Thursday, April 10, 2008

Rubin: Chief Minister of Pakhtunkhwa (NWFP) -- "Peace in our province is not possible without peace in FATA. "

The Awami National Party in Peshawar has distributed the text of the policy speech of Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Chief Minister of Pakhtunkhwa (former Northwest Frontier Province) in the Provincial assembly after taking a vote of confidence on April 10th 2008.

The speech outlines a program that provides more support for the struggle against terrorism and extremism than a thousand missile strikes. I excerpt the portions of greatest interest to an international audience (livestock, irrigation, revenue generation, etc. omitted):
Mr. Speaker, Esteemed members of the assembly.

With your support and continued solidarity of this honorable house and the people of our Province, my team in the cabinet and I will deliver on the issues of basic and vital significance. I want to share priorities of our government in the first hundred days and to highlight some of the long term objectives.

My dear friends,

Our coalition government has come to office in a period of great upheaval for the people of this region. It is very painful to see that while rest of the World is advancing into higher stages of all-round development our province and FATA have been in the fore front of a tragic armed conflict imposed on us from outside. The dark forces of death and destruction have played havoc with our beautiful land and innocent people.

I want the World to know that the land of Pakhtuns is not just about madness and fanaticism. It is the land of glorious Gandahara civilization. It is the land of illuminating Islamic Renaissance of central Asia. It is the land of Pir Rokhan and Baacha Khan. It is the land of Khushal Khan Khattak and Rehman Baba. In short it is the land of peace and brotherhood. The results of the recent election have proved it beyond any doubt that our people do not support a closed society.

They are not for isolation. They want to join the mainstream and develop alongside the rest of the World. They have voted for peace, democracy and federalism.

Dear friends, standing on the floor of this August house, I want to reassure the people of the country in general and this Province in particular that peace and security remains at the top of our agenda.

Peace and Security:

The problem of violence, extremism and militancy faced by the people of our Province and in FATA is the outcome of flawed political policies of the past. In essence the problem is political with security as an important dimension of this problem.

We are convinced that there is no military solution to the complex issues and challenges vis-à-vis peace and security intensified over the years due to flawed policies. We are therefore, essentially looking for political solutions for dealing with these issues and challenges we are all faced with. Our stance on politically negotiated settlement of the issues has received an overwhelming support by the people and we are committed to our promise to the people.

We are also happy to note that a popular consensus has emerged on a negotiated settlement to the problem of militancy, not only among the political parties, but nearly all the state institutions are also in agreement with us on this point. Further, we have received credible signals from the dissidents that they are too are interested in a peace dialogue. However, while our commitments are firm on finding a negotiated settlement taking along all key stake holders, we do not wish to raise false hopes and expectations. We are well aware that there are many rejectionists at local, regional and international levels with various agendas and positions who might jeopardize the process. We are however, determined to find an indigenous solution with the participations of all genuine stakeholders. We shall not allow anyone to hold the entire Pukhtun belt as hostage.

We shall follow the path of “Sulah” ["sulh" means peace as reconciliation] as directed by Allah in the Holy Quran and we shall follow the “LAR” of Pukhtunwali. May Allah grant us “Taufique” [success -- after a quotation "Min Allah Tawfiq," success comes from God] to stay on the right path, to determine the modalities of negotiations, to identify stakeholders and to conduct negotiations. Ameen!! [This is the Arabic pronunciation of the Hebrew "Amen."]

The Provincial government will announce a peace jirga of elders with representatives from a cross section of the society. In the next session of the Provincial Assembly we shall present a comprehensive peace plan for our Province and FATA. We shall actively seek the cooperation of the Federal Government on FATA as peace in our province is not possible without peace in FATA.

Education:

During our tenure we would make sure that every child of school going age gets an opportunity to go to school. The Government is committed to providing free and quality education to all up to higher secondary level.

  • We would appoint a committee of experts to prepare recommendations for providing education in mother tongue of the children at primary level.
  • We would revise curriculum and focus on teachers training in the interest of quality education.
  • We would also revise the salary and benefit package for teachers especially those working in difficult areas.
  • Health and life insurance will be provided to the teachers at no cost to them. Further, travel and accommodation support will be ensured particularly for women teachers working in difficult and far flung areas.
  • The government will also look into affordable housing schemes for government teachers.
  • We shall also take the organizers of Deeni Madaris [madrasas] on board for seeking their cooperation in imparting technical training to young people. Children studying in these Deeni Madaris are an important part of our society and we would do everything in our power to provide a bright future to them.
  • The Provincial government notes with grave concern the increase in the number of children ending up on the streets. The government will with the help of philanthropists’ set-up homes on the patterns of SOS villages for those children who are currently on the streets, after all they are our future generation.

Women Development:

Our Government is committed to providing equal opportunities for women in education, employment and decision-making.

  • We shall build and protect girls’ schools.
  • We shall ensure that women are employed in higher bureaucracy against the set existing quotas.
  • We shall form a Provincial Commission on the Status of Women which will work closely with the National Commission on the Status of Women in reviewing discriminatory laws and practices, prepare recommendations for change and monitor multiple forms of violence against women.
  • Recognizing the fact that women in the Province lag behind on key human development indicators, therefore, our government will extend full support to the Ministry of Women’s Development for taking effective measures to bridge the gap.
  • Programmes, policies and plans of each Ministry will be reviewed to ensure that they address gender concerns adequately.
  • Special programmes for technical skills development and small and medium sized business will be initiated for women.
  • Adequate credit schemes will be designed to suit the needs of women entrepreneurs.
  • The government will also introduce special incentives for home-based women workers to encourage them.

Enviornment:

Environmental degradation is the one serious problem that can not only catch up with the problem of militancy and violence, but has the potential of undermining our future as a community of people. The worst part of the problem is that there is very little awareness about the hazards that we are confronted with in this area.

  • Our first priority in this regard would be to launch a massive and consistent campaign for creating awareness in the masses about environmental issues.
  • During the first hundred days we shall formulate a comprehensive policy for protecting our natural habitat and sustainable development in the province. We shall involve all the stake holders and civil society in formation of the policy.

Culture:

This province has a rich cultural heritage. But unfortunately our culture has borne the brunt of violence in recent years. The provincial government will use all its resources to revive our cultural heritage and put it on the path of development.

  • We shall open Nishtar Hall for healthy cultural activities. [Nishtar Hall is the main venue for music and dance performances in Peshawar. It was closed by the Islamist government of the MMA.] The government will maintain effective check over obscenity and vulgarity according to law.
  • We will organize a systematic interaction with artists to ascertain their problems and include their suggestions in resolving those problems.
  • We shall declare a special package for the rehabilitation of artist community who had suffered colossal dislocation due to the discriminatory policies of the past government.
  • The provincial government will proactively take measures for the promotion of Pashtu in terms of research and publications.
  • Our government will respect cultural diversity in the province and would provide opportunities for the development of Hindko, Kohar and all the other languages spoken in this province.

Media:

  • The provincial government will respect and protect independence of media.
  • Our government will provide every support to improve the working conditions and financial remuneration of the working journalists.
  • We shall follow a totally fair policy of distributing advertisements among the news papers and journals. [Very important, as advertising from government bodies is one of the main sources of income for the press.]

Jails:

  • Jails will be transferred into reformatory institutions and redundant laws and rules will be amended to bring them in line with modern concepts.
  • Scale and variety of diet will be enhanced.
  • Lawyers, intellectual, civil society and people from all walks of life will be requested for suggestions for improvement of Criminal Justice System.

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uh, since when did it become Pakhtunkhwa?

The central gov't hasn't yet made the decision yet.

I'm a Punjabi. I like the name Pakhtunkhwa. NWFP is a vestige of the colonial era. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Anonymous said...

"I'm a Punjabi. I like the name Pakhtunkhwa. NWFP is a vestige of the colonial era. But let's not get ahead of ourselves."

I totally agree with our Punjabi/Pakistani brother but the central gov't should not be able to rule against the rulling of any provincial gov't be it Punjab, Sind, Balochistan or NWFP.
The central gov't of U.K has no say in it's Welsh or Scottish gov'ts.
Let the provinces of Pakistan be run by their elected provincial gov'ts, it's the only way forward for a fedral Pakistan or we may loose Pakistan or end up with a Pakistan that is hated by all the non-Punjabies ( no dis-respect intended to Punjabies but the facts have to be faced).

Anonymous said...

Hi anonymous 2...I'm anonymous 1.

I agree with you. I'm just speaking in respect to the constitution of Pakistan. I think the NWFP provincial assembly approved the name change years ago (late 1990s), but for a variety of reasons, it was never approved in the parliament. A

NP leaders say that the ball is in the central government's court. That means they recognize the central gov't has to give the ok.

So, I think it's time the Pakistani central gov't steps up and gets this done.

Unfortunately it's stacked amid a billion other issues.

But my hope is that NWFP becomes Pakhtukhwa and that the Pakistani Pakhtun, like all other ethnic groups and provinces, are able to thrive culturally and politically. I hope for a future Pakistan where children not only learn Urdu, English and their local tongue, but also the languages in other provinces (so Punjabi kids learning Pakhto, and vice versa). We should recognize identity politics but also build and share from one another.

And I agree with you on the federalism issue. The good thing is there seems to be a strong consensus in its favor in Pakistan as well.

SuperwebG said...

And good luck to them...

Personally i have the sad feeling that the violence in FATA will not end in the near future, however I do trust the ANP to make more of an honest effort to address the issues in all their complexity than anyone else.

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Anonymous said...

Hi anonymous 2...I'm anonymous 1.

I agree with you. I'm just speaking in respect to the constitution of Pakistan. I think the NWFP provincial assembly approved the name change years ago (late 1990s), but for a variety of reasons, it was never approved in the parliament. A

NP leaders say that the ball is in the central government's court. That means they recognize the central gov't has to give the ok.

So, I think it's time the Pakistani central gov't steps up and gets this done.

Unfortunately it's stacked amid a billion other issues.

But my hope is that NWFP becomes Pakhtukhwa and that the Pakistani Pakhtun, like all other ethnic groups and provinces, are able to thrive culturally and politically. I hope for a future Pakistan where children not only learn Urdu, English and their local tongue, but also the languages in other provinces (so Punjabi kids learning Pakhto, and vice versa). We should recognize identity politics but also build and share from one another.

And I agree with you on the federalism issue. The good thing is there seems to be a strong consensus in its favor in Pakistan as well.

April 11, 2008 11:10 PM

Hi anonymous 1...I'm anonymous 2.

Are you able to/position to confirm
the news below:-

Regards
Anonymous 2.


Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Govt decides to rename NWFP as Pakhtunkhawa

LAHORE: The federal government has decided to rename the NWFP as Pakhtunkhawa, Samaa TV reported. The channel said the decision was made in a meeting between an Awami National Party delegation and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday. It said that ANP chief Asfandyar Wali assured Gilani that his party would support Asif Zardari in the presidential election. daily times monitor

Anonymous said...

Two faces of the same coin?
Friday January 02, 2009
The PakTribune

Dear Mr Eschmall Sardar,
Two faces of the same coin - is justified.
I don’t know exactly what the definition/requirements are to be a Pir but my understanding of Samiullah is that he was of Gujar ethnic of village Mandall Dag, Matta district of Swat who stood up to the Taliban as many other people/families did, was described only by the army as a Pir, perhaps to add another dimension to the blood letting of Pakhtuns, was encouraged by the army stationed in Swat to raise a lashkar against the Taliban and as the Pakistani army has done so in the past in Swat to other people/families, let him down.

The Taliban than besieged him for days in his village but the army never showed up to help and finally he was killed.

When the fighting was over the army of Pakistan arrived and started killing innocent/vulnerable people in the villages of Nalkot, Shawer, Roningar ect

The Taliban exhumed his body and hung it in a public place, saying today he is portrayed by the army as a Pir tomorrow people will worship at his grave.

What the Taliban did to Samiullah’s body is yet another heinous crime in their chapter of Swat but what the army is doing in Swat is tantamount to a kick to the face of civilisation.

It appears to me that there are two culprits responsible for the bloodshed of the innocents in Swat, the Pakistan army and the so called Taliban whilst the poor people are caught in the middle.

Leaving aside what the Taliban are up to, what disgusts me is the criminal activities of the Pakistan army who bomb, shell, shoot at villages indiscriminately, deliberately leaving behind destruction, killing innocent people, looting (are some reports of jewellery being taken from women in their houses amongst other abuse), total disregard for life & property with absolute no worry of any accountability/repercussion of state/international law, like an army on a rampage rather than an army restoring law & order, almost like the Serbian army in Bosnia except there, there was some accountability to international law.

How can the Pakhtun people be protected from this Pakistan Army and what's your findings of the situation in Swat.

