the roof of their house caved in. At least five people were injured in Jamrud tehsil. Pak-Afghan Road and Mohmand-Bajaur Road have been blocked for traffic owing to floods. Persistent downpour and floods caused 20 houses and shops to fall down in a bazaar of Dabori in Upper Orakzai Agency area. In Mardan floods cut off the city from all its surrounding suburbs. All roads were inundated and the main bus stand was under at least two feet water. There are reports of damage to many houses in the suburbs. Standing crops have also been destroyed throughout the area. The floodwater has entered the old vegetable market, Shaheedano bazzar, Baricham, Kaskoorna, Skandari and other areas and has damaged several shops and houses. In Buner torrential rains killed a woman with two kids in Ajlai village in Chaghorzai tehsil on Thursday. Seven houses in the village were damaged by lightning. Torrential rains have brought life to standstill and flood waters entered houses in Pacha, Ghazikahany, Towda Cheena, Elai, Torwarsak, Rega, Matwanai, Budal, Ambela, Koga, Jangai and Chinglai. However, no casualty from any part of the district has so far been reported. In Mohmand Agency, the rainy spell have badly affected communication system in Atokhel, Ghazi Baig, Koizai, Gandao, Lakro, Muhammad Gat and Qandari areas of the agency. Two children were reported dead in flash floods in Mera Meerzo area in Shabqadar tehsil as rescue work was underway in the area. At least four persons died, including two girls and a woman, when their car fell into the river at Josai in Skardu district. The car heading towards Galtari from Skardu met with the deadly incident while crossing the river through a hanging bridge. The bridge suddenly collapsed due to breakage of supporting rope and the car fell into the river. Around 22 houses were damaged in Bumborat of Kalash Valley due to heave rains and flood while main road linking Bumborat and Rumbor remained blocked for all kind of vehicular traffic. Similarly Garamchishma, Tehsil Lutko, Tehsil Mulko, Torkoh, Booni, Madaglasht, Mastuj and Peshawar roads remained blocked for traffic. Several shops and houses were reportedly damaged by flood water in Garamchishama, Booni, Karimabad etc. Communication system was also been badly affected due to land sliding, flash flood while hundreds of people remained trapped in Golain valley due to damaging two link bridges to the entire valley. Meanwhile, Director General Met Office, Qamar Zaman Chaudhary on Thursday said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be the focus of current spell of monsoon rains during next 24 hours. The Met office also forecast widespread rains heavy at times for Upper Punjab and Islamabad till Friday afternoon. Flood situation in low lying areas of Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Bannu, Karak and Laki Marwat districts, especially around the local rivers, would further worsen on Friday/Saturday. In Balochistan, scattered rain with isolated heavy falls is expected in north-eastern and southern parts of Balochistan tonight and on Friday. The rainfall recorded during last 24 hours in Peshawar (P.A.F) 274mm, Peshawar (Civil) 204mm, Mianwali 190mm Saidu Sharif 187mm, Dir 149mm, Mirpurkhas 143mm, Dadu 117mm, Kalam 84mm, Zhob 73mm, Drosh 61mm, Bhakkar 59mm, Saidpur 56mm, Thatta and Balakot 45mm (each), T.T Singh 42mm