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Archive for category Shahbaz Sharif

Moral decay and Pakistani politics by Tahir Kamran

Moral decay and Pakistani politics

Tahir Kamran

March 7, 2021

ARCHIVE ARTICLE

Personal interest is symptomatic of the moral depravity that plagues Pakistan with no remedy in sight

 

 

 

 

 

A Thoughtful Look back to the Rules of Two Pathalogical Crooks Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“How oft, in nations gone corrupt, And by their own devices brought down to servitude, That man chooses bondage before liberty. Bondage with ease before strenuous liberty.”

John Milton

In the words of Judge Devlin (1905–1992), a British lawyer and jurist, “an established morality is as necessary as good government to the welfare of society. Societies disintegrate from within more frequently than they are broken up by external pressures.” Gen Douglas MacArthur once stated almost the same idea in different words, “History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline.”

These statements have a great deal for us Pakistanis to learn from and introspect. But the bigger challenge confronting us is our thick-skinned political leaders and the people in various national institutions. How can political leaders like Zardari and the Sharifs and people like the current chief election commissioner be sensitised to the regressing moral values, evident to all sincere minds?

 

Sadly, corruption is being celebrated today as if it is a virtue. Several years ago, I had read somewhere that “So far, about morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” But to have such noble feelings one must first have a conscience. Conscience is the moral compass cultivated among citizens and their leaders ought to lead by example. In our polity, the leaders need some strenuous instruction to develop a conscience that feels good when they do good and vice versa.

The other day, Qazi Faez Isa, a judge of the Supreme Court, likened Pakistan to a gutter. After reading about his pleading in the apex court, I was quite petrified. I was reminded of a famous reference by the historian Tacitus to the spirit of his own times: “to corrupt and to be corrupted”.

How apt is this description when we see bags full of money changing hands in the run up to the Senate elections. The way the Yousaf Raza Gillani-Hafeez Shaikh contest was orchestrated is a frightful example of corrupt practices in our politics. Mr Gillani has previously been accused notoriously of stealing a necklace donated by Turkish leader Tayyab Erdogan’s wife for the flood affected. His sons have been accused of openly offering mediation to officers aspiring for lucrative positions in the government. They apparently had no qualms about taking their cut in several business deals.

And all that is just the tip of the iceberg. Despite all that Gillani and his family were accused of, Aitezaz Ahsan was all praise for the former prime minister. If it requires a special talent to detect positives in characters like Gillani’s, Mr Ahsan, undoubtedly, has it. No questions have yet been asked of the newly notified Senator-elect and former prime minister about the video showing his son with some legislators, instructing them in how to ensure that their ballots do not count.

The Election Commission is impudently reticent about it.

Mr Raja’s disregard for fairness and impartiality has become evident following his ruling on the Daska by-election. The hasty pronouncement has exposed his partisanship in favour of the opposition candidate who had lost the election. The pronouncement also reflects his sheer incompetence as head of such an important institution. The stark defiance by the Election Commission of Pakistan to the Supreme Court’s nudge on the conduct of Senate elections has shown the character the chief election commissioner and his colleagues. When such individuals acquire prominence in any polity, something is amiss. This calls for a corrective action. The rot has reached the very core and morality has been reduced to a clichéd expression with no practical manifestation in the socio-political sphere.

Moral decline begins when transcendent moral values that have proven beneficial over time are discarded in favour of other ideas that men find more conducive to achieving their desires. According to Gibbon, the root cause of Roman societal collapse was their loss of civic virtue and individual morality.

Gibbon believed that the laws of morality were as unchanging as the laws of mathematics and physics. English statesman, Edmund Burke, a colleague of Gibbon’s, is often called the father of modern conservatism. He summarised his beliefs about morality in a letter to the sheriffs of Bristol in 1777, “All who have ever written on government are unanimous that among a people generally corrupt, liberty cannot long exist.”

Famous historian, Arnold Toynbee, has a perceptive quote from the concluding volume of his magnum opus, The Study of History, “Civilisations die from suicide, not by murder.” Nations too die from suicide and not by murder. When there is no capacity among the political leaders to distinguish between the ‘personal’ and the ‘national’, it is a clear indication that the nation is on a course that leads to suicide. Similarly, when ‘personal’ is prioritised over ‘national,’ the suicide becomes an unavoidable destiny.

What if this nation needs a sacrifice from Mr Zardari or Mr Sharif? They would, of course, offer some sacrificial lambs to save their own skin. This prioritisation of personal interest is symptomatic of the moral depravity that plagues Pakistan with no remedy in sight. That is unfortunate.

 

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Archive Article: How Pakistan was Sold for $8 Billion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARCHIVE ARTICLE

October 2011

Pakistan Sold for $8 billion?