To crosscheck my views please ask the Army officers, what they did to the people of Bara Bandai on Eid day, why a disable man (by the name of Bacha) from the village of Miakallay was tortured to death, what the Army did to the people of Ghowarego in the middle of the night and why they stole/took jewellery from the women of Koza Bandai ect and under what code of conduct do the Army operate in the lands of the Pakhtuns.

Also ask the Army what happens to the people who complain to the army (of their conduct) for example a physics doctor of village Bara Bandai.
Why was the doctor son of a blind woman (her only child) in the village of Koza Bandai locked up by the army and tortured?

The list of abuse of military powers, abuse/killing of innocent people of Swat by the Pakistan army is endless and is a lot longer than the abuse the Taliban are doing to the people of Swat.

So who is the MOST criminal, the Pakistan Army or the Taliban?

If the Pakistan Army was an Army. like that was of Swat State, this question would not have arisen?

If the elected "party" of NWFP does NOT question the army for NOT doing it's job and in fact criminally abusing it's military power/position than who should?

Please, advise me, Mr Eschmall Sardar.

Regards

Anonymous said...

Empty nationalism, Sunday, February 01, 2009
FAO : Adnan Gill, los Angeles & Wg-Crd (r) Bahre Kamal, Peshawar

Dear Sirs,
With respect Adnan Gill, how does the name of "Punjab" as Punjab, change/improve the law and order situation, jumpstart the economy, help rebuild the destroyed schools, do anything to provide people with flour or electricity, stop the drone attacks and help people in ways that will actually improve their lives.
Further would you take a moment to educate us, as to why, will a simple change in name (complicated only by the Punjabis) from NWFP to Pakhtunkhwa stop the Punjabi dominated/ruled Pakistan, for once, solve the problems of ALL the Pakistani people instead of running the country to SERVE ONLY, "Punjab as the big fat pig province of Pakistan".

With respect Wg-Crd (r) Bahre Kamal, you are confusing Khans with Pakhtuns, all Pathans are Pakhtuns and all Pakhtuns are Pathans.
We say Pakhtun in Pakhtu and say Pathan in Hindi/Urdo.
All the clans of NWFP are Pakhtuns under the umbrella of "Pakhtu" in the same way everyone in Swat is a Swati.
Places are named according to the language its people speak, England for the English, Wales for the Welsh, Punjab for the Punjabis.
The US, Australia and New Zealand cannot be called England as they are NOT English but are English ruled/owned, in the same way India, Pakistan cannot be called England.
So being a landless Pakhtun myself, I have no hesitation in saying that we (Pakhtuns) do form a majority in the NWFP.
NWFP is not an appropriate name for the province and Pakhtunkhwa is because it is what an elected assembly of the province agreed upon, my family's politics are PML and I do not agree with the politics of ANP but I will abide/respect this decision for if we do not, we waste time and than fail to solve the problems facing us, as Adnan Gill listed.
You Wg-Crd (r) Bahre Kamal, should of all people must understand this better as it is your job in uniform to uphold the civic authority and NOT belittle it.

With respect.
Regards

Anonymous said...

PakTribune.com, Pakistan - 3 Feb 2009
Saving Swat
Charles Ferndale
Karachi

Dear Charles Ferndale,
People of Baluchistan, FATA and NWFP has always seen the most oppressive and cruel face of the state of Pakistan.
Any sane person will come to the conclusion you made about the situation in Swat but there is logic to this madness by the Pakistani state/army.
The logic is and has been for the entire history of Pakistan, is to keep Baluchistan, FATA and NWFP as deprived, as backward as possible to ensure that the people of these regions can NEVER assert their "rights", to education, their land, their languages and their basic human right to live because ONCE these people are able to assert these rights, than it will be the END of Punjab being the big fat pig province of Pakistan.
Pakistan , you see is and never has been Pakistan, it is in fact Punjabistan and Punjabis wants to make sure that "Punjab remains the big fat pig province of Pakistan" via their Punjabi army, hence why, the "Pakistani" army have created catastrophic conditions in terms of "human rights" in these areas.
It is such actions by the Pakistan army that may explain, why the people of Baluchistan, FATA, NWFP may hate the so called "Taliban" but they loath the Pakistan Army/State.
The Punjabi/Pakistani army is in fact carrying out "ethnic cleansing" of Pakhtuns & Baluchis under the cover of the "war on terror".
It is a win, win, situation for the Punjabis as the Punjabi/Pakistani government collects western aid from this "war on terror game" to be spent on "Punjab - the big fat pig province of Pakistan" and make the poor, innocent Baluchi & Pakhtun population "bleed".
Long live the people of Baluchistan, FATA & NWFP and may God protect them from all their enemies inside/outside of Pakistan.

Yours sincerely

Anonymous said...

The News International - Karachi,Pakistan
How to reverse the militancy crisis

Friday, February 06, 2009
by Charles Ferndale

A frequent cause of the human animal’s capacity for self-deception is arrogance coupled with wishful thinking. When Robert Gates, the American secretary of defence, said recently something to the effect that America could not afford the money or time to create some sort of Valhalla in the NWFP, if that was what was required to defeat the militancy there, he was deluded by arrogance. Does he think it can be done on the cheap, according to America’s timetable?

Valhalla, in Norse mythology, is a great hall to which half of those who die in battle go and where they then live in peace. I doubt that Gates had read up on his Norse mythology. What he intended to say was that America could not afford to create an ideal land in the NWFP just to put an end to the militancy there. But what Mr Gates failed to realise is that, in the troubled areas of Pakistan, paradise is having something to eat, is not freezing to death, is not having one’s family killed and injured, is not having one’s home destroyed; in short, is not being terrorised. And Mr Gates seems to have overlooked the fact that this tragedy is a direct consequence of American foreign policy since 1977. Since the Americans made the dreadful mess, they should pay to have it cleaned up.

Mr Gates should make up his mind whether or not the present American administration wants seriously to help defeat the militants. Successive US administrations have claimed that defeating the militants is vital for the security of the rest of the world, so presumably they should be deeply committed to that end. Pakistan can certainly not afford to do what is necessary alone. If the Americans really do want victory over the militants, then they must do whatever it takes.

Here is what I think is the minimum that must be done in order to defeat the militants:

— The Americans should guarantee Pakistan against any first attack from India, so that the Pakistani Army can concentrate fully on the troubles on its western border.

— The militants’ sources of finance should be discovered and stopped. No insurgency can survive without a continuous supply of money. If, as many Pakistanis believe, a major source of funds is the Indian intelligence agency, RAW, then America must make India an offer they cannot refuse.

— The resupply of arms must be stopped by whatever means it takes.

— Anyone who has studied guerrilla warfare will know that the single most powerful weapon that can be used against insurgents is inside knowledge, so the militants must be infiltrated. They are too smart and too closed a society to be infiltrated from outside, so their own people should be induced by whatever means it takes—one of which is money—to inform on their colleagues.

— Whatever information is gained from infiltration of the insurgents must not be allowed to leak back to the insurgents, which, given the supposed sympathy for militancy within the ISI, cannot be guaranteed except by setting up sealed cells within the intelligence services.

— A study of successful counter-insurgencies shows that conventional armies do not do well against insurgents. What is needed is undercover special forces who are as hard to detect as are the insurgents. The Pakistani Army has little experience in this type of warfare, so they should find those who do and get them to train the Pakhtuns as a counter-insurgency guerrilla force. The trainers could be sympathetic Mujahideen who fought the Russians, Vietnamese who defeated the Americans, the mountain warfare sections of the British Marines and the British SAS, the Canadians, and so on.

— Chairman Mao, the great Chinese insurgent, said that guerrilla fighters are fish that swim in the sea of the people. Take away the cover of the people among whom they hide and they become fish out of water. The only effective way to do this is to take back and secure, permanently against re-incursion, every village and town in which the insurgents seek cover, food, medical care and resupply. America’s record in Vietnam for successfully doing this was bad; maybe the Pakistanis, especially well trained Pakhtuns, can do a better job because they are of the people.

— With villages and towns permanently secured, the damage done by the army and militants can be undone, and people can return to nearly normal life in the sure knowledge that they will not be killed by the army or militants later. Putting guards on schools so as to lure back girl students is a hopeless idea unless the area is permanently secured. The smaller the area the easier this strategy should be. So start in the small villages and broadcast successes. The people of the towns and villages should also be armed and trained by Pakhtuns already armed and trained in counter-insurgency. Having broadcast the successful freeing of a village from militants, these guerrilla counter-insurgents should lie in wait for militants returning to take revenge on the newly freed village.

— To guard against arrogant and indifferent abuses of power by the army, as many Pakhtun commanders as possible should lead the conventional army in the NWFP operations. Special operations should be largely made up of Pakhtuns from the areas in which they fight.

— Stop killing non-combatants in the areas affected by insurgency. The present curfew policy—shooting curfew-breakers on sight—is an obscenity. Anyone who is not an insurgent and is willing to risk life by breaking the curfew is clearly in urgent need of help, which they should be given. The Punjabi dominated army should be reminded that it is their job to protect, not to kill, non-combatants. This is something the Americans have never understood, for the simple reason that all the wars they have fought in the last 63 years have been in other people’s countries, where they have shown indifference to the deaths and injuries they have inflicted upon the indigenous people. The Pakistani army often behaves as if the NWFP were a foreign country.

— Deprive the insurgents of their means of communication, both in military and in propaganda terms. Why the army has not jammed the militants’ FM radio, or bombed it out of existence, is beyond me. Radio triangulation is not rocket science.

— Launch effective and honest information services (radio and television) to counter the propaganda put out by the insurgents, and to inform people isolated by war of what is going on around them (set up a Tribal Broadcasting Network). Set up communication systems so that people within range can call in rapid assistance teams (medical, military, food, information). The people whom the militants terrorise must have good reason not to feel abandoned by the government and the militants must know that their attacks on those people will cost them their lives. The supply of personnel to the militants will dry up if non-combatants feel safe and are not enraged by suffering they perceive to have been caused by the central government.

— Within the secured areas, undertake intensive, effective, projects that will employ the people and make them self-sufficient. Almost universal literacy could be accomplished within a year at most (in Nicaragua, the Sandanistas changed 85 percent illiteracy to 5 percent in six months, though their population and area was larger). Set up clinics, schools, agricultural advice centres, technical colleges, markets and especially agencies whose job it is to listen to people’s grievances and to seek honest solutions to their problems.

— Address all the grievances of the local people with impartial courts and jirgas comprised of only trustworthy indigenous people and deprive the bullying intruders of all power and, if necessary, of their ill-gotten property too.

In my view, these are the necessary, if not sufficient, conditions for a successful reversal in the NWFP of the present militant terror. Of course, if they were implemented, it would mean that the NWFP would become an area in which social justice would truly exist, for the first time in Pakistan. That would not be Valhalla, it would be a miracle.

The writer has degrees from the Royal College of Art, Oxford University, and the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. He divides his time between the UK and Pakistan. Email: charlesferndale@yahoo.co.uk

Anonymous said...

Daily Times, Pakistan
analysis: The lost valley —Salman Tarik Kureshi

The customary institutions, the Swati ‘Constitution’, were wound up. But no fresh set of administrative and judicial institutions became effective, for whatever reason. Therefore, the state failed in Swat. A new revolutionary administration, with its own revolutionary courts, has begun functioning. And that once lovely valley is for now lost to Pakistan

Those of us not entirely clueless about the former princely state of Swat may recall Begum Nasim Aurangzeb, the wife of its last princely ruler. This lovely lady, the de facto first lady of Pakistan during the rule of her father President Ayub Khan, was one of the brightest spots of that regime. She projected a most graceful image of Pakistan around the world.

The exquisite Valley that Begum Nasim’s husband ruled held a specially status in the annals of the Gandhara civilisation that flourished for centuries, prior to the rise of the Hindu Shahiyas, in what is now Pakistan. Udhayana, they called it, ‘vale of flowers’ and here was cultivated a uniquely gentle and meditative way of life. When, early in the 6th century, the invasion of the savage and cruel White Huns under Toramana destroyed Gandhara in the Indus valley, a small group of monks carried the relics of their Buddhist culture over the Malakand Pass into the paradisal valley of Swat, where it continued to thrive for another five centuries.

In more recent times, too, Swat was special. Here, uniquely, education was free and schools for both boys and girls operated in every single village, courtesy the Miangul family who ruled here. But what today is the ‘image’ — indeed, the reality — of Swat? Destroyed schools, blasted homes and a systematic savagery that makes the cruelties of Tormana and his bestial son Mihiragula appear almost civilised. Here, in this little mountainous microcosm, we perceive the reality of state failure. The process of destruction of state and society in this valley began in 1992, when Maulana Sufi Mohammad burst onto the scene.

