Sunni Terrorist Fragments of Unstable Pakistan-Jan 24, 2016

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 03 Feb 2016 16:33

Falijee wrote:The above could well be the reason for the latest tit-for-tat standoff between the Paki Foreign Office and its Bangladesh counterpart

Absolutely. A 'sensitive agency' is involved.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 03 Feb 2016 16:50

A Mullah Has A Message For Raheel (Bad) Sharif) !
Embarrassing (Punjabi) video posted by someone( about Bad Sharif) removed from social media website:

Punjabi version:
" aidi teri chaati hae, o kadon kaam ani ai...... amreeki gernail tere samney chuchey lagdev, halan kek khorak khalas khaandey hei!
English (rough ) translation:
"your chest is wide, when are you going to use it ..... American generals look like little kids in front of you, like little mice even though they eat pure food

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 03 Feb 2016 17:30

Paki Man (Who Else!) Charged With Importing FAKE Vxxgra To US Appears In Court

A Pakistani man indicted twice for allegedly importing and selling counterfeit prescription drugs made his first appearance in a US district court in Denver last week.

Junaid Qadir, 33, is accused of selling commercial and wholesale quantities of fake or unapproved versions of Vxxgra, Lorazepam, Alprazolam, Diazepam, Zolpidem and Phentermine through his family’s pharmacy JNS Impex in Karachi.

(with his "family connections" in Pakiland, he figured he had a "good thing going" )

Qadir was arrested last spring in Germany, where he was jailed until he was deported to the United States. However, after being advised of the charges against him, he pleaded not guilty. He was ordered to be held without bond, the office of US Attorney John Walsh said in a news release.

Some "legal means" should be found to deport him to Pakiland and solve the problem once and for all !

The court documents reveal that Qadir and his brother, Shehzad, who is not in custody, are heads of the family-owned and operated JNS Impex.
While the company claims it is licensed to distribute and export medications, including narcotics, investigators say the company was never licensed by the US Drug Enforcement Administration to import or sell controlled substances in the US.

Often the drugs were shipped loose in plastic vitamin and water bottles, or mailed without packaging, patient safety information or other written instructions.(typical "Paki way of doing bijness")
The customers usually paid for the drugs using money transfers by Western Union and other companies to accounts in the defendant’s name or connected companies in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere, Walsh’s office said.

Paki tax authorities should also be alerted to this racket, although doubt if any action will be taken

The US Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and FDA will work tirelessly — as we did in this case — to locate, charge and apprehend counterfeit drug traffickers in whatever corner of the world they may hide.”

With his "excellent connections" in the Gulf, Mr. Qadir should promote and sell his version of Vxxgra to the Dubai, and Qatari Sheikhs; that way the Gulf Royals can save time and money (and get home delivery!) and not earn "bad publicity" when they come to Pakiland to "hunt" the famous (houbara bustard) aphrodisiac

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 03 Feb 2016 20:24

Role Reversal? COAS (Bad Sharif)Drives PM (Good Sharif ) On "Newly Contructed" CPEC Road
Nawaz inaugurates Gwadar-Hoshab (M-8) portion of CPEC (what is the big deal anyway)

QUETTA: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday inaugurated the Gwadar-Hoshab (M-8) road and reviewed the work being carried out on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
During the inspection of the newly constructed M-8 route, General Raheel Sharif personally drove the prime minister in an open-top vehicle.

The military spokesperson also added that the locals were overjoyed with the progress of the CPEC project.

The CPEC will reduce China's routes of oil and gas imports from Africa and the Middle East by thousands of kilometers, making Gwadar a potentially vital link in China's supply chain .

One (Paki) Reader Comments says it all:
Shahid
about 3 hours ago

Your last sentence; The CPEC will reduce China's routes of oil and gas imports from Africa and the Middle East by thousands of kilometers, making Gwadar a potentially vital link in China's supply chain. Yes this is easy to understand but would someone tell us what is there in CPEC for Pakistan when this is connected to backyard of China which does not produce anything, has no industry, has little potential for development as there is very little population having no skilled labor and is about 4000 km from any major industrial hub of China. How is it a game changer for Pakistan?

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 03 Feb 2016 22:21

^^^
Shitistanis are banking that China after making big time investments in Xinjiang will be vulnerable to its blackmail of potential influence on the muslims there. Pakis think being masters at playing double game with US, Saudi and Iran they will be able to pull the same stunt on the chinese. Let them try.I will wait till then to pop the can of fizz.

KLNMurthy · Post by **KLNMurthy** » 03 Feb 2016 22:38

SSridhar wrote:U.S. plans re-merger of India, Pak. desks - Suhasini Haidar, The Hindu
Seven years after the State Department was restructured to ‘de-hyphenate’ U.S. relations with India and with Pakistan, it is considering a reversal of the move.

De-hyphenating refers to a policy started by the U.S. government under President Bush, but sealed by the Obama administration, of dealing with India and Pakistan in different silos, without referring to their bilateral relations. It enabled the U.S. to build closer military and strategic ties with India without factoring in the reaction from Pakistan, and to continue its own strategy in Afghanistan with the help of the Pakistan military without referring back to India.

‘Active’ consideration

A proposal to re-merge the office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) back with the Bureau of South and Central Asia (SCA) that handles India, the rest of the subcontinent and Central Asian republics is under “active” consideration, senior-level sources told The Hindu.

Probably Hindu and Jihadini Haider's psyops to create kolaveri among DIE community about loss of meaningless diplomatic "achievement" of de-hyphenation.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 03 Feb 2016 23:13

British govt has nothing to do with case against Altaf Hussain, says envoy

ISLAMABAD: British High Commissioner to Pakistan Philip Barton on Wednesday said the British government had nothing to do with a money laundering investigation against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain.Speaking at a seminar titled ‘The Future of UK-Pakistan Relations: A Departing Perspective,’ Barton said the case against Hussain rested with the London police, which is investigating charges against the MQM supremo.On Pakistan's future, Barton said he believed the country was moving forward in four four crucial areas – "democracy, security, economy and regional relationships".Sharing statistics which portray a 48 per cent decline in terrorism-related incidents, the British envoy saluted the bravery of Pakistan security forces over their successes in curtailing terrorism.“Thanks to the UK-backed Counter-terrorism Associated Prosecution Reform Initiative, conviction rates in terrorism cases have increased from 5% to over 50% in Punjab and from 3% to over 30% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.The British envoy argued that with democracy and a rapidly recovering economy, people in Pakistan now had more space to think about the future, demographic situation, environmental and economic challenges.
The London Metropolitan Police on Monday had informed MQM chief Altaf Hussain that his bail conditions, in an ongoing money laundering probe, had been removed as there was insufficient evidence to bring a criminal charge against him.The money laundering investigation was launched after the Metropolitan Police discovered hundreds of thousands of pounds during two raids — one on an MQM office and another on Altaf Hussain’s residence in London. The raids were conducted in connection with the investigation into Dr Imran Farooq’s murder.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 03 Feb 2016 23:33

India toughens business visa rules for Pakistani entrepreneurs with ‘Rs10 million rule'
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1039385/pak ... -business/

