Our Announcements
Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn't here.
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 5th, 2012
Published: 31 October, 2012, 00:26
Edited: 02 November, 2012, 16:56
http://rt.com/news/saudi-
Courtyard of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Medina (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams)
The key Islamic heritage site, including Prophet Mohammed’s shrine, is to be bulldozed, as Saudi Arabia plans a $ 6 billion expansion of Medina’s holy Masjid an-Nabawi Mosque. However, Muslims remain silent on the possible destruction.
Work on the Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina, is planned to start as soon as the annual Hajj pilgrimage comes to a close at the end of November.
“After the Hajj this year, in one months’ time, the bulldozers will move in and will start to demolish the last part of Mecca, the grand mosque which is at least 1,000 years old,” Dr. Irfan Alawi of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, told RT.
After the reconstruction, the mosque is expected to become the world’s largest building, with a capacity for 1.6 million people.
And while the need to expand does exist as more pilgrims are flocking to holy sites every year, nothing has been said on how the project will affect the surroundings of the mosque, also historic sites.
Concerns are growing that the expansion of Masjid an-Nabawi will come at the price of three of the world’s oldest mosques nearby, which hold the tombs of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)and two of his closest companions, Abu Bakr and Umar. The expansion project which will cost 25 billion SAR (more than US $6 billion) reportedly requires razing holy sites, as old as the seventh century.
The Saudis insist that colossal expansion of both Mecca and Medina is essential to make a way for the growing numbers of pilgrims. Both Mecca and Medina host 12 million visiting pilgrims each year and this number is expected to increase to 17 million by 2025.
Authorities and hotel developers are working hard to keep pace, however, the expansions have cost the oldest cities their historical surroundings as sky scrapers, luxury hotels and shopping malls are being erected amongst Islamic heritage.
A room in a hotel or apartment in a historic area may cost up to $ 500 per night. And that’s all in or near Mecca, a place where the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)insisted all Muslims would be equal.
“They just want to make a lot of money from the super-rich elite pilgrims, but for the poor pilgrims it is getting very expensive and they cannot afford it,”
Dr. Irfan Al Alawi said.
A general view of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Medina (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams)
Jabal Omar complex – a 40 tower ensemble – is being depicted as a new pearl of Mecca. When complete, it will consist of six five star hotels, seven 39 storey residential towers offering 520 restaurants, 4, 360 commercial and retail shops.
But to build this tourist attraction the Saudi authorities destroyed the Ottoman era Ajyad Fortress and the hill it stood on.
The Washington-based Gulf Institute estimated that 95 percent of sacred sites and shrines in the two cities have been destroyed in the past twenty years.
The Prophet’s birthplace was turned into a library and the house of his first wife, Khadijah, was replaced with a public toilet block.
Also the expansion and development might threaten many locals homes, but so far most Muslims have remained silent on the issue.
“Mecca is a holy sanctuary as stated in the Quran it is no ordinary city. The Muslims remain silent against the Saudi Wahhabi destruction because they fear they will not be allowed to visit the Kindom again,” said Dr. Al Alawi.
The fact that there is no reaction on possible destruction has raised talks about hypocrisy because Muslims are turning a blind eye to that their faith people are going to ruin sacred sites.
“Some of the Sunni channels based in the United Kingdom are influenced by Saudi petro dollars and dare not to speak against the destruction, but yet are one of the first to condemn the movie made by non Muslims,” Dr. Al Alawi said.
Muslim pilgrims walk in the courtyard of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Medina (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams)
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 4th, 2012
To enact a law that prohibits any action or literature that offend prophets of major religions:
– Moses (PBUH)
– Jesus (PBUH)
– Mohammad (PBUH)
Such acts are equivalent to falsely* yelling “FIRE !” in a crowded theatre and meant to harm human values, beliefs, and spirituality. For that matter, this law should apply to all beliefs of the Human Family.
Such acts offend billions of people, and cause unrest in the world. Furthermore, acts like this contradict the essence of coexistence and peace among humans. Labeling these acts as freedom of speech is similar to labeling murder as freedom of expression!
