Pakistan News And Discussion-9

Bharatvarsh · 01-24-2007, 04:51 AM

QUOTEAt Border, Signs of Pakistani Role in Taliban Surge

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/21/world/as...tta&oref=slogin

Naresh · 01-25-2007, 03:13 AM

<img src='http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/jan-2007/25/image/max.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

[center]PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT DOING EVERYTING TO PROMOTE QUALITY EDUCATION <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' />[/center]

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

01-25-2007, 04:17 AM

NATO fires on Pak border post, kills Pak soldier:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nato_Pa...how/1410600.cms

Naresh · 01-25-2007, 06:11 AM

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

Recently, at least three 'research papers', apparently written by leading academicians teaching at institutes of higher learning in the country have mysteriously vanished from websites.

Insiders at these campuses report that respectable scholars have been spotted attempting to hack into websites or else lurking in libraries or record-rooms, furtively removing written material from files. In some cases, the services of students who can slip less obtrusively in and out of public areas have been enlisted for the purpose.

But while these scenes suggest a massive spying racket of some kind may have hit prestigious campuses, the true explanation is far more mundane --and far more unpleasant. Panic over the possibility of plagiarised work being caught is said to be sweeping across institutions. This comes in the wake of reports of blatant plagiarism at the Punjab University, and, most recently, at the prestigious Government College University, where the head of the economics department was ignominiously removed after it was found he had copied the work of a leading Indian economist and presented it as his own.<!--emo& Confused

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

Beyond all other more grave factors, the fact that well known, international research presented as an original paper went undetected for long periods of time shows too how uncommon reading is at all levels.

Reports of plagiarism by academic staff have also hit the University of Karachi and Bahauddin Zakariya University. It is said that muffled rumours circulating for months of similar fraud at other, prestigious centres of learning, including the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore, are now threatening to surface, with internal inquiries underway in some cases.

What even the small number of instances that have surfaced so far prove, almost beyond doubt, is that such academic malpractice is widespread. Indeed, the opinion by senior staff at some colleges, that it must not be exposed to avoid 'dishonouring' the institution, can only add to suspicions that they themselves are involved, at least tacitly, in the crime.

As similar arguments made in the past, with regard to corruption by political leaders and match fixing in cricket have shown, attempted cover-ups do nothing to solve the problem. These can only be resolved when facts, however unsavoury, are first of all squarely faced.

It goes to the credit of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and its chairman Dr Attaur Rehman that a new, tough stance on plagiarism has been adopted. Certainly, the line taken seems to have caught many academicians and scientists quite unaware --with many having, reportedly, got away with the practice for years or even decades.

The situation is perhaps not surprising --given that dishonesty and a lack of principle seem to exist everywhere in society. From doctors who connive with pharmaceutical firms and surgeons guilty of grotesque ineptness and neglect to tradesmen selling goods of inferior quality, it is quite apparent that the issue is there in most spheres.

It is however still both shocking and saddening to learn that it prevails to this degree in top-notch educational institutions, and that in a number of cases, students have been roped into the plot by their teachers.

The manner in which ethics are constructed in any society is indeed evident early on. Even in their teens, Pakistani school students have been known to make attempts to pass off work downloaded from the Internet as their own, while their counterparts from other nations, doing internships at various private sector organisations, have expressed dismay at their actions. Schoolteachers of course are familiar with the practice, and adept at detecting work taken off the net.

The trend persists at higher level. Students working on dissertations, even for post-graduate degrees, according to academicians, almost invariably depend on regurgitating existing material, the most enterprising among them sometimes taking the trouble to re-write some of it.

Seeping down from the very top, it is thus obvious that the mindsets that lead to plagiarism begins to be set in place early on. But it is also obvious, from the example set by a handful of institutions, that it is possible to combat these attitudes by incorporating a 'zero-tolerance' policy into teaching, setting high standards for students and ensuring academic staff members follow the same rules themselves.

The problem also goes well beyond the issue of plagiarism alone. It is intrinsically linked to the issue of why the country is turning out so much mediocrity. Professionals at senior places within a range of organisations will generally agree that the products of Pakistani universities know little even about their discipline, or are unable to apply it outside the most narrow margins. This is in turn contributing towards the creation of a kind of apartheid, in which the privileged students of a few, local institutions --and those educated abroad --head the queues for internships, jobs and, consequently, career success.

Certainly, today, it is hard to imagine a scientist of the calibre of the late Dr Abdus Salam Khan, educated at public-sector institutions in Pakistan, being produced by a system that has collapsed with quite alarming speed.

The fact that no Pakistani University ranks among the top 500 institutions in the world is now a statistic that has been much bandied around in the media, and by policy-makers. The need now is to look beyond this statistic and examine and ascertain the factors responsible for it.

The 'outing' of plagiarists has exposed the rot that exists within education. To stop it from spreading still further, a start needs to be taken at the lowest educational tiers to create a base to build on.

Merely posting scores of policemen around examination centres, or hauling away those caught cheating to lock-ups, cannot solve the problem. Changing attitudes and belief systems is a far longer-term, and more tedious, process than anything that can be achieved through mere patrolling and policing.

The desire to be original, to encourage creativity, needs to be built in society. By 'teaching' very small children how to 'draw', by holding their hand to chalk out a simple form, instead of allowing them a basic freedom of expression, by encouraging the rote learning of mathematical formulas rather than an understanding of concepts, this ability to think is killed early on. Indeed, many adults dealing with children destroy initiative unknowingly --themselves the products of a system that operates in a set, pre-determined fashion.

