All Pakistani Politicians are Anti-Pakistan – Where is the Establishment and Youth forces ?

All Pakistani politicians are anti-Pakistan and working on foreign agenda; to break Pakistan into pieces. Before starting let me clear it ‘Pakistan will stay till the judgement day, dare not to work against him. History proves very one who worked against Pakistan gets death of a dog.’

28/8/2011 press conference raised many serious questions. One point of view, I already expressed earlier was that it was an excellent political shot played by President of Pakistan & Co-Chair person of Pakistan People’s Party. Mr. Mirza cleared that he informed everyone including senior leadership of his party; Pakistan People’s party and other security agencies including ISI.

His one press conference made him a instant hero on social media. Unfortunately, few know he’s also a-part of anti-Pakistan force.

He very clearly says We would have torn Pakistan in pieces and we have the capability to do that. So it’s very clear he’s not a pro-Pakistani. Watch this video “Zulfiqar Mirza Addressing, mainly a sindhi speaking crowd in Sindh” the address was in Sindhi Language.

The era of Altaf Hussain is Over?

It appears as if the era of Altaf Hussain as the party head of MQM is coming to an end. There were news of his alleged escape to South Africa and his subsequent arrest. There are news of his house arrest in London. There are news that the two suspects arrested in connection with the murder of Dr Imran Farooq have confessed that Altaf Hussain had ordered them to kill Dr Farooq. The British police do not appear to be in a political mode to hush up the murder investigations and, as such, to let off Altaf Hussain.

The hard-hitting media conference of Dr Zulfikar Mirza recently seems to be part of the impending change of command in MQM. There were news that Dr Imran Farooq was being supported from within and outside the party to regain control of the party’s militant wing that he used to head as the MQM’s Secy General in the good old days. Dr Mirza’s meetings with Afaq Ahmad of MQM Haqiqi were publicized in the media recently so much so that Dr Mirza was accused of having secured the support of Haqiqi in the killings of MQM activists in Karachi.

Every leader has a life cycle. So, it should not be a surprise if Altaf Hussain’s era comes to an end. He ruled the party for quarter of a century and did so quite effectively regardless of the ways and means that he used to hold on to power. But the transition is not likely to be smooth and free from internal strife and outside strings.

Dr Mirza’s titanic media conference can be construed to be part of the game plan to ‘hit the party when it is in trouble.’ His blitz appears to be well planned and well articulated. It was’nt an emotional outburst. He delivered the message that he or his mentors wanted him to do. Its repercussions are yet to be evaluated for now and the future for the MQM, PPP, ANP and the residents of Sindh.

There are people who believe that Dr Mirza’s media conference was planned to prevent army action in Sindh. Well, it could be a key reason. The MQM, ANP and the PPP had crossed the lines in the recent targeted killings in Karachi and pressure had been mounting on the army to act in aid of the law enforcement agencies to stop the ongoing massacre of the innocent lives. The Army Chief had been in the city in the past week to receive briefings on the situation. The armed forces cannot possibly wait indefinitely.

As far as I could figure out, Karachi needs an administrative solution. The city’s criminals have to be depoliticized. The law enforcement agencies have to act freely and fairly. The army will have no choice but to intervene if the law enforcement agencies fail to wipe out the criminals who are believed to be politically aligned. The best solution, in my view, lies in the strengthening of the law enforcement agencies to enable them to act without fear or favour in enforcing the law. There cannot be a political solution for the reason that there are conflicts of interests. Neither of the stakeholders is willing to give way to the other in controlling the land, weapons, and narcotics.

Lets pray and hope that sanity will prevail and the politicians will realize their moral and statutory responsibility to act in the best interests of the province of Sindh.

Mumtaz A. Piracha
Founder & Chairman
Good Governance Forum

EID MUBARAK TO ALL OUR READERS

Ramadan elevated our souls to glorious heights & at the end of it Allah swt has blessed us with Eid ul Fitr.

