[center]<b><span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947</span></b>[/center]
[center]<b><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Compiled for the SGPC
by
S. GURBACHAN SINGH TALIB</span></b>[/center]
IMHO, this should be on the First page of the following Threads :
1. Pakistan News and Discussion
2. Radicalisation Of Indian Muslims
3. Islamism
____________________________________________________________________
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> <b>Missing the big picture</b>At a time when Pakistanâs sprawling textile industry was confidently expecting large-scale increase in its exports, following the end of the textile quota, the foreign sales have come down by over 10 per cent during July-September compared to the same period last year.
According to present negative trends, the current quarterâs export performance, it is feared, may turn out to be far worse. Urgent remedial measures have to be taken by the government, industry and exporters, if the adverse trend is to be reversed decisively
<b>The fall in Pakistanâs textile exports has come at a time when not only South Asian <span style='color:blue'><i>[call it India]</i> competitors in this sector are doing very well but even Cambodia in the Far East </span>is said to be exporting more textiles than Pakistan</b>.
This has happened despite the<b> investment of five billion dollars on the expansion and modernisation of the industry and a million dollars more on the erection of factory buildings.</b>
And this has happened despite the assertion of the ebullient textile industrialists that they will do far better in a textile quota-free world.
While <b>Pakistanâs overall exports rose by only 2.9 per cent </b>in the first quarter of this financial year, <b>Indian exports went up by 37 per cent </b>in the first half of its financial year ending September 30. <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Pakistanâs July- September textile exports were for $2.449 billion against $2.73 billion in the first quarter of last year.
Official figures show <b>that export of almost all textile items, except cotton yarn and cotton carded, recorded a negative growth </b>despite the recent support package, fiscal and financial, announced by the government
........................
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Too bad, it will hurt them big time.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>The irresponsible sale of the two Islands of Sindh, is an economic and environmental disaster. </b>Not only it will whack the local fishermen who harvested large quantities of fish around these Islands, it will also destroy the presence of bird species, marine life and their eggs permanently. The fishermen will be displaced and impacted by the construction on these Islands<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Nareshji,
What is the story behind this sale? Who is the buyer?
Paki Muslims acting as the cultural ambassadors of their country in UK:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Kriss made tragic pleas for help
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
It was the desperate plea of a terrified schoolboy: "I'm only 15, what did I do?"
Kriss Donald's plaintive cry came as he was bundled into a car before being taken on a journey which ended with him being stabbed, doused in petrol and set alight.
He was knifed 13 times and suffered 70% burns to his body.
In the words of the defence lawyer for one of the accused, Kriss suffered a "lonely, frightened death".
The murder trial also heard his killing described as an appalling crime of inhumanity against a defenceless boy.
The words came from advocate-depute Mark Stewart QC, who addressed the jury at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The trial revolved around three men: Mohammed Faisal Mushtaq, 27, Zeeshan Shahid, 28, and his brother Imran Shahid, 29, who all denied the racially aggravated murder.
They were brought back from Pakistan to face abduction and murder charges.
During more than four weeks of evidence, the trial heard how Kriss was snatched in 2004 from a street in Pollokshields, Glasgow, driven to Dundee and back in a silver Mercedes and finally stabbed, doused with petrol and set on fire.
His semi-naked, burned and bloodied body was found beside the Clyde Walkway near Celtic Football Club's training ground on March 16, 2004. As the agonising details of Kriss's injuries unfolded, his distraught mother Angela Donald, who had been in court throughout, had to leave the room.
A pathologist said Kriss had suffered 13 stab wounds to his chest and abdomen.
Dr Marjorie Black said burns covered 70% of his body.
Forensic scientist Anne Ramage said she believed the 15-year-old was still alive as his body burned.
Ms Ramage, 42, who works with Strathclyde Police, told the court: "In my opinion he was still alive when he was burning."
And the motive for the attack?
The jury heard it was because Kriss was white.
Key witness Zahid Mohammed, 22, placed the three accused at the scene.
Mohammed pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow in November 2004 to assault to injury on Kriss and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Giving evidence for the Crown he told the six men and nine women of the jury that one of the accused Imran Shahid, known as Baldy, was angry because he had been attacked with a bottle outside a nightclub the evening before Kriss was murdered.
Asked what Imran Shahid planned to do about it, Mr Mohammed claimed Shahid said he wanted to take revenge and would "chop them up and take their eyes out".
