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Archive for category Pakistan-A Nation of Hope

Destroying a Nation State: US-Saudi Funded Terrorists Sowing Chaos in Pakistan

 
Destroying a Nation State: US-Saudi Funded Terrorists Sowing Chaos in Pakistan
By 
February 18, 2013
 
Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwest Baluchistan province, bordering both US-occupied Afghanistan as well as Iran, was the site of a grisly market bombing that has killed over 80 people. According to reports, the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility for the attack. Billed as a “Sunni extremist group,” it instead fits the pattern of global terrorism sponsored by the US, Israel, and their Arab partners Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
 


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The terrorist Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group was in fact created, according to the BBC, to counter Iran’s Islamic Revolution in the 1980′s, and is still active today. Considering the openly admitted US-Israeli-Saudi plot to use Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups across the Middle East to counter Iran’s influence, it begs the question whether these same interests are funding terrorism in Pakistan to not only counter Iranian-sympathetic Pakistani communities, but to undermine and destabilize Pakistan itself.

The US-Saudi Global Terror Network

While the United States is close allies with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it is well established that the chief financier of extremist militant groups for the past 3 decades, including Al Qaeda, are in fact Saudi Arabia and Qatar. While Qatari state-owned propaganda like Al Jazeera apply a veneer of progressive pro-democracy to its narratives, Qatar itself is involved in arming, funding, and even providing direct military support for sectarian extremists from northern Mali, to Libya, to Syria and beyond.


France 24′s report “Is Qatar fuelling the crisis in north Mali?” provides a useful vignette of Saudi-Qatari terror sponsorship, stating:

“The MNLA [secular Tuareg separatists], al Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine and MUJAO [movement for unity and Jihad in West Africa] have all received cash from Doha.”

A month later Sadou Diallo, the mayor of the north Malian city of Gao [which had fallen to the Islamists] told RTL radio: “The French government knows perfectly well who is supporting these terrorists. Qatar, for example, continues to send so-called aid and food every day to the airports of Gao and Timbuktu.” 

 

The report also stated:

“Qatar has an established a network of institutions it funds in Mali, including madrassas, schools and charities that it has been funding from the 1980s,” he wrote, adding that Qatar would be expecting a return on this investment.

“Mali has huge oil and gas potential and it needs help developing its infrastructure,” he said. “Qatar is well placed to help, and could also, on the back of good relations with an Islamist-ruled north Mali, exploit rich gold and uranium deposits in the country.” 

These institutions are present not only in Mali, but around the world, and provide a nearly inexhaustible supply of militants for both the Persian Gulf monarchies and their Western allies to use both as a perpetual casus belli to invade and occupy foreign nations such as Mali and Afghanistan, as well as a sizable, persistent mercenary force, as seen in Libya and Syria. Such institutions jointly run by Western intelligence agencies across Europe and in America, fuel domestic fear-mongering and the resulting security state that allows Western governments to more closely control their populations as they pursue reckless, unpopular policies at home and abroad.

imgresSince Saudi-Qatari geopolitical interests are entwined with Anglo-American interests, both the “investment” and “return on this investment” are clearly part of a joint venture. France’s involvement in Mali has demonstrably failed to curb such extremists, has instead, predictably left the nation occupied by Western interests while driving terrorists further north into the real target, Algeria.

Additionally, it should be noted, that France in particular, played a leading role along side Qatar and Saudi Arabia in handing Libya over to these very same extremists. French politicians were in Benghazi shaking hands with militants they would be “fighting” in the near future in northern Mali.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is Part of US-Saudi Terror Network

In terms of Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, as well as the infamous Lashkar-e-Taiba that carried out the 2008 Mumbai, India attack killing over 160, both are affiliates of Al Qaeda, and both have been linked financially, directly to Saudi Arabia. In the Guardian’s article, “WikiLeaks cables portray Saudi Arabia as a cash machine for terrorists,” the US State Department even acknowledges that Saudi Arabia is indeed funding terrorism in Pakistan:

Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest source of funds for Islamist militant groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba – but the Saudi government is reluctant to stem the flow of money, according to Hillary Clinton.

“More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups,” says a secret December 2009 paper signed by the US secretary of state. Her memo urged US diplomats to redouble their efforts to stop Gulf money reaching extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide,” she said.

