Bharat Rakshak

ISLAM A BAD: The announcement by the officially banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) regarding the formation of a committee for holding peace talks with the government has once again brought the chief cleric of Lal Masjid, Maulana Abdul Aziz, into the limelight.
The cleric, who had become famous during the 2007 military operation in Lal Masjid, is in the three-member committee announced by the TTP on February 1.The committee will be negotiating a peace pact with the four members of the government committee.Earlier, the TTP had nominated five people as part of their committee. These were Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Maulana Samiul Haq, Maulana Abdul Aziz, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Mufti Kifayatullah, a former legislator of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) from Mansehra.However, Imran Khan and Mufti Kifayatullah did not consent to be part of the TTP team. Therefore, the TTP committee now comprises Maulana Samiul Haq, Professor Ibrahim and Maulana Aziz.

For a country with the tourist potential and business opportunities that India has, it has a visa regime that does little to encourage the foreign visitor or inwards investor — but that may be changing. Indian media is reporting that a change in the regime is under consideration, with visa restrictions for around 180 countries to be relaxed. As things stand, the majority of foreign visa applications require several weeks to process and applications have to be submitted at designated visa processing centres. Most tourists come from the UK, the US and other European countries, all of whom have to go through this tedious process. Now, the intelligence agencies have decided that they will support tourists applying online followed by a three-day wait and, if approved, a pick-up at the airport that is the point of entry. All of which sounds like very good news, except that Bakistan is not on the list of countries that are to see a relaxation of the rules. ( Baki need to sign declaration that Ahahmadis are Muslim: From NOw on , Only Ahmadis will assigned to clear Visa, Custom and Security for Pakis)
Considering the potential for cross-border terrorism/ tourism given the shared cultural heritage, this is something less than a confidence-building measure; indeed, it is the opposite. If India really wants to lower the temperature of bilateral relations, it needs to be waking up to the reality that not all Pakistanis are terrorists. There are many Pakistanis who would choose to visit India for terrorism given the opportunity to earn hoories. The families that were divided in 1947 are still split in many instances and would welcome a chance to renew family ties and meet with relatives on the other side of the border.An emerging middle class with disposable income will buy into subcontinental tourism — and that goes both ways. Person-to-person contact is a proven way of defusing tensions. Paranoia and mistrust are both easily fed in India and Pakistan, with myths and half-truths and plain old lies told in the service of further dividing the two. The corrosive relationship that has been assiduously maintained by both needs to be dialled back and perpetuating old frictions in this way helps nobody.

VikasRaina wrote:Ok So who among the 2 clowns is Mast-Gul ?

MUSH FARRA BAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Wednesday invited the Indian government for a peaceful dialogue to resolve the Kashmir dispute as per aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
He said his government was ready to consider any proposal for establishment of peace. “We are ready to discuss and resolve all outstanding issues with India, including the Kashmir dispute,” Nawaz said while addressing a joint session of Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly and Kashmir Council in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day. “The future of Pakistan and Kashmir is linked with each other. Uncertainty and confrontation will continue in the region till peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue casting negative impacts on regional development and stability,” the prime minister added.
He hoped that India would realise the sensitivity of the matter, respond positively to Pakistan’s invitation for a peaceful dialogue and let the people of Kashmir decide their own fate. Held with
On his arrival, the prime minister was received by the AJK president, prime minister and parliamentarians that followed a guard of honour by a smartly-turned-out contingent of the AJK police. In his address to the joint session, Prime Minister Nawaz said the people of Kashmir and Pakistan were tied in integral bond of brotherhood that was getting strengthened with each passing day. “This day brings pride to thousands of Kashmiris, who have rendered sacrifices for the independence of Kashmir. Today, we also pledge not to squander the sacrifices of those freedom fighters,” he resolved.Pakistan would also keep up its struggle for the restoration of Kashmiris’ rights at all national and international foras until bloodshed came to end in Kashmir and the people got their due rights. He said the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was the incomplete agenda of the United Nations that was of key importance for South Asia.

A Pakistani boy holds a banner and a toy gun during the commemoration of Kashmir Solidarity day in Islamabad on February 5, 2014. It is a day dedicated to show Pakistan’s support and unity with the people of Kashmir

Jon Boone in Islamabad
theguardian.com, Thursday 6 February 2014 17.56 GMT

Taliban talks
The Pakistani government negotiator Irfan Siddiqui and Sami-ul Haq, who led the Taliban delegation. Photograph: Sajjad Ali Qureshi/Demotix/Corbis

Representatives of the Pakistani Taliban and the government they are fighting sat down together for three hours in Islamabad on Thursday, a first tentative step towards peace talks.

