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Archive for May, 2018

 Justice Saqib Nisar, General Bajwa, and the Hidden Hand          By Saeed A. Malik.

Posted by Dr. Salman in Corruption, Nawaz Sharif Massive Corruption, Pakistan's Hall of Shame, Politics on May 10th, 2018

 Justice Saqib Nisar, General Bajwa, and the Hidden Hand         

By Saeed A. Malik.

I have just read an article by Najam Sethi complaining that “the ‘hidden hand’ is everywhere and nowhere at the same time, pushing the plug on dissenters”, and that these dissenters “cannot comment freely on the machinations of the Miltablishment without being roughed up or disappeared” etc.
Reading this I could not help recalling Churchill reading through reports on the Bengal famine and penning on the margin that if the famine was indeed so devastating, “Why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?”
To wit, if so many people were indeed being “roughed up and disappeared” for dissenting, how come Mr Sethi himself, far from being “disappeared”, is so prosperously visible?
It seems all self-styled liberals and bleeding heart democrats who are blind to the plunder and rapacity of the Sharif circus, have nevertheless developed a keenness of the eye to spot a hidden hand at work in every nook and cranny in the country.
Mr Sethi’s litany of woes is a long one which I cannot debunk because this will end up being an exercise of my word against his. But one charge of his can easily be put in the waste bin; that of the allegation that a free comment on the judiciary is laden with a risk of being jailed for contempt!
This allegation is so patently false that it does not bear being ignored. All those given to viewing various TV channels, however minimally, and having the very basic rudiments of honesty about them, have seen the judges being castigated, maligned, or being subjected to outright abuse or threats by a mangy brigade of the Sharif minions, day after day for months. The abuse has become ever shriller because of the obvious restraint of the courts. A growing number of people are finding fault with the judges for this leniency since only one culprit has seen the inside of a jail on the charge of contempt. Thus as his bias relents, even Mr Sethi may be tempted to concede that he was led away by a passing enthusiasm.
And if this enthusiasm was not a mere impulse but a commitment to licking the hand that feeds him, I must admit that this is commendable constancy in a bordello of sellouts. In my book, this puts Mr Sethi solidly in the ranks of such loyal stalwarts as Daniyal Aziz, Talal Chowdhary and Mushahid Hussain etc, who, when it is the season of jumping ship, closed ranks to stand steadfastly behind their leader who has taken their country to the cleaners. Only committed “democrats” can dredge their will, and their conscience [if they have any]  to make such a high minded choice!
As far as the “hidden hand” is concerned, a lot of people are looking for it. They have their eyes on the forty to fifty fidgety legislators who jumped to Musharraf in 2002; then to Zardari in 2008; and then to Nawaz Sharif in 2013. Had the hidden hand been so keenly at work as is being so assiduously suggested, they should have been expected to jump ship at the slightest wave of this hand on 29 July 2017 when Nawaz Sharif was unanimously dethroned by a full bench of the Supreme Court. The news was rife and widespread in the country that this gang heads cocked, waited nervously and long for a signal to come from GHQ. But the signal never came. And though the heads are still cocked, the signal stubbornly refuses to come through.
Thus, by the clearest yardstick of all, the hidden hand theory has failed its acid test. Either the “hidden hand” has lost its efficacy, or it has refused to execute the signal, so that pedigreed ship jumpers have remained in place. 
But by the rules of the conspiracy theory, which Mr Sethi is propagating, there is obviously much to see in the unseen i.e ” because we cant see it, GHQ must obviously be hiding something!”
The one contact between Justice Saqib Nisar and General Bajwa, which almost certainly took place, did so about February 2017. The C.J informed the General that the judgement in the Panama case was due to come soon. He expected some sort of a law and order situation to erupt no matter which way the judgment leaned. He thus wanted to know where the army would stand if such situation came about. General Bajwa, without hesitation, informed him that the army would do its constitutional duty i.e that it will stand at the beck and call of the Supreme Court.
When this news hit Nawaz Sharif, it hit him like a sledgehammer. A general is chosen by him to be the Army Chief, who should have been “his General”, had decided to stand by the Constitution, instead of standing by him! This was enough to send any man reeling. This is where the froth and unbounded venom of our pretty Maryum springs from, and so too the fulminations of her great and unforgivable taint, Safdar.
In such thinking also lies the essence of our “democracy”. Votes mean mandate. And mandate means a license to rob and plunder without let or hindrance. To do away with all such possible hindrances every institution must be brought to heel. Most unfortunately for Nawaz Sharif, his pet dream of having the army led by a poodle in uniform who could be expected to ” sit” and “stay”, has eluded him once again.
 
