Pakistan - News and Discussion 6

06-21-2006, 08:49 PM

QUOTElink
Four feared dead as Pakistan army helicopter crashes into dam PESHAWAR, Pakistan, June 21, 2006 (AFP) Four Pakistani soldiers were believed killed Wednesday when their army helicopter crashed into a dam in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, police said. Rescuers pulled three others from the water following the incident, which came shortly after the chopper took off from a base in the north-western garrison town of Bannu, police said. "Army divers have recovered one body from the crash site. Three others are missing, they are feared dead," a police official said, adding "three people were rescued, they are in stable condition." The cause of the crash appeared to be a technical problem but the military has launched an investigation, he added. A security official in the adjoining tribal region of North Waziristan said the helicopter was flying from Bannu to the region's main town Miranshah. Military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan earlier said that the helicopter lost contact after leaving its base early Wednesday. He said military helicopters had gone to the area to conduct a search. He could not immediately give details about the number of people on board, saying that "it was a small helicopter. We are trying to find out the details." (First Posted @ 09:41 PST Updated @ 11:25 PST) <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

06-21-2006, 10:39 PM

QUOTEThere is a Civil War going on in Pakistan.

This is evidenced by the Various Scams being perpetrated by the Armed Forces, Traders-Feudal-Bureaucratic Combine i.e

Nareshji,
Civil war can go upto some level after that it will change into Islamic war and it will head towards neighbor. Pakis are coward and they can't rise for simple reason is "Islam". In India during emergency and other occasions, Indian govt was forced to bow down because majority (Hindu) population knows how to debate, itâs in our religion, to question anyone and after question, one gets answer and solution. But in Pakistan which is an Islamic nation, one can't question there religion, so they are brought by with this mentality not to question authority.
So nothing will change in Islamic Pakistan. Decline of Pakistanis society will continue. Soon dependence on oil will reduce, so will be Islamic wealth. I am happy with high oil price, atleast itâs motivating everyone to look for other option.

Naresh · 06-22-2006, 02:49 AM

Mudy Ji :

Meantime back at the Ranch :

Three cops arrested in car-lifting gang bust

<img src='http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2006/06/21/20060621_05.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

KARACHI: The Anti-Car Lifting Cell has busted an inter-provincial gang and arrested five of its men, including three police personnel.

DIG Investigations Zone II Mir Zubair said at a press conference on Tuesday that an ACLC police team had arrested five people during checking at the Moro bypass. They were in two cars (AKJ-625 and AKJ-878) which were snatched from Gizri and Shahra-e-Noor-Jahan police limits. The arrested men were identified as Abdul Razzaq, Lutfullah and three policemen Sub Inspector Farooq-e-Azam of Gadap police station, Head Constable Sanaullah and Constable Danal Khan from Kotri police station.

The men belonged to an organized car-lifting gang that would take the cars to the interior of Sindh and Balochistan. Zubair said that the policemen involved in the car jacking would use their official positions to move stolen or snatched vehicles from Karachi.

A clean car would precede the stolen car and warn the sub inspector escorting the stolen vehicle if there was any police checking ahead. They would stay in touch over the cell phone.

The policemen would keep the carâs original license plate, install flashing lights and thus if they were stopped at any check post they would say that they were taking a recovered car.

The gang would then hand over the stolen car to dealers Master Aslam and Javed Osta in Sukkur. They would be paid Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 depending on the type of car.

Promotions have been announced for constables Ali Mohammad and Mohammad Muqeem who played an active role in the police raid.

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

Naresh · (This post was last modified: 06-22-2006, 08:46 PM by Naresh.)

[center]The Last Nail in the Coffin of Pakistani H & D <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /> [/center]

[center]Pakistan 'cannot afford nuclear arms race with India' <!--emo& Confused

tupid--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pakee.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pakee.gif' /> [/center]

Pakistan's financial constraints mean it can only maintain a strategy of "minimum deterrence" in its nuclear weapons and missile programmes and will not enter an arms race with India or any other country, senior defence planners said.

Responding to concerns over rising defence spending, they said Pakistan had learned from the experience of the Soviet Union, which many believe collapsed because of its expensive arms race with the US. "We are only going to maintain a minimum deterrence. We are aware of our resource constraint," a senior defence official said.

Recently announced plans to buy conventional arms worth $7bn-9bn over the next five years have prompted analysts to warn of potential dangers for the Pakistani economy, which has only begun to recover in the past two years. Military spending is set to rise 11 per cent to Rps250bn ($4.2bn, â¬3.3bn, Â£2.3bn) a year.

According to the defence official, spending on nuclear weapons and missiles programmes has averaged only 2.3 per cent of total military spending over the past 35 years.

Without elaborating on a target for the number of nuclear warheads and missiles to be developed, he said "financial constraints" were built into future plans and that "minimum deterrence rather than missile-for-missile or bomb-for-bomb is our goal".

Pakistan's strategic weapons programme is focused mainly on India, which introduced nuclear weapons to south Asia with its maiden tests in 1974. Pakistan carried out its first tests in 1998. Another senior official, responsible for the nuclear establishment, said the average cost of missile production was lower than that incurred by the US or the Soviet Union, as "India and Pakistan are neighbours and we do not have to invest in systems requiring additional flying time over thousands of miles".

On conventional military spending, a senior finance ministry official said the weapons purchase plan was based on repayments over "up to a 15-year period, which is affordable". Pakistan intends to buy advanced fighter aircraft and frigates from China, an airborne early warning system from Sweden, new fighter aircraft from the US and used frigates in service with the Greek navy.