By

Dr Shahid Qureshi

One can safely say that current ruling Pakistani elite including political, civil, business and military have sold Pakistan as much as for roughly $8 billion worth of assets abroad. This rough estimate is based on the available figures of two leading figures in Pakistani politics Nawaz Sharif & Brothers Limited and Zardari & Co Limited who have properties and assets abroad mainly in the USA, UK, Europe and else where.The others are Chaudhry brothers of PML-Q, ANP leader Asfandyar Wali, Rehman Malik and others also have assets abroad. British national and self exiled MQM-A leader Altaf Hussain is also part of political sharks in terms of assets abroad.The foreign assets of other politicians like Imran Khan and religious parties are not yet reported. But one can not rule anything out. One thing is common among almost all Pakistani politicians and Generals is that all of them have their children or grand children living, studying abroad with foreign nationalities or married to foreign nationals. Hypercritically those who shout the loudest against the US have send their sons and daughters their too.There is another class who has assets abroad and that is members of civil, military establishments and corrupt business elite. They are the protectors of the assets of these politicians. They teach them the tricks of ‘sophisticated bank robberies’, wiping out their bank loans, taking commissions from international firms and safely depositing them abroad. There is a tiny minority in Karachi, who is ready to serve any one and every one in terms of money laundering, playing with the currency exchange rates and provides help in the flight of capital out of Pakistan. They place their members on high positions in the disguise of ‘great community workers’ but in actual fact these people are responsible for funding terrorism and gang warfare in Karachi to all sides. They act as a bank for enemies of Pakistan. Their media channels follow the lines of the enemies of Pakistan in media and psychological warfare. They are the champions of flourishing of ‘black economy’ in Pakistan. That is why we find them in almost each and every financial scandal in the known memory of Pakistani corruption.Most of the above got these properties and assets by robbing Pakistan and selling its sovereignty. The so called business community of Karachi is at the fore front in facilitating the flight of capital abroad and later investments in their projects. They are in the ‘gold circle’ of the current regime and so called elite.They are the real gangsters and worst than target killers. After reading most of JIT (Joint Investigation Team) reports of target killers from Karachi one can safely say these are the poor people living in deprived areas killing around innocent people on the orders of shady elite living in posh areas with guards in big mansions. One can find this so called business community in all shady deals and working as bank for any one and every one especially the nasty neighbours.In London they have readymade business plans for Pakistani crooks and cons with money. Some of them regularly attend religious gatherings and give large sums in charity to get credibility among the clerics. Without knowing the source of the money some clerics do special prayers for them. Some of them are notorious for frequently doing ‘bankruptcies’, insolvencies as well as running special religious TV channels. Well money can buy you anything? That is how they get their people placed on the influential positions with access to sensitive information.This is the small minority of people has held Pakistan hostage to the foreigners just to protect their assets, properties, foreign nationalities and green cards. The freezing of assets of Arab leaders after the Arab spring in the past few months should be a wake up call and lesson for others? The lesson is your money is safer in your own country than a foreign plastic platinum card in your back pockets.   Bashing of Pakistan’s military both as an institution and its generals for both right and wrong reasons is quite fashionable. Pakistan’s military and nuclear assets are the main target of the enemies and so called friends. Pakistan’s army is a voluntary force; everybody can join the army and may be after the 30 years of service an officer become a general, others retires as they go along their careers.“The personal wealth of Pakistani generals is estimated at £3.5m a head’, according to The Guardian’s report, “The plot to bring back Benazir” published on 21st July 2007. The musical chair of politicians and military is harming the existence of Pakistan. The elite of Pakistan are institutionally corrupt and now become an organised ‘mafia’. Scandals of ‘steel mills’, sugar mills, cement; stock exchange has broken the records of previous corruptions. The culprits are from both opposition and ruling party.Few years ago Zardari – Benazir Bhutto assets worth more than $ 2 billion according to Saifurahman and according to NAB figure are around $1.2bn [£ 830m]. Raja Bashir of The Pakistani National Accountability Bureau told The Guardian that, “Ms Bhutto has 26 bank accounts, 14 properties and total assets of one billion sterling pounds abroad. We are very glad that other countries are cooperating with us.”On March 2, 2006, The Dawn newspaper reported that Benazir’s assets in Spain ‘unearthed’, The National Accountability Bureau claimed to have unearthed two more offshore companies and a villa in Spain owned by former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. A spokesman of the bureau said that judicial authorities of Spain had frozen assets of two Sharjah-based companies, Petroline and Tempo Global Gains, as well as their six bank accounts.The villa worth half million Euros, allegedly owned by Ms Bhutto and her three children, Bilawal Zardari, Bakhtawar Zardari and Asifa Zardari in Playas Del Arenal, Marbella, had also been seized by the High Court of the Valencia province, the NAB claimed. The NAB official said the Petroline Company was owned by Ms Bhutto, former FIA director-general Rehman Malik and Hassan Ali Jafferi and was established in 2000.Nawaz Sharif had no connection with the feudal elite. His family moved from Jati Umra near Amritsar and by 1960 they owned a few modest size factories – iron foundry, ice making, and water pump factory.Some how Mian Sharif managed to reach General Jill, as General Ghulam Jilani Governor of Punjab in General Zia’s regime He literally begged to give a break in politics to Nawaz Sharif. That is how he got into the military’s chicken farm and his factories started laying golden eggs.  Nawaz Sharif was appointed as finance minister of Punjab in 1983.  In 1981 the family business group Ittefaq turnover was Rs. 337 million, but by 1987 it had soared to at least Rs. 2,500 million, that is according to the group’s own accounts. Within four years Ittefaq had become one of the wealthiest private industrial groups in Pakistan. ‘Hard work and grace of Allah’ explained Shehbaz Sharif. One can imagine the miraculous growth in the assets of billions now. Investing in politics is not bad business at all in Pakistan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to Asia Week, Rehman Malik current Interior minister and key holder of Zardari’s safe produced 200-page report of MNS’s corruption. The secret document was leaked to the London-based Observer newspaper published details of alleged corruption involving the MNS and his family. According to the report, the Sharif family obtained loans from Pakistani state banks for business purposes and illegally converted the money into foreign exchange worth at least $66 million.According to the report, the Sharif family acquired properties in London through two companies, Nescoll and Nielsen Enterprises, registered in the British Virgin Islands and linked to a bank account in Lahore in the name of a fictitious person: Suleman Zia. The four flats in Avondale House in Park Lane are said to be worth at least £ 750,000, which worth millions of pounds keeping in view the current housing market in London. Not a bad deal!What clinched the appointment for Nawaz Sharif as PM was a word to the presidency by the then ISI chief Lt. Gen Hamid Gull, that the army believed he was a better choice. General Hamid Gull now regrets his misjudgement. Subsequently the President also dismissed him. Nawaz Sharif’s problem was power: a pathological crass compounded by crass incompetence. Nawaz Sharif also seemed to be an ungrateful person. He did not feel any obligation towards president Ghulam Ishaq Khan, nor did he ever say ‘thank you’ to General Hamid Gull’.The smart business minded ‘Abbaji’ late father of Nawaz Sharif invited General Asif Nawaz to his Lahore residence. After a fatherly ‘tête-à-tête’, Abbaji told the new army chief that he was like his son and requested him to take his two sons Nawaz and Shehbaz under his wings: and also told the ‘children’ that they must follow and never disregard the General Sahib’s advice. And one last thing Abbaji said to the General Sahib, as he came to see him out off at the porch of his house, ‘my both children have a Mercedes each, and here is the key to yours; you are like a son to me.’It didn’t work with General Asif Nawaz, he felt offended and therefore, instead of being able to buy the General, Nawaz Sharif had instead lost his respect too.“I sent Ghous Ali Shah to gave a lift home to General Musharraf and inform him that he has been deposed in absence said Nawaz Sharif while addressing a meeting in Manchester in July 2007. How intelligent was to promote engineering corp’s, Kashmiri, General Zia and decorate him with the badges purchased from Sadar Bazar Rawalpindi, MNS must be thinking in his spare time? Majeed Nizami editor of the Nawa-e-Waqt a closest ally of Nawaz Sharif had to remark that they used to regard Benazir Bhutto as a ‘security risk’, it seemed Nawaz Sharif was a greater security risk. He was indeed the worst thing that had happened to Pakistan since independence. Whether it was money, morals or security, the nation found it difficult to trust him. His recent speech at SAFMA attracted lot of controversies. MNS don’t believe in reading and learning?It is interesting that when Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri freedom fighters were battling against the Indian army on the freezing heights of Kargil, Nawaz Sharif’s business proxies were selling sugar to India . India did not need to import any sugar and yet if Vajpayee had accepted to buy Pakistani sugar it was only to sweeten his relationship with Nawaz Sharif.It is highly significant that when the Kargil crisis broke out both George Fernandez and K S Sudarshan, the former a socialist and India’s defence minister and the later leader of BJP militant wing RSS themselves exculpate Nawaz Sharif of any blame. If the Indians were trying to protect Nawaz Sharif, they must have had very good reasons to do so. It is this selfish and opportunist behaviour that made these leaders make decisions against the interests of Pakistani state? Take the example of US aid to Pakistan and kind of work these people agree to do in return.  More recently angry and sarcastic attitude of Nawaz Sharif against the military is deplorable, when thousands of soldiers have lost their lives while his sons and nephews are doing multi million dollar businesses abroad. Pakistani politicians including Nawaz Sharif can only have moral high ground on others once they prove themselves. That they look after Pakistan’s national interests more than their personal wealth hidden abroad. They don’t take decisions which harm the interests of Pakistan just because their assets could be frozen abroad.The US aid to Pakistan has actually proven to be a ‘rip off and fraud’ by financial terrorists of Wall Steers.  There is no doubt that US has caused more than $70 billion losses to Pakistan since 2001. On the other hand only aided/lend or both $22.87 billion from 1950 to 2010. Most part of that aid actually never arrived in Pakistan as it was paid to your defence and military complexes back in the USA.  This rip off could only be possible if people mentioned above have prostituted themselves for personal interests.  Breakdown of US aid as reported:Total US Aid: $22.87 billion in 60 years & losses to Pakistan: $60 billion1950-1964     2.5bn economic and 500 m military aid1965-1979     2.55 billion economic and 26 million military 1980-1990     5 billion military and economic aid 1991-2000     429 million economic and $5.2 million military 2001-2009     3.6 billion economic and 9 billion military 2009-2015     7.5 billion approved under Kerry Lugar Bill aid mostly non military ($1.5 billion per year)Almost all the regimes of Pakistan have been prostituting with the enemies by deliberately harming the state of Pakistan and following IMF agenda e.g. gas and electric shortages to destroy the industrial infrastructure, Railways and Pakistan Steel. They have ignored the risks and challenges concerning the US lead military occupation of Afghanistan and drone attacks on Pakistan. Pakistan has suffered approximately $70 billion economic, human losses, structural damages to roads and bridges deployed more than 147,800 troops conducting combat operations in the tribal areas along the Afghan border. The Pakistan armed forces has lost more than 3,200 soldiers, with another 6,400 injured. They sustain an average of 10 casualties each day, and approximately 35,000 Pakistani civilians killed by suicide bombers and terrorism.  US policies around the world and especially in Pakistan created refugees and approximately 2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in SWAT and FATA to further destabilize the country. Millions of people in Pakistan are waiting to be fully rehabilitated; 2.5 million Afghan refugees are a burden on the economy of Pakistan as well as causing social problems. They can’t go back to Afghanistan as US and NATO have occupied Afghanistan and fighting an unwinnable war.One can assume that Pakistani nation suffered both human and financial losses only because this small minority of people have their few billion dollars worth assets in USA, UK, Dubai, Malaysia and Europe. If current regime and political stake-holders in government really sincere with Pakistan, they should bring their money back to Pakistan. They can enjoy their wealth and it will be safe and unfrozen.A bird (dollar) in the hand is much better than two (dollars) in the Bush(land).