And having thus far failed in getting a credible narrative going, his minions who have fed off the scraps of his table, invent and propagate ever new theories. That of celestial beings and the hidden hand are the newest he proposes to regale those with, whom his royal depredations have stripped quite literally to the bone.
 There is no trick in the book that Nawaz Sharif and company have not tried to bring the C.J and the COAS to heel. They have tried to disarm the Army Chief by the charms of the Shahbaz-Nisar circus; invited the influence of the Saudis and the Turks and the Americans; Modi pitches in right on cue with some well-timed artillery barrages– but nothing seems to have worked. They have threatened cajoled and tried to bribe. But thus far they have failed in all their efforts. Little wonder then, that Nawaz Sharif and company have finally woken up to the presence of “celestial beings.”
On two grounds indeed there is a reason to suspect that Justice Nisar and General Bajwa may indeed be justly cited as celestial beings. One is that every aggrieved person in the country likes to invoke intervention by either of these two to intercede and rectify the injustices they may be suffering from. In all ages crushed humans have appealed to high heavens to come to their aid when all nearer hopes lie dashed.
The second is that no matter what step Nawaz Sharif and his clowns plan against this duo, somehow news gets to them almost as soon as the latest plan gets off the drawing board. It is known for example that in a fit of exasperation Nawaz Sharif ordered Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to sack General Bajwa. But though the windmill was clearly in the sights of Sancho, and though he may have wanted to do his master’s bidding, his ass failed to move. The onset of this paralysis was, it is believed, directly related to the fact that General Bajwa came to know of the plan almost immediately as it was crafted. And this case of catastrophic ass failure may have saved our democracy. Few asses have done such sterling service to a higher cause merely by the act of failing!
What will ultimately decide if these two high officers of the state will be numbered among celestial beings or among mortals who failed to stand up to the call of the times is the direction they give to their country. To do right by Pakistan they will have to first admit that nothing is more sacred than the state. They will then have to become alive to the fact that Pakistan is actually standing at the very brink of implosion; that the situation today is in no wise less serious than it was in 1971; and that this has been brought about by theft so massive for it to have become catastrophic. All other maladies by which the state is saddled find their root in this plunder. And not least of these is treachery against the state which seems to have become respectable enough for many like Hussain Haqqani and Achazai to be quite openly espousing the cause of the enemy. The obvious question which then arises is where should this put Zardari, Haqqani’s employer, and Nawaz Sharif, who draws strength from Achakzai?
It is for the C.J and the Army Chief to stand by and for the state in such a manner, that in future even the mere suggestion of plunder of the state, should impel the thinker of the thought to run for the exits. And the aim should be to get every looted penny back. As soon as the interim government comes in, lists should be ready to put every suspect on ECL. NAB should immediately be strengthened, with Chaudhary Qamar Zaman to become among the first to be indicted, with his favourites in NAB to follow. All those against whom prima facie evidence of corruption exists should be arrested and jailed pending trial. They need not be abused slapped or tortured. Theft being a crime of moral turpitude, all that needs to be done to them is to put them in C class in jail and to treat them EXACTLY as per the dictates of the Jail Manual. If just this is done, the torrent of money that will issue from these people will become one of the modern wonders of the world for the voluntary return of looted wealth.
And all events, what will vitiate the entire process is, if the powers that be, begin playing favourites.
And the last thing we all expect is that the next elections are as absolutely fair, as it is humanly possible to make them.
P.S. Perhaps it will not be too much to draw the attention of the CJ to the fact that only Ahad Cheema among Punjab’s heavyweights is under detention and is being investigated. Perhaps he will concede to me that this is being too conservative.

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Timings and Reasons Behind The Rise of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement Ishaal Zehra

Posted by Dr. Salman in Ishaal Zehra, OPINION LEADER on May 8th, 2018

Timings and Reasons Behind The Rise of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement

Ishaal Zehra

 

 

 

The politicians, in general, welcomed the decision of apex committee to hold talks with Manzoor Pashteen, the face of Pashtoon Tahafuz Movement, despite all his unparliamentary language as this is how democracy and life works. The jirga was founded under the supervision of KP Governor Zafar Iqbal Jhagra and had the support of the military leadership which presumes that some of the demands of the Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement are genuine and they need to be addressed within the framework of the constitution of Pakistan.

