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Sri Lanka joined a host of pro-Chinese countries today in refusing to accept an invitation to the Nobel peace prize awards ceremony in Oslo.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Sri Lanka's ambassador in Oslo would not accept the invitation to particiapte in the Nobel award ceremony scheduled for Friday.
Beijing has protested against the award to jailed Chinese dissident and human rights campaigner Liu Xiaobo.
China has said Liu's nomination is an interference in China's internal affairs.
Apart from Sri Lanka, countries that have refused to accept the invitation include, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran.
Meanwhile, the CNN reported that the U.N. is not going to attend the ceremony. A UN spokesman said that is not unusual. The U.N. was not formally invited and usually does not attend the ceremony unless someone from the organization wins the award, the official said.
If India was wondering, what our influence in the neighborhood, and to what extent China has already made inroads into the region, one need not look any further than this report. It says in black and white, that India cannot even take Sri Lanka along in any of our foreign policy initiatives. It says, that if it comes to a choice between India and China, Sri Lanka would choose China.
Yes, and if India was looking out to USA to make India the Lambardar of "South Asia", of one thing one can be sure, China has already made Pakistan its ambassador in South Asia.
According to a recent article in the Washington Post, “The Obama administration has decided to offer Pakistan more military, intelligence and economic support, and to intensify U.S. efforts to forge a regional peace, despite ongoing frustration that Pakistani officials are not doing enough to combat terrorist groups in the country's tribal areas.”GASP!
Does this mean the United States of America will once more send taxpayer money to a nation composed of people who hate America —a bribe, if you will— to (hopefully) ensure there are no more terrorist attacks within the United States while Barack Obama remains president? Well, if that’s what it means, then we have to put our hands together for the genius of modern American diplomacy. Well, not so modern, actually. I seem to recall James Madison thought it was a good idea to pay bribes to the Barbary Pirates.Of course, once someone begins to pay out bribes, the blackmail never stops. I’m sure the State Department and other administration officials considered this thoroughly because paying bribes seems to be our primary diplomatic tool. Anyway, why shouldn’t we pay bribes? President Bush did it. And Clinton. And the other Bush, and Reagan, and Carter, and Nixon, and Johnson, and … well, you get the point. et us put this topic aside. Let us instead discuss something of greater importance: why our children are so dishonest.
RajeshA wrote:If India was wondering, what our influence in the neighborhood, and to what extent China has already made inroads into the region, one need not look any further than this report. It says in black and white, that India cannot even take Sri Lanka along in any of our foreign policy initiatives. It says, that if it comes to a choice between India and China, Sri Lanka would choose China.
Yes, and if India was looking out to USA to make India the Lambardar of "South Asia", of one thing one can be sure, China has already made Pakistan its ambassador in South Asia.
We should be glad that India itself is going to the Nobel ceremony (please tell me that it is ... I am not so sure that it is).
I don't know what bad luck has descended on us, no one, not even our own shadow wants to align with us. We are despised by our own ethnic cousins like Pakis, Nepalis, BD's, Lankans. The only people who cling to us are the ones who no options: Tibetans and Bhutanese. Of these, Bhutan is probably going to be next to leave us.
Chandragupta wrote:So we now need to beg for the backing & acceptance of the Chief of Paki heejra army? Does this line sound heavily humiliating to everyone or is it just me?
Nothing humiliating, only outrageously funny. Here is a defeated army. The one army that has won no wars and lost half of the country. This army pretends to call the shots at the negotiating table. Why would anyone give concessions to them on the table when they cannot show any courage on the battle field? this is a question that is hilarious ... perhaps the regular we-almost-had-a-deal are a means of TSP saying and reassuring its foolish abduls that we are still are a force to be reckoned with (as Prem said, A rat saying "sadde uttey bee shakk hai").
surinder wrote:^^^
It seems to be a standard script: TSP'ians claiming every so often that "J&K resolution is so near and almost signed." This is said to indicate that a deal and a full solution is sooooo near reach. These almost solutions are then supposedly jinxed by extremist on some side, usually India's side. What exactly is the piskological of the we-almost-had-a-deal syndrome, is something I am not sure of.
