Why Federalism is not Good for Pakistan

 Quest for federalism—perspectives from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

By Professor Khadim Hussain

The demand for a genuine federal democratic republic of Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is as old as Pakistan itself and in some cases is even older than Pakistan. Initially, it was the Khudai Khidmatgar Movement and its various offshoots that struggled hard in the colonial era to win the status of a separate province with the right of adult franchise. The struggle that started for an autonomous province in the early 1920s culminated in the 1930s and as a result of which NWFP was made a separate province under the colonial constitutional framework of 1935. A separate NWFP assembly was formed after the elections held in 1937 in the united India.

After the inception of Pakistan, democratic secular nationalist entities from the then NWFP like Khudai Khidmatgars, and Balochistan, Sindh, the then Bengal and some leftists from Punjab formed People’s Party and later National Awami Party in the 1950s. The National Awami Party initiated its struggle in all parts of Pakistan on a three point agenda—separation of state and religion, provincial autonomy and an independent foreign policy. The National Awami Party started a mass movement across Pakistan, especially in NWFP, after General Ayub imposed martial law in the country and formed the notorious One Unit for the so-called parity between the Eastern and Western wings of Pakistan. The movement was later joined by the provincial chapters of Pakistan People’s Party, Jamiat-e-Ulamai Islam and Jamiat-e-Ulamai Pakistan.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the movement for autonomy of the provincial units of the federation for the political development of a genuine federal parliamentary democracy in Pakistan historically revolved around three major sets of grievances.

Besides long lasting struggle for identity, the first and the foremast on the agenda of the movement for autonomy and genuine federal democracy remained in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be the issue of ownership and distribution of natural resources. Though not limited to water only,  the grievance over water gained prominence after hydroelectric power generation and irrigation channels from the water owned by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa legally, technically and traditionally were used by the centre for Punjab without the consent of and due compensation to the province. Other resources that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa historically agitated and protested for include natural gas, cess on tobacco grown in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, precious stones, minerals and forestry besides tourism.

The second set of grievances pertains to economy that includes unequal development and investment in trade and commerce, infrastructure for trade and commerce, unequal development of industry and market, agriculture, fishery and poultry. The third set of issues that became the source of long lasting demands in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa includes public policy and governance. This set of grievances was assumed to be the direct consequence of the deprivations mentioned in the first and second sets of grievances. This was thought to be the result of the centrist mindset of state institutions.  Denial of justice, lack of the Rule of Law, bureaucratic hegemony, non-responsiveness of state institutions, and lack of basic facilities like sewerage, clean drinking water, due share in taxes and revenues continue to breed negative attitude for political, institutional and capitalist elite of Pakistan in the common masses of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The landmark 18^th Amendment passed and enacted in April 2010 not only resolved the issue of identity but also mitigated the grievance of resource distribution in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to some extent. Abolition of concurrent list altogether and bringing of Federal Legislative List II in the purview of the Council of Common Interests might have resolved most of the outstanding issues between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the centre. There are still three irritants that continue agitating the governments and people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa persistently.

Firstly, the issue of centralization of governance and distribution of power by the centre has continuously made relations between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the centre in jeopardy. Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) based in Lahore and managed by Islamabad is considered not only hegemonic but also a stumbling block in fulfilling the needs of electricity of the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Secondly, there is a fear that devolution of certain institutions is being resisted by sections of the political, military and bureaucratic elite with lame excuses and invalid arguments. Resistance to allow devolution of Higher Education Commission to provinces is just one example to nourish the fear of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The resurrection of the ministry of education and health with pseudonyms after the PML-N government was elected to power in Islamabad strengthens the fear of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that powerful sections of political, military and bureaucratic elite in Islamabad and Punjab are not sincere in realizing the dream of a genuine federal parliamentary democracy in Pakistan. As if it were not enough, the statement of the Federal Minister for Petroleum indicating review of the Article 158 of the constitution of Pakistan added salt to the injuries. Article 158 of the constitution of Pakistan had established the first right on the use of the natural gas and petroleum by the province where it is produced.

Thirdly, there is a strong demand by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that half ownership of resources ensured in the 18^th  must be constitutionally converted to the full ownership of resources while share of the cost for administration of state and distribution of resources may be worked out  in the Council of Common Interests and National Finance Commission.

The third set of grievances mentioned above may be considered the domains of provincial governments exclusively after the 18^th Amendment and 7^th NFC Award. Responsibility for governance, law and order, education, health, socio-cultural development, women development, youth affairs, agriculture, tourism and local government must be taken up by the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Abdication of this responsibility by the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be deemed as complicity in revoking autonomy and decentralization. The civil society, academia, professional organizations, media and research organizations have to form networking for taking ahead the true spirit of federal parliamentary democracy in Pakistan.

(The writer is a political analyst based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Email: khadimhussain565@gmail.comtwitter/@khadimhussain4

source : http://www.citizenswire.com/quest-for-federalism-perspectives-from-khyber-pakhtunkhwa/

Collective Amnesia and Apathy

Written by Khadim Hussain

A scene from Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Nobel Prize winning novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, has vaguely remained my memory for a long time. The scene is about a gun battle  in 1967 between liberals and conservatives in Macondo city. The conservatives, being in power, have all the state resources to construct and disseminate propaganda. Leader and commander of the liberal force gets seriously injured and is left dying in pool of blood, perceived as dead after his force is defeated. Early next morning when the Colonel comes to consciousness, he is taken aback by the fact that there are no traces of a ferocious gun battle in the main square of the city. While moving to his house, he keeps asking about the gun battle last night but nobody in the city seems to be aware of the incident. The Colonel, severely injured, wishes to lose his memory but of no avail while on the other hand people around him start doubting him to have lost his mind . The people of the town keep arguing with each other regarding the claims of the Colonel while the Colonel himself starts showing signs of abnormality. The era in the novel seems to depict political and ideological wars in 17^th and 18^th Century Europe.