In contrast, one of the PTM leader Mohsin Dawar tweeted that the time is not right for the negotiations. The tweet further said that “PTM participated in a Jirga called by Pukhtoon elders for negotiations. The PTM has asked for some time before it responds to the Jirga. During this time, PTM will consult with its ‘supporters’ and also deliberate upon the fact that who exactly PTM should negotiate with, However, PTM believes that the current atmosphere is not ideal for negotiations…”

This statement from PTM raises many suspicions on the adherence and veracity of the whole movement. The jirga was called by the Pashtun elders, meaning by their own people. The foregoing raises an automatic question as to who are these supporters with whom the PTM leadership has to seek advice from. Making it all murkier was a social media video from PTM’s Lahore jalsa which showed the jalsa mediators not allowing the Pakistan national flag inside the jalsa premises and raising anti-state & anti institutions slogans instead. This show of anti-nationalism has taken away many liberal supporters from this movement while Manzoor was held accountable publically on this act of betrayal on his count. Negotiations are a must in any political struggle. And their avoiding of this opportunity actually brings to light their hidden intentions.

Initially, Manzoor Pashteen and PTM demanded the immediate arrest of former SSP Rao in the murder case of a Pashtun youth, Naqeebullah Mehsud, in Karachi. But with the passage of time, PTM gained momentum and their demands increased. Removal of landmines, information about missing individuals and reconciliation was demanded in their Lahore rally. What raised the alarm bells in minds was PTM’s demand to seek an international guarantee if the state of Pakistan decides to negotiate with them, and signs an agreement.

There is an enormous war of words going on in the social media between Pashteen’s friends and those who are sceptical about his real intentions and his ever-increasing demands. Some pictures of Pashteen have been shared from the year 2016 where he is seen holding the Pashtunistan flag. These pictures were published in “Pashtun Times” which is a news site hosted in the United States.

Eagle-eyeing the supporters of PTM, there are doubts that movement has embarked upon an agenda which is more than Pashtun rights and welfare. Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Nazir Butt expressed deep reservations that the anti-state slogans being chanted by PTM are being exploited by those foreign powers which were unhappy with the return of peace and stability in the region. Pakistan’s high echelons though realize that there are some genuine grievances of the local Pashtun population and it is important to engage their leadership, however, the strategic community also continue to see the NDS and RAW attempting to use these grievances for larger regional agenda. And these suspicions are supported by solid reasons.

The diplomat reported Qari Saifullah – an Afghan militant, in an exclusive interview, affirming that some local Afghan government officials turn a blind eye to the militants by, for example, not hindering their crossing into Pakistan. At least one other source, however, claimed that local Afghan officials do more and support such TTP groups with money and weapons also. The fact that Ustad Fateh of TTP was residing in the remote Chawgam area of Afghanistan’s Kunar district, who was later killed in a drone strike had staged cross-border incursions at least every month or so, in particular into the Pakistani tribal agency of Bajaur, adds weight to Saifullah’s claim. Linkage of Qari Fateh has also been established to the suicide bomber, who on February 3 blew himself up in the Swat valley of Pakistan, claiming the lives of at least 11 Pakistani Army soldiers, as reported by Reuters.

Franz Marty says that though Pakistani belief about RAW (Indian intelligence agency), and the Afghan intelligence agency, NDS nurturing the TTP group and others, could not gain much traction or international attention, still allegations of involvement of intelligence services should be treated with suspicion, especially in this part of the world which is rife with conspiracy theories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The twitter trend shows that a huge chunk of foreign support Pashtun Movement is enjoying comes mainly from the Afghan and Indian diaspora or sponsored interest groups sitting abroad. Most of whom are engaged in a psychological war, fueling the info net with cropped information and videos from old times, deliberating them to Pashtuns. Recent was the Afghan Cultural Attaché in Washington’s embassy. Mr Majeed Qarar was seen exhibiting selective outrage against violations of human rights. He is neither concerned about the horrendous crimes against humanity being committed in Afghanistan by the Afghan National Army and allies nor is he bothered with Indian brutality in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Although his words are not taken seriously in the journalists’ world where he is regarded as a racist psychopath who has little respect for the dignity of his title. However, this episode has compelled the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to draft a composite social media usage policy for its staff.

This all is coming at a time when Pakistan army has buried Taliban in the mountains away from Pakistan and is working fervently with their proposed border management system. With the fencing all over the Pak-Afghan border, the Taliban’s threat of coming back into Pakistan from Afghanistan will be dealt with once and for all. The process will be difficult and hard but once done, a mechanism will be evolved to facilitate trade between Pak-Afghan border, believes the corps commander Lt Gen Nazir Ahmad Butt. He added that the government is determined to address the genuine problems of tribesmen and ensure that they get livelihood sources at their doorsteps. And the majority of Pashtuns believe in what he said.