Pakistan's nuclear programme has been under international scrutiny since revelations in 2004 that Abdul Qadeer Khan, the country's top nuclear scientist, traded know-how and technology with Iran, Libya and North Korea. Hasan Askari Rizvi, a prominent analyst on defence affairs said: "As long as you don't have civilian scrutiny of military affairs, military spending will remain controversial. Pakistan is run by the military; civilian politicians are a subservient force."

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

06-22-2006, 09:01 PM

Nareshji,
Every nation needs to secure itself , so it is quite natural for Pakistan to improve its weaponery and renew its equipment.The same holds good for India and there is no point in trying to see anything unusual in this activity.

Naresh · 06-22-2006, 10:28 PM

Ravish Ji:

1. Congratulations. You have gmail!

2. I find nothing wrong with this Pakistani Activity. I have no complaints. It is just Farhan Bokhari â an eminent Pakistani Commentator â who is voicing the frustrations of the Millions upon Millions of Pakistanis complaining about lack of Education, Health, Welfare etc.

Farhan Bokhari is complaining about Pakistanâs Defence Budget having risen to USD 4.2 Billion. This is Balderdash, Cobblers and Piffle Paffle. Pakistanâs Real Defence Budget in 2001 was Pakistani Rupees 400 Billion (Per Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa â Ex. Director of Naval Research, Pakistan Navy) and with an annual average 15% increase for the FY 2006-2007 it should be around the USD 12-13 Billion Mark â if not more.

I, for one, would want Pakistan to spend as much as India in terms of Defence so that Pakistan Bankrupts itself. The only detriment to India is that once Pakistan becomes Unstable 40-60 Million Pakistanis will âRushâ into India and with the Government of Indiaâs Policies the next wave will double the Pakistani Immigration into India.

This is the only reason for my wanting Pakistan to be a Stable Country.

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

06-23-2006, 02:54 AM

Enjoy FT
QUOTE Liaquatâs resignation letter to Jinnah 
Khaled Ahmedâs : AÂ nÂ aÂ lÂ yÂ sÂ iÂ sÂ
Â Â
Was there ever a quarrel between Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan and Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah? Most writers who have looked into the archives say no; in fact they see the two bound in an ideal relationship within the All-India Muslim League that never soured. Liaquat was always respectful and Jinnah, in his distant way, always trusting. Recent books on the two confirm this. MR Kazimi in his Liaquat Ali Khan: His Life and Work (OUP 2003) and Roger D Long in his Dear Mr Jinnah: Selected Correspondence and Speeches of Liaquat Ali Khan (OUP 2004) have dismissed the idea that there was a Liaquat-Jinnah tension after 1947 that even exploded into mutual enmity.

But the subject keeps cropping up. Since no one can understand why Jinnah died the way he did at a railway level-crossing in Karachi, people keep writing about the âperfidyâ of Liaquat Ali Khan. Most authors have however steered clear of the controversy and relied on the archives which say nothing about it. Among those who believe that there was a conflict is former chief secretary Punjab, SK Mehmood, who told daily Pakistan (27 August 2004) that prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan developed problems with governor general Quaid-e-Azam after 1947 on the question of settling the refugees from India. He said there was an over-all policy for settling them agreed at the top, but Liaquat Ali Khan wanted his own constituency carved out in Karachi by giving them special attention. The Constituent Assembly constituencies were mostly located in India. Because of these bad relations the Quaid was not looked after when he travelled from Balochistan to Karachi and died on a road in Karachi.

Writing in monthly magazine Naya Zamana (1 September 2004) Naseer Ali Shah stated that relations between the Quaid and Liaquat Ali Khan were not good. He referred to the biography of Amir Abdullah Khan Rokhri Mein aur mera Pakistan and quoted that Liaquat Ali Khanâs wife Raâna was very uppity (sar charhi hui thi) and her attitude had put off the Quaid and Miss Fatima Jinnah. Raâna did not stop short of besmirching the name of the Quaid himself. She got Hector Bolitho to write in his book on Jinnah that the Quaid was attracted to Raâna, and that Jinnah had put off both Raâna and her husband Liaquat Ali Khan. The truth was that the Quaid was a cold person who could not have fallen for the charms of Raâna Liaquat Ali Khan.

Needless to say it is Liaquat who suffers in most accounts, which could be unfair. Speaking to daily Pakistan (10 April 2005) magazine, distinguished lawyer MA Rehman stated that Col Ilahi Baksh was the personal physician of Jinnah when Jinnah was recuperating in Balochistan. A son of Col Baksh, Humayun told Rehman that once when prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan had just come out after talking to the Quaid in his room, Col Ilahi Baksh went in immediately after him. Liaquat was suspicious and asked him later why he had gone in. He replied that time for administering the next dose of medicine to the Quaid was running out, so he had to run in. But Liaquat was too suspicious. He later warned him that if he talked about the incident he would punish him. When Col Ilahi Baksh wrote his book on the Quaid, Liaquat disallowed it, but when Fatima Jinnah went public about the ban, he allowed it with cuts. The âuncutâ book has never been found.