Three other Arab countries are listed as sources of militant money: Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has also been financially linked to the Persian Gulf monarchies. Stanford University’s “Mapping Militant Organizations: Lashkar-e-Jhangvi,” states under “External Influences:”

LeJ has received money from several Persian Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates[25] These countries funded LeJ and other Sunni militant groups primarily to counter the rising influence of Iran’s revolutionary Shiism.

Astonishingly, despite these admission, the US works politically, financially, economically, and even militarily in tandem with these very same state-sponsors of rampant, global terrorism. In Libya and Syria, the US has even assisted in the funding and arming of Al Qaeda and affiliated terrorist groups, and had conspired with Saudi Arabia since at least 2007 to overthrow both Syria and Iran with these terrorist groups. And while Saudi Arabia funds terrorism in Pakistan, the US is well documented to be funding political subversion in the very areas where the most heinous attacks are being carried out.

US Political Subversion in Baluchistan, Pakistan

The US State Department’s National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has been directly funding and supporting the work of the “Balochistan Institute for Development” (BIFD) which claims to be “the leading resource on democracy, development and human rights in Balochistan, Pakistan.” In addition to organizing the annual NED-BFID “Workshop on Media, Democracy & Human Rights” BFID reports that USAID had provided funding for a “media-center” for the Baluchistan Assembly to “provide better facilities to reporters who cover the proceedings of the Balochistan Assembly.” We must assume BFID meant reporters “trained” at NED-BFID workshops.

Image: A screenshot of “Voice of Balochistan’s” special US State Department message. While VOB fails to disclose its funding, it is a sure bet it, like other US-funded propaganda fronts, is nothing more than a US State Department outlet. (click image to enlarge)

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Images: In addition to the annual Fortune 500-funded “Balochistan International Conference,” the US State Department’s National Endowment for Democracy has been busy at work building up Baluchistan’s “civil society” network. This includes support for the “Balochistan Institute For Development,” which maintains a “BIFD Leadership Academy,” claiming to “mobilize, train and encourage youth to play its effective role in promotion of democracy development and rule of law.” The goal is to subvert Pakistani governance while simultaneously creating a homogeneous “civil society” that interlocks with the West’s “international institutions.” This is how modern empire perpetuates itself.

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There is also Voice of Balochistan whose every top-story is US-funded propaganda drawn from foundation-funded Reporters Without Borders, Soros-funded Human Rights Watch, and even a direct message from the US State Department itself. Like other US State Department funded propaganda outfits around the world – such as Thailand’s Prachatai – funding is generally obfuscated in order to maintain “credibility” even when the front’s constant torrent of obvious propaganda more than exposes them.

http://www.bso-na.org/sitebuilder/images/bsona-929x195.jpg

Image: Far from parody, this is the header taken from the “Baloch Society of North America” website.

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Perhaps the most absurd operations being run to undermine Pakistan through the “Free Baluchistan” movement are the US and London-based organizations. The “Baloch Society of North America” almost appears to be a parody at first, but nonetheless serves as a useful aggregate and bellwether regarding US meddling in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province. The group’s founder, Dr. Wahid. Baloch, openly admits he has met with US politicians in regards to Baluchistan independence. This includes Neo-Con warmonger, PNAC signatory, corporate-lobbyist, and National Endowment for Democracy director Zalmay Khalilzad.

Dr. Wahid Baloch considers Baluchistan province “occupied” by both the Iranian and Pakistani governments – he and his movement’s humanitarian hand-wringing gives Washington the perfect pretext to create an armed conflagration against either Iran or Pakistan, or both, as planned in detail by various US policy think-tanks.

There is also the Baloch Students Organisation-Azad, or BSO. While it maintains a presence in Pakistan, it has coordinators based in London. London-based BSO members include “information secretaries” that propagate their message via social media, just as US and British-funded youth organizations did during the West’s operations against other targeted nations during the US-engineered “Arab Spring.”

Image: A screenshot of a “Baloch Human rights activist and information secretary of BSO Azad London zone” Twitter account. This user, in tandem with look-alike accounts has been propagating anti-Pakistani, pro-”Free Baluchistan” propaganda incessantly. They also engage in coordinated attacks with prepared rhetoric against anyone revealing US ties to Baluchistan terrorist organizations.