May this auspicious occasion of Eid bring unending blessings, happiness and peace for you, your family and the whole Muslim Ummah. May Allah grant us His blessings, give us strength to speak and stand the truth, bless us with wisdom and guide us to follow the right path. (AMEN)

Altaf Hussain’s (MQM Leader) Letter to Tony Blair, asking for ISI to be Disbanded

Below is a copy of the letter that MQM’s leader Altaf Hussain is said to have sent the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in 2001. In it he offers to provide on ground human intelligence and surveillance of madrassas and ‘fundamentalists’, among other things. One of his demands, other than being brought to power, is to have Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) disbanded.

 

Interview with a Spy: ‘Step into Pakistani Shoes’

Former CIA station chief asks his fellow Americans to understand Pakistani threat perceptions, frustrations.

By Huma Imtiaz – Express Tribune PK

In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune, the former top American spy in Islamabad said he understood Pakistan’s national security threats and the frustration felt by the country’ military leadership about not having a say over the drone strikes.
Grenier, who was posted as the CIA’s Islamabad station chief from 1999 to 2001, was present in the country during the World Trade Centre attacks on September 11, 2001. Describing the intelligence cooperation between Pakistan and the United States before 9/11 as “very limited”, Grenier says that after President Musharraf’s decision to ally with the United States, “the relationship with the intelligence agencies changed from virtually no cooperation to full co-operation, at least with respect to al Qaeda.”

In an interview last year, Grenier said he believed Pakistan did not know where Bin Laden was. Does he still stand by that statement, months after Bin Laden was discovered in Abbottabad? “My strong suspicion even now is that no one other than the close collaborators of Bin Laden knew that he was in Abbottabad. No one has apparently found any compelling evidence that there was any official knowledge on the part of Pakistan of Bin Laden’s whereabouts. I continue to believe that they were as surprised as anyone when he turned out to be hiding in Abbottabad.”

Bin Laden’s trail, says Grenier, went cold “essentially after he apparently escaped from the Tora Bora area around December of 2001. As I even said at the time, for all we knew, he could’ve been hiding in a small apartment somewhere in Karachi.” While Grenier declined to talk about details of the drone program that began under his watch, while he was head of the CIA Counterterrorism Centre in 2004, he offers his insights on the effects of the drone program.

“In the early days, the missile strikes seemed to be limited to the very senior cadre of al Qaeda. In more recent years, it appears that the targets of missile strikes have included much larger number of local fighters – Afghan and Pakistan fighters. It seems to me that it has become much more of a conventional weapon against militants as opposed to a very surgically employed tool against international terrorists.” Grenier seemed quite understanding of Pakistani frustrations about the programme, but also justified the US strategy behind them.

“Putting myself in the position of my former counterparts in Pakistan, it must be frustrating given the fact that the Pakistanis have to deal with the effect of these strikes, without really having any vote in terms of how these strikes are employed. The American point of view is that it is Pakistan’s responsibility to not let its territory to be used as a base for militants. Given the apparent inability of the Pakistanis to control the tribal areas, [US officials] feel great pressure to do something about it unilaterally.”

Grenier talks about the rifts in relations between the United States and Pakistan as a divergence of their national interests.
“The fundamental problem between the United States and Pakistan right now is that they don’t see their national interests as completely overlapping and in fact over time have been diverging. Pakistan is very concerned about the large US military presence in Afghanistan as a radicalising factor. The US, on the other hand, very much wants Pakistan to address this issue because it imposes a direct threat to US and NATO and Afghan forces. Politically, Pakistan is concerned about an essentially unfriendly government in Kabul with very close relations to India, an issue that the US is very reluctant to address.”

Grenier advises US policymakers to put themselves in their Pakistani counterparts’ shoes before making decisions about the region. He also asks Pakistanis to get more serious about the problem of militancy, which he says is not as dependent on the US presence in Afghanistan as many in Islamabad would like to believe. “Militancy within Pakistan is not going to go away and I think the drawdown of the US presence in Afghanistan is not going to cause that threat to diminish appreciably,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2011.

Three Arrested Over EX MQM Leader Imran Farooq’s Murder

The murder case of MQM convener Dr Imran Farooq is nearing its conclusion as the secret agencies nabbed three suspects in Pakistan some days back, while the British police conducted raids in London on Thursday. 