 

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Who is behind Pashtun Tahafuz Movement? By Sajjad Shaukat

Posted by Tonya in OPINION LEADER, Sajjad Shaukat on May 8th, 2018

Who is behind Pashtun Tahafuz Movement?

By Sajjad Shaukat

 

Since the occupation of Afghanistan by the US-led NATO forces, the country has become center of the intelligence agencies such as American CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad which are in collusion with Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) to obtain the covert designs of the their countries and some Western countries against Russia, China and Pakistan, including Iran.

 

Under the cover of fighting terrorism, these secret agencies support the militants of Islamic State group (Also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh) and Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including their linked outfits which have been conducting terror-assaults in Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of the double game of the US-led countries. Besides, these terrorist groups are destabilizing Tibetan regions of China and Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan through subversive activities.

 

Being the lonely nuclear country in the Islamic World, and after signing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan has become special target of these foreign agencies which have not only restarted terror attacks in Pakistan, especially in Baluchistan through ISIS and TTP etc., but have also kept alive anti-Pakistan propaganda campaign, including protests-demonstrations so as to create a rift among the ethnic groups of Pakistan in order to achieve their  collective clandestine aims against the country.

 

These external elements which have backed the Baloch protests and Muhajir protests to malign Pakistan Army and its primary intelligence agency ISI are also behind the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).

 

CIA, RAW and NDS are secretly assisting the Afghan National Unity Government (NUG) to manipulate the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).

 

In this regard, in April 8, 2018, the protesters of the social movement of PTM, led by the young activist Manzoor Pashteen gathered in Pakistan’s capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Peshawar for a mass demonstration to demand the protection of the rights of Pashtuns. Similar protest-demonstrations in solidarity with the PTM were held on the same day in Australia, Sweden, Germany, London, Washington and Afghanistan and along the Pak-Afghan border, which proved the foreign connections of the PTM movement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The PTM first staged a 10-day sit-in protest in Islamabad in February, this year in response to the killing of 27-year old Naqeebullah Mehsud—what the Pakistani police pointed out as a raid on a terrorist hideout in eastern Karachi. The PTM halted its first Islamabad sit-in protest after the government provided written assurances that it would address the PTM complaints.

 

In fact, PTM had risen to importance, after it held protests for the arrest of Karachi’s SSP Rao Anwar for the extrajudicial killing of Naqueebullah Mehsud. The incident was fully manipulated by the organization.

 

However, speaking in the tone of external propagandists against Pakistan, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement is demanding an end to human rights violations by authorities in the country’s tribal regions, removal of military checkpoints in the tribal areas and to form a judicial commission to investigate alleged extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances of the Pashtuns in Pashtun-dominated regions of Pakistan.

 

On the other side, Pakistan’s government rejected false allegations that security forces or its intelligence agencies are responsible for enforced disappearances. Authorities said that military checkpoints are necessary for the tribal areas so as to combat extremist militants, including Pakistani and Afghan Taliban fighters.

 

As regards the case of missing persons of the Pashtuns, they were killed in various terror attacks, arranged by the militant outfits like ISIS, TTP and their linked groups, while many Pashtuns, without informing their families, also went to Afghanistan to wage Jihad against the occupying forces of NATO. They are, in fact, disappeared persons.

 

In reaction to the protest-demonstrations of the PTM, on April 2, this year, People in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) took out rallies against PTM. The rallies were organised by a newly formed Pakistan Zindabad Movement, across the FATA and KPK. Anti-PTM rallies were held in Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram agencies, including the KPK towns of Kohat, Shabqadar and Charsadda.

 

In their speeches, people from different walks of lives praised the sacrifices rendered by the Pak Army and the other security forces in maintaining peace in FATA and the KPK. Protestors termed PTM anti-state and anti-forces.

 

They also called PTM an agent of RAW and NDS with a mission to defame the Pakistani security forces. The organizers of the rallies warned that if PTM did not let up their foreign agenda the Pashtun people will come after them.

 

Nonetheless, protests of the PTM cannot be seen in isolation, as these are part of some other developments against Pakistan. In this respect, in the recent past, the US-led entities have launched a controversial and heated debate in Afghanistan whether the term ‘Afghan’ designate, a ‘nationality or ethnic’ group.

 

This controversy delayed the issue of national identity card for people of Afghanistan for years. Influential ethnic groups of Afghanistan which are currently heading the government do not look at the word ‘Afghan’, a nationality for people of Afghanistan, but an ethnic group.