How should one approach the controversy? The latest book MA Jinnah: Views & Reviews edited by MR Kazimi (OUP 2005) may have the answer. The answer is provided by Roger D Long Professor of History East Michigan University whose earlier editorial commentary on Liaquatâs letters and speeches is of a very high quality. In his paper Jinnah and his Right Hand, Liaquat Ali Khan he goes to the archives and digs up three documents that throw light on what really happened: Liaquatâs letter of resignation dated 27 December 1947, a memorandum by a British friend of Raâna Liaquat Ali Khan and an undated memorandum by Raâna Liaquat Ali Khan herself. Long also writes about the so-called Desai-Liaquat Pact which had reportedly annoyed Jinnah. He dismisses this incident as being too superficial and finds that Liaquatâs talks with the Congress leader Bhulabhai Desai were conducted without any commitment by the former over the head of Jinnah.

The letter of resignation however is of great importance because it is written within months of the creation of Pakistan and tells us about some estrangement between Begum Raâna and Jinnah. It says: âMy wife has related to me what you told her last night at your dinner. I am sorry to learn that she has incurred your displeasure for some unknown reason. She could not have possibly done anything to merit such strong criticism and condemnation as for you to say that she was impossible and that she was digging her own grave.â His resignation was couched in three words - âslipping out quietlyâ - so that Jinnah as architect of Pakistan could have around him the people he felt good about. He pleaded for his wife: âA prime ministerâs wife cannot live in a vacuum. She has to take her due place in the life of the nation, and on account of the opinion you seem to have of her it becomes very embarrassing and difficult for both of us to do our duty in the position which as the prime ministerâs wife and I as prime minister occupyâ.

The letter of resignation becomes clearer when you read an âexplanatoryâ memorandum reproduced by Prof Long. It was penned by a close friend of Begum Raâna, Kay Miles. The âbackground noteâ says: (1)âBegum Sahibaâs reputation as a social leader & a social service worker was being steadily strengthened and enhanced. As the result of the finesse with which she handled her position as prime ministerâs wife and of the tremendous work she was doing for the refugees both personally and through the Womanâs Voluntary Service she had organised for this purpose.

â(2) This quite unnecessarily made Miss Jinnah resentful, and jealous, although nothing was ever done to detract from her respect and position as the Quaid-e-Azamâs sister. On the contrary, out of respect and personal affectation (sic!) and friendship for Miss Jinnah, and knowing the ladyâs temperament and mental and physical disabilities, every possible effort was made to avoid any kind of friction and unpleasantness. This was to no purpose, so far as Miss Jinnah was concerned, for in her growing jealousy and possessive attitude towards her brother, she steadily poisoned the mind of an already tired and sick man, whom she was also trying steadily to shut away from his friends and colleagues.

â(3) The actual incident which gave rise Mr Jinnahâs remarks to Begum Sahiba was her non-acceptance of a glass of sherry (which she dislikes) when she sat near him at his birthday dinner party. Then he quoted an incident which had taken place just previously at a dinner party at the then Sind Governorâs House where Mr and Miss Jinnah were guests of honour, and which had been brought to his notice by Miss Jinnah with her own rendering of the facts. What had actually happened was that when an ADC had requested Begum Sahiba to sit near Miss Jinnah, she suggested that some other ladies, who did not often get it, be given the opportunity to do so on this occasion.

â(4) Begum Sahiba naturally resented such remarks (Jinnahâs?), especially as there was so much personal friendship and respect for Mr Jinnah, by both herself and her husband. Liaquat sent in the resignation contained in this draft the following afternoon. Immediately upon receipt of it Mr Jinnah phoned Liaquat, expressed great shock and requested him to come over to the GG House the same night. Mr Jinnah was most upset at the threat to a personal friendship and a political partnership which had weathered so many storms, and had been built on a solid foundation of mutual respect and affection. Mr Jinnah flatly refused to even consider his resignation, but Liaquat was adamant that the matter must be considered in view of the fact that he was not prepared to continue in office under such unjust aspersions on his wife, ands with the lack of stable confidence which this incident revealed. They talked the whole thing out that night, Mr Jinnah insisting that he had merely spoken as a father out of affection for Begum Sahiba, and requesting Liaquat to promise him that neither Begum Sahiba nor Miss Jinnah be allowed to come between them in their friendship.

(5) In her jealousy against Liaquat, Miss Jinnah, by insinuation and statement, tried to make believe that her brother was prepared to get rid of Liaquat â it was not a fact.â

The third piece of written evidence produced by Prof Long is Jinnahâs pen-sketch by Begun Raâna. It says: âHe was a man of high principles and there was no bluff in him. He had nothing in common with the masses and yet they acknowledged him as their leader and followed him. Mr Jinnah was reserved and aloof and gave the impression of being haughty and conceited but once you got to know him he was human. He could sit for hours and relate amusing tales of high school and college days. He knew the value of money since he had earned every penny of it. He spent generously on his clothes, carpets, furniture, etc, but refused to subscribe to any funds â a peculiar trait indeed. He was not given to entertaining and was not very social at parties, but whenever we invited him, he let himself go and got into the spirit of the function â he cracked jokes with the guests.

