Pakistan - News and Discussion 6

[Guest]

<b>Rice headed to Pakistan for security talks</b> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The trip announcement came hours after a suicide car bomber rammed a Pakistani paramilitary checkpost, killing at least six troopers in a tribal region where the army has been fighting al Qaeda and pro-Taliban militants for months, officials said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[acharya]

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Katasraj Temples’ grandeur to be restored

By Shoaib Ahmed

LAHORE: Three-phased restoration work on the Katasraj Temples will begin next month and Rs 30 million is expected to be spent on the first phase, sources in the Punjab Archeology Department (PAD) told Daily Times on Monday. The Katasraj Temples were transferred to the PAD recently.

Sources said a list of recommendations had been finalised for the restoration suggested by Pakistani and Indian officials from the archeology departments of both countries. They said that a comprehensive study had been made in this regard. The ponds at the temples would be cleaned and enlarged, they said, adding that the ponds would also be fenced. They said the Shiva Temple and the adjacent area would be restored and debris would be removed. The missing staircase would be rebuilt and the walls would be plastered, they added.

Sources said that proper pathways leading to the pools, Shiva Temple, Hanuman Temple, Ramachandra Temple, Stupa and Hari Singh’s Haveli would be built.

They said that the flight of steps to the haveli’s eastern entrance and the damaged wooden doors would also be repaired.

New benches would be set there and new changing rooms for male and female pilgrims would be built, they said, adding that the youth hostels would be upgraded and proper facilities for toilets and drinking water would be provided. A website on Katasraj Temples and a publicity camping of the area will also be launched.

In phase two of the plan the Satghara Temples, Hanuman Temples and Ramchandara Temples will be restored. All paintings in the Hanuman and Ramchandra temples will be treated chemically, and lodging facilities for tourists will also be provided.

In phase three, a site museum will be established, and the Satghara Temples, Stupa and the slopes of the hillock overlooking the pond will be landscaped.

An open-area with parking facilities on the eastern road leading to Kallar Kahar will be established, and a road leading to the site from various locations will also be built. Sources said the government would fund the project to be completed at an estimated cost of $25 million.

The restoration of Katasraj Temples was planned during LK Advani’s (a Lok Sabha leader) visit to Pakistan in 2005. The leader laid the foundation stone for the restoration of the temples and assured his assistance for this purpose.

On September 1, 2005, a meeting was held on Katasraj Temples between Chauhdry Shujaat Hussain and Shiv Shankar Menon (the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan).<span style='color:red'>

Sources said that Pakistani and Indian politicians had agreed that once the Katasraj Temples were restored, Babri mosque in India would be rebuilt.
</span>
Katas, famous for the Katasraj Temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, is an important site for Hindu pilgrims in Pakistan. The Katasraj shrine stands on a site believed to be visited by the Pandava Brothers of the great Indian epic Mahabharta. Katas is located on River Jhelum’s right bank, 26 kilometres away from Pind Dadan Khan and 30 km from Chakwal. There are several myths associated wit the Katasraj Temples.

[Guest]

Babri mosque should be built in Pakistan. Why Paki want to built mosque in Kufir's land?

It must be Paki media's own creation.

[Naresh]

<b>Waiting for a saviour</b>

<i>Cutting edge : I Hassan</i>

Notwithstanding that our great general has studied up to the FSc level at university, he is said to be full of erudition. <b>That being the case, it is difficult to understand his having started to beat the drum of Gwadar as a gateway to China and as a source of energy.</b>

At the military academy, there is no doubt, he must have studied map-reading. <b>If he were, therefore, to look at a map he will observe that Gwadar is in the middle of nowhere, close to a desert. All the countries that have energy are on the other side of the Gulf separating Pakistan from Arabia. If it is gas then it is Iran which is to the north of Gwadar and if it is oil then it is to the West from where it has to be brought in by ships.

