11-14-2006, 04:16 AM (This post was last modified: 11-14-2006, 04:16 AM by Naresh.)
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Nov 13 2006, 08:58 PM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Nov 13 2006, 08:58 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->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.
[right][snapback]60762[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Mudy Ji </b>
Wishful thinking!
1. It would be most unwise for Indian Hindus-Sikhs-Jains to invest in Karachi as at the first indication of an India-Pakistan Problem the followers of the Peaceful Religion will Slaughter the Hindus-Sikhs-Jains.
Even if they spare the Hindus-Sikhs-Jains and allow them to return to India their Properties will be confiscated and no compensation would be paid â just as the case of the confiscation of the Hindu-Sikh-Jains property in Pakistan in the aftermath of the 1965 War.
2. Here is some information from Pakistanâs 1998 Census :
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>LAHORE â The exports of major categories of textile products <span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>appear in reverse gear as textile group depicted 10.29 per cent overall decline in exports in first three months of this fiscal, The Nation learnt on Monday.</span></b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->NEW DELHI: The success of the made-in-Havana proposal for a joint India-Pakistan anti-terror mechanism will depend on "conclusive evidence" that Islamabad is taking steps to dismantle terrorist infrastructure operating on its territory.
This will be the key Indian demand when foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and his Pakistan counterpart Riaz Muhammed Khan restart peace talks. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Pakistani Exports of major textile items in reverse gear <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They are blaming India and no quota.
Now this can change into "root cause of lot of problems" <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>At the Indo-Pak talks tomorrow, be prepared for the worst</b>. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In short, therefore, expect Afghanistan to go under, factor for a terror upsurge in J and K, and don't be surprised if the nuke deal is delayed and all manner of American interventionism in J and K begins. India should be prepared for all this, and therefore be cautious in the foreign secretary level talks.
And don't bet too much on General Parvez Musharraf. Yes, the man is a veritable Houdini. He has escaped from frightful situations, survived two Al-Qaeda assassination attempts, and so on. But he is in for something new. The Pakistan army is facing terrorist attacks in tribal areas. A suicide bomber killed over forty soldiers in an army training camp near where the military had blown up a suspected Al-Qaeda terror factory. In counter, Musharraf has spoken against terrorism affecting Pakistan, but the opposition parties have scorned his appeal to unite at this hour. Across the board, they want him to go.
..........
There's a climate change in America. We have to keep absolutely, scrupulously on guard. While being cautious, we have to preempt Pakistan all the way. The exercise should have commenced the moment the Republicans lost Congress. Rather, it should never have been abandoned. But at any rate, it has to be revived now. We are not talking specifics. It is an evolving situation. Our solutions have to cater to the change.<b> What's clear is, we have to stop the Taliban and the Pakistanis in Afghanistan, so as to secure J and K. </b>
The gloves, as they say, have to be off. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Most of the common Pakistanis, and the business community as well might have had just a glance on a tender notice published in some English and Urdu dailies on April 26 this year inviting offers for development of state-of-the-art cities in two uninhabited islands off Karachi.Understandably, none of the local investors had reportedly shown interest in the respective project namely 'Diamond Bar Island City', and the contract was awarded to a UAE-based company Emaar, with 85 percent equity in the project.
The company will build homes and apartments at Bundal and Buddo Islands over the next 13 years at a cost of 43.135 billion dollars. Pakistan's Port Qasim Authority will hold 15 per cent stake and will provide land for the project.
The decision to allot the twin islands to the UAE-based developer was taken by the country's top economic body, the Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet in such a hasty and suspicious fashion as even the Sindh government was not informed about that. Besides, the purported invitation of bids was not widely advertised putting the transparency of these mega projects open to question <b>Earlier, the Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Rahim had expressed his ignorance about the much publicised plan of developing 'a new city of international standards' on the threshold of Port Qasim. Dr Arbab said he had heard about such a plan but the provincial government had not yet been taken into confidence in this regard. 'the Sindh government has not even been consulted about the plan,' he said. He stated that he would be taking up the issue with the federal government.
However, on the very next day he changed his statement saying the project (as usual) was in interest of Pakistan and Sindh, and that he was consulted on the issue by the federal government. Sources privy to the chief minister house told weekly Pulse that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other federal government high-ups came hard on the chief minister for issuing such a hard-hitting statement as regards the diamond city project, and asked him to 'deny his remarks'.</b> It was a mere misunderstanding',the chief minister told the newsmen just after 24 hours.