Bear in mind that, since the rule of the Miangul family ended in 1970 with the amalgamation of the State of Swat into the NWFP, the Swatis became subject to the same kind of misrule, neglect and injustices to which the rest of us in Pakistan have been long inured. Here were a people who were accustomed to all the benefits of a benign despotism that nevertheless operated close to the earth and that delivered effective administration, social services and the quick justice right up to the citizen’s doorstep.

After amalgamation with NWFP province, the benefits of such amalgamation notwithstanding, government receded from the citizen’s doorstep towards Peshawar and Islamabad. The 1970s saw the administration of the NWFP rendered ineffective because of the political contretemps between the bizarre coalition of the socialist-secular ANP with the rightwing-Islamist JUI on the one hand, and the PPP government at the Centre on the other.

The 1980s saw the iron fist of General Fazle Haq — emissary of the satanic Zia regime — slammed down on the province. The 1990s witnessed the successive making and unmaking of governments at Peshawar as a sub-theme of the three-way struggles between Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and Ghulam Ishaq Khan.

Like the rest of us, the people of Swat became the victims of bureaucratic indifference, political incompetence, administrative and police corruption and judicial distance and slowness.

Enter Maulana Sufi Mohammad. His Tehrik-e Nifaz-e Shariat-e Mohammadi (TNSM) — which quaintly decreed that motorists should drive on the right side of the road as this was more ‘Islamic’ than the left — offered the ordinary people of the valley a rough-and-ready kind of justice that was at least uniformly applied. And this idea of justice was legitimised by reference to the sharia, albeit the Maulana’s particular interpretations thereof.

Sufi Mohammad had earlier been one of the active leaders of the Jama’at-e Islami. He was the principal of the JI Madrassa in Tamargara, Lower Dir. An instinctive hard-liner, in due course he developed differences with the Jama’at and left it in 1992 to form the TNSM. He became a mentor to Maulana Faqir Mohammed, who would become one of the prominent leaders of the insurrection in Bajaur.

One of the main objectives of the TNSM, as articulated by Sufi Mohammad, was to enforce Islamic laws, through the use of force, if necessary. In a speech at Peshawar, he declared that those opposing the imposition of sharia in Pakistan were wajib-ul-qatal. His Tehrik rejects democracy and has termed it as ‘un-Islamic’. In an interview, Maulana Sufi Mohammed said, “We want enforcement of the Islamic judicial system in totality: judicial, political, economic, jihad fi sabilillah, education and health. In my opinion, the life of the faithful will automatically be moulded according to the Islamic system when the judicial system is enforced.”

Sufi Mohammad’s public career received a major setback when the truckloads of young hotheads he dispatched to Afghanistan in 2001 were either killed or arrested by the Northern Alliance. Some, including Sufi Mohammad himself, managed to return to Pakistan, only to be arrested. Leadership of the TNSM was taken over by his son-in-law Fazal Hayat (Maulana Fazlullah), nicknamed ‘Mullah Raidwa’.

While the MMA government of Aslam Durrani and the MMA’s patron Pervez Musharraf watched, Maulana Fazlullah established a parallel government on, first, the west bank of the Swat River, in the Kabal area of Matta tehsil and then, bit by bit, took over Khwazakhela on the east bank. Extending his hold quickly southwards to Malam Jabba and Mingora and eastwards into Shangla, his position became unassailable. With Swat under Fazlullah’s control, he and his followers quickly moved to set up sharia courts as primary judicial courts.

And this is precisely the point. The TNSM and its ideological partners in other parts of the NWFP and FATA have been able to provide an administration of sorts and a judicial system of a kind to the citizens under their rule. However medieval and, indeed, repulsive these quasi-institutions may be, they exist and they function.

As the late, unlamented tyrant Zia-ul Haq said, “What is the Constitution? It is a piece of paper. I can tear it up at will.” He was wrong. Whether the constitution is a formal document or whether it is a set of customs legitimised by tradition and usage, the institutions of a state are based on a constitution of some kind or the other. It may be excessive to suggest that the existence or otherwise of a state is predicated on the existence of and adherence to a constitution but, certainly, the two institutions are deeply interlocked.

States, after all, are not naturally existing entities, like mountains or rivers or human beings. There are no borders drawn in the earth; the ground on either side is the same dun colour. States are subjective entities, generated out of the intellect, imagination, values and aspirations of human beings in society. So are constitutions, whether formal or customary. And neither states nor their constitutions can endure long without the other.

Thus it was with Swat. The customary institutions, the Swati ‘Constitution’, were wound up. But no fresh set of administrative and judicial institutions became effective, for whatever reason. Therefore, the state failed in Swat. A new revolutionary administration, with its own revolutionary courts, has begun functioning. And that once lovely valley is for now lost to Pakistan.

Thus could it also be with Pakistan. All our constitutions — whether of 1947, 1956, 1962 or 1973 — have been subjected to massive, repeated mutilation. Our machinery of government is, at every level, incompetent and ineffective. Our social services, including education, are almost non-existent. Our laws are flouted and dishonoured by high and low, every day, in every way. The lower level of our magistracy and judiciary, the level at which the overwhelming bulk of justice is meant to be dispensed, is all but ineffective. The alleged corruption and villainy of the police force has epic proportions.

In sixty-one years, we have been unable to establish a normative, consistent pattern of governance. And now Swat, as well as huge swathes of further territory in FATA, the NWFP and Balochistan, is also lost to Pakistan.

It is necessary to ask: is it state failure we are headed towards or can that denouement still be averted?

The writer is a marketing consultant based in Karachi. He is also a poet

Anonymous said...

GEO Pakistan
Jhagra hints at PML-N, PPP alliance in Senate polls
Sunday, February 08, 2009

Dear Senator Iqbal Zafar,

I refer to your letter and with respect will point out that although the ANP does NOT have my vote,
to be fair to them, they have always sought a name change for NWFP, have stated this in their election manifesto and the people of the NWFP voted them into power.

Therefore, they do have the consent of the people of the NWFP.

Now that they are in power, they must deliver what the Provincial Assembly agreed upon.

With regards to the safety of life and honour of the Pakhtuns, which is the dire need of the hour,
they are doing what they can and I don't see the connection of this to the name change,
perhaps you will take a minute to educate me on this.

Also, the security apparatus is in the hands of the army which is in the hands of the Punjabis.

Can all the problems of Pakistan ever be solved for the name change of NWFP to wait for?

Why must the PML-N, always be the "MOTHER" of "Bemani"?

What are the present circumstances and why will a change in name of NWFP to Pakhtunkhwa further destabilize the province?

Are the current circumstances as a result of the desire of the people of NWFP to change the name of NWFP to Pakhtunkhwa?

Why must the people of Baluchistan, FATA and NWFP be held hostage and dictated to by the Punjabis via the National Assembly & the Pakistan Army?

Does this happen in any other country, say India?

Was this part of the agreement to be party to Pakistan?

I can advise you Senator Iqbal Zafar, for "FREE", that so long as "Punjab" remains, as the "big fat pig province" of Pakistan and so long as Punjab holds hostage the people of Baluchistan, FATA and NWFP via the National Assembly & the Pakistan Army, there can NEVER be a stable/progressive Pakistan, free from terrorism.

Yours sincerely

Anonymous said...

US agenda to re-map Pakistan
Col Ghulam Sarwar (R)
12/02/09

Dear Col Ghulam Sarwar (R),

I refer to your above article and comment on:


"In case of Pakistan, the plan will not be easy to accomplish. While no prevention role is expected of Pakistan’s political leadership, Pakistan military – as guarantor of national security and supported by pro-population will fight off such moves. Hopefully, the military will stand a much better chance in successfully maintaining national integrity."


In my opinion and in this regard, the "army" is far more "BEMAN" than the "political leadership" because if the army cannot stop the deadly-attacks by US drones and troops inside Pushtun’s tribal territory inside of Pakistan, how can it prevent the US agenda to re-map Pakistan.

Or is it, perhaps if these deadly-attacks by US drones and troops were taking place inside Punjab, killing Punjabis rather than Pakhtuns, than the army will do something about them.

This would mean that, the Pakistan army is even more "BEMAN" but in Pakistan, Punjab is the "MOTHER" of "BEMANI", the Pakistani army is the perpetrator of this "BEMANI" and the current misery of the Balochi, Pakhtun population of Pakistan is as a result of this "BEMANI".

Shouldn't cowards like you keep your big mouths shut.

Should you at this point shout out coward at me.

I am a civilian, not paid to be brave and protect "all" the people of a country.



Yours sincerely

Anonymous said...

American Chronicle
Now Pakistan Is Under Serious Threat

Muhammad Khurshid

February 13, 2009

There was a time when no one except former president Pervez Musharraf was ready to accept the fact that terrorism is the problem of Pakistan, but now this menace is a threat to the very existence of this country. Now Pakistani media has also been saying that terrorism a threat to Pakistan. Now this fact has been accepted that terrorist training camps are present in Pakistan.

Rulers of Pakistan have taken a long time in accepting the truth. They have accepted the truth after the killing and destruction on large scale. Now this question must be anwsered by those who matter in the Pakistani administration as who are terrorists. Who are providing support to terrorists in tribal areas?

According to my observation during last eight years, rulers of Pakistan has created terrorists. They have brought and settled terrorists in tribal areas situated on Pak-Afghan border. But later the punishment was given to the poor people of tribal areas, who have committed no crime.

Pakistani forces have killed thousands of people in Bajaur Agency during operation against terrorists. Most of the victims are the innocent women and children.

Rulers of Pakistan have committed war crimes in tribal areas. Media is under the control of Pakistani government, therefore, it has been keeping mum over the death and destruction.

Terrorists after feeling heat in tribal areas have now entered other parts of the country. Now they have reached to Islamabad. Now they are in a position to take over the country anytime.

Now there is serious threat to the state of Pakistan. Invisible hands have been trying to dismantle the country. According to a Pakistani newspaper comment, the monster of terrorism is creeping from the fringe towards the centre. After Fata and Swat the militants are now making inroads into the settled areas of the NWFP and Punjab. Their latest attack in Peshawar that killed an ANP legislator on Wednesday could prove to be a watershed in the war on terror. Mr Alamzeb Khan is among the most high-profile victims of militancy — irrespective of which group claims responsibility — and his killing has shocked the government and the people of Pakistan. The fact that the attack took place so brazenly on the day the American special envoy, Richard Holbrooke, was visiting the NWFP capital speaks volumes for the message the terrorists wanted to send: no one is now safe in Pakistan. If a member of the ruling party can be targeted despite all the protection he had presumably been provided, how can the common man hope to escape the firepower of those determined to impose by violent means their own brand of Islamist extremism in the country? Pakistanis have never felt as insecure as they do today.


A look at the ´victories´ chalked up by the militants should be enough to substantiate their claims that the government is not winning the war on terror. They have a clear-cut strategy: to isolate Pakistan in order to weaken it militarily, politically and diplomatically. Thereafter it would be a walk-over for them. In the last 10 days while the government has been issuing bulletins giving the count of the militants killed and claiming success, the terrorists have not been deterred. They beheaded a Polish engineer they had been holding hostage since September. They have attacked Nato supply routes in a bid to disrupt them — two bridges were blown up and trailers torched — forcing the authorities to shift the parking bays for Nato supplies to Punjab. Members of the paramilitary and police have been forced to defect to win their release. All this while people are being killed and threatened. It is to state the obvious that the people expect the government to get its act together and draw up a feasible strategy to counter the terrorists. That no strategy is still in place cannot be denied. The Polish foreign minister added another dimension to the picture when he spoke of rifts in the government which apparently does not command the loyalty of all officers. Can a war be won by a government lacking a strategy and discipline within its own ranks?

The End

Anonymous said...

Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Elite Force along Punjab borders, Sanaullah tells PA



Staff Report

"LAHORE: The Elite Force will be deployed along the borders of Punjab as the province is under threat from terrorists crossing over from Balochistan and NWFP, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Rana Sanaullah told the Punjab Assembly (PA) on Friday.

Sanaullah said the Punjab government had already withdrawn the Elite Force from VIP duty, and now elite personnel would be deployed in the bordering areas. He said the force would be provided the latest weapons so that the people could be protected. He said the Taliban had carried out the recent terrorist acts in the province. He appreciated police for maintaining law and order."



Dear Sirs,



I refer to your above report and comment:

No such "Elite Force" for the poor people of Baluchistan & NWFP to be protected from the same "terrorism".

How lucky are the people of Punjab.

Punjab-the big fat pig province of Pakistan.



Yours Faithfully

Anonymous said...

The News International

Condoning drone attacks

Thursday, February 19, 2009

One is shocked to read the callous article by Farhat Taj titled "Fantasising about FATA" (Feb 17). It seems that human blood is so cheap in Pakistan that it merits only statistical record-keeping. By no stretch of argument can we condone drone attacks and the killing of human beings. The entire nation treats the drone attacks as a violation of our sovereignty.

Waseem Afzal Jadoon

Islamabad

Anonymous said...