It does not make sense to load oil tankers once, bring them to a port in a different country then pump the oil all the way to Central Asia and China. If the main consumer is China, which it is, then it is easier and more economical to take the loaded tanker all the way to any of the Chinese ports on the east coast of that country. For gas, a pipeline built directly from the source to its consumptive destination makes more sense than bringing it to Gwadar and then distributing it. As far as China is concerned, it is probably cheaper for China to take gas from Turkmenistan by taking a pipeline from there to central China.</b> We seem to be unsure as to whether we wish to export electricity or import it. Of late there have been statements saying that electricity may be imported.

It is a shame that this is the case because we have enough natural resources to make as much electricity as we need and more than that to export it.

We seem to think in terms of hydro-electricity only and that also coupled using the water for irrigation. That does limit us. We must look at other sources of generating electricity. They are wind, the sun and sea waves. Very recently, the Punjab government has declared that they have identified 26 sites on the irrigation canals where hydro-power can be generated. This is commendable but it has its limits. When there is insufficient water in the dam/reservoir, it cannot be released to generate electricity.

If any one of the 26 sites is selected and a hydro plant is put up and thereafter water in the dam/reservoir is insufficient then we are back to square one. It is imperative we generate power by sunlight and/or wind power. With this power, the water from a dam/reservoir can be returned to the dam/reservoir for re-cycling by pumping it back using power generated by sunshine. The generation of power need not be for recycling. It can in fact be used for other purposes and above all for export. In can be generated by wind power.

In India, in just six years, one businessman has become a billionaire standing by setting up a small energy company, Suzlon Energy, which makes wind turbines. He was in the right business -- alternative energy -- in the right market at the right time. We have identical conditions have and await such an individual to take the initiative here to bale us out.

Tanti invested in two windmills, saw the potential and became an evangelist for wind power. One of his ideas is that a local user, farm or otherwise, buys a wind generator from him and sells the surplus energy to state electricity board.

Yet another alternative to generating power by hydro- electric power is sea waves. This is an inexpensive source that needs to be adopted. As it is, there is news that in Karachi they have identified seven creeks where these generators can be installed. It is said that if all seven are utilised, half the needs of Karachi's electricity can be supplied from this source.

One of the major drawbacks for wind power is to find land to install a whole farm of wind generators. We in Pakistan are fortunate to have the Thar desert and then almost the whole of Balochistan to erect these power windmills. But somebody like the Indian next door has to get up and go rather than slumber on. He had started with nothing and then began a small company and sold shares on the market. An enterprising person knows what steps have to be taken. One hopes sincerely that such a person will rise and start.

<i>The writer is a former broadcaster and foreign correspondent.</i>

Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[acharya]

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Musharraf must quit to prevent revolution: Khar

By Faizan Bangash
<b>
LAHORE: President General Pervez Musharraf should resign as the president of Pakistan to prevent people from rising up in protest against him, Pakistan People’s Party (Central) Leader Ghulam Mustafa Khar told Daily Times on Tuesday.

“The country’s political situation is in a crisis and people might rise up in a bloody revolution against the usurpers (military regime),” said Khar, a former Punjab chief minister. The Pakistan Army was suffering because of Musharraf’s inconsistent policies, which were leading the country towards civil war, he said. The president should be held responsible for tarnishing the country’s image and increasing people’s grievances, he added.

The PPP leader said the Pakistani people and all political parties should realise that military dictatorship could not benefit the country. “In the past six years, Musharraf and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid leaders have failed in providing relief to the poor and reducing their problems,” he said. The president and his regime had not proved beneficial in the past six years and the situation would worsen, he added.
</b>
Khar said the opposition might reconcile with the army if the latter was recognised as an institution - not an occupation force. “The army should be supporting the government in times of crisis rather than ruling the country,” he said. “Corruption, sectarianism, violence and terrorism were by-products of military rule, not democratic rule,” he added.

