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Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 21st, 2014
The latest military operation came following a deadlock in peace dialogue between the government and the Taliban intermediaries.
A government committee refused to hold more talks with the Taliban mediators after the Taliban killed 23 hostage security personnel in Mohmand tribal region on Sunday. The hostages had been kidnapped in 2010.
The Taliban said the security men were killed as revenge to the alleged “custodial killings” of their detainees by the security officials.
“Air strikes were carried out late night in Mir Ali in North Waziristan tribal agency to target militants’ hideouts with precision,” military sources said on Thursday.
“There are confirmed reports that of 20 militants including foreigners killed in these strikes. A huge cache of arms and ammunition have also been destroyed,” the sources said.
Most of the Militants are Trained by Indian Army & Indian RAW Trainers in Afghanistan
There was no independent confirmation of the casualties as journalists are not allowed to the area.
The Taliban have not commented on the attacks.
Hours before the military action, the Taliban offered conditional ceasefire urging the government to stop “arrests and custodial killings” of their members.
It is the second time in a month the security forces have launched operation in the same region.
On January 20, fighter jets targeted positions of the suspected militants killing 40 militants including several Uzbeks and three German nationals.
Spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Shahidullah Shahid, told the media on Wednesday that the Taliban would declare a ceasefire if the government assures their intermediaries not to “kill their prisoners.”
Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 21st, 2014
Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 21st, 2014
Why Deadlock in Peace Dialogue?
By Sajjad Shaukat
Pakistani jets bombed militants’ hideouts in some tribal and surrounding areas of North Waziristan, killing 35 terrorists including foreigners. On February 20, this year, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan clarified that Pakistan’s armed forces are undertaking strikes in FATA in ‘self-defense.’
In fact, while the committee of the Pakistan Government was conducting peace dialogue with that of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a deadlock occurred when Taliban claimed responsibility for the brutal massacre of the 23 personnel of the Frontier Constabulary in Mohmand Agency. This heinous act which was strongly condemned by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, leaders of other political and religious parties including Imran Khan and Munawar Hassan who are sympathizers of these Taliban, came as a blow from the sky, giving a greater setback to the peace process. It exposed the secret intentions of the Taliban who are employing dual tactics. Although the government has suspended the peace dialogue, yet it is still optimistic in restoring the same, as it demanded the TTP to give explanation and clearly condemn this terror-act.
Earlier, Taliban militants targeted the Rangers, Police and anti-polio workers in Karachi in wake of the peace talks. On the one hand, TTP spokesman has condemned the latest terror-events which also took place in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, on the other; he has accepted responsibility, while stating that the outfit will continue assaults on the security forces and law-enforcing agencies. So, contradictory statements of the TTP-led Taliban have endorsed that the militant group is sabotaging the peace dialogue by playing double game because it is being supported by some anti-Pakistan foreign powers.
In this regard, a report of the Interior Ministry said on February 19, this year that Islamabad is at high risk and has become target of the banned organizations-TTP and Lashkar-e-Jahngvi (LeJ). The report disclosed, “Arms and terrorists are making their way into the country through Eastern and Western borders, and cross border terrorists are also conducting terror activities in Pakistan.”
It is notable that when the TTP Chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed by the US drone strikes on November 1, 2013, leaders of the ruling and opposition parties including prominent figures and Ulemas (Religious scholars) took the event as a plot to thwart the peace process with the insurgents. In this context, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali openly stated that that killing of Hakimullah Mehsud was a conspiracy to sabotage peace talks with the Taliban.
Now, some political and religious entities—even Imran Khan and Munawar Hassan have been pointing to some external elements which are thwarting the peace process between the TTP and the government. In this connection, without naming US, some are hinting towards the “third power”, and some are saying that Indian secret agency RAW is castigating these peace talks.
It is of particular attention that the TTP new Chief Maulana Fazlullah had dismissed the proposed peace negotiations with the government as a “waste of time”, and vowed to target the prime minister, chief minister, chief of army staff and corpse commanders. During Swat and Malakand military operations, Fazlullah fled Swat and took shelter in Afghanistan.