 

In this connection, history provides ample evidence that the word Afghan has been interchangeably used for Pashtuns. The people who initially inhibited in the south-east of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan, to the west of the Indus River in Pakistan are Pushtuns. The Pashtuns or Afghans primarily speak Pashto language and follow Pashtunwali code of conduct. They are primarily found in Afghanistan and Pakistan and form the world’s largest tribal society, today. Throughout the Indian subcontinent, they are often referred to as Pathans.

Today, the Pashtun tribes with over 65 million people live in Pakistan, while approximately 28 Million people in Afghanistan and another 1.5 million or more live in Iran. There are 1.8 million registered and unregistered Afghan refugees who are living in Pakistan, a majority of which are Pashtuns.

 

As regards Pakistani Pashtun, over 26 million live in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), 9 million in FATA, and around 7 million in Karachi alone, 9 million in Punjab, 3 million in Sindh and 6.5 million in Baluchistan. The figure does not include the Niazi tribe of Mianwali who are also Pathans, but fewer speak the Pashto language.

 

Undoubtedly, Pashtuns are very well knitted in Pakistani society and enjoy power positions in government, civil and military bureaucracy. They also enjoy vast connectivity due to inter-marriages with other ethnic groups. So, it is not difficult to grasp when Pashtun tribes suffer tyranny and ill-treatment in Afghanistan; a large number of Pashtuns and their friends are saddened all over Pakistan.

 

It regrettable that Pashtuns in FATA are suffering due to drone attacks and Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) which is an outdated and cruel system of collective punishment. Hence, for the first time, they have desired to move away from the concept of “illaqa-e-ghair” (Strange Land) and to completely integrate into Pakistani state, including its legal system.

 

It is notable that the anti-Pakistan forces which always exploit the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan on the pretext of Pashtuns are extremely worried over the new development in the FATA and KPK.

 

It is the misfortune of the country that the current government of Pakistan is also showing apathetic and sluggish approach to the new development and is not meeting the demands of Pashtuns.

 

It is mentionable that in Afghanistan, primarily Pashtuns are resisting American occupation and are, therefore, facing the wrath of the US-led NATO. Therefore, in frustration, America and India which are in connivance with the NUG are behind this new move to differentiate between a Pashtun or an Afghan in order to malign Islamabad.

 

Besides, as part of the propaganda campaign, these hostile forces are using few politicians and political activists and social workers to slow down integration of FATA into mainstream Pakistan.

 

In this respect, the PTM, a noble student initiative which was, in fact, launched in 2013 for the purpose of clearing landmines in Waziristan has been de-tracked. The movement rightfully protested the extra-judicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud by the police force in Karachi.

 

Apart from the Afghan top political leadership, few crooks of Awami National Party (ANP) and ultra-liberals are also misleading Pashtuns. As part of the propaganda, anti-Pakistan speeches of PTM workers are also attracting wide publicity by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a United States funded organization. Another website Gandhara, and Mashaal Radio is found cultivating suspicion between Pakistan military and Pashtuns. The real aim behind these sinister designs is to create a rift between Pashtuns and Pakistan Army.

 

In this regard, Saira Bano Orakzai, a proud Pashtun at Research Fellow at Harvard University in her recent article says that the time is ripe for the people of the tribal areas to make a clear choice; to struggle to restore rights and peace or to struggle against this country’s institutions and ideology, only to get entangled in a perpetual conflict.

 

As a matter of fact, PTM instead of articulating and moving towards a solution for the problems of FATA has stretched its ideology to an unknown “La La land”, and thus, it is derailing an already fragile reforms process for FATA’s future.

 

These internal and external hostile elements do not want developments in FATA, which can result in the progress of their people in various fields. These elements want to continue the past system of the colonial era at the cost of Pakistan.

 

It is a good sign that in the budget 2018-2019, the government has proposed Rs.24.5 billion for FATA. To bring FATA in the mainstream, a ten-year FATA development plan with a total outlay of Rs.100 billion has been approved. During 2018-19 Rs.10 billion are proposed to be provided.

 

It is the right hour that without further loss of time, the government of Pakistan should immediately merge FATA with KPK and implement FATA reforms.

 

The alleged killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud by Rao Anwar be immediately resolved because inquisitive forces are manipulating the situation.

 

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) must monitor and check the hostile propaganda against the unity and interests of Pashtun people on national and international media.

 

The media anchors, analysts and writers, including leaders of all the political parties must counter the anti-Pakistan activities of the external entities which are backing the PTM. They should also give a matching response to some internal elements which are supporting the illegitimate demands of the PTM such as removal of check-posts etc.   

 

And more rallies and demonstrations must be arranged by the patriot-citizens of Pakistan in response to the PTM anti-Pakistan activities. Thus, external conspiracy against the integrity of the country can be thwarted.

