America-Pakistan-India Triangle

Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, who ironically enjoys the reputation of being American ambassador to Pakistan, based in Washington, has recently quipped, “The most hated country in Pakistan is our top trading partner, top aid donor, top weapon supplier and top remittance source”.

Significant reason behind this anomaly is the snowballing India-US nexus at the cost of Pakistan. De-hyphenating of India-Pakistan in American strategic calculus has indeed created more problems for America and this region than it intended to resolve. Obsession to sponsor the rise of India as a major player on Asian geopolitical canvas has severely curtailed American leverage over India; Obama dare not pronounce ‘K’ for Kashmir once again!

Barrack Obama’s visit to India had left a negative impact on the whole region which has been reinforced by Hillary’s recent rhetoric. By prompting India to bite more than it could chew, America is well on its way to sow the seeds of perpetual destabilization of this region at the expense of China as well as India itself.

While in the past America played effective role to diffuse Pak-India tensions and did not allow the matters to degenerate into tactical showdown, it also winked its eye to allow India maintain strategic pressures through military deployments, diplomatic manoeuvres and resource squeezing.

Pakistan and America differ considerably on issues of vital interest to Pakistan; nuclear policy, energy acquisition from Iran and China, end game in Afghanistan, Kashmir conflict etc are some major areas of divergence. Most of these issues are intricately liked to India. Hence a Pakistan-India-America triangle has emerged; a sort of re-hyphenation in a crude form.

America retains a cunning balancing leverage between India and Pakistan; and uses the pressure points aptly to make Pakistan and India do American bidding.

Recently the US lawmakers have rejected the bill regarding stoppage of aid to Pakistan but have agreed to attach strings. Public opinion is gaining strength that stringed aid may be refused and to make up for the loss, Pakistan should proportionately enhance the transit fee on American supply containers and also impose transit fee on aircraft destined for Afghan war zone through Pakistan.

America frequently partners Indian effort in maintaining a high pitched tirade against Pakistan’s armed force and the ISI; this has scaled new heights since the cowardly Abbottabad attack. All guns are being directed against Pakistan. Political leadership is being spared of any wrong doing with a clear objective of creating a wedge between the political and military echelons of national leadership.

Timed with Hillary’s recent visit, Americans took a well calculated step to appease India by arresting Kashmiri American Council President, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai. Indian reaction was of joy. Arrest is a setback to the legitimate rights of the people of Kashmir, specially their struggle for self-determination. Pakistani government showed an angry response. Foreign office announced that “A demarche was made to the US embassy in Islamabad to register the concerns, in particular the slander campaign against Pakistan.”

To mitigate the defeat in Afghanistan, the US is working overtime to shift the blame for every wrong to Pakistan. To consolidate towards this end, America is all set to involve India in Afghanistan, militarily. While in India, Hillary Clinton sought to reassure India that the United States has no plan to cut and run when it comes to Afghanistan. Indeed Hillary was bluffing,

those familiar with Obama administration’s thinking are of the view that White House wants to be able to point to concrete achievements in the country in the run-up to 2012 elections, while wrapping things up in Afghanistan “at any cost”.

In the context of terrorism, India needs to understand that militants are well-organised from Somalia to Afghanistan and from Central Asian Republics to the Occupied Kashmir.

International security analysts are already predicting that India is on the brink of becoming a battle ground of these trans-national groups. Outreach of these elements is much broader than Pakistan’s logical capacity to handle them; even America is unable to contain them. Pakistan has already proposed setting up of SAARC police for pooling up regional resources for this purpose.

Hillary Clinton played another pressure card by projecting India as the leading power in Asia. This effort was launched to coax India into a proxy role to counterbalance China. Hillary called upon India to become a more assertive leader in Asia, in South-East Asia, the Pacific Rim, in Central Asia and Pacific Ocean.

The fact is that India is having a hard time holding its own in its immediate neighbourhood, as China is expanding its links with Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Nepal. Hence, to expect India to match China in South-East Asia and the Pacific Rim, where China has built-in advantages, is a pipe dream. India will remain cautious while siding with Americans against the Chinese. It needs China’s nod to realise its aspiration for a permanent UNSC berth.

Under these settings, the fate of Pak-India foreign minister level talks was correctly pre-judged by the analysts of India and Pakistan. There was unanimity of opinion that parleys would remain at the cosmetic level, routines would be discussed and core issues would be sidestepped. Travel, trade, terrorism etc would be in forefront; water and Kashmir in the background.