Pakistani entrepreneurs seeking the special business visa known as the ‘India business card’ for SAARC nations should run an enterprise worth INR10 million, Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided.India is open to the free movement of entrepreneurs in the South Asian region, but permission for Pakistani businessmen will come with conditions, MHA said. The scheme aimed at boosting regional trade across South Asia is expected to be rolled out by April 1.A Pakistani business should have an annual income of at least Rs1 million to be eligible for a three-year multiple entry card. Further, the entrant should be a member of a Chamber of Commerce in Pakistan that is recognised by India.These conditions have been set up keeping in mind concerns raised by intelligence agencies, sources said.However, a few relief measures have been offered to Pakistani travelers. Under the scheme, Pakistani entrepreneurs will be able to travel to 15 cities for a period of three years.Currently, they are eligible to avail the multiple-entry business visa for a maximum period of one year and can only travel to 10 places.Pakistani entrepreneurs will also be exempt from reporting at the local police station, which has been a requirement for Pakistanis coming to India on any other visa.
Pakistani Hindus can now apply for long-term Indian visas online“The decision will soon be put in place, as the mechanism has been approved by the top brass. With business travelers getting certain exemptions at the airports, the system will ensure a hassle free entry and exit for them,” an Indian government official said.Other than Pakistan, there are no visa conditions for rest of the SAARC countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives whereas people of Bhutan and Nepal do not require a visa to visit India.The move comes at a time when India is liberalising its visa policy keeping in mind the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ theme to encourage entrepreneurs.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 03 Feb 2016 23:45

Govt not thinking yet to sever ties with Pakistan:Bangladesh FM

The government is not yet thinking of severing its diplomatic ties with Pakistan, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said Parliament on Tuesday.
“We’re observing the whole situation. Time is very important here. We don’t want to do anything right now (cut ties with Pakistan). But, future will say what direction the relations will go to,” he told Parliament while replying to a supplementary question from the treasury bench.
AL MP Abdul Mannan (Bogra-1) came up with a question whether Bangladesh will permanently cut diplomatic relations with Pakistan following the latter’s unnecessary repeated interventions in the internal affairs of Bangladesh, UNB reports.
In response, Mahmood Ali said, “It’s not like that diplomatic ties have to be severed if there is any tension. Even there were many instances of maintaining diplomatic ties in wartimes in the world.”

Earlier in the day, the government summoned Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka Shuja Alam to inquire about the missing and subsequent return of a staff member of Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad.

Bangladesh-Pakistan relations have suffered a blow after Pakistan’s ‘brazen interference’ in Bangladesh's internal affairs over the execution of two top war criminals in November last year.(Bangladesh, as well as India and Afghanistan are victims of Paki intereference )

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 04 Feb 2016 04:57

"Gol-Mal" Discovered In DJinnah's Sister (Fatima) Estate In Pakiland
Lost in time: No country for Fatima Jinnah’s assets

KARACHI:
Along with the millions of migrants who had left much behind in India at the time of Partition, Fatima Jinnah too invested in the fledgling economy of Pakistan. She was, however, unable to enjoy the returns.
According to a lawsuit filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC), the ‘mother of the nation’ made a total investment of Rs2.8 million before her death on July 9, 1967. The investments, though, are nowhere to be found in the logbooks and registers of banks and national institutions. (possible "Gol-Mal"? )

The lawsuit, initiated in 1971, involved a dispute of Fatima Jinnah’s properties, both movable and immovable. These include Qasr-e-Fatima, commonly known as Mohatta Palace, her bank accounts, returns on shares in different companies, vehicles, jewellery and other household articles.
The proceedings were initiated when her sister, Shireen Jinnah,(residing in India) applied for a succession certificate at the high court. After Shireen’s death in 1980, the case was taken up by the Shireen Jinnah Trust, which claims to be the custodian of the said assets. But these claims are contested by Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s grandnephew, Advocate Liaquat Merchant.(residing in Pakiland)

According to a copy of the list of assets submitted in court and also available with The Express Tribune, the outstanding credit balance of Fatima Jinnah’s current account with the Foreign Exchange Branch of Habib Bank Limited (HBL) in Karachi is Rs561,760. The credit balance in her current account aat National and Grindlays Bank, now called the Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), stands at Rs4,952.

In January last year, the court sought details of accounts and shares from the banks. On October 8, 2015, the SCB responded to the court orders and asked for the account number as it was not mentioned in the letter sent by court officials. Another letter sent by SCB added that the NIC number of Fatima Jinnah was not mentioned either. Court officials responded to this saying the case file lacks information on the bank’s account number and the folio numbers of company shares.

Moreover, lawyers representing the contesting parties told The Express Tribune that, to date, both banks have been unable to trace the missing records despite court orders.[i](Deep State shenanigans cannot be ruled out )

[/i]

According to an official report dated September 18, 2015, the SHC’s Nazarath department – where all documents relating to properties and articles are deposited – had received a sum of Rs138,000 in November 1994. The court then invested this amount in the profitable scheme of the Defence Saving Certificate and the profits reached Rs600,500 by November 2, 2004. Moreover, they also received Rs87.16 million in January 1998, which was invested in the Special Saving Certificates. This amount stood at a staggering Rs399.96 million by January 16, 2013. However, according to the court official, profit on these investments is due for the last 10 and two-and-a-half years, respectively. It is unclear on which investments these sums were received by the court.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 04 Feb 2016 05:01

Anupam Kher snubs Pakistan high commissioner's visa offer

Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher on Wednesday declined Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s offer of a Pakistani visa after he was initially denied one.
Kher declined the offer saying he’s already taken up other assignments on the dates that he had planned to visit Pakistan to attend the Karachi Literary Festival for which he had been invited.
Anupam Kher lashes out at Pakistan govt after visa refusal
To this, the Bollywood veteran actor responded, “Thank you Mr @abasitpak1 for your call & offering me visa to visit Karachi. I appreciate it. Unfortunately I’ve given away those dates now.”

Arun_J · Post by **Arun_J** » 04 Feb 2016 07:23

Just read it in a comment section of Youtube

A radical Paki wants to cut off your head. A "moderate" Paki wants the radical Paki to cut off your head.

Peregrine · Post by **Peregrine** » 04 Feb 2016 14:02

Shabana Azmi: I stand with Anupam Kher

Critically acclaimed actress Shabana Azmi has expressed support for Anupam Kher after he was denied a visa to Pakistan. She says a similar situation was once faced by her husband, celebrated lyricist Javed Akhtar

Cheers

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 04 Feb 2016 16:20

‘Pak madrasas used money laundering to fund jihadi groups’ - PTI

Radical Pakistani madrasas are enaged in massive trade—based money laundering to fund jihadist groups, eminent experts have told American lawmakers who expressed concerns over terror financing.

Concerned over the practice, Congressman Stephen F Lynch said trade—based money laundering (TBML) involves using trade and products or commodities for value in order to divert and obscure the true nature of the illicit wealth.

“Trade—based money laundering is related to terrorist finance,” John Cassara, former US Intelligence Officer and Treasury Special Agent, told members of the House Financial Services Committee during a Congressional hearing.

He said in one example of TBML and terrorist financing, a Pakistani madrassa was linked to radical jihadist groups and it received large amounts of money from foreign sources.

“It was engaged in a side business dealing in animal hides. In order to justify the large inflow of funds, the madrassa claimed to sell a large number of hides to foreign customers at grossly inflated prices. This ruse allowed the extremists to ‘legitimise’ the inflow of funds which were then passed to terrorists,” Mr. Cassara said.

According to World Bank and IMF estimates, unofficial remittances could be well over $1 trillion as against the World Bank estimates that global remittances through official channels will reach $707 billion by 2016.

Nikos Passas, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities, said there are cases of terrorism finance and trade—based money laundering or other money laundering that goes through them.

“In Mumbai, the attacks of Mumbai and the Indian parliament — those cases were solved because of hawala collaboration. In Dubai, the Dubai police and D A made a big money laundering case with trade because of hawala information,” Prof. Passas said in response to a question from Mr. Lynch, who is also a ranking member of the Committee.

In response to another question from Congressman Andy Barr, Mr. Cassara said he believes trade—based money laundering is a major problem.

