Identity And Religious Conversion

By Tomichan Matheikal


Countercurrents.org

"We did not convert because we are poor. If I am poor but accepted by my community, there is no [social] terror in that poverty.... We did not convert for money. We converted because of the society that saw us as lesser, not worthy. We were 'lower caste', 'untouchable', 'lowly'. Now we are Christian. Our god wants us. We can walk into his temple. We are worthy. You understand?" [Spoken by a Dalit convert in Orissa. Quoted in Violent Gods by Angana P. Chatterji, Three Essays Collective, Gurgaon, 2009]

The driving force behind religious conversions is, more often than not, a desire to live a "worthy" life, to have an identity that one can be proud of. The caste system being practised even today in Hinduism, despite all governmental efforts to eradicate it, is a major cause of religious conversions in India. Poverty and attendant exploitation is also another cause. But it appears that poverty and exploitation are intertwined with the caste system.

The caste system in India was seen by Dr Ambedkar, principal author of India's Constitution, as the country's greatest evil since it treated millions of people as subhuman by the simple fact of their birth. The man who tried his best to replace the discriminatory caste system with an egalitarian society, the Buddha, ended up as yet another god among the millions of deities in India. His teachings were suppressed by the Brahmins who feared that their stranglehold on society would be undermined.

Orissa is a state in India which witnessed much terrible violence in the name of religion and religious conversions. The violence still continues.

The Sangh Parivar organisations are opposed to the alleged mass conversions into Christianity of Oriya adivasis (tribal people) and others belonging to the lower castes. Many acts of outrageous violence have been perpetrated on the Christians and thousands of them are displaced from their hometowns. The Hindutva organisations allege that Christian missionaries allure the poor people with money and other enticements. How much water does the allegation hold?

Angana P. Chatterji, from whose book the introductory quote has been taken, has done a commendable job researching into the violence in Orissa. According to her, the adivasis and other lower caste people of Orissa seldom considered themselves Hindus. In her words, "The Paika Bidroha of 1817-1825, the Kol insurrection of 1831-1832, the Kanika agitation of 1921-1922, the Praja Mandal (peasant) Movement of the 1930s and 1940s speak powerfully of Adivasi and subaltern refusal to submit to cultural colonialism and Brahminical imposition" (199). Even in the 1990s there were conflicts between the adivasis and the exponents of Hindutva including Lakshmanananda Saraswati (who claimed to be working for the welfare of the adivasis and the lower caste people of Orissa). For example, the RSS and Lakshmanananda Saraswati opposed the adivasis when they fought for indigenous child rights (359). These Hindutva leaders did not want the adivasis to be organised. They opposed the adivasi struggle for Kuidina (a state for themselves). They tried to suppress the Kandhamal Nari Jagaran Samiti and the Kuidina Ekta Samiti. "They (the RSS and Lakshmanananda Saraswati) are dangerous people," Chatterji quote some Kui people. "They want to kill our people like animals. They do not understand religious differences. They do not understand our connection to our land. We are neither Christians nor Hindus. We are Adivasi. We worship the Earth. There are Christian Kui's. The Mission [church] never forced us to convert. Not in Kandhamal, before or after 1947..." (359)

Chatterji exposes the myth that the adivasis considered or were eager to consider themselves Hindus. In May 2006, at a convention attended by about 50,000 adivasis, the Bisu Sendra Tribal Council, which serves the tribal communities in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa, determined to ban Hindu customs and rituals, representations and priests from Adivasi spiritual and religious ceremonies (96).

Not different is the case with the lower caste people. Caste oppression has been a bone of contention for long in Orissa as in other parts of India. In Orissa, says Chatterji, "Dalit students and teachers have been denied employment and entry into schools and community events, and Dalit community members have been assaulted for participating in Hindu religious ceremonies" (69). Chatterji lists a number of incidents to show the disaffection between the people belonging to the higher and lower castes. Such incidents led to the conversion into Buddhism of about 3000 Dalits in Dec 2006.

Poverty

Poverty also plays its role in this complex issue. Orissa is one of the most backward states in India. In the words of Ramachandra Guha, "In 1999 Orissa overtook - if that is the word - Bihar as India's poorest state" [India After Gandhi, Picador India, 2007, p.707]. The adivasis and the lower caste people were exploited economically in the attempts to set up various industries. The Utkal Alumina, which brought together Canadian and Norwegian firms with the Aditya Birla Group, led to the displacement of many adivasis from their land. 3000 acres of land cultivated by the adivasis was taken over by the Biju Janata Dal government and given to the industrialists. The same government also acquired land in Kalinganagar at much less than the market rate and handed it over to Tata Steel to build a factory processing iron ore for the Chinese market.

Apart from the capitalist industrialists are other exploiters such as the money-lenders who stand to benefit much by keeping the adivasis and the low caste people poor. All these exploitations have made Orissa a hotbed of Maoists. Christian missionaries also creep in with the intention of helping the poor and the downtrodden.

Solution

The solution seems to lie in two factors:

1. Put an end to the discriminatory caste system. This would engender a sense of respectability among the adivasis and the lower castes. Then there would be no need for religious conversion as a means of attaining respectability.

2. Give economic independence to the adivasis and the lower castes. This would put an end to the Maoist violence as well as the charm held out by poverty to Christian missionaries.

Canada close to inking nuclear deal with India: Day

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- Canada is poised to sign a deal with India to sell nuclear technology and materials to the energy-starved South Asian juggernaut, International Trade Minister Stockwell Day said Wednesday.

Stockwell Day appears on CTV's Canada AM Tuesday, April 28.

The pact will open up the lucrative Indian market to Canadian nuclear exports for the first time in more than three decades.

"We're very close to having an agreement with India related to the civilian use of nuclear energy for the purpose of helping them meet their energy needs," Day said in an interview.

A senior Indian diplomat told the Press Trust of India on Wednesday that negotiators are on the verge of finalizing the pact.

Shashishekhar M. Gavai, India's high commissioner to Canada, told the news agency that Canadian and Indian officials have already exchanged the draft agreement.

"An expert Canadian team was in Mumbai last week to work out, with the Atomic Energy Commission of India, final technical details and conditions under which business can be done," he said.

Gavai could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

In January, Crown-owned Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., signed a deal with Indian heavy engineering giant Larsen & Toubro to start costing out next-generation nuclear reactors -- the prelude to a possible sale.

That deal hinged on the governments of Canada and India signing a nuclear co-operation agreement.

Day said that bilateral deal is imminent.

"We're close. I don't like to put an hour and a day on it, but these are fairly complicated agreements and we're just about there," he said. "There's just a few items left."

Canada stopped nuclear co-operation with India in 1974 after its government used plutonium from a Canadian reactor to build an atomic bomb.

The international community lifted a three-decade ban on nuclear trade with India last September -- even though India still refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Some anti-nuclear activists worry India will stockpile domestic uranium for military weapons and use uranium imports for civilian purposes.

Canadian negotiators insisted India allow nuclear inspectors into civilian facilities, Day said. Under the deal, he said, Canadian nuclear exports cannot be used for military purposes.

Countries are lining up to sell to India -- which wants to build 25 to 30 new reactors in the coming years -- now that the moratorium has ended.

"The estimation is over the next 20 years, something like anywhere from $50 to $150 billion worth of civil nuclear energy needs are what we're looking at," Day said.

"So there's a great opportunity here for the Canadian industry."

On Tuesday, a senior executive from AECL told a Senate finance committee the Crown corporation is eyeing foreign markets for its next-generation ACR 1000 reactors.

Saskatchewan's Cameco Corp., is also poised to sell uranium to India.

But Canada and India must finalize a formal deal before any commercial deals are inked.

AECL's future hinges on a successful bid to build two nuclear reactors in Ontario and continued sales and maintenance work abroad.

The federally owned firm has partnered with four private-sector companies to bid on the Ontario deal. The consortium proposes to build two ACR-1000s -- a new and untried design.

The Conservative government gave AECL $135 million in this year's budget to help complete design work on the ACR 1000.

AECL is up against Areva Group of France and U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Co.

The province is expected to award the reactor contract this summer, though Ontario's energy minister has said the decision could be delayed.

AECL did not return calls for comment.

Fire At Vienna Exposes Ugly Realities Of Caste Discrimination In Punjab

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat


Countercurrents.org

Punjab is burning. The Dalits are at the street. The government is seeking peace and every one is amused why the Dalits have taken to the street. Some are amused as why attack on Sant Niranjan Dass, head of Dera Guru Ravidas Sachkhand Balan and death of Sant Ramanand could spark such violent protest in Punjab. Unfortunately, they forget to understand the first question itself as why such Deras face attack by the fundamentalist Sikh groups. Is it because these Deras have provided a glimpse of hope and identity to a massive Dalit population in Punjab? Is it also not true that these Deras are also giving the upper caste Sikhs a run for their money and power?

Problem is in our perception about Punjab as a casteless society where Sikhism grew. The fact is that inspite of great preaching in the Guru Granth Saheb and their own sacrifices, the leadership that emerged in Punjab is upper caste dominated feudal Sikhs. And they have used the Gurudwaras for their political purposes. The Dalits were just not wanted in these Gurudwars. After the Ravidasis and Majahabis also started creating their own temples, the problem started growing. The slogan of 'Guru Ravidas Mahraj ki Jai' reverberate in these Gurudwaras and perhaps that is considered to be a challenge to mainstream Sikhism. It's the question of identity. It is unfortunate that like Churches, Gurudwaras are also caste based. Once I happen to travel to Uganda and found that there was Gurudwaras for Ramdasis, for Jat Sikhs and for Ravidasis. It clearly means that despite converting to other religions and leaving your country, Indians are deeply rooted in their caste prejudices and have every power to demolish the powerful preaching of Gurus. When the preaching of the great people become issue of identity by their community people, the oppressed would also search for the similar identities and Punjab and elsewhere, the Dalit's quest for identity can not be negated and discounted. Interestingly, the 'experts' from Punjab rarely brought this facts out how the agrarian community of upper caste Sikhs in Punjab has developed deep rooted prejudices and contempt towards the Dalits and the marginalized.