If the decay at the highest levels is to be stopped, the process must begin by changing the nature of examinations, by demanding more than rote and by rewarding originality --so that later on, many years down the road towards learning. Habits and values inculcated early on can help produce a generation of competent creators, rather than plagiarists unable to look beyond the thinking of someone else, and passing on the same limitations to those they teach.

Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com

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

01-25-2007, 08:21 AM

According to local media, Mushy is supplying God fearing people in neighboring country. They are saying OBL and his group are pretty safe in Pakistan. Now unkle will help Mushy again. Lets see whether he will get helicopters or F16s or slap on face.

Bharatvarsh · 01-25-2007, 09:27 AM

QUOTEIf we were in Pakistan our options in education would be - IIT (Islamic Institute of Terrorism), JEE (Jehadic Entrance Exam), IIM (Institute of Infiltration Management), CAT (Career in Al Qaida and Taliban), IAS (Iraq after Saddam), MTech (Master in Terror Technology), GATE (General Aptitude in Terror and Extremism).
<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' />

01-25-2007, 10:19 AM

Analysts: Al Qaeda has safe haven in Pakistan frontierQUOTEStory Highlights
â¢ Pakistan-Afghanistan border seen as al Qaeda host, intelligence official says
â¢ View stems from recent Pakistani government pact with tribal leaders
â¢ U.S. has long suspected area was haven for Taliban, as well
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pakistan's tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan have become an accepted haven for al Qaeda leaders such as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, a senior U.S. intelligence official told CNN on Wednesday.

That's not a formal assessment, the official said, but a growing view by U.S. intelligence analysts in the months since the Pakistani government reached an agreement with tribal authorities to not threaten the region's autonomy as long as the tribes agreed not to harbor foreigners.

The official told CNN that "the training camps are full" in the region, suggesting al Qaeda activity.

"This is a real safe haven to operate from. I am not talking about Taliban, I am talking about al Qaeda central," he said, referring to core members of al Qaeda.Â

The official said that before the agreement, Pakistani authorities were able to impede the ability of al Qaeda to regroup in the region. Now, the official said, it is easier for al Qaeda to operate.

Naresh · 01-25-2007, 02:56 PM

QUOTE(Mudy @ Jan 25 2007, 08:21 AM)According to local media, Mushy is supplying God fearing people in neighboring country. They are saying OBL and his group are pretty safe in Pakistan. Now unkle will help Mushy again. Lets see whether he will get helicopters or F16s or slap on face.
[right][snapback]63506[/snapback][/right]

Mudy Ji :

Nothing is going to happen soon â but, the seed has been sown :

[center]<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /> US legislation seeks ban on assistance to Pakistan <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /> [/center]

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 : A new legislation, already endorsed by the House of Representatives, calls for stopping US military assistance to Pakistan if Islamabad fails to halt the resurgence of Taliban inside its territory.

The first piece of legislation by the new Congress since it was sworn in earlier this month also urges the Bush administration to help resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, at a briefing at the Pakistani embassy, Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani acknowledged that anti-Pakistan feelings were strong in the United States because of âmisperceptionsâ about the countryâs role in the war against terrorism.

âWe are already standing on our head, what else we could do,â he asked. âThey should not blame us for their failures.â

The proposed legislation urges the US president to certify that Islamabad is making all efforts to âprevent Taliban from operating in areas under its sovereign control, including in the cities of Quetta and Chamanâ before releasing any funds or approving licenses for enhancing its military capability.

The new provisions form part of the Implementation of 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act, 2007, aimed at revamping the US national security and foreign policy apparatus to address challenges post-9/11.

Three countries have been singled out in the proposed legislation: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.

A congressional aide, who did not want to be identified, told Dawn that the legislation âshows the general mood in both the chambers, which is not very favourable to Pakistan,â said the aide who did not want to be identified.

The section on Pakistan lays down a set of policy objectives that range from ensuring free and fair parliamentary elections this year to securing borders to âprevent movement of militants and terrorists into other countries.â

The Act, cleared by the House of Representatives, is now being discussed in the Senate.

The legislation acknowledges that âsince September 11, 2001, the government of Pakistan has been an important partner in helping the United States remove the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and combating international terrorism in the frontier provinces of Pakistanâ.But âthere remain a number of critical issues that threaten to disrupt the relationship between the United States and Pakistan, undermine international security, and destabilise Pakistanâ.

Recognising Pakistanâs importance in the war against terror, it grants the US president the power to forge a âstrategic partnershipâ but places limitations on the presidentâs authority to provide credit on favourable terms for purchase of military equipment and spares.It emphasises that for fiscal years 2008 and 2009, US military assistance to Pakistan may not be providedâ unless the president âdetermines and certifiesâ that the Pakistan government is taking all actions against Taliban.

These include credit for military sales and purchases in Foreign Assistance Act and Section 23 of Arms Export Control Act along with licenses for any item controlled under this Act.

The US president may waive the limitation on assistance for a fiscal year if he determines and certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that it is important to the national security interest of the United States to do so.

The areas where Pakistan needs to take action against the resurgent Taliban militia have been identified as Quetta, Chaman, the North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Once the Act is passed, the president will be required to submit within 90 days to the relevant Congressional committees a report on the US strategy towards Pakistan that should spell out the âlong-termâ plan which the US has in mind to âaccomplish the goal of building a moderate Pakistan.â

The bill identifies the âcritical issuesâ that need immediate action as :

â¢ Curbing the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology.

