Bharat Rakshak

anupmisra wrote: "Bhaat ij jour poojeeshan? You tunn? You deerink?"

Months after promising peace talks with insurgents, Pakistan's new prime minister appears to be backing down and accepting that the use of military force may be unavoidable in the face of escalating violence across the South Asian country.

Almost 200 people have been killed in rebel attacks in Pakistan since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came to power last month, advocating peace talks with the Pakistani branch of the Taliban.

Sharif's tougher line signals that Pakistan's powerful military still has the upper hand in policy-making, despite hopes that the government would have a larger say after he came to power in the country's first transition between civilian administrations.

"Of course we want to try talks but they are a far off possibility," said a government official, who has knowledge of discussions between civilian and military leaders on how to tackle the Taliban.

"There is so much ground work that needs to be done. And when you are dealing with a group as diverse and internally divided as the Pakistani Taliban, then you can never be sure that every sub-group would honour talks."

The military has ruled Pakistan for more than half the 66 years it has been independent.

Seeking to dispel a view that he is losing the momentum, Sharif, who once said that "guns and bullets are not always the answer", has promised to come up with a new security strategy.

But progress has been painfully slow, blighted by infighting and the army's long-standing contempt for the civilian leadership.

An official report into the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan in 2011, leaked this month, offered striking insights into just how deep this distrust runs.

In the document, the former chief of the ISI intelligence agency, which is dominated by the military, was quoted as saying bluntly that the country's political leadership was "unable to formulate any policy".

In the meantime, attacks continue unabated.

A bomb ripped through a busy street in Lahore on July 7, striking in the heart of Sharif's otherwise relatively peaceful home city. President Asif Ali Zardari's security chief was killed in a suicide bomb in Karachi on July 10.

"They (the Pakistani Taliban) see this as an opportunity. They want to send a message to Nawaz Sharif of their strength and his relative weakness," said Ahmed Rashid, an author and expert on the Taliban.

"The army is against the talks right now. They want to hammer these guys a little bit more."

Yet, the military and the ISI are in favour of talks involving the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan. Although the Pakistani Taliban accepts the leader of the Afghan faction as its own leader, the two groups operate separately.

Need Clear Plan

Pakistan's military leaders are at pains to distinguish between the Afghan Taliban, which they argue can be seen as fighting against occupation, and its local imitators who they see as domestic terrorists.

The United States wants Islamabad to come up with a clear plan and step up its campaign against groups such as the Haqqani network which regularly attacks US forces in Afghanistan.

The Haqqani network is allied to the Afghan Taliban, but has bases in the rugged borderland between Afghanistan and Pakistan where other militant groups are also based.

"The hardball talk (from the government) has only come because the militants have shown that they really don't care (who is in power)," said Samina Ahmed, South Asia Project Director for the International Crisis Group. "(The Taliban) are willing to take them on regardless."

Known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban is a loose alliance of Al Qaeda linked militants fighting to topple the government and to enforce austere Islamic law.

The army says talking to them is meaningless unless they lay down their arms. But the Taliban themselves, enraged by a May 28 drone strike that killed their deputy chief, Wali-ur-Rehman, are in no mood for negotiations either.

"We have authorised our people all over Pakistan to fully react if the government and security forces conduct operations against them," said one Taliban commander in the tribal western region of South Waziristan.

Confusion on the Ground

Indeed, ceasefire deals have failed in the past, only allowing militants to regroup and strike again.

Sharif's plan sees a shift from the previous government's 3D policy of "deterrence, development, democracy" to "dismantle, contain, prevent, educate and reintegrate".

It's unclear what this means in practice, and there is still no consensus. An all-party conference, designed as a step in adopting the new security plan, has been postponed indefinitely. {Because they want Imran Khan to be present physically in the meeting and he is dodging that by staying put in the UK}

One stumbling block is the military - Pakistan's army largely has a free hand regarding internal security. It is the army, its intelligence agencies and the Taliban itself who will decide whether to talk or fight.

Politicians hope that may be changing.

"The army also understands that it can't go it alone any more and for the sake of domestic stability and for its own survival, it may just relent," said a source in Sharif's ruling PML-N party.

For now, Sharif, who has twice been prime minister and was ousted in a 1999 military coup, is maneuvering carefully.

He has made a rare visit to the ISI headquarters to confront the generals face-to-face, while also ordering to set up a working group to initiate peace talks with militant groups.

His main idea is to establish an independent body above the government to coordinate intelligence sharing and correct what is known in Pakistan as the "civilian-military imbalance". Some in the military believe the ball is in his court.