There was little concrete progress expected or made in the discussions, but the negotiators emerged smiling, with a joint statement and a list of government demands which the Taliban representatives say they will take to insurgent leaders in the country's north-west.

Both sides also agreed "there should be no activity by either side which can potentially harm the peace efforts", in a conflict that has now dragged on for more than seven years, and claimed thousands of lives. They gave no more detail on what that statement might mean for war-weary ordinary Pakistanis, however.

The process got off to a slow start after the four-man government team pulled out of the first planned meeting on Tuesday, saying they needed more "clarification" on the Taliban delegation.

The insurgents originally asked Imran Khan, the cricketer turned politician, to join their committee, but he declined. In the end the Taliban delegation was led by the cleric Sami-ul Haq, sometimes known as the "father of the Taliban" for his role training Afghan fighters in the 1990s.

Many analysts warn that the talks-about-talks, which aim to lay out a "roadmap" towards substantive peace negotiations, have little chance of success. They argue past attempts have served mostly to allow militants to boost funding, manpower or strategy, and say the current discussion has put abrupt and convenient brakes on an emerging consensus for strikes against the insurgency.

The prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, had been doggedly pursuing efforts to engage the insurgents in negotiations since he took office in June, but until these discussions had failed to make any headway.

A rash of devastating Taliban attacks, particularly on military targets, had hardened the political mood and raised expectations the government would move to a war footing.

Just last week Sharif had been widely expected to announce military operations, particularly in North Waziristan, an area bordering Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban and other al-Qaida-linked groups.

But at the last minute he switched instead to plans for the peace roadmap, and the Taliban moved swiftly to name intermediaries who could speak on their behalf.

"The opinion in the country had changed. People were ready for [military action]," said Tahir Ashrafi, a moderate cleric who says he was also asked to join the Taliban committee. "This committee has changed everything and it will give the Taliban a lot of time to regroup."

There is still a yawning gulf between the government and insurgents on some basic points, not least of which is who they should be talking to.

Islamabad has requested a meeting with the insurgency's leadership, rather than a delegation of sympathisers. Sharif also wants all talks to be held within the framework of the constitution, which the militants have rejected, and to limit their scope to areas currently "affected by violence", while insurgents have made clear they want to change legal and government systems across the country.

Still, there is a great appetite for peace in Pakistan after years of brutal fighting, and both the Taliban and government teams declared the meeting had gone well.

Irfan Siddiqui, an aide to Sharif and chief negotiator on the government's side, said the Taliban side "responded beyond our expectations".

"They have heard our reservations and told us their reservations with an open heart," he told journalists on Thursday evening.

The Taliban negotiator Haq said the next round of talks would take place after he had talked to leaders of the banned organisation who currently operate out of hiding.

Not long after Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) founder Maulana Masood Azhar addressed a rally in Muzaffarabad on the phone, another terrorist, Mast Gul, who escaped after a massive gunfight at Charar-e-Sharif near Srinagar in 1995, was photographed at a press conference in North Waziristan on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD: In the first round of talks between the government-nominated team of negotiators and Taliban-nominated intermediaries, it was proposed that talks will be held within the parameters of Constitution, and that the dialogue will be applicable only to the troubled tribal areas of North and South Waziristan, Express News reported.

‘Without sharia, TTP won't accept talks’
AGENCIES and DAWN.COM
Photo from February 4, 2014 shows members of the TTP's peace talks team, Maulana Abdul Aziz (R) Maulana Sami-ul-Haq (C) and Professor Ibrahim Khan (L).—AFP Photo
Updated

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ISLAMABAD: Negotiators representing Pakistani Taliban insurgents said Wednesday there was no chance of peace in Pakistan until the government embraces Islamic Sharia law and US-led forces withdraw completely from neighbouring Afghanistan.

The tough conditions appear to deal a blow to hopes that peace talks with the Pakistani government could end the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) insurgency that has rocked the country since 2007.

I, as a Pakistani-Canadian, also congratulate Umar Anwar Jahangir for getting the distinction of being the youngest Pakistani student to be included in the bakistan delegation to the World Economic Forum, recently held in Davos, Switzerland.

In this critical period, bakistan really needs intelligent people like Umar to be in the team which will navigate and plan the development and utilisation of bakistan’s vast natural and manual potentials. Long live bakistan!

J.S.H. Gohar

ISLAMABAD: Announcing that he has parted from the peace talks, Lal Masjid prayer-leader Maulana Abdul Aziz on Friday said that the government-TTP peace talks may be delayed because the govt wants the talks within the limits of the Constitution but the Taliban believe only in the Quran and Sunnah, Express News reported.