Later, the PPP leaders rejected rumours of a rift within the party over PPP Chairwoamn Benazir Bhutto’s return. “All party members unanimously agreed that Benazir should return before the 2007 general elections,” he said. The PPP chairwoman was in regular contact with the party and would return soon, he stressed. “No one can stop Benazir or Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif from returning because they are Pakistani nationals and it is their legal right.”

The PPP’s popularity had not diminished despite repeated efforts by Musharraf, said Khar. “The PPP is still the country’s largest party and the 2007 polls will prove that no military dictator, neither Ziaul Haq nor Musharraf, has been able to divide the party,” said Khar.

[acharya]

Football

Sir: In his article “Pehlay aap” (Daily Times, June 19) Irfan Husain theorises that Pakistanis do not excel at football because our legs are too skinny. However, these same legs seem to perform exceptionally well at field hockey. This sport requires as much running and legwork as does football. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> The reason that our football team isn’t as good as our hockey team is simply because football didn’t catch on to the extent that hockey and cricket did in Pakistan. We could rectify this by improving the support to our football team and making an effort to better coach, prepare and train our football players.
KHALID AHMED
Canada

[acharya]

Wednesday, June 28, 2006
<img src='http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2006/06/28/20060628_a01.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...8-6-2006_pg13_2



Krishna Temple controversy: ‘Hindu nationalists must stop spreading rumours’

* Religious affairs minister Ejazul Haq says negative propaganda might hamper Indo-Pak peace

Staff Report
<span style='color:red'>
LAHORE: Federal Religious Affairs Minister Ejazul Haq said on Tuesday that India’s Hindu nationalist leadership must cease spreading propaganda about Hindu temples being destroyed in Pakistan. He said such allegations could impede the India-Pakistan peace process.

He told reporters that Krishna Temple (Ravi Road) was not demolished nor its land occupied as stated by the Indian media. He said that instead of making false allegations, Hindu nationalists should help improve relations with Pakistan, stop anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat and prevent the systematic demolition of mosques in India.</span>

He also criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishan Advani’s statements, saying the leader should act responsible and refrain from issuing baseless allegations.

He also said Advani should visit Lahore and see for himself that it was intact and the Religious Affairs Ministry had spent Rs 1 million on its renovation. “I will receive Advani at Wagah and he will be my guest during his stay in Lahore,” he said. Ejazul Haq was in the city to hand over a newly built Sikh crematorium at Babu Sabu near Bund Road to Sikh leaders and to lay the foundation of stone of a Hindu crematorium close to the Sikh one.

Mushtaq Victor, minister of state for minority affairs, said the department had checked whether temple land had been taken and discovered that land not linked to the temple and 300 yards away from it had been taken.

He said that another building that was reported to have been a temple and to have been demolished to make place for a commercial plaza, was found intact in Wachhoo Wali Bazaar. He said the building, which had shops on the ground floor and one hall on the first floor, might have been a temple decades ago, but was not one anymore and there were no signs of any Hindu relics or pandits.

He said the building had also been used as a residential place for many decades. He also distributed photocopies of the tenancy documents between reporters. Hindu MNAs Kirshan Bheel and Devdas and MPAs Rajveer Singh, Ishwar Lal, Om Prakash, and Ram Narain Malkani praised the government for providing all facilities to minorities in Pakistan, saying the controversy was apparently engineered to create misunderstanding between Hindus and Muslims.
<span style='color:red'>
They also asked Indian leaders to keep a check on their domestic situation and stop the demolition of mosques. They said the Hindu community enjoyed complete religious freedom, voting rights and the right to contest on general as well as seats reserved for minorities.

Later, Ejazul Haq took the Hindu and Sikh leaders and reporters to Krishna Temple and met the pundit there.</span>

[acharya]

Wednesday, June 28, 2006
<img src='http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2006/06/28/20060628_z4.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Should women get a dressing down for dressing up?

By Zarnageen

KARACHI: Men and women belonging to different professions spoke to Daily Times about their perception of the Eshwar Lal-Shazia Marri incident. They were specifically asked how a public figure should dress and how should they be treated.