We all know the chaos such acts can cause, but it’s difficult to answer the question: What do they contribute to our nation, or humanity in general?
Please sign the Petition:
“Shouting fire in a crowded theatre” is a popular metaphor and frequent paraphrasing of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.‘s opinion in the United States Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States in 1919. The paraphrasing does not generally include the wordfalsely, which was originally used and highlights that speech which is dangerous and false, which can be distinguished from that which is truthful but also dangerous. The quote is used as an example of speech which is claimed to serve no conceivable useful purpose and is extremely and imminently dangerous, as they held distributing fliers in opposition to a military draft to be, so that resort to the courts or administrative procedures is not practical and expresses the permissible limitations on free speechconsistent with the terms of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Posted by admin in Corruption on November 3rd, 2012
Imran Khan should NEVER come to power in Pakistan’s upcoming elections. That is the key objective of NATO, Western Think Tanks and Feudal/Industrialist/Military entente in Pakistan. A populist leader cannot rule Pakistan. He/she needs to be eliminated, because he/she will not serve the interests of Western Powers. Pakistan’s history tells us that populist leaders had a short life span in a country like Pakistan. Liaquat Ali Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and even Murtaza Bhutto were eliminated mysteriously. Not a single of these assassination were ever investigated by neutral observers or commissions. Populist leadership in Pakistan is either eliminated physically or by political assassination and intrigues. The belief of a common Pakistani that his nation has been hijacked by foreign powers has a kernel of truth to it.
At present, Imran Khan is a thorn on the side of its ISAF allies and US. There is a concerted effort to remove him from the political scene by demonizing his character. Presstitutes like GEO, ARY, AAJ, and Dunya, plus several popular newspaper have received millions of rupees in funds from the Western embassies, among them are US, UK, Netherland, France, Norway, UAE, Saudi Arabia and others in Islamabad. Many members of Pakistan Tehrik Insaf are enticed with financial and commercial incentives to leave the party. These are the stealthily corrupt individuals, who came into the PTI to ride the tide of its popularity. An in depth searches of these individuals’ background reveals their feudal or Jagirdarana roots. These opportunists had a choke hold on Pakistan’s politics and they are back in action to claim, which they consider is rightfully their inheritance: an inherent right to rule Pakistan and steal whatever is left in the country. Spearheading this movement is a nexus of strange bedfellows, PML (N)-PPP-US Interests in Pakistan, represented by Jagirdars, Waderas, Industrialists, and fifth columnists in the Pakistan Media, led by GEO, AAJ, ARY, and Dunya. The scions of the Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman family represent the media business interests, who put their own financial interests above that of the nation.
How does this propaganda work? As election strategies progress, so is the use of political campaigning.
1. Direct personal attacks on TV, opposed to surrogates doing the attacking
Result: The effects it can have on “someone who is uneducated,” like the majority of electorate or voting public in Pakistan. Historically speaking, even in the US Elections, “Name-calling and invective are themselves nothing new in American political life. Washington was called a “Whore Master” and would-be-monarch; Jefferson a coward and atheist; Lincoln, a “rail-splitting baboon.” Franklin O. Roosevelt, Jr., as a surrogate for John Kennedy in the West Virginia primary in 1960, declared Hubert Humphrey was a draft dodger.
2. Bribe media owners, commentators (exceptions are Talat Hussain, Dr.Shahid Masood, Hamid Mir, Javed Chaudhry, Shahzeb Khanzada, Iftikhar Ahmed and a handful of others) and reporters. A Report from London Institute of South Asia (2) described these activities in details below:
Results:
Pakistan Media Corrupted
Starting 2010 the Obama administration made plans to spend nearly $50 million on Pakistani media to reverse anti-American sentiments. This has done wonders as one sees the erstwhile hostile (anti US policy) TV anchors changed like chameleon changes its colors. In the perception of many Pakistanis, the card being played right now by US establishment and its allied media is to weaken the only institution left intact in Pakistan; its military. Pakistani media that has immature anchors, journalists and some of the opportunist politicians who are trying to settle their score with the military establishment is reinforcing the military-bashing campaign
Only in Pakistan do the media champion the cause and lionize traitors and terrorists that act against their country. Would the British media have acted in the same way in the case of IRA or the Spanish for ETA or the Indians for the Kashmiris, Sikhs and Naxalite?