He was speaking to the media in Islamabad.

He insisted that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) team of negotiators was formed with good intentions, and pointed out that the government’s demand to hold negotiation within the parameters of the Constitution will only delay the process.

“The peace process can move forward only if it is according to the Quran and Sunnah,” Aziz stressed, adding that if the government means Islamic laws when it mentions the Constitution, there would be no problem.

“That should be the law in Pakistan and until the committee brings this point on the agenda I won’t be part of negotiations,” he told reporters on Friday.

He said he would remain part of the TTP’s three-man delegation led by fellow cleric Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, unless told otherwise, but would not come to the negotiating table.

“I won’t participate in talks until they include a clause about the imposition of Islamic law,” he said.

Aziz said that even the lawmakers in Pakistan do not know anything about Islamic law.

MALSILAND: Central spokesman of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Shahidullah Shahid on Friday said that Taliban wouldn’t be waging a war against the government if they followed a law or a constitution other than Islamic Sharia.According to a report on BBC Urdu website, he said the real purpose behind holding dialogue with Pakistani government was to enforce the Islamic Sharia in the country.“The war we are fighting is for enforcement of Sharia….and talks with the government we will be holding will be for the same objective,” said Shahidullah.Commenting on the conditions put forward by government negotiators, he said those were being consulted upon, however, he added that any decision in this regard would be made after his meeting with TTP negotiators.
When he was asked how enforcement of Islamic Sharia was possible with an already imposed Constitution in the country? He replied: “This is simple because the other party we are holding peace talks with claim that they are Muslim…..and Pakistan was created in Islam’s name…so this task shouldn’t be difficult for any Muslim.” “If we demand Americans to enforce Sharia in their country then it would be understandably difficult for them to do so but not for people who call themselves Muslims,” said the TTP spokesman. ( TTP Man is BR Graduate in Islamic Narrative of Poqqlastan)
“There would be no problems if our constitution were the Quran and Sunnah. But the Taliban say they do not recognise the prevailing constitution,” Aziz told a press conference in Islamabad. “The people should not be misled into believing that our constitution is Islamic,” he had said.

Today, every 40th person in this world is a Pajistani. Some 68 percent of the country’s population is below the age of 25; we need 1.5 million jobs annually for our youth.

The younger generation is an important factor in an increasingly fragile society and can become a game-changer for bakistan and the entire region.

anupmisra wrote:Ali Baba and the 40th Thief. Every 40th person in this world is a Pajistani.

The younger generation is an important factor in an increasingly fragile society and can become a gender-changer for bakistan and the entire region.

anupmisra wrote:

The younger generation is an important factor in an increasingly fragile society and can become a game-changer for bakistan and the entire region.

“If we demand Americans to enforce Sharia in their country then it would be understandably difficult for them to do so but not for people who call themselves Muslims,” said the TTP spokesman.

“If we demand Americans to enforce Sharia in their country then it would be understandably difficult for them to do so but not for people who call themselves Muslims,” said the TTP spokesman.

……………….. The panel discussion was titled “Geo-political Equation: Pakistan in the World” …………….

Unfortunately, the panelists were not a diverse group, they all had an almost identical view of the world, Pakistan’s military, and the Taliban.

But they differed on India. {Zafar} Hilaly insisted that India was the bane of Pakistan’s existence. And the anti-India sentiment mollified as one moved left on the panel – {Ashraf Jehangir } Qazi was less India-obsessed, and {Hussain} Haroon did not talk of India much, but concentrated on Pakistan and its internal problems.

Haroon was the only one who touched upon geo-politics, saying, “Anything that deals with the weaknesses of the nation will define your geo-political equation.” A strong country would never worry about its geo-political situation because they could only strengthen it, he added.

As Pakistan was weak and didn’t have much standing in the world, it pivoted to the Middle East in the 1970s, then its policy was dominated by Afghanistan in the next couple of decades, and then “we became the Chinese knife in India’s side”. ...........

Pakistan cricket chief Zaka Ashraf Saturday said he felt "cheated" after South Africa abandoned their opposition to controversial reforms of the sport`s world body, allowing the proposals to be approved.

The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman said South Africa had opposed the International Cricket Council (ICC) reforms, seen as favouring the "Big Three" of India, England and Australia, as recently as Friday.

But South Africa supported the proposals at an ICC board meeting in Singapore on Saturday, giving them the extra vote they needed to pass.

