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Posted by Dr. Manzer Durrani in India on April 13th, 2012
INDIA’S neighbours must be alarmed by yet another, sizeable rise in its defence budget — it has gone up to a whopping $38.6bn. Presenting the budget in parliament on Friday, Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the allocation was based “on the present needs” and that the government would meet any “further needs for the security of the nation”. The 17 per cent increase seeks to add to the nuclear and conventional military muscles of a country that already has one of the world’s largest armed forces. The budget allocates $17.5bn for capital expenditure, which is to go towards acquiring the most modern equipment for the three branches of the Indian military. Already having a nuclear triad, India is upgrading 51 Mirage 2000 fighter jets, is negotiating a $20bn deal with France for the purchase of 126 Rafale multi-role combat aircraft, working on a government-to-government agreement with the US for 145 ultra-light howitzers, and has ordered 49 new warships for the navy. Clearly, this phenomenal rise goes far beyond India’s legitimate security needs and adds to the neighbours’ concerns about New Delhi’s hegemonic ambitions.
India’s economic development should not make its policymakers oblivious to the needs of their people. Despite the rapid expansion of its middle class, India suffers from grinding poverty and has the world’s largest concentration of illiterate people. Besides, a very large number of its troops are bogged down in Kashmir because of New Delhi’s refusal to seek a peaceful solution to the problem. The hike in India’s military budget thus gives the wrong message to its neighbours and perpetuates tensions in South Asia. The neighbours’ concerns are not baseless, because India is not on the best of terms with them, and it has a history of military conflicts with Pakistan and China. And, India’s history of intereference in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Bhutan/Sikkim, Goa, Manavadar, Siachen, and Kashmir. Northern India’s hegemony over Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, have given rise to freedom movements led by the brave Naxalite Organization.
“Pakistan has been rapidly developing and expanding its nuclear arsenal, increasing its
capacity to produce plutonium, and testing and deploying a diverse array of nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles,” said the report Assuring Destruction Forever: Nuclear Modernisation Around The World.
“Pakistan is moving from an arsenal based wholly on HEU to greater reliance on lighter and more compact plutonium-based weapons, which is made possible by a rapid expansion in plutonium production capacity,” said the 150-page report by Reaching Critical Will of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
“Pakistan is also moving from aircraft-delivered nuclear bombs to nuclear-armed ballistic and cruise missiles and from liquid-fueled to solid-fueled medium-range missile. Pakistan also has a growing nuclear weapons research, development, and production infrastructure,” it said.
According to the report Pakistan is estimated to have 90-110 nuclear weapons. “A long-term concern now driving Pakistan’s nuclear programme is the US policy of countering the rise of China by cultivating a stronger strategic relationship with India. This may tie the future of Pakistan and India’s nuclear weapons to the emerging contest between the United States and China,” said the report.
Pakistan has a number of short-range, medium, and longer-range road-mobile ballistic surface-to-surface missiles in various stages of development.
“It has developed a second generation of ballistic missile systems over the past five years. It is estimated that Pakistan could have a stockpile of 2750 kg of weapon-grade HEU and may be producing about 150 kg of HEU per year,” it said.
Estimates suggest Pakistan has produced a total of about 140 kg of plutonium, the report said.
While not much information is available on the funding of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons project, the report said estimates indicate that Pakistan spends about $ 2.5 billion a year on nuclear weapons.
Despite extensive foreign military assistance, Pakistan’s effort to sustain its conventional and nuclear military programmes has come at increasingly great cost to the effort to meet basic human needs and improve living standards, the report said.
India the report said is estimated to have 80–100 nuclear warheads. “It is also developing a range of delivery vehicles, including land- and sea-based missiles, bombers, and submarines,” it said.
“While nuclear weapons used to be seen as a ‘necessary evil’, there is no more enthusiasm for India to become a bonafide nuclear weapon power that can exercise its military might in the region,” it said.
Posted by Dr. Manzer Durrani in Our Heroes on April 12th, 2012
Posted by Dr. Manzer Durrani in Corruption on April 12th, 2012
Published: April 10, 2012
Given its sensitive nature, ANF should be allowed to conduct impartial investigation into ephedrine case.