âAll by himself he was human â but that wasnât very often! His eyes were sharp and searching and only the honest could look him straight in the eye or even attempt to argue with him. He was a dictator to the fingertips - dare anyone disagree with him! He was very secretive and suspicious and hence could not make many friends. He was very English in his manner and way of living. Breakfast meant marmalade! He was very fond of an oriental fruit called guava â he swore that it purified the blood. Whenever he stayed with us I made a point of having guavas in the house. He didnât know much about food, and often what he termed good I thought was rather poor. He was most dramatic in his speech. And the monocle helped to give him the necessary atmosphere to put it across. The long tapering index finger often pointed to the guilty, the bang on the table, the monocle put on and off, the voice raised and lowered all helped to spice it up. Such was this man who could talk for hours at a public meeting to crowds of people who didnât know any English, in pin-drop silence.â

Was the quarrel then only with Miss Fatima Jinnah? We know that after Jinnahâs death Miss Jinnahâs address to the nation on radio was selectively âswitched offâ. Was Jinnah âunhappyâ with Liaquat? There is also the ârumourâ that Jinnahâs first choice for Pakistanâs prime minister was not Liaquat but Nawab of Bhopal Hamidullah Khan. The Nawabâs daughter, in her memoirs Abida Sultaan: Memoirs of a Rebel Princess (OUP) refers to this rumour. Nawab Hamidullah, known to be close to Jinnah, wanted to come to Pakistan but didnât want to lose the Bhopal purse. He wanted Abida to take over as Begum, get the generous purse and some property the Indian government promised to those who would accede to India, then remit Rs 5 lakh (later Rs 10 lakh) to Hamidullah in Pakistan where he wanted to migrate! She refused to become the Begum and ran away to Pakistan herself, thus preventing her fatherâs prospect of becoming the prime minister of Pakistan!

06-23-2006, 02:58 AM

QUOTEShocking cover up
Last month a Southern Punjabi senator shouted himself hoarse in the Assembly, decrying the dumping of nuclear waste in his constituency. Sources confirm that many local villagers have been diagnosed with cancer. Far from undoing this calamity, the authorities are hushing up the matter. The village has been cordoned off and is under guard round the clock. Two journalists were prevented from entering the village and a TV crew, whose intention to film was discovered via the agenciesâ ubiquitous wire tapping, was threatened to stay away or else. 

Any idea where in Punjab they are dumping nuclear waste?

QUOTEAyaz Amir and Musharraf
Writing in daily Pakistan Tanvir Qaiser Shahid stated that when an Indian interviewer referred to columnist Ayaz Amir, President Musharraf showed clear signs of annoyance and anger. Ayaz Amirâs column falls like a bomb on the government (bam ki tarah girta hai) so much so that Akbar Bugti had declared that now if the government wanted to talk to him it should bring Ayaz Amir along. He said he was no longer interested in talking to Mushahid Hussain and Chaudhry Shujaat.

âYariâ with India, âkhawariâ with America!
Sarerahe in Nawa-e-Waqt stated that the new railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad had recently said that Pakistan should rent locomotives from India. <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />Â According to the column the minister was suffering from the disease of yari (friendship) and khawari (humiliation). Yari with India and khawari with America were spreading in the government.

âQuran palacesâ for Punjab
According to daily Pakistan Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had ordered the construction of palaces for the torn pages of the Quran in five districts. These buildings were to be called Quran Mahal where loose pages of the Quran would be kept instead of being thrown away. But according to news no palace had yet come into being and in Bahawalpur instead of allotting prime property for the palace, the Auqaf Department had earmarked a disputed piece of land for it

Sipah Sahaba back in Islamabad
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) handout of 10 April 2006 the banned Sipah Sahaba held its rally in Islamabad presumably with the approval of the administration. The Friday rally preached jihad and sectarianism. Its activists distributed anti-Shia literature and VCDs showing the killing of American soldiers in Iraq. The police stood by and watched, despite the fact that the literature being distributed was against the law. The Sipah Sahaba speakers thanked the Islamabad administration for letting them stage the rally.

Ahmadinejad invited Bush to embrace Islam
According to daily Din Iranâs president Mr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to President Bush of the United States in connection with a possible direct dialogue between Iran and the US on the delicate issue of Iranâs nuclear programme. In the letter President Ahmadinejad solved the problem by inviting Bush to embrace Islam after which the entire conflict would be resolved because the presidents would be Muslims.

Nishtar Park terrorist was Amjad Khan! 
According to Jang the man who suicide bombed the Nishtar Park gathering of the Barelvis was Amjad Khan. His identity was established from his head which was the only part of his body left. His three brothers were in the custody of the police. Amjad Khan was from Abbottabad and lived in a Karachi locality.


Pakistan should rent locomotive from India, before renting they should weld tracks and change platform. They need Kufir driver to run locomotive.

06-23-2006, 03:19 AM

QUOTEBalochistan treasury embarrasses Islamabad 
Malik Siraj Akbar
If Islamabad rejects democratic, political solutions, then the Baloch will be left with nothing but the option of armed resistance
Â Â
While General Pervez Musharraf says the trouble in Balochistan is orchestrated by the three renegade Sardars, his own provincial government in Quetta thinks Islamabad is responsible for the ongoing violence in the province and its perpetual financial troubles.

For the past two weeks treasury members in the Balochistan Assembly, not just from the rightwing Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal but also from the ruling Muslim League, have begun to speak out against Islamabadâs Balochistan policy. The situation is becoming highly embarrassing for General Musharraf, not least because it shows that even the treasury members feel that they cannot remain politically relevant without voicing the populist sentiment in Balochistan.

Trouble in the treasury began with Pakistan Muslim Leagueâs Mohammad Aslam Boothani, the deputy speaker of the Balochistan Assembly, fulminating against Islamabad: âContrary to Musharrafâs claims, this is not just a problem of the three sardars. The federal government has enforced a war-like situation on Nawab Bugti and his tribesmen and the Baloch are justifiably defending themselves; they are all a part of this now,â Boothani said at a press conference recently.