The media is ideally perceived as the fourth pillar of the state (alongside the judicial, legislative and executive powers), but in Pakistan, most people have come to distrust the media and those who practice journalism. Presently, Pakistanis are demanding that star anchors of various current affairs programmes and other journalists be held accountable for their actions.
US- Afghanistan-Pakistan
The war in Af- Pak did not progress as planned by the US. The US – Pakistan standoff over a range of issues worsened the situation where Pakistan is well placed to extract maximum leverage from US towards a Taliban friendly dispensation backed and dominated by Pakistan. However this may not be forthcoming because of weakened establishment and a corrupt and pliant government in Pakistan. The dirty picture emerging in Af- Pak has US fighting for influence with major stakeholders such as China backed Pakistan and Iran. Both these countries can be instrumental in finding a face saving formula for the US to resolve the crisis and affect a graceful exit.
In his article ‘The Lost War’ Patrick Cockburn writes that it is an extraordinary turn-around that in a decade the Americans are departing and the Taliban are back in business. A leaked NATO report on interrogations of 4,000 captured Taliban, Al-Qaeda, foreign fighters and civilian shows that Taliban prisoners are in a confident mood. They believe their popular support is growing, Afghan government officials secretly collaborate with them, and, once foreign troops are gone, they believe they are going to win.
Afghans like to bet on winners, and the US action will convince many that these are increasingly likely to be the Taliban and Pakistan rather than the Afghan government. No wonder NATO officials looked as anxious as they pretended that the US action had not come as a nasty surprise.
The US has failed in Afghanistan and the Taliban will become stronger. But it is unlikely they can win a total victory. The non-Pashtun communities, a majority of the population, will resist them. Reconciliation will be very difficult in a country as deeply divided as Afghanistan. In the foreseeable future the war may soon be over for the Americans, but not for Pakistanis and certainly not for the Afghans.
India Getting Trapped
In the new Cold War between US and China, India is being groomed to play the role Pakistan played as a US ally in the cold war with Russia. (And look what happened to Pakistan.) Many of those columnists and “strategic analysts” who are playing up the hostilities between India and China, can be traced back directly or indirectly to the Indo-American think tanks and foundations. India must understand and learn from Pakistan’s case that being a “strategic partner” of the US means collaboration (interference) at every level. It means hosting US Special Forces on Indian soil (a Pentagon Commander recently confirmed this to the BBC). It means sharing intelligence, altering agriculture and energy policies, opening up the health and education sectors to global investment. It means opening up retail. It means an unequal partnership in which India is being held close in a bear hug and waltzed around the floor by a partner who will dump her the moment she refuses to dance.
There is certainly more of the smell of war in the air around the Persian Gulf this year than any other year in recent times. This is driven by fear that Iran is inching ever closer to actually getting its hands on the bomb and that its window of vulnerability to an Israeli attack may be closing rapidly. The prospect of an Iranian nuclear bomb is not so much an existential threat to Israel as an end to Israeli nuclear hegemony and full-spectrum dominance over all other countries in the Middle East.
India has good relations with Iran based on shared trade and security interests. Iran supplies about 12 percent of India’s oil imports. Delhi has also had a long-standing interest in building a gas pipeline from Iran to India, but that would have to run through Pakistan. US pressure on India to cut its reliance on Iran oil and gas has created a complex situation for India. India has to balance a complex array of interests in the region. Some Indian independent strategists are of the view that there has been an equally long-standing convergence of strategic interests with Iran in Afghanistan and Pakistan that will outlast the Western military involvement in Afghanistan.
Supreme Court a Forlorn hope of hapless Pakistanis
It appears that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has inadvertently fallen prey to these schemes as the timings of hearing the Mehran Bank scandal suggests. Since the hearing of this case was commenced by the Supreme Court the media went berserk in a relentless attack on the institution of the Army and ISI. Never in the history of Pakistan or for that matter any nation in the world, the local media and politicians have maligned, humiliated and insulted their own armed forces with no holds barred.