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And while the US does not openly admit to funding and arming terrorists in Pakistan yet, many across established Western policy think-tanks have called for it.

http://landdestroyer.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/pakistanmap1.png

Image: Why Baluchistan? Gwadar in the southwest serves as a Chinese port and the starting point for a logistical corridor through Pakistan and into Chinese territory. The Iranian-Pakistani-Indian pipeline would enter from the west, cross through Baluchistan intersecting China’s proposed logistical route to the northern border, and continue on to India. Destabilizing Baluchistan would effectively derail the geopolitical aspirations of four nations.

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Selig Harrison of the Center for International Policy, has published two pieces regarding the armed “liberation” of Baluchistan.

Harrison’s February 2011 piece, “Free Baluchistan,” calls to “aid the 6 million Baluch insurgents fighting for independence from Pakistan in the face of growing ISI repression.” He continues by explaining the various merits of such meddling by stating:

“Pakistan has given China a base at Gwadar in the heart of Baluch territory. So an independent Baluchistan would serve U.S. strategic interests in addition to the immediate goal of countering Islamist forces.”

Harrison would follow up his frank call to carve up Pakistan by addressing the issue of Chinese-Pakistani relations in a March 2011 piece titled, “The Chinese Cozy Up to the Pakistanis.” He states:

“China’s expanding reach is a natural and acceptable accompaniment of its growing power—but only up to a point. ”

He continues:

“To counter what China is doing in Pakistan, the United States should play hardball by supporting the movement for an independent Baluchistan along the Arabian Sea and working with Baluch insurgents to oust the Chinese from their budding naval base at Gwadar. Beijing wants its inroads into Gilgit and Baltistan to be the first step on its way to an Arabian Sea outlet at Gwadar.”

While aspirations of freedom and independence are used to sell Western meddling in Pakistan, the geopolitical interests couched behind this rhetoric is openly admitted to. The prophetic words of Harrison should ring loud in one’s ears today. It is in fact this month, that Pakistan officially hands over the port in Gwadar to China, and Harrison’s armed militants are creating bloodshed and chaos, attempting to trigger a destructive sectarian war that will indeed threaten to “oust the Chinese from their budding naval base at Gwadar.”

Like in Syria, we have a documented conspiracy years in the making being carried out before our very eyes. The people of Pakistan must not fall into the trap laid by the West who seeks to engulf Baluchistan in sectarian bloodshed with the aid of Saudi and Qatari-laundered cash and weapons. For the rest of the world, we must continue to uncover the corporate-financier special interests driving these insidious plots, boycott and permanently replace them on a local level.

The US-Saudi terror racket has spilled blood from New York City, across Northern Africa, throughout the Middle East, and as far as Pakistan and beyond. If we do not undermine and ultimately excise these special interests, their plans and double games will only get bolder and the inevitability of their engineered chaos effecting us individually will only grow.

© 2013 Global Research

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THE REAL PAKISTAN

My-Pakistan-beautiful-places-32010162-500-380

 

 

http://amfunworld.blogspot.com/2011/02/10-reasons-why-i-still-love-pakistan.html

Please Visit These Great Pakistani Websites:

Articles Courtesy:

http://paksabka.com.pk/2014/03/10/be-pakistani-buy-pakistani/

http://amfunworld.blogspot.com/2011/02/10-reasons-why-i-still-love-pakistan.html

BE PAKISTANI, BUY PAKISTANI

Nadia Rafiq Butt.
Pakistan like many other countries is striving to get a positive image for one reason or the other. One can spell out a number of reasons. On top is sectarianism and extremism which has become plague for our society. Then is the law and order situation, frequency of murders and thefts and all such crimes. However, this doesn’t suggest that things are not under control. There are good people and good things to report. It must be admitted that human societies have their limitations. Freedom, justice and equality are only ideals. Total justice and peace is not humanly possible. Instead of looking at it in a negative way, one should look at those negatives with a glass half-full approach, and one should realize that spreading positivity instead of deprivation and scarcity would serve the cause better as we all hold responsibility being nationals to our homeland. Man will only remain on the right track if a mental discipline is shaped by education and if there is a fear of law, justice and punishment, in short dispense of justice without fear or favor. If a society enjoys justice and fair play it will surely portray soft image.
If our social, economic and administrative systems work reasonably and efficiently no harm can come to Pakistan. If all get justice and feel secure no one will think of any criminal activities. Every citizen must have confidence in its justice system. There can be no peace without justice and no civilized society without education. In the absence of justice and literacy no one can vision of credibility of sound reputation of the country.
Apparently Pakistan’s softer image is being portrayed by book releases, rock concerts and exhibitions nationally either internationally. Somehow we misunderstood the reality that the solution lies to the problems of country. We can somehow fix this problem by altering our international image of being naïve along with gratified and full of pride of our own culture and traditions. We have to come out of copying and competing others thereafter. If we can value our own culture and traditions showcasing higher values and norms with self-dignity only then we can gently put others on the track of respecting our culture and traditions in reciprocation. 
Pakistan is making all sorts of efforts to tackle deadly hazard of terrorism not only for its own good but for the whole world. Terrorism could only be defeated through dialogue, as it was the only way to eliminate terrorism where the outcome of using power would produce no positive results but would aggravate the situation. Unfortunately the western world is not giving Pakistan its due credit. It keeps on highlighting only those things through which the image of the country can be damaged and their national interests get served. More fuel is been added by next-door enemy India whose psychological warfare has always put serious harm to our country both nationally and internationally. But would it serve sensible if we keep waiting for due credit. Putting aside unhygienic debate of our war or others war enforced on our country and steered by our forces, political leaders should get our unparalleled sacrifices and unshaken resolve acknowledged by international world regardless of opposition’s propaganda which has been going since years and will keep going. 
Pakistan’s soft image can be portrayed through three resources i.e. culture economy and media. Pakistan is not being able to attract the western world through its historical and cultural heritage. Pakistan has great heritage from North to South. Tourism can bring a big change and can play a pivotal role. Cultural events, exchange programs, broadcasting or teaching country’s language and promoting country’s culture and society can be used as soft tools. Basant and Valentine’s Day celebrations will not help. We are in dire need of culture of tolerance in Pakistan but anything against the true spirit of Islam needs to be discouraged. Pakistan must think to start exchange programs between students. Teachers must be welcome from abroad to teach their language to young students in Pakistan and vice versa. Science and technology must be given high preferences. Helping other countries in disasters and emergency situations can prove our soft side instead of highlighting and pretending miseries in the greed of getting aid from international world. Government should stay alive to the issues of backwardness, unemployment and economic deprivation in the country and keep striving to address these through judicious distribution of resources.
People buy brands not products, this is an age old fact acknowledged by the researchers of the world. We need to develop our brand reputed Pakistan. Almost every other country is associated with its national characteristics. Italy is associated with style, Japan with technology, India with history and culture, so our efforts with branding must be guided to find our economic role. Here comes the question how we can package our self. The media particularly electronic media can play a major role. We need to have more of English news channels to have more international audience. Media has hyped bad news and have made it look like a demon.This does not mean that nothing good has happened or is happening. The only prevailing fact that bad news is more newsworthy than good news. Media has played a huge part in this feeling of desperation by mainly reporting bad news and harping on it. Calling the same idiots for discussions on prime time every day is hardly a way of finding solutions tour myriad problems. Media seems to be shunning every positive news because it is not sexy and gets no TRPs or advertising.We all know that publicity is what a company or individual receives when something prominent happens and when the notable event is good, the publicity usually attracts new client and gives the company something to brag about in future.We as a nation have to say that yes we are going through bad times and all of us in some way or other are contributors to this. Let’s all now resolve to get out of this rut by doing sincerely and honestly what our individual jobs are before we point fingers at others. We need to be more focused and targeted as generic strategies “Be Pakistani, buy Pakistani” “East or West, Pakistan is the best” will not work anymore. 

