Pakistan has postponed for an indefinite period a full-scale military offensive against the extremist Haqqani network in the North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan because of the freezing winter, a media report said Tuesday.
Sri, what you are saying is a top-down approach. What I outlined was a bottom-up approach. Both are possible. Again, let me reiterate that we tend to view the PA as a monolithic unit with a central command. That is a traditional view but this is no longer the case, IMO, except when Pakistan declared a war against India and mobilization happened. Today, there is (and will be growing) anarchy while PA pretends everything is perfect. Then, PA might revert to its traditional line of command. However, the current situation is an internal purging of men and ideology that is happening, sometimes silently and at other times violently. The PA is a microcosm of the Pakistani society itself and reflects it. The society is being torn apart. In an earlier post, I had likened the current affairs as the Fourth Jihad. I therefore believe that rather than as a grand strategy by the Generals of the PA, the churning comes from the lower levels. Within the society itself, a certain flavour of Islam is gaining ground and again that is what should happen (and is happening) within the PA as well.Sri wrote:Could this trend also be because of long term survival tactics of PA. Organisational behaviors for survival? PA as we know like any other organisation has a survivability syndrome. May be PA thinks in long term the Land Lords / Aristocratic Pakistan will lose power and the extremist will secure absolute power. Hence slowly they are moving to their camp and hedging the bets against the current political elites?
Often, the question that is asked is 'Why haven't the right-wing religio political parties of Pakistan not dominated the National Assembly if Pakistan is indeed a theocratic state ?'. The RAPEs conveniently use this question to depict Pakistan as a moderate, enlightened Muslim country. The truth of course is different, as we all know. There are several reasons why righ-wing religious parties never won a large number of seats. We will not get into that here. However, that does not mean either they lack power to influence the people decisively in religious matter or make the government of the day bend to their diktats. Even in recent times, we have seen how a powerful General Musharraf had to beat hasty retreats in madrasseh reforms, syllabus reforms or even removing the 'Religion' column from the passport. So, we have to divorce the 'political wind' from the 'religious wind' in Pakistan. The latter is gaining strength and is becoming a gale that will sweep away everything in its path. Islam is not against Aristocrats & Landowners. RAPEs, as a class, will continue even after Pakistan gets completely Talibanized except that they will be circumspect in some of their public behaviour. But, the PA will change entirely and will assume the role of the Janissary. However, since the Taliban are subscribers to the primordial thought process, the new Janissary will behave more like the Kharrajis. Today, the 'high church' of the Pakistani Army is led by such Generals as Hamid Gul & Mirza Aslam Beg. Kiyani & Co do not even qualify as 'low church'. But, Gul & Beg types are not the likes that we will see when the Fourth Jihad comes to a successful end. Gul & Beg, while Islamists themselves, do not measure up to what the end result will throw up as Generals. Gul & Beg will be as dispensable as Col. Imam (yet to happen) and Khwaja. Gul & Beg will be as dispensable as Col. Imam (yet to happen) and Khwaja.If the political winds change and if it does transpire that that RAPEs are indeed going to hold sway, PA will adjust accordingly.
This reminds me of George Carlin's line - "how about those people in Kilowaia, Hawaii, who built their homes right next to an active volcano, and then wonder why they have lava in the living room."Mainstream extremism: Is secularism dying in Pakistan?
Raghavendra wrote:Ministers, member assembly are not relying on security squad
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news- ... rity-squad
We will not spare culprits involved in Agosta Submarine scam: Naval Chief
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news- ... aval-Chief
Bilawal said this not because he wants to be Macho, or because he cares about that Christian woman, or because he is sad about the dead governor.Singha wrote:Bilawal: I dont think he has the stomach or street muscle to survive 5 mins outside karachi airport unless he strikes some deal with PA to go after Nawaz. they might agree to use him as a weak pawn to target their enemy.
though the rank and file dark skinned thin farmer in sindh or pakjab may be impressed and cowed down by his london bred 'bearing' and perfect english, the islamists will halal him in no time..they arent about to be cowed down, the mystique of the RAPE is broken once the rank & file knows that AK47s can pump lead into uber RAPE like taseer as well. the minor RAPE must be busy moving out their loot to dubai, london, canada wherever they have placed their kids and relatives.