Questioned over how it was to be done, the witness replied: "Pick up a car and look for them."
"Look for who?" the witness was asked.
"Anybody," came the reply
The group picked up a silver Mercedes from the Charing Cross area of the city and packed a hammer and screwdriver in a bag, the court heard.
Mr Mohammed said he was in the car with Imran Shahid, Mushtaq, driver Zeeshan Shahid and Daanish Zahid.
When they reached Kenmure Street in Pollokshields, Imran Shahid asked to be let out and began fighting with two boys.
He said one of the boys - Kriss Donald - was shoved into the car.
Asked if they were attacked because they were white, the witness replied "yes".
Mohammed said he was later dropped off at Strathclyde Park because he had been electronically tagged and had to be home by a certain time.
But the defence claimed that Mohammed had lied to save his own skin.
David Burns QC, who was defending Imran Shahid, said Mohammed had "done a deal" with the Crown so that charges for his own part in the abduction of Kriss were reduced to assault and perverting the course of justice.
"Part of that deal is that he would give evidence at a future proceeding against Imran Shahid," he said in his closing speech.
"What he doesn't say is that he supplied what could be the murder weapon."
Mr Burns added that Mohammed had not mentioned this to avoid jeopardising any proposed deal with the Crown on reducing charges against him.
"He got away with murder," he said.
Mohammed had lied to police, Mr Burns added, which he tried to excuse on the basis that he was not under oath at the time.
"He's capable of concocting evidence, manufacturing stories and taking elaborate steps so that others support his claims."
Mohammed, who was sentenced to five years, was released in early October after applying for parole.
His evidence helped to convict Daanish Zahid, 22, who was jailed for life for the murder at a previous trial and ordered to serve at least 17 years.
Donald Findlay QC, defending Mushtaq, told the jury that Mohammed "set a trap" which the Crown had walked into.
He said Mohammed, known as Ziggy, supplied the Mercedes Benz car used in the abduction, said he was in the car when the "tools" arrived, knew they were there and was there at the abduction.
"Who handed over what may well have been the murder weapon? Ziggy," he added.
Mr Findlay said Mohammed had withheld this information from the police.
"He committed the murder," he said.
"He walked away because he conned the prosecution. What he did was, throughout his full involvement in this, drip-feed information, more and more, as you know."
As the trial drew to a close Mark Stewart QC warned the jury sentiment must play no part in their verdict.
He said: "That crime can be described as one of the worst and most appalling crimes of inhumanity against an effectively defenceless boy."
The lawyer also claimed the three accused had condemned themselves by things they had said about their intentions when they were setting out, statements during the crime and admissions of responsibility afterwards.
He added: "The murder of Kriss Donald is one which, you may think, makes their attempts in the course of this trial to divert attention away from the evidence by attacking the character of Crown witnesses ... all the more shameful, particularly when many of these people were their own former friends and associates."
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?i...5&in_page_id=34<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvuMxJSBxh4...related&search=
<!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tao8y-Vgaw...related&search=
<!--emo&:bcow--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/b_cowboy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='b_cowboy.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Nov 9 2006, 11:21 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Nov 9 2006, 11:21 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Nareshji,
What is the story behind this sale? Who is the buyer?
[right][snapback]60595[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Mudy Ji : </b>
there have been a spate of Articles in the Pakistani Press with the main points being :
1. The two Islands have been sold by Paksteel-Port of Bin Qasim to a Dubai Developer - Emaar (or some such)
2. Sind Government says that these Islands are owned by Sind adn were never sold to Paksteel - Port of Bin Qasim.
Will check and post an Article or two.
Cheers
Begum Nawazish Ali is Hijra or crossdresser???
I am bit confused <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Nuggets from the Urdu press
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>American pub in the image of Kaaba</b>
As reported in daily Jang, the leader of the clerical alliance, Liaqat Baloch, has condemned the building of a pub in the likeness of Kaaba in America. He said Muslims consider Baitullah (House of God) above anything in life. Muslims around the world have never insulted and have never harmed the praying places of other religions. The naming of this pub as Apple Kaaba is blasphemous. He said United States shall come to it senses and apologise to Muslims.
<b>No western NGOâs in AJK</b>
Writing in Daily Pakistan, columnist Tanvir Qaiser Shahid wrote that Turkey is working on the reconstruction of AJK University with $3.5 million. He said Saudi Arabia pledged $45 million but had not released the funds yet. The regional director of Oxfam, addressing a press conference, stated that NGOâs are afraid of terrorist and jihadi outfits working in Kashmir. They are doing something else in the name of relief work. They threaten western NGOâs and feed wrong information to local people to antagonise them against us.
