Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Pakistan’s Middle East Policy

President Zardari just conducted a whirlwind tour of important Muslim countries; he visited Afghanistan and Iran – important neighbors and sources of international concern – as well as the Kingdom...

President Zardari just conducted a whirlwind tour of important Muslim countries; he visited Afghanistan and Iran – important neighbors and sources of international concern – as well as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – a staunch and dependable ally of Pakistan.

While official quarters deny it, Pakistan appears to be playing a more assertive role in the region as well as in the Muslim world at large. In the aftermath of the “Arab Spring”, after dictators were peacefully removed in Egypt and Tunisia, violent uprisings took place in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya that have yet to dislodge the autocrats against whom popular agitation is taking place. With special emphasis on Bahrain – where Pakistani private security companies are alleged to have sent contractors and mercenaries on missions authorized by the Bahraini kingdom – Pakistan appears to, according to STRATFOR analyst Kamran Bokhari, have consolidated its interests in its immediate region.

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PICTURE PERFECT

Pakistanis should be pardoned if they are seeing too much in recent events. The dots they are connecting to make a picture are far too big to ignore and it would be moronic to consider them as coincidences. There was Admiral Mullen’s extraordinary statement blaming the government of Pakistan for the killing of journalist Saleem Shahzad while an investigation was in progress. This was followed by a statement from the State Department expressing concern over the same event. The Washington Post carried an article based on a letter supposedly written by a North Korean alleging military involvement in the proliferation episode that Pakistan had investigated and closed. The New York Times demanded – yes demanded – the removal of the Director General Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) as a prequel to the ‘restructuring’ of that organization.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Norwegian massacre gunman was a right-wing extremist who hated Muslims

  • Suspect named by Norwegian media as Anders Behring Breivik
  • Police believe he acted alone and not connected to Islamist organisations
  • The massacre in Norway was the work of a man with extreme right wing views who hated Muslims, police said this morning.

    Officers found a series of raving internet posts by 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik, who was arrested for gunning down children on the island of Utoya yesterday.

    National police chief Sveinung Sponheim told public broadcaster NRK that the suspected gunman's Internet postings 'suggest that he has some political traits directed toward the right, and anti-Muslim views, but if that was a motivation for the actual act remains to be seen'.

    Six foot tall and blond Breivik is reported to have arrived on the island of Utoya and opened fire after beckoning several young people over in his native Norwegian tongue.

    Reports suggest he was also seen loitering around the site of the bomb blast in Oslo two hours before the island incident.

    More than 30 are believed to have been killed - seven in Oslo and between 25 to 30 on Utoya Island, 50 miles north of the capital.

    Initially it was not known what were the motives of the gunman and architect of the car bomb - whether they or the single person had been radicalised and was part of a militant Muslim group waging Jihad or was trying to further a home-grown political cause.

    But it now appears Breivik was behind both attacks, a fact that it took police hours to realise as the mayhem ensued.


    Crime scene: The 32-year-old Norwegian used this white van to drive onto the island of Utoya

    Crime scene: The 32-year-old Norwegian is said to have used this white van to drive onto the island of Utoya

    The incidents come as social tensions with Norway heighten in recent months over the country’s perceived stance on Islamic issues.

    Injured: Seven people were killed in the Oslo bomb blast (pictured)

    Fatal: Seven people were killed in the Oslo bomb blast (pictured)

    Though a long-standing Nato member, Norway has not attracted many enemies because it has tended to stay out of international conflicts.

    However, it has recently increased its military presence in Muslim countries such as Afghanistan or Libya, a move bound to anger fanatics.

    There was anger among some of the 150,000 Muslims living in Norway when a newspaper reproduced the controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in January last year.

    Last night ‘Helpers of the Global Jihad’ posted a message on the internet claiming the bombing was ‘only the beginning’ of the retaliation over the cartoons.

    But this has been dismissed by some commentators as a publicity stunt.

    Other Scandinavian countries have faced radical Islamic attacks in the past.

    Violence erupted in Denmark after a newspaper published a cartoon of the Prophet wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb in 2005.

    And last December an Islamic suicide bomber, who was radicalised in Britain, set off a bomb in Stockholm.

    Police would not speculate on who was responsible for the attack or whether international groups were involved.

    But the country is also in the midst of grappling with a homegrown terror plot linked to al-Qaida.