Punjab, they say, represent India's pride, a state that changed us from a food importing country to a food sufficient country. Punjab, the state of green revolution, though many of us always questioned this. Yet, long back, I mentioned in one of my long notes that Punjab's green revolution actually strengthened the feudal values. Feudalism is not just enemy of egalitarian values but thoroughly against nature and environment. Today, the beautiful land of Punjab have no water ( water level has depleted) and the mustered field have been replaced for cash crops and big wedding points and shopping malls which show the 'growth' rate of Punjab.

While none can condone the violence and burning of trains, the fact is, this incident in Vienna has happened at a time when we are still analyzing our poll results. Our national and international media suggested that India is now looking forward for a 'progressive' government, and that the current verdict was against 'regionalism', and casteism. Paradoxically, just a few days back, in the review committee meeting of World Conference Against Racism and Xenophobia, the international agencies, civil society organizations, governments failed to address the issue of caste. Despite much hype created in Durban about the discrimination based on caste, the government of India ensured that nothing happens on this front.

But then old habits die hard. Those, whose lives have been based on purity of castes, do not really change even when they go abroad. Those who believe in superiority of a particular race do not change even staying in countries where they enjoy freedom and civil liberties. Two most important and visible communities of India in abroad are from Gujarat and Punjab. Both these states are supposed to be growing with a growth rate more than our central figures. Both these states are fantastic for 'investors' and are providing 'stable' governments yet they are far behind the national figure of male female ratio. While the Muslims in Gujarat are still far boycotted and Dalits completely on the margins in the absence of a popular Dalit movement there, in Punjab the situation is different. Sikhism was actually a way of life which revolted against the caste hierarchies. Guru Granth Saheb is perhaps the only holy book where you have 'sabad' and kirtans of different Sufi Saints including Kabir, Ravidas, Dadu, Nanak and Jaisi. Yet, like every other revolution, the Sikkhism itself became victim of the hierarchical system as the Jats hijacked the social justice agenda of Sikhism. The agenda then turned to Sikh identity ignoring the demands and assertions of the Dalits, mostly the Majhabis and Ravidasis.

Punjab has the highest percentage of Dalit population (27%) and yet despite good economic changes, Dalits are discriminated by the Jats in not only Punjab but elsewhere. Unfortunately, in the name of minority rights, these Jaat Sikhs gets away with everything and turn violent. None of us can forget the case of Baant Singh, a Majahabi Sikh, whose hands and legs were chopped off by the powerful Jats because he objected to molestation of his daughter and raised the voice against discrimination in the Manasa region of Punjab. Ironically, Punjab did not burn then.

I have been involved in a similar fight for the Dalit rights in the Uttarakhand state's Tarai where over 150 families of landless Dalits have not been able to get their land rights for over last twenty year despite favorable verdict from every court of the country including Supreme Court. Even when the Lokayukta of Uttarakhand found that contempt of the court verdict has been made by the authorities. The land grab by this powerful Jat Sikhs in the Tarai belt is well known to be described here. And who are the victims; it is predominantly the Dalits and tribal. The Tharus and Boxas are still tilling their own land as bonded labour. The Akalis and all the political parties actually tried to raise the issue of discrimination against Sikhs but the same time forget when they themselves discriminate against some one else.

The massacre in Vienna, as some Austrian papers wrote, is the sign of dirty side of Indian social system. Despite our government and intellectual hiding their misdeeds, caste is a reality in this country and Dalits at the receiving end. It is not therefore strange that the reports coming from Vienna blame the Ravidasis for 'denigrating' the Guru Granth Saheb. To justify a murder we make statement. Every fundamentalist create a situation to ensure that his viewpoint look rational. A dynamic way of life like Sikkhism could easily become victim of the caste hierarchies reflect that the Indians as a society become a follower of a person not because of his or her ideals but because of the birth based identity. Therefore, we end up respecting the person for being one among us and 'preaching' certain gospel and doing miracles in their names. A revolutionary therefore is brahmanised and converted into a money minting machine for the greedy leaders who make big business in the name of religion. This is true about every one. Religion has become the biggest threat to world peace and the sooner people understand the thugs doing business in the name, the better for the world peace. A revolutionary like Bhagat Singh, who wrote against religion and caste and had the courage to shave off his beard and hair, thus become symbol of 'Jaat' 'pride or simply ' Chhora Jaat da'. When such things happen the Dalits would automatically opt for Udham Singh, a martyr who died for the cause of the country. Obviously, the mischief makers will create such divide based on caste for their own purposes leaving people fight. That unfortunately happened in Vienna.

That Sikkhism in Punjab is closely associated with power politics particularly as Akalies have used the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee ( SGPC) for their own purposes. The Gurudwaras help them control the sentiments of Sikh community. It is rare that this SGPC could ever come out against the caste based violence and caste system. If the caste based love affair meet with the worst form of action from the 'grieved' parents, it reflect to the very idea of society that exist in Punjab and how they inherit it elsewhere. The number of 'honored killing' or what could be suggested as 'shameless killing' by the Indian Diaspora, predominantly the Sikhs from Punjab reflects the ugly side of our growth pattern. Growth in term of economy can not really make a country great. Punjab's caste discrimination actually reflect its ugly side that despite all this hoopla about Punjabiat, there is a darker side often hidden by our media and intellectuals.

There is no doubt about the fact the Sikhism was initially meant to demolish the caste system and idol worshipping. Guru Nanak's message was universal and none can deny the important role that Gurudwaras played in social mobilization. It is an example. There is also little doubt that Punjab was better off then many other states in India in terms of violence against the Dalits. There was no brahmanical hegemony and Sikhism itself is a great way of life. But Punjab's problem started with mixing of Sikhism with political agenda by various political parties. When SGPC become a part to control minds of people, then one can imagine the condition of the society.

One would have imagined that powerful movements like that of Nanak's would have demolished the caste structure in Punjab. But contrary to that spirit, the caste discrimination grew because of feudal values. Punjab's prosperity is because of the Dalit labour work harder in Punjab. The influence of Sufism in Punjab was tremendous and finding caste discrimination rampant the Majhabis and Ravidasis started their Deras and sects. And today the number of these Deras are over 300 in entire state.

Punjab's Dalits mostly wanted to fight a religious battle through religiosity. Revolutionary Sufi saint Ravidas wrote " Paradhinata paap hai, jaan lehu re meet, ravidas das pradhin se kaun karre hai preet' meaning, please understand that enslavement is sin, Saint Ravidas says,who loves an enslaved person. Now such a person who talks of freedom. He says that those who studied Vedas were called Pandits ( Knowledgeable) and those who make your shoes were called Chamars. How can you divide one human race into so many caste and Varnas?

Ravidas attacked the brahmanical system and the Dalits in Punjab got liberation in his spiritual values. Many of the Ravidasis shifted to Europe and America and have actually followed the same pattern as the SGPC and other upper caste Sikhs in Punjab. When money floats a lot and not much to work, you only develop empty institutions for the purpose of religious change. Punjab's religious sects are more spiritual in nature and have rarely helped the Dalits to get out of the Hindu varna fold. And therefore, the Dalits gets agitated on the issues when the religious leaders face threat or attacked which is absolutely right, yet the same people do not get agitated when their rights are not honored, when their daughters are discriminated and molested. It is the question one has to address.

I always wonder why Chamars, one of the most enlightened communities among the Dalits could get political wisdom in Uttar-Pradesh yet remain on the margin in Punjab despite better economic status. The answer was clear that in Uttar-Pradesh, despite poverty, they embraced Ambedkar's methods of fighting a battle politically. In Punjab, it is still a spiritual battle for getting recognition. It is still the concentration of one sect and one cult and without much social change. The focus there have been more on more institutions, temples, charitable causes a clear pattern of the Sikhism which always believed in charity. Ofcourse, charity do not grant you right and in fact some time takes them away from you. Hence the issue of Punjab's Dalit's identity can not really get resolved through controlling Gurudwaras but in more enlightened political battle.

In the morning, I spoke to a friend in Punjab. I thought he was much agitated on the issue but then found that he did not belong to the same sect and hence he was not very happy with current turn of events. Punjab's Dalits are powerful enough to give the powerful people a run for their money. Economic changes have given them a lot of things but they will have to understand that they will only be helping the status quoists if they do not raise their issues on a broader political front. Just using the spiritual battle will take you nowhere. One can understand that as long as the Jaat Sikhs will have their leadership from the powerful SGPC, the Deras will continue to provide alternative to Dalits. The incidents in Vienna are not isolated. It is basically to control the Sikh mind. Such incidents are not happening suddenly. Prejudices are being played by the political masterminds.