 

 

 

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A Time Of Chaos By Boaventura de Sousa Santos

Posted by atteeq in World Affairs & US on May 8th, 2018

A Time Of Chaos

By Boaventura de Sousa Santos

May 03, 2018
The bombing of Syrian sites where chemical weapons are allegedly being manufactured or stocked, allegedly to be used by the Bashar al-Assad government against the rebels, has left citizens all over the world in a state of confusion, filled with a mixture of perplexity and scepticism. In spite of the bombing by the Western media (a particularly apt metaphor in this case), in their attempt to persuade public opinion of the latest atrocities committed by al-Assad’s regime; in spite of the near unanimous opinion of political commentators that this was nothing but a humanitarian response, a fair punishment, and one more proof of the vitality of the “Western alliance”; in spite of all this, citizens in the West (and much more so in the rest of the world), whenever asked, expressed their doubts about this media narrative and for the most part spoke against the attacks. Why is that?
The consequences
Because citizens who possess at least a modicum of information have a better memory than commentators, and because, although they lack expertise on the causes of such acts of war, they have an expert knowledge of their consequences, which is something that said commentators always fail to notice. They remember that in 2003 the justification for the invasion of Iraq was the existence of weapons of mass destruction that turned out not to exist. They remember that the photos that were exhibited at the time had been tampered with so as to lend credibility to the big lie. They remember that then, as now, the attack occurred on the eve of the arrival of an independent commission of experts sent to investigate the existence of such weapons.
They remember that the lie left behind a million dead and a destroyed country, with fat reconstruction contracts being handed over to US companies (such as Halliburton) and oil exploration contracts given to Western oil companies. They remember that in 2011 the same coalition destroyed Libya, turning it into a den of terrorists and traffickers in refugees and emigrants, and yielding the same type of fat contracts. They remember that so far the war in Syria has caused 500,000 dead, 5 million refugees, and 6 million displaced within Syrian borders. Above all, thanks perhaps to that mysterious cunning of reason whereof Hegel spoke, they remember what the media does not tell them. They remember that two genocides are underway in the region.

An injured toddler rescued after being trapped under rubble from an air strike on rebel-held eastern Aleppo, Syria, August 15th 2016.

An injured toddler rescued after being trapped under rubble from an air strike on rebel-held eastern Aleppo, Syria, August 15th, 2016.  