An independent judiciary would pose a threat to the corrupt. The picture looked promising when an independent judiciary (Supreme Court) was reinstated after a truly memorable struggle and thus the expectations were high. In the perception of many its judgments are slow and it has failed to enforce its own judgments. Ikram Sehgal, a journalist with high integrity and repute writes: All cases are pending for unknown reasons! The nation is losing confidence in the judiciary. “Justice delayed is justice denied “.
Agreed, The Supreme Court did not have guns or armored divisions or special service group to force subservience to its edicts. But, it had a surfeit of moral authority and the active public support to back it if the need for that ever arose. Ikram Sehgal goes to the extent of saying that the Supreme Court should have been able to call on all institutions including the instrument of last resort, the armed forces. Pakistan government and its Prime Minister and The President take pride in its open and willful defiance /disobedience of the judiciary. Most Pakistanis subscribe to the view that there were countless opportunities for the judiciary to assert its authority through a combination of issuing expeditious judgments and following up on their implementation through the use of constitutional powers vested in it. It is on both these fronts that the judiciary has been found wanting. As a consequence of this failing, the proponents of the corrupt status quo have become more daunting in their misdemeanors, thus adding to the woes of a beleaguered people most of whom are incessantly fighting for a few miserly morsels every day.
When President Zardari and his son Bilawal openly attacked the Supreme Court (specifically the Chief Justice of Pakistan) and the Army, only then perhaps His Lordship understood the game plan and stated that he shall not allow anyone to defame the Armed Forces or the Judiciary of Pakistan. Too late too little My Lord, the damage has been done and may we have the audacity to suggest that such comments are unnecessary and meaningless coming from the highest judicial officer unless they are translated in appropriate timely judgment that court has the will and wherewithal to implement.
Pakistan- Besieged or Held on Ransom?
Raoof Hassan befittingly remarks in his article in the News International that Pakistan is a besieged country in the hands of its leadership and their crude machinations solely crafted for their vile advancement.
Pakistan’s misery can be traced to the incompetence, woeful lack of sincerity, an inherent defiance of the rule of law and deep-rooted corruption of its rulers who have adorned its throne playing out a ghastly sequence of masquerades. Exploiting an economically captive electorate is rather easy to bring forth a coterie of people who control their purse strings. Is this democracy by any stretch of imagination? Crimes are being perpetrated in the name of democracy and religion while the relatively clean higher judiciary and the Army are sitting placidly watching this sordid drama of plunder and loot.
A Ray of Hope
Imran Khan has emerged in Pakistan as a light at the end of tunnel. A survey conducted by the institution in the urban center revealed that 80% of educated elite would support him in future election. However, well over 55% conceded that winning at polls is different ball game. Whereas the current rulers PPP along with a very friendly opposition of PML (N) would easily exploit an economically captive electorate in towns and rural areas fully supported by the feudal lords in Punjab and Sindh and the warlords /Sardars of Balochistan would capture enough seats.
Many suggest the only way out for Pakistanis is to come out in the streets and launch a people’s movement to Islamabad to topple the masquerading plunderers of this hapless country. Imran has the ability and charisma to start this movement for restoration of true democracy in Pakistan. He need not worry about the establishment. This time around there is little chance of telephone call from General Kayani to call off the march to Islamabad as he did during the long march (for restoration of the superior judiciary).
3. Pakistani Newspaper Banned in Afghanistan by ISAF and at India’s Insistence
Afghanistan has issued a nationwide ban against Pakistani newspapers to stop what security officials consider anti-government propaganda aimed at Kabul.
Ihsanuddin Taheri, a government spokesman, told the Reuters news agency on Saturday that Pakistani newspapers are often “misleading” in their reporting of the Afghan administration and wrongly accuses NATO-led forces of “occupying” the country, rather than offering security support.
He added that some papers have also published speeches by Taliban leaders, hampering the government’s effort to bring the Taliban into peace talks aimed at ending the country’s 11-year conflict.