“But it depends on the part of the world you’re talking about. Certainly, if you’re talking about South Asia, you’re talking about Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Afghan Transit Trade, it’s absolutely huge. Areas in Libya, Somalia, it’s huge. In other areas, perhaps not as important,” he said.

In his remarks, Congressman Michael G Fitzpatrick said trade—based money laundering is the growth industry in terror finance.

Mr. Lynch said trade—based money laundering involves using trade and products or commodities for value in order to divert and obscure the true nature of the illicit wealth.

Currently, there is an ample opportunity for terrorist groups to exploit the international trade system, with low risk of being caught, he said.

Congressman Robert Pittenger, said criminal enterprises have relied on this method of illicit financing for years.

However, many believe that this is an emerging technique now being used by terrorist groups to finance their violent and oppressive operations, he said.

“Congress should prioritise efforts to stop the flow of money and resources to terrorist organisations. We must ensure that organisations like the financial crimes enforcement network receive their resources and intelligence necessary to combat trade—based money laundering and other methods of illicit financing,” he said.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 04 Feb 2016 17:08

Kashmir issue not just a territorial dispute, says Ayaz - DT

This is the Speaker of the Pakistani National Assembly speaking. He also takes pride in 'cancelling' the Commonwealth Speakers' Conf. last year though we know that Pakistan was forced not to conduct that conference after India refused to attend !

If Kashmir is not a territorial dispute, where was the need to invade it in the first place? Why does everyone, from Quaid-e-Azam to this Speaker, refer to Kashmir as 'Shah-e-rag' (jugular vein)?

Why did Sir Zafarullah Khan, the then Pakistani Foreign Minister say, arguing before the UN Security Council in c. 1950, the following? “The three rivers beginning at the top of the map – the Indus, the Jhelum and the Chenab – which flow from Kashmir into Pakistan control to a very large extent the agricultural economy of Pakistan. . . If Kashmir were to accede to India, this supply is liable to be cut off . . .Therefore, to think in terms of Pakistan without Kashmir as an independent country is a complete fallacy. If Kashmir should accede to India, Pakistan might as well, from both the economic and strategic points of view, become a feudatory of India.”.

If Pakistan is only supporting the Kashmiris to exercise their legitimate right of self-determination, why isn't Pakistan unwilling to accept 'Independence' as a third option before the Kashmiris? What is then the meaning of ‘Kashmir Banega Pakistan’ ?

In December 2006, Pakistan officially gave up its claim on the entire state of J&K when its President Gen. Musharraf announced that Pakistan was ready to give up its claim on that State if India also showed some flexibility! A few days later, while clarifying Pres. Gen. Musharraf’s statement, the Pakistani Foreign Office even went to the extent of claiming that Pakistan never claimed Kashmir as an integral part of Pakistan!! So, what is this if not a territorial dispute by Pakistan?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 04 Feb 2016 17:34

A nice juicy target for the Baluchi freedom fighters,what? They need encouragement to save their land.
Gwadar has been virtually handed over to the Chinese to be their equiv of Hong Kong/Shenzen ,entirely under their control like a separate Chinese sovereign territory,from whjere they will operate a huge naval fleet including N-subs and in the future CVs too. China is planning a pincer move to encircle the IN both in the Arabian Sea and from its Indo-China fleet and poss. a similar base in Burma.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/f ... hina-plans

A new Shenzhen? Poor Pakistan fishing town's horror at Chinese plans

Mega-port will bring five-star hotels and Chinese access to Arabian Sea, as residents in conflict-torn province contend with lack of water and food

A Pakistani paramilitary soldier stands guard near the Beijing-funded Gwadar ‘mega-port’. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Jon Boone and Kiyya Baloch in Gwadar
Thursday 4 February 2016

Gwadar is poor. When a house was recently burgled in the fishing settlement on Pakistan’s desert coast, the only items stolen were cans of fresh water – a staple that has soared in value since reservoirs dried up. It lies in Balochistan, a province in the grip of a long-running separatist insurgency and Pakistan’s most neglected.

Yet local officials dream of a future where Gwadar becomes a second Shenzhen, the Chinese trade hub bordering Hong Kong. Visitors are told that with Chinese investment the small settlement will become a major node of world commerce boasting car factories, Pakistan’s biggest airport and a string of five-star resort hotels along Gwadar’s sparkling seafront.

But residents are aghast, and not just because the fishing community, long settled on the neck of the peninsula, will be moved to new harbours up to 40km away.

“This is all being done for China, not the people,” said Elahi Bakhsh, a fisherman bewildered by the plans to turn Gwadar into China’s deepwater access point to the Arabian Sea.

Like others he complains of chronic underdevelopment in a district judged food insecure by the UN in 2009 and a town with only rudimentary health and education services. Bakhsh had not had enough water to wash his clothes in weeks. He and five of his colleagues turned down an offer of tea – the mandatory accompaniment to any meeting in Pakistan – in favour of bottles of mineral water.

Balochistan: Pakistan's information black hole

“The whole area has been captured by the government with local people pushed aside,” he said.

If all goes to plan, the existing 80,000 population will be joined by another 2 million people over the next 20 years, including 20,000 Chinese residents, according to an official at the Gwadar Development Authority.

It was Dubai, not Shenzhen, that was being touted as the model for Gwadar’s future 10 years ago. But that initiative only succeeded in ruining countless property speculators. Officials say things are different this time because of the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC), a project announced last year with pledges from Beijing of $46bn (£32bn) in investment loans.

It will help pay for the expansion of Gwadar’s currently unused deepwater port and the construction of a road network the exact route of which is subject to hot inter-provincial controversy that will connect the port to the Chinese border 1,800km to the north amid Himalayan peaks.

Pakistan hopes the corridor will turn the country into a critical land route for the world’s second-biggest economy. In theory exporters in Xinjiang will have a much shorter journey to the Arabian Sea and international markets than via China’s eastern ports.

In practice sceptics wonder whether trucking goods over one of the world’s highest mountain ranges will ever be cheaper than existing sea routes. They suspect China is more interested in Gwadar as a potential naval base near the oil supplies of the Gulf.

Ensuring security on long stretches of road in a province wracked by a persistent, low-level insurgency is the biggest challenge to CPEC. Fear of being outnumbered by outsiders from the rest of Pakistan is fuelling a violent rebellion in Balochistan.

The Pakistan-China economic corridor is a particular target because separatists see it as a demographic threat to the native Baloch, who are thought to make up just over half of the 8 million people living in the province.

“The corridor passes through what is currently the heart of the insurgency,” says Kaiser Bengali, an economic adviser to Balochistan’s chief minister. He said the notion that the two special brigades formed by the army will be enough to protect road traffic was “laughable”.

“If every convoy of trucks has to be accompanied by half a dozen tanks, armoured carriers and helicopters the cost is going to be exorbitant,” he said.

All five rebellions that have hit the province since 1947 were underpinned by Baloch claims that Islamabad exploits the province’s extensive gas and mineral riches for the benefit of the country’s ruling establishment in Punjab.

Pakistan says arch-enemy India also stirs up trouble. “Foreign adversaries have been more than eager to exploit any opportunity to destabilise Pakistan by harbouring, training and funding dissidents and militants”, said army chief General Raheel Sharif, who joined the prime minister in Balochistan on Wednesday for the inauguration of a section of CPEC highway.

The current rebellion was triggered by the rape of a female doctor by a military officer in 2005. The year before a car bomb killed three Chinese engineers in Gwadar.
Pakistan naval guards stand near the wreckage of the 2004 car bomb that killed three Chinese engineers in Gwadar

Pakistan naval guards stand near the wreckage of the 2004 car bomb that killed three Chinese engineers in Gwadar. Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese visitors say they remain worried about security despite the elaborate efforts to keep them safe. Investors and officials from Beijing only move about Gwadar accompanied by military vehicles and only after all the roads have been cleared of traffic. The road is picketed with policemen at 50-metre intervals.