Mumbai would be highlighted and ‘Samjhota Express’ would get a passing mention. Matters have moved the same way. Nevertheless, some functional dialogue process is always better than none.

In an upbeat assessment after their meeting, Indian Foreign Minister said ties were back “on the right track,” while Pakistani Foreign Minister spoke of a “new era” of cooperation. Nevertheless, there was little in the way of substantive agreements to back up the general mood of optimism. Joint statement was monotonous, envisaging a general bilateral effort to combat terrorism, increase trade and keep the peace dialogue going.

One must understand that now America is in the driving seat of Pak-India interactions; talks are likely to follow the pattern of ‘sound good solve nothing’. After all America has a long experience of sponsoring futile dialogue like process between Palestine and Israel. It remains for India and Pakistan not to get locked into a zero sum game. Both countries need to strengthen their bilateral institutions to absorb the sporadic crises and move on.

Talk to the Haqqanis, before it’s too late

Last month Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair’s chief Northern Ireland negotiator, argued that “no group should be beyond talking to.” In the context of the current crisis and a shift towards seeking a peace deal in Afghanistan, this is particularly salient. President Hamid Karzai has recently announced the creation of a commission to lead talks with the Taliban. There is also emerging consensus in Washington that stability in Afghanistan can only be achieved by reaching some sort of a political settlement with the Taliban. But not talking to particular insurgent groups will not be a good idea, and a reliance on a policy of “decapitating” them is even worse.

One group that should not “be beyond talking to” is the Haqqani network, named for its leader Maulavi Jalaluddin Haqqani, and now considered one of the most feared insurgent groups in Afghanistan. The network is responsible for attacks against the Afghan government, the U.S. military, and the Indian Embassy in Kabul. Perhaps because of this central role in the Afghan insurgency, in July, Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard Holbrooke asserted that the Haqqanis are the Taliban network with the closest ties to al Qaeda and that dealing with them is ‘the most pressing task’ in combating the insurgency. Despite their alleged links to international terrorists, even Secretary Clinton has not ruled out supporting dialogue with them (with caveats). These comments suggest the door on the U.S. side may soon be slightly ajar. However, having spent the past six years talking with members of the network, including some of its senior members, it would appear that the Haqqani’s door is currently open for talks but may soon be firmly shut. The Haqqani network is in the midst of a generational power shift from father to son, which if completed will all but rule out any future talk of peace.

In June 2007, well before the Haqqani terrorist network had found its way into headlines in the western media, chatter spread through the mountainous tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan that the aging and ill Jalaluddin — insurgent leader, client of the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), facilitator of Osama bin Laden’s 2001 escape into Pakistan — had passed away, reportedly due to hepatitis. The intelligence community picked up on this rumor but quickly disproved it. At the time of this report I was living in the tribal areas of southeast Afghanistan and wrote a report titled “Jalaluddin Haqqani: Dead, Alive, Does it Matter?” In short the answer is yes and no. Yes, because had he died at the time, it would have left the network more vulnerable than at anytime since its emergence in late 2004. And no, because today the Haqqanis have nearly completed what could be best described as ‘succession planning’ resulting in a powerful network that many believe jeopardizes Afghanistan’s stability

It is well known that for almost a decade he has suffered from health problems and requires regular medical attention rendering him relatively inactive in the day-to-day workings of the insurgency. Furthermore, as a senior insurgent commander (and former Taliban Minister), Maulavi Haqqani’s profile as a “most wanted” does not permit travel to the Afghan battle space. Consequently, his 36-year-old son Sirajuddin (aka “Khalifa”) has increasingly taken over, with gusto, operational command of his father’s network.

However, these limitations speak nothing of the influence Maulavi Haqqani continues to enjoy as a tribal leader, religious scholar, ISI associate and close ally of Gulf Arab financiers. Indeed, the success of the Haqqani network rests with these social/religious/political connections that Maulavi Haqqani has carefully nurtured over the past 30-plus years; indeed, it was these very factors that also made him so popular with the CIA during the anti-Soviet jihad). It can be assumed that these networks, particularly with Arab financiers and the ISI, have been “inherited” by Sirajuddin. However, the same cannot be said about Maulavi Haqqani’s tribal, religious and mujahideen credentials. Sirajuddin is in his early 30’s, grew up in Miram Shah, Pakistan and, prior to 2001, only occasionally traveled to his native village of Garde Serai, nestled in the rugged mountains of Paktia province. In Miram Shah he was involved in Islamic Studies but, unlike his father, did not graduate from a prestigious madrassah and is too young to have been a well-known fighter during the anti-Soviet jihad.