Keeping aside the 'misunderstanding' between the federal and the Sindh governments, the decision raises a number of questions relating to the desirability of the project. The first objection came from Pakistan Navy, which surprisingly remained oblivious of the whole exercise till the matter was highlighted by print and electronic media.
According to the sources, the navy high-ups have termed the project dangerous for the country's defence. But, it seems if the navy's objection will be thrown into dustbin as Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's sharp and somewhat angry reaction to the navy's objection reflects the government's intention. ' We have a culture of objection in Pakistan. If you are going to do something good even, you will have to face a series of objections from different quarters', an apparently displeased Mr Aziz responded to a question asked by a journalist at a press conference at the governor house last week.
' If your intention is wrong, then you can't do anything, but our intention is clear and we know we are doing a right thing for the country', he maintained.
The prime minister also rejected the statement issued by the chief minister Sindh saying he had not been taken into confidence about the diamond city project. ' He (chief minister) could not understand the question actually ( asked by the newsmen as regards the project). So, it was nothing, but a mere misunderstanding', Aziz said.
<b>Secondly, there is the a dispute over ownership between the Port Qasim Authority and the Sindh Board of Revenue. The Sindh Board of Revenue insists that the islands are provincial property over which the Port Qasim Authority has no title.
Lately , the city government Karachi has also entered the fray, claiming that it signed an MoU in October 2002 with a Thai firm to set up a 'technology city' on the same site. Given that neither the city government's MoU nor the Port Qasim Authority's purported invitation of bids in April this year were widely advertised, the transparency of these mega projects is open to question.</b>
According to the PM's adviser on finance, the Port Qasim Authority project will, on completion, 'be just like another Dubai.' Be that as it may, Karachi's immediate needs lie elsewhere. Housing industry experts say that instead of luxury apartments and resorts, the focus should be on affordable housing for the poor and adequate water, sanitation and electricity. What the city needs is decent roads, not a $50 million bridge connecting the mainland with a playground of the wealthy.
Lost in these extravagant plans is any consideration of the people's right to access the island and its waters, for purposes of fishing or any other reason. Also being glossed over is the potential environmental damage, particularly the impact on marine life and mangroves.
Under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Review of IEE and EIA) Regulations 2000, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required by law for any 'urban development and tourism' scheme of this scale. New 'federal or provincial highways or major roads' with a total cost of Rs50 million and above, such as the proposed bridge, are also subject to an EIA. Though several ministers had objected to various aspects of the project during the recent Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) meeting, it was still approved with some observations about redressing the objections. Concerns expressed about the huge project range from ownership of the two islands to operational requirements of the navy.
Matters relating to the demarcation of the islands, dispute resolution mechanism and non-performance liabilities in the event of non-execution of the project are some of the other main concerns. A major question is whether the shipping ministry has the capacity to look into all the areas before embarking on the huge project, which would be developed on the pattern of the Diamond Bar City in the United States.
According to official documents, the shipping ministry had informed the ECC that Port Qasim Authority (PQA) planned to a combination of residential, commercial, and leisure real estate projects, industrial parks, free trade zone and port terminals over 12,000 acres. What does one say when a country as underdeveloped and backward as Pakistan wishes to develop supposedly state-of-the-art cities in two uninhabited islands off its coastline and even hands them over to a foreign development firm' Should one be delighted at this, given that this means that foreign investment will come into the country, that jobs will be created when the project gets underway and that once completed it will provide the country with cities just like that pearl across the Gulf, Dubai'
In any case, these are procedural objections. Various NGOs, environmental groups and especially the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum have more basic and well-grounded objections to the project and these should have been considered before deciding to hand over the islands to a foreign developer.
For instance, it has been rightly pointed out that the development on the islands may well have a very adverse impact on the local fishermen communities because of the construction activity that will take place. Also, once the project is in place it is bound to pollute the area around the islands and it is likely that the pollution will spread far beyond the islands affecting the marine life in the area and the potential catch for local fishermen.
Another argument that goes against such development is that it does nothing for the ordinary person who lives along the city's coastline and is geared for providing entertainment and leisure activities to the very affluent.