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ARCHIVE ARTICLE: Gen.Raheel Sharif is reluctant to act on the ‘National Security Breach’ by the Sharifs By Dr. Shahid Qureshi

Raheel Sharif is reluctant to act on the ‘National Security Breach’ by the Sharifs

By

Dr. Shahid Qureshi

I am wondering why Raheel Sharif is reluctant to act on the ‘National Security Breach’ by the Sharifs, currently occupying the Prime Minister House of Pakistan. I have said it before, Sharifs and Zardaris are criminals and would never have hesitated for a single moment to crucify you, had there been any breach within the ‘armed forces or security institutions’. So don’t worry about your post-retirement image as you will not be judged with ‘good guy or bad guy’ image. You will be judged whether you acted at the right time or not.
 
I am sorry to say on the issue of Dawn News Group planted story against Pakistan’s national interests and your indecisive approach is not helping the country. Those who are responsible for this national security breach should have been arrested under the Army Act and put on trial without a moment’s delay. The rest of the criminal mafia would have been running for shelters but your indecisive approach is fueling their confidence that they can get away with it. I would never trust Nisar Ali Khan or Shabaz Sharif let alone you are entertaining filthy Ishaq Dar at your House. I would have checked my crockery and all metallic objects.
 
You must understand that you are not dealing with law abiding politicians but corrupt criminals in disguise of dodgy democracy. People are wondering if you got the hard balls to deal with them or you are just looking in crystal ball about the day of retirement? You are under oath and responsibility to protect the national interests of Pakistan even one minute before you move on.
 
Nawaz Sharif is an Indian asset and continues to play Modi’s games. There are countless occasions when Nawaz Sharif damaged the interests of the state of Pakistan at national and international stages. He and his cronies have humiliated the armed forces of Pakistan and ISI countless times to please the Indians. The whole Sharif empire is built on ‘stolen metals’ bought from gypsies and stolen railways tracks. They have come a long way to the highest office in past 40 years while you were moving from one cantonment to another with your bags, kids and baggage.
 
You got only one RAW agent, Indian Navy officer Kubushan Jadav code name ‘Monkey’. Indian Prime Minister Modi is responding to Pakistan via Nawaz Sharif ‘you got my Monkey but I have Zoo in Raiwind and Islamabad’ with monkeys, donkeys and foxes. I am sure you know that all assets are at work now?
 
Nawaz – Modi both are testing Pakistan Army as part of sinister agenda. Nawaz Sharif and Narender Modi are two sides of the same coin as both want to stretch the armed forces of Pakistan to its limits. Obviously, India is not alone as media reports suggest the US is behind this latest escalation at Line of Control and inside Indian Occupied Kashmir.
 
I wrote sometimes ago that wealth and assets of Pakistani elite and politicians have become a security threat. Panama Leaks and offshore assets of Nawaz Sharif are the last straw on the camel’s back. The corrupt mafias of Pakistan and India who supported Nawaz Sharif and Narender Modi also have an interest in creating a distraction and hype in both countries.
 
The fact of the matter is that Indians have the highest numbers with Swiss accounts and some of those account holders are backing Modi regime too. Panama Leaks are growing beyond the borders of Pakistan.
 
Keep Karachi and Pakistan bleeding is the sinister plan against Pakistan launched by the Indians with the full support of its friends and assets in ruling politicians from Nawaz Sharif, Asfand Yar Wali, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Altaf Hussain, Farooq Sattar and Asif Zardari. The constant obstructions and hurdles created by the political leadership of MQM-A, PPP Zardari Group, PML-N Ishaq Dar Group are putting lives and limbs at risk of security services, police and soldiers, who are fighting foreign-backed agents and terrorists in Pakistan especially Karachi. All the three parties in power have proved links and interests with foreign agencies and countries. Crimes of MQM-A are heinous and there is no excuse for any politician to ignore the pains and grief they have caused to the families of journalists, religious scholars, students, police, army, and Rangers personnel.
 
The state terrorism inflicted in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on 28th October 2016 by Punjab Police, a mercenary force of Sharifs, has provided images and videos to the Indians to respond and undermine current Kashmir uprising against Indian Occupation. Nawaz Sharif and his brother have provided ‘shelling and beating of common people images and videos’ to the Indian occupying forces in Held Kashmir to justify their illegal actions. Punjab Police is shelling even when there is no one there like its a funny business. This is how assets work. Any doubt?
 
The fact of the matter is that if Israelis and Indians are hands in glove in supporting terrorism in Pakistan and conspiring to disintegrate by using all ‘assets’ why Pakistani politicians and military establishment are in denial to accept that Nawaz-Modi marriage is toxic or their multi-billion dollar businesses abroad are more important than 200 million Pakistanis?
 
(Dr Shahid Qureshi is a senior analyst with BBC and editor of The London Post. He writes on security, terrorism and foreign policy. He also appears as an analyst on Al-Jazeera, Press TV, MBC, Kazak TV (Kazakhstan), Turkish TV, LBC Radio London. He was also international election observer for Kazakhstan 2015, March 2016 and Pakistan 2002. He has written a famous book “War on Terror and Siege of Pakistan” published in 2009. He is a PhD in Political Psychology and also studied Law at a British University)

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Pakistan Corruption Free Or Free For Corruption – Cartoon The Nation

Panama decision will also be a verdict on Corruption in Pakistan

Either Pakistan will be Corruption Free Or Free For Corruption

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Pakistan’s Politicians & Their Foreign Masters Wikileaks Disclosures

Presented Unedited

 

 

Xinhua ‘Analysis’: Pakistan Nods Affirmative for North Waziristan
Operation
Xinhua “Analysis”: “Pakistan Nods Affirmative for North Wa Waziristan
Operation” – Xinhua
Thursday, June 10, 2010, 13:33:03 GMT
by Syed Moazzam Hashmi