But Boothani is neither alone nor out on a limb. Chief Minister Jam Yousaf has also spoken angrily on the floor of Balochistan Assembly on more than one occasion about the shoddy treatment meted out to Balochistan by the federal government. Yousaf says the province has got nothing âexcept void assurances about setting its financial problems rightâ.

âBalochistan is going through a major financial crunch due to delay in the determination of the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. We want a new formula for the distribution of national resources, something which takes into account multiple factors and not just population,â Yousaf told the Assembly. Such a formula was to be worked out four years ago but nothing has happened so far. Since Balochistan is the largest and most under-developed province, priority must be given to it when issuing the NFC award,â he added.

Islamabad also came under criticism when the Balochistan Assembly heatedly debated an adjournment motion regarding the multi-billion dollar Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project. The motion was tabled by Kachkol Ali Baloch, leader of the opposition in Balochistan Assembly.

In a surprising display of unity, the treasury and opposition benches passed a resolution on June 9 demanding due share of royalty for the province from the IPI project which will pass overland through Balochistan. The project will provide more than one hundred million cubic meters of gas from Iran to Pakistan and India. Pakistan will receive $90-120 million per year in transit fee for the project.The project, which is being planned under an agreement that can be renewed for a period of five more years, will connect the ports of Asaluyeh in Iran in the Perisan Gulf to Gwadar and Karachi and will finally reach India.

In Balochistan, the government as well as the opposition parties maintain that the project is a golden opportunity for the province to increase its gas revenues by getting a good chunk of money in gas royalty. âUnless the Baloch agree to the project, its future is bleak. For the safety of the project, it is essential to include the Baloch as stakeholders in the negotiation process,â says Kachkol Baloch.

However, while the Assembly members have already started counting their chickens, the IPI project may take some time to actually materialise. The United States has been resisting the project tooth and nail and India seems to be playing both the sides. Moreover, the pricing of gas has proved a sticky issue.

Syed Ehsan Shah, Balochistanâs finance minister, says the IPI project is one of the issues over which there is consensus between the government and the opposition. âWe both agree that the project must benefit the province. Local youth should be given part of the jobs created by it,â he said.

The BA also passed another resolution on June 15 asking for the separation of the Gas Development Surcharge from the NFC award to take the province out of its perennial financial crisis. âOne wonders what the significance of all these resolutions really is. The root of all troubles in Balochistan is Islamabadâs obsession to impose its decisions, right or wrong, on the province; these resolutions mean nothing before the writ of the federal government. The Balochistan Assembly is powerless, so is the provincial chief minister,â said an analyst in Quetta.

Experts believe a long-term solution to the problems of Balochistan lies in strengthening political institutions. âHistorically, the ordinary Baloch has been sandwiched between the injustices of Islamabad and that of local tribal chiefs. Balochistanâs development and prosperity hinge on the abolition of the tribal system. As long as the tribal set-up remains entrenched in the province, it will be difficult for any development to take place,â said an observer.

As one senior journalist put it, Islamabad needs to promote a viable political culture in the province to replace the traditional tribal system. Most members of the Balochistan Assembly have a middle-class background. They represent the moderate, progressive, and educated face of Balochistan.

âThe rejection of the [Balochistan] Assemblyâs resolutions by the federal government will mean the government wants violence and militancy. If it rejects democratic, political solutions, then it is clear that there is only the path of militancy left for the Baloch to take,â the Quetta-based journalist told TFT.

The June 12 bomb blast in Quetta and the air strikes which killed 17, including 12 women in the Sangsila area, send a very gloomy message about what is going on in Balochistan. The government needs to rethink its strategy.

**acharya** · (This post was last modified: 06-23-2006, 07:59 AM by acharya.)

Friday, June 23, 2006
US lawmakers assure Pakistani-Americans of support

WASHINGTON: The Pakistani-American Congress was assured by several US lawmakers on Wednesday of their support for the cause of Pakistan and stronger Pakistan-US relations.

These assurances came in the annual meeting of the nationwide body of Pakistani-Americans on Capitol Hill.

Sen Tom Harkin from Iowa reminded the conference that the first mosque in America was built in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He expressed great praise for the Pakistani-American community, especially for Pakistani doctors who were providing healthcare to small communities across his state. He said that in the last 50 years, the United States had had no better ally and no closer friend than Pakistan. He urged young Pakistani-Americans to become a part of the mainstream and to get to know and uphold their constitutional rights. He also had high praise for the role Pakistan is playing in the war against terrorism, which he described as a âwar between civilisation and barbarismâ. He said that those who practice terrorism in the name of Islam, do not represent Islam, âas the Crusaders from an earlier age did not represent Christianityâ. He called the Crusaders the âAl Qaeda of their dayâ.

He rejected the Huntingtonian view that the world today is wiutnessing a clash of civilisations. He said that he would not like the United States to be known solely as the greatest military power, but as âa country which stands for democracy and constitutionalismâ.

Harkin compared the United States to a stained glass window. âIt is a country where people of different cultures, races and colours live together in amity. That is the true America,â he said. He said that terrorism was âa curse and must be foughtâ, but likened the war against terrorism to âsomeone trying to kill a fly with a shotgunâ. He regretted that $350 billion had been spent on the war in Iraq to date. âJust think how many schools and hospitals could have been built with a pittance of that sum of money,â he said.