Murree 40mm, Chaklala 31mm, Islamabad 30 mm, Lasbela, Kohat and R.Y Khan 23mm (each), North Karachi 22mm, Parachinar 21mm, Landhi 20mm, Nawabshah & Rawalakot 19mm (each), Mangla 18mm, Khanpur 17mm, Jhang 15mm, Sargodha 14mm, Karachi Faisal 13mm, Faisalabad 12mm, Multan 12mm, Sialkot (Civil) and Karachi Masroor 11mm (each). In Islamabad floods swept away three young persons whose bodies were also missing. Muhammad Ali, 16, son of Azkar a resident of Madni town and Muhammad Qadoos, 20, son of Muhammad Mehfooz resident of Dhok Mistrian was swept away in Nilore police station area. A boy identified as Ali son of Ghareeb Alam resident of Soan was also swept away by flood in Soan nullah while a dead body of 65-year old man identified as Muhammad Khan son of Lateef Khan resident of Pindorian was found near his house. Heavy rain also caused damage to the houses in slum areas of Islamabad including sectors G-7, I-9, Sabzi Mandi area as well as in the rural areas of Capital. Water entered in the houses of sectors G-10, G-11 and also in the house of a judge in sector G-10/2 while 6th, 7th and 9th avenue presented a view of stream due to the rain. Traffic mess was observed in the area of Dhokri Chowk, Aabpara Chowk and Khanna Pul. The rescue teams consisting of civil defence volunteers and police are providing help to the affected peoples in the areas including Korang Town, Azeem Town Sihala, sector I-9 , 1-10, G-7, Noor Pur Shahan. In Rawalpindi District administration declared emergency in low lying areas as water level in Nullah Leh touched 22 feet both at Katarian and Gawalmandi bridges. Sirens were blown and people directed to shift immediately to safer places. Water level increased and vulnerable areas are Nadeem Colony, Dhoke Elahi Bakhsh, Dhoke Khabba, Gowalmandi, Chaman Zar Colony, Araya Mohalla and other places. Torrential rain also played havoc with property and crops in Chakwal on Thursday, causing flood in nullahs besides damaging infrastructure and a number of houses. The low lying areas of the district were flooded while crops badly damaged. In Bahawalnagar three persons, including a woman, were killed in two incidents here on Thursday. Several parts of Nasirabad district were inundated by rain water paralyzing communication system. Flooding caused by rains entered Dera Murad Jamali, Tamboo, Manjho Shori, Baitroon Pat Feeder, Uch area, Mir Hassan road, Chattar road. Rainy spell started in Dera Murad Jamali and adjoining areas today. Streets and roads were turned into streams. National highway was closed due to huge water. Water was standing 5 to 6 feet along link roads. It suspended movement of the people who remained at their houses. There were reports of collapse of houses and cracks in Dera Murad Jamali and adjoining areas. Dozens of people were also reported injured who were shifted to government and private hospitals for treatment. A minor child was swept away in strong currents of water following breaches caused in Uch Shakh, Shahi Wah and Manjhoti Shakh of Sohbatpur tehsil. According to details 30 feet wide breaches were caused to Uch Shakh, Shahi Wah and Manjhoti Shakh in Sohbatpur tehsil at two places. Dozens of villages sincluding Makhna Khan, Mewa Khan, Iqbal Ahmad, Ahmad Nawaz, and others were flooded. Several kutcha houses collapsed and households and animals swept away by the gushing water.