Well-established in Afghanistan, with the tactical support of the US, in connivance with Indian RAW and Afghan spy service, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Pakistani Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah—and these foreign agencies have been conducting target killings, bomb blasts, suicide attacks, beheadings, assaults on civil and military personnel, installations and forced abductions including ethnic and sectarian violence. By sending heavily-equipped militants in Pakistan, these entities are also assisting Baloch separatists.
Particularly, the captured TTP leader Latifullah Mehsud by US Special Forces (USF) in Afghanistan confessed that Afghanistan and India were waging proxy wars in Pakistan, and terrorist attacks on Gen. Sanaullah Khan Niazi in Upper Dir, at Peshawar Church, in Qissa Khawani Bazar and elsewhere had been planned by Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies.
Unfortunately, terrorists led by the TTP use Islam as their most effective mask. Their main demands include enforcement of Islamic system of governance by imposing Shariah laws (Islamic jurisprudence) in the country, ending diplomatic relations with US and western world and undertaking Jihad against the non-Muslims. They have become self-proclaimed campaigners of Islam, rejecting all dissenting views.
Notably, the victims of terror-attacks in Pakistan have been innocent men, women, and children. While ruthless beheadings of the people, assaults on security personnel and prominent religious figures—blowing children schools and attacking the female teachers in order to deny education to girls, the militants also targeted cinemas and the places of worships. Their nefarious acts resulted into killings of several persons in Pakistan.
However, Jihad is a sacred obligation, but its real spirit needs to be understood clearly, as murdering innocent women and children is not Jihad. In fact, by implementing the instructions of their external masters, these Taliban and their banned affiliated groups are defaming Islam, concept of Jihad, and are weakening Pakistan.
As terrorists have accelerated their anti-social, undemocratic and un-Islamic practices, therefore, people from all segments of life and majority of politicians want that a handful of terrorist elements must not be allowed to dictate their agenda and to impose their self-perceived ideology on the majority of Pakistanis, while supporting military action against these culprits.
During the peace process, our domestic media bluntly opined that dialogue would not succeed. Some of them cynically commented that both Taliban and the government seemed to buy time, as military operation was imminent against the former. The aim was to dishearten the mediators and the public. Media was projecting trivial details which permitted the extraneous elements to promote their own agenda through acrimonious arguments so as to spread a sense of discontentment. Consequently, the secrecy of dialogue was exposed to compromising risk. Media reports resorted to hasty coverage of all happenings, neglecting the confidentiality of contents and sometimes objective reporting was also overlooked.
On the other hand, negotiating process is likely to confront intricate impediments and extraordinary encounters for which the mediators need to develop the stamina and skills to hold information and avoid over-indulgence of media leaks of dialogue process. Thus, due to media trial, the dialogue process runs into contemptuous ridicule. It also serves the agenda of anti- Pakistan forces which have been propagating against the peace dialogue.
Since media is not suitable instrument to contest issues to reach a settlement, therefore, it must be kept away from future dialogue process. Surely, maturity and negotiating skills could enable the negotiators to decently handle media and be able to maintain confidentiality of vital aspects.
Live coverage and indication of the location of the government’s dialogue committee also created security hazardous situation, therefore extra-care needed to be exercised to keep the location secret. Media must also realize that the state is confronted with complex dilemma of terrorism. An opportunity had emerged to give peace a chance.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had initiated peace process with the Taliban in accordance with the decision of the All Parties Conference (APC) in which leaders of the mainstream political parties had participated. Contrarily, now, situation has entirely changed after the fresh wave of terror-attacks by the TTP and its ambivalent approach which shows its connections with the external enemies of Pakistan. So, instead of wavering between fact and skepticism by following the policy of appeasement towards all the militant groups, especially the TTP, our rulers need to devise a comprehensive strategy to deal with the terrorists with iron hands, while declaring a full-fledged military operation against terrorism, as any delay in this respect will further embolden these militants who will further intensify their subversive activities.