Associated Press of Pakistan

Why restoration of ‘Nizam-e-Adl’ is no Taliban victory

ISLAMABAD, Feb 19 (APP): Swat peace agreeemnt is an historic moment for people in Pakistan’s Swat region, and a remarkable achievement by the provincial government of the northwest frontier province (NWFP). An independant analysis of foreign newspaper said, after negotiations between the provincial government, its stakeholders and representatives of Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM), an agreement was finalized to implement ‘Nizam-e-Adl’ in Swat, provided TNSM and its followers are able to maintain peace.

While celebrations are going on in Malakand and Swat, Western media has expressed its worry about the implementation of “Islamic Law” in the region, taking this as a victory of the Taliban—and defeat of Pakistani Government.

To correct this misconception, we have to first look into the origins of the demand for Shariah Law. In 1969, the states of Swat, Dir and Chitral officially joined Pakistan and annexed into a division called Malakand, with Saidu Sharif (in Swat) as its capital. Historically, people of these states followed their tribal system of justice, earlier known as Rewaj (Customary Law) and later as Sharia.

After becoming a part of Pakistan, the people of Malakand had to face the legal system of Pakistan, based on a British legal system fraught with complex procedures, which were slow, expensive and corrupt. Soon, they started to demand reverting back to their former, independent system of justice. The Pakistani government refused.

This dissatisfaction gave rise to the movement of TSNM by Maulana Sufi Mohammad in 1994. Later on, his son-in-law Maulana Fazlullah broke away from the movement and started militant activities.

Things turned nasty in Malakand when the renegades from Afghanistan and FATA joined forces with corrupt local elements. In order to gain public support, they took on the name of ‘Taliban’ and ‘Nifaz-e-Shariat’ (restoration of Shariah Law) as their slogan. Locals of Malakand division were clearly not happy with this as they ended up sandwiched between these rogue elements and the government, which was trying to maintain its writ in the region.

The NWFP government of ANP has so far done a terrific job of restoring peace to Swat and adjacent areas, in spite of the fact that their leaders are also on the hit list of militants and have braved several life threatening assassination attempts.

From their early days in provincial government, leaders of ANP acted with diplomatic and political acumen, first releasing Sufi Mohammad and then supporting the moderate elements of the region. Now, by meeting public demand, they are positioned to isolate ‘Taliban’ elements of Malakand, who have lost their popular leverage. Hopefully, peace will return to Swat once again.

Anonymous said...

The News International
Sufi Muhammad renews support for Pakhtunkhwa
Monday, February 16, 2009

By our correspondent

PESHAWAR: Maulana Sufi Muhammad, who has emerged as the key figure in ending the conflict in Swat and controlling militancy in the rest of the Malakand division, is also a strong supporter of renaming the NWFP as Pakhtunkhwa.

The Maulana, who is at present sitting in a protest camp along with his followers in Timergara, Dir Lower district, to highlight his demand for the enforcement of the Islamic law in the Malakand division, has been telling the Awami National Party (ANP) leaders negotiating with him that he wanted the NWFP to be renamed as Pakhtunkhwa.

Sources in the ANP said he told their party leaders that all the provinces of Pakistan had frontiers with other countries and the word ‘frontier’ should be added to their existing names like the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).

The Maulana also argued that other provinces were named after the majority ethnic groups living there and the NWFP, with its Pakhtun majority, ought to be renamed as Pakhtunkhwa. Maulana Sufi Muhammad, it may be added, had in the past also publicly stated for renaming the province as Pakhtunkhwa.

Anonymous said...

Scot-free in Swat?
Editorial: TheNews

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sufi Muhammad Khan has announced a ten-point peace plan for Swat, under which militants would not display arms, troops would withdraw from some key positions and schools would re-open. We have been told repeatedly that the truce and the agreement on the imposition of Sharia law mark big steps forward. But the whole issue leaves open questions that demand answers. There is nothing in the peace plan about punishment for those who committed all kinds of atrocities for months in Swat. Nor is there any mention of amnesty.

The extent of the depravity of these people is almost unparalleled. Dead bodies were dug out from graves and hung in public; women accused of being prostitutes were made to dance in streets before being killed; anyone who challenged the militants, including the elderly, was ridiculed, beaten and in some cases driven out of the valley.

Is there to be no accountability in Swat? Will those who carried out these atrocities walk away scot-free? Will the rapists of women walk gaily past their families in the streets of Mingora? Will the murderers of young men scoff at the parents of victims? The message such a situation would send out could have grave repercussions. These must be considered by the authorities. Do they really wish to give confidence to criminals that they have impunity for all kinds of horrible offences?

We have been told these people demanded Sharia. Many accounts are emerging to suggest nothing could be further from the truth. After all, just over a year ago, in the election of 2008, the people of Swat had voted out religious parties in favour of the ANP. They would hardly have done so had they wished for Sharia rule. Like their counterparts everywhere in the country, the people of Swat seek order in their lives and a just, efficient judicial system. This continues to be denied to them. Those who should be punished for the most grotesque acts of inhumanity have instead reaped rewards under the peace deal. They have made it clear they intend to stay in command in Swat, dictating terms under which girls can attend school. The omens are not good. The purpose of punishment, under the law, is of course to deter further crime. This deterrence has not been put in place in Swat and in the future we can expect the adverse consequences of this to be felt across a valley stained with unwashed blood.



Dear Editor,

I thank you for your above article and had you added to the list of atrocities carried out by the Taliban, the similar atrocities carried out by the Pakistan army on the innocent people of Swat (entire NWFP), I would have saluted you.

The first thing that should happen is to bring to court (this Sharia Court), all the people who committed crimes against humanity be they Taliban or the Pakistan army (the real enemy of the Baloch & Pakhtun people) and be punished in accordance with Sharia Law.

Yours Faithfully

Anonymous said...

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A Letter To The World Citizens

A Heart Broken Girl
Tue, 24-Feb-2009

Shehnaz is an ethnic Pashtun and at present studying in the United States. In this letter she wants to share the pain and sufferings of her people due to the ongoing conflicts between Taliban militants and Pakistan seucrity forces, with the civilized world. Shehnaz can be reached at gwal_pari@yahoo.com

To keep the originalility of the letter intact Pakhtunkhwa Times with permission of Pashtunpost is sharing it with you as it is and without any edits in its contents—Editorial

Dear Citizens of the World!

The people of Swat, Pakistan (in NWFP), and surrounding areas have been dying for over a year now, and the Pakistani government has done nothing to help stop their destruction. It claims it has sent “security forces” to those regions to settle the matter, but it fails to provide evidence. Not just that, but instead of having these “security forces” punish/kill the Taliban, they kill civilians. They claim to be shooting in areas filled with Taliban, but somehow, the Taliban always end up escaping while innocent Pashtuns’ lives are snatched. Taliban destroy our schools while these “security forces” stand and watch quietly. They argue that they cannot differentiate the Taliban from the average Pashtun man, but how does one witness a person committing such horrendous crimes and remain silent, claiming not to know who the criminal is when the criminal is standing right in front of him?



Then there's the media: why is it that hardly a handful of people around the world knows about what the Pashtuns are going through right now? If they knew, there would perhaps be more protests against our genocide; or perhaps, at the very least, our situation would be mentioned in most newspapers, whether local or international, and maybe even make front-page news every now and then. For instance, how many people universally are aware of the fact that the Taliban have now issued a new dictum in which they have decided that all young, unmarried females in Swat must be married to them (i.e., these militants)? How many people know that hundreds of schools in Swat alone have been destroyed in just the past year? hwHow How mddffffffHow many people have read the letters and articles, in BBC, that are written by victims who beg the world to help them (such as in “A Letter from Swat,” by Zobair Torwali, a social activist who lives in Swat)? How many people know that a law was passed no more than a month ago, stating that girls are not to go to school anymore and if they do so, they and their families will have to face severe consequences? How many people know that numerous Pashtun refugees from NWFP have fled to Afghanistan – that, by foot – in order that they may be at peace? Unfortunately, there are far many more who refuse to leave because for them, their current residence is their home; this is where their ancestors lived, survived hardships just like them, and died; it is where all of their relatives and others with whom they have strong bonds have lived for centuries; but also, most of them cannot afford to leave due to financial difficulties. Not to mention, their current regions symbolize for them hope in a state hopeless situation.

Yet, we wonder in pity, why aren’t their screams being heard by the media, by the world? How much more louder do these victims’ screams of this burning pain need to be in order for them to be heard? How long must the suffering continue, and how many more people must die, in order to be labeled genocide by the international community? At the very least, how long must it continue in order for the world to hear the victims’ heartfelt cries? All these questions lead us to ultimately ask: why is the media so silent on the matter regarding these Pashtun victims?



The media’s role is vital because due to the lack of attention that the Pashtun victims are receiving from the media, whether Pakistani or international media, very few people are aware of their suffering. And if the public does not know what is going on around the world, how can they raise a voice against the injustice being done to a people? Indeed, very few news sources have earned the rest of Pashtuns by documenting the miseries that their loved ones back home have been swallowing for the past year. And because we young Pashtuns living abroad have realized that the media is not doing its proper job in revealing the miserable and painful condition of our people, we have decided to accept the heavy burden upon our own shoulders and raise awareness of the situation ourselves. Groups on Online Social Networks (such as Facebook, Orkut, and MySpace) have been created in support of Pashtun victims; in some of these groups, members share and discuss ways through which they can raise awareness of this genocide, and one of the most important ways they have come up with is writing letters to important news sources and explaining this injustice.

I hope that this letter expresses its unheard voice powerfully enough in such a way that the readers are convinced to research the current Pashtun genocide, educate others about it, and help us stand up against our oppressors and with the oppressed.

Thank you for giving me the permission to freely share my thoughts with you, citizens of the world!

Sincerely

Shehnaz,

(A heartbroken Pashtun)

United States

Anonymous said...

The News International
Hazara Nazims rail against NWFP renaming
Friday, February 20, 2009

By our correspondent

MANSEHRA: The district nazims of Mansehra, Abbottabad and Haripur Thursday demanded of the provincial government to address the core issues of militancy, lawlessness, unemployment and poverty in the province before its renaming.

“We are ready to accept ‘Pakhtunkhwa’ if it can resolve the major issues confronting the province. Through this step, the ANP-led government wants to run the NWFP affairs on ethnic and language basis,” said one of the speakers at the district council session here.

Following the regular session of Mansehra District Council, another session was also held to chalk out a joint strategy to block the provincial government’s move to rename the province. The session, held with Convener Attiqur Rehman Jahangery in the chair, was addressed by Abbottabad District Nazim Haider Zaman, Haripur District Naib Nazim Major (R) Safdar Zaman, Mansehra District Nazim Sardar Mohammad Yousaf. They said the province renaming was not the demand of the people, adding that they would not let the ANP rename NWFP.

They said their forefathers had rendered sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan and that the ANP’s move might destabilise the country. “A meagre percentage of the NWFP people are in favour of the province renaming; they should respect the referendum of the pre-partition era and accept it as NWFP,” they maintained.

They said Hazara was rich in natural resources and could be given the status of a

separate province if the federal government renamed the NWFP as Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier, taking part in a debate on law and order and other agenda items, councillors Dr Siddique, Amjad Salar Khan, Malik Farooq, Maulana Waseeur Rehman, Ghulam Jan and lady councillors Parveen Saif and Riffat Hameed Qazi said police should maintain cordial relations with the local bodies’ representatives to curb the crime.



FAO: Editor of The News International

Dear Sirs

Why do you, echo the above article, over and over in different format but always making an issue of Pakhtunkhwa.

Are you and your paper, ANTI Pakhtun?

Yours Faithfully

Anonymous said...

The News International

Blood and Swat

Sunday, February 22, 2009

This is in reference to Ayaz Amir's article of Feb 20. The crux of his argument is that the government and the military had exhausted all their options, implying that this capitulation to the Taliban was the only option and that this might well have to be done in FATA and settled districts like Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan.

I have a question for the writer. How many more Pakhtun youth will become cannon fodder for the jihadis in their proxy wars? How many Pakhtun mothers do our drawing-room columnists want to send to the graves of their children? Let Pakhtun blood serve its cause. Long live Islam and long live the Taliban.

Riaz Ahmed

Village Shamozai, Swat

Anonymous said...

