Archive for the ‘News’ Category
The Pakistani authorities negotiate,but only with militants!
The Government of Pakistan has several times released hosts of Taliban militants in the a variety of exchange pacts with militant outfits, but refuses to release or even produce before the courts 1,109 people missing or arrested in Baluchistan. Sounds strange, but that’s what Pakistan is all about.
The Baloch Liberation United Front (BLUF) had abducted John Solecki, the UNHCR Quetta Chief on February 2. The third deadline set by BLUF for the release of Solecki expired on March 19, without the Pakistani authorities taking any affirmative action. It’s surprising that the on March 6, the Pakistani authorities had claimed to have discovered where Solecki was held. Pakistani Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi declared that the security forces had surrounded the area and were attempting to secure the release of Solecki. However there was no follow up action or notification on the operation. In over 45 days since the kidnapping of Solecki, the Government has not indicated of any negotiations with the BLUF. Click to continue…
President Zardari is still in for some fight
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari might have lost the battle this time but he is showing no signs of relenting. Amidst hopes of a stronger Parliamentary system in Pakistan, President Zardari has continued with his political intrigues. In an effort to show that he is still the boss of PPP, President Zardari removed Sherry Rehman from the post of the Party’s Information Secretary. Sherry Rehman had resigned from her post as Information Minister of Pakistan on in protest of ban on Geo TV. She had clarified as early as February 27 that she would resign if the free media was assaulted in any way. However, her removal from the post of PPP’s Information Secretary came as price of her ‘disloyalty’ towards President Zardari. So President Zardari is still not in a mood to put up with political defiance.
In an even more surprising revelation, President Zardari is negotiating a deal with PML-Q to form coalition to stake a claim for the Punjab Assembly and then extend this partnership to the Center. The most obvious fall-out of this deal would be a change of P.M. in Pakistan. Gilani was a consensus candidate for the post of the P.M. when the PPP and PML-N had agreed on forming the coalition at the center. By supporting the PML-Q in Punjab, Zardari could inflict a political defeat on the PPP and replace P.M. Gilani with someone from the new coalition. However, for such a plan to materialize, the President Zardari will again have to tread through murky politics of much despised Ordinances. There is still much spin left in Pakistan’s domestic politics and only time will if President Zardari has accepted defeat or merely gathering momentum for the next round of confrontation.
Afghanistan and The Global Conference Bazaar
The situation in Afghanistan seems to have become a subject of real global concern. In a matter of less than two months, over five international conferences/summits have been devoted to discussing the Afghanistan crisis. Are such parallel and overlapping conferences justified when the scoio-economic situation in Afghanistan is going from bad to worse?
The agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Summit meeting for 2009 is Afghanistan. The NATO’s Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has been invited to attend the Summit scheduled for March 27. On March 31 an International Conference on Afghanistan is scheduled to be held in Hague. Over 70 countries and nine organizations including UN and NATO have been invited for the Conference and are expected to discuss vital issues of administration, security and future development in Afghanistan. The conference has been organized at the initiative of the U.S. but would be presided over by the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Iran’s participation in the conference has already created much news and is viewed by many as an ice-breaker in U.S. –Iran relations. The NATO Summit in Germany and France during April 3-4 is expected to be dominated by discussion on Afghanistan. The NATO Defense Ministers have already met in February and deliberated on the challenges in Afghanistan. Not to forget the special segment on “The Future of Alliance and Mission in Afghanistan” at the Munich Security Conference in February.
Hopefully this marathon of conferences will provide some tangible answers to the real problems facing Afghanistan and not be confined to mere diplomatic exchanges.
Pakistan celebrates while the judicial system in Swat crumbles
As Pakistan celebrated the restoration of deposed judges on March 17, another ominous development escaped popular attention. While the political independence of the judiciary was lauded across the country, the courts in Swat Valley of Pakistan have stopped functioning. Seven Qazis (religious leaders) appointed by Maulana Sufi Mohammad have taken over the task of rendering justice to the local population. Courts functioning under English law have no place under the recently coronated Sharia laws in the Swat Valley. The provincial government of NWFP had introduced the Sharia law in a recent peace deal with the Taliban militants. Not only the 362 members of the Swat Bar Association are faced with prospects of unemployment, the very edifice of Pakistan’s judicial paraphernalia is under threat. Sufi Mohammad proposes to establish Dar ul-Qaza or Islamic Supreme Court to appeal against the decisions of the Qazis. The great Sufi Mohammad’s ambitions have implication beyond the Swat Valley as he aspires to establish Islamic rule across the globe. Having won the political battle, Pakistan’s judiciary will now have to compete with a parallel system of religious justice. Will Pakistan ever manage to resolutely deal with its challenges?
March Madness Grips Pakistan
The current phase of political frenzy in Pakistan goes beyond the usual uncertainties associated with the country. Pakistan has witnessed opposition to Army rule or military takeover of civilian regimes, but never a popular uprising against a popularly elected Government. Who are the key players in this political drama and what’s motivating them?