No doubt, deadlock in the peace dialogue is owing to dual policy of the Taliban because they are quite non-serious to observe ceasefire or to conclude any agreement with the government, as TTP is pursuing the agenda of anti-Pakistan powers to destabilize our country.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations
Email: [email protected]
ADDITIONAL READING
The latest military operation came following a deadlock in peace dialogue between the government and the Taliban intermediaries.
A government committee refused to hold more talks with the Taliban mediators after the Taliban killed 23 hostage security personnel in Mohmand tribal region on Sunday. The hostages had been kidnapped in 2010.
The Taliban said the security men were killed as revenge to the alleged “custodial killings” of their detainees by the security officials.
“Air strikes were carried out late night in Mir Ali in North Waziristan tribal agency to target militants’ hideouts with precision,” military sources said on Thursday.
“There are confirmed reports that of 20 militants including foreigners killed in these strikes. A huge cache of arms and ammunition have also been destroyed,” the sources said.
There was no independent confirmation of the casualties as journalists are not allowed to the area.
The Taliban have not commented on the attacks.
Hours before the military action, the Taliban offered conditional ceasefire urging the government to stop “arrests and custodial killings” of their members.
It is the second time in a month the security forces have launched operation in the same region.
On January 20, fighter jets targeted positions of the suspected militants killing 40 militants including several Uzbeks and three German nationals.
Spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Shahidullah Shahid, told the media on Wednesday that the Taliban would declare a ceasefire if the government assures their intermediaries not to “kill their prisoners.”
Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 18th, 2014
INDIA’S BACKDOOR VIRUS INTO PAKISTAN VIA DUBAI
MADHU BHINDARI, The Indian Billionaire Raw Mole who invested money in Dubai with Pakistani politicians.
India is now acting like a BACKDOOR VIRUS into Pakistan Defence Establishment via DUBAI PORTAL. The Target of all these joint projects is to infiltrate Pakistan’s Nuclear and Missile Programs From Within the Ministry of Finance. Ishaq Dar is playing a pivotal role in weakening the Pakistan Army, so that it does not present a threat to Nawaz Sharif’s government and considerable financial interest Another objective of Nawaz Sharif’s fiscal policy is to cut drastically Pakistan’s Defence Budget, so that the Nuclear and Strategic Programs are virtually halted. India, Israel, and US are using this joint financial solution through Nawaz Sharif’s co-operation to contain and destroy Pakistan’s Nuclear Capabilities, which is too risky to do so militarily. Even though, they have used TTP as proxy saboteurs against Pakistan’s Nuclear & Military Installation.
The Ultimate objective is to declare Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons in imminent danger of falling into the hands of Al Qaeda and using it as an excuse to launch a strike on Pakistan with the blessing od the US puppet, the United Nations. The only nation standing in their way is China, which has recently warned Pakistan government that they should put their house in order. By denying funding to Nuclear and Missile Programs from Pakistan’s Defence Budget, they cannot be sustained. Nawaz Sharif has already cut their budgets, without any complaints from Pakistan Army, which is currently under the leadership of COAS General Raheel Shabbir, a tout of Nawaz Sharif, and the most inept general ever selected to lead Pakistan Army. He is hand picked to choose new corp commanders, who will be subservient to Nawaz Sharif and most likely to come from Nawaz Sharif’s own Kashmiri Biradari. Nawaz Sharif has moles in Pakistan Army hierarchy, who have formed a Kashmiri circle in Pakistan Army. Meritocracy in Pakistan Army is a victim of Nawaz Sharif’s Kashmiri Biradari nepotism.
PAK MEDIA & POLITICIANS BOUGHT AND SOLD IN DUBAI,THE TANGIERS OF SOUTH ASIA
Pak Politicians & Media are bought in Dubai through business deals with Indian Billionaires.
Both have become sympathetic Towards India. RAW is using Billions of dollars to destabilize Pakistan through buy-off of Powerful Pakistani Politicians like Ishaq Dar’s Son Ali Dar has been bought off by Indian Business Partners, who work not only in Business, but also play a Role as Agents of Indian Intelligence RAW. Nawaz Sharif’s Front man Ishaq Dar & His Son Act as Proxies, who receive bribes in form of business deals in Dubai. Dubai has been virtually taken over by the corrupt Pakistani politicians from Nawaz Sharif, Malik Riaz, Owais Tappi, Najam Sethi, Asif Zardari, Mian Mansha, Mirza Iqbal Baig, Tawakkals, and a host of corrupt absconders from Pakistan.