Frontier Post
Tuesday,March 03, 2009

Swat accord & the Motorway barometer yardstick
Juma Khan Sufi

Let us view the Swat accord from a different perspective. Apparently the logic would seem far-fetched and outlandish. But on the closer scrutiny it is not irrelevant. Let us take the example of the Peshawar-Lahore Motorway as a yardstick. This motorway passes amidst two communities; Punjabis and Pakhtuns. From Peshawar until Attock, it passes through the most civilized and developed section of Pakhtuns, the Peshawar Valley. It is impertinent to point out as to what Highway Code applies to the motorways worldwide and for that matter to the concerned motorway. Pedestrians, ramblers, bicycles, motorcycles, tongas, etc. are not allowed on the motorways. It does not require the eyes of a philosopher, but of an ordinary thinking human being while travelling through this motorway from Peshawar to Lahore to discern the difference. Peshawar-Attock section is quite different from the Attock-Lahore section. All the motorway rules are observed from Attock to Lahore. Peshawar-Attock Motorway is infested with pedestrians of all shades. Commuters hike and get off the buses at various locations on the motorway at will. People of the surrounding villages routinely crisscross it regularly. Fence worth 42 crore rupees has been stolen by the surrounding people at various locations. Sometimes you would see children playing over its spacious boulevards. You would see cattle grazing on its green grass on each side. Various illegal entry and exit points have been opened through which cars and vehicles ply routinely to and from various destinations. The passenger-carrying vehicles make illegal exits to avoid toll tax. You would see people travelling on cycles and motorcycles and sometimes even tongas and bullock-carts are driven over it. In short one can observe gross violations of the motorway rules and ethics. Motorway is a neutral ground where maneuverings of domestic or international agencies are obviously out of question. Neither Jews and Christians nor Hindus can hatch conspiracies against it, nor are the intrigues of Punjabis and ISI directed towards it. The difference in attitudes towards law, rule of law, progress, governance and statecraft of the two peoples, Punjabis and Pakhtuns, can easily be quantified and gauged from this motorway. From this we can determine the present, past and future of Pakhtun nation. History also testifies that orthodoxy and regression have always overpowered unorthodoxy and modernization in the long history of the Pakhtuns. Leaving aside building empires on alien lands whereby they have proved to be good administrators and rulers like Sher Shah Suri proved exceptionally competent, Pakhtuns have miserably failed on their own soil. Waali of Swat was also an exception as the ruling family was hybrid in origin, educated and in proximity with the British and then Pakistani modernizers as against the pure Pakhtun ruler of Dir who abhorred providing modern facilities to his subjects who were more than happy with this sort of behaviour. Afghanistan is also a case in point where the Pakhtun rulers successfully preserved it in its archaic tribal mould during its more than two and half century of existence. The basic fault lies with the recipients who always resist an ascending change. Except Khattaks, Pakhtun tribes have successfully resisted all encroachments of the state, be it Mughal, even Durrani, Sikhs, to some extent British and then even Pakistani. All the progressive movements launched from their soil ended in disaster. Take the example of sixteenth century Roshanide movement led of Bayazid Ansari and generations of his successors during Mughal period. The orthodoxy of Pir Baba, Syed Ali Termizi, and Akhundarweza prevailed at the end of the day over this progressive and liberal movement. The torchbearers of Roshanai were dubbed as Tariki with the violent annihilation of its exponents. The voice of old Khushal Khan Khattak, after serving faithfully Mughals during prime time of his life, was not even owned by his sons and grandsons. After Mughals, the Durranis and Sikhs failed to prevail upon these tribes, except enticing them to providing mercenaries on various campaigns to the rulers. The British partially succeeded in imposing their will over a part of Pakhtuns through ingenious tactics albeit imparting developmental work. But still they could not fully overpower the age-old resistance to the change among the population. In 20th century the progressive and modernizing Amani movement of liberal and progressive King Amanullah Khan was drowned in blood in Afghanistan. No credible evidence substantiates any British hand in his downfall. The same is true about the Saur Revolution of 1978, which with the aid of so-called free world playing upon the backward and retrogressive nature of Pakhtun character successfully drowned it in blood. The Soviet Union was a modernizing force. The same apply to the present-day NATO campaign. It might end in disaster, one never knows. The Khudai Khidmatgar Movement of Bacha Khan faithfully following the Gandhian non-violence philosophy and loyally adhering to the united India concept could not resist the religious onslaught of the Muslim League in 1946-47. Pakhtuns soon turned against it by pushing it to become footnote in history. Pakhtuns are a blind force of history. They care little about the consequences which naturally go against their own interests in the end. Taking motorway as barometer and putting a cursory glance over the history of us Pakhtuns, one can safely assume that the Swat Accord inked by the so-called secular ANP is in complete harmony with the ethos of Pakhtuns.

Anonymous said...

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UNDERSTANDING FATA AND PASTHUNS
Dr. Tanvir Orakzai March 03, 2009 From the days of Alexander the Great, FATA (Tribal belt of Pakistan) has been the most important route to the Indian subcontinent. Being a transit route for invaders, the Pasthun tribes in FATA have remained in eternal peril of captivating doom making them suspicious of all foreigners. This sense of insecurity has prevailed among Pasthuns for time immemorial; especially, if an intruder wish to change their way of life (religion and traditions); a vehement resistance flares up among all Pasthuns that often leads to deadly consequences. In the past 2000 thousand years, Pasthuns have been invaded by great military generals including Alexander the Great (326-330 BC), Mahmud Ghaznavi (998 AD) Mughal King Aurangzeb (1673-75),Great Britain ( 1841) and Soviet Union (1979). Pasthuns survived all these mighty incursions due to their resilience and fighting spirit.

If some invasions were only skirmishes by the fleeting invaders, others were determined to control the fierce tribes through brute force. It is not unusual for a superpower to dismiss the less wealthy tribal people as crude and uncivilized people and rely on military strength alone, the British and Soviet Union were no exception. The British aversion (in 19th century) to comprehend FATA´s psyche initially cost them dearly; they lost campaign after campaign except some Pyrrhic victories. However British were shrewd enough to learn lesson from their mistakes and resorted to diplomacy that helped them to keep the FATA in peace with limited control till Pakistan independence.

Soviet Union as an ideology was based on expansionism. For Soviet Union dividing Afghanistan and Pakistan was its natural right to reach the oil of the Middle East. Being triumphant in the past, for Red Army the campaign of Afghanistan was no more than a few months long adventure that proved a fatal mistake. The Soviets brought violent change in Afghanistan without understanding the nature of its tribal people and culture. It feels splendid to initiate brutal change in a far off country dismissing its people as untaught brutes from a comfortable office, however they lost an empire. For Red Army invading Afghanistan was not a problem, they had all of Afghanistan in few weeks, the real concern was, how to stay alive after occupation.

Pasthuns are divided into various clans and tribes, living not only in tribal belt, but also sprawled in the semi-tribal areas all over North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan (Pakistan) and across the border in Afghanistan. All Pasthuns tribes are banded together due to common language, religion, and traditions. Majority of the Pasthun tribes have been living in their tribal enclaves for centuries according to their own norms. It is not uncommon for a visitor to find few bleak mud houses in FATA barren land. It may look outlandish for someone living in the city to come across such dissimilar life style, but this has been the way of life in FATA for aeons. The remoteness from city life has created a sense of unlimited freedom among all tribal people, where an individual is responsible only to his tribe and no one else. Such thinking has given rise to an inflated ego in all Pasthuns, where loyalty to the clan is obligatory in all circumstances. This way of thinking has divided a Pasthun world into two shades of thoughts "We versus Them". Thus a Pasthun can be extremely loyal towards his own tribe, and hostile towards outsider, if he finds himself under threat.

Centuries of harsh life have made Pasthuns masters of their area; no one knows their terrain better than them. Having indigenous knowledge of the terrain and being skilful in the art of warfare, it is common for a Pasthun to be expert in ambush and sabotage. Having command over the valleys and its mountains, tribesmen effectively use this indigenous knowledge for their advantage in the wake of a conflict. Be it fighting with the casual invaders or regular army, Pasthuns have been protecting their identity throughout the ages by launching Jihad. The invading army often targets a single area in a mistaken belief that the conflict would be over in few weeks; which never comes true. The history is vivid with such examples where kings and emperor miscalculated their adventures, such as Mogul Campaign (1675), British Campaign of Afghanistan (1839-1842) British Campaign of Waziristan (1935-36), Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979), all of which started as minor skirmishes and ended up in decade long campaigns with disastrous results.

Anonymous said...

Daily Times
Saturday, March 07, 2009

The privatisation of Pakistani women —Rafia Zakaria

Sexual crimes have been mainstays of Pakistani politics for nearly all of its sixty-one-year history and have been used to legitimise all sorts of regimes. This gives the Taliban ample room to justify yet another repugnant episode in the history of Pakistani women

On March 5, 2009, barely a day after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan blew up the shrine of Rehman Baba, a seventeenth century Sufi poet. The bombs had been placed in the four white marble pillars of the tomb and were detonated in the early hours of the morning.

According to the residents of the Hazarkhwani area, the shrine was blown up because the Taliban had an objection to women visiting the shrine. In its capacity to attract women out of their homes, this shrine, commemorating one of the finest poets of the Pashtu language, was considered worthy only of destruction by the Taliban.

This latest spectacle and the reasons given for it are recent iterations of what has been a steady encroachment by the Taliban on the lives of Pakistani women. In recent days, women have been beaten for being found walking with an unrelated male, forbidden from shopping in markets and in many areas around Peshawar banned from ever appearing in public without covering their faces.

A bare few months ago, Shabana, a famous Pashto dancer, was killed and her body left to rot in the middle of the town for days. Hundreds of schools have been burnt and tens of thousands of girls condemned to illiteracy in the wake of an insurgency that shows few signs of abating.

Even educational institutions in cities like Multan, considered to be far from the reaches of the insurgency in the tribal areas, have, in recent days, received threats for allowing men and women to study together. Signs have been put up at restaurants in Quetta and markets in Swat prohibiting women from the premises.

Unquestionably, as the women of the world commemorate the International Women’s Day tomorrow (March 8), the women of Pakistan have little to celebrate and even less to look forward to.

Given this, it is crucial to recognise that the privatisation of Pakistani women and their systematic relegation to the private sphere is not an accidental by-product of the insurgency, but an integral component of it. In pushing women out of society, out of jobs, and out of educational institutions, the Taliban are attempting to redefine the public and private spheres in a way that gives tangible vision to their counter-modern world.

The possibility of women entering the working world, the popularity of dual-income families with consumer habits born of globalisation and the encroachment of Western ideas are precisely the reference points against which this counter-modernity is constructed.

In being the modern world’s visible opposite, this vision seeks to eliminate women completely; it strives thus to eradicate women’s power — through education and financial emancipation — to erode the patriarchal structures the Taliban see as authentically Islamic.

Part of the dynamic paving the Taliban’s way is that it is the potential advent rather than the presence of women in the public sphere that is the target of the onslaught. Pakistani women, especially those most vulnerable to the Taliban’s excesses living in areas like Mohmand, Swat and the outlying villages of Peshawar, do not currently have an entrenched place in the public sphere. Emerging from a tribal and religiously conservative background, these women have been largely excluded from the urban-middle class NGO discourses that have been the feeble (albeit often valiant) representations of Pakistani feminism thus far. The abridgement of their freedoms, the banning of these women from markets in Mingora and schools in Swat thus represents not the taking away of existing freedoms but thwarting the possibilities of future ones.

In doing so, they perpetuate the particular tragedy of quashing efforts to increase women’s autonomy and emergence from male-dominated structures even before women can claim public space.

Eliminating the freedom of women already bearing the yoke of tribal strictures also provided the Taliban with another political opportunity. While the majority of their practices involve the repression of women, the forbidding of certain tribal mores as against Islamic traditions permits an edification of their cause as a sort of Islamic modernity similar to the practices of the early Muslims in pre-Islamic Arabia.

Practices like honour-killing, karo-kari, siyah kari and the marriages of women to the Quran provide plenty of room to invest the Taliban with a sort of medieval charisma imbued with religious righteousness. For the Taliban, this game is an old one, as Professor Juan Cole has pointed out in his article, The Taliban, Women and the Private Sphere; the group followed exactly the same pattern in Afghanistan where Mullah Omar forbade the practice of forcibly marrying widows off to anyone in the tribe.

In addition, the redefinition of public and private and the accompanying pushing back of women into the domestic sphere plays into the moral confusions of Pakistanis already unsure of the cultural implications of globalisation. In a society where the situation of women is deplorable, where thousands of women are killed in the name of honour, where rapists are rarely if ever prosecuted and the testimony of a woman is at times only considered half that of a man, a revolt against the increasing repression of the Taliban is unlikely.

Sexual crimes like adultery and fornication and the moral regulation of women have been mainstays of Pakistani politics for nearly all of its sixty-one-year history and have been used to legitimise all sorts of regimes. This particular history thus gives the Taliban ample room to justify yet another repugnant episode in the history of Pakistani women.

When the Taliban marched into Kabul, they ordered all women to wear burqas that covered them from head to toe and the windows of homes blackened so that women would not be seen from the street. They were forbidden from seeing doctors and from attending school and they could no longer leave their homes without a related male accompanying them.