“For the locals it’s like being a prisoner in your own town,” said Shamshad Ahmed a retired army officer who has been coming to the town for years as part of his work at the Pearl Continental, Gwadar’s only five-star hotel that recently reopened after being mothballed for years. “Of course they are not happy about their freedom being taken away,” he said.

The sense of containment will only increase with plans to build a security fence that will completely surround the town as the port is developed. “Everyone coming in will have to show a residency pass so we can keep a record of who lives in Gwadar,” police inspector Chakar Khan explained.

Officials in Gwadar say the main town is safe, even if trouble remains in outlying areas. On 9 January two Pakistan coast guard officials were killed and three injured by a roadside bomb in the district.

Strenuous efforts have been made to secure the thinly populated but vast province, roughly the size of Germany. The military campaign to weaken a scrappy and deeply divided insurgency has had some success and in 2015 separatist violence fell 36% to 194 attacks, according to a tally of press reports by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies.

But critics say the army has disastrously mishandled the situation with improved security won at the cost of deepening alienation among the Baloch. Former moderates have been driven into the hands of increasingly intransigent separatists, detractors say.

Road users complain of routine humiliations at checkpoints where busloads of passengers can be detained for hours.

It is the issue of “missing persons” that has caused most anger. Intelligence agents, often accompanied by the paramilitary Frontier Corps, are accused of snatching suspected militants who “disappear” into secret detention sites. Many turn up dead in deserted areas, their dumped bodies often showing signs of torture.

An aerial view of Gwadar port in 2014. Photograph: Alamy

Last year the provincial government revealed the bodies of 800 people linked to the insurgency were recovered between 2011 and 2014. It also estimated 950 people are still missing, although some claims go as high as 14,000 according to a 2013 report by a UN fact-finding team.

Where previous rebellions were led by tribal chieftains in northern Balochistan, who were amenable to cutting deals with the state, the current uprising is dominated by the non-tribal middle-class in Makran, the belt stretching some 200km inland from Gwadar.

And unlike in the past, rebels have targeted non-Baloch civilians. Human rights groups say more than 1,000 such “settlers” have been killed since 2006, including a teacher at a school where pupils were forced to sing the Pakistani national anthem.

Civilians from Makran complain of being caught between the insurgents and the Frontier Corps, who are fighting where the infrastructure for the China-Pakistan corridor is to be built.

Gwadar: Pakistan's new Great Game
Rina Saeed Khan

“Fighting erupted when work started on the road and we had to flee our homes,” said Shahab Baloch, a shopkeeper from Hoshab who like many others was forced to find safety in a larger town. “People are living in miserable conditions but are too afraid to go back.”

In a sign of the rebels’ enduring local influence just 4% of voters turned out for a provincial assembly by-election in Makran on 31 December after insurgents warned people to stay away from the polls. A brother of one candidate was kidnapped while another had his house burned down.

Those who remain engaged in electoral politics have hardened their positions. Akthar Mengal, leader of the Balochistan National party (BNP) and a former chief minister of the province, said Pakistan’s leaders “look at us worse than slaves”.

“In their mind we are not a province of this country, we are a colony,” he said. “In the name of development they want to turn us into a minority in our own land.”

Efforts by the provincial government to negotiate a political solution with separatist leaders, some of whom are living in self-exile in Europe, are under way. But civilian politicians say they are powerless to restrain the military’s counter-insurgency operations.

Moderate Baloch leaders meanwhile say any deal with the insurgents must include constitutional protections for indigenous people, particularly in Gwadar where many residents feel more attachment to Oman, which owned the peninsula until 1958. Aziz Baloch, a BNP party official in Gwadar, said a system of work and residency permits should be established so outsiders would be barred from voting in elections.

Some hope the jobs and economic activity created by CPEC will weaken support for the separatists. Many locals are sceptical however, pointing out that people from Balochistan, with its tiny share of the national population, are entitled to only 6% of government jobs and are rarely qualified for the best ones.

A newspaper advert for jobs last March in Gwadar’s fisheries department offered senior, technical positions to Pakistanis from Punjab and only menial roles such as cleaners and guards to locals.

“The suspicion is that all the Baloch will get from CPEC is the right to repair punctures on Chinese tires,” said Bengali, the economic adviser.

Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, struck a conciliatory tone in December at a ceremony to inaugurate a section of CPEC. He said Balochistan must have “the first right over all resources which have been explored in the province”.

But he also announced an upgrade for an existing highway running along the sparsely populated desert coast.

It would allow Chinese trucks to head east towards Karachi before going northwards on secure roads in other provinces, bypassing much of troublesome Balochistan entirely.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 04 Feb 2016 18:03

Pakistan military offers help for Indian soldiers buried under Siachen avalanche

Trying to "win" the PR battle by doing this? To show the world that Paki "expert "assistance was offered, but was rejected.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 04 Feb 2016 18:35

Pakis Living From Paycheque To Paycheque: IMF Approves $ 497 Million Tranche For Pakistan After Bail Out Review

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday it had agreed to release a $497 million tranche for Pakistan after the latest review of a bailout package awarded in 2013, though the disbursement still requires IMF board approval. (so the "paycheque" has not yet been deposited "into the account" )

Addressing a press conference alongside IMF Mission Chief Harald Finger, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated the government's resolve to "convert loss-making state-owned enterprises into profitable enterprises".
He denied that the government had "rolled back" on its plans to save state-owned institutions,( and in the process using the police to kill protesters like in the PIA standoff) saying, "We will do everything possible to bring structural changes to make sure bleeding is stopped." (but what about the "bleeding" due to nepotism, corruption,at the highest level !)

An IMF loan helped Pakistan stave off a default in 2013, when dwindling foreign exchange reserves covered less than six weeks of imports.
Pakistan's reserves have since swelled to $20.5 billion in January from $11bn in mid-2013.( no mention of the corresponding "debt swelling" and the burden to future generations of (madrassah) educated Pakis )

Earlier today, the ministry of finance denied reports that IMF officials were angered at Pakistan's lack of progress concerning privatisation of power companies and other state-owned entities.
"The Reuters story is not true, we are sorry to see them carrying the story," stated the secretary of finance.
Reuters had earlier reported that Pakistan has shelved plans to privatise its power supply companies and will miss deadlines to sell other loss-making state firms, reneging on promises Islamabad had made to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in return for a $6.7 billion bailout three years ago.
Two government officials with direct knowledge of the situation said IMF officials meeting with Pakistani officials in Dubai this week were angered by the backtracking, but they expected the IMF would still release the remaining $1.6 billion to be disbursed.

The "too big to fail nuclear blah blah argument" to support this "artificial entity"

“It was embarrassing and brutal,” a senior Pakistani official present at the meeting in Dubai, told Reuters, describing the IMF's response when mission head Harald Finger was told that the government had decided not to sell nine power distribution companies because of fear of labour unrest.
“It was nothing less than a dressing down. If the IMF still doesn't penalise us, then all I can say is, 'We're very lucky,'” the official said.
The other source, a senior finance ministry official who was also in Dubai, confirmed the account.

So the fate of Pakiland is not decided in Pakiland but in Dubai of all places. Security concerns for the IMF ?