Not many years ago we saw the incidents to control Gurudwara in Talhan, in Jullandhar. As the Dalit's assertion will try to match the upper caste power in Punjab, these issues will continue to threaten peace and harmony. The upper caste Sikhs seems to be deeply concern of the growing power of the Ravidasis and Majahabis, particularly those living abroad. The control is coming through the NRI money and therefore it is important for them to teach a lesson. Charges are leveled against Ravidasis that they disrespect the Gurugranth Saheb. It is absolutely false as I have attended their congregations in Punjab and found them extremely well versed in the Granth Saheb and respecting it. It is another matter that they recite the verses of Ravi Das also and there is nothing wrong in that. However, the real fear of those who disagree with the Ravidasis is their cry and matching power with the upper caste Sikhs. Like the statues of Ravidas Maharaj in the Gurudwara is a matter of heart burn for many of the upper caste Sikhs but then why should they have a problem with that. If you do not allow them to your Gurudwaras and if the Churas and Chamars (Punjabi Dalit writer Balbir Madhopuri's autobiography clearly mention how the upper Caste Gurudwaras discriminated against the Dalits) continue to be treated like animals and discriminated against then these Deras would always provide them a strength. The Sikh leadership which predominantly hails from the upper caste background need to start a process of reconciliation and it will not work by calling a meeting of the upper caste parties. Punjab's problem is the increasing gap between the Sikhs and the Dalit Sikhs. The Sikh leadership has failed to realize this issue and became equally brahmanical in nature therefore ignoring the vast interests of the Dalits in Punjab. Punjab's Dalit need sharing in power and respect at every forum. Such threat as emerged from Vienna which tried to eliminate the spiritual leadership of Dalit will only anger them and create a further wage between the two communities which will end in clashes and fragile peace in Punjab, perhaps more dangerous than what we saw in the height of violence in Punjab in 1980s.

U.S., UN Officials Urge Crackdown On Afghan Drug Lords, Corrupt Officials

By Ron Synovitz

An farmer checks poppy fields in Kandahar in April 2009.

From the Pentagon to the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime, there appears to be growing recognition that Afghanistan's counternarcotics strategy is failing.




Military and civilian officials admit they have focused too much on destroying opium fields without offering enough support to Afghan farmers who switch to legal crops.




They say it is time to crack down on the handful of powerful drug lords who have made Afghanistan the source for 90 percent of the world's illegal opium, spreading instability along the way.




In testimony to the U.S. Senate this week, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen said the international community is losing the battle against opium production in Afghanistan. Mullen said foreign forces in Afghanistan need to do more than simply fight Taliban militants who are paid by criminal groups to protect opium crops.




Mullen said it is time to "go after" a handful of powerful drug lords who control trafficking and smuggling networks out of Afghanistan. Ultimately, Mullen said, Afghan farmers need security and support to make the transition to legal alternative crops.




"With respect to the narcotics -- the threat that is there -- it is very clearly funding the insurgency. We know that, and strategically, my view is that it has to be eliminated," Mullen said. "We have had almost no success in the last seven or eight years doing that, including this year's efforts, because we are unable to put viable livelihood in behind any kind of eradication."




William Byrd, a World Bank adviser who has spent years documenting Afghanistan's slide toward becoming a narco-state, told RFE/RL he thinks counternarcotics operations have focused too much on impoverished opium farmers and not enough on the drug lords who control the business -- or corrupt Afghan officials who take bribes to help them.




"The lessons that have been learned from analysis of opium poppy and field work is that basically, this crop thrives in an insecure environment," Byrd said. "The danger with the drug industry is not associated particularly with individual farmers growing the opium. It is with the large amounts of money and the risk of high-level corruption and insecurity that is associated with the drug industry."




Cross-Border Problem




The head of the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, also has described opium-poppy eradication in southern Afghanistan as a failure. Costa was quoted by "The Guardian" newspaper as saying that manual eradication efforts in Afghanistan are "incompetent and inefficient."




Costa also said the UNODC wants to see "more efforts to stop the flow of drugs across Afghanistan's borders and the hitting of high-value targets to create a market disruption."




Costa suggested that a crackdown on drug lords and smuggling would create an enormous opium surplus inside Afghanistan -- causing the price to fall so much that it would no longer be worthwhile for farmers to produce the drug.




But that plan could be more difficult to implement than failed eradication efforts. When Costa recently visited a border checkpoint between Iran and the western Afghan province of Herat, a commander there told him drug smugglers are much better armed than Afghan border guards.




Iran has started to build ditches and walls along its side of the border with Afghanistan in a bid to contain smugglers.




But Afghanistan lacks the resources to undertake similar projects -- leaving huge gaps between border controls. Meanwhile, bureaucratic infighting between ministries in Kabul has delayed the start of joint Iranian-Afghan border patrols.




Paul Burton, director of policy at the International Council on Security and Development, said Costa's "interesting" idea to drive down the market price of opium in Afghanistan with a flood of drugs shows how bad the situation has become.




"You need to contextualize any statements of that nature within the failed efforts, really, of the last seven or eight years to make any dent whatsoever on the amount of opium being produced," Burton said. "Current eradication-based operations have been a universal failure. With a real paucity of alternatives out there, organizations such as the UNODC are kind of pushed into a corner, and this is the kind of non-policy that they are being forced to consider."




Deep Rot




Joanna Nathan, a Kabul-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, said the wrong approach has been taken not just on fighting the illegal drug trade -- but even on the way the problem is measured.




"There has been far too much emphasis on cultivation as the measure of success or [failure]," Nathan said. "There has got to be a far greater focus on facilitation and trafficking, but many of those areas and personalities that are currently being sited for getting cultivation down in their particular area may still be involved in the facilitation and trafficking, which is what as a far greater ultimate effect at this stage in Afghanistan."




Nathan suggested that Kabul lacks the political will to crackdown on some 15-20 drug lords because some Afghan officials have business ties to smugglers, insurgent groups, and various militia.




"The corruption from such a massive illegal trade eats away at every level of the state," Nathan said. "This is the great effect on the fledgling Afghan state: You have people embedded -- often at the very heart of [the illegal drug trade] -- that actually are against the spread of the rule of law [because of] their illegal business activities."




Afghan President Hamid Karzai has admitted that corruption is rampant in Afghanistan -- even within his own cabinet.




Last summer, former senior U.S. antidrug official Thomas Schweich accused Karzai of protecting drug lords in Afghanistan for political reasons. But the U.S. government has continued to support Karzai despite those allegations -- saying Karzai has shown "through word and deed" that he is working to improve the plight of Afghanistan and its people.

Fallouts of Indian transit trade

Khalid Khokhar




It is a matter of great historic event to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to begin talks on a transit trade agreement that had been thrown in the backburners since 1965. On May 6, 2009, Pakistan, Afghanistan and US have reached an important milestone, binding the two governments to finalize a trade agreement by the end of the year to generate foreign investment, stronger economic growth and trade opportunities. In the trilateral summit between President Barack Obama, President Zardari and President Karzai, 'Pakistan and Afghanistan are stated as conjoined twins. The three democratic states enjoined in the history of democracy are looking forward to working together.




The three countries discussed on concrete initiatives to; (a) expand economic opportunities and trade, (b) bolster the agricultural sector as an essential source of revenue and jobs, (c) adopt measures to help build the industrial sector in Pakistan, (d) create more jobs and opportunities for people, (e) nurture democracies in the respective countries and (f) devise measures to improve joint cooperation on security, women and girls rights, etc.




So far, so good. Pakistan wants enhancement of the bilateral trade with Afghanistan but the real problem cropped up when the transit trade agreement would ultimately allow India to use the Wagah-Khyber route for trade with Kabul. The business community associated with Pak-Afghan Transit Trade launched a strong resentment because they fear that if trade between India and Kabul via Pakistan is allowed, then it will have following fallouts: (a) Pakistan's transportation sector would be affected as India would use its own transport. (b) There is no import duty on the Indian goods, where as Afghan government has imposed 18 per cent import duty on the Pakistani goods. This discriminatory policies on part of the Afghan government, has plummeted the trade to $400 million from $2 billion in the last three years. (c) Allowing India to use Wagha-Khyber transit route would render the remaining industrial units closed. The export of Indian goods through Wagha would cost India less and these duty-free goods would be smuggled back to Pakistan. Earlier China, Korea and Japan used to export their goods to Afghanistan, however, due to long distance they pay high transportation charges. Pakistan would like to see their territory to be used as a transit route to export natural gas, industrial goods, etc., but Pakistan would like that the trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan should be on equality basis, like the Afghan government should provide the same facilities, which were being provided by the Pakistani government. Pakistani goods should be given access into the markets of the central Asian states.




Why do you think US is pushing for a trade route for India through Wagha? Is it only to further Indian interests? The US was seriously looking for an alternate route for NATO supplies which currently are shipped to Karachi and reach Afghanistan by road. The US has hinted to ship the cargo to Mumbai from where India would avail a direct land transport route to Afghanistan via Pakistan. The US is also working on the possibility of shipping the containers to Iran as aid to Afghanistan. The consequences for Pakistan would be that the country will lose a considerable leverage over the US. India would be more than happy to pay the transit fee because if they get this corridor then Pakistan can not maintain its traditional edge over Afghanistan in future. Moreso, this corridor would be a big blow to Pakistan's economy because India would then go an extra mile and give more subsidy to exports to Afghanistan.




The Afghan Transit Trade Agreement-1965 (ATTA) specifies the port, route, transport modes and customs transit procedures. After 9/11 the world witnessed a major paradigm shift - fighting communism to combating terrorism. Ever since, this region became the epic-centre of extremist activities. In this changing scenario, the trade transit agreement-1965 failed to deliver due to the transformation of economic, infrastructural and geo-political conditions in the region. The transit trade agreement-2009, is an effort to develop sustainable economic growth of the region. For India, the need for finding energy markets is more imperative than ever. India's gas demand will almost double by 2015, and due to sharp decline of its reserves it will be forced to import increasing amounts of gas. The Central Asian region with its rich resources of energy (oil and gas), enormous mineral resources, and a large consumer market is of geo-strategic importance to India. India as an extended neighbour of CARs has major geostrategic and economic interests in this region.