Not only that. They say that the deal was almost signed and it included "self-governance" and troop reduction.
This is to set the expectations on the bottom line.
It isn't that complicated - it is a way of saying
a) our strategy is working. We just need to try a *little* harder, and we'll have it in the bag for sure. No need for real change. Important for local consumption in Pakistan.
and
b) we stand for compromise and peace. Its the other side that wants to keep this conflict going. All accusations of extremism and unreasonableness are false. Particularly meant for international audiences in the Pakistani context.
It's also a way of championing your preferred politician/faction/party's success at statecraft.
Johann, but then you need an equally gullible (or moronic) public that listens to these almost-had-deal announcements and never asks the tough questions. In a normal country, you get called on, and then electorally punished for fooling the public after repeated bluffs. I suppose the Pakis must deserve the army they have.
This agreement included self-governance on both sides of the Line of Control and a joint mechanism to oversee governance.
^^^
Kiyani sending signal to GOI to restart negotiations with him?
or
Under pressure from US trying to show himself as a peace man?
IMO neither of these. This is an attempt by RAPE represented by Kasuri and the army to get out of the rut they have got themselves into. Having spent decades telling mango Abduls that sacrifices are needed to get Kashmir - they are finding themselves under attack by Abduls who are asking "Where the fusk is Cashmere?" They have to show some kind of virctroy in Cashmere minus actually getting it. This is a feeble bleat in that effort - an excuse that is to be swallowed by mango Abduls to let off the RAPE and army and start blaming India once again
This agreement included self-governance on both sides of the Line of Control and a joint mechanism to oversee governance.
^^^
Kiyani sending signal to GOI to restart negotiations with him?
or
Under pressure from US trying to show himself as a peace man?
IMO neither of these.
This is an attempt by RAPE represented by Kasuri and the army to get out of the rut they have got themselves into. Having spent decades telling mango Abduls that sacrifices are needed to get Kashmir - they are finding themselves under attack by Abduls who are asking "Where the fusk is Cashmere?" They have to show some kind of virctroy in Cashmere minus actually getting it. This is a feeble bleat in that effort - an excuse that is to be swallowed by mango Abduls to let off the RAPE and army and start blaming India once again
Sorry to go off on a tangent, but how is this debate any different than the " if Berlin could be divided, why not Delhi" argument they will start tomorrow?
I've just started reading Mohammed Hanif's A case of exploding mangoes
His theory on the origin of the TSPA motto "Iman-Taqwa-Jihad fi sabilillah" is rather interesting
Inflation is fast becoming one of the most potentially explosive problems for the unpopular government.
Other factors fuelling prices include the damage caused by the summer floods,
wages have not kept pace with price hikes, making it harder for ordinary Pakistanis to survive.
more than 60 per cent of the population lives on less than $2 a day.
Pakistan’s economic lifeline — the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — is losing patience with what it sees as an intransigent political leadership.
Pakistanis have been hit with an average inflation rate of 15 per cent over the past three fiscal years.
Cash-strapped Pakistan finances its deficit through heavy borrowing from the central bank, which is then forced to print money.
Mrs. Ashraf walked through an Islamabad market carrying a plastic bag with a few chicken breasts, now a luxury item for the mother of five married to a government employee. “We can only afford to buy this once a month.
Ambassador Roemer met with U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter January 19 in New Delhi. They discussed opportunities for further cooperation, including promoting regional security initiatives and opening markets to American, Indian, and Pakistani businesses. Ambassador Munter traveled to India for routine consultations.