â¢ Combating poverty and corruption.

â¢ Building effective government institutions.

â¢ Promoting democracy and the rule of law, particularly at the national level.

â¢ Addressing continued presence of Taliban and other violent extremists throughout the country.

â¢ Maintaining the authority of the Government of Pakistan in all parts of its national territory.

â¢ Securing borders of Pakistan to prevent movement of militants and terrorists into other countries and territories.

â¢ Effectively dealing with Islamic terrorism.

The Act also lays out policy guidelines for the US government, which is not binding on the administration of the day but does give a sense of Congress.

These include:

â¢ To work with Pakistan to combat international terrorism, especially in the frontier provinces, and to end the use of Pakistan as a safe haven for forces associated with the Taliban.

â¢ To establish a long-term strategic partnership with Pakistan to address these issues.

â¢ To dramatically increase funding for programmes of the United States Agency for International Development and the Department of State that assist Pakistan in addressing such issues, if Islamabad demonstrates a commitment to building a moderate, democratic state, including significant steps towards free and fair parliamentary elections in 2007.

â¢ To work with the international community to secure additional financial and political support to effectively implement the policies set forth in this subsection and help to resolve the dispute between the government of Pakistan and the government of India over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

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

01-26-2007, 09:48 AM

QUOTESUCH GUP 
FT
No biz like show biz
The Quaid-e-Qiwam , long suspected of being a bit of a showman, has finally come out in his true colours. He has sanctioned the making of two feature films, produced, directed and shot on location in Karachi and Lahore, and soon to be released to the public in cinema houses across the land. Appropriately entitled âBhai logâ and âHaq parastâ , the two films have famous actors in lead roles and are the brainchild of a stalwart of the Quaid-e-Qiwam. This gent is currently serving as advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister and will be making his silver screen debut with these two feature films. Clearly, thereâs no business like show business

Pride & prejudice
On a recent flight back to the Land of the Pure from some foreign clime, a pilot of our national carrier suddenly had a fit of piety and refused to accept food from the hands of a non-Muslim air steward. Other cabin attendants tried to persuade the pilot to accept âMaheshâsâ offering but he continued to demur and finally revealed that he did not wish to eat food touched by a man who is not Muslim. Does the pilot starve on his foreign trips or does he cook up a storm with his own hand at every mealtimes while abroad?

Image problem
A famous chain of British supermarket retailers decided that the time had come to make an investment in Pakistan, given that the European supermarket Migro is soon to have outlets in Karachi and Lahore. They spoke to possible joint venture partners in Pakistan and agreed to send over a group of six Britons for an initial recce.

On the eve of their departure from London, our would-be foreign investors were sent a travel advisory by the British Foreign Office and told that traveling to Pakistan was a very risky business. The trip was cancelled and the Pakistani joint venture partners left high and dry. If ever there was an image problem â¦

[My Brit cousin, opened a call center in Karachi in 2006 Jan and shut down in Oct 2006, very bad environment]
+++++

Nuggets from the Urdu press

Letter from Guantanamo
According to daily Jang, a letter written by Majid Khan, a Pakistani detained in Gautanamo Bay, was produced in the Sindh High Court. He wrote to his wife, âit seems that we shall meet in paradiseâ. The letter reached his wife through the Red Cross after censorship. He told his wife to make his daughter a hafiza-i-Quran and then admit her to an English medium school. Also he wrote that he has learnt by heart only twoâ andâ aâ half chapters of the Quran but his daughter should get admission to a course for hafiza-i-Quran. He said their life story could become a film story if they added a few songs.

Qadianis arrested in Saudi Arabia
As reported in daily Nawa-i-Waqt, the Saudi government has arrested 100 Ahmadis in Saudi Arabia. The majority of Ahmadis are from India while one is from Pakistan and one is from Syria. Police have arrested the male members of families and are ordered to deport the rest of them.

Fatwa in favour of Molly aka Misbah Irum
According to daily Express, the distinguished and expert Muftian-e-Karam (religious scholars) have issued a fatwa in favour of British born Pakistani Misbah Irum, stating she canât live with her murtad (converted) mother. She asked for the fatwa in a written request that was signed by eight muftian-e-karam. The muftian said her mother lost the right to raise her children by converting to Christianity, and that Misbah can make her own decision for she is an adult according to Islamic sharia.

Saddam is not a hero
As reported in daily Pakistan, the assistant Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Mohammad Sabah, has denied that Saddam Hussain has become a hero or a martyr. He said Saddam Hussain was a criminal who killed his people and fought with neighbouring Muslim countries. He criticised the government of Libya for calling Saddam Hussain a âfriend of Libyaâ. However, he also said Kuwait is not going to cut off its diplomatic relations with proâSaddam Arab states.

Hizb-i-Islami saved Osama
According to daily Express, the chief of Hezb-i-Islami, Gulbadeen Hikmatyar, said that after the demise of the Taliban government, the mujahideen of Hizb-e-Islami saved the lives of Osama bin Laden and AimenâalâZawahiri and brought them out of Tora Bora to a safe place. In an interview from a hidden location, he said he wasnât in contact with Pakistani intelligence or officials of Pakistan. He said American forces and NATO blame Pakistan in order to cover up their own incompetence.

Suicide in grief of Saddam Hussain
According to daily Express, a young man in Islamabad committed suicide to protest Saddam Hussainâs hanging. Usman Haider, 22 years of age, was upset when he heard about the hanging of Saddam Hussain. He was very sad and often talked about Saddam Hussain.