India needed the Afghanistan link to maintain its contacts with the Central Asian states. It did maintain some links with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan through its links with the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan. Post-9/11, the US operation in Afghanistan against the Taliban government and the presence of a friendly government in Afghanistan have certainly provided an important opportunity to India to re-establish and consolidate its influence in that country and in the Central Asian Republics. In this connection, Indian efforts have been to infiltrate all sectors in Afghanistan, to make them dependent on Indian support, thus making Afghanistan a launching pad for its influence in the Central Asian States. Geopolitical proximity coupled with commonness of the religion, and commercial acumen, placed Pakistan in a position to take a series of initiatives in Central Asia. Pakistan would like to see their territory used as a transit route to export natural gas to India. This would not only guarantee a source of income but also increase stability in the region. The gas pipeline via Pakistan is "a win-win proposition for India and Pakistan" that could serve as a durable confidence-building measure, creating strong economic links and business partnerships among neighbouring countries. India and Pakistan have now agreed to work together on Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) pipeline project being extended to the Indian border. India and Pakistan had successfully held four rounds of composite dialogue, touching all subjects of discord and were to begin the fifth round. However, the talks were disrupted by the Mumbai attacks in late November. India turned down Pakistan's suggestion of resuming dialogue, and started following the policy of isolating Pakistan internationally.




It is hoped that both sides would revert back to the dialogue process in the larger interest of peace and stability in the region. Ever since the partition of the Indo-Pak sub-continent, the Indian Government has devised a well-deliberated and thoroughly researched strategy to gain transit access via Pakistan territory to CARs and Afghanistan. The Indian desire is fraught with risks, because India has been extending all out subversive support to fan the fire of dissenting movements in FATA, Balochistan, NWFP Province, Northern Area, etc. It is on record that the weapons recovered from the renege terrorists were of Indian make and design. The Indian operatives have opened more than 40 terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, which are engaged in military training to the rebel miscreants. In addition to this, India has set-up 13 Special propaganda centres in Afghanistan with the prime objective to disturb peace in Balochistan and hamper construction of Gwadar port.




When the Chinese began the Gwadar port, the Indians began to help Iranians construct the Chabahar port accessible for Indian imports and exports, with road links to Afghanistan and Central Asia. India is helping build a 200-kilometre road that will connect Chabahar with Afghanistan. The Indians are now trying to accomplish an air base in Tajikistan so as to capture market in CARs. A lot of ground needs to be prepared before the Indian long-time objective of gaining a transit trade route via Pakistani territory (Wagha) to Afghanistan, can be materialized.

Draconian laws, delete them

By Dr. Mookhi Amir Ali

Dr. Binayak Sen will now be out on bail but not without celebrating the second anniversary of his needless detention. He was detained under Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Under these laws a person can be detained for flimsy reasons with no provision of bail. This is not the only law in our book which can be used by the government to harass a citizen who is inconvenient to them.

Dr Binayak in addition to being a good and benevolent doctor is a conscientious human rights activist who was blowing whistles on Chhattisgarh government sponsored Salwa Judum's illegal killings of innocent tribals. The incarceration which the doctor has suffered was the "reward" the government of Chhattisgarh was giving him for his aggressive activism. Salwa Judum, whose misdeeds Dr. Sen was fighting against, has received strong disapproval of the Supreme Court of India.

Another recent instance of misuse of a bad law is the slapping of National Security Act on Varun Gandhi by the UP government. The Chief Election Commissioner had already recommended FIRs against his hate-speech and the law was already taking its course. Even a layman would guess that the NSA was slapped against him with mala fide intention of the state government to harass him and to keep him out of action during the pre-election days.

Such misuse of the draconian laws in our country is so extensive that one is inclined to believe that these laws are enacted as instruments of harassment and vendetta.

After every terror attacks young men are rounded up indiscriminately. They are locked up, tortured, humiliated for days and days and released after police finds no evidence against them. After bomb blasts in Mecca Masjid at Hyderabad in 2007, 75 young men were rounded up, detained illegally and tortured. When the case was handed over to CBI, within hours of interrogation the agency found the arrests of 43 persons unnecessary and released them. The remaining were acquitted by courts towards the end of 2008. The case remained unsolved. The Home minister P. Chidambaram has stated in a matter of fact manner that Mecca case has now become cold. No wonder that most of the terror cases have remained unsolved and gone cold. A whopping 98 per cent of those arrested under stringent unconstitutional laws have had no case against them which can stand in the courts of law. It is as if the administration or the police knowingly arrested the wrong persons in order to shield the real culprits.

A thirty three year old software engineer Sadiq Shaikh was arrested on 24th September 2008. The crime branch booked him under Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act [MCOCA] for his alleged involvement in 11 July 2006 Mumbai train blasts. He was robbed of his liberty till ATS [Anti Terror Squad] took over the case and found no evidence against him. He was released this month. Like this Sadiq Shaikh many a young men were arrested in connection with this train blasts. They faced torture and humiliation. The Government of Maharashtra was mute spectator when anti-social elements threatened the legal fraternity of Mumbai against providing legal assistance to the detainees. Ultimately no evidence against these young detainees was found. The train blasts case remained unsolved and will be remembered as one more case of misuse of a draconian law and a case going cold.

Maulana Abdul Nasser Madani who has founded a secular political party in Kerala had spent 10 years in jail for alleged involvement in Coimbatore blasts in 1998, till he was acquitted of all charges against him. He spent only 4 years less than a life term. For no reason.

The draconian POTA was used by the Gujarat government to keep numerous persons in jail without bail accusing them of conspiracy to torch the train at Godhra station. The detainee's right to liberty was in abeyance for seven years till Supreme Court ruled that there was no case for booking them under POTA at all.

Following the Mumbai terror attack on 26/11, the Government of India was so rattled and came under so much MCOCA pressure from the NDA opposition that only after a debate of less than one full day it passed draconian amendments to the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act [UAPA], which not only incorporated all the nefarious provisions of the infamous POTA and MCOCA, but also gave a new dimension to the age old universal maxim of "innocent till found guilty". Under the amended UAPA, a court is barred from granting bail to an accused unless it finds the accused prima facie innocent. In other words the accused has to be treated as guilty unless an evidence of his innocence is convincingly presented. This is in contravention of Supreme Court's direction that granting of bail should be the norm and its rejection an exception. As if this was not draconian enough the NDA wanted the confession made to the investigating agency admissible as evidence. No need to mention here that most confessions made to the investigating agencies are under duress or torture.

The opinions of two big names on this amendment to UAPA act deserve mention. Soli Sorabjee called the provisions of the amendment "constitutionally vulnerable" and "inconsistent with the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights [ICCPR]." Lord Meghnad Desai has called this amendment blatant violation of human rights. He said, "The law just passed by the Indian Parliament is unlikely to survive a PIL that challenges its violation of human rights."

So, there are bad laws in our statute-book. As long as there are laws which can be misused they will be misused. The bad laws are bad. They trample upon our human rights. They overturn many constitutional principles. As the Chief Justice of India puts it, there are legislators who have no patience with the human laws to tackle terrorism. They don't want to be tied down by the human rights considerations. It is the duty of the legal community -in which the Chief Justice includes judiciary- to see that the constitutional principles are not diluted and the unconstitutional laws are protested against. The legal fraternity in India should establish a mechanism by which what is not constitutionally correct does not creep into our law-books and if it has crept in, efforts should be made to repeal it. There should be a body of legal experts - a sort of legal ombudsman- who keeps a watch on the legislations passed in the parliament. If any act is found to be constitutionally vulnerable, as Soli Sorabjee puts it, or is not consistent with Human Rights or any International covenant, the ombudsman should appeal to the legislative body to withdraw the bill or the act. The legal fraternity should stop bad laws from being enacted or from being notified and fight to scrap such laws from the book with the help of the courts.

An excellent amendment to the Section 41 of the Criminal Procedure Act was passed by the parliament early this year. Under this the freedom to the police to arrest a person for a crime punishable by less than 7 years imprisonment was curbed. The Police would arrest a person only if he fails to respond to a notice to present himself at the station. In short the amendment obviated the necessity of an arrest and therefore the necessity of a bail. The Chief Justice of India endorsed this pro-people act and to emphasize this endorsement he made a startling statement that sixty percent of the arrests made in India are needless. The legal fraternity of Delhi came down on the street protesting against this law. Of course they had their argument. They marched to the parliament, blocked roads and even resorted to hunger-strike forcing the government to defer the notification of the act.

If the legal fraternity and the Delhi High Court Bar Association can stop this amendment to Section 41 of the Criminal Procedure Act from being notified why can't they protest against the anti-people draconian laws being enacted or being misused? Why can't we revise our books to get rid of laws which violate human rights and right to liberty?

Winning the hearts and minds of Pakistan’s displaced

Internally displaced people, fleeing a military offensive in the Swat valley, congregate in a camp run by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Swabi district, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of Pakistan's capital Islamabad May 26, 2009. U.S.-based Human rights Watch said Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of Pakistani civilians trapped by an offensive against the Taliban in Swat were facing a humanitarian catastrophe. (Faisal Mahmood/Reuters)

Opinion: The military must be made to understand the importance of protecting non-combatants.