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Munibur Rehman said that women of the assembly should follow the dress code as laid down by Islam and also display the expected mannerisms as taught to them by the teachings of the religion. He said that every Muslim knows that it is mandatory in the religion for every woman to wear complete hijab. Women in the assembly should have separate seats and as far as Shazia Marri’s case is concerned it just goes to show that only modern women face such problems.

PPP MNA Fauzia Wahab said that a workingwoman should be modest and simple in her dressing and mannerisms. Love letters are always showered on women but to blow a little “chit” out of proportion was not appropriate. Eshwar Lal’s beating does not prove bravery or heroic behaviour. Shazia should not have created such a big issue out of nothing. She ended up making a fool of herself.

PPP MPA Rubina Qaimkhaani said that a workingwoman is allowed to look after herself in the form of dressing nicely and grooming herself. MPAs, especially women, should be role models. She said that a woman’s work is judged by her physical appearance and it is important to look nice. Shazia’s incident has nothing to do with the fact that she dressed well, if this was the case then Mukhtaran Mai would have never gone through such an ordeal.

Sindh Hilal-e-Ahmar Vice-Chairperson Shamim Kazmi said a working woman is looked down upon in our society no matter what profession she is a part of. Jamaat-e-Islaami MNA Laeeq Ahmed said like seats for MPAs should be segregated. Men of the Sindh Assembly should respect their fellow MPAs. A woman is worth respecting no matter which field she belongs to.

[Guest]

I was going through Pakistani matrimonial ads
enjoy it, it will give you much deeper understanding of Paki Muslim society.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->link
Age:25 to 30
Religion:Muslim:Sunni
Mother Tongue:Urdu
Family Values:Moderate
My Family
<b>we r kamal zaii pathan in caste. we dont to marriage in punjabis, rajput and qureshis. so rest of the casts belongings guys can contact mee.</b>
i love loving, caring and honest guys. i have 2 brothers. mother house wife. <b>dad assistant director in oman from 1975</b>.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->link
I am posting this profile for my sister. Currently she is residing in Karachi, Pakistan.<b> She is moderately religious and comes from a moderate muslim family</b>. Insha-Allah she will be graduating from College within the next year.

We are looking for someone that lives in Chicago, IL USA, and is a citizen. Someone from a sunni muslim family with moderate Islamic values. Someone that is originally from Pakistan or India, but currently lives in Chicago IL.

Only serious inquries please.
<b>Her Family</b>
We have a wonderful family with a Gujarati background and our parents migrated to Pakistan before we were born. We are three sisters and one brother. Our family is spread throughout the US, Canada, Pakistan and India.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->My Religious & Social Background
Religion:Muslim
<b>Caste / Sect :Sunni
Sub caste / sect:Qazi / Siddiqi</b>
Mother Tongue:Urdu
Family Values:Moderate
My Cultural Background
Country of Birth:Libya
Grew up inakistan
Personal Values:Moderate
Can speak:English, <b>Hindi</b>, Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->My Religious & Social Background
Religion:Muslim
<b>Caste / Sect:Rajput
Sub caste / sect:rao</b>
Mother Tongue:Urdu
Family Values:Traditional
My Cultural Background
Country of Birthakistan
Grew up inakistan
Personal Values:Traditional
Can speak:English, <b>Marwadi</b>, Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->My Religious & Social Background
Religion:Muslim
<b>Caste / Sect:Ehle-Hadith
Sub caste / sect:Jat punjabi</b>
Mother Tongue:Urdu
Family Values:Moderate
<b>Diet:Veg</b>   link
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->My Preferred Dress Style :Casual - usually in jeans and T-shirts
  More About Myself
My Personality, Long-Term Goals, Partner Expectations, etc
Yes i am a very beautiful young girl from one of the most respected families of lahore. It wa very unfortunate that <b>i was married twice before and that would be my third marriage.</b> We are four sisters and 3 brothers and two parents. I have a one daughter from my second husband and nothing from the first one.
My Family
Yes, I belong to very respectable family and only and only looking for a rich person.  link<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->linkReligion:Muslim
<b>Caste / Sect:Sunni
Sub caste / secthaikh</b>
Mother Tongue:Urdu
Family Values:Moderate
My Lifestyle
<b>Diet:Jain</b> <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->link
Her Family
She is from a <b>respectful Kayani family</b>. Grandfather did his Barrister-at-law (1907-1911) <b>Her Father was graduated form "Aligarh University</b>, two elder sisters are and three brothers all are married, two elder brothers are MBA and ACCA doing their businesses with Russia, and the Eldest brother owns a production line.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
About Girls
All are living in Pakistan
They are muslim
80% are vegetarian.
They have strong caste and sub caste system in society
Marriages are still arange.
Average girls marriage age 24+.
Only 20% are working.
Average family size 8.
They know atleast 3 language.