So accustomed have we become to the misdemeanours of those in power that the news that the Ministry of Narcotics Control (MoNC) has unilaterally declared the accused in the Rs7 billion ephedrine scam innocent comes as no shock. The case, which emerged in October 2011 involved two firms from Multan, which were granted export quotas far exceeding those normally allowed for the drug, while they then ended up selling locally. The name of the prime minister’s son Ali Musa Gilani has figured prominently. According to a reported statement of the health minister who granted the quotas to these firms, it was done under pressure. The secretary of the ministry transferred out of the division after facing immense pressure to exonerate those involved in this case. A letter by the ministry — which the Supreme Court has now asked be presented to it — directs the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) to stop its investigation into the matter. In fact, the head of the ANF, a two-star general was removed from his job (though he had just a couple of weeks left in his service) and presumably that was also done to prevent him from conducting the investigation into reports that had begun to surface on the what was allegedly happening. The ANF has challenged the decision by the government to remove its chief in a court of law and on April 10 the Supreme Court issued a notice on the matter to the prime minister’s son.
Ephedrine is known as the poor man’s cocaine and quickly leads to addiction. The International Narcotics Control Board set the annual quota of ephedrine for Pakistan at 22,000 kg but the health ministry allowed a quota of 31,000 kg. Given the sensitive nature of this case, it is all the more essential that the ANF be allowed to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations. Perhaps the Supreme Court’s involvement may help ensure precisely that, so that no one, no matter how influential or well-connected, is spared from the long arm of the law.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2012 (Reference)
Posted by Dr. Manzer Durrani in Corruption on April 11th, 2012
Please let all politicians and criminals please leave and go to the UK. In the old days Britain used to export their criminals to Australia. That was a required qualification then. Now Pakistani criminals go to the UK, with the full knowledge of the UK Government. Imagine that. They are not even arrested or deported for being wanted as fugitive from justice. But if one is a poor man and wants to rise economically, the UK HIC will never give you a Visa. You have to be corrupt and a criminal with big Bank Balance to get a Visa.
LAHORE:
Before his name could be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) for his alleged role in a Rs7 billion drug quota scandal, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s son has left Pakistan.
Ali Musa Gilani, who was recently elected to the National Assembly, has left for South Africa and is expected to travel to the UK too, confirmed his personal secretary while talking to The Express Tribune.
The secretary, however, added that it is a scheduled visit and Ali Musa is likely to return on May 2, 2012.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to Ali Musa in the high-profile Ephedrine quota case while the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) had requested the interior ministry to add his name on the ECL.
He has been repeatedly summoned by the ANF in the case earlier for investigation into the Ephedrine quota allotment.
Sources in the interior ministry as well the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said that so far Ali Musa had not been placed on the ECL. Sources added that Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Khushnood Lashari, who purportedly attempted to influence investigations into the case, might also leave the country before his name is placed on the ECL.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2012.
Posted by Dr. Manzer Durrani in Corruption on April 11th, 2012
An embarrassment with serious political ramifications may engulf Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani a.k.a “Narco-Gilani, as the role allegedly played by his younger son in the import of proscribed drug ‘ephedrine’ and subsequent attempts to hush up an inquiry into the matter have reached the Supreme Court. Narco-Gilani sons have also been involved in beatin-up hapless people and other acts of goondaism. A video is attached on their strong arm methods.
Pakistani people have become immune to shocks. They have seen every evil come and go, but somehow, as they say in American lingo, “they keep on truckin?” Crook Zardari’s assets are located around the globe and run into billions of dollars (1). The Narco PM of Pakistan is not far behind, he has a flourishing narco-trade managed by his sons(2).
The involvement of Musa Gilani in transhipment of over 10,000 kg of ephedrine from Pakistan, shows an active collusion by the Prime Ministers office in facilitating transhipment under guise of a legal export license.
An embarrassment with serious political ramifications may engulf Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani a.k.a “Narco-Gilani, as the role allegedly played by his younger son in the import of proscribed drug ‘ephedrine’ and subsequent attempts to hush up an inquiry into the matter have reached the Supreme Court.
A three-judge SC bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez ordered Regional Director of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Brig Fahim Ahmad Khan and Deputy Director Abid Zulfiqar on Tuesday not to relinquish their charge and continue to investigate the issue without yielding to any pressure.
The officers were posted out on Monday to frustrate the probe.