<b>Heroin in Jinnah cap</b>
As reported in daily Jang, airport security caught a person going for umra, who had hidden half a kilo heroin under his Jinnah cap. A man named Hakim Ali was wearing ahram (white cloth for performing umra) and wearing a Jinnah cap. At the last check point near departure lounge ASF officials became suspicious and found the Jinnah cap a bit heavier. On closer inspection they discovered half a kilogram of herion sewn inside.
<b>Clash of Jordanian and Pakistani fans</b>
As reported in Daily Pakistan, Jordan beat Pakistan by 3 goals to none in a football match. During the match, Pakistani and Jordanian fans exchanged slogans which turned violent, and a free-for-all fight broke out between the two groups. The majority of Arabs were students who attacked press photographers and even tried to snatch guns from a small party of police. The Jordanian team boycotted the prize distribution ceremony and went back to its hotel. After a baton charge by police, the Jordanian fans ran away in their cars. <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>No Indian culture in Pakistan</b>
As reported in daily Nawa-i-Waqt, patriotic sections of society have condemned the advertisement by Indian tele-production Company for Pakistani actors and actresses. The movie artist association chairman Yousaf Khan said the Hindu bania (bussinessman) never accepted Pakistan from his heart and for the past few years is trying to destroy the culture of Pakistan. Altaf Hussain and Syed Noor also stated that it would be harmful for the culture of Pakistan.
<b>No music classes in Punjab University</b>
Sarerahe opined in daily Nawa-i-Waqt, that students are on strike against the music classes in Punjab University and have blocked all major roads in Lahore. Music classes are being held in every home on sixty to seventy channels. Why is the government insisting on pouring sa re ga ma in every studentâs ears. For how long will the followers of desi agenda be beaten up by the stick of European agendas.
<b>Chengez Khan sculpture in Washington</b>
According to daily Jang, the Mongolian embassy is contacting sculptors and trying to acquire land to erect the sculpture of Chengez Khan in Washington. Earlier Indians successfully completed a funding campaign for the sculpture of Mohandas Gandhi. The Mongolians are celebrating the 800th anniversary of the empire of Chengez Khan. In the era when armies were fighting in the name of religion and crusades, he fought wars for the sake of war.
<b>Two beautiful dacoits in Lahore</b>
As reported in Daily Pakistan, two beautiful dacoits held a man at gunpoint and took away his money and mobile phone. The businessman was standing in front of his house in Model Town when two beautiful girls in a car stopped and asked for his help to find a house. One girl pointed a pistol at him and took cash and his cell phone. <!--emo&:o--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ohmy.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Proliferation business</b>
As reported in daily Nawa-i-Waqt, a correspondent of the OIC, Faisal Mohammad, told Voice of Germany that AQ Khan established a firm, <b>Asqavi Prussan Engineering, in Malaysia. The director of this firm was Abu Tahir, whose wife was Malaysian. AQ Khan established this firm through his wife. Another company was formed in Dubai with the name EMP computers and both companies had started business that related to parts used in centrifuges. The copies of the centrifuge design reached India through Abu Tahir, who was in contact with many Indians</b>. Both AQ Khan and Zia ul Haq were in favor of a strong block comprising Pakistan and Iran as nuclear powers with Afghanistan. <!--emo&:liar liar--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/liar.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='liar.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Meeting my hero in dreams</b>
In daily Express, renowned columnist Abdul Qadir Hassan wrote that he had some spiritual ties with Dr AQ Khan. He said during an iftar party, President Musharraf replied to my question, saying that Dr Qadeer was my hero but not anymore. I humbly told him that AQ Khan is still my hero. Then Dr Khan came in my dream and recited this couplet: Guzr to khair gai hai teri hayat Qadeer, satam zareef magar Kufion mein guzri hai.
<b>Ex ISI officer admits his allegiance with Taliban</b>
In daily Nawa-i-Waqt, columnist Haroon-ur-Rashid wrote that Pervez Musharraf disclosed in England that some ex ISI officers are still helping Taliban. Major Amir admitted that he is one to those ISI officers. He said I am the guilty one who joined the jihad and saved Pakistan from the Russian bear. Even today I am with jihadists, who are not fighting for Afghanistan but for Islam and Pakistan. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
11-10-2006, 04:25 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-10-2006, 04:26 PM by Husky.)