I don't understand what is "Arian" sub caste? is it "Aryan"

[Naresh]

<b>One step at a time</b> <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Every now and then, someone from the state department in the United States issues a statement, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>which is more or less like giving a dog a bone. Like dogs, we really do not seem to mind at all.</span></b> As long as we have approval of those who know the terrorists from those who are not. The approval comes in the old fashioned manner where US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Pakistan was playing an important role as US ally in global war against terror, <b>and the under lying message is that if Pakistan wants what is left of itself to live on, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>it must do as it is asked to, and follow orders precisely and exactly.</span></b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[acharya]

<img src='http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2006/06/29/20060629_z1.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

The straw that broke Karachi’s back

* As traffic jams clog the city’s centre, thousands of villages on its outskirts have to make do with camels for transport as the government has yet to build proper roads or arrange for a viable public transport system

By Aziz Sanghur

KARACHI: Ali Bhand and Urs Bhand, residents of Noor Muhammad goth, Keamari Town, have become well respected residents of their area because they have camels to provide people with transport in the times of an emergency, such as delivery cases, snakebites, dog bites or accidents.

The residents usually call upon them when someone needs to be taken to the hospital or shifted to a nearby clinic in an emergency because there are no transport facilities available in many rural and coastal localities situated off the main road.

Despite the government’s claims of rural Karachi development no transport has been made available in these areas yet, and a camel is the only source of transportation. Thus, while the centre of the city is ironically clogged with traffic jams each day, there isn’t a single vehicle for the thousands of residents in Karachi’s rural areas.

There are 12,000 villages in Karachi located in the three jurisdictions, including Keamari town, Bin Qasim town and Gadap town and most of them do not have proper roads. They are largely populated by fishermen and farmers living in small houses, such as wooden huts. These areas do not have basic amenities such as water, power, healthcare and education.
<img src='http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2006/06/29/20060629_04.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

[Guest]

Pakistan angrily reacts to Rice's comments

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Pakistan - Pakistan's Foreign Ministry responded angrily to a call by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for democratic elections next year, saying it doesn't need "outside" advice.

The comments came in a statement late Wednesday, a day after Rice met with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan's capital.

En route to Islamabad, Rice told reporters "there has to be, the world expects there to be, democratic, free and fair elections in Pakistan in 2007."
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't get it. US citizen is PM of Pakistan but Rice advise is 'outside' advice?

[Guest]

FT Gup
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Punished for marrying, after 33 years</b>
According to Jang a Christian couple who married 33 years ago was punished by a sessions judge of Lahore to 4 years in jail, 30 whiplashes each and 20 thousand rupees each in the year 2002. This was done under Islamic law on the accusation of another Christian Niamat Masih who was trying to get the couple convicted by alleging that the wife of Fazal Masih, Seema was actually married to him, but till 2002 he could not produce any proof. In 2002 however the sessions judge punished the old couple after 33 years of marriage. The Shariat Court finally let them off after a four-year ordeal.