Both Pakistani officials said the IMF had made clear its frustration with the delays to privatisation drive.
"The IMF is asking the obvious question: 'Why didn't you start negotiations [with unions] earlier? Why wasn't this handled better at the political level?'" the senior government official said.(IMF needs a 24/7 physical presence in the Finance And Other Ministries to monitor each dollar given to them )
The Pakistani officials told the IMF that taking on the power companies' 400,000 unionised employees was fraught with risk, and that instead the government would bring in independent boards of directors to improve management. (who will "bell" the cat )

Privatisation of loss-making enterprises
The privatisation of 68 state-owned companies, which include loss-making enterprises like Pakistan International Airlines and Pakistan Steel Mills, is a crucial part of the IMF deal and was meant to bring the country's finances back on track.
Such enterprises drain about $5 billion every year from state coffers, around an eighth of the government's fiscal revenues last year of around four trillion rupees ($38.2 billion).
The government has made some progress, including raising more than $1 billion by selling its entire stake in Habib Bank Ltd, but has struggled to find buyers for most of the companies and faced stiff opposition from labour unions.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday invoked the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act 1952 for six months, barring protesting members of the Pakistan International Airlines from participating in any union activity.
The strike, however, were not halted. While flight operations were initially on schedule, they were also halted across the country following the deaths of PIA employees Inayat Raza and Salim during Monday's protest.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, as the cliche goes

arun · Post by **arun** » 04 Feb 2016 21:41

X Posted from the “Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide” thread.

A new Shenzhen? Poor Pakistan fishing town's horror at Chinese plans : Mega-port will bring five-star hotels and Chinese access to Arabian Sea, as residents in conflict-torn province contend with lack of water and food:

Guardian, UK

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Balochistan: Pakistan's information black hole-Province is the hardest place in the country for human rights workers, diplomats and journalists to operate, as the Guardian discovered on a visit to the region

Guardian, UK

KLNMurthy · Post by **KLNMurthy** » 04 Feb 2016 23:34

arun wrote:X Posted from the “Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide” thread.

A new Shenzhen? Poor Pakistan fishing town's horror at Chinese plans : Mega-port will bring five-star hotels and Chinese access to Arabian Sea, as residents in conflict-torn province contend with lack of water and food:

Guardian, UK

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Balochistan: Pakistan's information black hole-Province is the hardest place in the country for human rights workers, diplomats and journalists to operate, as the Guardian discovered on a visit to the region

Guardian, UK

I love seeing pakis getting bashed, but I have to note that the only reason al-guardian is shedding crocodile tears for poor matsyakaars of Gwadar is because China is benefiting from it.

Did queenistani rags make any kind of noise when entire population of Diego Garcia was brutally shifted out?

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 05 Feb 2016 00:30

Computer Technology In Pakistan Being Used To Preach Radical Islam To World Muslims Through Internet?
By way of computers and headsets, Islamic teaching flows out of Pakistan
(Tim Craig/The Washington Post)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Mohammad Hassan secluded himself in a religious seminary in Pakistan’s largest city for 11 years(hope it is not the "famous" Binori Mosque in the heart of the city, well known for such luminaries as Mullah Omar and Omar Saeed Sheikh ) until he memorized the more than 6,000 verses that make up the Koran, Islam’s holy book.
Now the 27-year-old spends his nights at a computer in Islamabad teaching Muslims in the United States, Canada and Europe how to recite the Koran with the same Arabic pronunciation and intonation he believes the prophet Muhammad would have used.

“Read it correctly!” Hassan shouted at a teenager in Britain to whom he was talking over Skype, the online phone and video service. “You have been reading it for a long time now. Why aren’t you reading it correctly?” (so obviously he has not been coached/trained on cultural mannerisms etc )

From thousands of miles away, Hassan and other online teachers have become a lifeline for some Western Muslims interested in studying Islam just as intensively as it is taught here in Pakistan, home to more than 100,000 mosques and more than 20,000 seminaries.(Pakis becoming a powerhouse of "IT- the other kind " - coming true ?)

With lax telecommunications laws, a large pool of potential teachers and relatively new technologies such as Skype, Pakistan has become a global hub for computerized training courses on how to become a properly ~~observant~~ radical Muslim.

Business is booming, Pakistani entrepreneurs say, because there are not enough mosques and Muslim seminaries in the West to meet demand. And with the rise of the Islamic State — as well as a backlash against Islam in some Western nations — Muslim parents are more closely scrutinizing how and where their children are taught religion, they say.(and what makes it sure that the "radical version" is not being tranmitted over the internet )

“People in the U.S., Canada and U.K. are always telling us: We do have mosques, we do have proper setups, but we can never find one-on-one lessons,” said Usman Zahoor Ahmed, 32, owner of ReadQuranOnline.com, where Hassan works. “And in this current atmosphere, they want to know what kind of teaching is being provided to their children — they want the lessons in their home, where mom or father is always watching.”
Ahmed has a huge potential client base. The Pew Research Center estimates that the global Muslim population numbers 1.6 billion, with Islam on pace to become the world’s biggest religion, eclipsing Christianity, by the end of the century.

By 2050, 10 percent of Europeans will be Muslim, according to estimates. The U.S. Muslim population is projected to double to 2 percent over the next 30 years, Pew concluded.
Eight years ago, Ahmed started his call center with two employees and just a few students. Now, he employs 22 teachers who work all night speaking to 320 students, about 40 percent of whom live in the United States. (hope the US and other countries have some mechanism in place to stop this "brainwashing" from the HQ of IT )

Ahmed’s brother Saqib, who helps run the call center, estimated that more than 50 similar centers operate in Pakistan, and at least one has more than 1,000 students.
“I already got the education but now feel it’s my service to spread it and teach it to others,” said a teacher, Safeer Ahmed, 20.

Law enforcement officials in Europe and the United States have warned of the danger of Westerners becoming radicalized online. And December’s terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., where a Pakistani woman and her husband killed 14 people before being shot dead by police, has elevated concern about potential links between Islamic studies in Pakistan and terrorism.
But can anything now be done about it ?

Tashfeen Malik, one of the California shooters, had studied at a madrassa in the Pakistani city of Multan run by the Al-Huda Institute. The institute also conducts online training. But it’s unclear whether Malik, who friends have said spent considerable time on a computer, also studied Islam online. (does this matter now ? after the damage is done )

Usman Zahoor Ahmed said fears about online radicalization have little to do with legitimate Internet businesses that match students with online teachers for a tour through the “basics” of Islam.( with side trips to "secret places " for an extra fee )
For about $25 a month, students get a 30-minute lesson five days a week. Initially, the lessons focus on the proper pronunciation of Koranic verses. There are also pictorial lessons on daily Muslim practice — praying five times, for example, and bending over to pray in such a way that a glass of water placed on the back would not tip. ( is this the Sunni version or the Shia version )

The instruction then moves to translating and interpreting the Koran, which requires eight years of daily lessons to fully comprehend, Ahmed said.
“If someone asks about jihad, which they rarely do, we would answer it with a strict interpretation of Islam,” he said. “Jihad is something only allowed by a state — it’s not an individual thing where someone can resort to a gun and take up weapons.”

Flashing verses of the Koran onto students’ screens, they work with each of their distant charges, syllable by syllable, teaching them how to properly recite specific verses, which to non-Muslims sound like short hymns.
“Stretch it out further, and don’t shorten the word,” Hassan told one struggling aspirant.
Shaukat Ullah Khattak, a religion scholar who runs a seminary in northwestern Pakistan, ( Saudi funding ?)said such courses fulfill the spiritual needs of students and teachers.
“It’s mandatory for every Muslim to learn the Koran and spread it to others,” Khattak said. “Online Koranic academies are doing great service . . . and kids in the West are now taking a keen interest.”