He recalled with affection his last visit to Pakistan and to the city of Peshawar. âI was among friends and I never felt threatened,â he said. He said that Pakistan should return to civilian rule âas soon as possibleâ. There had been military governments in Pakistanâs history but that should not necessarily be Pakistanâs future. He called Pakistan âa wonderful country with wonderful peopleâ. He added that the doors of his office were always open to young Pakistani-American interns, but pointed out that none had come forward this year.

Congressman Dale E Kildare from Michigan recalled with nostalgia his days at Edwardes College, Peshawar, where he was once a student. He greeted the conference in Urdu but confessed that over the years he had forgotten his Pushto. However, he did manage to recall a Pushto greeting amid loud cheers. He chuckled when he narrated how he had amused President Pervez Musharraf by remarking âkhoobsoorat haiâ, on noticing someone deserving of the compliment. He said that Islam was âa great religion which taught man submission to the will of God and to live in peace on earthâ. He had great praise for Pakistani doctors, both for their skills and for their public spirit and their willingness to serve even small communities in far-flung areas. He called the United States a âmosaicâ of which Pakistani-Americans are a part. âYou can remain loyal to your roots and yet be an American,â he said. He called himself an Irish-American and said he loved both the country from where his forbears had come and the country of which he was a proud citizen. He urged Pakistani-Americans to remember their roots and also be good citizens of the country which they had chosen as their home and the home of their children.

Ambassador Mahmood A Durrani, in his first public appearance in Washington since his arrival earlier this month, said that it made him proud when he saw how well the Pakistani-Americans had done in this country. âYou do us all proud,â he added. He said that today the base of Pakistan-US relationship was âa narrow oneâ, but he was confident that with the passage of time it would broaden. He was confident that the relationship between the two countries was sound and its long-term future full of promise. khalid hasan

06-23-2006, 06:39 AM

QUOTEâYou do us all proud,â he added. He said that today the base of Pakistan-US relationship was âa narrow oneâ, 
I was under impression it was always broad. Whats going on?
Why Paki Elites are insecure?

Naresh · 06-23-2006, 10:40 PM

PAKISTAN'S INVESTMENT SAGA

1. Black Cab deal smells of scam <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' />

2. Black cabs: Responding to a question about the reported violation of rules in import of black cabs from the United Kingdom, Mr Ghumman said: "We are importing duty-free 300 black cabs for testing purposes. The government had to give this facility in order to invite $1 billion investment from Prime Transport Limited to assemble, manufacture and operate London taxis in Pakistan under joint venture partnership with LTI of UK and ST Electronics of Singapore." <!--emo& Confused

tupid--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pakee.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pakee.gif' />

3. The government allowed duty-free import of 300 black-cabs (CBUs), while the Prime Transport Limited, a company owned by a US based Pakistani Daud Khan would invest $1 billion for setting up an assembly plant of LTI at Gharo in Sindh province. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/liar.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='liar.gif' />

FINALLY : PAKISTAN LOSES USD ONE BILLION OF INVESTMENTS <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' />

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

Naresh · (This post was last modified: 06-24-2006, 04:45 PM by Naresh.)

[center]STATEMENT REGARDING REPORTS OF LTI VEHICLES MOVING ITS MANUFACTURING FACILITY TO PAKISTAN<!--emo& Confused

tupid--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pakee.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pakee.gif' />[/center]

Responding to reports in some media that LTI Vehicles, manufacturer of the world famous London-style taxis, was set to move production to Pakistan, Peter Shillcock, Managing Director of the Coventry-based company, said: âWe have been in discussions with Prime Transport for a number of years concerning their project to produce and sell a purpose-built taxi in Pakistan.

âWe support Mr Daud Khan in his efforts to introduce London taxis into Pakistan. However, we have not ceased, and have no plans to cease, production in the UK. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/liar.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='liar.gif' />

âThe UK is our main sales market and, as such, it is imperative that we produce taxis in the UK for the UK market.â

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

**acharya** · 06-25-2006, 06:57 AM

Sunday, June 25, 2006
VIEW: Gwadarâs role in Musharrafâs strategy â Ahmad Faruqui

The port of Gwadar has emerged as a pivotal point in Musharrafâs political strategy. Whether it is a necessary diversion from more pressing domestic concerns or a central part of his international economic and political agenda is unclear. What is quite certain is that his government has put forward a very ambitious plan for building the Gwadar port. Surprisingly, this has gone largely unchallenged

General Pervez Musharraf adroitly used the backdrop of the summit meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to talk up Pakistanâs location as an ideal hub for international trade in energy and other products. In the years to come, he said the nations of Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia would be able to use the under-construction deepwater port of Gwadar as a means of shipping their exports to world markets. He argued that by so doing they would be able to lower their shipping costs and move goods faster to market, gaining an important competitive advantage and building export revenues. Pakistan would gain revenues through shipping charges and through the economic development of the region around Gwadar, making this a win-win outcome.

The tone and content of Musharrafâs speeches represented a change in his rhetoric, since he has mostly talked about terrorism and enlightened moderation in prior speeches. At the SCO meetings, he made sure he was seen with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and quoted as saying that Iran had a right to pursue the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. He also spoke of the need to push forward with the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline. In addition, while visiting the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai where Pakistanâs first four F-22P naval frigates will be built, he spoke warmly of the âevergreen friendshipâ between China and Pakistan.