<!--QuoteBegin-acharya+Nov 10 2006, 05:25 AM-->QUOTE(acharya @ Nov 10 2006, 05:25 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tao8y-Vgaw...related&search=
[right][snapback]60633[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->From 3:48 to 3:52 minutes into the clip, there's what appears to me to be a largish statue of the Buddha, visible in the background between the Begum and the girl. Is that possible? Aren't the faithful in Pakistan supposed to blow up Buddha statues like their Talibani counterparts did in Afghanistan?
There are some scary islamoterrorists commenting on this clip in YouTube... calling for the murder of the girl being interviewed and others like her.
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Nov 10 2006, 06:55 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Nov 10 2006, 06:55 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Begum Nawazish Ali is Hijra or crossdresser???
I am bit confused <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
[right][snapback]60637[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Mudy Ji :
Crossdresser</b>
Meantime : You have Y-Mail
Cheers:beer
I have noticed the statue also.
The elite in Pakistan called the RAPE try to show that they are enlightened and show it with such artifacts and modern elite western concepts. They also learn yoga and other fashionable Indian trends including ayurveda
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The elite in Pakistan called the RAPE try to show that they are enlightened and show it with such artifacts and modern elite western concepts. They also learn yoga and other fashionable Indian trends including ayurveda <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They are very much in Vedic Astrology. They perform pujas and rituals to appease different dieties e.g. Sani for Sade Sati, keep fast etc.
You can see Horoscope sections in local Paki newspaper.
<!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Muslims around the world have never insulted and have never harmed the praying places of other religions.
The Pakistani Army puts up a white flag during Kargil, -1999
Watch Pakis surrender ...
hehehe so-called machoos.
10 =1 <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IS8cKBgNsOI&m...ed&search=
<b>Pakistani PoWs </b>
<b>Watch Pakis left their own injured men</b>
http://youtube.com/watch?v=X3FJP4i0JM8&m...ed&search=
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xuqINvYALTM&m...ed&search=
<b>Watch 1965 - India Flag on HajiPir </b>
Pakis who still think they had upper hand, watch this movie, ofcourse don't miss 1971 surrender.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pBWHlvvuVro&m...ed&search=
<img src='http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/nov-2006/12/image/max.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
[center]<b><span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN</span></b><!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->[/center]
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Mudy Ji :</b>
Here is an interesting Article about the ownership of the Two Islands which have been handed over to UAE Builders-Developers :
[center]<b><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Who owns the two islands? - Zamir Ghumro</span></b> <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->[/center]
URL when Article Archived : http://www.dawn.com/weekly/encounter/200...unter4.htm
WHILE the government of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has barely recovered from the scandal of the sale of Pakistan Steel Mills at a throwaway price to a favourite consortium, <b>the news of the sale of Sindhâs two Islands by the federal government in a (secret) deal with a UAE business group has come as a rude shock to the nation.
The $43 billion deal had been kept so secret that until now nobody knows who signed on behalf of the federal government and which stakeholders were present at the signing ceremony.</b> It was only after the Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum, Mahgeer Tahreek and some political parties of Sindh held protest demonstrations against this mega project which is likely to environmentally affect almost five million people of coastal communities from Karachi to Thatta district, that the government came out with an unconvincing reply. The prime minister, while addressing a meeting at the Governor House, Sindh stated that the land of the Bundal and Buddo Islands belonged to the ministry of ports and shipping.
<b>According to the Sindh Board of Revenue sources, the area is not mentioned in the lease given to the Port Qasim Authority which did apply for this land in 1970s but their request was rejected. So, when the PQA itself does not enjoy the right of ownership of the land where it is located, how can it sell this land to a foreign company?</b> The Sindh chief minister initially feigned ignorance about this project. But the Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Co-ordination Salim Saifullah made it clear that the CM was in fact present at the signing ceremony of the deal between the Emaar Group of UAE and the federal government.
Apparently, there are three stakeholders: the federal government, the Sindh government and local fishermen. The question is: which one of them legally owns the land? Why this deal was signed secretly? And what are the repercussions of this ambitious but highly controversial mega project? All government land in the provinces is solely vested in their respective boards of revenue. Even the unowned property constitutionally belongs to the provinces under Article 172(1) of the constitution. However, under Article 172(2), all land, minerals and other things of value âwithin the continental shelfâ (my emphasis) or âunderlying the oceanâ within the territorial waters of Pakistan shall vest in the federal government. This means all land, minerals and other things lying beneath waters belong to the federal government and it can extract oil, gas and other minerals but the lands above waters (Islands) do not belong to it and are solely the property of provincial governments.