Khalid Shamim, who also belongs to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is said to be the mastermind of Dr Imran’s murder, and two other youth were reportedly arrested form Karachi a few days back. And presumably, taking action on the leads from the arrested suspects in Pakistan, the Scotland Yard Thursday conducted raids in London. Some 35 police officials participated in the operation wherein they seized documents and other items from a house and an office. However, no arrests were made in the raids as both the places had already been abandoned.

Sources revealed that Khalid Shamim was given the task of killing Dr Imran Farooq in London. He sought the help of a man named Hammad Siddiqi, who provided him two boys both of whom belonged to All Pakistan Muttahida Students Organisation. Khalid Shamim arranged student visas for both these boys. The two youth met an unidentified man in London who briefed them about the routine of Dr Imran, and they killed him near his house on September 16, 2010. After the murder, both the killers left for Colombo instead of coming to Pakistan. After reaching there, they contacted the mastermind Khalid Shamim, who advised them to reach Pakistan. A secret agency recorded all the conversation between Shamim and the killers and kept the former under strict watch. Shamim had also planned to murder both these boys as soon as they would reach Karachi.

The agencies arrested both the young killers when they reached Karachi from Colombo and shifted them to Rawalpindi whereas contacts were also made with the MQM for handing over Khalid Shamim. Meanwhile, President Zardari and Altaf Hussain also talked about this issue wherein the latter expressed his displeasure over the issue. A high profile official of the agencies contacted Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad for the arrest of Shamim after which the latter was arrested.

The killers were made to hear all the recording of their conversation wherein they had planned to murder Dr Imran Farooq. After hearing their own conversation, the accused themselves told the whole story to the agencies. Though Shamim presented all facts in different contexts, statements of all the three accused proved similar at the end. According to sources, UK investigative agencies and Scotland Yard had also contacted Pakistan intelligence agencies and asked for details but Pakistani agencies withheld the details.

To a question that whether the MQM activists are involved in Dr Imran Farooq’s murder, MQM leader Wasey Jalil refuted this notion and said they were waiting for details of the case. He said the Scotland Yard was investigating the case that could provide complete details in this regard.

Pakistanis Blaze A Train Despite Political Failures At Home

SPECIAL REPORT | http://www.PakNationalists.com

Pakistanis Blaze A Trail Despite Political Failures At Home

Twenty Pakistanis joining New York’s Hasidic Jews in a search for a missing boy, a Pakistani father restraining a whole community after a hate crime took his son in England, to a Pakistani policewoman helping the Timorese people; from Timor to MIT to New York City to Birmingham to Kathmandu, ordinary Pakistanis show they can keep the spirits high even when politicians back home create a mess out of what should have been a rising nation.

while Pakistani politicians make a mess out of their country, ordinary Pakistanis have shown in less than four weeks how they can rise above the bad news back home and establish a record for keeping the head high despite tough times.

On Tuesday, Dr. Umar Saif, a professor from Lahore University of Management Sciences [LUMS] in eastern Pakistan entered MIT Technology Review’s ‘World’s Top Young Innovators for the year 2011’. The MIT Technology Review (TR35) recognizes the world’s top 35 young innovators that are radically transforming technology as we know it, and this is the first time in a decade that a Pakistani has been recognized by TR35.

The honor means that Saif now joins an elite group of researchers and technologists including the likes of Google’s Seregy Brin and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

One of his pet tech projects is SMSall.pk; a Twitter-like service based on short text messaging that is spreading across Pakistan. “Political parties, media channels; everyone is signing up for it,” says Dr. Saif. SMSall.pk is Pakistan’s largest SMS social network and has sent close to 4 billion SMS for users in Pakistan.

Technologies developed by Saif’s research group and startups are used by millions of people in the developing world. One other notable technology his team developed is BitMate, which enhances the speed of Internet in the developing world using peer-to-peer technology.

Just as news of Dr. Saif’s honor spread in Pakistan on Tuesday, Pakistanis heard another good news: Pakistan squash team recorded a convincing 3/0 win over Austria in WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship at the Ahorn-Sport Park in the city of Paderborn, Germany.

The 23rd staging of the World Squash Federation event, the first senior world championship since the IOC announcement that Squash is on the shortlist for Olympic inclusion in 2020, is taking place in Germany for the first time. Seeded for the first time as low as 12th position in the history of the event, Pakistan squash players won all of their matches against 25/32 seeds Austria.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, Pakistan’s under-16 football team achieved a rare football title as the country’s young guns downed archrivals India 2-1 in the final of the under-16 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in Kathmandu, Nepal.