<b>All rulers are ‘security risk’</b>
Columnist Khurshid Nadeem stated in Jang that in the 20th century the idea of the nation-state focused all attention on the ruler and Pakistanis believe that if their lives were not happy the ruler was to blame. In succession, Ms Bhutto (when she received Rajiv Gandhi), Nawaz Sharif (when he received Vajpayee) and now Musharraf (for normalisation) were declared a risk to the security of Pakistan. After the rulers were removed, their names were cleared of the blot and they were dubbed great patriots

<b>Musharraf was ‘Pallu’</b> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Quoted in Khabrain, the mother of President Pervez Musharraf, Mrs Zareen Musharraf, stated that when Musharraf was a child she used to call him Pallu but after he grew up she gave up the nickname. She said she expected him to rise to the top in the army but had never imagined that he would become president. She said he called to tell her he had become president after the day his plane was diverted by Nawaz Sharif. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Minimum credible deterrence: minimum or credible? </b>
FT
Moeed Yusuf
Does Pakistan now view its deterrence as a 'static' concept, moving away from its traditional approach of maintaining ratios of force structures within an asymmetrical relationship? 
   
‘Minimum credible deterrence’ is the guiding principle of Pakistan’s nuclear capability. But within the concept, the emphasis since shortly after May 1998 has been on ‘credible’. Why?

Credibility is crucial for a state that is (<b>a) inherently paranoid about a real threat from India (a perception that Indian moves, over the years, have only helped reinforce) and (b) is not entirely confident of its conventional capabilities vis-à-vis India. This is why most analysts have pointed towards the need for Pakistan to upgrade its arsenal to ensure that India is not allowed to run away with a major advantage in the nuclear arena</b>.

Lately, however, there seems to be a significant shift in Islamabad’s signalling. There is a certain level of comfort in recent statements by the president and other informed authorities. Signals emanating from Islamabad seem to suggest that Pakistan has achieved ‘minimum credible deterrence’ and will thus not require any major up-gradation of its force structure in the foreseeable future.

In essence, this implies <b>that Pakistan now views its deterrent as a ‘static’ concept, moving away from its traditional approach of maintaining ratios of force structures within an asymmetrical relationship vis-à-vis India. Islamabad believes that New Delhi can never contemplate aggression since it (Pakistan) has developed a large-enough quantum of reliable quality (in absolute terms), and has concealed it well enough</b>. In other words, Pakistani deterrence is only loosely connected to Indian up-gradation, barring any revolutionary (in the military sense) improvement in the Indian nuclear capability.

Unlike conventional capabilities where deterrence is entirely a relative (dynamic) concept, nuclear deterrence can be ‘static’. ‘Static nuclear deterrence’ is achieved when a state believes that its capability is robust enough to deter the adversary at any point in the foreseeable future and thus routine up-gradation from the adversary would not alter the bilateral equation. Of course, such a stance is only viable at the higher end of the nuclear-capability spectrum. <b>In other words, a country would ideally have to develop a large number of warheads, have an assured second-strike capability and have enough dispersal and concealment to ensure that irrespective of its adversary’s capability, deterrence would hold in all scenarios.</b> The cold war rivals were in a position to exercise static deterrence (not to react to the adversary’s up-gradation) once they had assured MAD. That various factors led them to remain entrenched in a tit-for-tat arms race, and thus continue viewing deterrence in dynamic terms is another matter.

To determine if Pakistan’s move to signal comfort in viewing deterrence in static terms is viable in the South Asian context, there is need to analyse the country’s current nuclear force structure.