A few years ago, such a scenario seemed unimaginable in the cities of Pakistan. But with each passing day, each new attack and each unchallenged edict from Mullah Radio, it seems that it may not be as implausible a scenario as Pakistani women had once imagined it to be.

Rafia Zakaria is an attorney living in the United States where she teaches courses on Constitutional Law and Political Philosophy. She can be contacted at rafia.zakaria@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Global Politician

Pakistan is not a governable country

Reza Hossein Borr - 3/18/2009

Pakistan is not a governable country. Every kind of ruler has tried that. Politicians failed in governing Pakistan. Military men failed to govern Pakistan effectively and properly. All of Pakistan's leaders have either been killed or ended in a disgraceful manner. Different systems have been tried. All of them have failed. Pakistan People's Party have introduced socialist policies and failed. Other rulers of Pakistan introduced capitalist systems and failed too.

There are a few fundamental elements in this country which do not allow any political system, any politician or military strongman to govern Pakistan. Geographical composition, historical background, religious system, economic discrimination, social and cultural structures, political characterization and ingredients have prevented the smooth governance of the country and they will be insurmountable in future. The reason is the reason for the creation of Pakistan which is a religious one.

Geographically and historically the present lands that constitute Pakistan have never been part of a united country. The people are completely different and they do not get integrated into one social structure. Religion was not a compelling reason for peoples who were almost all secular with their own developed culture and traditions. When the country became more religious, the people had already been fragmented in irreconcilable units. Economic discrimination that began from the first days of the creation of the country disappointed all proportions of the people who made up Pakistan. Everybody was for himself and therefore, there was not a shared sense of destination or shared rewards. Political organization was set up even in a worse foundation. It was supposed to be a Confederation, but immediately after the independence, struggle for transforming it into a unitary system began and therefore aborted every effort for the creation of the Confederation.

The Baluch people and Khan of Kalat began their campaign from that time to preserve the idea of Confederation but since the establishment did not honor their agreements with the leaders of Baluchistan for Confederation, some leaders of Baluchistan found themselves in association with certain leaders who did not keep their own promises and therefore, they began to look for independence. The honoring and breach of a promise has been a fundamental value of the Baluch people.

Cultural foundation of the country began on the making of Urdu language, the official language of the country which alienated the people of four participating nations in the formation of Pakistan. Nobody knew Urdu in Sindh, NWFP, and Balochistan and therefore the people of three states suddenly became illiterate and deprived from all privileges of administration. Their languages were smashed, their qualifications ignored and all the jobs went to those who spoke Urdu.

Hostilities began from every side and the army tried to oppress all of them. The only institution that remained loyal to the mission of one country was the army and the army did its best to shatter the hopes of the people for integrating into one nation.

Today we are the witness to the failure of a country that was led by those who did not have any emotional commitment to its prosperity. Military and civilian rulers proved that their first loyalty was to their own individual interests and then, to their own tribe or province; ignoring the national interests of the country that they were ruling. From the first ruler to the last one in Pakistan, nobody had a correct understanding of the challenges of Pakistan and how to resolve them. The result is a country that is ungovernable. Every day that goes forward we see that everything for everybody deteriorates and therefore, those in charge help more in deterioration rather than in salvation. The future is bleak. If anybody had any hope for Pakistan in any point in history they have been tarnished by those who only ruled it and pursued their own narrow interests which were in contrast with the interests of those that constituted Pakistan.

No nation has been more effectual in the disintegration of its people than of Pakistan. Pakistan is the only country in the world which is likely to be broken up by the corruption and inefficiencies of its own leaders. Today no one blames Bangladesh for going its own way as the excessive oppressions and massacres caused its separation. Tomorrow nobody will blame Baluchistan or other parts of Pakistan for separating themselves from a sick country that its doctors tried to kill it step-by-step.

Reza Hossein Borr is a leadership consultant and the creator of 150 CDs and 14 Change management models. He is also the author of Manual Success, Manual of Coaching and Mentoring, Motivational Stories that Can Change Your Life, and a New Vision for the Islamic World. He can be contacted by email: balochfront@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Scoop.co.nz (press release)

Wednesday, 8 April 2009, 2:48 pm
Press Release: Asian Human Rights Commission Pakistan: State Authorities Support The Taliban, And Responds Weakly To Public Outrage Over The Public Flogging Of A Girl

The Internet-broadcasted public flogging of a young girl by Taliban members in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has enraged sections of Pakistan society, and given a taste of the newly-brokered brand of religious justice in Swat. The beating has refreshed debates on religion-backed violence against women in the country, but equally as disturbing, is the light it has thrown on the working relationship between state actors and the Taliban. In the days since the girl was beaten, she and her family have been stifled, the crime has been denied and the blame has been shifted to a variety of unlikely players.


Cruelty under the guise of spirituality

17-year-old Chand Bibi was reportedly found out of her home, buying groceries while unaccompanied. Weeks before, the Taliban and an extremist group led by Soofi Mohammad had brokered an agreement with the government that enforced religious rules, including a law that obliges women to stay inside the house unless with close males relatives.

On In the mid of the March, 2009, the religious authorities made Chand Bibi their first example of Taliban justice, suggesting that spectators record the punishment on their mobile phones. The video shows the teenager pinned face-down on the ground, clothed, with two men on her upper body and one holding down her legs, while a fourth flogs her buttocks with a stick in front of a large crowd, thirty-five times. Afterwards positive, proud statements were issued by Taliban spokesmen and journalists for religious news publications.

A swift about-turn

However when the local population started to react against the video -- followed by the rest of the country in the media and street protests -- the Taliban changed their account of the incident; the girl’s charged was changed to fornication. She is reported to have been quickly married to a young man, Mr. Adalat Khan, also now implicated, and her punishment was heralded as ‘lenient’.

After the Supreme Court took up the case in a suo moto action, the Inspector General of the area was pressured into lodging a First Information Report with the police. He lodged it against ‘unknown persons’, though the men beating Chand Bibi can be identified in the video. Social organizations have reported that the family can’t be reached for comment, and when the case went to court, the judges were unable to try the case without the victim present.

Local organizations say that Qazis, the Islamic courts judges and other Taliban members are pressuring the family to keep quiet. Mr. Abdul Latif Afridi, President of Peshawar High Court Bar Association has said that Chand Bibi, was forced by various Taliban leaders, along with officials from the provincial government, to confirm the new charges and not to attend the hearing. The girl’s family, in turn, has said that their religious traditions do not allow the girl to be produced before a large group of men. However the Inspector General’s FIR mentions Chand Bibi’s first report to a number of men, including the Commissioner of the Malakand division Mr. Syed Javed and Islamic court judge Mr. Qazi Riaz.

Having failed to sway public opinion in favour of the girl’s flogging, Taliban members have begun to suggest that the video was staged -- a conspiracy of NGOs, or Americans.

A loss of credibility

The case has served to quickly discredit the strain of Taliban justice that is being meted out in Swat Valley and condoned by the government. It has also shown the weakness of the government, once again, in the face of the Taliban and other religious radicals. And again it has taken civil society and media commentators to question and condemn the violation of basic women’s rights, and the hypocrisy of a punishment broadcast as titillation by a group that claims to uphold the highest of moral values.

About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

Anonymous said...

Pakistan Observer
Who gained from Baloch leaders’ murder?
12/04/09

By Mohammad Jamil

Answer :-

Punjab the beman, the big fat pig province of Pakistan gained from Baloch leaders murder as it does from the blood bath of NWFP.

Anonymous said...

Pakistan Observer
Who gained from Baloch leaders’ murder?
13/04/09

Mohammad Jamil


"They do not understand that the gas and mineral resources in Baluchistan belong to the people of Baluchistan, and the royalties should, therefore, be spent on the welfare of the people by the provincial government, and minerals and gas found in the area belonging to Sardar is property of the people of Balochistan and not their personal property of sardars."



Dear Mr. Mohammad Jamil

Ref. the above:-

The Baloch leaders have been murdered by the Punjabi army because they are saying that the gas and mineral resources in Baluchistan belong to the people of Baluchistan, and that the royalties should, therefore, be spent on the welfare of the people by the provincial government.


What you are saying about the "dead" are not only lies but are inhumane when Baluchistan is in "mourning".


Mohammad Jamil you are a Punjabi indeed. You have no shame or honour.


Punjab the beman, the big fat pig province of Pakistan.



Regards

Anonymous said...

UNHEARD MOANS AND CRIES

Out of the other ethnicities, the Baloch people have suffered the most under an administration dominated by Punjabis.

The region of Balochistan is mostly waste land covered by deserts and uncultivable land. However this area is also rich in mineral reserves such as natural gas and petroleum.

In fact, 90% of Pakistan’s energy requirements are met by the natural reserves of the province of Balochistan.

But the irony is that this province does not even get 5% of the electricity produced from the land in this region. So much for Islamic/Pakistani brotherhood!

The per capita income of Balochistan is next to zilch when compared to Punjab.

Balochistan has hardly any schools or colleges except in the capital city of Quetta. The Baloch people have to travel great distances even to get basic necessities such as water and food supplies.
There are hardly any roads or major railway links in Balochistan. Most Baloch people have to work as migrant labourers in the more developed cities of Karachi and Islamabad.

The Pakistani Army rape women and young girls, kill non-combatants; in general terms, they spread misery amongst the Baloch population.

It is not as if the Civil or Military Administration is unaware of these facts. On the other hand, the Administration fully supports these cruel techniques used by the Pakistani Army to subdue the Baloch.

This is actually a return gift from the Pakistani Administration for the audacity of asking for the basic human rights by the Baloch.

There are no technical institutions where people from Balochistan can pursue education, which would enable them to achieve a respectable status. All the work in the various military or civilians are assigned to non-local labour.

This is not done because the Baloch people are lazy or unable to do work. Rather this is being done to add to the depravity of the already suffering people of Balochistan.

The Baloch people who are not so religious, but are however fiercely independent in spirit were ultimately fed up with the Punjabi-led administration decided to rebel against it.

Even though there is a long history of rebellion of the Baloch people against the evil Pakistani Administration, I will confine myself to a recent event that has become epoch in the history of Balochistan.

I will tell you the short story of Nawab Akbar Bughti. He was a man who once believed in the nation of Pakistan and even occupied several important positions in the Pakistani administration unlike most of his Baloch brothers who were not so lucky.

When he came back to his native place, he was really appalled to see the barbarity with which the Pakistani army treated the Baloch people. He could no longer tolerate the injustice and decided to fight the oppression.

He fought, to secure basic Human rights for his people. The Pakistani Administration decided that this impudent Baloch, who had the guts to ask for equal rights, should also be given a return gift. He was bombed in his house, which was actually a cave, in the middle of night.

This was a warning for the rest of the Baloch people to shut up or suffer similar consequences.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Now the Pakistani administration has found a new way of subduing the Baloch. They have started colonising the Baloch land in bits and pieces to establish colonies of Punjabi ex-army men in order to destabilize the ethnic balance of the area.

To add to the woes of the Baloch, Afghan refugees have also been provided habitations in the Baloch land. This was hardly done out of compassion for the refugees, why not house them in Punjab?

The real reason was to turn the native population of Balochistan into minorities. This way, they are being gradually subdued with ease.

While the Western Media chooses to cherry pick the events in Pakistan, we seldom get to hear the moans and cries of these unfortunate people, caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

As I write this article, there might be a Baloch woman being molested by the Army of Pakistan, a child being beaten up for being who he is.

Nobody will ever be able to assess the exact extent of the atrocities the Pakistani Administration has committed upon the Baloch people.

I really don’t understand why the media of the free world chooses to ignore a Human tragedy which occurs everyday in a country as well known as Pakistan.

I also wonder why the Western leaders don’t ask the Pakistani administration as to why these people are suffering so much even after the billions of dollars in Aid.

Anonymous said...

Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai,India

Red shirts, long beards

Ani ZaiFriday, April 24, 2009

It is surprising to see how little the lives of ordinary citizens of FATA and NWFP figure in the currently heated discussions of Pakistan.

Many fail to recognise the toll the ensuing militarisation of the border region has had on the lives of people there. Since Partition, the relationship between many living west of Punjab and the state has been marked by mutual suspicion.

Ordinary Pakistanis in the northwest of the country have been unable to rely on the central government for much but differential development policies and an intensified army presence. An entirely new social fabric was manufactured in the FATA and NWFP region from the billions of dollars and the sophisticated weapons that were poured into these regions by the Pakistan state on behalf of the US and Saudi Arabia.

The Awami National Party (ANP) signed the Nizam-e-Adl in February to bring a long-awaited peace to the people who had been caught between the army and the Taliban.

The ANP themselves have suffered tremendously at the hands of the Taliban with hundreds of their cadres either dead or dead men walking. As we try to understand Pakistan, it might be worth noting that the ANP (and its predecessors) has been a political movement committed to non-violent anti-imperialist struggles and to the masses.