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Pakistan rejects British criticism

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said his government will take up the issue of British PM’s remarks against Pakistan’s sincerity in war on terror with the Britain at diplomatic channels.

David Cameron who is on his first official visit to India said Wednesday that Pakistan should not be allowed "to promote the export of terror" in the world.

Criticizing the United Kingdom prime minister's statement against Pakistan while being in India, the prime minister said the combined forces of NATO could not bring peace in Afghanistan and the sacrifices rendered by them are far lesser than those of Pakistan's armed forces personnel.

"They should assist for capacity building of our law enforcement agencies. Such a criticism would cast negative impact on war on terror," said the prime minister.

Gilani told Senate that the government would shortly devise a national policy on terrorism after consultation with all political forces.

"We will do our homework first. We will meet political leaders separately to make the policy of national level," the prime minister told the House responding to the points raised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz member Raja Zafarul Haq.

He said PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif had also discussed incidents of terrorism in Balochistan, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa and target killings in Karachi and suggested national conference to devise a strategy for country's deliverance from this menace.

"This is not sole responsibility of a single party or the government. This is for the country. Terrorism is hitting national economy, besides other losses to society and infrastructure," Gilani said.

Earlier, Raja Zafarul Haq stressed the need for national strategy to counter terrorism and added that terrorism policy should be reviewed.
David Cameron has sparked a furious diplomatic row with Islamabad after accusing elements of the Pakistani state of promoting the export of terrorism, reports the Guardian.

In the strongest British criticism of Pakistan so far, the Prime Minister warned Islamabad it could no longer “look both ways” by tolerating terrorism while demanding respect as a democracy.

But in an angry response, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Britain accused Cameron of damaging the prospects for regional peace, and criticised him for believing allegations in the Wikileaks documents.

“There seems to be more reliance on information based on intelligence leaks which lack credibility of proof. A bilateral visit aimed at earning business could have been done without damaging the prospects of regional peace.”

The Prime Minister initiated the row in a speech to Indian business leaders in Bangalore, when he spoke of his horror at the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Delhi directly blamed the Pakistani authorities for the attacks.

Cameron came close to endorsing Delhi’s view when he said, “We cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country is allowed to look both ways and is able to promote the export of terror, whether to India or Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.

Pakistan took the rare step of issuing a rebuttal. Abdul Basit, a spokesman for the Pakistani foreign ministry, told Radio 4’s World at One: “There is no question of Pakistan looking the other way. I think the Prime Minister was referring to these reports, which are unverifiable and outdated. If we start drawing inferences from these self-serving reports, then obviously we are distracting ourselves.”

Pakistani Senator Khurshid Ahmad, Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, said: “I am deeply concerned. The basis on which this statement has been made is very fragile. The documents released are unreliable: 90% of them have been attributed to Afghan intelligence agencies, whose reports are totally unreliable and fabricated. On the basis of such a reports, it is not acceptable to make the statement that has been made.”

Britain has spoken in the past of the terror threat from Pakistan, though ministers have restricted themselves to criticising Pakistan for tolerating terror groups. But the Prime Minister’s language came close to endorsing the Indian view that authorities in Pakistan have a hand in the terror.

Cameron named several terror groups which are, according to India, sponsored by Pakistan. “We like you are determined that groups like the Taliban, the Haqqani network or Lakshar-e-Taiba should not be allowed to launch attacks on Indian and British citizens in India or in Britain.”

Downing Street insisted that the Prime Minister was not accusing the Pakistan government of sponsoring terrorism. But a few minutes after his speech, Cameron made clear that official agencies in Pakistan were some way culpable.

Asked whether Pakistan exported terrorism, Cameron said, “I choose my words very carefully. It is unacceptable for anything to happen within Pakistan that is about supporting terrorism elsewhere. It is well-documented that that has been the case in the past, and we have to make sure that the Pakistan authorities are not looking two ways. They must only look one way, and that is to a democratic and stable Pakistan.”

Cameron confirmed in his speech that he had discussed the terror threat from Pakistan with Barack Obama and officials at the Pentagon last week. The PM’s remarks indicate that he and Obama discussed one of the key issues at the heart of the leaked intelligence documents days before their publication in Monday’s Guardian.

The Prime Minister’s words on Pakistan overshadowed the first day of a visit to India designed to herald a new special relationship. Downing Street says the trip is meant to show that Britain can treat India as a normal trading partner, with the security issues surrounding Delhi’s troubled relations with Pakistan dealt with on a separate tack.

But the main business announcement – a relaxation of licence rules to allow the export of civil nuclear technology and expertise to India had the potential to upset its nuclear neighbour. Pakistan and India have both refused to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, prompting the last government to refuse to offer co-operation to India on civil nuclear power. British ministers had feared there would be leakage to its military nuclear programme.

The US sanctioned the use of civil nuclear technology to India in 2008. Britain believes yesterday’s agreement is compatible with the NPT, which bans the sale of nuclear technology to nuclear powers that have not signed it. The Nuclear Suppliers’ Group, of which Britain and the US are members, granted India a waiver that allows the transfer of technology.