Where is the father of our nation?
A columnist in daily Pakistan, Tanveer Qaiser Shahid, wrote on 23 October 2003 that when he visited Madame Tussaudâs Museum in London. I went to the section that exhibited great personalities of modern times and antiquity. The statues of wax looked real in color and clothing. I saw the statue of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. I also saw the statues of Nehru, Indira Gandhi and a half naked Mohatma Gandhi, who was looking at me with a sarcastic smile. Oh! Where is the father of my nation? Where is that man who took the Muslims of Subcontinent from a wretched life to an honorable living in Pakistan? I canât understand what our high commission is doing abroad ?

Family system abroad
In daily Khabrain, religious scholar Dr Israr Ahmad wrote of Pakistanis that are so impressed by Western civilisational that we canât grasp the difficulties they are facing. Pakistanis are under the wrong impression thinking that they have peace, tranquility and stability. Those who have seen the âatheistâ Western civilisation know that its family structure has collapsed. The society is under a lot of pain and stress. According to Western law, the wife is entitled to half of her husbandâs property after the divorce, so marriage is considered a burden. Ex-president Bill Clinton mentioned in his address that the majority of their population would soon have fatherless children.

Muslims are under duress in Burma
In Sunday magazine of Nawa-i-Waqt Dr Habib Saddique wrote that the majority of Muslims in Burma donât have citizenship rights. Without an identity card they canât travel, study or work. Muslims canât print the Quran or import copies from other countries. The construction or renovation of a new mosque is banned. Muslims canât celebrate their festivals. Imams are under surveillance and canât teach pupils at home and all madrassas are closed.

We treat our prisoners better than India
In daily Nawa-i-Waqt, columnist Haroon ur Rashid said that Indian prisoners went back to India yesterday but when our fishermen returned to Pakistan, twelve of them were insane because of torture in Indian jails. On the same day the Pakistan Navy saved eleven passengers and spent 50 lakhs on the operation as Pakistanis consider the life of human beings to be priceless.

Wildlife department kills rare cat
According to daily Express, the dotted cat killed by the wildlife department was taindwa, a species of tiger cats. Taindwa is a very rare cat and faces the threat of extinction. The animal was killed with an overdose of sedatives by the wildlife department. The department tried to cover up their negligence and sell hide worth 3 million rupees in the international market. The cat was injured during a fight with dogs in the local area.

37 rupees pension for the Mughal rulers
According to daily Nawa-i-Waqt magazine, the last family members of the mughals, Nawab Abdullah and his mother Sarwat Jehan Begum are living in a crumbling building in Lucknow. They receive a 37 rupee pension from the government. The Nawab said the pension is an indication of our being the ancestors of the Mughals. âIf we donât receive the pension, our distinction will be lost and we would merge with ordinary peopleâ.

Mehdi Hassan great?
In daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Sarerahe reported that the famous composer Master Manzoor Hussain said Mehdi Hassan is an outâofâtune singer. He said chewing words doesnât make one a great singer. Sarerahe said that Master Manzoor Hussain is just a school master and there is only pap (sin) in pop music. Mehdi Hassan is a great singer and every key on the board recites his name.

Deobandi madrasses
In daily Pakistan, columnist Tanveer Qaiser Shahid wrote that the deobandi ulema fought to mould the Islamic system in Pakistan. Deobandi mujahideen played a major part in Afghani jihad and all the leadership of Taliban are deobandis and graduates from deobandi madaris in Pakistan. If someone doesnât believe this, he should go and read the names of Taliban leaders in Madrassa Haqqania in Akora Khattak or Hassan Jan in Peshawar or the Jamia Banori in Karachi.

01-26-2007, 09:50 AM

QUOTEAyub 40 years later 
Khalid Hasan - FT
The fate of books written by holders of power while in office has generally not been a happy one. Seldom does their work outlast them and this is especially true of those who are not born writers, like Vaclav Havel of Czechoslovakia. This is something General Musharraf will do well to remember, regardless of what his sycophants and his inept ghost writer(s) might tell him. As long as he is in office â and from all accounts he plans to stay there till the cows come home, and then some more â he can live in the pink haze in which live all rulers, especially those whose mode of transportation to the presidential palace has been a tank. Seldom has a book by a head of state been pilloried as has been In the Line of Fire. It reminds me of the time when I cycled past a section of the Danube river in Vienna where nature lovers were hanging out to sun themselves. âMost human beings should never be seen undressed,â I said to myself. In the same way, not everyone should write a book.

In the Line of Fire also reminded me of another book â Friends not Masters â which, when it was first published in 1967, many of us refused to read, so tired by then were we of Ayub Khanâs praetorian rule. The way that book was hawked by the official media and the henchmen of the state and the manner in which it was forced down peopleâs throats had put us off. We condemned the book without reading it. But that was thirty-nine years ago and so one day a month or so ago, I thought I should read Friends not Masters . A friend who was visiting Pakistan brought it back. The original publishers were Oxford University Press, but the copyright it seems is now held by Mr Books, Islamabad, who have done a poor job of the reprint, while claiming that âthe moral rights of the author have been asserted.â What that means I do not know. I am going to ask my friend Naeem Bokhari, my legal eagle, to work that one out for me.