<b>The recent statement of newly enlightened moderate, federal minister for tourism, Nilofer Bukhtiar saying that the government is planning to provide all the facilities in line with Bali island of Indonesia with a view to attracting the foreign tourists, should be seen in the same context. <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>For information of a common Pakistan, Bali is one of the world's biggest prostitution den, where thousands of foreign tourists throng every year to 'avail ' the facilities of disco clubs, bars and prostitution dens. <!--emo&:thumbsup--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbup.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbup.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Nilofer Bukhtiar, who has recently stopped taking Dupatta on her head, has also exhorted the Pakistani women to join the 'profession' of massage, which will not merely resolve their financial problems, but will also help attract the foreign tourists.</span></b> <!--emo&:clapping--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' /><!--endemo-->
The people of Islamic Republic of Pakistan are with their right to ask whether the so-called enlightened and moderate government is taking the country where the children do not know the names of their fathers' Besides, of all places why choose two uninhabited islands off the city's coast for setting up such cities'
One has to say that the whole rather hurried manner in which this project has been undertaken and awarded to a foreign developer smacks of a complete lack of transparency as well as insensitivity to the needs of all stakeholders concerned. This is the way most infrastructure and development projects are being planned in this country: by bureaucrats or ministry officials sitting behind closed doors handing over vast tracts of land to foreign or local developers without conducting the legally-mandated environmental impact assessments and without taking into consideration the views of ordinary people who would be directly affected by the project's construction.
This lack of transparency in decision-making and formulation of policies, and the generally opaque manner of implementing these policies, especially with regard to development, needs to change or else the balance of power within the country -- heavily stacked currently in favour of the elite -- will become even more imbalanced and tilted in favour of the powerful.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Pak uses anti-terror tool to attack India </b>
Shobori Ganguli | New Delhi
Lectures on human rights violation in Kashmir
Points fingers at New Delhi 'role' in Baluchistan
<b>At the end of the two-day Foreign Secretary level talks here, Pakistan literally got away with murder. From terrorism to Kashmir, Mumbai to Siachen, the Pakistani side on Wednesday walked out confidently from the two-day negotiations, not conceding a single Indian concern.</b> T<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>he talks ended with Pakistan asserting there was no discussion on the Mumbai blasts, </span>an incident that had stalled the peace process for four months.
<b>India was first reprimanded for pointing fingers at Pakistan within "15 minutes" of the Mumbai blasts and warned that it would be a "dangerous folly for either country to destabilise the other." </b>Â
Turning the newly established joint anti-terror mechanism to its advantage, Pakistan also said it would be used by Islamabad to furnish New Delhi with evidence of Indian involvement in the worsening security situation in Pakistan's south-western province of Baluchistan. "We have evidence (of India's involvement). We will use the mechanism to provide India with that evidence," Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan said.
The strongest words, predictably, were reserved for Kashmir, with Khan maintaining, "The main focus (of the talks) was on how to resolve this longstanding dispute." He said Islamabad sees a clear "linkage between the coercive atmosphere on the Indian side of Kashmir and the human rights issue."
Asserting that "there should be zero tolerance for human rights abuses," he said, if India reduces its "heavy military presence" in the Valley, then "we can take some reciprocal steps to raise the comfort level of the Kashmiris."
On Siachen too, Pakistani intransigence was evident. "If there is a desire for indication of present positions, that would be possible. If there is an intention to seek endorsement of a certain claim, then we cannot proceed," Khan said, indicating that the issue will stay alive for a while.
Although the joint anti-terror mechanism has been propped up as a final hope of some civilised exchange between India and Pakistan on the issue of terrorism, the terms of engagement appear blurred with Pakistan all but denying it is a port of origin for anti-India terror.
Instead of addressing India's specific concerns on terror which were formally handed over to Pakistan in the shape of some evidence gathered on terror attacks in the past year, Khan made out a case for Pakistan instead as a country afflicted by terrorism and in need of urgent cooperation with other South Asian countries.
<b>"The joint anti-terror mechanism is a two-way channel. If we have information we will convey it to the Indian side. And if India has information they will hand it to us. Terrorism is a global challenge. All countries in South Asia are afflicted by this menace. Pakistan is a victim of terrorism which has local implications and international dimensions," Khan said. He also expressed Pakistan's resentment at India's reaction to the Mumbai blasts: "There was immediate finger-pointing at Pakistan which we rejected." </b>
In a statement that all but said India is suffering from home-grown terror, Khan said, "There are terrorists and extremists in India and there are terrorists and extremists in Pakistan. Many incidents of terrorism and violence have taken place in India in recent times like Malegaon and Gujarat....but the finger pointing within 15 minutes of the Mumbai blasts, we could not understand."