    Two suspects are in jail awaiting charges.

    Last week, a Norwegian prosecutor filed terror charges against an Iraqi-born cleric for threatening Norwegian politicians with death if he is deported from the Scandinavian country.

    The indictment centred on statements that Mullah Krekar - the founder of the Kurdish Islamist group Ansar al-Islam - made to various news media, including American network NBC.

    Jihadist groups have also made recent threats to Norway over plans to expel Mullah Krekar, the founder of the Kurdish Islamist group Ansar al-Islam.

     

    Norway's support of NATO's mission in Libya also earned it enemies, Bob Ayers, a former U.S. intelligence officer, told AP.

    Shows: Norway attacks suspect Anders Behring Breivik
    Shows: Norway attacks suspect Anders Behring Breivik

    Suspect: The 32-year-old Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik, who has been arrested after the attacks

    'Norwegians are in Afghanistan. They're in Tripoli. They reprinted the cartoons,' he said.

    Many intelligence analysts said they had never heard of Helpers of Global Jihad, which took initial credit. Ansar al-Islam also took credit on some jihadist web sites.

    And Ayers said it appeared more than one person was involved.

    Wrecked: The blast in Oslo was outside a government office

    Wrecked: The blast in Oslo was outside a government office

    Asked at a press conference in Tripoli about Libya's reaction to the events in Oslo, government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said, 'We never support any acts of terrorism whatsoever.'

    But he suggested NATO's policies could have prompted the attack, saying, 'NATO is planting terrorism in the hearts of many. This is unfortunate and sad.'

    Authorities in Norway and other Scandinavian countries have focused on anti-terrorism tactics that frustrate countries like the U.S. that are more aggressive about making arrests.

    Scandinavian authorities fight terrorism by disrupting plots, sometimes telling suspects they know what they're up to, and warning them of the consequences.

    Terror convictions are also difficult to get because of scepticism in Scandinavian courts toward cases built on intent - as most terrorism trials are - and a demand for more evidence than in the U.S. and many other places.

    Europe has been the target of numerous terror plots by Islamist militants.

    The deadliest was the 2004 Madrid train bombings, when shrapnel-filled bombs exploded, killing 191 people and wounding about 1,800.

    A year later, suicide bombers killed 52 rush-hour commuters in London aboard three subway trains and a bus.

    And in 2006, U.S. and British intelligence officials thwarted one of the largest plots yet - a plan to explode nearly a dozen trans-Atlantic airliners.

    In October, the U.S. State Department advised American citizens living or travelling in Europe to take more precautions following reports that terrorists may be plotting attacks on a European city.

    Some countries went on heightened alert after the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden.

    Intelligence analysts said they doubted the attack was linked to bin Laden's death.

    'Al-Qaida would have targeted something closer to U.S. interests if it was related to bin Laden,' Ayers said.

    Norwegian bombing: How Islamophobic fever among western media and anti-terror experts came to surface?

    oslo explosions

    At 3.30 p.m on Friday, the 22 July 2011, a hefty explosion ripped through the centre of Oslo, the capital of Norway, causing heavy material damage, dozens of injured and 7 people died. The bomb caused heavy destruction to the offices of Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and a number of other official buildings. Neighboring offices – including those housing some of Norway’s leading newspapers and news agency NTB were hit and evacuated. Oil ministry was also among the other government buildings hit, while the headquarters of tabloid newspaper VG were also damaged.

    From TV pictures, one can see the extensive damage in the shape of rubble. Glass from shattered windows littered the streets and smoke from the fires drifting across the city could be seen from the devastated government quarter. One must condemn such cowardly and brutal carnage as strongly as possible. There should be no buts and ifs on the issue violence and terror.

    Read More: Norwegian bombing: How Islamophobic fever among western media and anti-terror experts came to surface?

    Tuesday, July 19, 2011

    The bloody monsoons of Karachi

    Image

    The monsoon season has hit Pakistan. While most parts of Pakistan enjoy the good weather, Karachi bleeds. The deteriorating situation in Karachi has been a constant since the past twenty years and in the recent months it has further debilitated to the point where the value of life for the common man has become virtually non-existent. It is a curious title to choose, knowing that in early July more than 110 people perished in just five days in Karachi, and countless others were either forced to flee their homes, or still remain trapped in them.  Consider further that it was but part of a recurrent pattern, and one is bound to question that have there ever been any gains to preserve and possibly build on.