Edgar Hopida, spokesman for the Islamic Society of North America, said Muslims in the United States are focused on building their own educational institutions. Last year, he noted, Zaytuna College in Berkeley, Calif., became the first accredited U.S. Muslim college.
“We don’t see people turning to Pakistan or other countries to learn the Koran,” Hopida said. “It’s easy to learn here in America.”
But some Pakistanis are clearly profiting from online courses for Westerners.
The Ahmeds, for example, say they pull in $6,000 to $7,000 a month from their 320 students. They pay teachers $100 to $220 a month — or $1,200 to $2,640 annually — in a country where the average per-capita income is just $1,513 per year. (Here is a tax lead for the Paki Tax Police )

Jibran Ahmed recently quit his job as a teacher to open an online Islamic teaching institution. After paying his teachers and expenses, he hopes to pocket $1,000 a month. (seems to be a "growth sector" )
“Our Muslim brothers abroad . . . face adverse circumstances these days,” said Ahmed, 30, who is not related to the two brothers. “My academy and teachers will try to prepare better Muslims who can be of better use to the society that they live in.”

Usman Zahoor Ahmed doesn’t mind the increased competition.
“There will be 3 billion Muslims around the world [by 2100], and they are all our market,” he said. “All you need is a computer, microphone, headset and Skype.”

A future IT (the other kind ) giant in the making

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 05 Feb 2016 01:00

Did queenistani rags make any kind of noise when entire population of Diego Garcia was brutally shifted out?

British papers in general and The Guardian have a vastly better record of 'balanced' news than NYT, WP etc. In fact The Guardian has often covered Diego Garcia, and sympathetically.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 05 Feb 2016 04:26

http://www.e-ir.info/2016/02/04/pakista ... xt-decade/
Pakistan’s Security Challenges and Problems in the Next Decade

Pakistan’s geo-strategic location ( 1st attribute of Pakirodent) at the cross-roads of South, Central and West Asia has not only bestowed upon it many advantages, it has also encumbered it with serious security challenges. Pakistan’s inability, for a plethora of structural and socio-political reasons, to build, nurture and sustain effective state institutions has meant that it has remained mired in internal as well as external security crises. The past decade and a half has been extraordinarily turbulent for Pakistan and it has borne the major brunt of the spill-over effects of the American led war on terror in Afghanistan resulting in huge costs to its economy and loss of over 40,000 lives.
While an important transition is taking place in Afghanistan with the withdrawal of the bulk of NATO and US forces, we are also witnessing a great upheaval in the Middle East and a deterioration in India-Pakistan relations. All these development are likely to make an impact on Pakistan’s security environment. Despite being caught in the proverbial line of fire for several decades past, Pakistan has usually been perceived by the international security and policy pundits as more part of the problem than a stakeholder in peace and resolution. Despite a plethora of writings on Pakistan’s security problems, there remains a lack of indigenous discourse on the key elements of its national security. Most of the time, the country’s complex dynamics have been examined by Western or regional analysts who lack nuanced understanding of the country.

The study has two focal areas; firstly analysis of current challenges and issues affecting Pakistan’s security, policy making and responses. Secondly, a futuristic perspective on the national potential to meet these challenges, interspersed with some policy guidelines that can help in actualizing this potential. In order to avoid generalization and make the study more perceptible, a timeline of 2025 has been set as a future goal-post. The timeline suits intelligent and real time scenario-building, using the reports by various key development agencies, both within and outside the country.
It examines a range of questions, such as: What are the factors shaping the civil military interface? Are most of the problems affecting the state only externally driven? Is Pakistan insulated from the external stimuli and none of the regional or global developments, despite an interconnected world seem to cast an impact? What was Pakistan’s national identity, did we as a nation ever aspire to build one?Co-relation between national identity and state security has not received much scholarly attention. Partly because the issue of state identity has been long settled in many countries of the world. However, amongst some states, including Pakistan, it remains debatable. There is hence a need to analyze whether a co-relation between the concepts of state security and state identity exists. This naturally leads to examine the ways and means in which lack of clarity about national identity may have impacted Pakistan’s national security. At the outset this book aims to identify this co-relation and hopes to draw scholarly attention for more deliberations on this subject, with respect to Pakistan. The issue of national power potential is particularly relevant to Pakistan’s future security prospects, both in traditional and nontraditional contexts. Great threat to individual as well as state institutions in recent years has emanated domestically. The seriousness of this threat has changed the Pakistan Army’s doctrinal thinking, which has identified internal turmoil as the biggest challenge to Pakistan’s security. The unfolding of the National Action Plan in the aftermath of the tragic school massacre in Peshawar and the emergence of terrorist outfits fortifies the need to reevaluate national security doctrine and also reflect as to what direction needs to be undertaken collectively as a nation.. For example, Pakistan’s policy makers, though initially hesitant and reluctant about seeking nuclear proliferation in decades past have systematically built a credible system of command and control to complement the infrastructure developed by the country. From a minimum credible deterrence posture to what is now termed as full spectrum deterrence policy, a chapter on strategic culture seeks to examine the centrality and role of the strategic weapons in the overall security calculus.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 05 Feb 2016 04:43

In future might be useful to include name and location of writer.

Above is Salam Malik, Q-e-A Uty, Lawhore.

KLNMurthy · Post by **KLNMurthy** » 05 Feb 2016 05:28

sanjaykumar wrote:Did queenistani rags make any kind of noise when entire population of Diego Garcia was brutally shifted out?

British papers in general and The Guardian have a vastly better record of 'balanced' news than NYT, WP etc. In fact The Guardian has often covered Diego Garcia, and sympathetically.

First of all, low bar.

Secondly, let's try and be more specific. Did they try to build public opinion against the converting of Diego Garcia to a US base, or did they simply pour out sympathy after it happened?

In case of Gwadar, obviously al-guardian is doing preventive discrediting because it's the Chinese, you see. Like I said, I have no objection in this case, because they are hitting my country's enemies, but it is worthwhile reminding ourselves of the fact that most of so-called liberal queenistanis and amreekis and euristanis are nothing but a bunch of white-supremacist scum.

Sympathy and crocodile tears are cheap. You can rob someone of their home, make them rootless and homeless, and then start a useless charity that gives jobs to the children of the same robbers, and use the misery of the victims to sell newspapers and to get money for that charitable enterprise.

But you don't get to be patted on the back for being a good guy and a nice chap when you do that.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 05 Feb 2016 06:41

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/f ... ego-garcia

It is a scandal stretching across six decades: the forced removal of hundreds of native people from a British overseas territory to make way for a US military base. That Diego Garcia, the main island in the Chagos archipelago – seven atolls in the Indian Ocean – has played a part in the CIA’s torture programme has only added to Britain’s sense of shame.

Testimony on the UK Chagos Support Association website paints a vivid picture of what happened to those forcibly exiled to Mauritius. “Most of us were very sick from the trip,” one Chagossian recalled. “Many children died a few days after we reached Mauritius. We had no alternative but to beg and live outdoors. Some of us begged refuge at the place of people who would employ them, others were lucky to have relatives, but soon were forced to leave.”

“All of the obstacles have been pretty much resolved,” said Stefan Donnelly, interim chairman of the UK Chagos Support Association. “There is a real opportunity for the government to resolve this national disgrace.

Patting oneself on the back; sometimes one's prejudices do get in the way.

member_29325 · Post by **member_29325** » 05 Feb 2016 07:02

Well, Diego Garcia is not going to get back its original citizens any time soon, now that EU states are planning to share that base along with the Americans. It is all to easy to write tear jerking articles about humans rights and play useful idiot to the establishment in these countries which continue to do what they have been doing. Anyway, we will see how much of this is just abject manure in 2016. There is a "automatic 20-year renewal" with "renegotiations" -- and if you think that either of these involve the original occupants or their representatives, think again.