Islamist Extremism: al Shabaab Recruits Somali Youth in America
The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a Hearing on March 11, 2009 on the evidence and implications that al Shabaab, an extremist Islamic group, was recruiting U.S. citizens for terrorist activities.
Al-Shabaab is a group of Somali Islamists operating in parts of Mogadishu and southern Somalia. Though the terror groups is not a direct threat to the U.S. its ability to recruit U.S. citizens for terror missions in Somalia emphasizes the dangers of homegrown terrorism in the U.S. Moreover, Al-Shabaab’s potential affiliation to the Al-Qaeda makes it a potent threat for the U.S. Young members of the Somali immigrant families living in Minneapolis have been exposed to the dangers of radicalization and many have left their homes to receive training in terror tactics. The threat is more immediate than what many would anticipate. There are confirmed reports that Shirwa Ahmed, U.S. citizen of Somali origin, was involved in a suicide bombing mission in Somalia in October 2008 killing 30 people. Senator Susan M. Collins succinctly points to the challenges confronting the U.S. in the wake of the recent al Shabaab recruitment drive: “Radicalized individuals trained in terror tactics and in possession of American passports can pose a threat to the security of the U.S.”
The F.B.I and National Counter-Terrorism Centre are devising strategies for dealing with the ensuing threat from al-shabaab. Nonetheless, the roots of the problem cannot be addressed through the official strategy of counter-terrorism. Abdirahman Mukhtar in his testimony before the Senate Committee elaborated on the issues of identity crisis, cultural conflict, economic challenges and language barrier faced by the Somali youth as possible factors preventing their assimilation with the mainstream American population. Complimenting the above views, Osman Ahmed, U.S. citizen of Somali descent, refers to the socio-psychological problems confronting his community in the U.S. The U.S. Government needs to evolve a holistic strategy moving beyond a purely politico-legal approach for countering spread of extremist within the national frontiers.
Who is Pakistan Marching For - Nawaz Sharif or Iftikhar Choudhry?
The lawyers protest march gets underway in Pakistan defying the ban by President Zardari’s Government. As political instability grips the country speculations of a military take-over are mounting. In the political drama of reinstating Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudhry, Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has succeeded in projecting President Zardari as the villain. But is Nawaz Sharif genuinely fighting to uphold the cause of democracy or is he merely fanning anti-Zardari sentiments to serve his political objectives? Much of the evidence supports the latter contention.
Indian Media Misguides Readers
The Indian media through most of last week was buzzing with reports that President Obama’s proposed Budget has increased military aid to Pakistan. The Economic Times reported on “Huge increases in US military aid to Pakistan”; The Hindu carried an article under the heading “U.S. to increase military aid to Pakistan and Afghanistan”; NDTV ran a commentary on “Obama proposes more military aid to Pakistan”; The Hindustan Times declared “Obama proposes more military aid to Pakistan.”
This news piece emerges from distortion of facts and leads to misinterpretation of President Obama’s policy in South Asia. If you Google the words ‘Obama, Budget, Pakistan, Funding’, in the search results no news agency barring the Indian media carries such assertions. If you get an opportunity to read President Obama’s proposed Budget, you will not find any references to ‘enhanced military aid to Pakistan’. The Budget proposes two complimentary strategies in South Asia, which have been be interpreted by the fancies of the Indian media to provide misleading information. Firstly, the Obama Administration proposes to increase non-military funding to Pakistan. In meeting the U.S. challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the President proposes to increase funding for governance, reconstruction, counter-narcotics and other development activities. Under the proposed scheme the number of U.S. civilian personnel in two countries would be increased. Secondly the Budget includes $75.5 billion in supplemental appropriations for 2009 and $ 130 billion for 2010 to support ongoing overseas contingency operations, including efforts in Afghanistan and drawing down troops from Iraq responsibly. Since Pakistan has been recognized as vital for ensuring regional security, it can be assumed that a portion of the supplemental appropriations could be provided for Pakistan; but this is an assumption and not a stated policy of the U.S.
India’s political class has for long viewed global politics through the prism of Pakistan, it’s sad that the media has compromised responsible journalism for assuming the mantel of Pakistan bashing. Pakistan has enough failings of its own, imaginary additions are simply unnecessary.
Amensty Qualified for BDR
As argued in BDR Munity the Government of Bangladesh announced that the incidence of revolt by the BDR personnel would fall under the preview of General Pardon. Any act of murder, looting, torture would be decided through the general laws of Bangladesh. This implies that BDR soldiers found guilty of the above mentioned crimes would face punishment; the declaration of amnesty during the crisis has been qualified by the P.M. An investigation into the incident headed by the Home Minister is underway and is expected to assess the grievances of the BDR and the incidence of mutiny. The future of several BDR personnel hinges on the investigation report due to be submitted by the Home Minister.
P.M. Hasina’s statement that the conspiracy still continues and everyone should remain alert, confirms the argument made in the previous post that the deeper concerns related to mutiny are yet to be resolved.