Oscar Wilde said he never read a book before reviewing it because âit so prejudices the mind,â which is exactly what those who castigated Friends not Masters were guilty of. But our reasons were political and sprang from our ennui with a ruler who it was said at the time is like the âGhainta Ghar of Lyallpur,â visible from every direction. I have now read the book and come to the conclusion that it is essential to read it in order to understand how military rule took root in Pakistan and what the early years of independence were like. Compared to Fire, Friends is well-written and thoughtful. Not once does Ayub abuse anyone or use derogatory language, nor does he recount slapping bald-headed people sunning themselves in a public park. It is a book with a great deal of dignity and class, unlike the other work. Another dissimilarity between the two is that Friends is Ayubâs work, not Qudratullah Shahabâs or Altaf Gauharâs, as popularly believed, though they helped in framing questions that Ayub addressed. His opening line is: âThis is essentially a spoken book.â He recorded his answers to the questions framed on tape and by 1965 he had a 900-page transcript, which he revised several times. Ayub was a bright, clear-headed man with a progressive outlook on Islam and social issues.

His book, though written in office, is an exception to such works since it remains readable four decades later and unlike its present-day counterpart, it provides a great deal of truthful and important information. The book begins with his birth in the lovely Hazara village of Haryana on 14 May 1907 and ends with the 1965 presidential election. It is a pity that it does not cover the event that was to lead to the separation of East Pakistan, the war of 1965. As a child Ayub used to ride a mule to school which was four miles away and run by Sikhs, whom Ayub describes as a âlarge-hearted peopleâ whose rituals and Punjabi songs fascinated him. One line that he recalled from his childhood was: Sau rung tamashay takday, akhiyaan nahin rajyaan (One is never done living even after a lifetime of watching the world go by). His father wanted him to go to Aligarh and that was where he went. While there, he joined the army and sailed for England in 1926 on a ship by the name of SS Rawalpindi . Ayub wrote in his foreword, âI have woken up from sleep to see whether the sound on the window panes is the long-awaited rain. I feel parched inside when I see a drought-stricken field. The soil of Pakistan fascinates me, for it is my soil, I belong to it.â

The shenanigans of those under whose control the ship of state fell, after the murder of Liaquat Ali Khan, led Pakistan into the quagmire of military rule from which it has never escaped. The lack of principle that characterised the actions of those men, their refusal to deal with East Pakistan in a fair way and the ascendancy of the civil service bureaucracy to key positions made the business of government a farce. Sadly, it was the politicians and the jacked-up civil servants who thrust power into Ayubâs hands, who made him a member of the cabinet while he was still in the service of the state. The two men whose lust for power at all costs brought in martial rule were Ghulam Muhammad and Iskander Mirza, though the villain of the piece must remain Mirza. Ayub wrote that he only moved against Mirza because âwe received information that his wife was quarrelling with him all the time: she kept telling him that he had made a great mistake, but now that it was done, he should finish off Ayub Khan.â Nahid Mirza, who wore a diamond necklace gifted to her by the notorious smuggler Qasim Bhatti, was the Lady Macbeth of Pakistan.

Ayub did both good and harm to Pakistan and in the end, when he could have had a chance to redeem himself by handing over the reins of government to the Speaker of the National Assembly, he let himself be overpowered by Yahya Khan, who had been planning to overthrow him after his stroke. Had Ayub only told the nation that the Army was trying to overthrow him, Yahyaâs intrigue and conspiracy would have failed. But he did not do that, although his young law minister SM Zafar advised that course of action. I know because when the Ayub regime was tottering, Zafar came to Lahore and told some of us, including his great friend Sardar Muhammad Sadiq, of his advice to Ayub.

Ayub died feeling disillusioned with the people of Pakistan who he believed, had been ill-served by their politicians, and for whom he had done more than anyone had done for them before. It is ironic that there is not even a two-brick structure to remember the man in the city of Islamabad, which he brought to birth. The home where he lived and died was sold by his sons although they were in no great need of money. Compared to what we have had since, Ayub stands quite tall. The long-distance truck drivers who have painted his picture under the caption â Teri yaad aayee teray jaanay ke baadâ may after all have a point.

âThis is a regular column by TFTâs Washington correspondent. He can be
reached at khasan2@cox.net

01-26-2007, 11:07 PM

Suicide attack not to deter India, Pak from pushing peaceQUOTEDescribing Friday's suicide attack at a local hotel where the Indian High Commission held its Republic day reception as a "dreadful terrorist act", India and Pakistan on Friday night said such incidents would not deter them from carrying on with the peace process.

"There has been speculation about what might and might not be the target of this attack but what it establishes really is that it (terrorism) has no borders and it is a common enemy," Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Satyabrata Pal said while addressing the reception in which a senior minister from Pakistan attended as the chief guest.

Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber and a security guard of Marriot Hotel were killed when the unidentified bomber tried to storm the hotel several hours before the reception was held.

After joint consultations, the two side decided to go ahead with the reception in which over 100 guests from different walks of life attended
.............

The Indian envoy said by "holding this reception we are sending a message back to them that we will not be cowed and we will not be frightened and disturbed".
Indian Politicans don't care even 1000 citizens died last year in Delhi, Varanasi, Mumbai, J&K, AP....... Peace process should continue till.......................

Naresh · (This post was last modified: 01-27-2007, 03:37 AM by Naresh.)

[center]<img src='http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/jan-2007/27/image/index1p.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />[/center][center]A group of policemen beating a journalist â Staff photos. <!--emo& Confused

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

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

01-28-2007, 01:33 AM

QUOTEThis time, it's not short circuit: Pak 
Pioneer.com
Kanchan Gupta | New Delhi
The last time the Marriott was bombed by Islamists in Islamabad on October 8, 2004, Pakistani Intelligence had waved away the deafening explosion that left two Italians and an American injured as nothing more than a "power short-circuit".