Almost a quarter-century later, nothing has yet been done. In 2016, the initial 50-year agreement for Diego Garcia will expire. While it is subject to an automatic 20-year renewal, it provides for a two-year renegotiation period, which commenced in late 2014. With momentum building in support of the Chagossians, they are optimistic that the two governments will finally correct this historic injustice. That U.S. officials allowed the British feasibility study to consider resettlement plans for Diego Garcia is a hopeful sign that Anglo-American policy may finally be shifting to right a great wrong in the Indian Ocean.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 05 Feb 2016 07:18

The Chagossians will get their island back when India has achieved peer competitor parity with the US and is set to eclipse it.
No one is naive enough to subscribe to journalistic alteration of geopolitical realities.

This is a moot point. The issue is of putting the facts before the reader. Any American articles sheding crocodile tears for Chagossians? I haven't come across any.

member_29325 · Post by **member_29325** » 05 Feb 2016 07:23

Any American articles sheding crocodile tears for Chagossians? I haven't come across any.

Stands to reason, no? The americans occupy this island and have no intention of vacating it, and hence no need for raising any flags to indicate it is even an issue...the brits, OTOH, are has-beens who don't have the money to even maintain their own navy these days, so all this whining about human rights fits right in...it is not like UK can do anything about DG.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 05 Feb 2016 19:45

CPEC Will "Help`Pakis Fix Punctures On Chinese Trucks

The Uncertain Road to CPEC

THE completion of a stretch of road from Turbat to Hoshab as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is reason to feel gratified that the project is moving ahead with speed.

The length of the road is 193kms, and it is going to connect the port city of Gwadar with the road network in Sindh for northward travel. It will finally provide Gwadar with an alternative route to the Makran Coastal Highway, the route of which defeated the purpose of landing goods at the port.

We are told another route going directly north from Gwadar is also being built, passing largely through Balochistan, and in part through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab as well, which will provide a third alternative. (roads being built left and right with no clue of final destination !)

Following this, an airport and a railway line is also to be laid down, along with the necessary infrastructure for expanding residential facilities in Gwadar itself, including the provision of fresh water. (this is going to be a MAJOR, MAJOR problem for the Pakis )

But it is important to keep in mind that questions about the overall vision of CPEC remain unresolved. At a seminar held only a few days before the inauguration of the Turbat-Hoshab link, for instance, queries were raised about how the project will actually help Pakistanis, beyond opening up a small cottage industry for roadside services. (The Pakis will be like the "service centers" that you see on North American highways, serving "polk flied lice and gleen tea" to Chinese drivers" )

In the words of one adviser to the Balochistan government, will Pakistanis basically be fixing punctures on Chinese trucks? The reply reportedly given to the participants of the seminar, from the commander of Southern Command of the Pakistan Army was that Chinese companies ought to be asked to explain how Pakistan will benefit from the larger vision of CPEC. (but was not this "game changer" supposed to be feasibility studied before the start of the project; in other words are the Pakis starting to realize that "they may have been taken for ride" )

Whether this is fair or not, given that the companies are basically here as contractors to execute a project that they did not really develop, the fact remains that an answer to this question is important.

...Political questions notwithstanding, it is important to keep asking how CPEC is going to serve the interests of the people of Pakistan.

Not to speak of the "land appropriation" from the rightful owners of the land- the Baluchi people !

These are critical questions, and we need to keep asking them as more and more projects are completed to ensure that ultimately CPEC serves our interests first and all others’ second.

Beggars cannot be choosers!

saip · Post by **saip** » 05 Feb 2016 19:51

Airline Misplaces Passengers!

Link

Why dont they just shut this loss making airline and get done with it.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 05 Feb 2016 20:03

" Wild West" Coming Soon To A KP Province School Near You !
When the school watchman can't protect you, fear not, his relative will

If the Taliban attack at the Bacha Khan University revealed a lack of solid intelligence to pre-empt incidents of terror, then some of the security measures taken by the government are reflective of a lack of intelligence in decision-making.

Hot on the heels of several perplexing counter-intuitive decisions, such as arming teachers with weapons to protect students rather than taking charge in complete earnest themselves, KP officials have recently issued another bizarre directive.
Take a look: Armed teachers in classrooms — 'You have guns. You can fight it out'
In Peshawar, the elementary and secondary education departments have informed all schools that in the event a watchman is unable to handle a weapon, the onus is on him to bring a relative (it could be his grandma armed to the dentures) to school if he believes this person can do the job.

The "right" to bear arms - "copied" from the "Amreeki Constitution"

Pending approval from the PTC (Parent Teacher Councils), the directive also recommends that the watchman be issued a shotgun and gun license. This is to the vexation of the education department, which says that the underfunded PTC lacks the finances to purchase such a weapon.
The circular, which has been sent to several levels of the law enforcement and local bodies, ironically says:
"These instructions should be followed in letter and spirit to ensure foolproof security of the schools throughout the province."

Yes, certainly, placing a dangerous weapon in the hands of an unknown person is a ‘foolproof’ idea.
Speaking to Dawn, a district education officer confessed he was unable to understand why any person unemployed by the school or government would put their life at risk during a terrorist attack.
“It is beyond my understanding as to how a headmaster will ask a watchman to bring his relative for holding a gun and protecting a government school.”

With this loophole in place, could any militant simply not enter the school by claiming to be the relative of a watchman who has failed to show up to work?
Frustratingly, this decision impacts primary and secondary schools, where innocent children are being placed at the mercy of a watchman’s armed 'family'.
Is a watchman really qualified to decide whom of his relatives is physically and mentally competent to handle a gun in the event of a terror attack?

School headmasters have also been tasked with deploying security measures, such as constructing watchtowers, installing barriers, and deploying guards.
Has everyone all but forgotten that these educators are trained to teach(madrassah math and Lahori logic ?) rather than set up elaborate defence perimeters. They are teachers, not individuals proficient in the art of war.

When it comes to defence budgets, we are ranked at 25 in the world with $7.6 billion allocated to our armed forces, which is nearly 20 per cent of our budget.
We are a nuclear-armed nation equipped with the latest weapons and training in counter-terrorism.
In terms of active military personnel, we are the seventh-largest, and where skills are concerned, our security forces are ranked amongst the best in the world.

Yet, the best plan the provincial government can come up with to protect schools in KP is to arm teachers and random relatives of watchmen?
Why arm our civilians with swords when we boast dragons?

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 05 Feb 2016 20:43

Civil War In Lal Masjid? Is "Deep State" Involved ? Husband- Wife Going Separate (Religiously Speaking) Ways? Read The Drama Article And Decide For Yourself

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 06 Feb 2016 18:23

Maleeha Lodhi demands action to combat Islamophobia in West

UNITED NATIONS (Staff Report) – Pakistan has called for action to combat the forces of Islamophobia and warned that if timely steps are not taken to check this disturbing trend, it could threaten regional and global peace and security.
Speaking at an event organised at the UN by Pakistan Mission and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (IOC)(Pakistan always in the forefront of Ummah matters ) on “Countering Xenophobia through Interfaith Cooperation”, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Dr Maleeha Lodh said that Islamophobic acts are unfortunately happening in countries, which are the traditional champions of human rights and humanitarianism.

he instances of insults against Islam and Muslims are now legion, she said. Islam has been called unspeakable names; minarets have been portrayed as missiles.
These have not been empty insults, Lodhi said, adding, “Expressions of such hate and prejudice have provoked physical and psychological violence against Muslims and their businesses, mosques and community centers in some countries”.

Nothing said about the persecution of minorities in Pakistan and the targeting of "the other sects" in Ummah countries !

“Almost all Muslim communities have been subjected to such intolerance. Many live in fear. Their alienation expands the divide between faiths and cultures within and among nations”.

And in spite of this, there is a "long line up" of Muslims to migrate to the West.