ISLAMABAD, June 10 (Xinhua) — In the fast developing scenario where the
certain subsequent events have boiled the mercury in Obama administration
once again to insist on Pakistan hitting terrorist strongholds in the
tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan’s top officials have given an
affirmative nod to the start of operation in North Waziristan.”Our next
priority is going to be North Waziristan, but we have to time our
operations in line with our resources,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah
Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday.”At the moment we are consolidating our
position in South Waziristan,” he stated during a visit to Turkey while
emphasizing that Pakistan’s next priority in the fight against the
insurgent Taliban is North Waziristan.”The cat is out of t he bag,” Arshi
Saleem, senior research analyst at the Institute of Regional Studies in
Islamabad, told Xinhua on Thursday while commenting on the long rumored
the myth of the possibility of a military operation in North
Waziristan.Pakistani military chief General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani in his a recent visit to the tribal areas had declared victory in some parts of the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan against insurgent militants in
continuing operations in South Waziristan tribal areas.Analysts believe
that the victory declaration mean an affirmative nod to the imminent
operation in the North Waziristan’ s tribal areas as much desired by the
United States for long while winding up the chapter in South
Waziristan.”Certainly, it will give another reason to think fast about
cleaning up of the mess in North Waziristan,” Arshi Saleem, an Afghan
Affairs and Counter-Terrorism expert with IRS, commented while referring
to Tuesday midnight terror attack on a NATO supply convoy  near Pakistani
capital Islamabad that killed eight and destroyed 60 trucks.Punjabi
Taliban, a splinter group of disbanded Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
which is associated with Al-Qaeda, had claimed the responsibility for the
attack. On May 28, nearly 100 people including worshippers, policemen and
others were killed in twin suicide attacks in the eastern city of Lahore.
Punjabi Taliban and another Al-Qaeda-affiliated group had accepted the
responsibility for these terror attacks.”We might see some explosions here
and there that would be justification enough to start the operation and
convince the tribals as well as the media,” said Arshi Saleem, who is also
on the faculty of the National Defense University (NDU) in
Islamabad.The Pakistani military has already been badly stretched conducting
an operation in South Waziristan in the restive Pakistani tribal belt
bordering Afghanistan while keeping a massive presence on the eastern
border with India.According to reports, among the total 19 divisions of
some 500, 000-plus armed forces of Pakistan, seven to eight divisions are
currently engaged in counter-terrorism. Its two divisions are in South
Waziristan, one in North Waziristan, two in Swat and Dir and other areas
of the Islamic state that has long been experiencing extremist
militancy.Putting aside the possibility of an imminent full-scale
operation in North Waziristan while supporting his former colleagues, the
defense and security analyst Major General (retired) Jamshed Ayaz told
Xinhua, “No, I doubt it. The army chief does not want it.”Pakistani
military General Kayani told Obama administration in end-March that
Pakistani will not launch a “stream roller” operation in North
Waziristan.Analysts believe that it would not be possible for Pakistan to
absolutely prevent incidents of terrorism, which could be individuals in
nature or involving the unbridled non-state actors, from terrorizing the
170 million Pakistan is with off-and-on suicide bombings across the South
Asian nuclear state, thus, providing all reasons to the U.S. side, the
most important ally of Pakistan in the war against terror, to switch on a
massive offensive in North Waziristan.North Waziristan is known to be
unconquered due to its difficult terrain and resultant poor economy which
make its warlords vulnerable to moneyed foreign and local militants that
have been seeking refuge there after escaping from South
Waziristan.Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, and Mir Ali
are reported to be the strongholds of Al- Qaeda that include TTP, Punjabi
Taliban from south Punjab province, who mainly work under the flag of
“Lashkar-e-Jhangvi” (a disbanded Sunni extremist outfit), and foreign
militants including Chechens, Uzbeks, and Arabs.North Waziristan is
inhabited by Wazir and Dawar tribes. Both Siraj Haqqani and Hafiz Gul
Bahadur are Waziris while another militant Maulana Sadiq Noor who is
allied to TTP is from Dawar tribe.Analysts believe that it would be quite
interesting to watch this mercurial situation with the following
questions: What would be the operation aimed at in North Waziristan? What
would happen if the possible operation would be directed against Al-Qaeda
and the Punjabi Taliban? And how their comrades would react within
Pakistani cities if the fugitive Punjabi and sectarian militants were
targeted in the tribal areas? Why the strongholds of Punjabi Taliban so
far have not been raided? It might lead to some debate and conclusions as
the events unfold in the days to come.(Description of Source: Beijing
Xinhua in English — China’s official news service for English-language
audiences (New China News Agency))

The material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
Commerce.

33) Back to Top
Journalist Says Taliban Take Money To Give Safe Passage to NATO Supply
Words in double slant lines are in English. – Geo News TV
Thursday, June 10, 2010, 13:12:44 GMT
military supplies for the Western forces in Afghanistan, transported via
Pakistan. The attack took place at a //terminal// near Islamabad where
these trucks were parked. Around 12 persons attacked the terminal around
midnight and burned 60 trucks. Eighty cars and a lot of
military supplies were destroyed in this attack. These military supplies
were being transported to Afghanistan. Every month, around 1500 trucks
transport military supplies to Afghanistan via Karachi. The supplies reach
the Karachi port from where they are loaded on trucks and transported to
different areas in Afghanistan, particularly Kabul and Bagram, via Chaman
and Khyber. Yesterday’s attack was the biggest one in Pakistan since 2001,
in which eight persons were killed, most of them drivers or cleaners of
the trucks. This is the biggest loss to the Western forces in the
transportation of their military supplies via Pakistan. During the last 10
years, military supplies worth billions of dollars have been transported
to Afghanistan via Pakistan, but this supply line has never faced any
major threat. Observers have often expressed their astonishment and the
Western media has been writing as to what is the reason that the Taliban
and other extremists do not interrupt this supply line or try to
disconnect it. To understand this, let us talk to Rahimullah Yousafzai in
Peshawar, resident editor of The News

. Yousafzai, what is the significance of yesterday’s incident?

(Begin live relay) (Yousafzai over video link) It has great significance
because it has taken place near Islamabad. All reports are saying that the attack has taken place near the capital city of Pakistan despite tight
security. An attack of this magnitude has taken place after a long time
and has caused a lot of damage; that is why it is being talked about in
the media a lot. These attacks used to take place on Peshawar Ring Road,
where there were quite a few terminals, which were later moved to Punjab
in the areas of Attock and Tarnol, where yesterday’s attack has taken
place. The number of attacks is not much according to the number of trucks
carrying the supplies.

(Khan) What is the reason? To destroy the enemy’s supply line is an
important part of the war strategy. The trucks, carrying supplies for the
Western forces, pass through areas in Afghanistan, which are considered to
be strongholds of the Taliban; what is the reason that they do not face a
major threat?

(Yousafzai) Attacks have taken place, but the supply line has never been
disconnected for a long time. It remained disconnected for a few days in
Khyber after it was attacked in Peshawar. A major reason for this is that
these supplies are not transported by the US or NATO forces, but by
contractors, who are responsible for the safe transportation of the
supplies. The contractor may give money to the Taliban or do anything to
ensure the safety of the supplies. There are reports that these
contractors have links with the Taliban and other extremist groups and pay
them //protection money// for the safe passage of the supplies. This is a
major source of income for the Taliban, but it is not talked about much.
Apart from the Taliban, there are also criminal gangs who take money from
the contractors. The contractors set aside a certain amount from the
contract money to use it for safe passage.

Khan asks: “The attack on the military supplies near Islamabad coincides
with the Taliban attacks on the Western forces in Afghanistan, in which 15
soldiers of Western forces have been killed during the last 48-hour. Do
you think their timing has any significance?”

(Yousafzai) Whenever the Western forces plan a major military action as in
Helmand and the impending action in Kandahar, they have to come out and
travel by road. It is not difficult for the Taliban to lay mines on the
roads. Most of the killings are caused by mines, and so far, the NATO
forces have been unable to counter this . They have tr ied using new
equipment and devices, but the attacks are still taking place. It seems
that the Taliban have got new weapons and their accuracy to hit the target
has been improved, because a lot of NATO helicopters are being knocked
down. Even the Drones have been knocked down in Afghanistan and every time
NATO commanders attribute it to technical fault, but it is not possible
that all the Drones fell down because of technical reasons. In my view,
the Taliban are targeting the aircrafts and knocking them down.

(Khan) Thank you very much Yousafzai. (end of live relay)

(Description of Source: Karachi Geo News TV in Urdu — 24-hour satellite
news TV channel owned by Pakistan’s Jang publishing group. Known for
providing quick and detailed reports of events. Geo’s focus on reports
from India is seen as part of its policy of promoting people-to-people
contact and friendly relations with India.)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
Commerce.