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The Myth of ‘Aman Ki Asha’ By Sajjad Shaukat

The Myth of ‘Aman Ki Asha’

                                                                                                   

By Sajjad Shaukat

 

 

When idea of initiating ‘Aman-Ki-Asha’ (Desire for peace) was presented, the exponents of this initiative argued that it will provide a platform to Pakistan to make peace and end hostilities with India. They explained that it will also facilitate resolution of core issues between India and Pakistan like Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, and Water through a dialogue process. But, Aman-Ki-Asha which was promoted by the Geo and Jang Media Group in lines of Indian shrewd diplomacy against Islamabad has proved to be the myth. It provided New Delhi with pretext not only to keep all the issues with Pakistan unsettled, but also to distort the image Pakistan’s image, its ideology, Two Nation Theory, its Army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI). In other words, it was collaboration between Geo Group and India against Pakistan’s national interests.

However, the powerful presentations made by Geo Group convinced the politico-military leadership that the initiative is no doubt a noble effort. Unfortunately, Aman-Ki-Asha followed Indian agenda and created doubts in the minds of general public in Pakistan about Two Nation Theory. In fact, Pakistani nation is so inspired by the truth of Two Nation Theory that all past propaganda failed to create negative impact in this regard. Basically, Indian Hindus’ majority is against the Two Nation Theory, as it led to the partition of Indian. Indian designs to weaken the ideological basis of Pakistan have been facilitated through Geo and the Times of India, using Aman-Ki-Asha as an instrument of influencing opinions and creating misperceptions. Aman-Ki-Asha failed to facilitate resolution of various issues between New Delhi and Pakistan like Siachen, Sir Creek and Water including major dispute of Kashmir besides focusing on exploitation of different vulnerabilities of Pakistan, during global war against terrorism, instigating separatists in Balochistan, crating lawlessness in Karachi, muddling in the affairs of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and tribal areas by supporting Taliban or terrorists by using Indian Consulates, established along Pak-Afghan border. Similarly sectarianism has been intensified in various cities of Pakistan, while the nation stands divided on social, economic and political issues.

1004808_522172791170870_676795423_nBut, the collaboration between Geo media network and India has been exposed, as leaders of various political and religious parties including all the segments of society have been condemning the Geo and Jang Group by showing solidarity with Pakistan’s armed forces and ISI), in the aftermath of Hamid Mir episode which was manipulated by this media group.

On the same day, when its anchor Hamid Mir was injured by unidentified gunmen in Karachi, without any evidence or inquiry, Geo TV channel deduced hastily outcome, and displayed a photo of the DG ISI Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam, while its some media anchors accused ISI and its DG in this respect, while Pakistan Army was also targeted.

Every thing became crystal clear when foreign media, NGOs and human rights groups reactivated their campaign against Pakistan, its army and especially ISI by supporting the so-called propaganda of the Geo TV, while favouring the misconceptions of Hamid Mir. Particularly, India avail the opportunity, and under the pretext of false accusations, its renowned newspapers, especially The Times of India including TV channels and high officials maligned ISI. In this connection, Geo media network which enjoys support of external enemies, itself indicates the evidence that it follows India which wants to destabilize Pakistan. In this context, on April 28, this year, voicing his support for the Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha called upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif through a letter to stop ISI from suspending Geo TV license. It has unveiled the intrigue between India and Geo network.

But countrywide protests and rallies in support of armed forces and Pakistan’s prime spy agency, ISI which started since the day, Geo TV channel defamed country’s security agencies, accelerated against the Geo Network after its channel showed blasphemous content on May 14, in its entertainment morning show “Utho Jago Pakistan” by playing a Qawwali (a genre of Sufi music) “Ali ke Saath hai Zahra ki Shaadi” in the background of actress Veena Malik and her husband Assad Bashir Khattak’s wedding reenactment. It is a famous Qawwali about the marriage of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) daughter Syeda Fatima Zehra (R.A) with his cousin Hazrat Ali (R.A). In fact, it was part Indian cultural penetration in Pakistan through Geo Media Group. Now, besides the political and religious leaders, the intellectuals and general masses of Pakistan are raising slogans that Geo and Jang Group has been fulfilling foreign agenda, especially that of India against the country, and “shut down the Geo.”