These images and words were used to carefully craft a distance between himself and the professed policies of Washington toward Iran and Beijing. Washington, of course, views the former as a near-term and the latter as a long-term threat. This repositioning may transform Musharrafâs domestic image from being Bushâs poodle to an independent statesman who has Pakistanâs interest at heart and prove decisive in the next elections. It may also give him some leverage vis-Ã -vis the Americans, who have become quite demanding lately on the need to question Dr AQ Khan and who have offered a nuclear deal to India while refusing to give one to Pakistan.

The port of Gwadar has thus emerged as a pivotal point in Musharrafâs political strategy. Whether it is a necessary diversion from more pressing domestic concerns or a central part of his international economic and political agenda is unclear. What is quite certain is that his government has put forward a very ambitious plan for building the Gwadar port. Surprisingly, this has gone largely unchallenged.

It entails the expenditure of billions of dollars and may well be the largest single project to be undertaken by Musharraf. The government has laid out a grandiose vision of Gwadar as the next Dubai. They mention that in 1976 Dubai was just another sleepy village at the edge of a desert known mostly for its fishing. Of course, there is much hyperbole in this comparison. Were it not proximate to the vast oilfields of the Gulf, Dubai may never have become a world-class port. And had it never become a global port, it would not have become one of the worldâs most attractive business and tourist destinations.

It would behove Pakistanâs parliamentarians to debate the merits of Gwadar. An informative agenda would comprise a wide variety of economic and geo-strategic questions. The first and foremost question is an economic one: Is there sufficient regional demand for the shipments of goods through Gwadar? Related questions include: How much is the volume of shipping going to grow in the region? What are the chances that the goods will be shipped from other ports? Even if the goods are bound for the Arabian Sea, ports in Iran, Oman and of course Dubai could be used. Turkish and Ukrainian ports along the Black Sea present alternatives as do Chinese ports along the Pacific. Admittedly, Gwadar reduces the distance from the mid-point of Xinjiang province to a seaport by about half and may enable cheaper and faster shipment of goods. However, before they can be shipped through Gwadar, they would have to traverse through two unstable provinces in another country where the rail and road links are in poor shape.

An even more fundamental question is a geo-strategic one: Why are the Chinese plunking millions of dollars into the construction of a port at Gwadar? Is it simply to save on shipping costs? Xinjiang does not produce much economic output today and it is unlikely to do so for at least another decade, being the least developed part of China.

Is Beijing seeking to safeguard its sea lanes to the Persian Gulf? This is consistent with the âstring of pearlsâ theory that has been put forward by the Pentagon. A Chinese naval presence in Gwadar, achieved by making it a port of call for their nuclear-powered submarines, could draw Pakistan into the emerging Cold War between Washington and Beijing.

Of course, the real reason for the port may be the Pakistan Navyâs desire to prevent giving the Indian navy an encore performance of the 1971 war with India, in which it found itself blockaded in the port of Karachi. Karachi, located barely 150 kilometres from the Indian border, hosts the countryâs only naval dockyards, repair and overhauling facilities. If the navy is bottled up, it cannot protect the countryâs sea lanes. Currently, more than 95 percent of traded goods are transported by ships exclusively through Karachi.

The admirals argue that any disruption of Pakistanâs sea lanes would cripple Pakistanâs economy. However, this factor would only be of academic interest in case of a full-scale war with India. Thus far, all of Pakistanâs conflicts with India have terminated in a few weeks. Disruption of maritime trade would be the least of Pakistanâs worries in a future conflict. A more pressing problem would be posed by an American arms embargo that would effectively cripple Pakistanâs Air Force. Without air cover, the Pakistani Army would cease to function as a fighting force in a few weeks and the war would be lost.

During the 1980s, General Zia used Gwadar as a pivot in his attempt to gain legitimacy for his regime by drawing the US into the region. He portrayed Gwadar as a primary driver behind the Soviet push into Afghanistan, which he argued was designed to get the Soviet navy a warm water port, something that the Czars had only dreamed about. In one of those ironic twists that history keeps turning up, General Musharraf is now offering the same port as a gateway to the Russians, the Central Asian states and China, possibly as a means to create some respectable distance between himself and the Americans.

Dr Ahmad Faruqui is director of research at the American Institute of International Studies and can be reached at Faruqui@pacbell.net

**acharya** · 06-25-2006, 07:01 AM

**acharya** · 06-26-2006, 07:34 AM

<img src='http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2006/06/26/20060626_01.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Monday, June 26, 2006

Allies canât end violence: Omar

ISLAMABAD: Talibanâs fugitive leader Mulla Omar has claimed that the coalition and Afghan government do not have the wisdom to solve the escalating violence in Afghanistan, according to an audiotape aired on Sunday by Geo Television.

The tape was apparently made during a recent meeting of Taliban leaders in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, the network claimed. âThey cannot solve the issue of Afghanistan based on their wisdom and thinking,â said the speaker on the tape, who Geo said was Omar but whose identity could not be immediately authenticated.

The tape comes amid the deadliest campaign of militant violence since the Talibanâs ouster in 2001. US-led forces have launched their largest ever anti-Taliban offensive â Operation Mountain Thrust â across southern Afghanistan.

The Geo reporter said that the tape also included Omarâs purported claim that the Taliban control large areas of the country. Afghan officials had no immediate comment on the tape, which Geo said was obtained in an email from Taliban representatives in Afghan capital Kabul. Geo officials also could not be reached for comment.