34) Back to Top
Pakistan Press Nawa-e Waqt 10 Jun 10
To request additional processing, call OSC at (800) 205-8615, (202)
338-6735; or fax (703) 613-5735. – Nawa-e Waqt
Thursday June 10, 2010 12:45:14 GMT
pictures on page one sho w Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the
Chinese deputy prime minister witnessing signing of an agreement, the
Chinese deputy prime minister exchanging views with President Asif Ali
Zardari, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi meeting Turkish President
Abdullah Gul. The lower half of the page has a quarter-page advertisement.
Lead Story: Nawa-e Waqt report: Parliament’s right to legislate cannot be
restricted: Chief justice; restriction cannot be imposed on right of
judiciary to review

Detail account of hearing of petitions filed against some articles of the
18th Amendment. (pp 1, 9; 400 words) Nawa-e Waqt report: Court cannot
order holding of referendum: Aitzaz Ahsan (top lawyers); remarks of judges
not final, judgment can be made on contrary (pp 1, 9; 300 words) Report by
special correspondent: Strategic partnership with China to be promoted
further: Zardari (pp 1, 9; 800 words) Report by special correspondent:
National Assembly; budget prepared by IMF: Pervaiz Illahi (Pakistan Muslim
League-Qaid — PML-Q — leader); Farooq Sattar (minister) says tax should
be imposed on landlords (pp 1, 9; 800 words) Report by special
correspondent: Seven people were killed in Sangjani attack (on NATO
containers), five injured; superintendent police Saddar Zone suspended;
Interior Ministry orders judicial inquiry (pp 1, 9; 600 words) NNI report:
Security of containers responsibility of NATO: Interior Minister Rehman
Malik; temporary stand was made at Sangjani without intimating us (pp 1,
10; 200 words) Report by special correspondent: Military vehicles were
part of NATO consignment: Islamabad police chief (pp 1, 9; 300 words) SANA
news report: Lahore attacks wake up Punjab Government; operation in North
Waziristan next priority: Foreign Minister Qureshi (pp 1, 9; 300 words)
Report by special correspondent: Lahore high court seeks dates from
federation, provincial governments about holding local bodies’ elections;
it should be clarified why delay being made in elections (pp 1, 9; 300
words) Report by special correspondent: Lavish expenditures of President
House, Prime Minister House should be cut: Senators demand (pp 1, 9; 300
words) Report by special correspondent: Thinking of Pakistan wrong that US
will present ready-made resolution of Kashmir issue: National security
advisor (pp 1, 9; 300 words) KPI report: Kashmiri leadership rejects offer
of Indian prime minister for talks (pp 1, 9; 500 words) Report by special
correspondent: Mohmand Agency, Orakzai; attack on checkpoint, clashes; two
security force personnel, 23 militants killed (pp 1, 10; 600 words) Report
by Suhail Abdul Nasir: Security Council tried to tie hands, feet of Iran;
it will be shocking for Iran that China, Russia voted for sanctions; gas
pipeline agreement; Pakistani experts will have to go through resolution
with concentration (pp 1, 9; 400 words) Report by special correspondent:
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeks bribes of 250 million ru pees
(PRe) for plea bargain: Haris Afzal (pp 1, 9; 300 words) Report by special
correspondent: We are not blocking water of Pakistan’s share: Indian high
commissioner (pp 1, 9; 400 words) Page 2: News From Islamabad, Rawalpindi

Page two has a column besides local news and advertisements. Column by
Taiba Zia Cheema: Ghazi Ilmuddin, the martyred, and biased US

The column discusses removal of a Pakistani-origin police official in the
United States on his refusal to get his beard shaved. (800 words) Page 3:
National, International Reports

The page three has national and international news. Column by Saeed Aasi:
Taste of new connection

The column discusses situation in Balochistan. (800 words) SANA news
report: Afghanistan; NATO helicopter crashes; four US soldiers killed;
Taliban accept responsibility (p3; 100 words) Report from news desk:
People afraid of growing popularity of Taliban: Pakistan Institute for
Peace releases investigative report (pp 3, 10; 200 words) Page 4: News
From Suburbs Page 5: Business, Commerce Page 6: Continuation of Reports
From Other Pages; Advertisements Page 7: Classified Ads Page 8:
Continuation of Reports From Other Pages Page 9: Continuation of Reports
From Other Pages Page 10: Continuation of Reports From Other Pages Page
11: Sports World Page 12: National, International Reports

Prominent pictures on page 12 show President Asif Ali Zardari awarding the
Chinese deputy prime minister with Pakistan’s civil award, and Altaf Ahmed
Chaudhry, chairman of National Highway Authority, talking to Nawa-e Waqt.
The lower half of the page has a quarter-page advertisement. SANA news
report: Parting ways with government; Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam parliamentary
party authorizes Maulana Fazlur Rehman to hold decisive talks

Speaking after the meeting, Maulana Fazlur Rahman said; “We’ll not make
delay for a moment to quit government if agreements made with us are not
fulfilled.” (pp 8, 12; 300 words) Report by Qazi Bilal: Punjabis being
shot openly in Balochistan; we are posting Sindhi, Baluchi officers: Altaf
Ahmed; security of eight Japanese engineers costing PRe 200 million (pp 8,
12; 600 words) Report by special correspondent: We’ve apprised government
of our reservations; to conditionally support budget: Farooq Sattar
(Muttahida Qaumi Movement — MQM — leader) (pp 8, 12; 200 words) Report
by special correspondent: We’ve given 38 proposals for budget; to oppose
adoption if not approved: PML-Q (pp 8, 12; 400 words) Report by special
correspondent: We’ve closed doors for dictatorship through 18th Amendment:
Law minister (pp 8, 12; 200 words)

Report by special correspondent: Important meeting of Pakistani, US
authorities on assistance in science and technology (pp 8, 12; 500 words)
Nawa-e Waqt report: US to cooperate with Pakistan in science and
technology sector: Dr Kerry Jones (pp 8, 12; 400 words) Report from news
desk: Warm welcome of Dalits (unt ouchable Hindu caste) in Pakistan;
‘Brahmins’ (high caste Hindus) propaganda to get Pakistan declared as
terrorist proved ‘false’ (pp 8, 12; 300 words) Nawa-e Waqt report: Strict
implementation on rule of law, supremacy of constitution will have to be
ensured: Chief justice (pp 8, 12; 200 words) Report by special
correspondent: Budget anticountry, antipeople; IMF, World Bank, US
friendly: Jamaat-e-Islami chief (pp 12, 8; 400 words) Report by Ittrat
Jaffery: Taking new program from IMF after standby arrangement being
mulled (pp 8, 12; 200 words) Report by special correspondent: Budget
deficit; Punjab takes overdraft of PRe 6.97 billion from State Bank (pp 8,
12; 300 words) Report from monitoring desk: Blast in Kandahar wedding
ceremony; 39 killed (p12; 50 words) Page 13: Politics

Page 13 has articles and reports with pictures on domestic political
scene. Article by Nawaz Raza: Change in economic team for third time in
three years; is national budget IMF-friendly? (1,00 0 words) Article by
Salman Ghani: Why PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) not quitting Punjab
Government; system faces threats again? (1,000 words) Article by Amjad
Aziz Bhatti: Prime Minister’s visit to Balochistan (1,000 words) Page 14:
Editorial, Lead Articles

Page 14 has editorials and articles besides the regular gossip column “By
the way” and regular series of Islamic teachings from the Koran. It also
has couplets from Allama Iqbal and M uzaffar Warsi, and a saying of
Qaid-e-Azam. Editorial: Attack of armed people on NATO containers near
Islamabad; abandon role of US frontline ally now

The editorial discusses attack on containers carrying supplies for NATO
forces in which nine people were killed and 35 containers were set on
fire. The attack is alarming because it is the deadliest attack launched
near Islamabad. The daredevil action by the terrorists proves that they
could have launched this action within Islamabad as well. The government
should stop supplies for NATO as the measure is self-destructive. (1,200
words) Editorial: Good governance in Punjab

The editorial opines that the Punjab Government is ensuring good
governance in financial matters, but it should extend it to law-and-order
situation, hoarding, profiteering, and adulteration. (300 words)
Editorial: Budget; government should consider proposals of opposition

The editorial discusses criticism of increasing budget for President House
and Prime Minister House by the leader of opposition. (200 words) Article
by Justice (retd) Nazir Ahmed Ghazi: Jugular vein of Islamic community
(1,200 words) Article by Dr Ali Akbar Al-Azhari: Blood of hundreds of
thousands of stars (brings dawn)