    Mohatma Gandhi: The Dark Side Of The Moon

    Thrill of the chaste: The truth about Gandhi’s sex life

    No sex please: Gandhi, above, 'tested' himself by sleeping with naked grand-nieces Manu, left, and Abha, rightWith religious chastity under scrutiny, a new book throws light on Gandhi’s practice of sleeping next to naked girls. In fact, he was sex-mad, writes biographer Jad Adams

    It was no secret that Mohandas Gandhi had an unusual sex life. He spoke constantly of sex and gave detailed, often provocative, instructions to his followers as to how to they might best observe chastity. And his views were not always popular; “abnormal and unnatural” was how the first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, described Gandhi’s advice to newlyweds to stay celibate for the sake of their souls.

    Continue reading Mohatma Gandhi: The Dark Side Of The Moon

    The Secret Life of Ahmed Wali Karzai

    How America Runs Its Own Private Militias in Afghanistan, And Outsources Them To Drug Barons And Mafia Overlords

    How America Runs Its Own Private Militias in Afghanistan, And Outsources Them To Drug Barons And Mafia Overlords INTRODUCTION The death of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half brother of Afghan...

    INTRODUCTION

    The death of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and provincial council chief of Kandahar province, has brought the War in Afghanistan to a crossroads. Beyond his death, both President Karzai and the US and its allies are at a loss for what endgame they plan now.

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    Wednesday, July 13, 2011

    Punishing Pakistan may punish the U.S. too

    White House Chief of Staff William Daley said that Pakistanis The decision to suspend $800 million in military aid is understandable, but the move could end up increasing anti-Americanism in Pakistan and complicating joint efforts to fight terrorism.

    A decision by the United States to suspend $800 million in military aid to Pakistan is both understandable and regrettable. Understandable because this country clearly feels the need to respond to provocations unworthy of an ally, but regrettable because the suspension could have the effect of increasing anti-Americanism in Pakistan and complicating joint efforts to fight terrorism.

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    Pakistan won’t give in to US bullying

    _kayaniThe country’s top military brass on Tuesday rejected ‘conditional aid’ from the US, saying the armed forces would utilise their own resources to fight the menace of terrorism.The military commanders also refused to bow to US pressure for taking back the decision to send back the American military trainers, and allow the dozens of CIA operatives forcibly sent from Pakistan to return to the country.

    Continue reading Pakistan won’t give in to US bullying

    Thursday, July 7, 2011

    A.Q. Khan’s Twisted Tricks and Washington Post Propaganda

    A.Q. KhanWashington and Pyongyang may be on the verge of another attempt at negotiation. After a stroke in 2008, Kim Jong Il seems to have spent much of 2009 getting his groove back—launching missiles, testing a nuclear weapon, and separating more plutonium—while Washington looked for new sources of pressure, having cut off North Korea’s access to the international market for everything from yachts to iPods.

    Signs that Six Party Talks might resume have triggered another round of debate about the wisdom of engaging North Korea. These debates play out in the pages of newspapers, like the Washington Post, which published a pair of stories at the end of 2009 based on a letter written by A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb and notorious nuclear smuggler. The articles contained some striking claims about Pakistan’s involvement with North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs: first, that North Korean officials showed Khan three disassembled nuclear weapons in 1999; and second, that North Korea, in 2002, was constructing a large uranium enrichment facility.

    Continue reading A.Q. Khan’s Twisted Tricks and Washington Post Propaganda

     

    Tuesday, July 5, 2011

    U.S. Can’t Find Iran’s Spy-Tech Suppliers

    Want to know which companies are playing a double game of doing business with America and selling spy gear to Iran? Well, so would the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative...

    Want to know which companies are playing a double game of doing business with America and selling spy gear to Iran? Well, so would the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative arm. They just released a report saying they can’t find any examples. But don’t take comfort in the absence of suspects. The reason might just be because Iran is getting pretty good at building its own snoop tech and buying it covertly.

    US fears cuts to Afghan supply lines

    THE US military is rapidly expanding its aerial and central Asian supply routes to the war in Afghanistan, fearing that Pakistan could cut off the main means of providing US and NATO forces with fuel, food and equipment.