Hence, the very elements that have contributed to the success of Maulavi Haqqani’s activities in eastern Afghanistan (and that could be used to assist in a peace process) — his personal influence as a tribal leader, mujahideen commander and religious elder — will be lost after he dies or passes control to Siraj.

Moreover, the respect of Maulavi Haqqani within Afghanistan as a mujahideen leader is matched by the respect he derives from being a prominent tribal and religious elder. As a result, it has been difficult for the various Zadran sub tribes of Paktia, Paktika and Khost to actively oppose his network’s activities in their respective tribal regions.

Indeed, today the Haqqani network is spreading its influence geographically into areas previously dominated by other insurgent groups (such as the Mansoor network in Zurmat district of Paktia). It has also, for the first time since the beginning of the Haqqani-led insurgency in late 2004-early 2005, recently embarked upon the systematic targeting and killing of moderate tribal leaders from within the Zadran tribe. This all looks like succession planning. Tactically, Sirajuddin must know that when his father dies (be it of natural causes or otherwise), the tribes would certainly be better positioned to oppose him, should they choose (and be empowered) to do so.

Added to this equation is the knowledge that U.S. pressure on Islamabad to tackle the Haqqani network could see their safe havens in North Waziristan come under increased pressure in the future. Maulavi Haqqani had the necessary contacts and influence to navigate his way through policy shifts in Islamabad. A question mark remains over whether Siraj, in the absence of his father, would be as adept at maneuvering between possible future policy shifts.

The time is ripe, therefore, for a dialogue to take place, one that will be easier to negotiate while the older generation of fighters that knows the benefits of peace is still alive. From my discussions with representatives of Maulavi Haqqani, he still claims to be fighting in Afghanistan for ‘peace.’ Sirajuddin, on the other hand, does not know the meaning of the word. He has been brought up in war, has never lived as a citizen of a functioning nation state, has little to no experience of government, is not a tribal elder and is not even a credible religious leader. In this regard he is motivated more by a radical Islamist ideology than his father, and less obviously constrained by a desire to maintain good relations with the local tribal leaders.

For example, on a visit to Afghanistan this year I met with a prominent Zadran tribesman who had returned from North Waziristan the previous week and had spent the night with Siraj. He had taken a message to the commander that the latter’s insurgent activities in the Zadran tribal area were having negative consequences for his fellow tribesman. Upon relaying this message, the elder was informed by Siraj that he was welcome to stay the night and receive his hospitality but that if he ever returned again with such a message he would not leave with his head on his shoulders. Such a blunt message to a respected Zadran tribal elder could not and would not have come from his father.

Despite appearances, my years of working closely with various tribal and religious leaders of the Zadran tribe has convinced me that there is a pro-peace middle majority that has hitherto been marginalized by the political process, the military intervention in the region and the insurgency. Sadly, some of the best of these leaders have already been targeted by the insurgents or have wrongfully been detained by the International Military Forces. Unless greater security and political space is afforded to the current Zadran tribal and religious leadership in Paktia, Paktika and Khost, the outcome of the Haqqani network’s succession planning will go ahead unchallenged.

In order to prevent this scenario from transpiring the United States must make a clear distinction between the current Haqqani network and al Qaeda. The Haqqani network is an Afghan network focused on Afghanistan. There is no evidence that the objective of the Haqqani network is to support an international jihadist agenda. To this end, Washington and Kabul should embark upon a policy of engagement (as part of a broader political outreach effort to all various elements of the Taliban) to separate the two. Locally, U.S. forces must pay greater attention to the local tribal dynamics as part of its counterinsurgency approach. In the southeast, this should include support to the tribal police (or arbakai) and ensuring that the pro-peace tribal majority is not subjected to intimidation, detention (or worse) by the international military presence.

However, should we fail to capitalize on this opportunity for dialogue, a more radical network, combined with the absence of the tribal and religious constraints that Maulavi Haqqani must regularly negotiate, will mark the beginning of a new, more violent generation of the insurgency in eastern Afghanistan. And this new insurgency will leave no prospects for dialogue or peace.

The Taliban come to Mir’s aid

Following is the unedited version of the press statement released by the Taliban Media Centre in support of Hamid Mir.

This is a press release from the Taliban Media Centre commenting on the fake audio tape issued by some secret agency of Pakistan. We are actively condumn the reliability of this tape since there was no conversatin like that in between us and Mr Hamid Mir. Althoug we have talked with many different persons of media. It is very often and there is no doubt that they are not involved with us. This is seems to be a conspiracy to destroy the reputation of Mujahideen and the brave people of this country who want to bring truth in front while revealing the dark faces of this nation.