The article discusses Israeli aggression against Freedom Flotilla. (800
words) Article by Raja Afrasiab Khan: Who these terrorists are? (last
episode) (600 words) Article by Rashid Malik: Fate of Muslims might change

The article discusses signing of gas pipel ine agreement between Pakistan
and Iran. (800 words) Page 15: Articles

Page 15 has articles on national and international issues. Article by
Sultan Mahmud Hali: Israeli intransigence, under whose backing? (800
words) Article by Fazal Hussein Awan: US policy…India….and Pakistan’s
future (800 words) Article by Syed Nasir Raza Kazmi: Increase in Indian
defense budget (1,200 words) Page 16: Politics

Page 16 has articles and reports with pictures on domestic political
scene. Article by Jabbar Mufti: Miracle of charter of democracy; (prime
minister’s) brother wins by-election, preparation on for son from Lodhraan
(1,000 words) Article by Sultan Sikandar: Acknowledgement of political
mistakes in Gilgit; Azad Kashmir (Pakistan-administered Kashmir) model
setup demanded (800 words) Article by Sajid Hussein Malik: Pakistan’s
nuclear program; what is truth? (1,500 words)

(Description of Source: Rawalpindi Nawa-e Waqt in Urdu — Privately owned,
widely read, con servative Islamic daily, with circulation around 125,000.
Harshly critical of the US and India)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
Commerce.

35) Back to Top
TV Show Discusses Phenomenon of Talibanization in Punjab
From the “Jirga” program hosted by well-known journalist Salim Safi who
hails from the tribal area. For a video of this program, contact
GSG_GVP_VideoOps@rccb.osis.gov or, if you do not have e-mail, the OSC
Customer Center at (800) 205-8615. Words within double slant lines are in
English. – Geo News TV
Thursday June 10, 2010 12:12:44 GMT
Reception: Good

Duration: 1 hour
Karachi Geo News at 1805 GMT on 7 June relays a program “Jirga”

hosted by Saleem Safi, a senior journalist. The program discusses and
analyses major issues.

Guests:

Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, former chief minister of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa

Choudary Muhammad Yaqoob, former Inspector General Police (IGP),
Balochistan

Rana Sanaullah, law minister of Punjab on video link from Multan

Asif Ali Bhatti, Geo News reporter on video link from Islamabad

Safi says: “Punjab Province is increasingly getting embroiled in
terrorism. In today’s program, we are going to discuss the phenomenon of
Talibanization in Punjab.”

Safi asks Sanaullah who attacked the place of worship of the Ahmadiyyah
community in Lahore on 28 May? Sanaullah replies: “According to our
investigation, some of the terrorists involved in the attack belong to
Punjab, while others are from Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA).”

Saf i asks Sanaullah why the Punjab Government denies the existence of the
Taliban on its soil. Sanaullah replies: “We do not //deny// the existence
of the Taliban in Punjab, but they may exist in Punjab the way they exist
anywhere else; I mean, there is no no-go area in Punjab, and the writ of
the government is in force in the entire province, unlike FATA which used
to be a no-go area in the past and which has become a safe haven for
militants as a result. So, Punjab cannot be compared to FATA in that
sense. Every corner of Punjab is open for Punjab Police and they can
monitor the activities of madrasahs as well.”

Safi asks Yaqoob: “Do you believe that the present terrorism in Pakistan
is the outcome of the Afghan jihad in the 1980s?” Yaqoob replies: “Yes, I
agree with Sanaullah when he says that this is the outcome of the Afghan
jihad in the 1980s. These madrasah students used to be sent to Afghanistan
for jihad against the then Soviet Union. Wh en the jihad was over, the
guns of the jihadist organizations turned toward us; so, the terrorism
that the country is now facing is very much home grown. The organizations
that were involved in the Afghan jihad were none other than the ones that
are banned in Pakistan today; for example, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and
Sipah-e-Sahaba. The same organizations have been involved in sectarian
violence in Pakistan as well. The madrasahs used to be the recruitment
centers because poor students were readily available as jihadist forces.
After 9/11, when Pakistan came under pressure, it brought about a change
in the Kashmir policy and stopped funding jihadists in India-administered
Kashmir. That made Pakistan vulnerable to the jihadist organizations
returning from either Afghanistan or Kashmir.”

Safi asks Yaqoob: “The leadership of extremist (or jihadist)
organizations, like JuD chief Hafiz Saeed disowns this trend of terrorism
in Pakistan. Similarly, mainstream religious par ties like the
Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP), too, denounce and disown militancy and
terrorist activities in Pakistan, despite being overt proponents of jihad.
Is it not a bit confusing that they have taken the responsibility for
jihad but are not claiming the responsibility for terrorism?” Yaqoob
replies: “Just assume that the lower tier of any extremist organization is
no more in control of the leadership, even if it is the state itself, like
Hafiz Saeed or Qazi Hussain Ahmed (former JIP chief). Did Qazi Hussain
Ahmed send his son to Afghanistan for jihad? No, he only sent poor
students of madrasahs. Now, pay them back.”

Safi asks Sherpao: “Do you believe that Talibanization exists in Punjab?”
Sherpao replies: “Divisions like Punjabi Taliban or Pashtun Taliban do not
apply to the phenomenon of Talibanization as they are one and the same.
After 9/11 there emerged a nexus of Al-Qa’ida, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan,
and the rest of the jihad ist organizations. Al-Qa’ida plans terro rist
activities, while the Taliban or Punjabi militants execute these plans.”

Safi asks Sherpao: “Do you believe that to be called an extremist one may
not necessarily be from a madrasah? One can be an extremist even if he or
she has received modern education.” Sherpao replies: “It was in the era of
General Ziaul Haq when students in madrasahs began to be used as forces in
the Afghan jihad. The state should have //demobilized// those jihadist
elements as soon as they returned from the jihad after the fall of the
former Soviet Union. The state did not demobilize them and that was a big
mistake. We need //reforms// to be introduced for the network of
madrasahs.”

Safi asks Bhatti: “What is your analysis of the situation?” Bhatti
replies: “It is true that madrasahs provide the jihadist organizations
with students who become militants with proper training. They are sent to
Waziristan wh ere they receive training for militancy and terrorism. The
Punjabi militants have returned after the military operation in
Waziristan. Their basic aim is to even the score with the government.”

Safi asks Sanaullah: “Why are our police unable to control the wave of
terrorism?” Sanaullah replies: “Our police are dedicated enough,
sacrificing and working hard to curb terrorism. We are not in a state of
denial, and we are investing huge amount of money to ameliorate the police
infrastructure in Punjab.”

Safi concludes the program.

(Description of Source: Karachi Geo News TV in Urdu — 24-hour satellite
news TV channel owned by Pakistan’s Jang publishing group. Known for
providing quick and detailed reports of events. Geo’s focus on reports
from India is seen as part of its policy of promoting people-to-people
contact and friendly relations with India.)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
sourc e cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
Commerce.

36) Back to Top
Tajikistan Insists On More Active Measures Against Drugs – ITAR-TASS
Thursday June 10, 2010 12:17:48 GMT
intervention)

MOSCOW , June 10 (Itar-Tass) – The Collective Security Treaty Organisation
(CSTO), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) are to intensify cooperation in the struggle
against drugs proliferation, the director of the Tajik Drugs Control
Agency, Rustam Nazarov, said at the conference titled Drug Production in
Afghanistan is a Challenge to World Community on Thursday.”Tajikistan has
a common border with Afghanistan and for this reason drugs are the most p
ressing problem for our country,” Nazarov said. According to Nazarov, “it
is very difficult to fight with the underground drug cartels nowadays,
because their network is very large and diversified.”He called for
fighting with drug-related crimes not only in Afghanistan but also beyond
its borders. “One should use the potentials of the CSTO, SCO and CIS to
neutralize drugs production in Afghanistan,” he said.(Description of
Source: Moscow ITAR-TASS in English — Main government information agency)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
Commerce.