The uniqueness of the car rental company lies in its array of niche car manufacturers and models of cars unavailable to the market. HDS Rent a Car owns the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, Mercedes Benz SLS 63 AMG Gullwing, apart from the more economy cars such as Peugeot and Renault. Some of the many exotic, luxury and SUVs in the lineup are the the Ferrari Berlinetta F12 and the McLaren F1, and you can do the numbers yourself!
The owners from a ‘poor and starving’ country Pakistan, where the average monthly income for an individual is $41, are offering such exotic services in Dubai, which even the local Emiratis fail to afford.
Madhu Bhandari, the Indian Billionaire who invested money in Dubai with Pakistani politicians.
Sources further told The News Tribe that the story does not end here; another Finance Minister from the Nawaz Sharif Government, made hundreds of real estate transactions with Madhu Bhindari, an Indian billionaire entrepreneur, who is on a run-away from Dubai, after losing 150 million dirhams in the 2008 crisis. However, the finance minister’s buildings and investments are still there, earning a hefty income.
A Pakistani real estate agent, who claimed to carry out transactions for a serving government officer in Sindh Government, told The News Tribe that a lot of Pakistani bureaucrats and politicians have properties worth millions of Dollars in Dubai .
“The son of a serving government officer from Sindh government invested a huge amount of money in real estate here in 2008, and I carried out transactions for him,” the agent claimed.
“Where are these politicians getting the money from?” asked a frustrated Pakistani in Dubai , who came to know that the building he lived in is owned by Ali and Hasnain Dar’s HDS Group.
“If they have billions of dollars and so much money, why is it not in Pakistan ? These politicians talk about the welfare of Pakistani people, but all they can think about is themselves!”
Previously, Director Swiss Bank had stated that Pakistan has around 97 billion dollars only in Swiss Banks. But, it seems that Pakistani politicians and businessmen have more than 97 billion dollars outside Swiss Banks, invested in various countries and financial hubs like Dubai .
According to the Swiss Bank director, if the money is utilized for the welfare of Pakistan and its people, then Pakistan can make tax free budget for next 30 years, can create 60 million jobs, can carpet four lanes road from any village to Islamabad, provide endless power supply, every citizen can earn Rs. 20,000 salary for the next 60 years and there is no need to take loans from IMF or World Bank.
SHORTLIST OF CONTINUING CORRUPTION BY NAWAZ SHARIF FAMILY & CRONIES
AUTHOR
PAK DESTINY
January 28, 2014 Pak Destiny Exclusive 2 Comments New NBP chief rewarded for sanctioning Rs500m to the Sharifs’ sugar mill in 1990s New-NBP-chief-rewarded-for-sanctioning-Rs500m-to-the-Sharifs’-sugar-mill-in-1990s-salman-shahbaz-sharif-ahmed-iqbal-ashraf By Sarmad Ali Islamabad, Jan 28 (Pak Destiny)
The Nawaz Sharif government has rewarded Syed Ahmad Iqbal Ashraf by appointing him president of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) for his services – sanctioning Rs500 million loan to the Ramzan Sugar Mill of the Sharifs in 1990s. “Ashraf has also been given a task to settle down Rs3 billion loan of Ithifaq Foundry which it had taken from the NBP in the 1990s,” the sources said.
The sources said Ashraf was the regional director of NBP when he had sanctioned Rs500 million to the Sharif’s Ramzan Sugar Mill when they needed money. Salman Shahbaz had asked his uncle to appoint Ashraf. A chartered accountant by profession, Ahmad Iqbal is a brother of Dr Nasim Ashraf, the former minister for National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) and president of Pakistan Cricket Board in General Musharraf’s government. He replaced Dr Asif Brohi who had three years to reach the retirement age.