Credit: Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters

They are being perpetrated by state terrorism but they are almost never mentioned because the aggressor states are “our” allies: one is the Yemeni genocide at the hands of Saudi Arabia, the other is Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.
These are the more visible consequences. But there are other victims, of which the ordinary citizen is hardly aware, her suspicions sometimes not more than a vague discomfort. I will focus on three of those victims. The first is international law, which has once again been violated, given that actions of war are legitimate only in case of self-defence or under a UN Security Council mandate. None of these conditions has been met. Bilateral and multilateral treaties are being thrown out one after another, as trade wars become increasingly fierce. Are we in the process of entering a new Cold War, with fewer rules and more innocent deaths? Are we heading toward a third world war? Where is the UN, to prevent it through diplomacy? What else can countries like Russia, China or Iran be expected to do but move further away from Western countries and their fake multilateralism, and come up with their own alternatives for cooperation? The second victim is human rights. Here the West reached a paroxysm of hypocrisy: the military destruction of entire countries and the killing of innocent populations has become the sole means of promoting human rights. It somehow seems that there is no other means of fostering human rights except by violating them, and Western-style democracy does not know how to flourish except among ruins. The third victim is the “war on terror”. No person of good will can accept the death of innocent victims in the name of some political or ideological goal, much less when perpetrated by the countries – the United States and its allies – that over the last twenty years have given full priority to the war on terrorism. So how can one comprehend the current financing and arming, by the Western powers, of groups of Syrian rebels that are known to be terrorist organizations and that, like Bashar al-Assad, have also used chemical weapons against innocent populations in the past? I allude in particular to the al-Nusra front, the extremist Salafist group also known as the Al Qaeda of Syria, which seeks to establish an Islamic state. In fact, the most frequent accusations, by US institutions, with regard to the financing of extremist and terrorist groups point the finger precisely at that most loyal of US allies, Saudi Arabia. What are the hidden goals of a war on terror that supports terrorists with money and arms?
The causes
Given that the causes elude all the news noise, it is more difficult for ordinary citizens to identify them. Convention has it that one can distinguish between proximate and structural causes. Among the proximate causes, the dispute over the natural gas pipeline is the one most frequently mentioned. The large natural gas reserves in the Qatar and Iran region can take two alternative routes to reach the wealthy, voracious consumer called Europe: the Qatar pipeline, going through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Turkey, and the Iranian pipeline, across Iran, Iraq and Syria. For geopolitical reasons, the US favours the former route while Russia prefers the latter. Bashar al-Assad was also in favour of the latter, as it benefitted Shiite governments only. From that moment on, the West viewed him as a target to be taken down. Major Rob Taylor, a professor at the US Army’s Command and General Staff College, wrote in the Armed Forces Journal of March 21, 2014: “Viewed through a geopolitical and economic lens, the conflict in Syria is not a civil war, but the result of larger international players positioning themselves on the geopolitical chessboard in preparation for the opening of the pipeline in 2016”.
The structural causes are perhaps more convincing. It has been my contention that we are at a transitional moment between capitalism’s globalizations. The first globalization took place from 1860 to 1914 and was dominated by England. The second took place from 1944 to 1971 and was dominated by the US. The third began in 1989 and is now coming to an end. It was dominated by the US, but with the growing multilateral participation of Europe and China. In between globalization, the rivalry between would-be dominant countries tends to increase and can give rise to wars between them or their respective allies. At this point in time, the rivalry is between the US, an empire in decline, and China, a rising empire. In a study titled “Global Trends, 2030”, the US National Intelligence Council – an institution that could hardly be viewed as biased – states that in the year 2030 “Asia is going to be the center of world economy just as it was until 1500,” and China could become the world’s first economy.
The rivalry escalates but cannot lead to head-on confrontation because China already has a major influence on the domestic economy of the US and is a major creditor of its public debt. Trade wars are critical and they spread to the high-tech areas because whoever gets to dominate those areas (namely automation or robotics) will be poised to dominate the next globalization. The US will only enter treaties that are likely to isolate China. Since China is already too strong as it is, it has to be confronted by its allies. The most prominent among them is Russia, and recent agreements between the two countries provide for non-dollar denominated transactions, especially oil-related, which poses a fatal threat to the international reserve currency. Russia couldn’t possibly be permitted to boast about a victory in Syria, a victory, let it be said, against terrorist extremists, and one that Russia has been on the verge of obtaining, thanks supposedly to President Obama’s lack of direction when he left Syria out of his list of priorities. It was, therefore, necessary to find a pretext for returning to Syria to resume the war for a few more years, as is the case with Iraq and Afghanistan. North Korea is also an ally and must be treated with hostility so as to embarrass China. Finally, there is the fact that China, like all rising empires, is pursuing (fake) multilateralisms and therefore is responding to the trade war by fostering open trade.
But it has also pursued limited multilateral agreements aimed at creating alternatives to US economic and financial dominance. The most salient of these agreements was the BRICS, formed by Russia, India, South Africa and Brazil, besides China. The BRICS even created an alternative world bank. They had to be neutralized. Since Modi’s rise to power, India has lost interest in the agreement. Brazil was a particularly strategic partner because of the country’s articulation – albeit a reluctant one – with a more radical alternative that had emerged in Latin America at the initiative of a number of progressive governments, notably Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela. Mention should be made, in this regard, to ALBA, UNASUR and CELAC, a set of political and trade agreements aimed at freeing Latin America and the Caribbean from US century-old tutelage. The most vulnerable of the BRICS countries were Brazil, perhaps because it was also the most democratic. The process whereby it was neutralized began with the institutional coup against President Dilma Rousseff and was taken further with the illegal imprisonment of Lula da Silva and the dismantling of every single nationalist policy undertaken by the PT governments. Curiously enough, South Africa’s Jacob Zuma, no doubt a corrupt leader and a BRICS enthusiast, has been replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa, one of the richest men in Africa (not as corrupt as Zuma?) and a staunch advocate of global neoliberalism. The Summit of the Americas, which took place in Lima on 13-14 April and was virtually ignored by the European media, was a most relevant geopolitical piece in this context. Venezuela’s participation was vetoed, and according to El Pais of 15 April (Brazilian edition), the meeting signalled the demise of Bolivarian America. The strengthening of US influence in the region has become very clear, judging from the way in which the US delegation criticized China’s growing influence on the continent.
For all these reasons, the war in Syria is part of a much broader geopolitical game, whose future looks very uncertain. May 2, 2018
Boaventura de Sousa Santos is Portuguese professor of Sociology at the School of Economics, University of Coimbra (Portugal), the distinguished legal scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, and global legal scholar at the University of Warwick. Co-founder and one of the main leaders of the World Social Forum. Article provided to Other News by the author