Since then , states around the globe have achieved sophisticated techniques to monopolize construction and dissemination of political and security narratives. The narratives mostly pertain to the prolonging of political arrangements to keep wielding, using and distributing power.

The events in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a north western province of Pakistan, and Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA) in the last three weeks provide an interesting case study as to how narratives are constructed, used, and disseminated through media that sideline the issues having direct bearing on the common masses.

On July 26 2013, twin blasts in Parachinar (Headquarters of Kurrum Agency) left almost 57 dead and 167 critically injured¹.The locals on the other day expressed their emotions:

Hussain said almost all the dead and wounded were Shias. Moreover, Ali said at the time of the explosion the market was full of Shias, who were buying items for their evening meal that breaks the daytime fast during the holy month of Ramazan. ”We demand protection. We request the government to take action against those who routinely kill our people,” he told The Associated Press. One of the blasts was carried out by a suicide bomber while the other might have been a planted one, Political Agent Riaz Mehsud said.[2]

Target killing of Peace Committees, police officials and Shias has remained a routine matter in the meanwhile. On August 2, two policemen and a House Station Officer (SHO) were shot dead in Daudzai in the suburbs of Peshawar.[3] A member of the Peace Committee was shot dead in Kabal Tehsil of Swat distrct on July 24 2013.[4] These are just two of the dozens acts of target killings that continue in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unabattedly.

On July 30, “As many as 243 prisoners escaped as militants carrying heavy weapons stormed Dera Ismail Khan’s Central Jail, holding as many as 5,000 prisoners including 250 inmates belonging to various banned outfits here on late Monday night, Geo News reported.”[5]

These unfortunate events would have been considered as part of the war the militant network has launched against the state and society of Pakistan, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, had both the state and private electronic and print media of Pakistan not melted the story through other high profile stories that have little or no direct bearing on the citizens. Let me count the events that were hyped by media in the meanwhile which intentionally or unintentionally sidelined the terror events mentioned above.

A controversy on presidential election that was destined to be won by PML-N made banner headlines in print media and occupied more than 70% of time in electronic media which successfully marginalized killings in Parachinar.

After section of media started reporting target killings, news of the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan started doing the rounds. The stories of target killings thus relegated to cold storage by mainstream media.

As if it were not enough, when media started analyzing various aspects of the DI Khan jailbreak, another high profile issue occupied almost the whole space of print and electronic media. Supreme Court of Pakistan issued a show cause notice to Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan. This issue successfully engaged print media, electronic media and social media in a way unprecedented in this part of the world.

Is it demand of the consumers for a story as some media exponents would argue or depiction of a stark reality of the political economy of Pakistan? Is it information, education and entertainment as classical journalism envisages or monopoly on construction, distribution and dissemination of narratives that are related to power? Does this phenomenon indicate thirst for information by the common masses or does this signify hold of power by the political, corporate, and military and intelligence elite and urban middle classes in the state structures of Pakistan?

Academia in this part of the world has so far failed to analyze the above questions that have close relationship with the political economy of the state of Pakistan for three reasons besides lethargy. Firstly, most of the academia that resides in the urban centers has a share in the monopoly of the narratives and hence has some share in the hold of power by the elite and urban middle classes. Secondly, the overbearing state institutions on the one hand and the militant network on the other hand have successfully permeated fear with respect to evidence based analysis that might lead to a difference of opinion with respect to popular narratives. Thirdly, socio-cultural space for the dissenting narratives has been reduced to the extent that academia might not lay its hands on something that might touch the boundaries of non-conformism.

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(The writer is a Peshawar based political analyst. Email: khadimhussain565@gmail.com , twitter@khadimhussain4

source: http://pashtunwomenvp.com/index.php/2013-01-28-03-21-27/current-issue/305-khadim-hussain

Pakistan’s Internet Hall of Shame: 2013-2014

The Elephant’s Foot Approach – Blocking Encryption

Author- Bholo Bhai

What was introduced in 2010, is being implemented on a large scale now. The Monitoring & Reconciliation of International Telephone Traffic Regulations 2010(MRITT), stipulates there is a “prohibition to use all mechanisms which conceal communication to the extent that prohibits monitoring.” An outcome of this is the issuance of directives banning the use of VPNs – unless registered and pre-authorized by the regulator. Although the regulation was never fullyimplemented in 2010, it is being implemented with a lot of zeal now.  In recent months. Internet users have faced service disruptions, slow Internet speed as well the inability to access several websites.

Very recently, as a result of an investigation into customer complaints, popular VPN service Spotflux officially announced that their data centers had been blocked by the Government of Pakistan. The use of encryption is not only important for individual privacy but also for the integrity and security of business and financial transactions, and the banking sector. Despite grave concerns voiced by the industry, the ‘crackdown’ continues, reportedly because the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) is in charge of managing the filters – and there is no accountability there.