The United States has designated a top Pakistani Taliban leader Qari Hussain as a terrorist, describing him as one of the deadliest commanders of the Tehrik-E Taliban (TTP) group and a key trainer of suicide bombers, including the Jordan double-agent who blew up seven CIA officers at a U.S. outpost in Khost, Afghanistan in December 2009.
The government has reached the conclusion that the phrase ‘frontline state in war against terrorism’ used by officials to stress Pakistan’s role in anti-terror efforts is not serving the country’s interest and therefore decided to drop it.
pakis can come first-First ever PC virus was created in Pakistan
Floating around in the vast universe that is YouTube is an interview with an unsung pioneer of the digital age. The chat, on a programme called ‘Morning with Farah’, was first aired on Pakistani channel ATV (it’s not clear when, though the video was uploaded in June 2008).
A thin, balding man sits dressed unremarkably in a dark suit and tie. “You fixed America!” Farah tells him. “They always claimed to be the biggest protectors of copyright. You showed them up to be the biggest violators.” The man smiles. “Definitely.”
Throughout ‘Morning with Farah’, there is a distinct undertone of nationalism. A caller into the show, (Mubashir from Karachi) asks: “I am not sure whether or not this is a matter of pride that it was in Pakistan that the first computer virus was written. What do you think?” he asks Alvi.
Oh, absolutely. Rest assured that it is a matter of pride,” replies Alvi, who currently runs a telecom company in Pakistan with his brother. “The intention was not destructive. We created the virus to protect our intellectual property and keep track of who was copying our software.”
"The operation was planned in Waziristan and there were 12 of us designated for this mission. I belonged to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Amjad Farooqi group," the bearded Wahab dressed in a white shalwar kameez said.
He said the purpose of the attack at the Liberty roundabout was to take the Sri Lankan players hostage.
"We were supposed to take them hostage and then our superiors would have bargained their release in exchange for some of our companions in their custody," Wahab said.
He said the attackers arrived at Liberty roundabout just minutes before the arrival of the Sri Lankan team bus.
"We came in a rickshaw and on motorcycles that we had purchased for this operation," said Wahab, who has received training in Waziristan.
With over 10,000 killed in violent incidents across the country in 2010, Pakistan was the most volatile country in the region, pushing war-ravaged Afghanistan — which saw its most lethal year since the beginning of the Global War on Terror in 2001 — to second position in this regard.
As against 7,123 people killed in Afghanistan through the year, 10,003 were killed in Pakistan in incidents of violence and terrorism.
Still, this is an improvement over 2009 when 12,623 fatalities were reported in incidents of violence and terror, according to data collated by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) for its annual Pakistan Security Report.
The report shows that there was also a decline in casualties among “militants” despite a 165-per-cent increase in drone attacks that are supposed to specifically target terrorists based on intelligence.
“Militants' casualties” fell by 27 per cent since 2009. On the other hand, more civilians lost their life in 2010 than the preceding year as terrorist attacks in the Federally Administered Tribal Agencies increased by 28 per cent despite ongoing military operations in South Waziristan, Bajaur and Orakzai.
Though there has been a significant decline in casualties in incidents of violence in the region stretching from South Asia to West Asia, PIPS conclusion is that it is not indicative of any substantial improvement in the regional security situation on the whole.
Q.Pakistani voters have always voted for secular-leaning parties but it appears that today the religious parties actually represent popular discourse. Do you concur?
Yes, I do. Those who claim that Pakistan’s silent majority is fundamentally secular and tolerant may be clutching at straws. They argue that the religious parties don’t get the popular vote and so cannot really be popular. But this is wishful thinking. The mullah parties are unsuccessful only because they are geared for street politics, not electoral politics. They also lack charismatic leadership and have bitter internal rivalries. However the victory of the MMA after 911 shows that they are capable of closing ranks. It is also perfectly possible that a natural leader will emerge and cause an electoral landslide in the not too distant future.