By Samina Ahmed - Special to GlobalPost


Published: May 26, 2009 15:07 ET


Updated: May 26, 2009 19:50 ET

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Winning hearts and minds is decisive in any counter-insurgency operation. As hundreds of thousands of displaced persons flee fighting in Swat, Buner and Dir districts in Pakistan, this single truth should drive the response by the Pakistani state and the international community. In short, how those people are treated will decide if the insurgency-hit zones are saved or lost to the Taliban.

There is urgent need for international assistance. The numbers of displaced from these three areas of Malakand division, combined with others from the Northwest Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, now total over a million. The government's resources are severely strained. Without assistance, the Islamist groups will fill the gap, hoping to radicalize the disaffected, particularly the youth. There is some evidence this is already happening.

Those fleeing the conflict zone have to find their own way to safety. In the absence of official support, private transport providers are fleecing them, while others, who are unable to find transport or cannot afford it, are walking long distances to safety. The most vulnerable among them - children and the elderly - are more likely to succumb to disease in overcrowded displacement camps. Food, clean water, health facilities and other support are all in short supply. U.N. agencies are working overtime but are in urgent need of support.

A large number of the displaced have chosen to live with host families, in rented accommodation or in officially provided shelters such as schools. What they need is cash, not food supplies. Emergency relief in the shape of cash vouchers has been effective in other humanitarian disasters, and while this kind of assistance should be monitored, of course, too much red tape could defeat the purpose of the exercise. Speed of delivery trumps other concerns at the moment.

Even more worrying, the military in Malakand is using heavy artillery, helicopter gunships and jet fighters, which will inevitably result in civilian casualties. Unfortunately, we do not know how many civilians have been killed because there is virtually no civilian oversight of the operation and no independent verification. No media are present, and communication links have been cut.

Still, we have enough information to know that non-combatants in the conflict zones are without power and have dwindling supplies of food and water. Hospitals are without staff or supplies.

It is absolutely essential that the military is made to understand the importance of protecting non-combatants. They must ensure humanitarian relief agencies are provided access, and they must guarantee basic services and supplies, particularly medical assistance, are delivered to the conflict zones. The media too must be given access and provided the security they need to operate in the areas where military operations are ongoing.

The military high command are already showing signs they would like to take over relief operations, but it is essential that humanitarian aid, as well as rehabilitation and reconstruction, are kept out of their hands. Civilians understand civilian needs far better than the military, and such efforts will also help to strengthen the legitimacy of civilian institutions and government in Pakistan's still fragile democratic transition.

For its part, the elected government in Islamabad must also plan ahead from humanitarian relief to post-conflict development, and international donors should do the same. When the fighting stops, they must repair destroyed infrastructure, reconstruct schools and hospitals and rebuild homes for those returning. An economy that has been devastated by violence will also have to be rebuilt, and again, the sooner people feel that start to happen, the more resistant they will be to extremist overtures.

However, the state's ability to provide security against the Taliban and other violent extremists will, in the coming months, be as important - perhaps even more so - than the delivery of basic services such as health and education. The people of Malakand division are understandably sKeptical of the military's willingness and ability to deal decisively with the militant jihadis.

Past operations in Malakand and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas have been halted halfway and followed by peace deals that handed over entire swathes of the region to militant control. This time around, the military insists that the operation will not end until the militants are flushed out of Malakand.

But ousting them only to see them find sanctuary in other parts of Pakistan is not the answer. Instead, the Taliban should be held accountable in Pakistan's courts for their brutal actions, including murder and rape. The government must publicly rescind the now moribund peace deal with the Taliban, which imposed Shariah on a population that had, in the 2008 elections, voted for secular democracy. It must also end, once and for all, the culture of impunity that has only empowered violent extremists at the cost of Pakistan's moderate majority.

Samina Ahmed is South Asia Project Director of the International Crisis Group.

Our N-dilemma

Rabia Akhtar




Pakistan has always been criticised on nuclear proliferation. President Asif Ali Zardari spoke on the prospects of a "non-nuclear treaty" in South Asia. India proposed an "international convention for complete prohibition of the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. President Obama, in his speech in Prague on April 5 vowed a renewed commitment to nuclear disarmament. There are those, who are applauding global initiatives and forgetting Pakistan's contribution to initiatives on non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament in South Asia.




Pakistan's efforts in the field of peaceful civilian nuclear energy started with the creation of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in 1956. In 1957 it supported Ireland's proposal for the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The proposal was adopted by UN General Assembly in 1965. Following the creation of the IAEA in 1957, Pakistan voluntarily submitted its civilian nuclear facilities for international inspections in 1959. After having proposed the idea of a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in South Asia in 1972, Pakistan floated a formal proposal for the establishment of the zone in 1974 after India conducted its first nuclear test. During the decade of 1960s leading up to the Indian PNE of 1974, Pakistan had been warning the international community of Indian diversion of nuclear fuel from the Canadian-supplied civilian nuclear reactor to India.




The Pakistani proposal, presented in the General Assembly in 1974, resulted in Resolution 3265, which endorsed the creation of the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in South Asia.




Pakistan has always pursued the idea of nuclear non-proliferation aggressively at the international and regional levels because it understood that solutions to its security dilemma could only be found in a region where India abandoned its ambitions of nuclear hegemony. Therefore, the goal of nuclear disarmament, which was global, and a regime of nuclear non-proliferation, which was universal, had little appeal for Pakistan as a state which was threatened by its immediate neighbour.




At the 11th anniversary of nuclearisation in South Asia, when India proudly recalls Rajiv Gandhi's Plan of Action for "a world free of nuclear weapons"--at the heart of which was the commitment to eliminate all nuclear weapons in three stages by 2010 (as proposed by Rajiv Gandhi in 1988)--Pakistan would only want India to commit to a Strategic Restraint Regime in South Asia, to a Nuclear Risk Reduction Measures in South Asia, and to its commitment to letter and spirit and not through hedged "first strike" options as enshrined in its doctrine. It should also commit to "minimum" deterrence posture and to upholding its moratorium on nuclear testing. At the same time, it should commit to a ballistic missile defence free zone in South Asia. It is not a story of the past 11 years of nuclearisation, but of our entire history, which has been full of wars, conflicts, crises and misperceptions. India's continuous refusal to accept Pakistan-led proposals and initiatives on non-proliferation, arms-control and disarmament at various international and regional forums has been sufficient to create the atmosphere of distrust between the two states. The international community should ask India to move away from its rhetorical position on disarmament and genuinely pursue Pakistan's proposal on a strategic restraint regime for long-lasting strategic stability in South Asia.




The writer heads the department of defence and diplomatic studies at Fatima Jinnah Women's University, Rawalpindi. Email: rabiakhter@gmail.com

In Loving Memory of Capt. Omerzeb (Shaheed) – A brave soldier, an obedient son, a caring brother and a loving fiancé!

Many of us never knew personally Captain Omerzeb and his comrades who laid down their lives. However these chaps will always have a special place. We may be silent and not able to express our thoughts eloquently but that will not diminish the highest regards we have for these men of honor. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of this special breed.

Blow out, you bugles, over the rich dead!


There's none of these so lonely and poor of old,


But, dying has made us rarer gifts than gold.


These laid the world away; poured out the red


Sweet wine of youth; gave up the years to be


Of work and joy, and that unhoped serene


That men call age; and those who would have been,


Their sons, they gave their immortality.

Blow, bugles, blow! They brought us, for our dearth,


Holiness, lacked so long, and Love, and Pain.


Honor has come back, as a king, to earth


And paid his subjects with a royal wage;


And nobleness walks in our ways again;


And we have come into our heritage.'

Since the operation against militants began in April last month, over 1,100 militants had been killed and over 60 soldiers had been martyred so far. Yet I never felt the pain of those dying in the name of their country's sovereignty against terrorism so excruciating as the martyrdom of my sister's fiancé.

He was only 24 years old, a month older to me and he was very smart and handsome boy. He loved my sister and she loved him and we all loved him just as much as his own family loved him. He was engaged to my younger sister and they were looking forward to getting married by next year.

On 11th of May, 2009, he was deployed to Lower Dir as part of the Operation 'Rah-e-Rast' against Militants in Swat and near-by areas. He left from Rawalpindi and we all prayed for him. We never knew he was leaving forever. Let me narrate to you what happened just 10 hours before he embraced martyrdom - we Muslims call 'Shahadat'

It was mid-night - the beginning of the painful 21st May, 2009. He called up my sister and wished her a very happy birthday. The 21st of May was the day when 23 years ago my younger sister came into this world. He sang to her 'birthday song' in 6 different languages, he gave her his prayers and told her how bad he feels for not being there with her on her birthday.

He was in Lower Dir and she was here with us in Rawalpindi. She said to him, "I wish you were here on my birthday. I wish I could have celebrated my birthday with you." And he replied, "Do you want me to come over? Should I come over to Rawalpindi in the morning and we celebrate your birthday together?" She said, yes, please, please do."

He did come over on her birthday but not the way we wanted him to come over. He didn't come to her walking on his feet, holding a bouquet in his hands just the way he promised to her last night. Instead, he came on the shoulders of sad soldiers in a box we call a martyr's coffin! He had been martyred on the 21st of May, 2009 - The very day my sister came into this world, he left this world forever - On my sister's birthday!