“Banning Google”

The day after she was sworn in as Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecom, Ms. Anusha Rahman Khan announced that the government would be acquiring filters to block access to ‘objectionable material’ on the Internet, followed by an (allegedly misreported) ‘warning’ that access to Google itself could be blocked, if the company failed to remove blasphemous content.

See our timeline on the YouTube ban and our report card of the Minister’s six months in office for more details.

The Return of the Firewall

 After going on record in 2012 to say the The Ministry of IT and Telecom (MOIT)would not be pursuing the installation of a URL filtration system, filters made a comeback under new Minister for IT. The new leadership  projected filters as a one-stop solution to unblock YouTube. There have been reports since of Netsweeper’s presence in Pakistan. The Ministry, while not naming the equipment or its source, said it would be ‘borrowing’ filters from PTCL for a period of one year. Soon after, a statement regarding the ineffectiveness of filters was issued. However, what happened to the already acquired filters was not disclosed.

For more details, see our timeline on content filtration over the years and our submission to court on the same.

The ‘Proposed’ Three-month Ban on Whatsapp, Viber & Skype

In October 2013, the Sindh Government announced it was looking to ban access to Whatsapp, Viber, Skype, Tango and other such applications in the interest of national security. The ‘proposed’ ban caused an uproar online, and Internet users in Pakistan demanded that the government focus on more concrete policies to fight terrorism rather than restricting access to communication. Caught amid fiery reactions from citizens, the Sindh Government rolled back its proposed plan with a rare disagreement from the Federal Interior Ministry. IT and Telecom, it is important to point out, is a federal subject.

Since 2012, authorities have restricted access to mobile services on public holidays & religious events as a “counter terrorism measure.” See our survey on the human cost of communications blockade.

Block the Box Office: IMDB Ban

Access to the popular Internet Movie Database (IMDB) was blocked in November 2013, reportedly after the Interministerial Committee for Evaluation of Websites issued a notice to the PTA to enforce the ban. Owned by Amazing, IMDB is a popular portal for users to get information and box office review of films and TV series. The ban was lifted within a few hours, restoring access to the site.

There exists no official explanation on why access to the IMDB website was blocked. However, there are speculations that it was done to prevent access to the review of “The Line on Freedom”, a film depicting military brutality and torture of civilians in Balochistan. The IMDB page for the documentary remains blocked from Pakistan.

Besides IMDB, previously Dailymotion, a video-sharing website that hosts music and videos, was also blocked briefly for reasons unknown. Access was temporarily restricted and restored, but no explanation was offered. YouTube was blocked in 2012 and remains blocked to date.

Blocking Commonsense

Following reports on Twitter that the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has blocked access to certain Wikipedia pages, through access tests in various cities, we are able to confirm that access to specific Wikipedia pages had been restricted. (Particular Wikipedia pages continue to be blocked on PTCL connections across the country).

Wikipedia is an academic crowd-sourced encyclopaedia, which is globally known to be the go-to resource on the Internet for information on essentially any topic in the world.

Some of the Wikipedia pages blocked included pages on sex, child pornography and breast. Other than these, boxer Muhammad Ali’s page was also found blocked on Qubee. Besides Wikipedia, technology websites such as Disqus, Verge and Gizmodo were blocked in the first week of February 2014.  education and child exploitation.

Similarly, medical students reported they could not access breast cancer research on Google Scholar as search results with the term “breast” were being filtered. All this demonstrates the approach towards academic information relating to the human body.

Blocking Gamers

Access to networks such as Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Game Ranger has been denied, again without any reason or explanation offered to the public. There has been no news or updates since, and many believe that the blockade is accidental. The aforementioned networks are communication channels for gamers in order for them to interact and enhance their gaming experience.

source: http://bolobhi.org/the-internet-hall-of-shame-2013-2014

Alleged target killer for ISI and Blackwater executed after “confessing” to assassinations during peace talks

by Carol Anne Grayson

Sun 14th Sep 2014

ISI + CIA + BLACK WATER WORKING AS ONE ????

In recent days the name of the firm “Blackwater” has reared its ugly head once again with the trial of four men, part of an assignment contracted by the US State Department to provide “security” in Baghdad during 2007. This case has received widespread media attention but a much lesser know unofficial “trial by Taliban” of Atif Khan, an alleged arrester and target killer claimed to be linked to Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Blackwater has also emerged highlighting serious concerns regarding how state agencies may operate. First the background to the Iraq case as follows…
Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard are facing manslaughter charges for an incident when they were in the employment of Blackwater with a fourth man Nicholas Slatten accused of murder. The former guards stand before a Washington DC federal court alleged to have participated in the killing of 14 Iraqi civilians “without cause” in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square. The men are accused of running amok, opening fire and slaughtering unarmed locals going about their business as they responded to fear of a security threat on a Blackwater convoy. Defense lawyers allege that there was unprovoked firing at the vehicles by insurgents.