Particularly, Chairman, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan who has also defended the stance of Army and ISI, announced to boycott Geo and Jang Group. In a press conference on May 17, Imran Khan displayed documentary evidence, revealing that Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, owner of the Geo and Jang Group is working against the national interests of Pakistan and is being funded by foreign countries like UK and the US State Department for shaping the national narrative on foreign agendas, while there is no audit of the Geo network which blackmails those who raise question in this respect. Imran Khan who has been protesting against the rigging in the elections 2013, repeatedly stated that PML (N) and Geo are the one team having common interests—Najam Sethi, an employee for Geo TV was made PCB chairman as a gift of Geo’s services, and rigging in the polls, while the ex-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry also played his role in this regard. Imran Khan further added, “Media trial of ISI and its chief by Geo TV is extremely condemnable which was done as per agenda set by Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman.” He had also indicated that the “US and India will be gladly looking at the maligning of Pakistan’s armed forces by the country’s own TV channel.”

Earlier, Imran Khan also criticized the said TV channel’s Aman Ki Asha campaign in the eastern border and Jang Ki Asha (Desire for war) in the western border which shows its double standard, while rejecting foreign allegations that ISI or Army is supporting militancy in Afghanistan.

Nevertheless, due to Aman Ki Asha, Pakistan’s ideology and Two Nation Theory have been considerably damaged. Credit goes to the team of Geo and “Times of India.”

Every Pakistani knows that the separatists in Balochistan get all sorts of support from India in particular and America including some other powers in general, but Geo would not project Indian stance. Because, Pakistan Army and ISI are the main targets of Indian propagandists, as Indian media leaves no stone unturned to damage the prestige and tarnish the image of these national institutions, and Geo facilitates Indian agenda. For the purpose, terrorism in Pakistan has been promoted by glorifying the actions of terrorists and linking it with human rights and missing persons’ case. Nevertheless, since the Supreme Court of Pakistan has been dealing with case of missing persons, especially of Balochistan, while speaking in the tone of anti-Pakistan elements like India, Geo anchors has implicated Pak Army and ISI about the disappeared persons as well human rights violations. They ignored the reality that the missing persons have been killed in subversive acts, arranged by American CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad through their affiliated militants groups. In case of Balochistan, foreign-assisted Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other separatist outfits which have been fighting for secession of the province kidnapped and killed many innocent people and the security personnel in the province, while claiming responsibility like the TTP militants. These insurgents groups are responsible for human rights violations in Balochistan and other places of Pakistan.

In the recent past, when Quaid’s residency in Ziarat was attacked by the Baloch separatists, Geo TV blamed ISI for the episode, but after a few days, BLA claimed responsibility, releasing a video in that regard.

When on November 26, 2008, terror attacks occurred in Mumbai, the culprit who was caught alive was Ajmal Kasab. Nobody knew who Ajmal Kasab was and where he came from, but Hamid Mir and Geo broke the headline that Ajmal Kasab is Pakistani and is resident of Faridkot village. Geo TV was repeatedly displaying it like an advertisement to distort the image of Pakistan and its security agencies, which clearly showed that it was the result of a deal between India and this media group. Although Indian RAW took a forced statement from him against ISI, yet on December 31, 2008, the FBI team which visited Faridkot said that  no evidence could be collected, which could confirm Ajmal Kasab’s claim of being Pakistani national. In 2013, ex-investigative officer of the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation, Satish Verma disclosed that India itself arranged terror attacks on Indian parliament in 2001 in New Delhi and in Mumbai in 2008 to strengthen anti-terrorism laws.

It is notable that Hindu fundamentalist parties like BJP, RSS, Shiv Sena,VHP and their cohorts, which are promoting Hindu extremism have been committing gross human rights violations in India such as suppression of Muslims and Christians, attacks on their places of worship and so on. Besides, Indian military and paramilitary troops are also responsible for human rights violations in the Indian occupied Kashmir, while separatist movements in India continue unabated. These brutal atrocities and crushing the freedom movements have never been projected by Geo, while Balochistan issue remains favorite topic of Geo and The Times of India.

We can conclude that Aman Ki Asha has proved to be the myth, as the idea has created a negative impact on Pakistani public vis-à-vis Pakistan’s ideology, the Two Nation Theory, the image of Pakistan Army, ISI, the war against terrorism, insurgencies in Balochistan, FATA, cause of Kashmir, upsurge in sectarianism, civil military relations etc., while the disputes between India and Pakistan have further been sidelined as per Indian schemes. Hence, one can witness that Geo Media Group promoted Indian designs at the cost of Pakistan.