The Americans were not convinced and conducted an inquiry, which is believed to have established that a high-power explosive device had been planted in the hotel's lobby. But to humour General Pervez Musharraf, they let fiction prevail.

Friday's attempt by an Islamist to bomb the Marriott in Islamabad hours before the Republic Day reception hosted by India's High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal would probably also have been played down as another "short-circuit".

Unfortunately for the Pakistani Intelligence, camerapersons captured remains of the suicide bomber plastered on a hotel wall before the cops sealed the area and beat up mediapersons trying to enter the premises.

But while the Pakistani Government has grudgingly admitted that it was, indeed, a terror attack, it refuses to speculate why the hotel was targeted. Senior officials have been quick to deny any link between the suicide bombing and the Indian Republic Day reception, pointing out that the blast preceded the event by several hours - some three hours, to be precise.

However, a report in The Nation quotes an unnamed official as saying that "the bomber appeared ill-trained and poorly briefed, with poor Intelligence about the hotel".

Which could explain why he fumbled when confronted by a security guard. This could also be the reason why he was there much before the reception was scheduled to begin.

Islamists bombed the Marriott in Jakarta on August 8, 2003, killing 10 and injuring 150. The Indonesian Government had said the bombers were trained by Al Qaeda in Pakistan, a charge angrily denied by Islamabad.

Three years later, a suicide bomber attacked the Marriott in Karachi on March 2, 2006, on the eve of US President George Bush's visit.

He was more successful in his deadly mission than Friday's bomber who apparently lost his way. Four people, including a US diplomat, were killed and 52 seriously injured in the Karachi attack.

Since nothing much remains of Friday's bomber to establish his identity - sleuths are trying to put together a half-blown head, an arm and a leg - Gen Musharraf and his Government can always claim that he was not a Pakistani. Investigators, working on what they explain as thin leads, are trying to push the theory that the bomber had "links with pro-Taliban extremists fighting Pakistani forces near the Afghan border".

A senior Intelligence official has been quoted as saying, "The involvement of pro-Taliban militants cannot be ruled out as they had recently threatened to carry out such attacks."

Whatever the real identity of the bomber, Friday's terror attack, the first in the Pakistani capital since 2005 and bang next door to the high security enclave of Government offices, which fortuitously missed the evening's reception thus preventing a bloody mayhem, is bound to have left red faces in Islamabad.

There is mounting concern in Army House and Islamabad's corridors of power over a Bill making its way up the Hill in Washington that seeks to bar American military aid for Pakistan unless it demonstrates its commitment to fighting Al Qaeda, Taliban and other terrorists, which must be certified by the US President. Implementation of 9/11 Commission Recommend-actions Act, 2007, has been passed by the House of Representatives and awaits Senate clearance. If passed into law, it will put a question mark over American aid for Pakistan worth $3 billion. Strangely, the Bush Administration continues to turn a blind eye to the grim reality of terrorists and terrorism continuing to flourish in Pakistan.

Even as the suicide bomber tried, in his ham-handed manner, to blow up the Marriott on Friday, elsewhere in Islamabad a top US official waxed eloquent on how the Bush Administration would press Congress to drop the provision linking aid to Pakistan with its commitment to fight terrorism.

"The new piece of legislation... is not the initiative of the Bush Government and efforts are under way to make sure that Pakistan-specific provisions in the 9/11 legislation are not made part of the law," US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asian Affairs John A Gastright told newspersons on Friday

Shambhu · 01-28-2007, 01:51 AM

QUOTE(Mudy @ Jan 28 2007, 01:33 AM)<div class='quotetop'>QUOTEThis time, it's not short circuit: Pak 
Pioneer.com

Friday's attempt by an Islamist to bomb the Marriott in Islamabad hours before the Republic Day reception hosted by India's High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal would probably also have been played down as another "short-circuit".

Unfortunately for the Pakistani Intelligence, camerapersons captured remains of the suicide bomber plastered on a hotel wall before the cops sealed the area and beat up mediapersons trying to enter the premises.


[right][snapback]63644[/snapback][/right]
</div>

Butt Butt..this was a short-circuit onlee..that "suicide bomber" was the electrician who had come to lengthen the circuit. Unfortunately, he could not do it in time, so the circuit remained short, and the honourable electrician got sent to his 72 livewire jalebis in e-jannat.

Naresh · 01-28-2007, 04:16 AM

[center]<img src='http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/jan-2007/28/image/max.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

HE HAS CONFESSED SIR, HE IS A GOAT[/center]

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

Naresh · (This post was last modified: 01-28-2007, 05:36 AM by Naresh.)

[center]Kashmir will be settled by March 2008, says Rao <!--emo& Confused

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

QUOTELAHORE - Defence Minister and Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (Patriots) Rao Sikander Iqbal has predicted that the Kashmir issue will be resolved by February or March next year, if not by the end of this year as being pronounced by certain quarters.

He was speaking at The Nation Forum here on Saturday. On this occasion, Tehsil Nazim Rao Jameel was also present. Later, Rao Sikander also called on the Editor-in-Chief Daily The Nation Majid Nizami.

Rao Sikander said whatsoever All-Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders, that is, the Kashmiri leaders were doing was with the involvement of the Pakistani government. âWe should not be hopeless about the situation as the present run of activities will bear positive results, and Kashmir will be liberated by February or March 2008, if not by December this year,â he added.