“We totally reject these statements and the ban is to show them this,” Taheri said.
Afghan border police have been ordered to sweep shops in the eastern provinces of Nuristan, Kunar and Nangarhar near the Pakistan border to seize copies of Pakistani papers, he said.
The east of the country has been the focus for foreign and Afghan security operations against fighters over the summer months ahead of a NATO pullout of most combat troops by 2014.
Ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been strained by months of cross-border shelling which officials in Kabul have blamed on Pakistan’s military.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to stop anti-government fighters operating from mountain havens on Kabul’s side of the border.
On Thursday, the Afghan foreign minister told the UN Security Council in New York that diplomatic ties with Pakistan were under threat.
The newspaper ban, which is likely to worsen already tense cross-border ties, could only be reversed by a ministerial decree.
4.How Propaganda is used as a Tool to Influence nations like Pakistan. Fortunately for Pakistanis with less than 58 percent literacy rate, these cutting edge propaganda tools fail miserably. You cannot win hearts and minds of people by sophisticated marketing deception or propaganda.
References
http://www.lisauk.com/view.php?i=86&em=1
http://tribune.com.pk/story/442395/education-endowment-pakistans-literacy-rate-needs-to-improve/
http://www.beyondintractability.org/bi-essay/propaganda
www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/09/2012922143456468763.html
Posted by admin in Our Heroes on November 3rd, 2012
The National Peace Award winner, Malala Yousafzai, who was attacked in Swat, is currently under treatment in CMH Peshawar. Later, Malala were taken to Peshawar via helicopter and admitted in CMH Peshawar. It is important to mention that Malala had been receiving threats to her life, after which she was provided with a special car and unarmed security personnel. According to the electronic media reports, Taliban (TTP) has accepted the responsibilities.
Malala Yousafzai is one of the best-known schoolgirls in the country. Young as she is, she has dared to do what many others do not – publicly criticise the Taliban. According to BBC, Malala’s confident, articulate campaign for girls’ education has won her admirers – and recognition – at home and abroad. She has appeared on national and international television, and spoken of her dream of a future Pakistan where education would prevail. Even by the standards of blood-soaked Pakistan, there has been shock at the shooting. It has been condemned by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf, who sent a helicopter to transfer Malala to hospital in Peshawar. The head of Pakistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, Zohra Yusuf, said “this tragic attack on this courageous child” sends a very disturbing message to all those working for women and girls.
All segments of society are praying for her health and are condemning activists, those desire to enforce their own agenda against the will of general public. Notably, the said terrorism occurred just after the long march of Imran Khan.
There could be the possibility that firing on courageous Malala has been carried out by Afghanistan sponsored anti Pakistan Taliban. CIA and her allied agencies quite notorious in using dirty tricks for completion of their own designed agenda against Pakistan and in other countries. Notably, PTI Chief Imran Khan through a peaceful conduct of “Long March” in tribal belt of Waziristan gave positive message that people of Pakistan demand that their sovereignty should be respected and killing of innocent people through drones be stopped. Thus, targeting Malala through anti Pakistan Taliban could be one of the episodes of jeopardizing local peace efforts and pressurizing Pakistan to carry out operation in North Waziristan. In this connection, there are reports that for implementation of hidden aims, especially, RAW has hired the services of many Afghan Muslims of Northern Afghanistan. Posing themselves as militants, they have joined the ranks and files of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other extremist outfits.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit of Islamabad in 2011, agreed with Pakistan’s stance, saying, “Now US is realising that launching new military operation in North Waziristan does not suit Pakistan’s situation.” Replying to a question that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was involved an assault on the US embassy in Kabul on September 13, 2011, she categorically pointed out, “We have no evidence.” She also requested for Pakistan’s help to “encourage Taliban to enter negotiations in good faith” including the Haqqani militants. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik and top civil and military officials have repeatedly disclosed that training camps are presence in Afghanistan, and supply of arms and ammunition to the Baloch separatists and Pakistani Taliban keeps on going by the external elements as part of a conspiracy against Pakistan.