37) Back to Top
Afghan elders protest against detention of tribal leader in eastern town –
Afghan Islamic Press
Thursday June 10, 2010 11:12:51 GMT
eastern town

Text of report by private Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news
agencyKhost, 10 June: Tribal leaders and elders have protested against the
detention of a tribal leader by US forces. About 35 tribal leaders and
elders arrived in Gardez, the capital of Paktia Province, to stage a
protest rally against the detention of a tribal leader, Mohammad Naim
Salehkhel by the US forces today. Haji Gholam Mohammad, brother of the
detained Mohammad Naim Salehkhel, who came with tribal leaders to Gardez
told Afghan Islamic Press that his brother, Haji Mohammad Naim Salehkhel,
who had spend two and a half years in the Bagram and Guantanamo prisons,
was called by the governor of Paktia to Gardez city for a meeting.
Salehkhel was detained by Afghan police when he was returning (home) on 18
Sowr, 18 May, and later he was handed over to the US forces. He added: “
;I regretfully say that at first police and all other officials were
expressing their unawareness about the detention of Mohammad Naim
Salehkhel and when the Gardez police confirmed his detention the deputy
governor (of Paktia Province) started repeatedly promises of (freeing him)
today and tomorrow and asked us not to inform the media and avoid staging
protests. But now we are compelled to inform the media about it and stage
a protest rally.”Haji Gholam Mohammad added: “A three-day general strike
started in Zormat District starting from today, markets are closed and we
will decide about our future (plan) on the coming Sunday (13 June).” He
said about his brother Mohammad Naim that he is a tribal leader and was
appointed as security chief of Zormat District by the locals after the
fall of the Taleban regime. But Americans detained him and he spend two
and a half years in the Bagram and Guantanamo prisons. He was released
about six years ago and he has been liv ing his life as a tribal leader.
He repeatedly say that his brother had no links with the Taleban.On the
other hand, the spokesman for the governor of Paktia Province, Rohullah
Samon, strongly condemned the detention of Haji Mohammad Naim Salehkhel
and told AIP that the governor’s office of Paktia Province had started its
efforts to release the tribal leader. Responding to an AIP question Samon
said that Haji Mohammad Naim was not detained by the Paktia police but he
was detained by a special police force named special purpose police unit
sent from Kabul.(Description of Source: Peshawar Afghan Islamic Press in
Pashto — Peshawar Afghan Islamic Press in Pashto — Peshawar-based
agency, staffed by Afghans, that describes itself as an independent “news
agency” but whose history and reporting pattern reveal a perceptible
pro-Taliban bias; the AIP’s founder-director, Mohammad Yaqub Sharafat, has
long been associated with a mujahidin faction that merged with the
Taliban’ s “Islamic Emirate” led by Mullah Omar; subscription required to
access content; http://www.afghanislamicpress.com)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
Commerce.

38) Back to Top
Iran Boasts Positive Trade Balance With 29 Countries in First Month of New
Year
Unattributed report – Gilan-e Emruz
Thursday June 10, 2010 10:57:21 GMT
The report said the highest negative trade balance indicators were: the
United Arab Emirates, $558 million; Republic of Korea, $149 million;
Turkey, $97 million; Netherlands, $37 million; Russian Federation, $30
million; Germany, $267 million; Spain, $33 million; Italy, $79.9 million;
and France, $89 million. Also, Iran’s trade balance with the United States
of America is $5 million.

The highest positive trade balance indicators are: China, $57 million;
Iraq, $284 million; India, $55 million; Belgium, $38 million; and
Afghanistan, $54 million.

(Description of Source: Rasht Gilan-e Emruz in Persian — Pro-reform
provincial daily published in Rasht, the capital city of Gilan Province;
Licensed to and managed by Mohammad Kazem Shokuhi-Rad.)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
Commerce.

39) Back to Top
Taleban blame foreign forces for wedding party attack in Afghan south –
Afghan Islamic Press
Thursday June 1 0, 2010 10:39:00 GMT
south

Excerpt from report by private Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news
agencyKandahar, 10 June: Each side is blaming the other side for the blast
in Kandahar (Province, in southern Afghanistan).(Passage omitted:
Contradictory claims are made about the explosion in a wedding ceremony in
Arghandab District last night)At a press briefing in Kandahar city (the
capital of Kandahar Province) at noon today, the governor of Kandahar
Province, Torialay Wisa, held the Taleban responsible for the blast and
said that the explosion was carried out by the Taleban with the help of a
Town Ace van and by doing this they turned people’s happy event into a
tragedy.(Passage omitted: Forty people were killed and 87 injured in the
blast).In a statement, the ISAF forces has blamed the Taleban for the
explosion and said that the Taleban carried out the attack to upset a
happy occasion of the people and they (Taleban ) showed that they wanted
to terrify people by such attacks. The ISAF forces added that they are
ready to cooperate with the government to investigate the incident.The
Taleban have strongly denied their involvement in the incident and said
that foreign forces aircraft attacked the wedding party and dozens of
people were killed or injured as a result.A Taleban spokesman, Qari
Mohammad Yusof Ahmadi, told AIP: “The Taleban strongly condemn this
incident and consider themselves partner in pain and sufferings of the
suffered families.”(Passage omitted: Ahmadi said that foreign forces
several times bombarded wedding ceremonies in the past)The Taleban
spokesman said: “The foreigners bombard wedding ceremonies to create a gap
between the people and the Taleban so they (foreign forces) could exploit
the situation, but the foreigners will never succeed in creating gaps
between the Taleban and the nation.”(Passage omitted: Afghan president
condemned the incident).(D escription of Source: Peshawar Afghan Islamic
Press in Pashto — Peshawar Afghan Islamic Press in Pashto —
Peshawar-based agency, staffed by Afghans, that describes itself as an
independent “news agency” but whose history and reporting pattern reveal a
perceptible pro-Taliban bias; the AIP’s founder-director, Mohammad Yaqub
Sharafat, has long been associated with a mujahidin faction that merged
with the Taliban’s “Islamic Emirate” led by Mullah Omar; subscription
required to access content; http://www.afghanislamicpress.com)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
Commerce.

40) Back to Top
Press Roundup on Defense, Science, Technology 31 May-6 June 10
The following a selecti on of relevant reports, editorials, and articles
on defense, science, and technology published in one English
newspaper–The News–from 31 May to 6 June: – Pakistan — OSC Summary
Thursday June 10, 2010 09:33:40 GMT
The 31 May issue of The News on page 1 carries a report headlined: “US
copters intrude into Khyber Agency.” The report says: “Two US gunship
helicopters violated Pakistan’s airspace and entered Landikotal tehsil of
Khyber Agency, official sources said. The sources said the two US choppers
intruded into Pakistani territory and hovered over areas along the
Pak-Afghan border for five minutes before returning to Afghanistan. The
intrusion by the helicopters created concern in the border area as there
were reports that the US had decided to target suspected hideouts of
militants inside Pakistan.” US Drone Attack on Pakistani Tribal Area
Reportedly Kills Sen ior Al-Qa’ida Leader

The 2 June issue of The News on page 1 carries a report headlined:
“Al-Qaeda number three killed in NWA (North Waziristan Agency) drone
attack.” The report says: “Pakistani security officials and the Taliban
believe that al-Qaeda’s No three and a close aide to Osama bin Laden,
Mustafa Ahmad Mohammad Uthman Abu al-Yazeed, also known as Sheikh Saeed
al-Misri, was among the 10 people killed in the US drone attack on May 21
at Saidabad village of Dattakhel subdivision in North Waziristan tribal
region. He was said to be al-Qaeda’s financial director as well as the
chief operational commander for Pakistan and Afghanistan. He was believed
to have transferred several thousand dollars to Mohammad Atta, the leader
of the 9/11 hijackers, before the September 11 attacks on the World Trade
Centre in New York. A statement on an Islamic website confirmed his death.
It said his wife, three daughters and his granddaughter, and other men,
women and some children were also killed in the attack on his house. An
Egyptian by origin, Sheikh Saeed had replaced al-Qaeda’s senior commander
Abu Laith al-Libbi, who was killed along with 14 other Arab and tribal
militants in the US drone attack on January 29, 2008 on a house in
Khushali Torikhel village of Mir Ali town in North Waziristan. The
56-year-old Sheikh Saeed was accused by the US of involvement in extremist
movements for nearly 30 years after joining the radical student group, led
by his fellow Egyptian Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri.” PM Gilani Expresses Concern
Over Pakistan-Specific Indian Military Doctrine