The continental shelf is a technical term defined in the Convention on law of Sea, 1982 and denotes an area where a littoral state can exploit its under-water sea resources. It extends from the baseline of the coast but contains an area of steep and deep waters. Under Article 152 of the Constitution, the federation may acquire any land in the province if it deems necessary for a purpose connected with a matter with respect to which Parliament has power to make laws. It may require the province to acquire the land on behalf, and at the expense, of the federation, and, if the land belongs to the province, transfer it to the federation on such terms as may be agreed or, in default of agreement, as may be determined by an arbitrator appointed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
This shows that any land in the province whether public or private can only be acquired and transferred by the province on behalf of federal government and, secondly, the federal government can only acquire such land for the purposes with respect to subjects on which parliament has power to legislate.
We have seen this in the case of controversial acquisition of land by Punjab government in July this year for a foreign owned company which wants to establish a Mercedez-Benz car plant, a golf club, a luxury hotel etc., near Lahore. Ironically, in the case of mega projects in Punjab, the land is acquired by the provincial government even for foreign companies whereas in case of Sindh, the federal government itself doles out the land bypassing constitutional requirements and by coercing a politically weak government.
Housing is the exclusive domain and subject of the provinces and it has nothing to do with the federal government. How the federal government can acquire land for such purpose on which parliament cannot legislate? Where in the Constitution the federal government has been authorised to launch housing schemes and act as a real estate agent?
This shows that the federal government wants to encroach upon the sovereignty of the provinces in the matters of land on the pretext of attracting foreign investment. It is this very provincial sovereignty and independence that the Pakistan movement leaders had protected in Lahore Resolution of 1940. Even under much maligned 1973 Constitution, the provincial sovereignty extends to the matters of land, fishing, and small ports.
The federal government should not have double standards in is dealings with the provinces. In the majority province, it allows the acquisition of land for a foreign company by the provincial government whereas in the case of smaller provinces, it acts as a real estate agent by violating the Constitution. It is because of this very reason that one witnesses popular resentment in Balochistan when the federal government, instead of establishing Gawadar Port for national interests, started acquiring land in order to establish housing colonies which is, in fact, the job of the provincial government.
Under section 38 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, any company or corporation can approach the provincial Government to initiate land acquisition process. The people who own that land are to be informed, consulted and compensated at market price. As per provisions of this Act, the land acquired by the government for public purposes can only be utilised for that purpose only. In case, the land is used for extraneous purposes, it automatically reverts back to the lessor.
Even if the land of Bundal and Buddo islands has been leased out to the Port Qasim Authority, which is factually incorrect, it cannot sell that land for the purpose of establishing a mega-city. It is neither the job of the ministry of ports and shipping nor constitutionally the subject of the federal government.
The Sindh government, which claims this land meekly and grudgingly knowing its political limitations, has probably acquiesced in the deal. Its public posture that it has not been consulted is simply to pre-empt any hostile public reaction. The center also wants this kind of unrepresentative set-up in Sindh and Balochistan.
The fishermen communities claim that the land belongs to them as they have been using both the islands as a staging ground for fishing and they have inalienable historical rights over it. The provincial government has, under Sindh Goth Abad Scheme, distributed tens of thousands of `sanadsâ conferring proprietary rights on those people who established abode there more than ten years. In the case of these islands, it could, at least, have protected the interests of local fishermen who stand already ignored in the development of Karachi.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan in Shela Zia case has unambiguously recognised the right of people to livelihood. It says that the right to life guaranteed under Article 9 of the Constitution includes right to livelihood, which must be protected by the government. In the case of fishermen this right has always been violated in Sindh. A federal force called Pakistan Rangers has practically established its control over Sindh waters in Badin and Thatta and excluded the fishermen whereas in this case the fishermen are being uprooted by no less an authority than the federal government itself through a secret deal signed in Islamabad.
<b><i>The writer is a Barrister-at-law based at Karachi</i></b>
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
It is actual sale not lease. Anybody guess how much Pagri Mushy must have received.
Do you think Islamic law allows such type of transactions? Because poor fishermen were using this as staging area and paying tax.