A few days earlier, during and after the worst riots in Britain in decades, which threatened to tear the social fabric of the country, Pakistanis and Britons of Pakistani heritage left a lasting impact for long term social harmony in the United Kingdom when a Pakistani-origin father, Tariq Jahan, rose above the murder of his son by members of a different ethnic group, restrained an entire community, and made an impassioned plea for peace and harmony that resonated across Britain.

And before that, the Hasidic Jewish community of New York City established a new relationship of trust with the city’s Pakistani community when hundreds of volunteers searching for a lost eight-year-old Hasidic Jewish boy were surprised and touched to see a group of 20 Pakistani men volunteering with the search to find the kid.

And the list won’t be complete without mentioning Officer Shahzadi Gulfam, the 2011 recipient of the International Female Police Peacekeeper Award. Originally belonging to Pakistan Police Service, she was loaned by the country to the United Nations Police [UNPOL] as a Team Leader as part of the UN Integrated Mission in Timore-Leste [UNMIT].

And so ordinary Pakistanis are keeping their country running even as the nation’s politicians, who sit atop a failed and violent democracy, run the country to the ground in one of the worst examples of a western-style democracy in a developing nation

Karachi, Solution Or Compromise

By Hamid Waheed – Opinion Maker

Karachi is the business hub of Pakistan but it has a long history of ethnic conflict, sectarian violence, land mafias and intra- and inter-party tensions. During the past 20 years, Karachi has seen many instances of violence and the disruption of civic life. Sectarian strife and easy availability of weapons were two factors that play a key role in this regard. After 9/11 Karachi has been one of the main target of the Al-Qaeda as it is the major and important transit point used by US military during War On Terror.

The presence of terrorist groups in Karachi in the grab of Afghan refugees have also been reported. Among these terrorist groups Sunni-Shia groups have been alleged of Sunni Shia violence in Karachi. Rehman Malik also said that the terrorism activities in Karachi especially the ashura blast were conducted by Lashkare Jhangvi (LJ). Sunni-Shia sectarian violence has killed as many as 4,000 people in the past 15 years in Pakistan. Present Karachi situation is also a product of the past ethnic violence between Pathan, Sindhi and Mohajar which has now converged to rogue groups within political parties. Some political parties are now also involved in sabotaging the situation and taking the benefit of the situation. Foreign secret agencies and RAW were also actively involved in Karachi carnage and ongoing wave of terrorism in Pakistan. Any outside player would take advantage of the situation provided by the domestic players.

If Karachi descends into violence, or becomes a centre for militants to regroup, the cost to the country can be immense. After analyzing the above circumstances the painful conclusion is that all internal as well as external elements have successfully penetrated the rouge elements within the political parties which are main stakeholders in Karachi. The first step required to handle this situation now revolves around purging out these mafias from political parties before we move to chop-off the foreign hand.
Most of the politicians, media and intellectual suggest political solution to problems in Karachi but their blanket suggestions do not specify by whom and How it will be done. We must understand that for whatever reasons Pakistan’s present politics does not fit anywhere near to the definition of politics “government of the people, for the people and by the people” the essence of true politics lie in the popular leadership having public confidence making popular decisions in public interest, or at times bitter decisions are also required in the larger national interest but not playing into the hands of the outside forces.

Interestingly the institution blamed the most for not letting politics grow due to long spells of dictatorship presently seem totally in supporting role of the government. A portion of media and politicians attribute all wrongs including electricity short fall on dictatorship. They may be right to some extend but now they have the opportunity and the Turkish model to rectify wrongs of the past. In Turkey the political setup proved that they can bring more strength and prosperity in institutions than was possible under military influence in past decades. The way forward for the political set up lies in crossing the limits of standard achieved previously and tells that they have the ability to manage institutions better. There is a need to strengthen and depoliticize the interior law enforcers. In these difficult times public is interested in present and their tomorrow; a road map which leads to somewhere.
Most of the directions shown to public lack implementation and the will of leadership, each day they see minor promises like load shedding schedules during Ramadan being flouted. There has been number of attempts to control law and order of Karachi through political means and each time it has ended into compromise. A compromise acts as a catalyst for the mafia involved in Karachi killing. This breather gives them more physical and psychological ascendency over the poor victims of Karachi. In such environment can there be a political solution is the question touching every heart.