"Today it would be incorrect to say that the army has full control over policy making," said one retired senior army officer. "It is just fashionable to say the army doesn't let civilians work. Question is, do they want to work?"

But for now, when it comes to the Taliban, there is more confusion than clarity.

"On the ground there is no policy as such," said one senior police officer posted in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region on the Afghan border. "Should I fight them or talk to them?"

Battling with a severe power crisis, Pakistan is open to buying power from the Gujarat state government, reported Times Now. Salman Bashir, Pakistan High Commissioner told Times Now that technical teams from the country have visted two power plants in India, both of which are in Gujarat.

"Two plants have been visited, both in Gujarat, one of them is a solar plant," Bashir said. However, Bashir said that the process of buying energy could only begin once a dialogue process between the two countries gets going.
{Is that a pre-condition that Pakistan is setting for buying power ? Putting gun to its temple. }

Earlier this month, Pakistan said it wants the resumption of the formal composite dialogue with India to address "mistrust" between the two countries. Referring to the start of back channel diplomacy with India, Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Chaudhry said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had appointed former diplomat Shahryar Khan to conduct negotiations.

Khan has visited India and expressed the Pakistani leadership's "strong desire" for good neighbourly relations, he said.

Officials from the two countries are currently working out dates for the next round of talks between the two sides. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to meet his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in September.

SSridhar wrote:Pakistan open to buying power from Gujarat - Salman Bashir - Economic Times

However, Bashir said that the process of buying energy could only begin once a dialogue process between the two countries gets going.
{Is that a pre-condition that Pakistan is setting for buying power ? Putting gun to its temple. }

Shamed by India, Pakistan resumes fight against polio

Karachi, July 23 -- Usman, who limps on a leg bowed by the polio he caught as a child, made sure that his first three children were protected from the disease, but he turned away vaccinators when his youngest was born.
He was furious that the CIA, in its hunt for Osama bin Laden, had staged a fake vaccination campaign, and infuriated by US drone strikes, one of which, he said, had struck the son of a man he knew, blowing off his head. He had come to see the war on polio, the longest, most expensive disease eradication effort in history, as a Western plot.
In January, his 2-year-old son, Musharaf, became the first child worldwide to be crippled by polio this year.
"I know now I made a mistake," said Usman, 32, who, like many in his Pashtun tribe, uses only one name. "But you Americans have caused pain in my community. Americans pay for the polio campaign, and that's good. But you abused a humanitarian mission."

g.sarkar wrote:

anupmisra wrote: "Bhaat ij jour poojeeshan? You tunn? You deerink?"

You forgot "What ij your gudname?"
Gautam

Nandu wrote: Anyway, what was going on there, as the German guy himself asked? Was he forced (by whom?) to endure a media scrum just because his car was in an accident? And why were the Pakis so interested? Trying to cast him as the next Raymond Davis?

At least 23 intelligence officials and one civilian were killed in five consecutive explosions that took place in Barrage Colony, Sukkur on Wednesday evening, Express News reported.

Up to 10 gunmen have attacked the heavily guarded compound and detonated four bombs, said Masood Bangash, the deputy superintendent of police in Sukkur.........

agastya wrote:http://tribune.com.pk/story/581388/two- ... in-sukkur/

24 dead in five consecutive Sukkur explosions

At least 23 intelligence officials and one civilian were killed[/b] in five consecutive explosions that took place in Barrage Colony, Sukkur on Wednesday evening, Express News reported.

Up to 10 gunmen have attacked the heavily guarded compound and detonated four bombs, said Masood Bangash, the deputy superintendent of police in Sukkur.........

The count is definitely going to increase.

....No group claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Taliban have targeted offices of the ISI and other security agencies in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces but such attacks are rare in Sindh.

Earlier this month, Pakistani media reported that the US had offered Pakistan to sign a prisoner exchange agreement, calling for a release of Pakistani prisoner Dr Shakil Afridi in exchange for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.—File Photo


ISLAMABAD: The US embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday denied reports of a prisoner swap deal with Pakistan involving Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

Earlier this month, Pakistani media reported that the US had offered Pakistan to sign a prisoner exchange agreement, calling for a release of Pakistani prisoner Dr Shakil Afridi in exchange for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

“No, the United States government is not in discussions with the Government of Pakistan on a prisoner exchange or transfer involving Dr. Aafia Siddiqi,” said Meghan Gregonis, a spokesman for the US embassy.