Hassan Jabir lies in a hospital bed Sept. 20, 2007, after he was wounded when guards employed by security company Blackwater opened fire at Nisoor Square in 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq. (Khalid Mohammed/AP)
The following account from Paul Yost, Associated Press details some of the victims of this incident which caused international outrage, including one witness, a weeping father, describing the killing of his 9 year old son.
After the gunfire stopped, the father said, he opened a back door on his car. His son’s brains fell out at his feet, he said.
“The world went dark for me,” he testified through an interpreter.
Among the victims was a down-on-his-luck potato farmer who had gone to Baghdad looking for work. He was wounded; two cousins with him were killed.
Other victims included a devoutly religious mother and her daughter, who were in the Nisoor Square area applying for travel documents so they could visit holy sites. The mother’s last act before dying was to grab her daughter’s head and shelter it in her lap, likely saving her life.
Investigative journalist, Jeremy Scahill detailed the background and actions of the sometimes deadly global security business in his book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army. The company has changed its name but does not appear to have changed its controversial practice. Extraordinary allegations appeared this week in Azan, an online “jihadi” publication, detailing the “trial” and confessions of a young Pakistani claimed to be working for the Pakistan Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI) and Blackwater as a hired contract killer.
Some would immediately rush to dismiss this as propaganda however there is a considerable history within Pakistan of “enforced disappearances” torture in state custody and extra-judicial killings that warrant further investigation. On 30th August, international human rights groups issued a press release condemning the state saying,
“on the eve of the annual International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch urge Pakistan’s government to stop the deplorable practice of state agencies abducting hundreds of people throughout the country without providing information about their fate or whereabouts”
See link for full statement,
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA33/013/2014/en/bc28de56-fdfb-41f0-8d17-0aa9ec77f4cb/asa330132014en.html
The following abstract from Azan highlights this alleged practice in Pakistan and reads as follows:
Azan Report: Blackwater and ISI Working Together in Pakistan
“All Praise is due to Allah …Alone. And may His Peace and Blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad… Atif Khan, a teenager hailing from Mohallah Qazi Abad, Peshawar, was arrested by the Mujahideen in Miran Shah on the grounds of serving as an arrester and a target killer for the Pakistan Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI) and the private US Security Agency , famously known as “Blackwater” (also known as Xe Services LLC, “Academi” or TIS [Total Intelligence Solutions]) . This 9th Grade teenager was trained jointly by ISI and Blackwater at CID center, Peshawar in January, 2014 and was subsequently tasked with killing or arresting several prominent Afghan T aliban Mujahideen and one Pakistani Mujahid. The teenager successfully completed 9 out of the 10 missions assigned to him, before being captured during his 10th mission. A week after being captured, Atif Khan confessed to his crime and revealed the entire story of his brief career as a target killer and kidnapper for ISI and Blackwater . This report details his story as well as some insight on Blackwater secret activity in Pakistan, and the role of ISI in secret detainments, co- operation with foreign mercenaries and killings of the people of the country it vows to protect…”
The report which also draws on books and journalistic research for a history, highlights that Blackwater was allegedly implicated in undercover operations in Pakistan and collecting intelligence for US drone strikes working under the CIA. Of particular concern is what appears to be this new information which is worthy of serious investigation, the role of Blackwater in allegedly recruiting and training young men to arrest and even assassinate individuals whose names are provided. Azan continues,
“Recently (May 2014), the Taliban Mujahideen captured a young teenager, Atif Khan, in Miranshah who had arrived to partake in the assassination of a TTP Commander for Ghazi Force Red Mosque (Lal Masjid). The teenager was arrested on the 37th day of his arrival after trying to escape twice towards the end of April and start of May. His arrest led to a whole lot of revelations about ISI’s and Blackwater’s activities in Pakistan in endangering the lives of the Pakistanis, terrorism within a foreign country’s boundaries (for US and Blackwater) as well as the treacherous face of the Pakistani military and establishment. His revelations are also important in analyzing the role of the ISI in removing people that the US wants out of the way. Possibly, the recent shooting of journalist Hamid Mir which he attributed to the intelligence agencies, might well be done via similar methods as well”
Atif Khan …AS -9 (Arrester/shooter no 9)