The PA never held the jihadi brothers by the scruff of their neck or anything else, for that matter. Not then, and most definitely not now. Their only solace today is the LeT, not even JeM. LeT tried its best to ingratiate themselves with the Punjabi Taliban as the tide turned decisively towards the latter's favour a few years back. But the suspicion of them being close to the ISI acted against them and they were rebuffed. Then, they started losing their cadres due to voluntary attrition and poaching. So, today, it is my feeling that the LeT and the PA are left to each other and nobody else. Apart from this mutual accommodation, the 'holding by scruff' is (was) as usual a Musharraf perfidy-cum-bravado.Hari Seldon wrote:However, it does raise uncomfy questions regarding the future course of events if it is indeed true that the PA brass no longer holds 'em jihadis 'by the scruffs of their necks', to quote a Gola aide.
So much demand for Blackwater operatives! Any possibility of Outsourcing here to Desh?!jamwal wrote:I think killing of Salman Taseer is a Yankee/Yahoodi/Yindoo conspiracy to infiltrate even more Blackwater/CIA/RAW agents in to Pakistan. It's really simple. First they killed Salman and put the blame on hardcore Islamists of Pakistan. Now when the faith of Paki VIPs in Paki security personnel is shaken, they'll very likely try to arrange for their own security from private agencies which are even more susceptible to foreigner kafirs. God help them when such dubious people are entrusted with their security.Raghavendra wrote:Ministers, member assembly are not relying on security squad
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news- ... rity-squad
I hope this Lt one day becomes a General... Insha Allah...rohitvats wrote:Talking of the spread of Islamism in TSPA Officer Corps, I distinctly remember an incident quoted in book on TSPA by Brian Cloughley - He is told by a young TSPA Lt. that if one's belief in god is supreme/if allah is with you, one does not have need for any precision quided weapons or other such stuff.
From Poona Horses official war Diary of 1965 war:
"The first encounter with the enemy too place South West of Ranger. A platoon of Baluch
infantry was observed huddled around a well. Narinajan Cheema stopped his tank, layed his
gun into the well and waved to one of them to come forward. A Havildar came forward with
his rifle. Narinjan asked, “Tum Kaun Ho? (Who are you) He replied “Mussalman Hum” (I
am a Muslim ) Narinjan: “Mujhe maloom hai. Kis unit ke ho?” ( I know that which is your
unit) Havildar: “Mein Pakistan ka sapahi hoon”. I am soldier of Pakistan.) Narinjan: “Apne
hathiyar daal do, aur apne sathiyon se kaho ki who bhi aage akar hathiyar dal dein”.
(Surrender your arms and tell your companies also to surrender their arms.) Havilder: “Jab
tak jism meiun jaan hai Pakistan ke liye ladunga”.(Till there is life in this body, I will fight for
Pakistan) With that he turned around and started running back to join his men. A burst of
.30 Browning and a few shots of HE soon took fare of the Havildar and his detachment but
not without a feeling of admiration for the brave soldier, and a feeling of diffidence at having
to shoot him."
Without going into the history of the Pakistan movement in the last century, we cannot get to the root of this troubling question. All historical evidence shows that the Muslims of India were living in the subcontinent for over a thousand years and were practising their religious rights according to their religion. {This is short of saying that they faced no threats whatsoever} The issue of having autonomous Muslim majority states within the federation of India emerged in the early 20th century, only when it was realised that the British were willing to give some powers to the people of India. This demand eventually matured into a movement for a separate homeland to serve the interests of the Muslim ruling elite, which was afraid of Congress’s strong Centre policies. Islam was only used as a ‘means’ to gather mass sentiment in favour of this movement.