ANF’s Director General Maj-Gen Syed Shakeel Hussain was also transferred on an order backdated to March 21 after the court had issued an order on March 29.
The court had taken up an application moved by Advocate Mohammad Akram Sheikh on behalf of Brig Fahim who accused the authorities of obstructing the investigation.
On March 29, the court had turned down a request by the ANF about withdrawing the case against the import of the proscribed drug.
“Prima facie we are of the opinion that transfer/posting of ANF DG Maj-Gen Syed Shakeel Hussain, Brig Fahim and Abid Zulfiqar in colourable exercise of powers is not free from extraneous consideration,” the chief justice observed.
The court also decided to issue notices to acting secretary of the narcotics division Zafar Abbas, ANF DG Shakeel Hussain, Brig Fahim, Ali Musa Gilani, health secretary and the directors of Berlex Lab International, Multan, and Danas Pharmaceutical, Islamabad.
Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq was asked to assist the court at the next hearing on April 20.
Musa Gilani, son of the prime minister, was linked to the controversy when the name of Tauqir Ahmed Khan surfaced during the investigation. The latter said he was personal secretary to Musa Gilani and got the out-of-turn quota approved by the health ministry against rules and regulations.
Subsequently, Berlex Lab and Danas Pharmaceutical were given the quota to import 6,500kg and 2,500kg of ephedrine on March 25, 2010, and April 15, 2010, respectively, for export purposes.
Commonly known as poor man’s cocaine, the chemical is also used to manufacture medicines for common cold, flu and asthma.
Rules do not permit a quota of more than 500kg. The two companies later sold the chemical to local manufactures and unknown people in violation of law.
The court ordered the authorities to maintain status quo and not to issue any order without the concurrence of the court and till a decision. If in the meantime, it said, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and former health secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari and Ali Musa Gilani or anyone else wanted to record their statements they should be provided a fair opportunity in accordance with the law.
Both were repeatedly summoned by the investigating team but they did not turn up.
Brig Fahim informed the court about his meeting with Khushood Lashari at the Prime Minister’s House on March 24 after notices had been sent to Mr Lashari and Musa Gilani.
In his affidavit submitted to the court, Brig Fahim said Mr Lashari told him in a maligning and threatening manner that the prime minister was very upset and worried because of the summons issued to his son.
Brig Fahim alleged that Mr Lashari wanted to make full use of his office to suppress/distort/misdirect the investigation against himself and Musa Gilani and suggested that the ANF should focus on the two pharmaceutical companies. “Both the companies will be ruined and the state machinery will be with you………,” he quoted Mr Lashari as saying.
The issue was raised in the National Assembly in January and former health minister Makdoom Shahabuddin set up a fact-finding committee. It submitted a report which was never brought to the record of the house.
In its order, the court noted that under the Anti-Narcotics Force Act of 1997, posts of the ANF director general and field directors were usually held by serving defence personnel of the ranks of Major Gen and Brig, respectively.
But surprisingly, the establishment division by means of the April 6, 2012, notification repatriated Maj-Gen Shakeel Hussain and gave Zafar Abbas, Acting Secretary of Narcotics Control (BS-21), additional charge of the ANF Director General.
Pakistan’s ruling elite and upper crusts of society are actively involved in drug smuggling, mostly to Europe and N.America. Drug smugglers call it the golden route: from Afghanistan into Pakistan and then into eastern Iran, it’s the trail that takes Afghanistan’s abundant opium, and its derivative, heroin, to Western markets.
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Musa Gilani and Heroin Precursor trafficking |
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Pakistan is a known destination and transhipment point for precursor chemicals – substances used in the production of drugs – such as acetic anhydride, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Drug trades such as that in Afghan opiates are essentially massive chemical industries, relying on huge quantities of controlled and uncontrolled precursors. The money, crime and drugs associated with these chemicals means they contribute directly to organised criminality; they are also the foundational or feed-in problem for numerous national and regional security issues arising from drug trading. |
Information obtained from the US Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington reveals trafficking groups based in Pakistan smuggling multi-ton shipments of drugs to Europe and the US. These regional drug traffickers represent a diverse ethnic and tribal cross-section. Couriers take some of the drugs out of Pakistan through its international airports and the port of Karachi; the remainder goes overland along Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast to Iran and on to Turkey, or up into the Central Asian states.
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