The people in FATA and NWFP realised long ago the dangers of debasing religion by using it for political gains, as had been done by the Muslim League in the creation of Pakistan. In response to the secular stance of the ANP and its opposition to a division of the subcontinent along religious lines, the Pakistani state had levelled prison terms on ANP supporters and engineered collective amnesia with regard to the historical struggles of the people of NWFP and FATA in gaining independence from the British.

One casualty of this state-engineered amnesia was Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the ancestor of the ANP and the founder of the peaceful army of the Khudai Khidmatgars, which -- made up primarily of Pashtuns from NWFP -- fought with an unwavering ideology of non-violence against British imperialism. Yet these masses and their leaders have not been venerated like other freedom fighters of the subcontinent.

On the contrary, the newly found freedom for the subcontinent meant continued subjugation for Abdul Ghaffar Khan and the Pashtuns. While people from NWFP built the core of the masses who fought against British imperialism, the state of Pakistan made sure that there would be no rightful place in the country's memory for those who opposed bifurcating (or, in ANP language "balkanising") the subcontinent along religious lines. As a result, Abdul Ghaffar Khan spent 15 years behind bars after independence as did his followers. The Pakistani state has since Partition ensured that the Pashtuns remain under-developed and under suspicion.

The 'peace' rallies springing up in urban centres of Pakistan to protest the government deals with the Taliban ironically demand peace derived through acts of violence: although some advocate peace and oppose US drones, there are too many who support the drones and want heightened attacks on the Taliban. These demonstrations occur because Lahore and beyond are now also getting a glimpse of the threats ordinary and peaceful inhabitants of FATA and NWFP have experienced for decades.

Many Pakistanis -- parroting Western opinions -- refer to Pashtun tribal codes and Pashtun 'culture' to explain the ruthless behaviour of the Taliban. Yet the Taliban have little to do with Islam or with Pashtun 'culture' regardless of the claims they make.While the Taliban are comprised of Pashtuns there is nothing Pasthun about them. In their recruitment practices, the Taliban have skilfully played upon the economic disenfranchisement of people in FATA and NWFP, as well as on the long-term political and social alienation of the inhabitants of these areas (similar to the ways in which many in disenfranchised areas of rural India join Naxal movements in hope for more justice and a better livelihood).

Must the innocent masses throughout the FATA and NWFP continue to bear the brunt of the violence as Lahore demands continued drone attacks and swift and massive military action on the Taliban? Can Pakistan and the international community not find other ways besides enhancing state violence? If they do not acknowledge the decades of unjust policies and machinations imposed on the people of FATA and NWFP, the Taliban will continue to wreak havoc and will eventually find themselves in Islamabad in greater numbers performing even more spectacular acts of violence than the flogging of young girls.

Anonymous said...

Frontier Post - Peshawar,Pakistan
26/04/2009



Sufi Muhammad’s new song



Ghani Khan



Sufi Muhammad while addressing a big public meeting in grassy ground, Mingora, ordered the judiciary officers to quit Swat within days. He gave a deadline for the appointment of Qazis and for the establishment of Darul Qaza. He also gave Fatwa against the parliament and elections and declared all the parliamentary process as Kufr. His strange pronouncements have astonished the saner elements and made them concerned that whether the Sufi is serious about peace in Swat as he has become more aggressive after the President approved the deal which was originally signed between the Provincial government of Pakhtunkhwa and the Chief of TNSM. The deal allowed the introduction of Nizam-e-Adl in Malakand Division which envisaged the appointment of Qazis in order to make justice quick and cheap. There was a justification for the demand of Sharia system as the English Law governing the process of justice has failed to deliver justice to people throughout the country. The Sufi rose against the English law because the people of Swat and Dir in particular were used to a people-friendly justice system. The introduction of English law in Swat valley in 1969 disturbed the entire system of justice and proved detrimental to the concept and practice of justice. The ANP-led coalition government of the province signed a deal with Sufi Muhammad in order to restore peace in Swat. The people of Swat also needed peace as they had suffered a lot during the last two years and therefore the ANP’s peace deal was not an act in the wrong direction although the party is accused of too many ifs and buts for signing the peace deal. However peace was preferable than death and destruction and above all the people of Swat welcomed the deal and that was sufficient justification for the ANP led government to sign the deal. No party can remain committed to its ideals and specially Pakistani party politics is conflictful. No party has ever been able to honor its ideals and agenda, therefore accusing ANP of deviation from its secular ojectives is misplaced. However, the provincial administration showed bit of haste by not taking into confidence the provincial assembly. Besides they ignored as an important leader as Muhammad Afzal Khan lala who not only belonged to their own ranks but was the most senior member of the party with vast political experience. Taking him into confidence during the process of peace deal will have benefited the ANP but it is sad to note that like all other political parties ANP also does not believe in wide consultations without which problems of life and death faced by contemporary Pakhtuns cannot be tackled. The Sufi’s declarations in the Public meeting have angered both the houses of the Parliament and there are demands for not honouring the agreement. Besides the doors of the Supreme Court of Pakistan are also being knocked against the peace deal. It appears that the deal will be faced with difficulties in the process of implementation. The leadership of TNSM seems to have gained too much confidence after the deal and obviously is going beyond decency by throwing deadlines at the government which shows that they want to achieve their objectives by the use of force. After the President put his signatures on the deal, there was no need for the fighters of the TNSM to enter into Buner as conquerors and occupy properties of the people of the area.Their acts and behaviour is leading the deal towards failure which they should have avoided in order not to push the ANP towards the wall. The good and sincere intentions of the coalition government may not be deemed as their weakness. Sufi Muhammad is not a politician as he considers politics related processes as kufr. For him Parliament and decisions of the Parliament have no meaning and he declared in his public meeting that in Islam there was no scope for politics and the laws have already been ordained by God so human beings need not to indulge in difficult process of evolving new laws. We believe that whatever he is saying is not joke as he is a serious person and may not be saying things for public consumption. Keeping in view his recent announcements, it is quite apparent that whenever there is election, the Qazi Courts or Darul Qaza will issue decree against parliamentary elections in Malakand Division and such a development is bound to create problems for both the Provincial and Federal Governments in the near future. Sufi Muhammad may be aiming at establishing his writ on Malakand division as its Amirulmumineen and the TTP is already enjoying power in tribal areas. Muslim Khan of TNSM has also went out of bounds by inviting Osama bin Laden to Swat and by doing so he is not only posing to be above law of the land and sovereign of Swat but is also inviting drone attacks on Swat. The TTP and TNSM may be considering themselves only Muslims like Jihadis of Afghan war who never acknowledged themselves to be Afghans, however, their contention is wrong and everybody is not thinking like them. They might be only Muslim but there are Pakhtuns in Swat as well as in tribal areas therefore they must abstain from encouraging Osama bin Laden to come to Swat. He is better left wherever he may be and it appears that he is quite at peace and protected but Muslim Khan is bent on endangering his head. He must remember that because of Osama, America came to Afghanistan and now the entire Pakhtun area is facing hell like situation because of his attacks on America which he could have launched from his own country. He should better not use Pakhtuns territory for his unwanted activities.

Anonymous said...

The news from Swat is grim at best. In addition to the barbarism of the Taliban and their well-known misogynist ways, they are also a land-grab movement comprised of criminals and thugs in addition to the ranks of religious zealots.

At present, while our civilian government has not been supportive of them until the party that won in the NWFP, the secular ANP had 9 of its legislators killed one by one, it seems our fighting arm, that we have indulged and cosseted with the majority of our resources for the last 60 years, is unwilling or unable to fight these militants and criminals. There were 1,000 of them in Swat; and 15,000 troops. Not once did the troops challenge the 1,000 Taliban and the state apparatus has capitulated to them. Shockingly, even the recently restored judiciary has shown no spine, and has recklessly released the cleric responsible for the Red Mosque uprising on less than $2,500 bail.

Anybody who has property or means of any kind is now worried about whether they will own it in the future if things get worse and our armed forces don't take on these miscreants. We are not in a state of chaos or civil war yet and day to day life is quite normal, but it is no longer easy to say with certainty that neither will happen in the next year or two. The jury is out on the latter, with people like my mother feeling more apprehensive, while my father is more relaxed and thinks that something will give before the Taliban sweep through the country.

The fact is that not enough is being done to combat them. Far from it. On the positive side, they are armed and trained to fight, but they are far less numerous than those of us who don't ascribe to their beliefs. The question remains: will the Pakistani troops fight them or will civilians have to take up arms? Public opinion is turning against them slowly, but it is turning a bit. I predict that things will get worse before they improve, and we will likely see more violence before it recedes. Two months ago, I learned how to use an AK-47. I did that not out of my love of weaponry, but as a precaution.

I should add, however, that, at the same time, people's personal lives are pretty unaffected by all this (except those in the NWFP). While the deteriorating situation is always at the back of one's mind, life goes on as normal: weddings, funerals, holidays, carnivals, etc. are not really letting up yet, though security is more visible at hotels, and so forth. To some extent, people may be beset by the Rome is Burning syndrome, while others don't feel there is anything they can do other than protest or write article or letters to the papers. Others are working on a media strategy to combat these people because the media has disappointingly been on the whole pro-Taliban (despite the fact that the media will become one of the first casualties of the Taliban). We are working with other members of civil society to come up with a coherent strategy to take on this challenge.

Ultimately, though, when any state faces an existential violent threat, it is the military and security arm of the state apparatus that must be ready to fight to protect the citizenry. That has not yet happened. It is not clear that it will.

Anonymous said...

A war for survival, says Gilani
Hindu - Chennai,India
10 may 2009


“This is our war, it is a war for the country’s survival, it is a war for the future of our people,” he said. “I appeal to the people to support the Army as they are fighting for the country’s future”.


This is not a war for the country’s survival, it is a war for the survival/protection of Punjab which gets fat with American dollars ($) and Pakhtuns resources, paid with the very cheap blood of Pakhtuns to the "west" spectators.


Regards

Anonymous said...

A war for survival, says Gilani

Hindu - Chennai,India
10 may 2009


“This is our war, it is a war for the country’s survival, it is a war for the future of our people,” he said. “I appeal to the people to support the Army as they are fighting for the country’s future”.


This is not a war for the country’s survival, it is a war for the survival/protection of Punjab which gets fat with American dollars ($) and Pakhtuns resources, paid with the very cheap blood of Pakhtuns for the "west's" spectators.



This is not a war on "terror".


This is not a war on "talibanisation".



It is Punjab's war on Pakhtuns for their resources via the Punjabi/Pakistani Army.



It is the "ethnic" cleansing of Pakhtuns from their lands by Punjab via the Punjabi/Pakistani Army using the American dollars ($) & weapons.



Punjab the beman, the big fat pig province of Pakistan.

Regards

Anonymous said...

Military operation not solution of Swat problem: Khurshid
ISLAMABAD (SANA): Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Naib Amir Professor Khurshid Ahmed has said that military operation was not the solution of the Swat problem.

Talking to a private TV channel here on Saturday, he said that the reconciliatory efforts to be taken in order to get the country out of the incumbent problem.

He also said that NWFP government did not setup ‘Darul Qaza’ in Swat to address the demand of Maulana Sufi Muhammad.

He further said that the operation in the previous government was proved fruitless; therefore, the reconciliatory efforts were the need of the time.

He said that the presence of US army in Afghanistan was the basic cause of the problem.

Anonymous said...

The Taliban

By K.m.a. Samdani | Published: May 11, 2009

The same is true of legal justice. Justice, worth the name, is hardly available to any class in Pakistan. The influential people can get away with murder while only the poor has to face the law mostly without justification. The Taliban are offering, at least in the areas in Pakistan which are under their control, both social and legal justice according to their own concepts of 'justice'.
What the governments failed to achieve by law in the sixty-two years of Pakistan's existence, the Taliban are achieving with the help of guns in a matter of weeks. They are killing the big landowners and distributing their lands among the poor tillers of the soil. They are giving dignity back to the under dog which is the right of every human being. Nay, they are in fact empowering the under dog. This is what the leaders of Pakistan should have done a long time ago. Their failure is in fact the strength of the Taliban.
It is true the methods applied by the Taliban do not appeal to a modern mind because they are all unconstitutional and illegal. But they are the harsh substitutes for constitutional and legal means which the Pakistani governments failed to adopt. The Pakistani people, at least a majority of them, have no stake in the society of which they are a part and no stake in their own legal system. This explains the success of the Taliban at least in Pakistan. However the writer is not aware of the conditions in Afghanistan.
Social justice is the keynote of a Muslim society. The second important aspect of such a society is the rule of law. A society, like the one in Pakistan, in which these two factors are missing has no right to complain against the fast spreading influence of the Taliban.
Having been trained as a modern man, the writer is against one adult imposing his/her views on another adult unless so authorised. In a democratic society, the majority is so authorised. The majority operates through its representatives (Parliament in the case of Pakistan). But if the Parliament is not mindful of the plight of the underprivileged, the only way open to them is to side with the Taliban to seek revenge and improve their own lot if for nothing else.
People rightly assert that the policies of the Taliban are mostly un-Islamic but those who do not establish social justice have no right to talk of Islam. Those who do not believe in the dignity of labour, have no right to take shelter under the name of Islam. Those who do not care to deal with their fellow beings justly do not even have the right to be called Muslims.
The Taliban are "terribly" effective. They use terrible means to enforce their right or wrong orders. They are themselves the judge of right and wrong. All this does not appeal to a modern mind. But the fact remains that the members of the Pakistani society need terribly harsh means to enforce anything. They take pride in breaking the law (only a few noble exceptions apart) rather than observing it. In the matter of rectification, the Pakistani society is used to delaying things until it is too late. In the opinion of the writer, it is already too late to avoid the consequences, unless the army performs a miracle.
The writer is a retired judge of the Lahore High Court

Anonymous said...