Vince Cable, the business secretary who has championed the change, said, “There are obvious security sensitivities. We are conscious of those, as are the Indians. But within those constraints we really want to push ahead with civil nuclear co-operation. That would be quite a big sector within which we could really make progress.”The leaked documents claim that the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence agency, is still encouraging the Taliban.

Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan’s High Commissioner said, “one would have wished that the Prime Minister would have considered Pakistan’s enormous role in the war on terror and the sacrifices it has rendered since 9/11.

“There seems to be more reliance on information based on intelligence leaks which lack credibility of proof. A bilateral visit aimed at earning business could have been done without damaging the prospects of regional peace.”

The Prime Minister initiated the row in a speech to Indian business leaders in Bangalore, when he spoke of his horror at the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Delhi directly blamed the Pakistani authorities for the attacks.

Cameron came close to endorsing Delhi’s view when he said, “We cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country is allowed to look both ways and is able to promote the export of terror, whether to India or Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.

Pakistan took the rare step of issuing a rebuttal. Abdul Basit, a spokesman for the Pakistani foreign ministry, told Radio 4’s World at One: “There is no question of Pakistan looking the other way. I think the Prime Minister was referring to these reports, which are unverifiable and outdated. If we start drawing inferences from these self-serving reports, then obviously we are distracting ourselves.”

Pakistani Senator Khurshid Ahmad, Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, said: “I am deeply concerned. The basis on which this statement has been made is very fragile. The documents released are unreliable: 90% of them have been attributed to Afghan intelligence agencies, whose reports are totally unreliable and fabricated. On the basis of such a reports, it is not acceptable to make the statement that has been made.”

Britain has spoken in the past of the terror threat from Pakistan, though ministers have restricted themselves to criticising Pakistan for tolerating terror groups. But the Prime Minister’s language came close to endorsing the Indian view that authorities in Pakistan have a hand in the terror.

Cameron named several terror groups which are, according to India, sponsored by Pakistan. “We like you are determined that groups like the Taliban, the Haqqani network or Lakshar-e-Taiba should not be allowed to launch attacks on Indian and British citizens in India or in Britain.”

Downing Street insisted that the Prime Minister was not accusing the Pakistan government of sponsoring terrorism. But a few minutes after his speech, Cameron made clear that official agencies in Pakistan were some way culpable.

Asked whether Pakistan exported terrorism, Cameron said, “I choose my words very carefully. It is unacceptable for anything to happen within Pakistan that is about supporting terrorism elsewhere. It is well-documented that that has been the case in the past, and we have to make sure that the Pakistan authorities are not looking two ways. They must only look one way, and that is to a democratic and stable Pakistan.”

Cameron confirmed in his speech that he had discussed the terror threat from Pakistan with Barack Obama and officials at the Pentagon last week. The PM’s remarks indicate that he and Obama discussed one of the key issues at the heart of the leaked intelligence documents days before their publication in Monday’s Guardian.

The Prime Minister’s words on Pakistan overshadowed the first day of a visit to India designed to herald a new special relationship. Downing Street says the trip is meant to show that Britain can treat India as a normal trading partner, with the security issues surrounding Delhi’s troubled relations with Pakistan dealt with on a separate tack.

But the main business announcement – a relaxation of licence rules to allow the export of civil nuclear technology and expertise to India had the potential to upset its nuclear neighbour. Pakistan and India have both refused to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, prompting the last government to refuse to offer co-operation to India on civil nuclear power. British ministers had feared there would be leakage to its military nuclear programme.

The US sanctioned the use of civil nuclear technology to India in 2008. Britain believes yesterday’s agreement is compatible with the NPT, which bans the sale of nuclear technology to nuclear powers that have not signed it. The Nuclear Suppliers’ Group, of which Britain and the US are members, granted India a waiver that allows the transfer of technology.