Although the Pakistani strategic enclave seems to be confident that the quantum Pakistan has achieved is sufficient to prevent India from flirting with Pakistani ‘red lines’, Islamabad still does not have an assured second-strike capability. No matter how quantitatively strong land- and air-based nuclear assets (delivery systems) are, they are always vulnerable to enemy strikes and can never provide complete assurance. The only channel to achieve ‘assured’ second strike is through a sea-based strike capability.<b> India has declared its intent to establish a ‘triad’ as part of its nuclear doctrine. Although Pakistan has not released its doctrine, given India’s quest and Pakistan’s strategic vulnerability, Islamabad is sure to match an Indian triad.</b>

Moreover, consider that Pakistan and <b>India are nascent nuclear-weapon states and are currently on the initial leg of the nuclear progression curve</b>.  <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> It is not clear if the two have moved warheads out of production sites, let alone ensured their dispersal and built facilities to conceal and protect them. All these are steps that Pakistan may or may not have to take, depending on how aggressively India postures its nuclear forces in the years ahead. <b>In a futuristic scenario where India undertakes deployment of nuclear forces, in all likelihood, given South Asia’s negligible warning times and less than optimal intelligence capabilities, Islamabad would be forced to oblige.</b> [Pakis are sleeping]

The point is that while MCD might have been achieved at this point in time and may also remain effective in the short to medium term, the Indian military modernisation plan is likely to produce significant challenges to the credibility of Pakistan’s deterrent in the future. One may also consider that Pakistan’s nuclear programme will inevitably generate a broader sphere of interest than the current India-specific outlook. This will automatically make the Pakistani deterrence relative (dynamic) to the actors falling within the new sphere of interest (one example could be an ICBM programme to reach Israel or further).

Clearly Pakistan’s nuclear establishment must be fully aware of these facts. Why then would Pakistan opt to gradually signal towards a ‘static’ deterrence stance knowing that it is not viable? There could be two reasons for that.

With respect to domestic audience, the need to underscore the ‘minimum’ deterrence aspect is linked to pressure on the military to cut back its expenditure to promote development. The majority view in Pakistan is that every penny spent on defence is one penny taken away from development. <b>A move to de-link nuclear force up-gradation from India is an attempt to portray the nuclear establishment’s determination to maintain a lid on the nuclear expenditure (although the entire nuclear programme to date has entailed an insignificant cost as compared to the conventional capability).</b> Highlighting the comfort level with ‘static’ deterrence allows the nuclear establishment to suggest a move away from asymmetrical ratios, which were bound to continue climbing in the face of Indian modernisation.

To the international community, a ‘static’ stance conveys Pakistan’s responsible nature as a nuclear state and its determination to keep the lid on nuclear progression, and thus, nuclear risk in South Asia. This is essential for a country currently in the midst of the worst nuclear proliferation scandal and whose nuclear programme is considered to be in danger of falling in the hands of ‘extremist’ non-state actors. The static nature of deterrence confirms that Pakistan is no longer interested in matching India move for move and instead wants to ensure nuclear stability and maintain a manageable weapons capability.

<b>Necessary as this policy might seem presently, it could backfire. Moving towards a static stance while approaching deterrence in a ‘dynamic’ context could cause the domestic audience to view this as habitual fudging of facts by the military</b>. Also, continued up-gradation of the nuclear programme and expansion beyond an India-specific stance could provide Western critics with a fresh opportunity to present this as proof of Pakistan’s lack of self-restraint and the danger Pakistan’s nuclear capability poses to the world (while Pakistani moves may be considered normal for any other state, our perception in the West will lead it to be construed as an extreme negative).

In essence, the very factors that have led the establishment to move towards a ‘static’ stance would cause major headaches once it is clear that Pakistan is unable to maintain such a position.

<i>-Moeed Yusuf is a Consultant on Economic Policy at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute in Islamabad</i>
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[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->www.expressindia.com/full...wsid=70248 
<b>Release Arif, we’ll pardon Sabarjit: Pak </b>
Publication: The Pioneer, Date: June 30, 2006

New Delhi, June 30: In an astounding development, Pakistani authorities have demanded the release of Asfaq alias Mohammed Arif, who is allegedly involved in the December 2000 Red Fort attack. Claiming Md Arif’s innocence, the authorities said that he should be released and “in return we will pardon Sarabjit Singh.”