But even without winning elections, the mullah parties are immensely more powerful in determining how you and I live than election-winning parties like the PPP and ANP. For a long time the religious right has dictated what we can or cannot teach in our public and private schools. No government ever had the guts to dilute the hate materials being forced down young throats. They also dictate what you and I can wear, eat, or drink. Their unchallenged power has led to Pakistan’s cultural desertification because they violently oppose music, dance, theatre, art, and intellectual inquiry.
To be sure there are scattered islands of normality in urban Pakistan. But these are shrinking. Yes, the Baluch nationalists are secular, and so is the ethnically-driven MQM in Karachi. But these constitute a tiny fraction of the population.
Q, Pakistan’s media is often described as independent and vibrant. But this media had painted Taseer negatively almost a month before he was killed. Your comments?
The next day a TV program on blasphemy (Samaa TV, hosted by Asma Shirazi) was broadcast. Asma had pleaded that I participate. So I did – knowing full well
what was up ahead. My opponents were Farid Paracha (spokesman, Jamaat-e-Islami) and Maulana Sialvi (Sunni Tehreek, a Barelvi and supposed moderate). There were around 100 students in the audience, drawn from colleges across Pindi and Islamabad.
Even as the mullahs frothed and screamed around me (and at me), I managed to say the obvious: that the culture of religious extremism was resulting in a bloodbath in which the majority of victims were Muslims; that non-Muslims were fleeing Pakistan; that the self-appointed “thaikaydars” of Islam in Pakistan were deliberately ignoring the case of other Muslim countries like Indonesia which do not have the death penalty for blasphemy; that debating the details of Blasphemy Law 295-C did not constitute blasphemy; that American Muslims were very far from being the objects of persecution; that harping on drone attacks was an irrelevancy to the present discussion on blasphemy.
The response? Not a single clap for me. Thunderous applause whenever my opponents called for death for blasphemers. And loud cheers for Qadri. When I directly addressed Sialvi and said he had Salman Taseer's blood on his hand, he exclaimed “How I wish I had done it!” (kaash ke main nay khud kiya hota!).
What do you think is the way to stem the rising tide of religious extremism in Pakistan?
If you want the truth: the answer is, nothing. Our goose is cooked. Sometimes there is no way to extinguish a forest fire until it burns itself out. Ultimately there will be nothing left to burn. But well before the last liberal is shot or silenced, the mullahs will be gunning for each other in a big way. Mullah-inspired bombers have already started blowing up shrines and mosques of the opposing sect. The internet is flooded with gory photographs of chopped-up body parts belonging to their rivals. Qadri, the assassin, admitted his inspiration to murder came from a cleric. So you can also expect that Muslim clerics will enthusiastically kill other Muslim clerics. Eventually we could have the situation that prevailed during Europe’s 30-Year War.
To save Pakistan, what miracles shall we ask of Allah? Here’s my personal list: First, that the Pakistan army stops seeing India as enemy number one and starts seeing extremism as a mortal threat. Second, that Zardari’s government is replaced by one that is less corrupt, more capable of governance, and equipped with both the will and legitimacy to challenge religious fascism. And, third, that peace somehow comes to Afghanistan.
Islamabad, Jan 21 Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf should be "hanged" for committing high treason and other unconstitutional acts like imposition of emergency in the country, a lawyer has asked Supreme Court.
The demand was made by Abdul Basit, a lawyer representing two Lahore High Court judges, in a contempt of court case involving judges who endorsed Musharraf's emergency rule.
Appearing before a four-judge bench yesterday, Basit said the Supreme Court had already held Musharraf responsible for the subversion of the Constitution and committing the offence of high treason in 2007.
Asked by the bench as to what should be the punishment for this offence, Basit said: "The punishment for the offence of high treason under Article 6 (of the Constitution) is capital punishment. Hang Musharraf
^^^why is it sad? Isnt it a natural consequence of the particular culture? The process more or less completed in the ME by 1500's. Now because the gory details of the previous 800 years prior to 1500, of ME are wiped clean and suppressed you don't see any parallel with whats being observed in Pak. But this is an old story repeated in every society that is in the final stages of Islamization.