Or this is real Islam, suppress weaker as they do with women.
[center]<b><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Democracy in the times of âAmoral Familismâ - Dr Ayesha Siddiqa</span></b>[/center]
<i>The presence of âamoral familismâ and existence of weak institutions is not the recipe for strengthening democracy. A way out is also not possible because the four dominant classes have no incentive not to co-habit for their personal gains</i>
President Musharraf has been vociferously arguing for the need to strengthen democracy in Pakistan. Like previous military rulers, he too has claimed that several measures taken by his regime â devolution of democracy or not allowing a politician to become Prime Minister more then twice â will strengthen democratic norms in the country. President Musharraf has also claimed that he will rid the country of corrupt politicians and replace them with new blood.
However, the fact is that this kind of a democracy project is unviable; the problem here has little to do with the absence or presence of corrupt leaders or the lack of education and more with the nature of the political state and the gradual de-politicisation of society.
Democracy does not happen in a political vacuum. It has a deep social context. Similarly, strengthening of democratic institutions is not just about holding elections, especially if these are manipulated and subjected to rigging. Surely, elections held on a regular basis do make a difference, but these do not necessarily wok in empowering society when other complementary institutions such as the judiciary or the election commission are not independent.
Also, it needs to be emphasized that there are no different versions of democracy; that each society has to have its own version is an argument that does not hold much ground. Surely, what the President and other like-minded people mean while expressing their concern about democracy as a norm relates to their suspicion of the political leadership in the country. <b>Pakistan truly suffers from the absence of a political class that is above board and less questionable than what one might find in developed democracies.</b>
However, the fact is that strengthening of democracy does not take place by focusing on the electoral process alone. There is a family of institutions, which would have to be strengthened to make democracy function in any country. Besides the political class and the election process itself, there are others such as the civil bureaucracy and the audit institution which would have to be reformed and strengthened before a claim about strengthening of democracy can be made. The fact of the matter is that structural flaws emanating from lack of independence is endemic in most institutions of the state. The members of these institutions are so dependent on the largesse of those controlling the state that they cannot truly claim to be above board.
But it does not seem as if these institutions will see much change in the foreseeable future. The reason for this lies in the peculiar nature of the countryâs elite or the ruling classes (military and political combined) who have an attitude that is antithetical to institution building. Indeed, they seem to suffer from, what the political scientist, Edward C Banfield, describes in his book âThe Moral Basis of a Backward Societyâ as âamoral familismâ. This concept refers to a system in which each group focuses on maximizing its own interests and forms temporary coalitions to further their respective interests. What this means in practical terms is that people are driven by short-term objectives rather than long-term goals and, hence, there is an almost complete absence of ideological loyalties or strong values.
<b>The presence of âamoral familismâ as a predominant attitude amongst the military and civilian leadership (including members of some of the institutions named above) is due to the fact that they all want to have a monopoly over the state to gain personal power at the cost of weakening the state. While the military leadership does not realize that the organisationâs constant foray into politics damages the state and its institutions, the political leadership and echelons of leading institutions continuously ignore the fact that their questionable behaviour and tendency to join hands with the military to get in power or win rewards does not help in strengthening democracy either.</b>
Recently, there is a lot of talk about the PPP negotiating with the present military ruler. Apparently, there is pressure on the PPP from internal and external quarters to mend fences with the President. In case a deal is struck, the PPP will manage to find its way back into power. However, such a deal will weaken the democratic process and institutions rather than strengthening these. What is also not realized is the fact that the next civilian regime which makes it to power through deal-making will be a lame duck like those in the past and will be removed at the first sign of any divergence of perception between the Prime Minister House and the GHQ.
More importantly, this bargaining has a negative impact on the attitude of the entire society. <b>Today, Pakistanâs political society is divided and de-politicised. While the Baluch or the Sindhis might hate the Punjabis, little is said in the open in terms of questioning policies. Moreover, this lack of agitation in the streets is a sign of an ailing society or one that has turned predatory.</b> This concept refers to a society where the dominant attitude is to shun open protest for the sake of short-term, often, material gains. The society, especially the civil society, and the educated lot become conscious of the benefits of co-option.
Corrective action is not possible in such societies due to the fact that each military authoritarian rule is followed by civilian-authoritarian rule to be followed by another military dictatorship. Thus, there is a political system that represents a symbiotic relationship between military force and political power. The elitist-civilian leadership secretly negotiates with the military leadership to get into power without realising that a possible deal can only harm democracy rather than strengthen it.