Suppose, this audion tape can be accepted as a true one than it is also demanded that the video tapes of Shery Rehman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Salman Taseer should also be treated as the same degree. Since sexy pictures of Salman Taseer’s daughter and sons are on media so can any one tell the nation how a loose characterd person can be a governor of a province. What action should government agencies took? Why they are delaying?

Unfortunately the secret agenceis of Pakistan are directly opposing the nations benefits and try to sabotash the well repudiated personalities and institutions for the greater interst of their own. We also like to remind the fake movie, released to media for defacing the actual good will of Mujahideen in swat. That was proved to be faked later but on its basis army did the brutal assault/operation of the whole area. Now people of this country must understand that Mujahideen are not their enemies. But the government, politicians and military beaurucrates are the real enemies of this nation.

Also it is demanded by us that all the relevant records of phone calls in between us and the major media representatives should also be released for public pursuation. ASIAN TIGERS had prooves for their satisfaction that’s why they kidnapped Khalid Khwaja. We contacted the ASIAN TIGERS on this matter and they denied any kind of connections with either Mr.Hamid Mir or any other person related to media. They also condumns the fake audio tape. Also they demanded the actual agenceies who bring this tape. If these agenceies have any kind of proof then they need to bring it in front. Who forced ASIAN TIGERS to kidnap Khalid Khwaja and Colonel Imam with Asad Qureshi. What was the role or Gen Hameed Gul and Gen Aslam Beg. Where you fit Ibrahim Parachi and Shah Abdul Aziz. Either Gen Hameed Gul and Gen Aslam Beg are the actual Punjabi Taliban or this tape is the fake one. Ibrahim Parachi is also the CIA agent and Shah Abdul Aziz is a doule agent of Xe and ISI.

If Mr. Hamid Mir attracted or give instructions to ASIAN TIGERS in order to kidnap Khalid Khwaja then they must have conversations more than once. These tapes should also be published for media. Are we right in demanding this action? If Mr Hamid Mir gave proof to ASIAN TIGERS then he also gave instructions to them for kidnapping Khalid Khwaja & company. We expect that very soon these tapes should also be available on internet and youtube. By the way what exactly the dates of this tape is.

Secondly, who gave the authority to PTCL or any government agency to tape a phone prior to any court order. By doing this PTCL is also establishing it’s reputaion as an alley of terrorists (Govt. of Pakistan, ISI and Army). If this happened again then PTCL should ready to get the most suitable answer in proper manner. Although we know how PTCL was sold to these culprits and Khwaja was also involed in that deal. Do you want to raise the curtain?

PTCl should clear it’s position in order to bring the facts if this tape is true or fake. If they claim it is a true tape then they also give explanation why they tape these calls. If this is the fake one then they also took legal actions against that agency.

If PTCL will not take any action then no problem, we are here and you have a very little time for confession. Take care.

Note: This statement is on behalf of ASIAN TIGERS

Taliban take exception to audiotape

ISLAMABAD: The Taliban Media Centre issued a press release on behalf of Asian Tigers on Sunday commenting on the audiotape issued by, what it alleged, was some secret agency of Pakistan.

Following is the text of the press release: “We actively condemn the reliability of this tape since there was no conversation like that between us and Mr Hamid Mir. “Although we have talked with many different persons of media, it is very often and there is no doubt that they are not involved with us. This seems to be a conspiracy to destroy the reputation of Mujahideen and the brave people of this country who want to bring truth in front while revealing the dark faces of this nation.

“Suppose, this audio tape can be accepted as a true one, then it is also demanded that the video tapes of Sherry Rehman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Salmaan Taseer should also be treated as the same degree. Since sexy pictures of Salmaan Taseer’s daughter and sons are on media, so can any one tell the nation how a loose character person can be a governor of a province? What action should government agencies take? Why they are delaying?

“Unfortunately, the secret agencies of Pakistan are directly opposing the nation benefits and trying to sabotage the well reputed personalities and institutions for the greater interest of their own. We also like to remind the fake movie, released to media for defacing the actual goodwill of Mujahideen in Swat. That was proved to be faked later but on its basis, the Army did the brutal assault/operation in the whole area. Now people of this country must understand that Mujahideen are not their enemies but the government, politicians and military bureaucrats are the real enemies of this nation.