Given such stonewalling, the two-day talks, which India said focused on terrorism, seem a wasted effort. India, however, sounded optimistic. Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said, "Pakistan says with specific information (on terrorists) they can act. Some information we have handed over. Let's see what happens." From the Indian perspective, "Our goal in this process (of peace) is to try and achieve a relationship with Pakistan, who is our neighbour, that is not only normal but good neighbourly," Menon said.
Pakistan talked at a tangent, partly courtesy the long rope India has decided to give it. "There was nothing about the Mumbai blasts (during the talks) but we were given material on certain other blasts with linkages between banned groups in India and banned groups in Pakistan. We will examine them. There was nothing related to Mumbai," said Khan.
Â
Asked if India brought up Mumbai during the talks, Khan denied, saying, "Information sharing is not some verbal communication. It has to be done in a formal manner." Since India has not yet filed chargesheets in the Mumbai case it could not share that information with Pakistan.
On the overall question of terrorism, Menon said, "There are elements in Pakistan involved in assisting and inciting terror in India. Who controls them is not for us to say. But on any terrorist action we expect action to be taken."
As for Pakistan's demand for troops reduction in Kashmir, Menon said, "We have removed some troops last year. Troop levels are really related to the security situation...If there is improvement in the situation, troops can be reduced. But violence has to go down."
<b>Highlights
Shivshankar Menon, Indian Foreign Secretary </b>
<b>On Kashmir </b>
Troop levels (in Kashmir) are really related to the security situation...If there is improvement in the situation, troops can be reduced. But violence must go down in Kashmir.
<b>On Siachen</b>
What India would see the beginning of a process is prior authentication of present positions.
<b>On joint anti-terror mechanism</b>
Pakistan says with specific information (on terrorists) they can act. We have handed over some information. Let us see what happens.
<b>Finger pointing by India</b>
We have told Pakistan about the groups that have been banned in India and in Pakistan. We have sought cooperation in controlling these elements.
<b>Riaz Mohammad Khan, Pakistan Foreign Secretary
On Kashmir </b>
We see a linkage between the coercive atmosphere on the Indian side. There should be zero tolerance for human rights abuses...If steps can be taken by India (to demilitarise) then we can take steps to raise the comfort level of Kashmiris.
<b>On Siachen</b>
If there is an indication of present positions, that would be possible. But if there is any intention to seek endorsement of a certain claim, then we cannot proceed.
<b>On joint anti-terror mechanism</b> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Pakistan has evidence (of Indian involvement in Baluchistan). We will use the mechanism to provide India with that evidence.
<b>Finger pointing by India</b>
After the Mumbai blasts there was immediate finger pointing which we rejected. It would be a dangerous folly for either country to try and destabilise the other.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Here you go Moron Singh with full stupidity on display.
NEW YORK: Central Leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Asif Ali Zardari has confirmed that FIR had been registered against Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for his involvement in money laundering case.
Talking to Rohail Dar President Pakistan Muslim League (N), USA here, Asif Ali Zardari said that arrest warrant of Shaukat Aziz had been issued by Maj Gen (retd) Naseer Ullah Babar who was the interior minister of that time.
Asif Zardari who is also husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said that implementation of arrest warrant were stopped by Benazir Bhutto keeping in view the reputation of the country.
PPP leader said that there are also charges against Shaukat Aziz for the murder of two workers of PPP during election campaign in Sindh.
Rohail Dar while talking to Online said that rulers are spending the wealth from national exchequer on their unfruitful visits.
PPP reliable sources told Online that Benazir Bhutto soon would expose the facts soon.
<b>Pakistanis posing as church workers arrested</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Immigrants who <b>were supposed to be teaching or conducting religious ceremonies were arrested across the East Coast on Wednesday where authorities said many worked as attendants in gasoline stations, taxi drivers, landscapers and factory workers</b>.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have been scrutinising the religious worker visa programme, which a 2005 review found was rife with problems. Homeland Security officials found fraud in one out of every three religious visas they reviewed.