The report details the role of young Atif, his training, trainer/employers, names of alleged victims, details such as phone numbers, locations as well as more personal family details. For example we learn he was educated to 9th grade, engaged to his paternal cousin, that his father is a wine seller, owned a grey Suzuki Alto and that Atif had two brothers named Jasim (age 11) Hamza (age 10) and also two sisters.
The report, neatly laid out as a research paper with reference grids, claims to provide information obtained from Atif of his “missions” to arrest and/or assassinate insurgent targets, there are 10 documented… example as follows:-
Alleged “Second Mission” (one of 10 documented)
Goal…. To Kill or Cap ture Mr Wajid Zabuli, a Mujahid From Islamic Emirate Afghanistan
Details……Mr. Wajid Zabuli was a resident of Chalmaro area, Peshawar, he was tracked by his mobile phone, attested in Board Area, Peshawar, then shifted to CID Centre GoraQabristan
Reason for arrest….. supporting Pakistan Taliban
Assignment date…..2nd week of January 2014
Assignment given by…… Mr Saeed
Place of assignment….. CID Centre Peshawar
Result…. mission successfully accomplished
Further details… Mr Wajid was (allegedly) shot dead by ISI in CID Centre in his cell, his dead body was then thrown in Chalmaro area of Peshawar; Mr Atif was member of the team that transferred the dead body.
The complete Azan report goes on to include a section on “observations” discussing 6 main points as follows:-
1) Blackwater/ISI T raining Program in Peshawar
2) ISI is T argeting the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
3) Blackwater is Present and Actively Working Within P akistan
4) “ AS-9” Shows Other Similar T arget Killers are Operating in the Country
5) Hamid Mir’s Shooting and Discarded Dead Bodies Could be Connected
6) T arget Killings are Rampant in Pakistan
Further research from investigative journalist sources cover more activities of US “security” firms in Pakistan.
The full report can be read here and is shared due to the serious nature of the allegations which should be taken up by lawyers and those investigating “state terrorism” and criminal activity within Pakistan…
There is a saying… “you can’t see the wood for the trees”… which can sometimes be applied when a person is undertaking an important piece of research and embroiled in detail, the obvious can be missed. What is hugely significant with this report is that if the allegations could be proven it shows that arrests and assassinations of those claimed to be connected to insurgency were going on DURING so called “peace talks” with the Taliban. Dates of !missions” are clearly stated. There are also likely to have been other target killers involved given that Atif Khan was known as AS-9 suggesting there were 8 before and who knows how many afterwards? This would show the state agencies were not sincere in supporting the Pakistan government, thereby well and truly sabotaging efforts at dialogue with insurgents… talks set up to fail!
It is important to remember also that a key point raised by the Taliban during peace talks was their allegations of torture in custody and extra-judicial killings. I tried to raise these issues myself as an independent human rights activist but my letter was ignored. Failure to listen and address these issues led to the well-documented retaliation attack by the Pakistan Taliban, the killing of 23 FC men as detailed in my earlier article,
Pakistan: Warning letter on human rights abuses in custody was ignored, Taliban kill 23 FC men in retaliation
http://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/pakistan-warning-letter-on-human-rights-abuses-in-custody-was-ignored-taliban-kill-23-fc-men-in-retaliation/
When William J Burns, Deputy Secretary of State visited Pakistan earlier this year, his mission was clear, to put pressure on Pakistan to take more active measures on insurgency. His press statement of May 9th 2014 read,
“militancy continues to threaten Pakistan’s revival. Few countries have paid a heavier price than Pakistan in the fight against extremism. We support the Prime Minister’s efforts to reestablish authority over all Pakistani territory in whatever way Pakistan deems appropriate, and especially urge him to sustain pressure on militant groups, deny them a safe-haven, and prevent cross-border attacks!
The pressure again increased with the announcement that continuing US aid would depend on success in eliminating terrorists “hide-outs” in North Waziristan. Consequently the military launched operation Zarb-e-Asb which entailed clearing out the tribal areas of civilians prior to air strikes and ground assaults and is estimated to have created around 1 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Important questions that must now be asked are… who are the “terrorists” in Pakistan (aside from the militants)? What action will be taken against those who allow “state terrorism” to flourish?
The killing of Atif Khan
I contacted Azan to ask what happened to Atif Khan? I was told he was interrogated regarding his actions, was afraid but when asked “if they sent you again then what would you do?….He used to reply “I have no choice”.
His captors informed me that he was later “killed”… “slaughtered like a lamb”….”he was slaughtered in Mir Ali, on the road, at night time.” I inquired as to whether his family knew of his fate? The answer was “no, you can expose his bitter end”. I was then told his body was “left by the road during the last week in May, 2014.”
This report and allegations raise a series of concerns. What is the legal position with regard to private and foreign firms that are alleged to have carried out contract killings? Who will investigate the allegations? What actions will be taken to stop such killers from happening again?
This report has focused on “arresting”and target killing of alleged insurgents however a number of previous articles have highlighted that individuals from many walks of life end up as “enforced disappearances” in Pakistan. Media persons like Hamid Mir have come under physical attack and some like investigative journalist Saleem Shahzad have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered with no-one ever held to account.
See Pakistan: “Enforced disappearances” condemned, practice threatens security of the state,
http://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/08/30/pakistan-2014-enforced-disappearances-condemned-practice-threatens-security-of-the-state/
It is a great pity that Atif Khan was not tried in court for alleged assassinations and put through the process of undergoing a fair judicial trial if sufficient evidence was found. However the brutal reality of Pakistan is, that if he had been handed over and ended up in state custody it is likely he would have been killed in detention to keep him quiet and stop him from revealing names. It appears laws no longer appear to apply in Pakistan, (unless it suits those with power or in power). The state stands accused from various bodies of gross human rights abuses both in detention and on the streets, so it it any wonder that insurgency continues to flourish. If the state cannot lead by example and follow its own rules, what incentive is there for anyone else to keep within the law!
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

source: This article first appeared at http://activist1.wordpress.com

Failed Politics of Imran Khan aka Taliban Khan

BY Professor Hoodbhoy.

Thousands of fanatical followers led by the cleric-cricketer combination of Tahir-ul-Qadri and Imran Khan have been holding Islamabad hostage now for one month. Business and government stand disrupted, the state visit of China’s president was postponed, and normal life has been suspended in parts of the city. The duo claims that the national elections held 15 months ago were rigged and must be redone. Both want to morally cleanse Pakistan, and promise to make milk and honey flow. Neither has a plan, but their followers don’t seem to care.

The Khan-Qadri duo has brought a new level of instability to Pakistan. A sensationalist media, by giving 24/7 coverage for a full month, has created a national trauma.  Hapless citizens, glued to their television sets, watched Pakistan’s heavily fortified capital fall to protesters. Privately hired cranes tossed aside concrete barriers and shipping containers, while razor wire was cut through by professionals. A demoralized police was initially too afraid to follow attack orders.

From the shadows, the Pakistan Army – an institution known all too well to the Baluch and Bengalis – has, with uncharacteristic calm, watched Pakistan’s state institutions taken over by violent thugs. But rather than restore law-and-order, it chose to confer legitimacy on the insurgents by advocating negotiations. The brief takeover of Pakistan Television by PAT/PTI agitators did not result in any subsequent punitive action; the occupiers left shouting “Pak Fauj Zindabad”.