David Gilmartin (1989) has documented the important role that some leading pirs in Punjab played in popularising the idea of Pakistan. However, the fundamentalist dimension in the Pakistan movement developed more strongly only when the Sunni ulema and pirs were mobilised to prove that the Muslim masses wanted a Muslim/Islamic state. While the central leadership at Deoband allied itself to the Congress, some prominent dissidents such as Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi and Shabbir Ahmed Usmani and their factions rallied around the Muslim League. Also, the fact that the central Deoband leadership was allied to the Congress meant that the Muslim League was rendered attractive to their much bigger and more influential rivals, the Barelvis, who entertained their own ambitions of establishing an Islamic state. The tables were turned when the Barelvi ulema and pirs of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh joined the Muslim League.
The founders of Pakistan thought that the end justifies the means. This Machiavellian approach was dangerous and was only good for short-term gains. The political formulation that ‘the end justifies the means’ is only half the story. The other half is that there onwards the ‘means’ used for such short-term political gains dictate another ‘end’ on which the creator of this formulation has little control. {Brilliant} Such is the dialectics of history. And today we are dictated by these ‘means’ to another violent ‘end’.
The fact that religion was relied on by the founders of the country to achieve a ‘temporal end’ — a separate homeland for the Muslim majority ruling elite — has given enough space to the religious leaders in this country. They want to dictate because their strength comes from the dangerous political formulation forwarded by the rulers since Pakistan’s inception.
. . . the Gandhara civilization linked Pakistan and China in common cultural linkages.“The Silk route has connected the two countries for centuries. Our peopl
Avram jiasprinzl wrote:I came across this in Asia Times Online. Very interesting.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/MA11Df03.html
Avram
If PA is splintered, that internal disadvantages become advantages for doing a massive terror attacks. The scope of plausible deniability increases by miles. Now the non-state actors theory gets drummed up. Which part of the non-state actors are getting US weapons?Hari Seldon wrote:SSridhar saar,
Awesome analysis only. However, it does raise uncomfy questions regarding the future course of events if it is indeed true that the PA brass no longer holds 'em jihadis 'by the scruffs of their necks', to quote a Gola aide.
I fear largescale as in 3 or even 4 digit casuality figure terror attacks in India involving all manner of dirty tricks from water supply targeting to dirty bum attacks to perhaps even a nook attack if it is indeed true that PA is not one single entity anymore. The mutually assured destruction kinda rationality then ceases to deter anymore.
"Most of their top players got a bit too distracted because of the big cash thrown at them by the IPL. They even started ignoring national duty which has really caused their downfall," he said.
Miandad is of the view that top players like Glen McGrath, Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist retired from Test cricket before their time so that they could earn the IPL millions.
"All of that has really hurt the Australians, who I am sure would have not slumped like this if their players had resisted the temptation to earn big bucks that was used to lure them by the IPL."
Something about them grapes and them being sour, saar! Actually, think of it, according to this Miandadi (mohajiri?) logic, IPL has done the pakis a huge favor by not including their wonderkinds. This way the purest of the pure ghazis would not get distracted by the big baniya bucks and could, therefore, concentrate full time in winning laurels for their nation the past two years.SSridhar wrote:IPL responsible for Aussie cricket's decline: MiandadThey even started ignoring national duty which has really caused their downfall," he said. All of that has really hurt the Australians, who I am sure would have not slumped like this if their players had resisted the temptation to earn big bucks that was used to lure them by the IPL.
But, they are getting distracted by 'uncovered meat' especially in the UK leading to warts in unmentionable places et al for their potent missile forces. The whole world is conspiring against them. Down with the kafir onlee.anupmisra wrote:This way the purest of the pure ghazis would not get distracted . . . .
A Pakistan court has jailed a Muslim prayer leader and his 20-year-old son for life on controversial blasphemy charges
for removing a poster outside their grocery shop advertising an Islamic event in a nearby village which allegedly contained Quranic verses.
Case of barbaric animals going after lesser barbaric animals..The case is the result of differences between Deobandi and Barelvi sects of Sunni Muslims
Hand over the saffron terrorists to the TSP. To show the eagerness to fight terror.CRamS wrote:You won't be disappointed: TSP's tit for tat on MumbaiPratyush wrote: this is the day we were waiting for................
Wonder what Indian response to this will be?