“Also it is demanded by us that all the relevant records of phone calls between us and the major media representatives should be released for public persuasion. Asian Tigers had proved for their satisfaction that’s why they kidnapped Khalid Khwaja. We contacted the Asian Tigers on this matter and they denied any kind of connections with either Hamid Mir or any other person related to media. They also condemn the fake audio tape. Also they demanded the actual agencies who bring this tape. If these agencies have any kind of proof, then they need to bring it in front. Who forced Asian Tigers to kidnap Khalid Khwaja and Colonel Imam with Asad Qureshi? What was the role of Gen Hameed Gul and Gen Aslam Beg? Where you fit Ibrahim Paracha and Shah Abdul Aziz. Either Gen Hameed Gul and Gen Aslam Beg are the actual Punjabi Taliban or this tape is fake one. Ibrahim Paracha is also the CIA agent and Shah Abdul Aziz is a double agent of Xe and ISI.

“If Mr Hamid Mir attracted or give instructions to Asian Tigers in order to kidnap Khalid Khwaja, then they must have conversations more than once. These tapes should also be published for media. Are we right in demanding this action? If Mr Hamid Mir gave proof to Asian Tigers, then he also gave instructions to them for kidnapping Khalid Khwaja & company. We expect that very soon these tapes should also be available on Internet and Youtube. By the way what exactly the dates of this tape is.

“Secondly, who gave the authority to PTCL or any government agency to tape a phone prior to any court order. By doing this, PTCL is also establishing it’s reputation as an ally of terrorists (Govt of Pakistan, ISI and Army). If this happened again, then PTCL should ready to get the most suitable answer in proper manner. Although, we know how PTCL was sold to these culprits and Khwaja was also involved in that deal. Do you want to raise the curtain?

“PTCL should clear its position in order to bring the facts if this tape is true or fake. If they claim it is a true tape, then they should also give explanation why they tape these calls. If this is the fake one, then they should also take legal actions against that agency. “If PTCL will not take any action, then no problem, we are here and you have a very little time for confession.

The untold story of Khalid Khawaja, Hamid Mir, Mullah Barader and Faisal Shehzad

This looks like a tale of fiction and movies; but this is a real life drama unfolding in Pakistan around us.

The secret web of betrayal and treachery – The untold story of Khalid Khawaja, Hamid Mir, Mullah Barader and Faisal Shehzad… Any links between the three?? Seems impossible! But not in this high stakes State-sponsored dirty, sinister world of covert ops, double agents, sting operations and assassinations.

Khalid Khawaja

Hamid Mir

Mullah Barader

Hakeem Ullah Mehsud

Lets start the story:

Americans have been trying to play a sinister game. They had penetrated into the ranks of Afghan Taliban especially into the Popalzai tribe and had cultivated a high level Afghan Taliban leader to be pitched against Mullah Umer. Basically, CIA was creating a “coup” within Taliban. Hold your breath, sit back and prepare yourself to know who this secret “CIA asset” within the Taliban was… It was Mullah Barader! Yes, the same one captured in Karachi by ISI and US is desperate to have him.

The CIA plan was that Mullah Barader would be brought to Karachi and then ISI would be tipped to arrest him. Then US were to ask the custody of the Afghan leader and Pakistan government would hand over the Afghan Talib leader to US. The result would be catastrophic for Pakistan as all pro-Taliban elements would then condemn ISI and Pakistan as CIA puppets and a serious breach of trust and confidence would appear between Pakistani security establishment and Afghan Mujahideen. This would also humiliate army and ISI in front of the nation. CIA and US administration were extremely upset when ISI refused to hand over Mullah Barader to US, despite the pressure from Zardari mafia. ISI initially did not know the CIA game. They just refused to hand over Barader to US and insisted upon their own interrogation first. Unknowingly, ISI was seriously damaging the US game plan of staging a coup against Mullah Omar as well as against ISI. During the interrogation, the entire game became exposed to the ISI.

The Zardari clan was equally desperate to hand over Barader to US. Here, enters Khalid Khawaja!

Out of his love for Taliban, unknowingly that he is entering to a global game of espionage and betrayal, KK filed a petition into the SC taking a stay order against handing over of Mullah Barader to US. Now US were furious. KK had signed his death warrant and now was marked for death.

KK (Khalid Khawaja) had been going to North Waziristan and dealing with TTP, trying his best to start a reconciliation process between Pakistan and TTP. He was also aware of the fact that a “Lashkar Jhangvi” faction of TTP was opposed to these attempts at peace talks. These include Ilyas Kashmiri gang commonly called Punjabi Taliban. When KK was returning from talks with Hakim Ullah Mehsud, he was invited by Punjabi Taliban group and taken prisoner along with Col Imam and Asad Qureshi, the journalist.