What’s the game plan here? Cricketer Khan’s is clear enough: create enough chaos so that the elected government can be forcibly overthrown. Subsequently, it will not be difficult to find a pliant Supreme Court judge who would favor mid-term elections. Then, perhaps with a little reverse rigging, he would be hurled towards what he sees as his rightful destiny – becoming the prime minister of Pakistan. The goals of the mercurial Holy Man from Canada are less clear; keeping the pot vigorously stirred is all that we’ve seen so far.

Now for the good news: the people of Pakistan wisely refuse to support this violent destruction of government. Popular opinion today roots for stability and calm. In an unprecedented display of unity, the PML-N and PPP, Pakistan’s two largest political parties, announced they are on the same page. A minor miracle is that left-wing views, such as those of the Awami Workers Part and the Woman’s Action Forum, coincide on this matter with the right-wing opinions of Maulana Fazlur Rahman and the Jamaat-e-Islami!

Of course, the consensus goes no further. Justifiably, there is criticism of Nawaz Sharif’s naked nepotism and the appointment of his family members to important posts. Justifiably, people dislike the Sharif brothers’ style of personalized governance. And, justifiably, there is a call for electoral reform, as well as to protest last year’s partially rigged elections. 

This is clearly a right-versus-right tussle. But, while we on the Left don’t have a dog in the fight, it is one that requires progressive Pakistanis to think through the consequences. I would argue that the government of Nawaz Sharif, rotten as it is, should not buckle in and should not resign.

First, allegations of rigging appear to be over-amplified by the losers. In the 2013 elections, national and international observers saw nothing extraordinary. Nor did I, while standing in line to vote. Moreover, the outcome was consistent with pre-election polls. But this clearly did not flatter the cricketer’s super-sized ego. He had hoped for more than just a provincial government. Now, through means fair or foul, he wishes to capitalize upon the army’s distaste for Nawaz Sharif and refuses to take his chances at the ballot box four years away. 

It shall be a grim day for Pakistan should Cricketer Khan become Prime Minister Khan. Khan had openly supported the Taliban even under the brutal occupation of Swat in 2009, or when they shot 14-year old Malala Yusufzai in the head for wanting to go to school. Khan went into a frenzied fit after the killing of Osama bin Laden, declaring him a shaheed. He again threw a tantrum after TTP supremo Hakimullah Mehsud was killed by a US drone, making it clear that he would rather shoot at drones than terrorists. 

Whether out of a serious perceptual disorder or political ambition or to atone for his raunchy past, year after year Cricketer Khan has sided with those who have been blowing up our children’s schools, killing Pakistan’s citizens, police, and soldiers. This is why the Taliban chose him as one of their representatives in the failed peace talks, and why he carries the nick-name of Taliban Khan. 

Pakistan’s two wannabe messiahs promise a new Pakistan, and their gullible followers have swallowed it. Protesters interviewed on TV channels speak of a Naya Pakistan where nobody will have to pay electricity bills, and where all will have jobs of choice. They do not ask how, choosing to live in a fool’s paradise instead. None is willing to face the fact that governance in KPK is no better after the PTI’s year long stint in power. 

Worse yet, Khan has had nothing to say about the horrific targeting of Pakistan’s religious minorities, or the use of the blasphemy law to terrify them. Pakistan’s Christians cannot forget his callous remarks after the Peshawar church bombing one year ago. While the Model Town tragedy is to be roundly condemned, the Khan-Qadri duo is silent about the hundreds who have either gone missing in Baluchistan, or were later found in mass graves.

Alarmed that the protest is petering out, the duo has renewed appeals for reinforcements. It is unlikely that this will happen, but certainly their circus has gone too far in disrupting the capital’s life. Therefore, if persuasion does not work the use of a minimum amount of force will be entirely legitimate. Islamabad’s citizens have rights which the agitators are violating, and which the state is obliged to protect.

Islamabad’s vulnerability now stands twice exposed. The first time was in 2007 when the Lal Masjid clerics went on a rampage, declared rebellion against the state, and imposed their brand of sharia on Islamabad.  It took the lives of a dozen Pak Army commandos to defeat them. Hundreds, including children, died. More significantly, it began a new era of suicide attacks on marketplaces, public squares, police stations, and army installations. Since the time, around 30,000 lives have been lost.

What of the future? In the years ahead, this pair may become irrelevant. But with the dangerous precedent they have established, hard-line clerics disaffected with the army’s betrayal, and operations such as Zarb-e-Azb, may give the call to occupy. The marching orders could also come from Caliph Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi of ISIS or some other radical leader; their literature is already being circulated around. Thereafter, from the hundreds of madrassas in and around the city, charged mobs armed to the teeth will pour out to fulfill their holy duty. Nuclear Pakistan would have the world sitting on edge.    


The author teaches physics in Lahore and Islamabad. The present article has been updated gfrom the version published in Dawnon 06-09-2014

source: http://viewpointonline.net/2014/09/vp218/the-siege-of-islamabad-what-next/3938-the-siege-of-islamabad-what-next#.VBp13s3anMY.facebook

What next for Imran Khan-Neo Asghar Khan and Symbol of Status Quo and Punjabi Establishment

By Zahid Hussain


IT has been more than a month since Imran Khan led his ‘independence’ march to Islamabad. The evening crowd at D-Chowk is getting thinner. The speeches have become increasingly mundane and their harsh tenor betrays growing frustration. The hopes and promises have turned into desperation.