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Of New Islamabad Airport

Posted by Fannie in CORRUPT ROGUE NAWAZ SHARIF, Corruption Among World Leaders, Ishaq Dar Financial Criminal, Leaders Versus Geedhars, Looters and Scam Artists, Nawaz Sharif :Abbaji Da Nikama Puttur.", NAWAZ SHARIF FAMILY TURPITUDE, Nawaz Sharif Malcontent, Nawaz Sharif Massive Corruption, NAWAZ SHARIF SAGA OF ABSOLUTE & CHRONIC CORRUPTION, SCAMMER & FRAUDIAS, Scams & Frauds Under Crooked Govts on May 7th, 2018

Incompetence is the Hallmark of the Corrupt Nawaz Sharif PML-N Government


Of New Islamabad Airport

Brig Rashid Wali Janjua

First visit to Islamabad Airport. Today was my first visit to the new airport as I was travelling to Karachi via PK 309. I started from Chaklala Scheme III at 16.45 hrs and reached the airport exactly after one hour of travelling on a Sunday when the traffic on Peshawar road and GT road was quite light. As we approached the airport the sight of wide approach road was reassuring. Suddenly I found a big queue of vehicles at two checkpoints which created a jam. So despite new facilities the ubiquitous traffic jam issue remained as it was on old Benazir Bhutto Airport. The new building of the airport presented a grand and spruced up look. Here at least was an international standard airport at Islamabad. As I entered the airport I beheld the red granite floor. While standing I closely examined and found chipped off edges of granite slabs, which was quite surprising as it indicated a poor workmanship. Apparently in hurry someone had compromised on workmanship. The queue for boarding pass was a horror story however. Quetta bound passengers were milling around all counters raising noises and entering in heated debate with the PIA booking staff. A plane bound for Quetta was diverted elsewhere and the Quetta flight now was at 11 pm. There was shortage of booking staff and the overworked and harried booking staff battled frequent internet breakdowns and communication problems. A seasoned staff member confided in me that due to sudden inauguration many services could not be fully developed a d especially communication equipment shortage like walkie-talkies etc was hurting the smooth operations. When I reached the booking gentleman he kept fidgeting with my ticket and his computer for good 15 minutes. After that he told me that since my ticket was economy premium and that the plane had been changed there was no premium economy and that I should contact my booking agent to upgrade my ticket to business class. The News was frustrating yet I went to another staff member and explained the problem. My travel agent meanwhile told me that since PIA ha changed the airplane to a 777 and failed to inform we needed to upgrade the ticket. I acquiesced. While this was being done suddenly the ticketing system went down with internet issues. Meanwhile I heard loud shouts by Quetta passengers who had started getting violent due to frustration. There were few counters and all overloaded with frequent computer breakdowns. Complete mayhem with harried looking booking staff and clueless coordination gentlemen presented an anachronistic scene for a newly inaugurated airport. Now when my ticketing issue was sorted out I was directed to finance desk to pay some amount. I moved around but found the finance guys absent! If I thought this was hilarious more was yet to come. The finance guy was frantically called on internet call bit the signals went down and no contact. Flight departure time meanwhile was approaching close and I was getting restless. After a tense wait of 15 minutes the cash guy sauntered in and I explained my requirement. He made few calls to get the right information as he was not aware of the ticket change dues payment procedure. After wasting a lot of time he finally informed me that there were no extra charges and that I could go. Relieved finally I dashed for Gate B1 to be precise for my inaugural flight from Islamabad Airport. After a lot of escalator movements we reached at the gate expecting to be led to the pedestrian bridge. No such luck however and this takes the cake. At the gate a forlorn yet spirited ASF guy informed us that we would have to wait for a bus to take us to the plane. I asked,”Where is the pedestrian bridge?” He replied matter of factly,”Sir, the pedestrian gate could not be operated as the Civil Aviation guy has gone away with the Key”. The passengers despite their discomfiture burst into guffaws. At least there was some redeeming feature in this disorder. Our flight took off 3xactly an hour late, nothing wrong with that since by PIA standards that was perfectly normal. 
Amid all this turmoil on the airport especially on the booking counters, there was one gentleman with the name of Harish Kumar and two ladies Maria and Bushra on the counters who were a picture of equanimity and handled all irate passengers with professional courtesy and a cool head. One felt for those nice souls caught up in an impossible situation. The overall impression was such that as if someone had deliberately conspired to create confusion on the airport.
I appeal to all concerned that if due to electoral expediency the premature inauguration was necessary all facilities and requisite should have been provided at the new airport. My humble suggestion is to suspend operations there for few months to get the complete staff and facilities operative and the flight operations are conducted from the old airport till then.

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