Saudi Arabia would send imams, one each from Masjidul Haram in Makkah and Masjid-i-Nabawi in Madina, to Pakistan every year.

this was being done to promote ties between the two countries. He said that King Abdullah attached great importance to Pakistan and its people

krishnan wrote:http://i.dawn.com/large/2013/07/51e90c24b5b58.jpg
spot the raa agent

anupmisra wrote:Biratherly x-change. S. Arabia will send imams to Pakistan

Sheikh Al-Sudais visited Pakistan while the Lal Masjid episode was dominating headlines, apparently to convince Maulana Abdul Aziz and late Abdul Rasheed Ghazi to surrender before authorities.

However, clerics of Lal Masjid did not pay heed to his advice.

Pakistan: Gunmen attacked a complex housing a branch office of the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) in the town of Sukkur, in Sindh Province in southern Pakistan late Wednesday. The attack killed five people and wounded more than 30 others, an official and state TV said. Four bombs detonated and 'terrorists' seized control of one government building. Another building was set afire and the wall of a third collapsed, Pakistan's PTV reported.

Comment: This attack is significant because of its location and the target. Attacks against ISI facilities are infrequent and attacks in Sindh Province, outside Karachi also are rare. Sukkur is not a normal operating area. Despite the new government's outreach to the anti-government groups, they have become bolder and more aggressive. The Pakistani Taliban and other groups interpret outreach and offers of reconciliation as signs of weakness. They execute more and more daring attacks with greater zeal. They might have met their match in the Nawaz Sharif's government. Nawaz historically has been sympathetic to problems in the tribal agencies of the northwest and has been tolerant of fundamentalist impulses. Their rejection of his administration's overtures is nurturing a backlash that probably will feature a harsh crackdown by Pakistani security forces. Reuters reported that nearly 200 people have been killed in attacks in Pakistan since Sharif came to power last month. A time of reckoning is coming, probably later this year.

Karachi: Security guards hand over weapons to bank robbers

A van full of security guards of a private firm failed to stop six to seven robbers from walking away with Rs 2.5 million. What was even shocking is that the guards, after putting up a brief fight, surrendered and handed over their weapons to the robbers.

The police said they were informed about half an hour after the robbery took place and that the bank authorities failed to provide the CCTV footage of the operation for the robbers had taken away the surveillance camera as well .

Pakistan: Now or Never?

In Pakistan, Kashmir becomes a new rallying cry

The Kashmir dispute is unlikely to be resolved soon. With Indian elections due next year it would be nearly impossible for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take risks on Pakistan policy without opening up his ruling Congress party to attack from the right-wing opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

kish wrote:6 armed men were robbing a bank, a van full of security guards were went to stop the robbery. What did they do?
They followed the tradition of brave paki arm , they gave their weapons to the robbers and surrendered.
Karachi: Security guards hand over weapons to bank robbers

ISLAMABAD: The US embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday denied reports of a prisoner swap deal with Pakistan involving Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

Earlier this month, Pakistani media reported that the US had offered Pakistan to sign a prisoner exchange agreement, calling for a release of Pakistani prisoner Dr Shakil Afridi in exchange for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

“No, the United States government is not in discussions with the Government of Pakistan on a prisoner exchange or transfer involving Dr. Aafia Siddiqi,” said Meghan Gregonis, a spokesman for the US embassy.

ISLAMABAD: The United States has formally decided to finance the feasibility study of $14 billion Diamer-Bhasha Dam — Pakistan’s top priority project —and to plead Islamabad’s case for a $7.3 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Richard Olson, the US ambassador to Pakistan, told Finance Minister Ishaq Dar at a meeting here on Wednesday that US Congress had authorised financing the feasibility study of Diamer-Bhasha Dam of international standards through its agency for international development – USAID, according to a senior government official.

partha wrote:US to Finance Feasibility Study of 14 B Dam

ISLAMABAD: The United States has formally decided to finance the feasibility study of $14 billion Diamer-Bhasha Dam — Pakistan’s top priority project —and to plead Islamabad’s case for a $7.3 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

I have a strong feeling that this is a fake news report. None of the news agencies other than the Pakistani ones are carrying this report.

partha wrote:Aafiya-Afridi prisoner swap report - DENIED.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1031640/us-den ... -agreement

Hussain joined Darul Uloom Naeemia in the port city of Karachi in 1953 and was enrolled for Daras-e-Nizami, the famous centuries-old curriculum steeped in Islamic theology and followed in Pakistani madrassas.

After filing his nominations, Hussain told the media it was a "blessing" that the presidential election is being held in the holy month of Ramzan.

SSridhar wrote: The Taliban have become greener than Sheikh Al-Sudais. He might be on their cross hairs next time he visits TSP.