Vince Cable, the business secretary who has championed the change, said, “There are obvious security sensitivities. We are conscious of those, as are the Indians. But within those constraints we really want to push ahead with civil nuclear co-operation. That would be quite a big sector within which we could really make progress.”

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1,400 civilians arrested in Occupied Kashmir

Srinagar, July 29 2010: Continuing with the crackdown to suppress the peaceful protests over the killing of civilians, Indian forces have, so far, arrested around 1,400 youth including teenagers from across the Valley. Residents of Srinagar said that the Indian forces have arrested nearly 500 youth including teenagers from various areas of the city, who were either moving on streets or riding bikes. Some of them were released after their parents paid hefty amounts to the cops through activists of some pro-India political parties.

While talking to the media, one of the local said, "Police are acting in such a way as if our children are criminals. They detained the younger brother of a boy in lock-up for days to force him to surrender. This is not policing but sheer harassment,”

"The police have been conducting raids even during night, which forced youth to migrate to other localities. The Indians and their puppet regime in Occupied Kashmir seems to be bent upon spoiling the career of our wards by implicating them in false cases.” they said.

Many teenagers have been booked in past months. To avoid public wrath and criticism from other fronts, the Indian authorities, in detention orders, wrongly mention the young boys as adults. Shafqat, a Kashmiri, said that over 1400-1500 persons had been arrested across the Valley since June 11 when protests broke out against the killing of Tufail Matoo by teargas shell.

The programme coordinator of J&K Coalition of Civil Society, Khurram Pervez said, "The authority is using military might on the people fighting against human rights violations hoping that it will force them to forget and forgive.”

On the other side, the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), a constituent of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference, has said that the ongoing mass movement in the territory has sent a clear message to the world that Kashmiris will never accept illegal Indian occupation at any cost.

APHC leader and JKPM Chairman, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, addressing a meeting of the party workers at Rajouri, said that the freedom struggle in the occupied territory had entered into a decisive phase. He said that the Kashmiri youth was playing an overwhelming role in the liberation struggle. “The youth have rejected every package being offered by India at the cost of their freedom struggle,” Mir added.

The Indian Minister of state, in New Dehli, Mullappally Ramchandran disclosed in Indian Parliament that four voluntary and social organisations of the Occupied Kashmir are banned to receive any foreign aid in order to provide financial assistance to the oppressed Kashmiris. These four social organisations include Muslim Conference, Falah-e-Aam Trust and Public Relief Trust of Yousaf Al Umar.

While the Indian government is using state terrorism as a tool to crush Anti-India protests throughout Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. The people in Occupied Kashmir seem committed to win the freedom from Indian occupation at any cost. Dozens of people were injured in violent police actions by Indian forces against peaceful anti-India demonstrators at various places of the territory. Despite restrictions, hundreds of people took to streets in Srinagar, Baramulla, Pattan, Sangrama, Bandipore, Islamabad, Shopian and Kulgam areas and staged demonstrations against India and human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir.

Fired with teargas shells and resorted to baton charge, dozens of Kashmiri protestors were injured. The local Kashmiris said that Indian forces went berserk and damaged motorbikes. Meanwhile, Indian forces arrested Sajjad Ahmad from Kralpora in Srinagar, Mohammad Yasin Butt, Rafiq Ahmad Butt, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh, Mohammad Rafiq, Imtiyaz Ahmad Malla and Aijaz Ahmad Pala from Zainapora in Shopian and 39 persons from Sopore and Sangarama areas.

Hundreds of people took to the streets and staged massive pro-freedom demonstrations in Bandipore, Pampore and Handwara areas, today. Protesters mostly traders staged a sit-in at the main Bandipore, Hajin, Naidkhai and Sumbal areas and urged the people to support ongoing ‘Quit Kashmir movement’.

On the other hand, a large number of youth assembled in Samboora near Pampore and held a sit-in demonstration and blocked the main Srinagar-Pulwama highway. Later, Indian troops fired bullets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters. Hundreds of other Kashmiris staged an anti-India demonstration in Handwara against atrocities of Indian troops.