<b>Churches that sponsored the workers turned out not to exist</b>, workers could not be found and addresses could not be verified, the study said. <b>In one incident, the address on the visa application was found to have been used by a terrorist suspect</b>.
<b>Most of the 33 people arrested on Wednesday were from Pakistan</b>. Authorities said there was no indication of a terrorist threat. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the aliens paid large cash fees to get people or organisations to sponsor them for visas.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Diplomatic rout </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Pak won Delhi round hands down
Nobody seriously expected the Foreign Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan, which concluded in New Delhi last Wednesday, to achieve any significant breakthrough. Quite unnecessarily, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri generated a media hype by suggesting that a solution on Siachen would be reached "in days", thereby fomenting speculation that the New Delhi parleys could lead to some concrete results at least on that front. Predictably, that did not happen. Like every other issue in dispute between the two countries, the Siachen imbroglio remains intractable largely due to Pakistan's intransigent refusal to demarcate the Actual Ground Position Line. Pakistan, however, must be given full credit for turning the tables on India on a host of issues in the course of the deliberations. If he still has not done so, it is high time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh starts to regret falling into General Pervez Musharraf's trap by conceding a Joint Anti-terror Mechanism during their recent talks on the sidelines of the NAM Summit at Havana. Islamabad has exploited the idea to the hilt. First, it successfully wangled "co-victim of terror" status from New Delhi, thus nullifying years of painstaking effort to prove to the rest of the world that Pakistan is an unrepentant promoter of cross-border terror and global jihad. <b>Now that India acknowledges Pakistan's victimhood, our claim of ISI having a hand in most terrorist depredations in this country has begun to sound hollow. Second, Pakistan has scored a huge diplomatic victory by clubbing the disturbances in Balochistan with terrorist strikes in India. At one stroke, it has succeeded in virtually justifying its army's pogrom in that disturbed province, including the mass killing of the Bugti clan last September. By asserting it will present evidence of Indian complicity in instigating Baloch dissidents, Islamabad hopes to cover up its active support for insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir and other perfidious acts on our soil.</b>
New Delhi has only itself to blame for this denouement. It will be extremely difficult for India to extricate itself from a situation where it is being equated with Islamabad as a promoter of terrorism. The so-called Joint Mechanism is a non-starter, with Pakistan expectedly pooh-poohing the evidence placed on the table by India. Besides, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan's assertion that no country can gather proof of another country's involvement within 15 minutes of a terrorist outrage (as India claimed in the aftermath of the Mumbai train blasts of July 7) would appear quite logical to the international community. Our position has been weakened further by the inability to produce irrefutable evidence of Pakistan's role in the Mumbai and Malegaon incidents. Hiding behind the technicality of chargesheets not yet being filed by the local investigators cannot undo the damage to the credibility of our claims. Given Islamabad's overwhelming superiority over New Delhi in the propaganda department, it is obvious that we have been put on the backfoot. Knowing that such a scenario was inevitable, there is good reason to ask why the Government decided to resume Foreign Secretary level talks, unilaterally suspended by us in the wake of the Mumbai outrage. Arguably, it is advisable to keep Pakistan engaged in dialogue irrespective of immediate results. <b>But that does not mean we should create conditions in which only self-goals can be scored</b>. A probable pat on the back from Uncle Sam cannot be reason enough for inviting diplomatic rout.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Nuggets from the Urdu press </b>
<b>Dark night of decadence</b>
In daily Nawa-i-Waqt, lyrical columnist Irfan Siddiqui wrote that hard times come when Muslims cannot speak the word, âJihadâ. Gone are the days when our conquerors, warriors and mysterious men would kick open their ways in deserts and rivers and mighty mountains shrank into woolly pollens in front of them because of their fear and grandeur. Those warriors desired and wanted shahadat instead of mal-e-ghanimat (booty) and territory. They liked to ride quick horses instead of the warm embrace of Arab beauties. They preferred the sounds of swords over any ecstatic music. The battlefields of swords and spears are deserted and peacocks dance and violins are played in decorated tents. The charging voice of azans in western valleys, European cathedrals and African deserts has gone weak and the dark night of decline has fallen on us. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Taliban release their latest video cassette</b>
As reported in daily Nawa-i-Waqt, the Taliban have released a video cassette showing beheading of eight men guilty of spying for America and England. The film showed the Afghans confess their crime of spying. They were shown with their hands and feet tied and lying on the floor. It was claimed that Taliban commander Mullah Dad Khan is beheading Christians and crusaders.