Initially, TTP was unaware of KK and his party’s being taken prisoner by the Punjabi Taliban. Later, when Hakeem Ullah Mehsud came to know of the drama, he tried to secure the release of the men. But then, enters another treacherous character from Geo TV.

Hamid Mir, makes a call to the Punjabi Taliban and ask them not to release KK and instigates them to assassinate KK as a spy! Hamid Mir, talks to Punjabi Taliban (PT) in detail and this entire conversation is recorded by the PT and the tape is taken to HakimUllah Mehsud. The allegations, charges and accusations against KK which were leveled by Hamid Mir were so severe that HakimUllah Mehsud also fell for the trap and allowed the execution of KK after making him read the confessional statement which was exactly what Hamid Mir had dictated to the PT. This tape is now available and is the most direct incriminating evidence against Hamid Mir. It is clear that Hamid Mir was launched by Americans to use his influence on the TTP and PT to get KK assassinated. It was done with precision, except for one blunder – the tape is now with Pakistani secret services.

The American desire is to wage a war in North Waziristan against Haqqani / Afghan Taliban networks. Pakistan army is not willing to do that. Americans tried to use Mullah Barader to create serious mistrust and hatred between Afghan Taliban and Pakistan army. That was failed when Barader was not handed over to US and Khalid Khawaja unknowingly became a major setback for the Americans when he took a court order against Barader’s extradition. Khalid was trapped and Hamid Mir was used to mislead TTP into assassinating KK. But in the end, the US plan of waging a war in North Waziristan fizzles out.

Now a backup plan was required to create reasons to initiate a war into North Waziristan. – Here enter Faisal Shehzad – a false flag operation to implicate Pakistani Taliban and then threaten and force Pakistan to “do more” in North Waziristan! Another Pakistani is arrested in Chile in the US embassy with traces of explosives on his luggage and clothes. More Pakistanis are being arrested and a massive media disinformation war is being launched that all global terrorism is emerging from Pakistani tribal pocket of North Waziristan and ISI/army is either hands and gloves with Taliban or nor willing to do more.

So now, you understand the tone, language and demeanor of Hillary and US media over Faisal Shehzad! Despite the fact that US army Generals have confirmed that Faisal had no links with anyone in FATA.

Pakistan was being setup for a possible geopolitical disaster. Allah protected Pakistan. US and Indians through their assets in Media and in terrorist groups continue to kick dust and deceive the world and Pakistani nation. But now, this time at least, their game is exposed.

Police scuttle ‘militant’seminar in IHK

SRINAGAR: Police in Indian held Kashmir (IHK) said they had detained on Wednesday the organiser of a seminar that was to be addressed by phone by Pakistani militant leaders, including one blamed for the Mumbai attacks.

Ahsan Untoo, the head of Human Rights Forum, a local rights group, was detained in a raid on a hotel an hour before the start of the event in Srinagar. Senior separatist Javed Mir was also taken to a nearby police station.

“We have detained Untoo and Mir. We will not allow the seminar to take place,” a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. The seminar was to discuss the ‘Role of Pro-Freedom Leaders vis-a-vis the Kashmir Issue’ and all separatist leaders in IHK had agreed to participate.

Untoo had said that Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the head of a charity widely viewed as a front for the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, would address the seminar.

India has blamed Lashkar for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that left over 160 people dead, while Lashkar has denied any role in the carnage.

Syed Salahudin, the head of the region’s most dominant militant group Hizbul Mujahedin, which favours Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan, was also set to make an address by phone. The former head of Pakistan’s ISI was also to “participate remotely”.

India has accused ISI of funding and arming militants in Kashmir. Kashmir is in the grip of a two-decade insurgency that has so far left more than 47,000 people dead according to the official count.

The insidious Indian propaganda

By Dr S.m. Rahman

The internet has become a vehicle to fan preposterous propaganda by the agencies in India, in order to promote ‘Hindutva’ sensibility to raise scare and trepidation among the Hindus that Pakistan in collusion with Bangladesh and Indian Muslim are now planning for a second partition of the subcontinent to carve our a much bigger chunk of territory out of India, which they have named as ‘Mughalstan’ that will comprise Pakistan, Bangladesh, including all of North and Eastern India. The so-called Mughal Muslim state will merge Pakistan and Bangladesh through a large corridor of land running across the Indo-Gangetic plain – the heartland of India. Jinnah’s Pakistan was envisaged to have the whole of Bengal and the Punjab – besides a corridor which could provide land links between the ‘west’ and the former ‘East Pakistan’. The moth-eaten Pakistan was accepted only ‘temporarily’ as Jinnah thought it expedient to accept what was made available, under the exigencies of the circumstances, but the idea of ‘Greater Pakistan’ was shelved for an appropriate time, as a necessary outcome of the partition, which the Hindu India had to reconcile with.