The reality has shown that political stakes do not allow neat and clean arrangements for use of law enforcing instrument. Demand for use of army to solve Karachi problem does not indicate army’s expertise or resources to handle the situation but it’s their non-political inclination towards any political party. Despite wide criticism on army it still holds the public confidence to deliver at the time of crisis without favoritism to a particular class, creed and group of society.

Having said above there are two main solutions. The priority still remains with political solution having true political setup .A setup where leadership does not coerce but derives strength from public sentiments. The second option lies in administrative solution through security apparatus (police, ranger or army) but without any political interference / preference. The government needs to move fast to handle Karachi otherwise the power to choose any of the above solution under present circumstances will have to come through popular public demand. The public will not only have to take decision but also stand behind the implementers of their decision.

What so Special in Peshawer?

War Against or for Terrorism

By Hamid Waheed – Opinion Maker

The event of 9/11 proved a major shift in Pak US relationship which had gone from bad to worse after US left Pakistan in aftermath of Russian defeat in Afghanistan. Hillary Clinton Publically told American audience that Jehadi organizations were US creations for defeating Russia.

It was though easy for US sitting thousands of miles away to walk away and let Pakistan face the music and turn back in 2011 with a report “Country Reports on Terrorism 2010”’ published by United States Department of State .The report illustrates that coop b/w ALQ, Afghan and Pak-based militants was critical. The report discussed the danger posed by LeT and increased resource-sharing b/w ALQ & its Pak-based allies and associates i-e TTP and the Haqqani Network as a source of threat in South Asia. But it fails to speak the complete truth that LeT was created in 1984 at Kunar in Afghanistan by CIA and the fact that Pakistan has played its role in arrest of Lakhvi head of the hardliner faction in LeT after 26/11 at Mumbai. The report also does not mention the role played by JuD a welfare organization in Pakistan out of moderate group thus visibly reducing LeT’s potency.

The converging interests after 9/11 this time more in favor of US, Pakistan once again decided to help a friend. Pakistani leadership came out to reverse anti U.S sentiments and defeat terrorism by convincing public that partnership in war on terror (WOT) is in interest of both Nations. However this way forward could only move few paces when it was challenged by adverse international hands .The U.S was targeted from within by creating a silent divide between Pentagon, the government and CIA.

Media proved one of the major weapons, Western media and a group of American officials became part of a perception war on Pakistan, accusing it of double dealing in the war against terrorism, where as in reality on Afghanistan side there have been some mind boggling events which shows that Raymond Davis was not the start of a problem but was part of issues happening for quite some time. In April 2008 Amrullah Saleh, the head of Afghanistan’s intelligence service, told a parliament security committee that “coalition forces” intended to place weapons, ammunition and food at a police checkpoint in a remote section of the southern province of Zabul in late March, a coalition helicopter by mistake dropped somewhere far from the checkpoint.

Later the Taliban came and they picked it up,” Later Hamidullah Tukhi, a lawmaker from Zabul, told the security commission the weapons were placed 300 feet from the home of a Taliban commander named Mullah Mohammad Alam. He said the supply drop contained heavy machine guns, AK-47s, rockets and food. Lawmakers discussed the issue with President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Gen. Dan McNeill, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan. “I think Gen. McNeill himself said that it was a mistake, but I don’t believe it”.

Pakistan army fighting WOT in Swat, Malakand observed foreign hand supporting terrorists by training and arms supply to fight Pakistan army. Indian conciliates in Afghanistan near to Pakistan borders were suspected but few noticed a 46-page report by the GAO the non-partisan investigative arm of Congress which warned in Feb , 2009 that thousands of US weapons, including assault rifles and grenade launchers, may be in Taliban or Al-Qaeda hands in Afghanistan because of lax controls. The chairman of the House subcommittee on national security and foreign affairs, John Tierney, asked “What if we had to tell families not only why we are in Afghanistan, but why their son or daughter died at the hands of an insurgent using a weapon purchased by US taxpayers?” the Democrat told the hearing. Pakistan was thus confronted with CIA operating through outsourcing which knew no rules, ethics and principles. With time the initial statements of collation supporters in US state department and Pentagon started becoming hostage to perception war of CIA through media.