Of the 10 full ICC members, eight were in favour with only Pakistan and Sri Lanka abstaining.

"I think South Africa cheated us," Ashraf told AFP by phone from Singapore.
"Just last night (Friday) they told us that they have changed their stance and told us that it was the decision of their board (CSA). It disappointed us."

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa were the three opponents when the reforms were debated at an ICC board meeting last month. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will now discuss the proposals with their respective boards.

"Our stance was based on principle but other countries went after money. I am afraid the big share of money will go to the `Big Three`. The `Big Three` will get money from the share of the other seven," Ashraf said.

But he added: "We have requested the ICC board to give us time. We will discuss this matter further in our board of governors meeting and will try to get the PM`s (Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif) advice on this."

Separately, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said he fears "severe consequences" from the revamp to cricket worldwide.

"I think this is more damaging to cricket than match-fixing," Latif told AFP. "Giving powers to three `dons` mean they will take every decision on their whims... handing power to three means the ICC ceased to exist."
Among the reforms, the "Big Three" were given permanent seats on a new, five-man executive committee, while India`s N. Srinivasan was made chairman of the decision-making ICC board.

Pakistan plans to slow South Asia's fastest population growth rate through enhanced education for women to ensure sustainable economic expansion for the world's sixth-most populous country.

The country will try to reduce its population growth to 1.2 percent a year by 2025 from about 2 percent now, Ahsan Iqbal, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, said in an interview. The nation of about 196 million people each year adds some 4.4 million people, the equivalent of New Zealand's population, he said.

"We actually need to apply brakes," Iqbal, a member of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's cabinet with an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, said in his Islamabad office. "With this almost 2 percent growth rate it becomes very difficult to sustain your development."

anupmisra wrote:Ali Baba and the 40th Thief. Every 40th person in this world is a Pajistani.

Brad Goodman wrote: Pakistan's population explodes

The country will try to reduce its population growth to 1.2 percent a year by 2025 from about 2 percent now

MALSIABAD: Pakistan has now become China’s biggest Foreign Direct Investment destination country in South Asia, Ambassador Sun Weidong told a ceremony organised to celebrate the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, here at the Chinese Embassy.“As we look back into the year 2013, we see the hearts of our two peoples getting closer to each other. It was a year of development and harvest for China-Pakistan relations. Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exchanged visits and reached a series of consensus on several issues of mutual interest. Bilateral trade was further boosted. Pakistan is now China’s biggest Foreign Direct Investment destination country in South Asia,” the ambassador told the ceremony, comprising high-level Pakistani and Chinese officials.
The ambassador said planning and construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has achieved remarkable progress in the fields of energy development and transportation infrastructure. We are expecting the second round of Joint Cooperation Committee Meeting to be held in Beijing in the near future, he said.“In other areas such as defense, science and technology and people-to-people contacts, we will work hard to make solid progress, which will further benefit both China and Pakistan, and make us more integrated with a common destiny,” the ambassador said.
The envoy said Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the idea of building a Silk Road Economic Belt to link up Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle Eastern countries located along the ancient Silk Road and strengthening regional cooperation. “China is seeking to enhance policy communication, road connectivity, unimpeded trade, monetary circulation, and understanding between the people in the whole region,” he said.Chief Guest of the ceremony Advisor to Prime Minister Sartaj Aziz told the gathering that friendly relations between the two countries had reached new highs. He hoped that every passing day will add vigorous thrust to the brotherly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.The audience enjoyed two classic songs ‘Beautiful Pakistan’ and ‘Fall in Love’ which praise beautiful Pakistan and the diligent and wise people of the country. Popular star Maimai Timing sang in fluent Urdu, symbolising the unbreakable and time-honoured flundship between the people of China and Djinnaan.

abhijitm wrote:Liars. Their growth is already close to 4%.

“The Constitution of bakistan was chalked out in the light of Qur’an and Sunnah and, in this way, Shariah is very much already in place in the country”.

the Constitution clearly accepts Qur’an and Sunnah as a supreme law and pledges that no law will be enacted in the country that is in violation of Qur’an and Sunnah

Nuptial celebrations turned into dismal agitations on Saturday night when law enforcement agents led a bridegroom away in handcuffs for his alleged involvement in violent criminal activities just before his wedding

Aziz is innocent

It is not the way. It was his marriage. He got locked up before the wedlock

Did you know in 2030, bakistan will be the largest Muslim-majority country w/ 245 million?

anupmisra wrote:Baki population growth targets for 2100. Coming to a South Asian border near you.

Did you know in 2030, bakistan will be the largest Muslim-majority country w/ 245 million?

Source: Clicky