I received a call at around 11:30 in the morning, I was in Islamabad. It was my ill-fated sister and she was crying like a mad woman. She was literally screaming in the phone so I couldn't understand what she was trying to tell me. I heard something like a blast in Lower Dir, a strip running on a TV channel showing my sister's fiancé's name among the martyred. She was hysterical. She wanted me home right away.

I left in panic, I kept praying the news I just heard was false. It took me an hour to reach home from Islamabad to Rawalpindi. I was met with screams of my sister who was out of control of almost everyone. She wasn't accepting the fact that her love has left her on her birthday. She kept screaming, "You guys are lying to me. He is not dead. He cannot leave me. He promised me to celebrate 93 birthdays with me. This was our first. He can't leave me on our (her) first birthday, he promised me 93 birthdays together."

I couldn't see her like this; I had broken down into tears. My mother was half-living half-dead. We all left for his house. What I saw there, I cannot narrate in words. His mother was still, tears in her eyes, she hugged me and the first thing she said was, "Hold on to your sister, she will die. Take care of her." I was looking at her. This was the mother of a brave soldier, a soldier who was our loved one, but a soldier who came home on his love's birthday but not the way any member of his family or mine would have ever imagined or wanted him back.

Even if I want to tell you what my family on the whole and specifically my younger sister is going through, I won't be able to because there are no words to put down my pain, my family's loss, his family's sufferings and most of all my sister's desolation. Two families were destroyed when one soldier died. 14 hearts wept dry of blood when one heart stopped beating on the 21st of May. All sacrifices in the name of a peaceful, safe, terrorism-free country.

Capt. Omerzeb, like many soldiers sacrificed his life for the greater good of his nation but is the nation even thankful to those families who have been left scarred for life. When sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers die every other day while fighting the militants, how many people in our nation pray for their safety, their long lives, their safe return? They know that when they are sitting in the comforts of their homes, it is these brave men fighting on the borders for them to have that sense of security and comfort.

My heart breaks every time I see my younger sister who has not regained herself so far. Who wakes up in the middle of the night and weeps like a child, who hasn't eaten in 24 hours, and whose eyes have swollen dry of tears that have drained her off completely. I wish this fight against the militants come to an end soon. Till now every time a soldier died, we thought we felt the pain but no, we couldn't. Nobody can until your loved one goes away when you are least expecting. Now, I can truly say I know what a martyr's family goes through when their beloved leaves them forever.

May his soul rest in peace, may all those soldiers who have given their lives for this noble cause, for their country rest in peace. Most of all, the families who have lost their sons, their brothers, their husbands and their fathers, may God give them strength, patience, and peace of heart. I post this true story of a distraught family, of my family, of my loss, of my younger sister's anguish to pay tribute to the brave Capt. Omerzeb for his valor and all the love that he gave us in whatever little time we spent with him. God bless us all!

Taliban Calls For A Timeout, Are Ignored

May 26, 2009: As the Pakistani army advanced into the Swat valley, they found thousands of Taliban prepared to fight. The terrorists had built bunkers and set up roadside bombs. As the army moved up the valley, armed civilians in many towns turned on small contingents of Taliban and drove them out. In some larger towns, especially in northern Swat, the local militias are getting hammered by the Taliban. Many of the Taliban concentrated in the largest city in the valley, Mongora. There, the Taliban made themselves even more unpopular by using landmines. The Taliban mines are used indiscriminately, and thus will claim many civilian victims over the next year or so until all are found and cleared. So far, the fighting with the Taliban has left at least 1,100 Taliban, and about a hundred soldiers and police dead.

South of Swat, the army is moving more troops up for an advance into Waziristan, the main source of Taliban support in the tribal territories.

Over 2.5 million people have fled their homes to avoid the fighting with the Taliban in the tribal territories (in Swat and adjacent districts). They are not just fleeing the fighting, but also Taliban recruiting and fund raising efforts. The Taliban have been demanding that each family supply one man (or teenager) armed with a gun, plus a contribution of about a thousand dollars. Most families cannot, or do not, want to comply. These refugees are expected to be homeless for months. The fighting, and Taliban activities in general, have crippled the economy in the tribal territories, and reduced the incomes for most families. Some of these refugees want to leave the tribal territories, but police are stopping them from entering Sind to Punjab, the lowland provinces where 80 percent of Pakistanis live. The lowlanders believe tribal territory refugees will form communities that will provide cover and support for criminals and terrorists. There are some 200,000 Afghan refugees (from the 1980s war) still living in Sind and Punjab, and are often involved in criminal and terrorist operations. There are still three million Afghans living in Pakistan, and they are often pro-Taliban. The lowland Pakistanis are largely united against the Taliban now, even though many of the lowlanders are Islamic conservatives. At the moment, there are 4-5,000 armed Taliban opposing over 50,000 troops and police in Swat and surrounding areas. Some small groups of Taliban are crossing into Punjab, but there are quickly identified and confronted by troops or police.

May 25, 2009: In Mingora, Pakistani troops are fighting about 300 Taliban defending deserted buildings in the city center. It's expected to take a week or so to clear all the Taliban out of the city. Meanwhile, the Taliban have announced a ceasefire in Swat, but the army has ignored this. The Taliban cannot stand up to troops, especially in urban areas. The Taliban fighters are largely untrained country folk who are far deadlier out in the hills. The Taliban leaders do not want to give the order to flee back to the mountains, as this would be an admission of defeat, and a major symbolic defeat. But the Taliban fighters are heading for the hills. The Pushtun warriors who supply most of the Taliban manpower, customarily flee from a more powerful enemy. It's an old tradition, which has kept many of the tribes from being exterminated during centuries of constant fighting and feuding.

May 24, 2009: Pakistani troops are fighting block by block in Mingora, the largest city in Swat. About ten percent (about 20,000 people) of the population stayed in Mingora, and are trying to stay out of the way of the fighting. There appear to be no more than 1,500 Taliban in the city, and the army is surrounding the place to make sure the terrorists don't get away.

In Austria, Sikh extremists attacked and killed one of two visiting Sikh clerics, who were conducting religious services for followers. There are about 3,000 Sikhs living in Austria. About two percent of Indians are Sikhs, an offshoot of Hinduism that mandates all adult males wear a turban and take the last name "Singh" (Lion). The Austrian violence was over the use of caste among Sikhs. Many Sikhs believe caste is not relevant, but the dozen or so attackers in Austria belong to a faction that believes caste is still important. In northwest India, where most Sikhs live, there were riots in response to the Austrian violence.

Police in eastern India found and shot dead two Maoist leaders.

May 21, 2009: In western India (Maharashtra state) sixteen police were killed when they were ambushed by Maoist rebels.

May 20, 2009: Pakistani police have been alerted to look out for seven al Qaeda leaders who have fled Iraq and are believed to be in Pakistan. The terrorists are trying to resume their attacks in Pakistan, in cooperation with the Taliban. The Iraqi terrorists have money, and are looking for weapons and recruits. Police, at check points, are arresting foreigners who appear to be headed for Swat (to join the Taliban.)

10,000 men protecting N-assets: official

By Kamran Yousaf

'The intent clearly appears to be mala fide,' he said. 'It does not make sense for anyone to continue to harp on this despite having understanding of how Pakistan does its work,' said the Air Commodore. - APP photo

ISLAMABAD: A senior official of the country's premier defence nuclear establishment has said that a large force of nearly 10,000 people is in place to ensure security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal and western fears about the safety of the weapons are unfounded.

Air Commodore Khalid Banuri, who is director of arms control and disarmament affairs at the Strategic Plans Division (SPD), said that Pakistan's 'command and control structure' for the weapons was better than that of many other nuclear states, and many countries and their experts had officially acknowledged this.

In a rare interview with DawnNews, Air Commodore Banuri described as 'preposterous' western media reports that Pakistan's nuclear weapons might fall into wrong hands - terrorists or other non-state actors. 'The intent clearly appears to be mala fide,' he said. 'It does not make sense for anyone to continue to harp on this despite having understanding of how Pakistan does its work.'

He said: 'We have taken stringent measures which are legislative, institutional, procedural and administrative. We have ensured all aspects of nuclear capability.'

Elaborating, he said that a large force of highly trained and professional people - in fact over 10,000 people were looking after the security of the nuclear assets.

Answering a question, Air Commodore Banuri said Pakistan constantly maintained contact with a number of states on the nuclear issue.

'We have interaction with several countries, including the US, EU and Japan, and the IAEA. What we have with the US, this is clearly known…. Our interaction with the US is based on the two basic principles, non-intrusiveness and our right to pick and choose.' However, he made it clear that such interactions did not mean that Pakistan had granted access to anyone to its nuclear assets.

DawnNews TV will air a special report titled 'Who's afraid of the bomb' at 3.30pm on Thursday, and the detailed interview of Air Commodore Khalid Banuri at 11.30pm on Friday.

Taking out Pak nukes

By Irfan Asghar | Published: May 28, 2009

On May 14,Fox News reported that the US has got a comprehensive plan to infiltrate into Pakistan and secure its nuclear arsenal if there appeared any possibility of the country falling under the control of Taliban. Reportedly the operation would be conducted by Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) - a component unit of the Special Operations Command, which got its birth on Dec 15, 1980 in the wake of the failure of Operation Eagle Claw and has got a history of conducting highly classified operations.

Besides hunting down terrorists in Afghanistan, the JSOC is said to have got another important mission of securing Pakistan's nukes. What followed hard on the heels of this news was a report by the analysts of the Institute for Science and International security (ISIS) that Pakistan is expanding nuclear sites as part of the effort to bolster the destructive power of its atomic arsenal. Satellite photos have also been issued to give credence to this claim. Moreover, the ISIS says that as Pakistan army is waging a war against Taliban militants in the northwest, so the security of its nuclear assets remains in question.