So, it is not that educated political leaders such as Benazir Bhutto or street-smart politicians like Nawaz Sharif and the Chaudhrys of Gujrat do not realise the cost of cutting deals with the military. It is just that they are driven by their instincts of âamoral familismâ. <b>Therefore, links with the GHQ are extremely essential to get power that then becomes the ultimate end rather than a means to an end.</b>
The military leadership is equally culpable for perpetuating conditions where deals are struck for the survival of those at the top of the military machine. In a predatory state, military and civil-authoritarian rule becomes an almost cyclic process in which one form replaces the other to superimpose the vulnerability of the state and society and strengthen elite interests. What is even more unfortunate is that there is no possibility to get out of this vicious cycle.
Of course, the younger lot created by the current regime is less aware of the real danger in compromising on core principles. Suffering from over-confidence in their ability to beat the system, the young Parliamentarians, business tycoons and other clients of the regime do not understand that it is eventually the men in uniform who will have the last laugh.
Elections or the electoral process at large become a victim of circumstances and there is no substantive change in the political situation other than a deep sense of apathy that engulfs all of society.
The application of Banfieldâs argument or the concept of a predatory state on Pakistanâs situation echoes the political philosophy of Hamza Alavi who was of the view that there is a coalition between the three dominant classes in the country: (a) the landed-feudal, (b) metropolitan bourgeoisie, and © indigenous bourgeoisie. According to his concept, the military and the state serve the interests of these three classes.
I would, on the contrary, argue that the military today represents an independent class and these four classes have shared interests. However, an important reality is that these classes include politicians, middle class urban-based professionals and entrepreneurs who find great wisdom in supporting authoritarianism for their material short-term benefits.
The common interests, it could be argued, should result in absence of friction between different classes. However, the friction relates more to the issue of who must control the affairs of the state rather than an understanding that short-term gains must not form the basis of the socio-political discourse.
Is there a way to get out of this morass? There will not be any change in the short to medium terms. <b>The presence of âamoral familismâ and existence of weak institutions is not the recipe for strengthening democracy. A way out is also not possible because the four dominant classes have no incentive not to co-habit for their personal gains. Therefore, Pakistanâs political future will be the same as its political past.</b> It is only if there is an internal struggle in the society or the elites realise, by some stroke of luck, that predation resulting in de-politicisation of the society will produce harmful results and that they must change, that we will see a corresponding change taking place in the system.
<b><i>The author is an Islamabad-based independent defence analyst. She is also an author of a book on Pakistanâs arms procurement decision-making, and on the militaryâs economic interests</i></b>
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[center]<b><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Indo-Pak talks should follow incremental approach to normalisation</span></b>[/center]
The Indian foreign secretary, Shivshankar Menon, and his Pakistani counterpart, Riaz Mohammad Khan, are going to resume the stalled Indo-Pak dialogue today. But despite some hopefulness, few expect the meeting to yield quick dividends. The past is a dark precedent as far as the foreign secretaries are concerned. Not long ago they used to meet only to get an opportunity to boost their careers by issuing hard-line, negative statements just after the meeting. Whatâs the use of meeting if this is the motive â grandstanding stubbornness not to âgive in to the enemyâ to placate the hawks at home?
The Indian foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, who used to be an economic expert but is hawkish these days, thinks he is duty-bound to recall the train bombing that killed 186 innocent Indians after which India refused to talk to Pakistan despite its loud protestations of innocence and demand for concrete proof. Indeed, how can anyone take Indiaâs accusations seriously when an unclaimed body found inside a train compartment is dubbed âLahoriâ and Pakistan is asked to âtake it backâ? Meanwhile, Pakistan says it also has proof of the âforeign handâ that is causing destruction in Balochistan, and everyone knows who Pakistan means by that.
India says Pakistan is still sending terrorists into Held Kashmir. Pakistan denies the charge. It says terrorism is bothering Pakistan too and evidence from the recent past says terrorists who infiltrate into Kashmir could also be trying to kill President Musharraf. The Pakistani leader has named people in his recent book who relate to at least one Pakistani group that attacked the Indian parliament in 2001, causing a dangerous standoff between the armies of the two countries. Thus the two states are locked in a campaign of mutual vilification while the important agenda of normalisation and bilateral trade awaits fulfilment in line with the pledges made earlier.