The tape was the first allegedly by Omar since July 2005, when he had vowed in another audio statement that the Taliban would continue to fight coalition forces.

Omar led the Taliban in the capture of Kabul in 1996, which ended roughly five years of civil war in Afghanistan that killed about 50,000 people.

Omarâs exact whereabouts have been unclear but he is believed to be hiding in areas along the Pak-Afghan border as well as in southern regions of his war-torn country. AP

06-26-2006, 09:14 AM

QUOTE Pakistan offers free school to one-child families 
By Arshad Sharif
Fri Jun 23, 8:40 AM ET
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060...ulation_dc
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani families that have only one child will have that child's education paid for by the government under a novel plan to try and bring down the country's rapid population growth.

With 156 million people, according to the latest government figures, Pakistan is the world's sixth most populous country, and it's getting bigger by nearly 2 percent a year.
That growth rate is slower than it was a few decades ago but it's still too fast, according to the government, which has made fighting widespread poverty a priority and sees population growth as a major complication for that effort.
Minister for Population Welfare Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain says he is sure the plan to offer children of one-child families free education until the age of 18 will have an impact. "Definitely, incentives will increase the acceptance of family planning," Hussain told Reuters.
"People will be aware that if they have small families, they will get a lot of benefits, their kids will have a better chance of education," he said.
The plan, the first of its kind in Pakistan, is being launched with a survey starting on July 1 to determine the number of one-child families, he said. At the moment, education is free in state schools only up to the primary level.
Pakistan has had a family planning program to arrest population growth since soon after the country's formation in 1947 but it has had limited success.
The population has shot up from 34 million in 1951 and every day 11,500 babies are born.
But some progress is being made.
Hussain's ministry says the use of contraception among women between the ages of 15 and 49 has increased from 9 percent in 1985 to 36 percent in 2005.
..................

Not clear whether its per wife or per man or per Nikah?

Naresh · 06-26-2006, 12:30 PM

QUOTE(Mudy @ Jun 26 2006, 09:14 AM) Pakistan offers free school to one-child families 
By Arshad Sharif
Fri Jun 23, 8:40 AM ET
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060...ulation_dc

With 156 million people, according to the latest government figures,<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/liar.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='liar.gif' /> Pakistan is the world's sixth most populous country, and it's getting bigger by nearly 2 percent a year.
[right][snapback]52884[/snapback][/right]

Mudy Ji :

The hard working âPakistani Ratsâ need to be congratulated. They are now 166 Million as per following Article :

The wages of power : AMINA JILANI

QUOTEThere is a singular dearth of cheerful news when it comes to a scan of the daily press â at least when it comes to the majority of the few literate amongst the 166 millions who inhabit Pakistan. We are beset with scams galore, stretching from the Steel Mill imbroglio (no mean scam, this one) down the line to black cabs, cement, sugar, all of which involve the highly educated members of the assemblies and the cabinet which has the distinction of being the largest in the country's history and the most despised.

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

Naresh · 06-26-2006, 01:29 PM

[center]Chinese diplomats face kidnapping[/center]

*Interior Ministry directs police to hunt down Turkistan militants
* Agencies say terrorists meeting in Jalalabad to discuss action plan

ISLAMABAD: The Chinese diplomatic mission in Pakistan has said that members of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) are planning to kidnap senior Chinese diplomats and consular officers in the country.

Chinese diplomats in Pakistan have expressed their concern through a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They said that some members of the ETIM had arrived in Pakistan and were planning to kidnap senior diplomats of the Chinese Embassy, sources told Daily Times. They also said that members of terrorist organisations, including Al Qaeda, were providing support to ETIM activists for the kidnapping, sources said.

Sources said that the Chinese diplomats had sought increased security and round-the-clock patrolling of the Chinese diplomatic mission in Islamabad and the consulate general in Karachi. The ETIM is a separatist organisation in the Xinjiang province of China, and seeks independence on grounds of Islamic identity.

Sources said that the Interior Ministry had issued directives to the inspectors general of police of the four provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory to hunt down the ETIM members and report to it as soon as possible. Diplomatic Protection Department Senior Superintendent of Police Tariq Masood Yaseen said that security around the Chinese Embassy building and residences of Chinese diplomats had been tightened. Police officials had also been directed to visit religious seminaries in their areas and investigate possible connections of foreign students, particularly the Chinese nationals, with activists of the ETIM, the sources said.

Meanwhile, intelligence agencies have submitted reports to the Interior Ministry saying that a group of terrorists has arrived in Rawalpindi and Islamabad but been unable to select an appropriate target for kidnapping because of enhanced security. They said that the terrorists had travelled to Jalalabad in Afghanistan to deliberate their future plans, sources said. The independent âEastern Turkistanâ envisaged by the ETIM includes parts of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Xinjiang. The ETIM was added to the United Nations âlist of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, and other individuals, groups and entities associated with themâ in September 2002. It has also been declared a terrorist outfit by Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, China and the United States. The US government accuses the ETIM of committing over 200 acts of terrorism between 1990 and 2001, resulting in at least 162 deaths and over 440 injuries.

Most recently, in May 2002, two ETIM members were deported to China from Kyrgyzstan for plotting to attack the US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan as well as other US interests abroad.

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

06-26-2006, 09:51 PM

BALOCH FREEDOM FIGHTERS attacked gas pipeline 
From correspondents in Quetta
June 25, 2006 10:00
Article from: Reuters

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21...5005361,00.html

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