Pakistan has reportedly released a terrorist leader who has links to al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
The authorities said they were forced to free Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami’s leader Qari Saifullah Akhtar amid lack of evidence.
However, the release has sparked questions about Pakistan’s willingness to act against terrorism within the country in light of the fact that fighters of several militant groups use its mountainous border region against NATO forces in Afghanistan
Certainly Shatrughan Sinha must have exclaimed 'Khamoosh' when he found out that his baggage was lost in transit while he returned from Pakistan. The actor-politician, who went on a goodwill mission to Pakistan with fellow-parliamentarians Yashwant Sinha and Mani Shankar Aiyer last week, lost his entire baggage on his flight
from Lahore to Delhi
Power cuts is giving real takleef to RAPES and Abduls.Police opened fire on a crowd demonstrating against power cuts in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing one protester and wounding 14 others, police said.
The violence flared in the garrison town of Bannu, southwest of Peshawar, after a rally of about 500 protesters refused to move from a busy road they had blocked for three hours.
Police said the protester was killed during exchange of fire, but residents blamed police for the killing.
SOURCEPakistani lawyers chant slogans in favor of Mumtaz Qadri, alleged killer of Punjab's governor Salman Taseer, during his appearnce in a court in Islamabad, Pakistan on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. Taseer was killed on Tuesday by his bodyguard commando reportedly enraged by his opposition to laws decreeing death for insulting Islam.
I wonder what is the meaning of a "liberal" political party in a nation whereSSridhar wrote: Often, the question that is asked is 'Why haven't the right-wing religio political parties of Pakistan not dominated the National Assembly if Pakistan is indeed a theocratic state ?'. The RAPEs conveniently use this question to depict Pakistan as a moderate, enlightened Muslim country. The truth of course is different, as we all know. There are several reasons why righ-wing religious parties never won a large number of seats. We will not get into that here. However, that does not mean either they lack power to influence the people decisively in religious matter or make the government of the day bend to their diktats. Even in recent times, we have seen how a powerful General Musharraf had to beat hasty retreats in madrasseh reforms, syllabus reforms or even removing the 'Religion' column from the passport. So, we have to divorce the 'political wind' from the 'religious wind' in Pakistan. The latter is gaining strength and is becoming a gale that will sweep away everything in its path. Islam is not against Aristocrats & Landowners. RAPEs, as a class, will continue even after Pakistan gets completely Talibanized except that they will be circumspect in some of their public behaviour. But, the PA will change entirely and will assume the role of the Janissary. However, since the Taliban are subscribers to the primordial thought process, the new Janissary will behave more like the Kharrajis. Today, the 'high church' of the Pakistani Army is led by such Generals as Hamid Gul & Mirza Aslam Beg. Kiyani & Co do not even qualify as 'low church'. But, Gul & Beg types are not the likes that we will see when the Fourth Jihad comes to a successful end. Gul & Beg, while Islamists themselves, do not measure up to what the end result will throw up as Generals. Gul & Beg will be as dispensable as Col. Imam (yet to happen) and Khwaja. Gul & Beg will be as dispensable as Col. Imam (yet to happen) and Khwaja.
Major General Naseerullah Babar, 82, the man credited with creating the Taliban, passed away due to protracted illness in a Peshawar hospital on Monday. A retired army officer who had trained in Dehra Dun, Babar served as Pakistan's interior minister during Benazir Bhutto's second term in government from 1993-1996.
Babar's role in propping up and supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan was also pivotal. He made no bones about the fact that he was the father of the Taliban and commanded respect within the Taliban leadership.
However, Babar looked at Taliban as a 'strategic and political ally', not an organisation he was ideologically connected to, and believed a Taliban government could help Pakistan strategically.
In his twilight years, Babar distanced himself from the PPP over the issue of the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance - of which he was a bitter critic - choosing to leave the party and formally end his political career.
US Vice President Joe Biden will be arriving in Pakistan this week on a short unscheduled visit.
During the visit, Biden, who is currently on a surprise trip to Afghanistan, will meet Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani.