<b>Taliban impose tax in North Waziristan</b>
According to a Daily Pakistan, a shoora of all Taliban groups was convened by Maulvi Abdul Wahid to discuss policies, and then a pamphlet of the shooraâs decisions was pasted in different areas of Miranshah. According to the pamphlet, Islamic punishment for murderers and dacoits would be implemented and all crimes have been banned from the area. Taxes on 10 wheeler trucks would be Rs 1,500 for six months and petrol pumps would pay Rs 5,000 for six months. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Fight of watermelon with knife</b>
Sarerahe wrote in daily Nawa-i-Waqt that a woman from Bhopal is an expert in wrestling and has started a wrestling club that trains young male and female wrestlers. She is the first woman who has made a watermelon wrestle with a knife. Bhopal was a centre of learning but now is a ring of wrestling. I<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>ndia is the fertile land where nakedness and obscenity grow rapidly. The West could only make women fight with women, but Indians have made girls wrestle with boys.</span>Â <!--emo&:bcow--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/b_cowboy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='b_cowboy.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Sarhad ulema want to divide the nation</b>
As reported in Daily Pakistan, Mashaikh-o-Ulema, religious scholars of central Ahl-e-sunnat Jamaat have issued a fatwa that the announcement of Eid by the NWFP government is against the sharia. Celebration of two Eids in one country has made us the laughing stock of the entire world. They asserted that when a Qazi makes a wrong decision, it is the duty of umma to stick to that decision so as to avoid the division in ummah. But the ulema of NWFP every year divide the whole nation. They demanded that government should act against those who announce Eid or Ramadan against the central Ruat-i-Hilal committee decisions.
â<b>Emirates of Waziristanâ</b>
As reported in daily Jang, Benazir Bhutto said during her reign Taliban had reached Qandhahar. After her dismissal, the Taliban brought in Osama Bin Laden, who had started training camps to attack America. Iranian diplomats were killed by the Taliban. She said, âHow is it possible that just a few Arabs who have built camps on our territory are not captured by an 80,000 strong army. She felt sad to see a map of âEmirates of Waziristanâ on the internet. She said if the situation is not controlled America can bomb Pakistani territory.
<b>Mullahs vs new Chairman PCB</b>
Columnist Hafiz Imran wrote in daily Nawa-i-Waqt that Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf has issued a decree that mullahism wouldnât be tolerated in cricket. Cricketers would be provided a free environment and there would be no pressure on them. Enlightened Nasim Ashraf has been against Inzamam ul Haq from the day one. Chairman Nasim Ashraf should know the meaning of mullah, which is âone who is filled with knowledgeâ. He seems disturbed to see a picture of cricketers praying in an Islam-allergic English newspaper from Lahore.
<b>Thus spake Major (Retd) Amir!</b>
Columnist Haroon ur Rashid wrote in daily Nawa-i-Waqt that Major Amir said that people would write folk tales and epic poems about the our group, which included Hameed Gul. How strange that people are making fun of our only illuminated conquest in military history. Those people who were advocates of a hilarious system called socialism are now hired mules (bharay ke tattoo) of America. We were not a group of intelligence officers; we were working for a great mission to recreate history, which had made us family members.
<b>Namaz didnât affect our cricket</b>
As reported in daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Inzamam ul Haq protested against the comments made by new PCB chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf. He said he never forced players to offer namaz prayers or made religion a condition in the selection of cricket team. He said those who made such allegations havenât read namaz in their life and are completely ignorant about Islam. He said prayers neither interrupted play nor affected the training of the team.
<b>Tormented because of her height</b>
According to daily Express, the tallest Pakistani woman, Zainab, has applied for permanent settlement in England as she faces discrimination and humiliation because of her height. She said she is mocked, ridiculed and attacked by young men because of her height in Pakistan. Britain has allowed her to stay for two years.