The cost of defeating Taliban
Ghani Khan
Throughout history there have been wars between rivals to ensure and promote self interest or to lay hand on what is not their right. A similar dangerous war is being fought on the land of Pakhtoons in Pakistan which is directed towards their physical elimination. This is a war fought against Taliban or religious extremists but they are safe and civilian population is forced to face a hell like situation. It is so complicated a war that no one understands what is going on and for what purpose. There are obviously four participants in the war against terror i.e. America, Pakistan, Afghanistan on one side and Taliban on the other side. But it appears if all are at war against each other as their actual interests warrant it. The war is fought in tribal areas known as FATA and PATA, ( Malakand Division) composed of six districts. The Coalition government of Pakhtunkhwa signed a peace deal with the chief of TNSM on 16th February this year. The deal was welcomed with serious criticism by the opposition parties as well as the media. America openly expressed its dislike for the peace deal as according to her this was just like a humiliating surrender to Taliban and tantamount to make them further stronger. Despite serious criticism and opposition to the deal, President Zardari approved and signed the deal after he had received the assent of the National Assembly. The President had acted in the interest of peace and stability in the country; this was in no way surrender to Taliban. Keeping criticism aside, the peace deal was a step in the right direction as it aimed at restoring peace in Malakand Division particularly the Swat valley as because of war in the valley, millions of Swatis faced annihilation and wide spread destruction. Life after the peace deal had not yet been restored that the deal slipped out beneath the feet and lost respect for both the parties. Those against the deal prevailed and the forces entered in Buner to prevent the likely take over of Islamabad by the Sufi Muhammad hordes. Malakand division is far away from Islamabad and there are least chances of Taliban ever reaching to Islamabad. Now it is hardly of any effect that who did what or who is responsible for defeating the peace deal which to more than some extent was instrumental in restoring peace in Swat and life had started to return to routine. In the back ground of fierce fighting going on between the security forces and Taliban in Buner, there in Washington was scheduled a summit between the presidents of America, Afghanistan and Pakistan on 6th and 7th of May. It is generally thought that President Obama will hard press Pakistan’s president to further intensify the war against Taliban. It is obvious that President Zardari will be having no choice but to do what he is ordered to do as this is the weakness of Pakistani leadership that they find it not easy to face American Presidents. They just bow in obedience and do as ordered. They do it because Pakistan is not a sovereign country; from the very beginning Pakistani leadership has been depending on America for economic aid. So it is obvious that Mr. Zardari will not be able to achieve anything praiseworthy except a billion dollar aid to be used against Taliban. In case Zardari does not find it convenient to oblige America, he has been programmed to vacate the Presidency. This is an insulting behaviour of American leadership that they cannot tolerate democracy in Pakistan. All their commitments with democracy in Pakistan prove false. For Pakistan they like no system at all, democratic or non-democratic, they like an obedient like Gen Pervez Musharraf who was a lion for his people and a pet jackal of America. In other words he was an American asset who enjoyed killing his own people. He killed in thousands and displaced in millions of Pakhtuns from their homes and was proud of doing so. If Mr. Zardari does what all his predecessors had done before him, this will not be any inexcusable deviation from the traditional behaviour of Pakistani leadership. This is their luck. However, the removal of democratically elected President Zardari will further destabilise Pakistan and matters will sink to a level of final collapse. Neither the people will accept army nor has the army ever shown its capability to contribute to the stability of Pakistan. The army is responsible for the bad situation in which Pakistanis find themselves today. America is becoming impatient towards Taliban. She wants to have them eliminated as soon as possible preferably in a week or two at the most but it is apparent that during the last seven or eight years fighting against Taliban or al-Qaeda, their number has increased as well as their will to fight has become stronger so much so that Pakistani forces were forced out of Waziristan. In Swat too their performace was widely criticised by local population. Now in Buner the army is facing stiff resistance and it seems that elimination of Taliban is not an easy task. They cannot be devoured besides the cost of this war is going to be very high for the human beings of the affected areas. They will have to face tremendous loss in death and destruction. Like Waziristan and FATA, Malakand division is mountainous area, available space for residential area in plains is not sufficient as a result the population is highly congested and that is why the number of displaced families is quite big and this is the reason for high percentage of death and destruction. It will be very hard for any Pakistani obedient to prove that each and every Talib or terrorist has been eliminated. What will America or Americans do when a similar war is imposed on them in near or remote future and their beloved cities of New York and Washington are the targets for years altogether. The Americans are forced to leave their homes in search of safety and shelter and to feed themselves in an environment of war. Will Americans be able to withstand that situation of want, death and destruction? America Wants not to see a sovereign Pakistan, is averse to a viable and democratic system there, likes not an independent minded leader and is afraid of Sharia in Malakand division which is fifteen thousand miles away from America. Sufi Muhammad is indeed not a man of sound mentality but he cannot begin long march towards America with his hordes of Taliban with stinger missiles on their shoulders. So America must have the confidence that no Sufi Mufi is any danger for her liberty. America must excuse Pakistan as it has never been Pakistan’s ideology to serve American interests without raising eyebrows. The option of war against Taliban has failed. The option to kill the innocents of the area is open. Before it is too late America and her Pakistani associates must think of changing the strategy. There is after all no logic in killing scores of civilians while chasing only one terrorist. The peace deal must not be buried; the government of the province must pursue the deal. There is no harm in establishing Darul Qaza as desired by Sufi as that seems to be the end of his entire knowledge. This is the only available recipe which can save Swat and other districts from total destruction.

Anonymous said...

Understanding ethnic dimension key to problem



SELIG HARRISON



ANALYSIS/OPINION: TO WESTERN eyes the struggle raging in Pakistan with the Taliban is about religious fanaticism. But in Pakistan it is about an explosive fusion of Islamist zeal and simmering ethnic tensions that have been exacerbated by US pressures for military action against the Taliban and its al-Qaeda allies.

Understanding the ethnic dimension of the conflict is the key to a successful strategy for separating the Taliban from al-Qaeda and stabilising multi-ethnic Pakistan politically.

The Pakistani army is composed mostly of Punjabis. The Taliban is entirely Pashtun. For centuries, Pashtuns living in the mountainous borderlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan have fought to keep out invading Punjabi plainsmen.

So sending Punjabi soldiers into Pashtun territory to fight jihadists pushes the country ever closer to an ethnically defined civil war, strengthening Pashtun sentiment for an independent “Pashtunistan” embracing 41 million people in big chunks of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This is one of the main reasons the army initially favoured a peace deal with a Taliban offshoot in the Swat valley and has resisted US pressure to go all out against jihadist advances into neighbouring districts. While army leaders fear the long-term dangers of a Taliban link-up with Islamist forces in the heartland of Pakistan, they are more worried about what they see as the danger of Pashtun separatism.

Historically, the Pashtuns were politically unified before the British Raj. The Pashtun kings who founded Afghanistan ruled over 40,000 square miles of what is now Pakistan, an area containing more than half of the Pashtun population, until British forces defeated them in 1847 and imposed a disputed boundary, the Durand Line, that Afghanistan has never accepted.

Over Pashtun nationalist protests, the British gave these conquered areas to the new, Punjabi-dominated government of Pakistan created in the 1947 partition of India. Afghan governments have challenged Pakistan’s right to rule over its Pashtun areas, alternatively pushing for an autonomous state to be created within Pakistan, an independent “Pashtunistan” or a “Greater Afghanistan”.

Fears of Pashtunistan led Pakistan to support jihadist surrogates in the Afghan resistance during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s and, later, to build up the Taliban. Ironically, during its rule in Kabul, the Taliban refused to endorse the Durand Line. Afghan president Hamid Karzai also resisted, calling it “a line of hatred that raised a wall between the two brothers”.

The British got the most rebellious Pashtun tribes to acquiesce by giving them formal autonomous status in their own “Federally Administered Tribal Areas” (FATA). This autonomy was respected until the Bush administration pressured former president Pervez Musharraf into sending his army into those areas in 2002, displacing 50,000 people. Since then, Predator aircraft strikes have killed more than 700 Pashtun civilians.

So how should the foreign forces, and particularly the Obama administration, proceed? Militarily, the US should lower its profile by ending airstrikes. By arousing a Pashtun sense of victimisation at the hands of outside forces, the conduct of the “war on terror” in FATA, where al-Qaeda is based, has strengthened the jihadist groups the US seeks to defeat.

Politically, US policy should be revised to demonstrate that America supports the Pashtun desire for a stronger position in relation to the Punjabi-dominated government in Islamabad.

The Pashtuns in FATA treasure their autonomy and do not like to be ruled by Islamabad. As a March 13th International Crisis Group report recognised, what they want is integration into the Pashtun North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

The US should support Pashtun demands to merge the NWFP and FATA, followed by the consolidation of those areas and Pashtun enclaves in Baluchistan and the Punjab into a single unified “Pashtunkhwa” province that enjoys the autonomy envisaged in the inoperative 1973 Pakistan constitution.

Instead of permitting Islamabad to administer the huge sums of US aid going into FATA, the Obama administration should condition the aid’s continuance on most of it being dispensed in conjunction with the NWFP provincial government.

Al-Qaeda and its “foreign fighters,” mostly Arab, depend on local support from the Taliban for their FATA sanctuary. Unlike al-Qaeda, with its global terrorist agenda, most of the Taliban factions focus on local objectives in Afghanistan and FATA; they do not pose a direct threat to the US. – (LA Times-Washington Post)

Selig Harrison is author of a recent report, Pakistan: the State of the Union , for the Centre for International Policy. A former Washington Post bureau chief in South Asia, he has written five books on the region

Anonymous said...

Punjab the Beman, the Big Fat Pig, Parasite Province of Pakistan.

Pakhtun People Zindabad.

Long Live Pakhtunkhwa.
Long Live Pakhtunkhwa.

Punjab the Beman, the Big Fat Pig, Parasite Province of Pakistan.

Anonymous said...

Pakhtun People Zindabad.
Pakhtun People Zindabad.
Pakhtun People Zindabad.


Pakistan MURDABAD.
Pakistan MURDABAD.
Pakistan MURDABAD.

Anonymous said...

Punjab the Beman, the Big Fat Pig, Parasite Province of Pakistan.

Pakhtun People of Pakistan Zindabad.
Pakhtun People of Pakistan Zindabad.
Pakhtun People of Pakistan Zindabad.

Long Live Pakhtunkhwa.
Long Live Pakhtunkhwa.
Long Live Pakhtunkhwa.

Punjab the Beman, the Big Fat Pig, Parasite Province of Pakistan.

Pakistan MURDABAD.
Pakistan MURDABAD.
Pakistan MURDABAD.

Punjab the Beman, the Big Fat Pig, Parasite Province of Pakistan.

Anonymous said...

Punjab the Beman, the Big Fat Pig, Parasite Province of Pakistan.

Balochi People of Pakistan Zindabad.
Balochi People of Pakistan Zindabad.
Balochi People of Pakistan Zindabad.

Long Live Balochistan.
Long Live Balochistan.
Long Live Balochistan.

Punjab the Beman, the Big Fat Pig, Parasite Province of Pakistan.

Pakistan MURDABAD.
Pakistan MURDABAD.
Pakistan MURDABAD.

Punjab the Beman, the Big Fat Pig, Parasite Province of Pakistan.

Anonymous said...

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Many, many times. You know it well. Every marketing guru has spoken about this topic. I’m sick of hearing it. But it STILL bears repeating.
www.onlineuniversalwork.com

Anonymous said...

Experts have talked about this before. How many times have you read about the importance of ‘adding value’ for your audience? How many times have you read about ‘building trust’ with your readers/prospects?
Many, many times. You know it well. Every marketing guru has spoken about this topic. I’m sick of hearing it. But it STILL bears repeating.
www.onlineuniversalwork.com