 

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

 

Email: [email protected]

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A Cry For The Beloved Country :‫پوری ویڈیو دیکھیں مزا نہ آیا تو پیسے واپس, مشرف بابا کی عدالت میں‬

‫پوری ویڈیو دیکھیں مزا نہ آیا تو پیسے واپس, مشرف بابا کی عدالت میں‬

 

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Status symbols – Our Elites behave in an appalling fashion.

Status symbols  –  Our Elites behave in an appalling fashion.

HALF listening to a BBC Radio 4 play set in India the other day, I sat up on hearing the main character utter this line: “In India, status is not measured by the size of your car or your house, but by the magnitude of the crime you can commit with impunity.”

It struck me this was even truer of Pakistan. After all, any drug smuggler, pimp or corrupt civil servant can afford a garish but expensive house or car. However, you need serious clout to send off your son to Dubai when he’s been placed on the Exit Control List after committing a murder before witnesses.

The rich and the connected in Pakistan have always enjoyed the kind of immunity from the law that dictators in other countries can only dream of. Forget petty offences like breaking a traffic light: everybody does that without even causing a cop to lift his whistle. Here, everything from tax evasion to stealing electricity can be arranged for anybody who can pay.

But those with serious status don’t even have to pay for government officials to look the other way. These are the people who use the VIP lounges at the airport, and have minions to clean up the mess they leave in their wake. In Pakistan, your status is also measured by the number of police guards assigned to you. Never mind that in a city like Karachi, there are twice as many private guards as there are cops; you still want your police mobiles clearing the way.

If you have the right connections, your son can cause the accidental death of a fine person like Mustafa Noorani by driving much too fast. All it takes is a few phone calls, and the spoilt brat walks free.

But even those without any apparent clout have a licence to kill with impunity: the other day a pregnant young woman was bludgeoned to death near the Lahore High Court by male members of her immediate family for the terrible crime of choosing her own life partner. The father confessed immediately, and will no doubt soon be released. And why not, considering nobody is ever convicted for the thousands of so-called honour killings that occur every year?

Of course, if you want to kill a member of our oppressed minorities, help yourself as it’s open season on them around the year. Recently, an Ahmadi doctor was gunned down at a cemetery. He’s only the latest in a long succession of Ahmadi murder victims, and again, no arrest has been made. In such cases, what gives the killers immunity is that the police won’t take on our powerful clerics for the sake of second-class citizens who have no political backing.

To get a sense of clerical clout, consider the case of Maulana Abdul Aziz, the cleric who ran Islamabad’s Lal Masjid until 2007. After months of escalating lawlessness, when the government finally intervened, and he was arrested while trying to flee in a burqa, Maulana Abdul Aziz was soon transformed into the victim. The judiciary cleared him of all charges, and is now trying Musharraf for belatedly doing his duty.

In fact, you have immunity if you kill in the name of Islam. Just look at the 50,000-plus Pakistanis who have fallen to jihadi terror. Few have been arrested, leave alone tried and convicted for this slaughter of the innocent. And many of those who were arrested have been freed in spectacular jailbreaks, or released by frightened judges.

Muslims everywhere become enraged if a mosque is deliberately damaged. But it’s OK for jihadis to blow them up, preferably with hundreds of believers praying inside. And it’s fine to desecrate Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras andChristian churches.

So why do our pampered elites behave in such an appalling fashion? The short answer is because they can. In the subcontinent, the whole point of attaining power is to place yourself above the law. Here, the feudal has become the role model. Which wadera has ever been tried for murder?

In fact, going back to pre-colonial days, our entire ethos has been shaped by the concept of droit de seigneur, or the medieval ‘right of the lord’, which gave a feudal the right to spend the first night with a vassal’s bride. Anybody with power rides roughshod over those below him in the pecking order.

And if you are a nobody in your village, you can still accuse a Hindu or a Christian of blasphemy. To kick somebody below you is an unfortunate human instinct, if only to show that you still count for something.

[email protected]

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2014

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