Had it not been for Tahirul Qadri devotees camping on Constitution Avenue the show would be much poorer. Still, there is no sign of the kaptaan giving up; he would rather take the fight to the bitter end. The risk is high and the options limited. What next for Imran Khan?

Indeed, unlike in cricket, there is no ultimate winner or loser in politics. There is no such thing as victory and defeat in this power game. One lives to fight another day. But mixing cricket with politics has surely not been a good idea. Imran Khan’s imperious self and gross miscalculations have proved to be his biggest undoing.

He keeps raising the stakes while he could have easily won the day with the government conceding to the demand for electoral reforms and the re-auditing of votes. With his irrational actions and arrogance, Imran Khan now risks irreversibly damaging the political future of his party that has impacted the country’s politics so deeply, mobilising the educated urban middle class into a formidable political force.
Mixing cricket with politics has surely not been a good idea.

To be fair, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s campaign against corruption, dynastic politics and absence of rule of law has struck the right chord with the vast majority of the populace. It was the main reason for such a large number of the electorate reposing their trust in what they considered an alternative to the established parties that had failed the people. But what has always been lacking in Imran Khan is a clear vision of the change he promises.

His rants have increasingly turned into empty rhetoric. Imran Khan’s views on critical political, social and economic issues are inconsistent with his slogan for change. His political outlook is much more conservative, seeking to take the country backward. His stance on militancy and the Taliban reflect a twisted worldview. He may have the charisma but he is certainly not the material that leaders of change are made of. His recent actions bear testimony to this fact.

For sure, the PTI’s latest campaign has shaken both the government and the opposition parties out of their deep slumber in a situation where there’s growing public disenchantment with the present political order. The sit-in in front of Parliament House for more than a month is itself a unique feat in Pakistan’s political history. Consequently, parliament has been reactivated to bring political forces together to save the system.

But the ongoing protests have also exposed the political immaturity and opportunism of the PTI leadership. The party seems to have based its entire strategy on the hope or maybe some kind of assurance of intervention by a third force to oust the Sharif government. Unsurprisingly, a feeling of triumph was palpable when the army chief entered the scene to play the role of arbiter. But the moment was short-lived.

Perhaps, the PTI’s biggest miscalculation was the illusion that it could mobilise a tsunami with hundreds and thousands of people storming Islamabad. But it turned out to be a disappointing show with only a few thousand supporters joining the march that started from Lahore on Independence Day.

In fact, the month-long sit-in in Islamabad has not had any impact on other parts of the country. Imran Khan’s appeal for countrywide protests received little response. There were only a few small gatherings of party loyalists in upscale districts of Karachi and Lahore. The appeal for civil disobedience and the call for non-payment of taxes and utility bills became a joke. Only a few party stalwarts refused to pay toll on the Peshawar-Islamabad road and some upper-class supporters were seen arguing with restaurant managements for charging GST on the bill.

The decision to resign from the national and provincial assemblies barring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has proved to be the biggest blunder that has not only divided the party but also increased its political isolation. The party has been left with virtually no ally. It would have served the party’s cause much better had the PTI fought its battle for reforms inside parliament too. Instead, Imran Khan declared the entire parliament to be a “den of thieves”.

Yet parliament demonstrated more maturity while standing behind the elected government; it also extended a lifeline to the PTI by supporting the demand for electoral reforms. It is also because of the urging of the opposition parties that the resignations of the PTI legislators have not yet been accepted. But that cannot be delayed for long. Sitting out of the assemblies would make it more difficult for the party to get the required legislation for electoral reforms passed.

A consensus seems to have emerged on all issues raised by the PTI except for the demand for the prime minister’s resignation. The party could have claimed credit for that and worked to consolidate its position. But it was not to be. Imran Khan seems to be in a hurry to wrap up the present dispensation and force early elections. What he is trying to do is to create a state of anarchy. And it is certainly not so difficult given the collapse of the government’s authority anyway.

A dysfunctional administration in the capital has already provided a free hand to the protesters. The latest incident when Imran Khan got his detained supporters released from police custody is a testimony to that. A growing power vacuum will surely invite extra-constitutional intervention and maybe that is what the PTI is pursuing. It is a dangerous game that may end in complete disaster. The solution of the crisis lies in democracy, however flawed it may be, and not outside the system.

The writer is an author and journalist.

zhussain100@yahoo.com

Twitter: @hidhussain

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2014 : http://www.dawn.com/news/1132375/

A Bomb Blast a Day Keeps the PTI Governance Away

FR Region and FATA Map

While two bomb Blasts occurred in two Mosques, in FR Peshawar Area, a Semi –tribal Area which is not under control of Islamabad’s Federal Governments FATA secretariat, as its Governance is in Grey Area.

That it is not Part of FATA and its also a Semi- Tribal area, that is it is controlled by Draconian In human laws that is called FCR-40 and is not under Normal Laws of Pakistan ie Judiciary and Police ( No Jurisdiction of Supreme and High Court ). it is though, controlled by DCO Peshawar , and not Political Agents normally found in FATA.

The FR Areas is so near to Pukhtunkwa that they can be described as a Sandwich area, between FATA and Pukhtunkwa, 6 FR –Areas Exists in Pukhtunkwa.

This Translates into absence of Police, although FC is meant to Control it, (Provincial Government controlled and Police officers commanded, Frontier Constabulary ) and not the other FC ( Rehman Malik,s, Interior Ministry Controlled and Army officers Commanded FC ) which is now called FS , to do away with confusion is not found there .