For propaganda message to appear credible a source had to be identified. It was deemed expedient to select Bangladesh, where this idea of Mughalstan was conceived and covertly planned at Jahangirnagar University, jointly supported by the ISI of Pakistan and DGFI (Director General Forces Intelligence of Bangladesh). In propaganda parlance, this is called ‘Black Propaganda source’, which is based on total distortion as the real originators are operating from somewhere else. It is for our intelligence agencies to find out as to from where such “hate propaganda” is being disseminated. They have also concocted an organisation called Mughalstan Research Institute (MRI) at Jahangirnagar University. The objectives of the propaganda are focused on the following themes so that Indian Hindus see the so-called vicious game the Muslims are playing to further divide Bharat, and that they are not content with the creation of Pakistan – an Islamic Republic and Bangladesh though apparently ‘secular’ nourishes deep Islamic ethos:

Ø The Punjabis pronounce Mughalstan, i.e. what is against the usual Urdu pronunciation Mughalistan. This is to establish that the ISI (Punjabi dominated organisation of Pakistan) is the contributor of the name. Such little details are meant to establish the credibility.

Ø The Islamic jihadis in India are being funded and organised by the Muslim countries, like Saudi Arabia and others.

Ø Osama bin Laden is behind the concept of ‘Greater Pakistan’ to liberate the Muslims of India from the domination of Hindus. The Mumbai bombings of 1993 was led by Karachi-based Dawood Ibrahim (a fugitive who is very much wanted by India for the crimes he committed), besides Jamat-i-Islami, Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Jaish-i-Muhammad and Hizbul mujahideen all are involved in planning a greater Islamic country in the subcontinent. The Indian mujahideen are also involved and the students of Islamic Movement in India (SIMI) are partners in this mission.

Ø Hindus are declared enemies by Lashkar-i-Tayyaba and Jaish-i-Muhammad, and besides liberating Kashmir they have vowed to hoist the Islamic flag atop the historic Red Fort after capturing Delhi and the rest of India.

Ø Establishment of an Islamic caliphate is the objective of SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) and as such they have launched jihad in the Indian States, as secularism, democracy and nationalism – the keystone of the Indian statehood, are antithetical to Islam. The Indian mujahideen have claimed responsibility for bombings in Lucknow, Vanarsi and Faizabad, Banglore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and New Delhi in 2007 and 2008. Their role models are Muhammad Bin Qasim, Muhammad Ghouri and Mahmood Ghaznavi. They consider ‘Hindu blood’ as the cheapest of all mankind, and taunt Hindu history as full of subjugation and humiliation.

Ø Muslims population is steadily rising in the UP state, as it has risen to 18 percent and in Bihar 17 percent. A vast number of mosques are disproportionately growing through excessive funding by Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Ø Muslim Banghbhoomi comprises various districts along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bangladesh borders. Bangladesh is craving for Taliban type militants and madrassas are teaching that the Muslims are the best in the world and that the non-Muslims are “to be converted, beaten, killed and their women are to be raped as maal-e-ghaneemat.” Atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh can be seen from the fact that there is no single woman between the ages of 7 to 70, who has not been raped.

Ø Bangladeshis have succeeded in infiltrating into Maripur, Mizoram, Meghalaya. Arunchal Pradesh and Tripura. In other words, they are responsible for fanning fissiparous trends in many of the states of India.

The message, therefore, is loud and clear that Hindus must rise to stop this grandiose plan of the Muslims. Mughalstan is not a question of “If” or “but”, but “when”, unless we, “Hindus” stand up to counter the treacherous plan. Undoubtedly, all this implicitly carries a message of coercive policies against the Indian Muslims, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The ostensible purpose of the propaganda is to malign both Bangladesh and Pakistan. The whole propaganda is motivated by a typical Kautalian sensibility to use deception, duplicity and deceit to fan hatred against the Muslims. It is also aimed at frustrating all the attempts to bring peace and cooperation between Pakistan and India through much dramatically publicised Aman Ki Aasha. One should interpret the outlandish proclamation by the Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor that India was capable of defeating both Pakistan and China within 96 hours. Stereotyping Muslims justifies all actions to destabilise Pakistan and even to launch a war if necessary.