He maintained that the credit must be given to Pervez Musharraf for his efforts in maintaining peace in the region. âOne-manâs efforts could not do the required as India is not responding positively. If the situation has to be changed, then India must come up with some positives,â he said.
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To question about the recent arm deals between India and Russia, and Indo-US last year, Rao Sikander said it was not a new thing as it was continuing for decades. âRussia is supporting India as the latter is six times bigger than Pakistan, which is so to our misfortune. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /> But I assure you with the kind of sagacity Musharraf possesses, India could be defeated in a short time,â he said, while accepting the fact that Pakistan did not match India in matter of the traditional weaponry and nuclear arsenal. âBut Pakistan is a determined nation, and we have some pluses about which I donât want to talk about. However, nothing wrong could be done to us, and we must not be bothered by the US tilt towards India,â he said.

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

Naresh · 01-28-2007, 05:35 AM

[center]Thoroughly irrelevant: Masood Hasan <!--emo& Confused

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

If there isn't enough confusion all around, we have to go and make a very large mountain of a very small molehill. I refer to this irrelevant and quite useless debate that is raging on the front pages, the back pages and the inside pages of every newspaper and the forty five billion unwatchable channels that have arrived in all their grainy wonder. Is the president going to doff his uniform and what is going to happen in the coming elections? As far as I am concerned, I would be much happier if the elections were going rather than coming, because it is clear no one is going to do any work for this whole year other than go on debating what's going to happen. Surely, there must be, there should be other topics that we should be involved in like the end of the world, as Stephen Hawking has predicted or the latest flop Sharon Stone has starred in. Instead it's elections, elections, elections.

There being no dearth of crackpots, there are billions of theories floating about and anyone who has nothing else to do is floating his personal theory to add to the popular ones that are already in the air. Are we really interested? There is the timing of the elections and frankly I have had it up to here with this particular wart. It's September, no it's October, no it's not this year. It's next March. Sorry, it's not March. It's April. No, no it's October, no not this year stupid, but next. I mean can there be a more boring and sillier way of spending time than tossing about dates and months and years like confetti? Suppose it is none of these. Suppose it is August. I don't know which year. Perhaps this one. Perhaps the next. Perhaps the one after that. So what? Will it make a difference and will petrol cost the same as a bottle of water? Of course not, but to consider the intensity of the statement-mongering, you would think the planet's very existence was hinged on this business.

The president is under great pressure to hold elections is another crackpot theory I am bored to tears with. Pressure from where? And how is this pressure exerted? 'Listen, General Sir,' says the geezer from somewhere between Arkansas and Port Elizabeth. 'You better hold them elections cause the folks up in Wyoming are kinda getting' all worked up about this 'ere little matter. Get ma drift?' Give me a break fellas or to borrow Mickey Shafi's immortal three word wonder: I ask you. Every time someone or the other arrives in Pakistan from somewhere which is not Lalamusa, there is an immediate theory pinned to the visit. And it's always the same, more or less. The Pakistan government is not doing enough -- often it is not even known what about as everyone is supposedly so familiar with the well-trodden path that there is no need to go and elaborate what precisely is enough. It could be Kashmir, it could be Afghanistan, it could be mining borders, it could be law and order -- another two boring subjects beaten and discussed to death with no real purpose -- and the list goes on.

It seems to me that all over the world, bored statesmen and women, senators and secretaries, experts and non-experts, ministers former and present, various other factotums of varying plumage, having time on their hands and a return ticket about to lapse, head our way. They arrive to a royal welcome in Islamabad where half the city is perpetually at the airport or on its way there to welcome yet another important guest and a great friend of Pakistan. These dignitaries, hardly known three feet outside their cubicle, descend into the Islamic Republic of Pakistan amidst great fanfare and are received by everybody who happens to be permanently free in the capital. Feted, dined, chauffeured and mollycoddled by every rank, they have a jolly good time and then when it's time to go, leave some obscure statement floating in the air that puts the Pakistanis in a spin and all the crackpots back in circulation again.

Sometimes I feel that this country is being run by the protocol boys aided by their blue book or whatever colour it is. To think of the number of people coming and going, you'd think we had a bumper sale on -- some say this is true and everything that has not yet been sold to the most undeserving bidder, is up for grabs depending only on how good your grab is -- but the last sale I heard about was the one that said 'up to' in tiny little words and '50 per cent' in type larger than the girth of former minister Ghulam Dastgir of Gujranwala, home of the great but miniscule 'chirras'. There's a nifty little aphrodisiac our sandy brethren have not discovered yet. Should they do so, the Houbara Bustard could have a few days of rest and delayed oblivion.

Frankly and between you, me and the goalpost (no, the rumours are not true and no one has run away with it over the night), this entire elections-uniform thing is a waste of time and absolutely monotonous darling. Elections or selections or whatever, please put it aside. Mian Sahib will not be arriving to open the innings. He hasn't been in the nets long enough. Even Bob Woolmer can't help. Talented brother therefore is also not coming and Mushahid sahib need not feel unduly embarrassed running into them in the streets of the prime minister's sprawling metropolis, also known as his house. So no front foot drives will be taking place. Ms Bhutto will successfully lead a great life and talk about democracy and elections -- one of these days she might even hold the latter in her own party and win again much to the delight of her potty supporters. Mr Zardari will continue having a great time while we suffer more articles from their next generation and their accumulated wealth -- sorry, wisdom.