Because of this peculiar Lack of Governance, it is a Pocket of lawlessness and Mayhem/ Confusion that favors the Taliban who come from South Punjab Terrorists organizations LJ ( Lashkar Jhangavi ) and SSP ( Sipah Sahaba ) and Intermingle with Friendly Afridi tribe’s men and live among them to be called TTP.

It may be noted these Afridi and Orakzai Tribesmen will not open up their Lands and Areas for other Pashtuns, like Yousafzai of Pukhtunkwa or even from other FATA Areas like a Bangash etc , but they are accommodating to Punjab Based Terrorists because of Monitory reasons as they pay in Dollars .

Mosque in a rubble in FR Peshawar destroyed by a suicide Bomber.

150 people lost their Lives according to Locals but media reported only 100 in both the Blasts and some people termed it tit for tat Revenge as, a Deobandi ( JUI-F and S ) Group killed a Barelevi Group( Jammat Islami ) people in both Blasts.

Gruesome scenes were witnessed as the Two Mosques completely collapsed and their roofs fell down when a Young Boy did this suicide bombing. In the later incident, Grenades were thrown in.

This was conveniently forgotten by Punjab, Centered Media, may be under instruction of Punjabi Establishment who wants a Status quo in FATA.

Nothing will be done , why cant these Areas be declared as a Settled areas, when they are already under DCO Peshawar and hence allow for Police stations to be setup, and other Law and order offices be made like Courts and Commissioners .

This will improve the Governance as tribal System has already Failed and there are no Local leader to Take on from here .Why a Vacuum should be left for Taliban Deliberatively.

This Kind of Lawlessness in Afghanistan ensured Taliban Success there and it is ensuring the same successes, for Taliban in 7 FATA Tribal Areas, PATA (Swat, Malakand and Kala Dhaka Hazara) and in 6 FR Regions too. (FR Peshawar, FR DI Khan, FR Kohat, FR Tank, FR Bannu, and FR Lakki Marwat) .

It is High time these areas should be changed to Settled Area soon, As if not done it will result in Separation of these Areas from Federation of Pakistan and a Drug Warlord Governed Country will emerge in Form of FATA and FR region combined with PATA .

It seems things are moving in this Direction soon as Army has failed to Curb the Terrorism effectively as Statistics suggests.

SOURCE: http://livepak.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/two-bomb-blast-in-fr-peshawar-in-one-day/

Afghanistan Wants UN to Stop Pakistan Digging Trenches on Durand Line in Baluchistan Pashtuns Belt.

Afghanistan is Digging its historical Records of Durand line Agreement on 11 Sept 1893 , between British Government and Afghanistan which was Ad-hoc Agreement and was made Null and Void in 1947 After India Partition Agreement 1947. 

Pakistan Accepts the Same Lord Curzon Agreement of Durand Line while Afghanistan does not till today.

IT is Interesting the Durand line Agreement was made from Gilgit Area Starting in North to Pakhtunkhwa and FATA Area but the Area of Baluchistan was not mentioned in it , which Makes a new Dimension and this is Where the Trenches are being Dug by Pakistan Army. 

Neither the Khan of Kalat Baluchistan was Not Present in Agreement and or Party to it , Making this Bilateral Agreement between Durrani Pashtun kings 1757-1980 and British and not Between Pakistan or Independent Baluchistan which was Status of Baluchistan . So this Agreement is now Part of new Dispute to Arise . 

This new Miss- adventurer will lead to a New dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan and May Involve Baluchistan Independence via UN. 

By Tahir Khan 

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has formed a commission to ‘assess and investigate’ Pakistan’s plan to dig out trenches along the border with Afghanistan.

“As reports suggest, the Pakistani forces have started digging trenches along the artificial Durand Line, the president of Afghanistan has formed a team of ministers and officials to investigate the matter,” said a statement posted on Karzai’s website.

According to the statement, Afghanistan’s deputy interior minister will head the commission which will also comprise deputy foreign, defence and border and tribal affairs ministers. Technical experts will also be part of the team.

“The team will examine all relevant documents and historical evidence to determine the status of the excavations and will submit a report as soon as possible,” it said.

Frontier Corps (FC) in Balochistan had earlier said the proposed 480-kilometre-long trenches were aimed at curbing ‘cross-border incursions’ of terrorists and smugglers into Pakistan.

According to the FC, nearly 235-km of the trench have already been dug and the remaining part is expected to be completed by October 30.

Talking to Voice of America (VoA), Pakistan Army’s spokesman Major-General Asim Saleem Bajwa said the project was part of administrative and security measures Pakistan had undertaken to secure the border with Afghanistan.

“We have to protect and secure our borders. So, anything that is done on this side of the border remaining within our own area is very much legal,” VoA quoted Bajwa as saying on Sunday.

However, as there is no let-up in Pak-Afghan tensions over cross-border attacks, the issue of trenches could vitiate the already tense relationship.

Afghan lawmakers have also opposed digging of trenches and said the issue will be taken to the UN and other international forums.

Members of the Senate of Masharanu Jirga claimed the move is aimed at “dividing the Pashun living on both sides of the Durand Line,” Pajhwok news agency reported on Sunday.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2014.

source : http://tribune.com.pk/story/762395/karzais-commission-afghan-panel-to-dig-out-truth-about-trenches/