Ambassador Lodhi said those who have declared the denial of the Holocaust a crime should hardly argue that the freedom of expression allows insults against Islam and hate speech and incitement to violence against Muslims.

Prominent speakers at the event included interfaith activists Dr. William Vendley, Dr. Munir Al-Kaseem and Dr. Faroque Ahmed Khan, who appreciated the timely initiative by Pakistan stressed the fact that this has become a global issue which needs to be urgently addressed. The event was attended by diplomats, senior UN officials and members of civil society.

Pakistan making "well use" of its proficiency of the English language to speak to the world, on behalf of the Ummah

Peregrine · Post by **Peregrine** » 06 Feb 2016 19:31

saip wrote:Airline Misplaces Passengers!

Link

Why dont they just shut this loss making airline and get done with it.

Saip Ji : As Indians you, I and all B-RFites should be Supporting the Government of Cwapistan to keep PIA Afloat as well as support the PIA EMPLOYEE'S UNION in their democratic, humanitarian, justified, proper, rightful etc. & etc. demand to keep the PIA holding the Cwapistani Flag HIGH UP IN THE SKY all over the World.

I trust you will appreciate the more the PIA LOSSES the "LESSER" the availability of Funds for the Terrorist Armed Forces of Cwapistan!

Cheers

Peregrine · Post by **Peregrine** » 06 Feb 2016 19:46

Bike-borne suicide bomber kills 8 in Pakistan

QUETTA: Police say a suicide bomber riding on a bicycle has targeted a vehicle carrying security forces in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least eight people and wounding more than 20.

Cheers

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 06 Feb 2016 19:53

Pakistan ~~seeks~~ Begs rollover of $494 million-loan

ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan is seeking a rollover of a $494-million loan obtained from the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB)(will the Saudis oblige in view of their own budgetary problems?) in addition to seeking a fresh loan for budgetary support, despite the government’s boastful claims about the highest-ever foreign currency reserves.
The government has started procedural formalities to seek a debt repayment extension on the loan obtained last year at a mark-up rate of 5%, finance ministry officials say. The loan matured on January 21 and immediately after that, the government initiated the process of seeking a rollover.

Moreover, the authorities have sent a request to the IDB to loan $200 million more for budgetary support, the officials said. The rollover and budgetary support are in addition to $417.8 million loans Pakistan borrowed from the bank between July and December last year.

In the last fiscal year 2014-15, Pakistan had borrowed over $1 billion short-term loans from the IDB in the hope(the whole country is surviving on "hope" ) of returning them within one year.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had congratulated the nation for crossing the $20-billion mark, although a significant portion of the reserves comprises borrowed funds.

The decision to get these rollovers has put a question mark over the claims of largest-ever foreign currency reserves. The IMF’s last report on the state of Pakistan’s economy shows the country’s total external debt will balloon to $70.2 billion by June this year. Almost 50% revenues are spent on servicing domestic and foreign debts.

Sooner or later, the "brilliant strategy" of borrowing to increase foreign exchange reserves is going to backfire so badly, that severe austerity measures will have to be imposed on the Aam Abduls with devastating consequences on the whole society !

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 06 Feb 2016 20:35

J.U.D Becomes Azadi-i-Kashmir Rabita Council For Kashmir Day Demonstration

LAHORE:
Several individuals affiliated with the Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) on Friday gathered near the Lahore Press Club in a new avatar—Azadi-i-Kashmir Rabita Council—and delivered speeches in support of the Kashmiri freedom struggle.

Thus "implementing" the international ban on this terrorist outfit

Earlier, the JuD was refused permission to organise a rally on the occasion of Kashmir Day. While those present did not carry JuD flags, everyone carried national flags. JuD leader Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki presided over the rally.

A source in the DCO’s office told The Express Tribune that the outfit had not been permitted to organise the rally. He said the JuD members had later decided to gather in front of the press club following talks with police.( and obviously the ISI!)

...Separately, JuD supremo Hafiz Saeed led a rally in Islamabad.

Addressing those present, Makki said India had been orchestrating attacks at educational institutions across the nation. He said Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had called Kashmir the jugular vein of the nation. He said India was involved in dispatching terrorists to Pakistan after training them in Afghanistan.

In a statement issued on Friday, Shia Ulema Council president Allama Sibtain Sabzwari said over 50 per cent of parliamentarians including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were ethnic Kashmiris. He said they should strive for Kashmir’s freedom. Sabzwari said Kashmiris had rendered great sacrifices for freedom over the last 68 years.( On Kashmir "issue" the inter-sect divide is not relevant? )

Jamiat-i-Ulema Pakistan (N) chief Syed Muhammad Masoom Hussain Naqvi said Kashmir

In a statement issued on Friday, Nizam-i-Mustafa Party leader Sahibzada Hamid Saeed Kazmi said the UN should

Equal press coverage on this important day to "politicians and maulvis" of all stripes

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 06 Feb 2016 20:49

Minor girl found dead in wedding hall tank was raped, confirms medical report

KARACHI:
A medical report confirmed on Thursday that the five-year-old found dead inside a water tank in Orangi Town earlier this week, was sexually assaulted before she was killed.
P* was subjected to the act of “vaginal sexual intercourse” and died due to drowning and cardiorespiratory failure, confirmed the report by medico-legal officer of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Yasmin Qamar.

Missing six-year-old girl’s body recovered
11 Year Old Girl Raped In Faisalabad
Five Year Old Girl Raped In Peshawar
Man Held For Child Rape Attempt
Obviously, the Islamic Republic Of Pakistan needs to refocus itself on the rampant above problems, if it wants to become a "world power by its target date of 2025

^^
indiscriminate use of smileys lower the discourse on BRF. it is most certainly not appropriate when children have been barbarically killed.
- Rahul.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 07 Feb 2016 00:53

Hundreds of Hectares of Land Handed-Over to China

Pakistan has recently handed hundreds of hectares of land over to China for development of a special economic zone in the port of Gwadar, part of a $46 billion project giving Beijing greater access to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
The government of Balochistan province — Pakistan’s poorest — handed over about 280 hectares of a 923-hectare (2,300-acre) swathe of tax-exempt land that Beijing will develop under a 43-year lease.
The rest of the land will be handed over under the agreement with the public China Overseas Port Holding Company “soon”, senior Pakistani government officials said.
The development is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, an ambitious $46 billion investment plan linking western China to the Arabian Sea, part of Beijing’s ambition to expand its trade and transport footprint across Central and South Asia while countering US and Indian influence.
Access to the port of Gwadar will cut thousands of kilometres off the distance which oil and gas imports from Africa and the Middle East have to travel to reach China.
Pakistan’s planning minister Ahsan Iqbal and shipping minister Kamran Michael attended the handover ceremony Wednesday with Chinese development commission vice chairman Wang Xiaotao.
As part of the wider plans, an international airport will also be built with a Chinese grant at Gwadar, with construction due to begin in January.
Gwadar port, located 540 kilometres (335 miles) southwest of Karachi, was built in 2007 with technical help from Beijing as well as Chinese financial assistance of some $248 million.
It gives China “new access” to the Arabian Sea and it shows to the rest of the world that “China is willing to help friends and spread its influence through positive economic and trade activities”.
India has previously expressed concerns about the scheme.
Acquiring the land from private owners to build the economic zone took several years and cost the Baluch government around $62 million.
Pakistan is also raising a special security force of between 10,000 and 25,000 men to protect the port.
Desperately poor Baluchistan has been roiled since 2004 by a separatist insurgency aimed at seeking greater control over the province’s rich oil, gas and mineral resources.
Some Baluch nationalists have accused the Chinese of conspiring with the Pakistani elite to plunder the province’s resources while doing little to share profits and create jobs for local people.

Remains to be seen whether this will actually benefit Pakistan, as is being touted!