If we have a non-partisan approach and candid analysis of the situation, it comes out loud and clear that all this is a part of the game to create panic, horrify the international community about Pak nukes and translate the heinous objectives of encroaching the nuclear sovereignty of Pakistan into reality. But this is a fantastic scheme. Pak nukes are not placed in open air under any shed without any custody that JSOC will come into action and take control of them. They have been secretly protected. Despite making efforts to monitor the whereabouts, the US intelligence agencies cannot for the life of them trace all the sites of the storage of nukes in Pakistan. This has also been conceded by the CIA director Leon Panetha that the US does not know the location of all of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. Most importantly, a fully vigilant army is there to safeguard nukes, and foil any mischevious attempt in this regard.

Interestingly, the US intelligence agencies have not got any impressive record of doing things. They badly failed to pre-empt the 9/11; they are running around in circles to capture Osama bin Laden and they have failed to track down the links of terrorists. It is a stupidity of the highest order to think that JSOC and US intelligence agencies, which have failed to control the nuclear program of Iran at its infancy stage, will be capable enough to undo the nuclear sovereignty of Pakistan-a fully fledged nuclear state. If wishes were horses, beggars might ride. To expect from US intelligence agencies, which are writhing with embarrassment after repeated failures to change the regimes in Iran and North Korea, that they will locate Pakistan's nuclear sites and enable the JSOC to carry out operation is chimerical. Where was the JSOC, when North Korea on different pretexts at various periods of time violated the US-sponsored nuclear disablement agreements and carried out missile experiments.

America is facing stark failure in Afghanistan. Where is the JSOC? Why it has failed to exterminate the Taliban factor, when the US soldiers are obliged to commit suicides out of failure and frustration. The New York Times has reported that Taliban are using US manufactured arms against American troops. Why the JSOC and intelligence agencies have failed to preempt the leakage of arms from Afghan forces to the Taliban.

The point of fact is that the US is entirely baffled at this time and acting out of desperation. The glaring example of this is that it is blowing hot and cold nowadays. Even the US president does not seem to have thinking of his own and is parroting the line of anti-Pakistan lobbies. The writer suggests the US officials that they should stop worrying about Pak nukes and start taking care of their own country which is faltering, in a precarious condition and approaching the inevitable fate of collapse. As far as Pak nukes are concerned, Pak army is fully equipped and bright eyed in the context of putting the extremists to rout and securing its nuclear arsenal. The spectacular example is the ongoing operation in Pakistan. Pakistan army is getting success in the field in which the US-led NATO forces have miserably failed to achieve anything worthwhile.

The US media, international institutes and so-called pundits or analysts have got a track record of creating hype, laying it on thick and raising ulterior speculations about sensitive issues to cater to the needs of certain powerful lobbies. Pakistan is a country of 170 million enthusiastic people and 620,000 strongly professional army, having the wherewithal to forestall the unholy objectives of its rival lobbies and forces.

The writer is a foreign affairs analyst


E-mail: irfanasghar99@yahoo.com

Pakistan: The Swat Offensive After One Month

A Pakistani internally displaced youth at a makeshift camp in Swabi on May 26

TARIQ MAHMOOD/AFP/Getty Images

Summary

Pakistan's military offensive against the Taliban has been in progress for one month. Military forces have begun intense fighting in Mingora, the Swat district headquarters, but are facing logistical challenges from the millions of internally displaced people. The military will encounter difficulties expanding its operations in South Waziristan, if the government chooses to conduct an all-out assault on the locations of jihadists.

Analysis

May 26 marks one month since Operation Rahi-i-Rast (Straight Path) was launched by the Pakistani army to retake the greater Swat region from Taliban militants. Over the weekend, the battle for regaining control of Swat district headquarters Mingora began, and intense house-to-house fighting continues inside the city. Troops are reportedly in control of several areas of the city, which explains why Tehrik-i-Taliban Swat spokesman Muslim Khan told media that the jihadists had been asked by Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah to fall back.

While Pakistani forces have had limited success in Mingora, given the Taliban move to regroup, they are still facing stiff resistance from fighters who remain holed up in the city, according to army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. Abbas added that it would be another 7 to 10 days before the military can clear Mingora. The commander of Peshawar-based XIth Corps, Lt. Gen. Muhammad Masood Aslam, has said that escape routes have been sealed and has demanded the unconditional surrender of Taliban forces. The key challenge for Pakistani security forces on the battleground is to prevent the escape of Taliban fighters, whose modus operandi is to escape into the countryside to fight another day. However, there are many who desire to die as martyrs, which is why the surrender call will not be successful, and such fighters are digging into their strongholds in Mingora for an intense fight.

In previous military operations in Swat, the Taliban fighters have been able to flee the battle zone only to return once the army withdrew. The terrain makes it extremely difficult to ensure a high degree of success in preventing Taliban fighters from escaping.

Elsewhere, the army claims that 90 percent of Buner has been cleared where there has been relaxation in the curfew during the daytime. The situation in Dir and Shagla, however, continues to remain in flux where there are certain areas in which curfew has been relaxed but other areas continue to be under Taliban control.

In order to restore local administrative and security structures in the cleared areas, the government has cut the training short of both police officials at the academy in Hangu and several district management group civil servants and is dispatching them to the Swat region in order to restore local governance. It will be a major challenge to bring back those governmental structures at the grassroots level because the Taliban took advantage of the vacuum to take over the region. Pakistan's efforts to rebuild governmental organizations that will be able to withstand the Taliban's attempts to return after the dust settles will also be difficult, especially since police with limited training will be particularly vulnerable to jihadist guerillas and suicide bombers. What this means is that the army will have to stay in the area for a considerable period of time.

Meanwhile, the army has begun limited operations in the much tougher jihadist environment of South Waziristan, which is the logical outcome of the emerging broad-based political will in Islamabad that the offensive should not stop with the Swat region but also should hit Waziristan and other troublesome areas. The timing of such an operation will depend on resources. The army likely is gradually building up an assault on the tribal region similar to what took place in the greater Swat region where it first moved into Buner and Dir and then made its way into Swat. A key difficulty in opening a second front is Pakistan does not have the troops available both to maintain a permanent presence and to fight the other battles it needs because of its deployment on the eastern border with India.

For now, however, the government has its hands full with the some 2.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) 'a crisis much bigger than the offensive itself. An indicator of the magnitude of the problem posed by refugees fleeing from the war zones in the greater Swat region can be assessed by the United States move to provide assistance in terms of supplies (tents, air conditioners, power generators, etc.) to house the IDPs. Expanding the sphere of the offensive means the number of refugees will increase further, a very large pool of disaffected people who could become a support base for the Taliban.

Therefore, success for Islamabad is not just in terms of clearing and holding territories but also dealing with the humanitarian crisis.

Indian Risky Proliferation

By Sajjad Shaukat | Published: May 27, 2009

Although since 9/11, the US-led western countries have been strengthening their counter-terrorism cooperation against the common threat of nuclear proliferation, posed by terrorist organizations, yet in the recent past, setting aside India, they have only focused Pakistan as the main danger in this regard.

On April 21 this year, an American think tanks' report warned: "if Talibanisation of Pakistan continues at the current pace, Pakistan's nuclear programme and the "illicit transfer of the material pose a unique threat."

Notably, by manipulating Taliban's advances in Buner, US media and high officials misperceived that Pakistan could be overtaken by these extremists who could also possess atomic weapons. In this connection, on April 22, US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton clearly remarked that atomic weapons of Pakistan could fall into the hands of terrorists. Recently, although the President Barrack Obama admitted that nuclear assets of Pakistan are safe, yet he clarified that America had all options open. On the other side, Pakistan's successful military operations which flushed the Taliban out of Buner and Dir exposed the real designs of the US and Europe which only distort the image of Islamabad in relation to nuclear proliferation. In this context, Pakistan's military and civil leadership has repeatedly been assuring that nuclear assets of the country are under tight security.

It is mentionable that on September 25, 2008, Obama had pledged that if elected he would encourage India and Pakistan to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and resolve the Kashmir problem to reduce nuclear dangers in South Asia. But he has deviated from his earlier commitments.

Nevertheless, double standard of Washington shows that it totally ignores India on the question of nuclear proliferation as its sole aim is to de-nuclearise Pakistan which is the only atomic power in the Islamic World. Now let us know as to who is the real nuclear proliferator.

In July 1998, India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seized eight kg. of nuclear material from Arun, an engineer in Chennai including two other engineers. It was reported that the uranium was stolen from an atomic research center. The case still remains pending. On November 7, 2000, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicated that Indian police had seized 57 pounds of uranium and arrested two men for illicit trafficking of radioactive material. IAEA said that Indian civil nuclear facilities were vulnerable to thefts.

On January 26, 2003, CNN disclosed that Indian company, NEC Engineers Private Ltd. shipped 10 consignments to Iraq, containing highly sensitive equipment including titanium vessels and centrifugal pumps. Indian investigators acknowledged that the company falsified customs documents to get its shipments out of India.

In 2004, when the issue of international nuclear black market came to surface, Pakistani nuclear scientist, Dr. A.Q. Khan was only blamed by America and other European states for proliferation activities by ignoring the western nationals and especially those of India. While in February, same year, India's Ambassador to Libya, Dinkar Srivastava revealed that New Delhi was investigating that retired Indian scientists could possibly be engaged in "high technology programs" in the employ of the Libyan government for financial gains.