Singh, an Indian national, was arrested by Pakistan and sentenced to death for his alleged involvement in the 1990 Lahore blast.

Asfaq alias Md Arif was found guilty by an under Sections 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting the waging of war against the Government of India), 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and also under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC.

Arif, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, his Indian-origin wife Rehmana Yusuf Farooqui and five others were declared guilty in the Red Fort attack case in which three Army personnel were killed. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is called daylight blackmailing or State terrorism by Islamic state of Pakistan

[acharya]

Saturday, July 01, 2006
Minorities’ holy sites in Pakistan being well cared for, says Shujaat

Staff Report

LAHORE: Minorities’ religious sites here are well taken care off and hopefully mosques in India are also protected, said Pakistan Muslim League (PML) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Friday.

The PML president was addressing a ceremony starting the conservation and restoration of Katas Raj, Hindu religion’s second largest place of worship. He said the PML had taken steps to promote interfaith harmony. “Restoring the Hindus’ religious place of worship is part of the process,” he added.

Shujaat said the PML had invited Indian political and religious leaders to Pakistan to promote people-to-people contact and the peace process. The government would take measures to the preserve, conserve and protect all religious sites, he added.

Punjab Chief Minster Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said the Punjab government had taken over Katas Raj from the federal government and would restore it to its original form. “The restoration will promote tourism and create goodwill for Muslims in India,” he said. He also hoped New Delhi would protect Muslims’ religious sites in India.

The government had allocated funds for Katas Raj’s restoration of which Rs 30 million had been released, said Elahi. A tourist corner would also be established for international visitors, he said.

[Guest]

My gut feeling, very soon we may hear some mad man detonated whole Katas Raj complex.
Why I am saying? This is how Paki Muslim mind works. They have deep rooted hatred towards themselves. They will try to remove any sign which reflects that their ancestors were coward and forced to accept Islam or product of mass rape by invading Arab forces.

[Naresh]

[center]<b>Major crops, forestry, electricity, gas depict decline in GDP share</b>[/center]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>LAHORE – The real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country has depicted 6.6 per cent growth in 2005-06. The real GDP has been estimated at Rs 4879.49 billion for the current financial year as against Rs 4577.06 billion in 2004-05, showing a growth of Rs 302.43 billion in 2005-06. <span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>In US dollar the size of real GDP amounts to 81.32 billion dollars</span></b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[SSridhar]

<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Jun 23 2006, 06:39 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Jun 23 2006, 06:39 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->“You do us all proud,” he added. He said that today the base of Pakistan-US relationship was “a narrow one”, <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I was under impression it was always broad. Whats going on?
Why Paki Elites are insecure?
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By definition, it ought to be narrow and tight as befitting to a marital {er...martial} race.

[Naresh]

<!--QuoteBegin-SSridhar+Jul 2 2006, 06:04 PM-->QUOTE(SSridhar @ Jul 2 2006, 06:04 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->By definition, it ought to be  narrow and tight as befitting to a marital {er...martial} race.
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<b>SSridhar Ji :</b>

Further to the International Coverage of Pakistani Fateh Muhammad’s <b>Sexploits</b> Dawn came up with the following clarification :

<b>Light bulb found in captive’s body</b>

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Our Multan correspondent quotes the Nishter hospital doctors as denying that someone else had inserted the bulb in the captive’s anus. <b>They were sure that it was a self-act.</b>

The police corroborated the assertion, <b>saying those involved in smuggling of drugs committed such acts.</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Thus the <b>Illuminating of the Rear Garden of Delights</b> is a normal, usual and a very frequent habit as well as occurrence which invalidates the Pakistani declaration of narrow and tightness of the Pakistani body part referred to.

I believe the Pakistani Haunting Melody “Peechhay say aana baghian mein” is an all time favourite of the Pakistani males.

For further Information please contact Dr. Farrukh Aftab, Nishtar Hospital Multan at :

http://www.nishtarhospital.com/

Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->