US journal terms 2010 a year of big success when over 18 senior al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders were confirmed killed through drone strikes. The drone strikes have increased anti-Americanism in Pakistan society and the region. The terrorists have used the collateral damage to maximize the environment and society to their benefit. Families of people killed in collateral damage become ideal nursery for suicide bombers. Pakistan Army fighting WOT under General Kayani had come a long way from low popularity level due to its political role to its present strength amongst the people of Pakistan. An international survey conducted to understand the FATA situation revealed that Pak military operation in tribal areas is now considered a step in the right direction.

The percentage of the people favoring military operation has been increasing from 16.7% in 2009 to 66.8% in 2010. However, despite public and official requests to US by political as well as military leadership of Pakistan to stop drone or provide them the technology the drone attacks continued. These attacks converged with western media campaign to malign Pakistan armed forces and its intelligence agency leading to increase in distrust. Despite such odds the professional media keeps showing true picture to the American audience. The Report of Aug 2011 by “The Bureau of Investigative Journalism” claims that after every four days there is one US drone strike. US drone attacks killed 775 civilians including 168 children.

Over all Bureau reports says some 2029 people have died in drone attacks since 2004. The report also declines a recent claim by President Obama saying that no civilians are being killed by drone attacks. (The host shows a clip of Obama’s administration’s top counter-terrorism official (John Burner) , claiming that “we don’t take action where children and women are present even if we know that terrorists are present in that area.) The Obama administration have labeled this report based on allegations and blame that one of its sources is Pakistani spy Mirza Shahzad Akbar. Chris Wood Bureau of Investigative Journalism explained all allegations during his interview. I quote

AMY GOODMAN: The criticism that’s been launched against your research is that one of the lawyers you’re working with, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, works for the ISI, as well, the Pakistani intelligence. Chris Woods, your response? CHRIS WOODS: I do find that an extraordinary attack. I have met Shahzad Akbar on a few occasions. He seems a very straight-down-the-line man. He’s, I think, the only lawyer in Pakistan trying to bring cases on behalf of civilians killed in CIA drone strikes. And, you know, even the CIA now say they’ve killed 50 civilians in Pakistan. Not a single compensation settlement has ever been made in relation to these drone strikes. And we suspect far more civilians have died. Mr. Akbar is being smeared as a possible agent of Pakistani intelligence. I think that’s unfortunate.

A retired Admiral Dennis Blair, President Barack Obama’s former director of national intelligence, declared that America’s drone campaign “is eroding our influence and damaging our ability to work with Pakistan.” The drone strikes in Pakistan are affecting U.S. popularity on the ground, according to the Pew Global Attitudes survey, the U.S. favorability rating—long battered by conspiracy theories and an anti-American media—hovers at about 12%. The perception war blurs and suppresses the voices of intelligentsia which believes in rule of law, Human rights and values. The super power which should be winning hearts and minds of world to maximize its peak life cycle is trapped into shortsighted unethical aims and tactical objectives.

The drone is a tactical weapon and has certainly given good results tactically to support coalition forces operation on their sides of the border. Historically, the drone strategies used by US are similar to French aerial bombardment in rural Algeria in the 1950s, and to the “air control” methods employed by the British in the Pakistani tribal areas in the 1920s. The resemblance is more with the recent 2005-2006 Somalian crisis against the forces of Islamic courts. The strikes though killed the militant targets but the public anger over US’s power usage solidified the power of extremists. This eventually led to Ethiopian military intervention giving rise to regional insurgency and offshore piracy. The security dynamics of the area remain complex having far future implications.

Society and environment remain the main area of concern both for LEA and Terrorists to shape up their future strategy. The solutions lie in looking for joint benefit and strategy for the coalition partners and pursue them under umbrella of confidence. This is a war of hearts and minds for peace around the globe. Are we looking to defeat the terrorist or terrorism remains a trillion dollar question.