The hate against Muslims is a combined strategy of the US, Israel and India. Thus, the so-called War on Terror has a covert design to suppress the Islamic resurgence and undermine its identity through a well-orchestrated plan. Pakistan should not dismiss it as a ‘whimsical idea’. There’s a method in the madness. They have killed around 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir alone notwithstanding regular communal riots like the one in Gujrat, where Muslims were cut into pieces like vegetables. Besides Muslims, Sikhs have been killed to the tune of 250,000 in the operation against the Golden Temple. A significant number of Christians have also been slaughtered only in Orissa. Dalits are being most brutally treated at the hands of Hindus, and yet the propaganda is to whitewash the Hindu propensity for violence.

Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was indeed a man of great foresight. He saw through the game, the Hindus were playing that they were the true inheritors of the British Empire and everyone else was to be left high and dry.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world is uncritically accepting the Indian propaganda that it is a vibrant democracy, quite oblivious of the reality that India is notoriously following its apartheid repressive policy against its religious minorities. They are covertly planning to destabilise through subversion in Balochistan, tribal areas and extending it to Punjab and Karachi.

George Orwell said very rightly: “In time of universal deceit, telling to truth is a revolutionary act.” The truth must be heeded to and our countrymen must rise against Indian machinations.

The writer is secretary general, FRIENDS.
Email: friendsfoundation@live.co.uk

Terrorism Starts in Afghanistan; Ends Up in Pakistan

IN a briefing to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on Tuesday, the Director General ISI Ahmad Shuja Pash pointed out that Afghan soil is being used for terrorist activities in Pakistan, adding that peace cannot be established in the country unless infiltration from Afghan border is stopped.

In a related development, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in Abu Dhabi that the war against Taliban should be fought within Afghanistan and there should be no spill over into Pakistan.

Though it is an open secret that the Afghan soil is being used for terrorist activities in Pakistan yet the statement of General Pasha carries more substance and weight as it comes from a person who has the authority and necessary knowledge to speak on the subject. Ground realities also substantiate his assertions because the way the militants are resisting the full might of the Pakistan armed forces for about a year makes it abundantly clear that they have full foreign backing.

Otherwise, it was next to impossible for a handful of elements to put up organized resistance without financial support, training and supply of arms and ammunition.

Pakistan has been complaining since long that Indians were using Afghan territory for harbouring terrorism in FATA and Balochistan but the occupation forces in Afghanistan are not taking these complaints seriously. Again, Pakistan has also been telling the US and NATO forces that their surge in Afghanistan would inevitably lead to pressure on Pakistan as militants would make their way to this side of the border but this concern too has fallen on deaf ears.

This leads one to believe that all this is happening with the connivance of the occupation forces in Afghanistan and the apparent objective is to soften the country. How is it possible that those who see so-called training camps in Muridke are oblivious of what is happening right under their nose?

An astonishing case of intelligence failure

Greg Mathews

Instead of trying to see what one is looking at there will be no real lessons learnt from the stupefying attack at Khosht, Afghanistan on December 30, 2009 at the secret CIA Station. The response from US, apart from ‘frantically’ concealing a major, MAJOR case of embarrassment under a wad of conspiracy theories doggedly attempting to embolden “World’s most powerful intelligence organization” by using, ‘yet again’ the much disposable hand of ISI, Pakistani intelligence services – all in a desperate attempt to tuck away CIA’s own inadequacies.

Renowned think tanks like Stratfor are churning out stories that link the attack to the ISI, all from the grapevine and speaking of speculation pulled out of nowhere else but ‘widespread rumors’ mostly concocted inside a conspicuous coterie of ISI bashers that cannot be missed out, needless to say, for obvious reasons. Yet these ‘rumors’ are failing horribly from dressing the unreserved embarrassment of CIA’s spectacular intelligence failure that enabled the Taliban to inflict the heaviest loss to a leading US spy agency in the past 26 years!

What Stratfor shouldn’t have missed out on is the magnitude of animosity among Muslims against the US that compelled a Jordanian medical doctor of Palestinian origin with a Turkish wife to team up with other Arab nationals from Al-Qaeda and seek help from Afghan and Pakistani Taliban under the umbrella of Al Qaeda to make this attack possible. It shows the growing frustration and disgust from the US policies and explains for growing Islamic militancy transcending borders and joining hands to fight what they perceive as a common enemy.

Read Complete Article : http://gregmathews.livejournal.com/393.html