The good and enlightened Chaudhries, may their tribe increase, shall remain loyal and dependable partners to the House of Musharraf, no reference to the wonderful farm we hear is coming up and where I hope to be invited one day to walk amongst the leading cabbages of Pakistan, who undoubtedly would be on the VIP list of invitees. New leadership will be grafted in Chaudhry nurseries and even as we read these rather useless lines, the young scion of the family is already ascending like a healthy creeper, green but getting better all the time. He cuts a fine figure, patiently hearing complaints and heartbreaking stories of suffering humanity who have prostrated themselves at his Bally shoes and plead for favours. The best thing that ever happened to this country, namely the creation of the armed forces, shall continue to run its affairs and may even introduce some new flavours in their Corn Flakes range -- nothing like getting the share of mind of the people right at the start of day -- 'from those great folks who gave you enlightened moderation, now a new raspberry flavour'. As for Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, well he might return to the land of Oz and live there happily after or he might simply continue having had such resounding success in both his home constituencies, Tharparkar and Attock or was it Badin and Charsada -- one forgets. The truth is that by and large, mostly large, the Pakistanis have thrown in the towel <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /> -- no idea where they got it in the first place and have readily, wholeheartedly and happily accepted without any reservation, the existing dispensation. I wonder, therefore, if Confucius was indeed from Daska, for he truly spoke for this country when he said: 'When in soup, enjoy flavour.'

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

01-28-2007, 07:46 AM

Let them dream about Kashmir settlement by 2008, first fix Shia - Sunni love fest.

Suicide bomb near Pakistan mosque kills 15QUOTEStory Highlights
â¢ NEW: Pelosi delegation about 90 miles away
â¢ Most victims are police, including chief
â¢ Blast comes during religious festival
â¢ Officers restrain angry Shiites chanting slogans

The city's police chief, Malik Saab, was among the dead, said provincial police chief Sharif Virk.


Now they will start riots.

01-28-2007, 07:49 AM

QUOTEhttp://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=5492
NWFP loses its finest cop 
By Rahimullah Yusufzai
PESHAWAR: The Frontier Police had not yet recovered from the loss of one of its bravest police officers Abid Ali that it lost Malik Muhammad Saad, arguably the finest cop in the province.

Abid Ali, who was killed by unknown gunmen after being waylaid in Mattani area near Peshawar in December, had earned promotion as deputy inspector-general of police at the same time last year as Malik Saad. Both were talented and fearless police officers. And they were destined to die unnatural deaths so close to each other.

Few police officers received the kind of public support that Malik Saad got upon his appointment as chief of capital city police on December 28, 2006.
.............

Husky · (This post was last modified: 01-28-2007, 08:04 AM by Husky.)

What a confident news headline, seriously worrying:
QUOTE(Naresh @ Jan 28 2007, 04:44 AM)<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE[center]Kashmir will be settled by March 2008, says Rao[/center]QUOTEâWe should not be hopeless about the situation as the present run of activities will bear positive results, and Kashmir will be liberated by February or March 2008, if not by December this year,â he added.QUOTEâBut Pakistan is a determined nation, and we have some pluses about which I donât want to talk about.[right][snapback]63649[/snapback][/right]</div>Rao Sikander (Rao is a Hindu name isn't it, why is the islamoterrorist still keeping it?) knows something we don't. There was that other news article posted here about how Pak doesn't want to fight over Kashmir anymore.
Adding the two up: they want Kashmir, don't want to fight over it (don't need to is more like it), but are confident of getting it by March 2008 anyway.
Under the present anti-Indian, anti-Hindu government, can't help but think that what Sikander is hinting at is really the worst-case scenario turned into reality.

Sikander says Terroristan has some 'pluses' up its sleeve - guess it must be Sonia Gandhi and her Pak-born traitor-stooge Madmohan Singh. (Only pluses to Pakistan, to us they are the greatest minuses.) They could well be planning to give Kashmir away to Terroristan as some kind of progressive, secular peace-gesture by the 'magnanimous' Indian traitor Congress government. At that point, Arundhati Roy and the other pathbreakers for christoislamic terrorism in India will be cheering this as a Noble Peace Prize deserving action by Sonia and Mad (and they will duly get their Noble Peace Prize), the Pope will be invited to drop in for tea and will congratulate them for their peaceful means of settling the whole issue as well: What the Hindus could not solve, Christo Sonia and fake 'Sikh' Mad have wrapped up so easily and without bloodshed (without islamic bloodshed, that is; Hindu Kashmiris' blood is worth less than that of cockroaches, don't ya know?)
Pakistan will be congratulated for its (islamic) peace also: for realising, as early as Jan 2007, that they did not want to fight over Kashmir anymore.

The IBN-CNN and other christomedia will be cheering the whole hand-over as some kind of 'victory of Indians', in the same manner as the traitors (Shabana Azmi et al) insisted that an 'anti-communalist' march after the Mumbai bombs was some kind of show of our 'victory over terrorism'.

While the average Indian will be left speechless, those in the know in Terroristan will be nodding their heads in private and shaking each others hands, after which they'll update Teroristan's map to include Kashmir and then move their LOC to the border of the Mughalistan they've planned for ages. Then back to square 1: new islamic terrorist cells mushroom (already in preparation) trying to liberate 'Mughalistan' from India, requests for plebiscite at the UN for the poor Mughalistanis, international media lobbying, the ever-returning genocide and ethnic cleansing of Hindus, the christian media writing about the 'evil Indian army in Mughalistan' and what not.

Why - as gloomy as the above looks - does it nevertheless seem to be the way things are going?

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