On June 12, 2004, Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation (BNC), an American company was fined US $ 300,000 for exporting a nuclear component to the Bhaba Atomic Research Center in India.

In December 2005, United States imposed sanctions on two Indian firms for selling missile goods and chemical arms material to Iran in violation of India's commitment to prevent proliferation. In the same year, Indian scientists, Dr. Surendar and Y S R Prasad had been blacklisted by the US due to their involvement in nuclear theft. In December, 2006, a container packed with radioactive material had been stolen from an Indian fortified research atomic facility near Mumbai.

Nevertheless, in connivance with the officials, proliferation of nuclear components and their related-material has continued intermittently by the Indians.


Surprisingly, despite nuclear proliferation by India in violation of various international agreements and its refusal to sign Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), CTBT and Additional Protocol with the IAEA, Washington not only included New Delhi in its joined non-proliferation goals like Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), but also signed a pact of nuclear civil technology last year, praising India as a responsible atomic actor.


It is notable that in the past, Islamabad offered a number of suggestions to New Delhi to jointly sign NPT and CTBT, but the latter flatly declined. Instead in 1998, India detonated atomic devices and compelled Pakistan to follow the suit.

It seems that all the global non-proliferation conventions led by the US are applicable to Iran, North Korea and especially Pakistan, while India which has played a real role in the international black market from where even terrorists can obtain these fatal weapons, is exempted because Washington has to fulfill its Asian interests through New Delhi at the cost of Pakistan.

Nonetheless, if American duplicity in the matter continues, Obama's policy of South Asia will badly fail as all the issues such as terrorism, Kashmir, Afghanistan and non-proliferation are inter-related. So the right hour has come that the international community must take notice of the dangers posed by India proliferation.

The writer is a foreign affairs analyst

E-mail: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

India gets AWACS

THE arms race New Delhi is pursuing is a bad omen for South Asia. On Monday, it received its first Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) Phalcon from Israel. The aircraft, which is also called 'eye in the sky', would provide the Indian Air Force the ability to look deep into neighbouring countries, and the flights of aircraft and missiles from as far as Afghanistan could be monitored by this surveillance system. The aircraft has been bought at a whooping price of $1.1 billion and so far only a few countries in the world have it. By spending so much, New Delhi on the one hand has ignored millions of poverty stricken Indians, and on the other, it intends fuelling a new arms race in the Subcontinent. Pakistan under these circumstances cannot remain indifferent and would therefore be forced to take necessary steps. Another alarming factor for Pakistan is the Israeli-Indian nexus that has developed in recent years. Israel has always sided with New Delhi in its attempts to dominate Islamabad. Its strategy to arm India with aircraft that are counted among the most sophisticated in the world poses a serious threat to Pakistan.

A tribute to Pakistan armed forces and people

Dr. Ali Mohammad

Ever since its inception in 1947, Pakistan has been under direct aggression by India and other powers. The nation's enemies have tried everything in their power to undermine its independence and territorial integrity. But the greatest harm has originated from the country's enemies within its borders over the years. Pakistan's tragedy is that its successive leadership has failed to appreciate its immense potential - abundant natural resources, sufficient manpower, a beautiful landscape, a rich and varied culture, and its strategic geographic location. The Pakistani leadership has failed to take a sound stand against those who have constantly maligned Pakistan's armed forces, the ISI, or its nuclear assets. Moreover, it has unnecessarily entertained foreign leaders to meddle in Pakistan's affairs, while maligning it for every problem that happens on foreign soil. Many of these Pakistani leaders have been inept and weak to boldly face outside powers.

More recently, it is disgusting that some known political figures, who are asking for an end to the operation against the enemies of Pakistan and their agents in Swat, Malakand, and Waziristan do not appreciate what sacrifices our armed forces are paying, and have been paying, to rid the country of these enemies of Pakistan and Islam. While the Western media has been generally hostile and negative towards Pakistan, our national media has also been guilty of irresponsible and, sometimes, unpatriotic reporting. Shamelessly, they report every shred of news printed in the foreign media that goes against our national interests. In the name of freedom of the press, many of our media men and women have seriously compromised their professional integrity, while they have also tarnished the sanctity of the press. These persons have been promoting a distorted version of events in Pakistan. The resulting disinformation has contributed to increased terrorism, economic and financial crisis, political instability, and social chaos within the country. Since the 1980s, Pakistan has also been suffering from sectarian violence. Pakistan's foreign enemies and their agents have caused a lot of strife and destruction of life and property by attacking mosques, imambargahs and other places of worship. Fortunately, they have been unsuccessful in their mission to provoke the true believers of Rasool ul lah (PBUH) to incite civil and sectarian war in the country. However, since the invasion of Afghanistan by the Allied forces, Pakistan has unnecessarily been drawn into a war, which should not have been ours. Yet, nearly 2,000 Pakistani soldiers have laid down their lives to save humanity around the world from acts of terrorism. Similarly, thousands of civilians have perished, and millions of people have suffered in the ensuing bombing of their homes and have been left homeless to make their fellow human beings in other lands safer. Moreover, we have suffered economic losses to the tune of $5 billion per year since 2001, while the life and property of other countries have been made secure. It is ironic that we are asked to do more. There has been an unrelenting disinformation campaign against Pakistan's nuclear assets, which has as its sole aim, the effective deterrence to Indian aggression.

Presently, some politicians have joined the bandwagon of foreign powers that are bent on discrediting the Pakistan Army and ISI. The ISI has played a highly credible role in identifying real enemies and exposing them. Obviously, then, the internal and external enemies of Pakistan are determined to destroy this vital institution. We must not allow the enemies of Pakistan to succeed. Nor must we oblige those who criticise us while our young soldiers are dying on the borders to save millions of lives in other lands. It is no secret that who is supporting militants in FATA and Balochistan. How else could they be fighting the world's most professional armed forces? But the real mystery is that why the Pakistani government is not forthright in naming those countries and their agencies that are financing, training, equipping, and guiding the militants? The second question that comes to mind is why the successive governments have been so incapable in thwarting and destroying the evil game that has had been played against Pakistan? The Pakistani political leadership should not behave cowardly as the survival of the state is at stake. It should be cognizant of India's threatening designs and its aggressive international posturing. Our patriotic leadership must reject and fend off all internal and external pressures that are detrimental to our vital security institution. One hundred and seventy million Pakistanis stand firmly behind their armed forces; they are ready to form a formidable second line of defence behind their soldiers against any aggression from any quarter. Thus, with our political leadership, our populace, and our armed forces united we should not be the first to blink in the face of foreign bullies and belligerents. In fact, we should never blink. Pakistan's armed forces, which have always defended the nation, in the latest campaign to rid the country of the menace of the Taliban and militancy and to safeguard the country's defence are writing history with their precious blood. Those who are aware of the geography of FATA know how difficult and dangerous it is to tackle an operation against well-entrenched militants in the rugged mountains of NWFP. These brave and dedicated soldiers have gone there to challenge the thugs in their dens. The nation, and even the world, should not under-estimate their patriotism, perseverance, and loyalty to Pakistan. The history of our armed forces is one of honour, valour, and commitment to the defence of the country. Similarly, during peacetime, there are several examples where they saved many lives in national disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and cyclones and rehabilitated hundreds of thousands of families. Their sense of duty has earned them and Pakistan a great tribute. It is now the duty of the politicians to fully support our armed forces to search and destroy all enemies of Pakistan. The APC has done the correct thing in standing behind the present campaign against militants in Swat, Malakand, and Buner. But they must fulfill their responsibility to provide full support to the displaced families, which are crucial for the success of this operation. The Government of Pakistan should increase its efforts to help those families who have suffered due to terrorism in the country. Pakistanis today salute these civilians who have immensely suffered, but who have arisen to the crisis every time. We also commend other patriotic Pakistanis who did not fall into the trap of sectarian animosity laid by the enemies of the country. Pakistanis themselves are to be commended for their resilience in which they have not only safeguarded the honour of the country, but have bounced back after serious setbacks.

The Pakistani nation finds assurance in recent pronouncements from the Prime Minister that "nuclear weapons were the cornerstone of Pakistan's deterrence strategy and enjoyed complete national consensus and support". He also stated that "We are determined to retain nuclear deterrence at all costs while ensuring foolproof security of our nuclear assets," and that "No use of coercion, direct or indirect, will ever force Pakistan to compromise on its core security interests. Insinuations to the contrary are plain mischievous and designed to create doubts in the minds of the people of Pakistan and I dismiss these with contempt," he declared. The nation expects that all the leaders in the country confirm this stand. The history of Pakistan contains moments of great triumph and seemingly irreparable loss (as after the nation was divided into two countries in 1971 after India-Pakistan war). But the nation overcame even this calamity, and rose like the phoenix from its own ashes. The Pakistani people may seem divided in happy times, but in a crisis they become an insurmountable force. The Pakistani people stand behind and deeply respect those brave men who have guarded our borders to defend our independence, who have shed their blood to save our country and our lives, and who have stayed awake, so that ordinary citizens could sleep peacefully. Pakistanis also offer their condolences, but also their deep sense of gratitude to their mothers and fathers, and their families and friends for the loss of these brave men. The Pakistani nation has made immense sacrifices so that other nations can attain peace. But the fighting spirit of our citizens will prevail. If any enemies attempt to destroy our homes; we will build again. If they try to destroy our schools; we will teach our children on simple school mats. If they spill our blood; we shall not succumb. Let there be no doubt that the entire nation stands united under the shadow of Allah's grace during the present crisis.