The 5 June issue of The News on page 1 carries a report headlined: “India
can thrust war on Pakistan, PM tells Nato.” The report says: “Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, while pointing towards the Pakistan-specific
Indian military doctrines such as the Cold Start, has urged the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) to take active inte rest in South
Asian security perspective.” The report quoted PM Gilani as saying at an
address to the North Atlantic Council in Brussels: “We remain concerned
over Pakistan-specific Indian military doctrines such as the Cold Start
envisaging a limited conventional war under the nuclear overhang, huge
increase in Indian military budget and massive weapon acquisitions. These
together with discriminatory policies especially in the nuclear and
technological arena have accentuated the regional imbalance in South Asia.
It is a nuclearised region and issues of peace, strategic stability and
security pose formidable challenges to Pakistan and impinge on global
peace and security. Pakistan-India relations had a significant bearing on
South Asian security, and unfortunately, outstanding disputes such as
Kashmir, Siachen, and Sir Creek continue to fester and require a just and
peaceful resolution.” Pakistan Raises Defense Budget by 17 Percent

The 6 June issue of The News on page 1 carries a report headlined:
“Defense budget up by 17 percent.” The report says: “Pakistan increased
its defense budget by 16.935 per cent by allocating Rs 442.173 billion for
2010-11. This reflects a marginal increase of around five per cent in real
terms in defense spending if the inflation rate of 12 per cent is taken
into account.” The report quoted Finance Minister, Abdul Hafeez Sheikh as
saying at the budget speech: “Security is our topmost concern. We are
facing a situation in which our armed forces, paramilitary forces and
security forces are laying down their lives. They should know from this
House that we all stand by them. This increase in the defense budget of
around Rs 64 billion was considered a must given the intensified battle
against the Taliban insurgents.” The report says: “In the outgoing fiscal,
Pakistan allocated Rs 342.913 billion for defense but it was revised to Rs
378.135 billion by the e nd of the fiscal 2009-10. India last February
announced Rs 1.47 trillion ($32 billion) defense budget, which speaks of
its ambitions in the region. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has already
pointed towards the Pakistan-specific Indian military doctrines such as
the cold start.”

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US Seeks To Curb Illicit Drug Flows From Afghanistan – Beyrle – ITAR-TASS
Thursday June 10, 2010 09:55:08 GMT
intervention)

MOSCOW, June 10 (Itar-Tass) – The United States as Russia seeks to curb
illicit drug flows from Afghanistan, U.S. Ambassador in Mo scow John
Beyrle said on Thursday.Speaking at the international forum, “Drug
Production in Afghanistan: A Challenge for the International Community”,
Beyrle said the U.S. realised Russia’s concern over the drug threat from
Afghanistan.The United States opposes a drug war against Russia and wants
to develop partnership in this region, the ambassador said. He compared
drug business with terrorism. Americans and Russians pay a high price for
the fight against this evil, the ambassador added.In his words, the U.S.
and Russia have a lot of fields for cooperation where our interests
coincide. Beyrle called for forgetting old wars and developing
cooperation. The U.S. wants to see Russia strong and prosperous and
considers it an ally, the American diplomat stressed.The task of the
international community is to create an expanded international coalition
to ensure peace and security in Afghanistan, he said. Russia’s support for
NATO and the U.S. in Afghanistan is of the utmo st importance. Only joint
efforts taken by the whole world community can help counter terrorism and
drug trafficking, the U.S. ambassador added.For his part, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would insist Afghanistan’s drug
trafficking to be classified as a threat to global security. “Moscow is
convinced that the world should exert efforts to fight Afghan drug
trafficking. We put forth an initiative to this effect,” he said.”Moscow
will insist Afghan drug trafficking to be classified as a threat to global
security,” the Russian foreign minister said.”We hope that the Moscow
international forum will give an additional impetus to the joint struggle
against Afghan drug trafficking. We hope that our efforts will be
successful and heard by the international community,” Lavrov added.In his
words, NATO and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) make serious
contribution to resolving this problem. “But the efforts taken by the
world community should be more effective,” the minister said.He recalled
that a conference on drug trafficking would take place in Kabul in July
2010. “Serious issues to be raised at the forum should be recorded in
final documents,” Lavrov pointed out.(Description of Source: Moscow
ITAR-TASS in English — Main government information agency)

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Angry crowd throw stones at foreign forces office in Afghan north – Afghan
Islamic Press
Thursday June 10, 2010 09:12:20 GMT
north

Text of report by private Pakistan-based Afghan Islami c Press news
agencyKonduz, 10 June: People have thrown stones at a PRT (Provincial
Reconstruction Team) office and the PRT fired at the people. Eyewitnesses
from Taloqan, the capital of Takhar Province (in northern Afghanistan),
told Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) that an angry crowd threw stones at the
PRT office in Taloqan city at noon today, 10 June, and the PRT (soldiers)
opened fire at the people.An eyewitness told AIP that the protesters had
suffered casualties as a result of the firing but no details were
available. Officials are avoiding commenting on this incident and the
reason for the protest was not known yet.(Description of Source: Peshawar
Afghan Islamic Press in Pashto — Peshawar Afghan Islamic Press in Pashto
— Peshawar-based agency, staffed by Afghans, that describes itself as an
independent “news agency” but whose history and reporting pattern reveal a
perceptible pro-Taliban bias; the AIP’s founder-director, Mohammad Yaqub
Sharafat, has long been a ssociated with a mujahidin faction that merged
with the Taliban’s “Islamic Emirate” led by Mullah Omar; subscription
required to access content; http://www.afghanislamicpress.com)

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Afghan official denies Taleban claim capturing district in east – Afghan
Islamic Press
Thursday June 10, 2010 09:06:14 GMT
Text of report by private Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news
agencyGhazni, 10 June: The Taleban claim they have captured a district.
The Taleban announced that following three hours of fighting they captured
Jelga District of Maydan Wardag Province (in eastern Afghanistan) this
morning, 10 June.A Taleban spokesman, Zabihollah Mojahed, in this regard
told Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) that the Taleban carried out an attack on
Jelga District of Maydan Wardag Province early this morning and following
three hours of fighting the Taleban managed to take control of the
district building (the office of the head of the district). He added that
two police had been killed and three others wounded in the clash and three
Taleban also suffered injuries in the fighting.The Taleban spokesman also
reported seizure of arms and ammunition and he said that the Taleban
seized a quantity of several kind of weapons and a large quantity of
ammunition. Regarding the government personnel and police, he said that
they had ran away from the area and no one was detained by the Taleban
alive.When AIP contacted the Maydan Wardag security commander, Haq Nawaz
Haqyar, in this regard he confirmed the Taleban attack on the district but
sa id that the attack was repelled. Haqyar admitted that one police was
killed and two others injured in the attack and added that the Taleban had
also suffered casualties but details were not available.(Description of
Source: Peshawar Afghan Islamic Press in Pashto — Peshawar Afghan Islamic
Press in Pashto — Peshawar-based agency, staffed by Afghans, that
describes itself as an independent “news agency” but whose history and
reporting pattern reveal a perceptible pro-Taliban bias; the AIP’s
founder-director, Mohammad Yaqub Sharafat, has long been associated with a
mujahidin faction that merged with the Taliban’s “Islamic Emirate” led by
Mullah Omar; subscription required to access content;
http://www.afghanislamicpress.com)

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source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
Commerce.

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