Briton jailed for Daniel Pearl's murder is 'likely to be freed'
Omar Saeed Sheikh to be released
A new investigation into the death of the American journalist Daniel Pearl says that the British jihadist jailed for his murder is likely to be released because Pakistani officials used tainted evidence.The report, by a collective of American investigative journalists, asserts that Pakistani prosecutors knowingly used perjured evidence to suggest that Omar Saeed Sheikh and three other men were in the room where the Wall Street Journal reporter was killed in 2002.
In 2009 the US ambassador, Anne Patterson, officially requested that Pakistan transfer Sheikh to the US. In the meantime she requested "written assurances that Sheikh will remain in custody throughout the appeals process". The foreign ministry official Sohail Khan replied that Sheikh's case was a "sensitive issue".
How can we then hope for justice in 26/11 case?
Last edited by SSridhar on 21 Jan 2011 19:45, edited 2 times in total.
Reason:Menon S, as I already told you, please quote the appropriate text, not your comments. Isn't there an url for this ?
At a Friday session at the Jaipur Lit Fest, Urvashi Butalia, director of the publishing imprint Zubaan, kept coming back to the question of Partition and how it’s shaping recent Pakistani writing – only to be told that it’s not.
“For us ‘47 isn’t the big date,” said writer Kamila Shamsie. “Neither is ‘71.”
“We’re the Zia generation, so for us it’s Afghanistan, the Soviets and the start of jihad mentality,” said Ms. Shamsie. “If you look at my generation of Pakistani writers that defines much more the nation that we grew up in.”
I agree the bravardo of we defeated the soviets really runs high
Karachi: 120 cases of rape, including six of gang rape, were reported in Pakistan's Sindh province between May 1, 2008 to October 31, 2008, provincial Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza has said.
But even without winning elections, the mullah parties are immensely more powerful in determining how you and I live than election-winning parties like the PPP and ANP. For a long time the religious right has dictated what we can or cannot teach in our public and private schools. No government ever had the guts to dilute the hate materials being forced down young throats. They also dictate what you and I can wear, eat, or drink. Their unchallenged power has led to Pakistan’s cultural desertification because they violently oppose music, dance, theatre, art, and intellectual inquiry.
Is there any possibility of TSPA emulating KSA? Govt in TSPA control while mullah's control internal society? Could this be their recipe to keep Pakistan from disintegration?
Not surprising at all, nor was the reaction of the audience - this is a country where, according to Pew polls, 76% of the people support murder for blasphemy and 82% support stoning for adulterers (presumably stoning to death).
No wonder government leaders is going out of its way to defend the blasphemy law - including Rehman Malik actually threatening to kill blasphemers himself.
But even without winning elections, the mullah parties are immensely more powerful in determining how you and I live than election-winning parties like the PPP and ANP. For a long time the religious right has dictated what we can or cannot teach in our public and private schools. No government ever had the guts to dilute the hate materials being forced down young throats. They also dictate what you and I can wear, eat, or drink. Their unchallenged power has led to Pakistan’s cultural desertification because they violently oppose music, dance, theatre, art, and intellectual inquiry.
Is there any possibility of TSPA emulating KSA? Govt in TSPA control while mullah's control internal society? Could this be their recipe to keep Pakistan from disintegration?
In case of KSA, nobody really protests, because of Oil and foreign workers. In case of Pakistan, the West will take them to the washers. The Pakis may still do it, but only under heavy criticism.
Now I am looking forward to find out whether the poor Aasia Bibi's hanging triggers off a wave of protests from the Evangelicals in USA and makes a dent in the monies flowing to Pakistan.
^^^ EJ's are smart, not foolish principle infested people. For each Aasia Bibi lost in TSP, they will invest more money to create many more in Indian Punjab.