<b>Miswak â cures everything</b>
According to Daily Pakistan, the Amir of Ahl-e-sunnat Maullana Ilyas Qadri, said miswak sharrif (soft stick used to clean teeth) is the sunnat of prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Miswak can cure everything except death. It cleans your teeth, strengthen your gums, sharpen your eyesight and malaika (angels) become happy. He said using miswak would make your livelihood easy and filled with barakat (blessings). Miswak cures headache and soothes the muscles of head. Miswak also has the power to make Shaitan angry. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Centralised federalism Vs provincial autonomy </b>
Fridaytimes
Malik Siraj Akbar
How can one believe that the federal government is interested in granting maximum autonym to the provinces when it is not even ready to respect resolutions passed by their assemblies
 Â
On November 11, the Balochistan Assembly completed four years, making it the first assembly since 1985 to have entered the fourth year of its five-year tenure.
On this occasion, a special session of the Assembly was convened to review the performance of the House. While Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yousaf boasted of the Assemblyâs uninterrupted, meritorious functioning in addressing public problems, opposition members did not agree.
âThe Balochistan Assembly has proved to be the weakest and least powerful vis-Ã -vis the federal government and the presidency,â says one observer. âSince Balochistan is visibly remote-controlled from Islamabad, resolutions passed by the provincial assembly hardly influence the decision-makers in Islamabad.â As opposition MPA Rehmat Baloch out it: âThe existence or otherwise of an assembly in Balochistan makes no difference to the people. An assembly is meant to debate public problems and find out a solution. But in Balochistanâs case, all decisions are imposed by Islamabad.â
The opposition supported by some sections of the treasury benches remains skeptical with regards to the autonomy of the Balochistan Assembly. The opposition and treasury benches are all dissatisfied by the attitude of the federal government towards Balochistan. On more than one occasion, sitting ministers have spoken vocally against Islamabad on its militaristic designs and financial matters.
During its 4th parliamentary year, the Balochistan Assembly addressed 170 questions and passed 16 out of 36 resolutions tabled by opposition benches. A total number of eight privilege motions were moved on the floor of the house out of which five were entertained by the Speaker, Jamal Shah Kakar. Moreover, 89 adjournment motions were tabled among which 33 were settled.
In the past four years, as many as 58 resolutions from the government and 203 from the opposition were passed on the floor of the Balochistan Assembly. About 1405 questions, 102 privilege motions and 323 adjournment motions were tabled and addressed. Some nine committees, formulated to probe various matters and submit their recommendations, managed to table their reports. The implementation of the recommendations made by these reports, however, remains debatable.
Among a few significant resolutions passed unanimously by the government and the opposition in Balochistan is the one that vociferously denounced the government plans to construct cantonments in three districts of Balochistan: Gwadar, Dera Bugti and Kohlu. âConstruction of cantonments without the consent of public representatives is the main reason behind the current standoff in Balochistan,â states a senior observer, adding, âIslamabad had to pay heed to public sentiments in the province in order to avert serious trouble.â
This issue is one that really highlights the basic lack of autonomy and power. Despite this resolution against cantonments, Islamabad is building them and will continue to because it believes âBalochistanâs development is largely intertwined with the construction of cantonmentsâ.
Similarly, government and opposition members in Balochistan have also not been very pleased with Islamabad on financial matters. Given the financial crunch the province is presently going through, Maulana Abdul Wasey, a senior minister from the MMA and Syed Ehsan Shah, the finance minister, have been among the most vocal critics of the Center. The Balochistan Assembly has been repeatedly demanding the issuance of a new formula for the National Finance Commission (NFC) award in order to ensure the just distribution of natural resources.
<b>âIf population is kept as the sole yardstick for the distribution of the NFC award, Balochistan will never develop because we make up 3 percent of the population but cover 43% of Pakistanâs territory,â Maulana Wasey told TFT. âIt was because of this reason that we have a deficit budget of Rs10.96 billion this year. Balochistanâs large area and backwardness should also be kept in mind while distributing national resources. It is sad that Islamabad has no regard even for the recommendations made by the provincial assembly and its attitude towards the province is derogatory because it pretends to be giving âcharityâ to Balochistan in the shape of grants,â</b> he added.
<b>âWe want our actual constitutional rights, not charity. Why doesnât the Center issue a just and new formula for the NFC despite an inordinate delay of four years since its expected issuance,â</b> asks Wasey.
In another unanimously passed resolution, the Balochistan Assembly demanded of the federal government to assure the people of Balochistan that they would be given maximum benefits from the proposed multi-billion 2600 km gas Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. Expectedly, the province got no assurances from Islamabad in this regard.