A total of 51 candidates had applied for the post. The selection was originally to be made by a high-powered commission comprising Federal Tax Ombudsman and two academicians from Agha Khan University and Lahore University of Management Sciences. – Pak Destiny
Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Nation of Hope on February 18th, 2014
PM Sharif among billionaire lawmakers
In the early eighties, after that Nawaz Sharif had completed his education his father Mian Muhammad Sharif started him in the business. However, this proved a disaster. As a second option Mian Muhammad Sharif set him up with Pakistani actor Saeed Khan Rangeela to get him into acting (something which Nawaz Sharif wanted).
A few days later Saeed Khan Rangeela sent his regrets to Mian Muhammad Sharif saying that his son was too dumb for acting and movie industry. Mian Muhammad Sharif then a cricket coaches to train his son for cricket, but his physical fitness was too low for the sport. It is rumored that by mid-day on his first day at training Nawaz Sharif threw the bat down and left the stadium saying, “This is too tough for me.” As a last resort he paid General Ghulam Jilani Khan a considerable sum of monies to introduce Nawaz Sharif to General Zia-ul-Haq recommending him for a political post, who in turn made Nawaz Sharif the Finance Minister of Punjab. This was the day when the street thugs of Mohni Road had stepped on to becoming the national thugs of Pakistan.
The day Nawaz Sharif had become Finance Minister, the entire family’s earnings were few million rupees and had only one refinery. From there they went on to: Ittefaq Sugar Mills was set up in 1982, Brothers steel in 1983, Brother’s Textile Mills in 1986, Brothers Sugar Mills Ltd in 1986, Ittefaq Textile units in 2-3 in 1987, Khalid Siraj Textile Mills in 1988, Ramzan Buksh Textiles in 1987, Farooq Barkat (pvt) Ltd in 1985. By the time of Zia ul Haq’s fateful plane crash, Mian Muhammad Sharif’s family was earning a net profit of US$ 3 million, up from a few million rupees. By the end of the decade their net assets were worth more than 6 billion rupees, according to their own admission, nearly US$ 350 million at the time. But this turned out to be small-change when Nawaz Sharif became the Prime Minister.
When Nawaz Sharif became prime minister, the group took a decision to secure project loans from the foreign banks and only working capital were taken from the nationalized commercial banks. The project financing from foreign banks was ostensibly secured against the foreign currency deposits, a number of which were held in benamee accounts, as repeatedly claimed by Interior Minister Naseer Ullah Babar at his press conferences. In 1992 Salman Taseer released an account of Nawaz Sharif’s corruption stating that the family had taken loans of up to 12 billion rupees, which were never paid back. On March 2, 1994, Khalid Siraj, a cousin of Nawaz Sharif claimed that the assets of the seven brothers were valued at Rs 21 billion.
These were the accounts of profits and companies which were openly known to public. However, the family kept their side business going all the while ” the gambling dens and heroin control in Lahore ” and along with their industry the side business also mushroomed.
During the Afghan-Soviet War Nawaz Sharif’s cousin Sohail Zia Butt started working under the drug baron Mirza Iqbal Beg, then Pakistan’s second biggest drug lord after Ayub Afridi. Mian Muhammad Sharif and his sons had a permanent share in his gambling and heroin business. In 1990 Suhail Butt won a seat on the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad ticket in the Punjab Assembly. It was through Sohail Butt’s association that Nawaz Sharif became a close associate of Mirza Iqbal Beg. It was through him that Nawaz Sharif became benami owner of many of the privatized government entities, such as Muslim Commercial Bank. Sohail Zia Butt other than getting involved in the drug business made billions in the co-operative societies’ collapse, mainly through the National Industrial Credit and Finance Corporation. It was Nawaz Sharif’s share in his cousin’s drug business which he used to buy off the generals thereby delaying the inevitable dismissal of his government.
In 1995 when Mirza Iqbal Beg was imprisoned, Sohail Zia Butt took over his drug empire. It is at this time that he became one of the biggest drug and crime bosses in Pakistan and was nicknamed the “King of Hera Mandi” and at one time all six underworld gangs of Lahore were working under him.
By 1995 family’s declared annual profits from industrial units had increased 1500% from US$ 30 million to staggering US$ 400 million.