    Pakistan has not explicitly threatened to sever the supply lines, but US officials said they were concerned the routes could be endangered by the deterioration of US-Pakistan relations, partly fed by ill will from the cross-border raid that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

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    Urban Planning in Pakistan

    From the let-downs of the present to the hopes of the future 

    In Pakistan, because of continuously dwindling land holdings and the exponential rise in population, the majority of the people are migrating from the rural areas to the cities. The UN estimates that at present approximately 35 per cent of Pakistanis live in “urban areas”, and in another ten years, more than half the Pakistanis will start residing in these urban areas. Some argue that the figures underestimate the reality of the situation and that Pakistan’s population has already become more than 50 per cent urbanized. These urban areas account for nearly 80 percent of the GDP, yet constitute no more than 3 percent of the country’s overall land mass. The state of these urban areas is abysmal and in Punjab, which happens to be the most populous province, nearly 50 percent of urban residents live in slums or katchi abadis. In contrast, some argue that almost 70 percent of the people are living in slums in Karachi. Before delving further into the specifics of the plethora of urban problems faced by Pakistan, let us first indentify what urban planning really is and how it has continued to influence the human civilization.

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    Europe's Elusive Gold Reserves: Are Greece, Portugal Sitting on Billions of Dollars?

    The first thing any insolvent private person is forced to do is relinquish the family silver. But other rules seem to apply to governments. Whether they've been living above their means for a few years or for decades, certain countries hold on tight to their assets, declare themselves unable to pay back their debts and turn to other countries for help.


    The European Union has seen many an example of this. Right now, Greece is negotiating with the troika of the E.U., the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new rescue package while Athens sits on an impressive 114-ton stash of gold, about what four large, fully loaded trucks could carry.


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    Friday, July 1, 2011

    Military Balance of South Asia

    Hosting some of the world’s largest economies and militaries, the region must purposefully and wholeheartedly move towards a perception of threat reduction and collective security

    Hosting some of the world’s largest economies and militaries, the region must purposefully and wholeheartedly move towards a perception of threat reduction and collective security China’s military spending was approximated...

    China’s military spending was approximated at US$ 77.95 billion in 2010, and is expected to grow by 12.7% to US$ 91.5 billion by 2012. Estimates of China’s military budget have always different, and according to various standards, may either range between the range of US$ 35-60 billion, or may even be as high as US$ 200 billion. The US DoD, SIPRI, RAND, CIA and DIA all have different estimates of China’s military budget, according to different sources as well as different standards. Due to China’s incomparable economic growth, it state services and military apparatus have achieved quantum leaps during the last two decades. Perceived designs of China’s political economy paint it as a hegemonic power that seeks to destabilize its neighbors and usurp the resources and riches of the region that is in its reach. Sino-Japanese confrontations and other engagements in South China sea – especially around the disputed Spratly Islands – have been painted as aggressive maneuvers where China was to blame; in reality, it was China’s awesome military capacity in the tactical dimension, coupled with tough diplomatic engagement in the strategic dimension, that helped China achieve her objectives, regardless of how the international media shaped public opinion about it. The so-called string of pearls that China is creating in the Pacific and Indian oceans is also a globalist theory that is designed to push Japan, South Korea, Taiwan (or the disputed Republic of China, rather), the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even India, closer to the American perception of China’s military ‘designs’. Despite such concerns, China’s military modernization and secretive development is unparalleled; the People’s Liberation Army, Navy and Air Force operate at the cutting edge of military technology, and are significantly developing their conventional capabilities through research, development, testing and improvement.

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    Why Cairo's Tahrir Square Is Heating Up Again

    Tahrir Square on Wednesday, a day after another round of clashes between police and protesters, resembled its old war-zone self. Crowds of Egyptians trampled over the broken shards of glass and pavement that littered the street outside Cairo's interior ministry. Tear gas lingered in the air, as the remains of burning tires cooled near the lines of military police who had arrived when the regular police made their familiar exit. Traffic moved haltingly through the swarms of spectators. And then there were the vendors who had wheeled in their juice and snack carts to capitalize on the crowds.

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    India: Gujarat riots records ‘destroyed’

    Official records relating to the 2002 riots in India’s Gujarat state were destroyed in line with regulations, the government tells a panel probing the riots.

    Documents with records of telephone calls and the movements of officials during the riots were destroyed in 2007, five years after their origin Officials say this is standard practice and in line with civil service rules.

    Continue reading India: Gujarat riots records ‘destroyed’