The internal dynamics of Pakistan, however, dictate that a detailed and comprehensive strategy be formulated to cleanse areas infected by terrorism through shrewd corrective measures and judicious action with least collateral damage. Such strategy has to be indigenous one with blend of native society.
In short, we must get united to support security forces in elimination of all type of militancy whether foreign or locally sponsored. We must take the example of Sri Lanka where people fought for 30 years with a single aim of defeating terrorism since they believed that terrorist “foreign or own”, remains terrorist. At the same time we must also condemn U.S. and her allies India and Israel those justify their state terrorism in Islamic countries.
We must salute to courageous daughter of Pakistan “Malala Yousaf Zai” and pray for her health, safety and unite ourselves for continuation of her innocent but beautiful dreams regarding girls’ education and rooting out of terrorism from our motherland.
The writer can be approached through [email protected]
Posted by admin in Our Heroes, Uncategorized on November 3rd, 2012
Edhi
: Abdul Sattar Edhi is a prominent philanthropist and social worker based out of Karachi, Pakistan. He was born in 1928, in the city of Bantva in what is now western India. Mr. Edhi’s first interaction with human suffering occurred at the age of eleven, when his mother was physically paralyzed and later suffered from mental illness. Mr. Edhi spent his waking hours caring for her, and her worsening health and eventual death left a lasting impact on his life. In 1947, at the age of 19, Mr. Edhi’s family was forced to flee their hometown and relocate to Karachi. Finding himself in a new city without any resources, Mr. Edhi resolved to dedicate his life to aiding the poor, and over the last sixty years, he has single handedly changed the face of welfare in Pakistan.
Mr. Edhi began his philanthropic career in 1951, by purchasing a small shop, which he converted into his first free dispensary. He collected funds by standing on street corners and begging for money, which he later used to purchase his first ambulance. Armed with basic medical training, Mr. Edhi drove around the streets of Karachi administering free basic health care to anybody who needed it, and earned a reputation for being a selfless aid to the injured and unwell. Soon thereafter, Mr Edhi founded the Edhi Trust and Foundation, with an initial sum of a mere five thousand rupees. Regarded as a guardian for the poor, Mr. Edhi began receiving numerous donations, which allowed him to expand his services; he opened a maternity center and a nursing school. As his funding increased, Mr. Edhi expanded his networks of clinics, opened adoptions centers, soup kitchens and shelters for children and battered women. To this day, the Edhi Foundation continues to grow in both size and service, and is currently the largest welfare organization in Pakistan. Since its inception, the Edhi Foundation has rescued over 20,000 abandoned infants, rehabilitated over 50,000 orphans and has trained over 40,000 nurses. It also runs over three hundred and thirty welfare centers in rural and urban Pakistan which operate as food kitchens, rehabilitation homes, shelters for abandoned women and children and clinics for the mentally handicapped. The Edhi Foundation is also the leading source of emergency medical assistance in Pakistan with the world’s largest fleet of over eighteen hundred ambulances, twenty eight rescue boats and two airplanes. Additionally, they also run twenty-four hour medical dispensaries, a missing persons hot line and own the largest morgue in Pakistan.
The Edhi Foundation has also worked extensively in international relief, including donating to victims of Hurricane Katrina, cyclone relief in Bangladesh, aid to tsunami-impacted regions in 2003 and ambulance services in Afghanistan. The Edhi foundation has centers in the United States, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Yet Mr. Edhi has remained a simple and humble man. To this day, he owns two pairs of clothes, has never taken a salary from his organization and lives in a small two bedroom apartment over his clinic in Karachi. Due to his unassuming nature and immense contribution to the well being of his fellow citizens, Mr. Edhi has become a folk hero for many Pakistanis. The people of Pakistan are indebted to him for his unwavering commitment to the social welfare of Pakistani’s and share in his vision for a brighter future for our country. Mr. Edhi is a living testament to the innumerable good that can come out of one mans vision and dedication to achieving a better life for his fellow citizens.
Official website: http://edhi.org/
© 2024, All Rights Reserved by Pakistan Think Tank.