This is the short version of how in mere 15 years small street thugs running gambling dens became leaders of a country running narcotics, underworld and smuggling empires, untouched by everyone.
THE MYSTERY OF RAIWIND PALACE OWNERSHIP
Iftikhar A. Khan and Kalbe Ali
ISLAMABAD: The ownership of the Raiwind palace spread over thousands of acres is a mystery because it has never been mentioned in the statements of assets and liabilities of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other members of his family in politics.
Even latest declarations submitted by Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shahbaz Sharif, son-in-law Captain Mohammad Safdar and nephew Hamza Shahbaz to the Election Commission of Pakistan are silent on the ownership title of the huge property.
But Information Minister Pervez Rasheed told Dawn that the property was in the name of Shamim Sharif, mother of the Sharif brothers.
The statements of assets show that the Sharif brothers have much in common. Both live in houses not owned by them. Nawaz Sharif lives in a house owned by his mother while Shahbaz Sharif resides in a house owned by his spouse Nusrat.
Both use Land Cruisers gifted to them by unspecified persons. Both have multiple foreign and local currency accounts, own huge agricultural land and have investments in industrial units like sugar, textile and paper mills.
The most visible dissimilarity is the rapid growth in the value of assets owned by the elder brother and continuous decline in the value of assets possessed by the younger brother. Another dissimilarity is that Shahbaz Sharif has two properties in the United Kingdom, but Nawaz Sharif has no assets abroad.
Till the time of elections in May last year, Shahbaz was richer than Nawaz — though none of them a billionaire — but things are different now. According to the recent declaration, the value of Nawaz Sharif’s wealth has registered a six-fold increase in just 12 months to make him a billionaire for the first time.
According to statements of assets and liabilities, the net worth of Nawaz Sharif’s assets was Rs261.6 million in 2012 and of Shahbaz Sharif Rs336.9m.
In 2011, the assets of the Sharif brothers were worthRs166m and Rs393m, indicating an increase ofRs95.6m and decrease of Rs56.5m, respectively.
In 2013, the value of assets of Nawaz Sharif ballooned to Rs1.82bn while that of Shahbaz Sharif slipped further to Rs142m.
Incidentally, Shahbaz Sharif has more stakes abroad than in the country.
He owns properties and bank account worthRs138.28m in the UK. He has three loans worth117.10m in Pakistani rupees in British banks.
The younger brother has not disclosed the value of five properties with net area of around 676 kanal in Lahore – all gifted by his mother.
He has Rs51.96m cash in hand and Rs7.27m in his sole bank account in the country. (Editor’s Note: Out of 180 Million Pakistani Civilians & Military, how many can boast such amount as CASH IN HAND)
Mrs Nusrat, the first wife of Mr Shahbaz, had assets worth Rs273.46m on June 30 last year. It wasRs224.56m a year earlier. She has Rs14.34m cash in hand and Rs1.95m in her five bank accounts.
The assets of Mrs Tehmina, the second wife of Shahbaz Sharif, are worth Rs9.83m. They wereRs7.64m last year.
She has five bank accounts – two in Pound Sterling, one in dollar and two in Pak rupees, but the money in these accounts is only Rs23,770. She has cash in hand and prize bonds worth Rs750,000 and two cars.
Kalsoom Nawaz, the wife of Nawaz Sharif, has net wealth of Rs235.85m, which is much less than that ofMrs Nusrat Shahbaz.
Mrs Kalsoom Nawaz has land and a house in Changa Gali, Abbottabad, worth Rs63.75m, a bungalow on Mall Road in Murree worth Rs100m, 88 kanal of land in Sheikhupura worth Rs70m, jewellery of Rs1.5m and shares in family businesses.
She has Rs67,555 cash in hand and Rs55,765 in banks.
Hamza Shahbaz is wealthier than his father with net assets of Rs250.46m. He has two wives. The wealth of his first wife is Rs2.45m and that of the second isRs9.88m.
Capt Safdar’s wealth is worth Rs14.23m. He owns a car which his wife Marium received as a gift from the UAE
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