<b>Pakistanâs government is under pressure domestically because its support base is fast evaporating. So if the foreign secretaries are primed once again to meet in a familiar deadlock-making pantomime, they should think of not meeting at all. The lobbies they are trying to please are no longer meeting their national imperatives and are blind to what the future holds for the two states if they canât agree to behave normally. <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Unfortunately, Pakistan has placed itself in a situation where it canât force India to âtreat it equallyâ <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo--> and make corresponding concessions and show movement on the issue of Kashmir.</span>
The reality â which the world recognises much better than Pakistan â is that Pakistan has few good cards to play vis-Ã -vis a âstatus quoâ <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>India that has proved that it can do without responding to Pakistani overtures.</span></b> The great seduction of bilateral trade and transit facilities across Pakistan has also faded, and the repeated âlinkingâ of trade with Kashmir made by Pakistan impresses no one, not even the Punjabi business component of the establishment. Given this situation, why canât Pakistan go forward on trade, start talking seriously about a bilateral treaty liberalising cross-border exchange of commodities, even while Kashmir remains unresolved? Kashmir will hang fire in any case whether Pakistan changes tack or not.
There was promise in the thinking of the Pakistani Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, when he carefully de-linked the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline from Kashmir. Why canât he do it in the case of cross-border trade? Pakistan and India are unable to satisfy each otherâs claims and complaints that spring from a state of distrust and non-normalisation. Why not leave the intractable political problems as they are and move forward on things that can be done? The people of Pakistan and India will surely not oppose such a trimming of strategy. But as things stand, the bilateral equation could go from bad to worse if the trouble in Kashmir continues and Balochistan simmers in return.
The two foreign secretaries will talk about terrorism that is bothering both the countries. The last time President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met it was decided to set up some kind of mechanism to halt terrorism. The two gentlemen can talk about the mechanism but <b>not much may come out of it if Pakistan is increasingly unable to stop any kind of terrorism either directed at Afghanistan or India. <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Something more meaningful and new has to be done and Pakistan has to take the lead in this, and that too unilaterally. That is what looks possible and advisable.</span></b>
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[center]<b><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Cancellation of islands deal urged</span></b>[/center]
<b>KARACHI, Nov 12 : Speakers at a meeting here on Sunday called for the cancellation of the agreement under which two islands off the Karachi coast have been allotted to a foreign firm for a mega project. They also demanded a high-level inquiry through an independent commission into the allotment of Sindhâs lands, particularly along the Super Highway and the coastline.</b>
Prominent figures Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Khalid Soomro, Hakim Ali Zardari, Qaiser Bengali, Muhibbullah Shah, Najma Sadiq, Arif Hassan, Taj Haider, Hakim Baloch, Rajab Memon, Zulfiqar Halepoto and Abrar Kazi were among those who expressed their views at the meeting on âResources of Sindh and the Question of Ownershipâ which was opened by Mr Hussain Haroon, a former Sindh Assembly speaker.
The discussion was organised by the Sindh Democratic Forum.The speakers noted that Sindhâs lands were being allotted with mala fide intention. The objective was to control the provinceâs resources and displace its native citizens from their ancestral lands.
<b>They said that under the Constitution, governor was just a ceremonial head of the province, and demanded immediate withdrawal of the notification that empowered the governor in the matter of land allotments.</b>
They called for the cancellation of the allotment of Bundal and Buddu islands, and demanded that all islands be left in their natural state as so-called uplift activities would destroy marine ecosystem and harm fishing and the livelihood of fishermen communities.
<b>They feared that the allotment of these islands to a foreign firm and illegal interference by the PQA and other federal agencies in the provincial land matters would result in an influx of people into the province. This, they added, would exert enormous pressure on the fragile infrastructure of the province, one the one hand, and would change the demography of Sindh, on the other.</b>
The speakers said the allotment of lands to the federal government should also be withdrawn whereas the DHA and other authorities be stopped from occupying the coastal lands in the name of beach development.
They also urged the international financial institutions and foreign donors, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, DFID and the United Nations, not to fund any such project in the province which would ultimately lead to âcleansingâ of the local people and deprivation of their ancestral abodes.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->This, they added, would exert enormous pressure on the fragile infrastructure of the province, one the one hand, and would change the demography of Sindh, on the other.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They should know, Hindus of India may buy flats/apartments in new development and this will change demography of Sindistan. It will be second calling of Raja Dhir)sp ???) to remove people of Arabia from Sindh.
Not bad.
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