He is expected to discuss Pakistan's economic situation, efforts to confront extremism and terrorism and future strategy on Afghanistan, an official source said.
According to the Daily Times, Biden will extend support to Pakistan to help strengthen its economy, improve governance and security, and respond to its development needs.
Biden and Gilani would review the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue aimed at improving mutual trust and promote stability of Pakistan.
Early disbursement of annual 1.5 billion dollar financial assistance would also be discussed in the talks. (ANI)
MULTAN, Pakistan — A Pakistan court has jailed a Muslim prayer leader and his 20-year-old son for life on controversial blasphemy charges in the rural centre of the country, court officials said Tuesday.
...
Mohammad Shafi, 45, and his son Mohammad Aslam, 20, were arrested in April last year for removing a poster outside their grocery shop advertising an Islamic event in a nearby village which allegedly contained Koranic verses.
Judge Mohammad Ayub, heading an anti-terrorism court in the central Pakistani town of Muzaffargarh, handed down a life sentence to the pair on Monday, his assistant Faisal Karim told AFP by telephone.
The prosecution alleged organisers of the event, which commemorated the anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad's birth, said the pair had "pulled the poster down, tore it and trampled it under their feet," Karim said.
"The judge sentenced them to life imprisonment on charges of blasphemy and ordered them to pay a fine of 200,000 rupees ($2,350) each," he said.
Defence counsel Arif Gurmani vowed to challenge the verdict in the high court because "it has been given in haste" and was the result of inter-faith rivalries, he said.
"Both are Muslims. The case is the result of differences between Deobandi and Barelvi sects of Sunni Muslims," he said.
"Shafi is a practising Muslim, he is the imam of a mosque and he had recently returned from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.... I am defending them because I am convinced they are not guilty of blasphemy," he said.
http://www.allamaiqbal.com/works/poetry ... /notes.htmLAHORE AND KARACHI
For Muslim true Death has no dread
To realm of souls, he straight is led.
Don't ask the rulers of this land
To grant blood price for martyred band.
Their blood is precious and divine
Like precincts of the Holy Shrine.
Alas! the Muslim has forgot
The lesson that to him was taught.
He was ordained to cry to none
Save to God Unique and One.
53. Lahore and Karachi
In this poem there is an allusion to two significant happenings at Karachi and Lahore. The Arya Smajists, according to some pre-planned scheme, started publishing books about the Holy Prophet that offended the feelings of the Muslims. An Arya Smajist of Lahore Rai Pal, published a derogatory book of this type in which he threw mud on the life of the Holy Prophet. 'He was sued, but Kanwar Dalleep Singh, judge High court at Lahore acquitted him. The Arya Smajists were emboldened by the acquittal of Raj Pal and began to publish pamphlets and books in quick succession about the Holy Prophet, which aggrived the Muslims very much. The editor of the 'Vertman' was prosecuted by the Government and convicted. The late Sir Mohammad Shafi pleaded the case on behalf of the Government. The Muslim-; lost their patience. An illiterate young man, Ilm-ud-Din, the son of a carpenter, murdered the publisher of 'Rangila Rasul' in broad daylight. He was executed in Mianwali, from where his dead body was brought to Lahore for burial. A very large crowd participated in the funeral prayer. Similarly a Pathan, Abdul Qayyum, murdered the publisher of Karachi, Who had published a book, slinging mud on the chaste life of the Holy Prophet (A.S). He too was executed. A book-seller of Calcutta had also published a similar book. Three young men of Lahore went to Calcutta to chastise that book seller. The third happening did not get the same publicity as the first two on account of the remoteness of Calcutta. Iqbal advises the Muslims not to beg for Blood Price (Kasas) from the English.
In the third verse, there is an allusion to an authentic tradition (Hadith-i-Qudsi) of the Holy Prophet which he uttered mlifle circumambulating the Holy Shrine. He said, 'The, blood of a true Muslim is more precious than Ka'ba even'. In the last verse, there is an allusion to the Koranic verse, 'Don't call others as partners of God. There is no god but He. Everything is sure to perish except God. He ordains everything and you have to return to him (last verse of 'The Spider)'.