âThis is a major part of the problem,â states a senior journalist, âthat Islamabad is even unwilling to pay heed to the very genuine demands of the province and is bent upon enforcing its decisions from the top.â He asks: âHow can one believe that the government is interested in granting maximum autonym to the provinces when it is not even ready to respect resolutions passed by the assemblies?â
Opposition parties also maintain that since Balochistan Assembly is the representative body of the masses, it should also be given the right to debate controversial mega projects. An MPA from National Party says mega projects were launched in the province without taking anyone in confidence.
âWe have our reservations regarding the mega projects, especially the Gwadar Port,â says Rehmat Baloch of NP. âWe should be assured that the developments taking place in Gwadar are not designed to convert us into a minority in out won land and the first beneficiary of the economic benefits and job opportunities would be the people of Balochistan,â he adds
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Balochistan observes âblack dayâ to mark Musharrafâs visit</b> http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...-11-2006_pg7_17
QUETTA: Balochistan observed a black day and went on a complete shutter-down strike on Thursday as President General Pervez Musharraf paid his first visit to the volatile southwestern province since the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.
Police simultaneously rounded up more than 100 political activists, including National Party (NP) Secretary General Mir Hasil Khan Bezanjo. Business activities came to a complete standstill throughout Balochistan as a peaceful but organised black day and shutter-down strike was observed in the Baloch capital of Quetta and almost all districts of the province on the behest of the Baloch nationalist group, the National Party.
The Pashtoon nationalist outfit, the Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party as well as the Pakistan Peoples Party, backed the call for the strike and black day.
Most shops and business centres in Quetta remained closed from dawn till dusk. This included shops in the busy business centres along Jinnah Road, Prince Road, Liaquat Bazar, Sariab Road, Zargoon Road and Abdul Sattar Market.
âThe call for the strike was meant to protest General Musharrafâs visit. His hands are red with Baloch blood. We canât welcome him amid relentless military operations against our innocent people,â said one National Party leader.
Sources said that all three districts of the Mekran Division â Turbat, Panjgur and Gwadar â also observed a complete shutter-down strike and a black day as President Musharraf arrived in Turbat to inaugurate the Mirani Dam mega project. The province-wide strike was observed by opposition parties in the wake of the presidentâs first visit to the province since the death of former Balochistan Governor and Chief Minister Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti who was killed mysteriously on August 26. staff report<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Balochs are adopting Gandhi strategy, they should have followed Islamic ways.
LAHORE - Pakistan has sustained a huge deficit of 506 million dollars in bilateral trade with its arch-rival India in last financial year, The Nation learnt on Friday.
Pakistan has imported 770 million dollars worth different items from India in 2005-06 and exported there only 264 million dollars various items.
Trade liberalization with India in last financial year has led to a huge loss to Pakistan in 2005-06, an official of Commerce Ministry told The Nation.
In last financial year the imports from the neighbouring country have increased by 285 million dollars when compared to 485 million dollars imports in 2004-05, he said.
Pakistanâs exports to India amounted to 264 million dollars in last fiscal, up by 74 million dollars if measured with 190 million dollars exports in 2004-05. An interesting development, he said, is that the bilateral trade of the two countries has exceeded one billion dollars mark in last financial year and settled at 1.034 billion dollars for the first time.
The two-way trade of both the countries has edged up by 359 million dollars in comparison with 2004-05, when the bilateral trade of arch-rival bordering countries amounted to 675 million dollars.
Official sources said that Indian exports to Pakistan are steadily growing in the wake of trade liberalization between the two countries, whereas exports to the neighbouring country are showing unimpressive increase.
Officials said that the trade deficit of the country would further expand in the current financial year as the federal government has allowed the import of 302 more items from India on the demand of the private sector.
It is worth noting that in 2001 the bilateral trade of Pakistan and India suffered a major blow when the neighbouring country suspended Samjhota Express and Dosti Bus Service while blaming Pakistan to sponsoring attack on Indian parliament.
Pakistan government not only negated the allegation but also gave a befitting response by suspending trade with India through rail and road that proved a shock for the Indians.
Although both the countries continued trade by sea, the suspension of trade with India through rail and road steadily reduced the volume of two countries mutual trade and deficit to Pakistan, said the officials.
Both the countries, however, have improved their trade relationship a couple of years back in the wake of beginning of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->