The APHC leader Syed Ali Gilani, has appealed the people of Kashmir to offer Juma prayers at Haji Masjid Sharief, Maisuma, and stage peaceful protests after prayers. In a statement issued by APHC in Srinagar, APHC condemned the seizure of relief trucks by Indian forces, which were coming from south Kashmir to Srinagar. He asked the people to further strengthen the local relief committees to support deserving people.

He condemned the illegal detention of Kashmiri Hurriyet leaders and activists including Syed Ali Gilani, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Mian Abdul Qayoom, advocate G.N Shaheen and others and demanded their immediate release.

The Junior Doctors Association of Medical College, Srinagar, and its associated hospitals in Srinagar have also condemned the authorities act of registering cases against several doctors for joining peaceful protest on July 24 against gross human rights violations being committed by Indian paramilitary troopers in the territory. The spokesperson of the Association urged the puppet regime to revoke the false cases, adding, “The protest should have served as a model for peaceful protests in a civilised and democratic society but the authorities action against the medicos is regrettable.”

The Jamaat-e-Islami of occupied Kashmir has condemned the illegal arrests of innocent Kashmiri people particularly youth during crackdowns and nocturnal raids by Indian police. The spokesman of Jamaat-e-Islami said that people of Kashmir were peacefully struggling for their right to self-determination. “Any attempt to crush the peaceful movement will meet failure,” he added.

He said, “India has, so far, applied all pressure tactics to give permanency to its illegal rule in the occupied territory but it will not succeed.” The spokesman said that the puppet authorities were implicating the innocent youth into false cases. The JI spokesman urged India to read the writing on the wall and give the people of Kashmir their inalienable right.

The APHC leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has said that the people will continue peaceful protests till the complete withdrawal of Indian troops from the occupied territories. Mirwaiz, who is under illegal house arrest, urged India to revoke all the draconian laws from the occupied territory including Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and release all the illegally detained pro-liberation leaders and activists.

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Indian Maoists set five trucks on fire in Chhattisgarh

Maoists set five trucks of the Essar Group on fire in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Dantewada district Thursday, the second day of the week-long 'martyrs week' called by the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).

Dozens of Maoists appeared in the early hours at Kirandul in Bailadila hills, an iron ore rich location, and set five trucks on fire, a police official told IANS.

Police reportedly reached the site hours after the incident, despite being informed immediately and failed to make any arrests.

The banned outfit has been observing the week in Chhattisgarh and other states in memory of its leaders who were killed in battles with security forces.

The 'martyrs week' has hit bus services in interiors of the state's 40,000 sq km Bastar region that is considered the nerve centre of Maoist militancy in India.

Thirteen of Chhattisgarh's 18 districts are hit by Maoist militancy, which has claimed over 2,000 lives, including 1,000 civilians, since the state came into existence after a split of Madhya Pradesh in November 2000.

(IANS)

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Pakistan slaps down David Cameron in terror row

Pakistan expressing ‘sadness’ on the remarks of British Prime Minister David Cameron in Bangalore about Pakistan said the remarks are contrary to the facts on the ground and have been prompted by reports of Wikileaks website.
Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit in his weekly briefing pointed out that one can never draw right conclusions from such misguided reports that are based on raw intelligence.
Basit said, “It is important that we should not be creating unnecessary hype around these reports and get distracted.”
The spokesman said, “The world knows very well how Pakistan is contributing in the on-going fight against terrorism and continue doing that in its own interest and not to please any one.”
He said the mania of “do more” should now be stopped as Pakistan has done a lot in this war against terror and suffered huge losses.
The spokesman said terrorism was a global, regional and local issue, Pakistan is a close partner of the international community in this war.
He said the world fully recognises and acknowledges the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan, its security forces and civil population. The spokesman said Pakistan has done much more than any other country in combating terrorism.
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